YarnCat and Brueh Games (203) - Keep the Heroes Out
YarnCat and Brueh Games (203) - Keep the Heroes Out
Hi everyone and welcome to today’s episode of the Indie Dev Game Break Podcast. I’m excited today to introduce our two guests, we have Daniel Snd, the founder of Yarncat Games, and Luis Brueh, Game Designer and Artist. Both hail from lovely Brazil and have found each other in Canada and recently collaborated on digitizing Keep the Heroes Out. Daniel has a growing list of published games including Garden Paws and Rocket Fist. Luis created the board game Keep the Heroes, and after a successful kickstarter, had the game published in 2022. In Keep the Heroes out you play as the monsters keeping your loot safe from the Heroes. Keep the Heroes out will be out in 2025.
Our conversation included:
Board and card games and their conversion to digital
Their upcoming collaboration with Keep the Heroes Out!
The godot game engine: https://godotengine.org/
Their top 5 games that influenced them including: Pokemon on the Game Boy, Warcraft 3, Ragnarok Online, Constructor, Dominion a Deck Builder, and Dungeon Defenders
More on YarnCat and Brueh Games:
YarnCat Games: https://www.yarncatgames.com/
YarnCat on Twitter: https://x.com/DYarncat
Brueh Games: https://luisbrueh.com/games/
YarnCat Games on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/search/?publisher=YarnCat%20Games
Keep the Heroes out on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2592340/Keep_the_Heroes_Out/
Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:
Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games / Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca
Stray Voltage Games on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2221440/Kip_and_Odosan
Stray Voltage Games on Itch: https://strayvoltage.itch.io/
--------
1:13:29
Martin Hanses (202) - Clam Man 2 Headliner Update
Martin Hanses (202) - Clam Man 2 Headliner Update
Martin released Clam Man in 2019 to very positive reviews. Clam Man is a combatless, narrative, stand up comedy RPG. He is currently hard at work on Clam Man 2 Headliner, with a release likely in late 2025 or 2026. We had Martin on the show last season, and are checking in on progress on Clam Man 2 Headliner!!
Our conversation included:
How to pitch a combatless narrative stand up comedy RPG!
Update on Clam Man 2 Headliner progress.
Check out Clam Man 2 Open Mic- a demo / prologue to the game.
Pax West
Baldur’s Gate 3 and its depth and scale
Streetfighter 6
Favourite indie of 2024 - Space Wreck!
More on Martin Hanses and Sideby Interactive:
Martin’s games on Itch.io: https://marafrass.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clam_team (@clam_team)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marafrass (@marafrass)
Clam Man 2 Headliner Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278380/Clam_Man_2_Headliner/?curator_clanid=45460250
Clam Man on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1000640/Clam_Man/
Clam Man 2: Open Mic on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278360/Clam_Man_2_Open_Mic/
Clam Man 2: Headliner on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278380/Clam_Man_2_Headliner/
Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:
Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games / Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca
Stray Voltage Games on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2221440/Kip_and_Odosan
Stray Voltage Games on Itch: https://strayvoltage.itch.io/
--------
45:03
Kai Oliver (201) - Interactive Theatre, Play with Purpose, and Co-Ops
Hi everyone, and welcome to today’s episode of the Indie Dev Game Break Podcast. Today’s guest is Kai Oliver. Kai hails from the United Kingdom originally and now moves between Halifax, Nova Scotia and the UK. Kai is a Game Designer and Developer with a range of skills and projects behind him. Kai is also a co-founder of the participatory theater partnership BAGEL+BALLOON.
Among his professional pursuits Kai also found the time to enter the Just Play Jam in 2023, focused on themes of justice and accountability, where their team's game Drawing up Dust won an award, and he traveled down to SXSW, Texas to accept and showcase the game.
The recent devastating rounds of layoffs in the game industry has inspired Kai to dig deeper into co-operatives, specifically worker-owned organizations with highly democratic governance, minimal pay gaps, and a focus on growing the working conditions over profits as a metric of success.
Our conversation included:
Moving to Nova Scotia from the UK
His journey into the indie game industry
Party games and handcrafted games
Interactive theater and VR combined with real world spaces
Indie Game Co-Operatives
SXSW and his award for the game Drawing Up Dust
His trip through the the Dust Bowl of America to SXSW
And of course, the top 5 games that influenced him
Resource Links:
Affinity Photo / Designer - https://affinity.serif.com/
Audacity Audio Editing - https://www.audacityteam.org/
Freesound: https://freesound.org/
Trello Project Management: https://trello.com/
More on Kai Oliver and BAGEL+BALLOON:
Website: https://kaioliver.co.uk/
BAGEL+BALLOON: https://bagelandballoon.org/
Drawing up Dust on Itch: https://gradiustheguide.itch.io/drawing-up-dust
Twitter or Twitch: @Kraydius
Discord: @Kai_McDulover
Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:
Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games / Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca
Stray Voltage Games on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2221440/Kip_and_Odosan
--------
1:37:00
EXOK Games (109) - Celeste, Earthblade, Smash, and Capybaras!
Our guest today is Heidy Motta, Operations Manager from Extremely OK Games, based out of Vancouver, Canada.
With the success of Celeste, Extremely OK Games was formed in 2019, bringing the entire Celeste team under one company and to one location in their new head office in Vancouver, BC.
The same team of course, also made the popular local multiplayer game TowerFall, which many first learnt of from the Ouya. Towerfall has since made its way to all major consoles and Steam with many updates and new content.
EXOK Games are working hard on their next major release after Celeste, Earthblade. A 2D explor-action game in a seamless pixel art world coming in 2024.
Our conversation included:
Moving to Vancouver, Great Blue Herons and Capybaras
Her journey into the indie game industry
Launching Celeste, that experience, and EXOK Games
Luck and accepting opportunities in life
International Relationships and working globally
Operations Management, Social Media and Community Management Tips
Just how hard finishing is!
Great stories and creating connections
Press kits and localisation
And of course, the top 5 games that influenced her
Resource Links:
Twine Game Engine - https://twinery.org/
Press kit link - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/87lycjzncb0o9ns/AACcA3s5Uyzkeicn3-26qLBWa?dl=0
More on Extremely OK Games:
Website: exok.com
Earthblade on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239640/Earthblade
Celeste on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/504230/Celeste
Towerfall on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/251470/TowerFall_Ascension
Celeste on Nintendo: https://www.nintendo.com/en-ca/store/products/celeste-switch
Celeste and Towerfall are on all major platforms
Twitter or Twitch: https://twitter.com/heidy_km
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/xuwy39H
Heidy on Itch.io: https://heidymotta.itch.io
Heidy’s website: heidy.page
Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:
Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games / Podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca
Stray Voltage Games on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2221440/Kip_and_Odosan
--------
1:12:46
Studio Team Clam (108) - Narrative Driven Games, RPGs, and Kindness!
Our guest today is Martin Hanses from the Studio Team Clam. Currently based out of beautiful British Columbia, Team Clam makes narrative driven role playing games among other interesting genres. Their game Clam Man on Steam, released back in 2019, as well as their free prologue Clam Man 2: Open Mic, both enjoy a Very Positive rating on steam and feature a unique non-combat, narrative driven RPG style of game play. Martin hails from Finland originally, and has a series of narrative driven games on Itch.Io as well to enjoy. He has recently secured funding and is working full time on Clam Man 2: Headliner.
Our conversation included:
Being a chef
Philosophy and kindness in games and writing
Making youtubers cry...in a good way
Writing and creating unique game experiences
Tools and the process in writing a narrative driven RPG
And of course, the top 5 games that influenced him
Resource Links:
Unity - https://unity.com/
Pixel Crushers Dialogue System for Unity - https://www.pixelcrushers.com/dialogue-system/
Adventure Creator for Unity - https://adventurecreator.org/
Construct 2 / 3 Game Engine - https://www.construct.net/
More on Studio Team Clam:
Martin’s games on Itch.io: https://marafrass.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clam_team (@clam_team)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marafrass (@marafrass)
Clam Man on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1000640/Clam_Man/
Clam Man 2: Open Mic on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278360/Clam_Man_2_Open_Mic/
Clam Man 2: Headliner on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1278380/Clam_Man_2_Headliner/
Indie Dev Game Break Podcast Links:
Join our newsletter and follow us on substack - https://indiedevgamebreak.substack.com
Anchor.fm - https://anchor.fm/indiedevgamebreak
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6IqmIBrbUudh0rSzem9b9w
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indie-dev-game-break/id1660382228
Follow Stray Voltage Games on Twitter: https://twitter.com/strayvoltageca
The Indie Dev Game Break podcast interviews indie game creators and forces them to take a break from their labors of love and talk about their inspiration, technology, and the top games that influenced them.