indie game garden – Details, episodes & analysis

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indie game garden

Jonny Malks

Leisure

Technology

Frequency: 1 episode/7d. Total Eps: 27

breaking down internet apathy by rooting joy in games – interviews with devs and more ❤︎⁠ available on your podcatcher of choice and here: indiegamegarden.transistor.fm

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Data updated on 21/08/2026

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Score global : 53%

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27 - Francisco González of Rosewater, Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator, and everything in between!

Episode 27

Monday, August 17, 2026 • Duration 01:30:22

Francisco González has been making adventure games since 2001. His Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator series became a cult hit on AGS forums and beyond, and once he finished the series in 2012, he decided to make games professionally. His first game, A Golden Wake, was published in 2014 by Wadjet Eye Games. He released his second game, Shardlight, in 2016. In 2018, he released Lamplight City, published by Application Systems Heidelberg. His most recent release, Rosewater, is a thrilling western tale set in the world of Lamplight City. It includes strange technologies alongside classic western tropes while simultaneously stretching said tropes to new heights. It’s such a great example of what an adventure game can be, made by one of the foremost champions of Adventure Game Studio and the adventure game community at large. It’s such an honor to have Francisco on the show to talk about his life and work.

Play Rosewater! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1226670/Rosewater/
Check out the rest of Francisco's fantastic work on his website: https://www.grundislav.games/

Meredith's Gran's blog is dope: https://meredithgran.com/
Shout out Jay Tholen! https://jaytholen.net/
Gabriel Knight Games: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Knight
The Animator's Survival Kit: https://archive.org/details/TheAnimatorsSurvivalKitRichardWilliams/mode/2up

Return of the Obra Dinn: https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/Return_of_the_Obra_Dinn/
The Case of the Golden Idol: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/The_Case_of_the_Golden_Idol/
The Roottrees are Dead: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2754380/The_Roottrees_are_Dead/

Perfect Tides: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1172800/Perfect_Tides/
Perfect Tides–Station to Station: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2088810/Perfect_Tides_Station_to_Station/
The Drifter: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/The_Drifter/
The Excavation of Hob's Barrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1182310/The_Excavation_of_Hobs_Barrow/

The Curse of Monkey Island: https://store.steampowered.com/app/730820/The_Curse_of_Monkey_Island/
The Day of the Tentacle: https://store.steampowered.com/app/388210/Day_of_the_Tentacle_Remastered/
Leisure Suit Larry 7: https://store.steampowered.com/app/765890/Leisure_Suit_Larry_7__Love_for_Sail/
Foolish Mortals: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1848440/Foolish_Mortals/

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26 - Julia Minamata of The Crimson Diamond

Episode 26

Monday, August 10, 2026 • Duration 01:29:42

Julia Minamata is an artist and solo indie dev. She’s best known for The Crimson Diamond, an EGA text parser mystery adventure game where you play as mineralogist/reluctant detective Nancy Maple as she investigates increasingly mysterious happenings at The Crimson Lodge, a stately old house in the middle of a ghost town. EGA, for folks who don’t know, stands for Enhanced Graphics Adapter, which was a standard for PC displays introduced in 1984 that allowed for up to 16 colors on screen simultaneously. It was a major leap over the older 4-color CGA displays, bringing classic adventure games like King's Quest to life. These are the games that Julia was raised on. It’s an honor to hear more about her journey in this episode!

Go play The Crimson Diamond! It's not to be missed: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1098770/The_Crimson_Diamond/

Follow and subscribe to Julia on Twitch! https://www.twitch.tv/a_maplemystery
And subscribe to Julia on YouTube for VODs and more: https://www.youtube.com/@JuliaMinamata
Check out The Round About Orchard (Over the Garden Wall Mini-Adventure): https://juliaminamata.itch.io/otgw

Earthrise: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/earthrise-vz/play-vz
Omnicron Conspiracy: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/omnicron-conspiracy-q1
The Colonel's Bequest: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_colonels_bequest
The Aching: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2295210/The_Aching/
Yuji Horii Mystery Trilogy! https://giantbomb.com/wiki/Franchises/Yuji_Horii_Mysteries

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25 - Lage Bergman of Chesto: A Chess-Like Adventure

Episode 25

Monday, August 3, 2026 • Duration 58:13

Lage Bergman is the solo game developer behind Chesto: A Chess-Like Adventure. Heavily inspired by the Professor Layton DS games, Chesto allows players to explore a cozy town and challenge its residents in a chess-inspired game with custom pieces. Lage describes it as “Professor Layton but instead of everyone being really into puzzles, they’re really into chess.” You collect new pieces with strange powers as you adventure through the brightly illustrated town. Chesto is still in development, but it’s already a joy to play.

Wishlist Chesto! And join the playtest :) https://store.steampowered.com/app/4294340/Chesto_A_chesslike_adventure/
Play Stig! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2834830/Stig/
Check out the rest of Lage's games on itch: https://lageb.itch.io/
Lage's YouTube channel! Head there for those sweet devlogs: https://www.youtube.com/@bergberggames

YuGiOh! Capsule Monster Chess: https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Capsule_Monster_Chess
Toribash: https://store.steampowered.com/app/248570/Toribash/
Baba Is You: https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba_Is_You/
Chants of Sennaar: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1931770/Chants_of_Sennaar/
Professor Layton: https://layton.fandom.com/wiki/Professor_Layton_and_the_Curious_Village

PaperKlay: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1350720/PaperKlay/

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24 - Piotr Bunkowski of One Rotten Oath

Episode 24

Monday, July 27, 2026 • Duration 01:20:23

Piotr Bunkowski is a solo game dev from Gdańsk, Poland that works on various FMV projects. He created his first game “A Trip to Yugoslavia,” an experimental interactive film, in 2016 while he was still in high school. Then, he worked on “Purgatorium: A Family Torn Apart,” a moody murder mystery about tense family dynamics and drug abuse. Now, after a 5 year hiatus, Piotr is back working on a game. This new one is called “One Rotten Oath.” It came out on Steam on November 28th, 2025. One Rotten Oath is a story-driven FMV+FPS hybrid with horror elements.

Piotr's GAMES!
One Rotten Oath: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3902710/One_Rotten_Oath/
Purgatorium, A Family Torn Apart: https://piotr-bunkowski.itch.io/purgatorium-a-family-torn-apart
A Trip to Yugoslavia: https://store.steampowered.com/app/545410/A_Trip_to_Yugoslavia_Directors_Cut/

Piotr's MUSIC!
duo with his fiance (Niemałe Słabości): https://open.spotify.com/artist/7sNl23kq00MODSjZiQ29n1?si=Dbxuz9xWSoib-X8yHtnWhQ
duo with his sister (Arkada w Piotrowicach): https://open.spotify.com/artist/2wyNxEc9dW0EFQd0i0xHku?si=jX9wfozHTbugfNi2LqLqqQ

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23 - Willy Picard (AKA Bushmonkey) of The Red Pearls of Borneo

Episode 21

Monday, July 20, 2026 • Duration 38:11

Willy Picard, AKA Bushmonkey, is a hobbyist developer of free detective mystery games, but that doesn’t quite do him or his interactive experiences justice. Inspired by games like Type Help, Return of the Obra Dinn, The Case of the Golden Idol, and Immortality, Will meticulously crafts experiences that challenge players to make deductive leaps that feel meaningful while not being overly obtuse. Will manages to keep this tenuous balancing going throughout hours-long experiences full of beautiful art, competent writing, and thrilling detective work. As an enjoyer of Will’s genre of choice in particular, I have only played two or three games that I can think of that I would say measure up to his level of craftsmanship and obvious grassroots love for detective fiction. What’s more, Will chooses to provide his games to audiences for free. It’s a genuine joy to have him on the show today.

Wishlist Green Mist Over Portland! https://store.steampowered.com/app/4644870/Green_Mist_over_Portland/
Check out The Red Pearls of Borneo on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/4488860/The_Red_Pearls_Of_Borneo/
Bushmonkey's itch.io page: https://bushmonkey.itch.io/

Read Dead History: https://bookshop.org/p/books/red-dead-s-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-america-s-violent-past-tore-c-olsson/38b382c4bccacd1e?ean=9781250287700&next=t&next=t&affiliate=3214

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22 - Mateus of The Last Lodge

Episode 22

Monday, July 13, 2026 • Duration 01:14:52

Mateus is from Brazil. He’s the solo developer behind Kusppy Studios and only started programming about 8 months ago, which is wild to me considering that his new game The Last Lodge is a polished work of narrative video game mastery. In it, you complete chores at a medieval inn while uncovering a spooky secret. I won’t say more than that but...wow. It’s replayable, utterly stylish, and very well-rendered. It’s an honor to have Mateus on the show!

Go buy The Last Lodge today! Best five bucks you'll ever spend :) https://store.steampowered.com/app/4177430/The_Last_Lodge/?curator_clanid=46044300
Mateus' developer page on Steam (give him a follow there): https://store.steampowered.com/developer/Kusppy

Kusppy Studios' YouTube channel (where Mateus posts his game trailers): https://www.youtube.com/@KusppyStudios
Comatose (the "Brazilian Silent Hill"): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3301370/Comatose/
Milanote (the organizing software that Mateus mentioned): https://milanote.com/

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21 - Tyler "Zzox" McCarthy of good

Episode 23

Monday, July 6, 2026 • Duration 01:07:40

Tyler McCarthy, who goes by Zzox online, is a solo game dev and musician who has completed over 25 game projects during his 8+ years of development. His most recent release is called good. It’s a game which depicts a day in the life of a typical american teenage boy who plays sports and stumbles around a world rendered in quirky 2D pixel art. The linear story has plenty of emotional punch, while the minigames bring me back to my days of miniclip and the smell of summer’s cut grass through the window.

Play good on Steam right freaking now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3165530/good/
Check out Tyler's other games on his site: https://zzox.net/games

Football 17776: https://www.sbnation.com/a/17776-football

Dicey Dungeons: https://store.steampowered.com/app/861540/Dicey_Dungeons/
VVVVVV: https://store.steampowered.com/app/70300/VVVVVV/
Terry Cavanagh podcast episode: https://secretlives.games/33-making-generous-games-with-terry-cavanagh
Animal Well: https://store.steampowered.com/app/813230/ANIMAL_WELL/
Billy Basso podcast episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/the-guts-of-indie-with-animal-wells-billy-basso/id1671350556?i=1000769949435
Kitty Collector: https://www.nekoatsume.com/en/
Travel Frog: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_Frog
Baby Steps: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1281040/Baby_Steps/
Age of Empires II: https://store.steampowered.com/app/813780/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition/

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20 - Adrian Vaughan of The Drifter, PlaySide Studios, and SO much more!

Episode 20

Monday, June 29, 2026 • Duration 01:16:17

Adrian Vaughan might just be the most interesting video game guest I can think of, and I’m not just saying that. I invited Adrian on the show after being absolutely stunned by his work on The Drifter, in which he voices multiple characters – none more impactful than the main character, Mick Carter. Listening to Adrian voice Mick changed my perspective on the value, cathartic joy, and emotional resonance that voice acting can bring to a work of art – video game or not. Then, I did a little research. Low and behold, Adrian has voiced characters in a number of other stellar indie games, including Loco Motive, Harold Halibut, and Mouse: P.I. for Hire. But wait! There’s more. He’s also been working as an artist, 3D modeler, and art lead at game studios since 2007. For his day job, Adrian has helped create and ship titles like Civ VII, Shattered, Age of Empires III, Smash Golf, Need For Speed: No Limits, and many, many more. What an absolute gem of a person and practitioner.

Adrian's website: https://www.adievaughan.com/
Adrian's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/yeoldshrimpeyes.bsky.social
Adrian's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-YSyr0ribAeGiH-HlBy2A

The Inanimate Mr. Coatrack: https://powerhoof.itch.io/the-inanimate-mr-coatrack
Intergalactic Wizard Force: https://powerhoof.itch.io/intergalactic-wizard-force
The Maître D': https://powerhoof.itch.io/the-maitre-d
The Drifter: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/The_Drifter/
All of Powerhoof's itch games: https://powerhoof.itch.io/

Fincher: https://nofilmschool.com/david-fincher-filmmaking-style
Deakins: https://infocusfilmschool.com/cinematographer-roger-deakins/
RedLetterMedia: https://www.youtube.com/user/RedLetterMedia

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19 - Fer of Tossdown

Episode 19

Monday, June 22, 2026 • Duration 34:50

Fer is the solo developer behind the chaotic and flow-state-inducing delivery roguelike Tossdown. The way I’ve heard Fer describe his game is the stylistic flair of Jet Set Radio meets the action arcade gameplay of Crazy Taxi, and if that’s not fuel for the soul then I don’t know what is. I’m super excited to sit down with Fer to discuss his experience as a Nigerian game developer and how he came up with the idea for the beautiful mix of stylish, sporadic elegance that is Tossdown.

Wishlist Tossdown on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3241560/Tossdown/
Check out Fer's itch.io page: https://theferfactor.itch.io/

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18 - Matt Fister (AKA Freezebeam) of Realmfold & Towerbound

Episode 18

Monday, June 15, 2026 • Duration 58:11

Matt Fister is an indie game developer based in Boston, Massachusetts. He goes by the tag Freezebeam and is known for creating surreal bitscapes across genres and modes of play in his games. I’m a particular fan of his shmups: Unseelie Chorus and Escape Wizard. His game Towerbound is perhaps the most clever take on tower defense I’ve seen to date, featuring small tweaks to the tried-and-true formula that change the entire flow of the genre in a way that feels fresh. And his newest game is a peaceful city builder called Realmfold. Go play it now!

Play Realmfold and all of Matt's games on his itch page HERE: https://freezebeam.itch.io/

Check out Domino Grove: https://ezra-szanton.itch.io/domino-grove
AND our interview with Domino Grove creator Ezra Szanton here: https://indiegamegarden.transistor.fm/6

Subset Games (creators of Into the Breach and FTL): https://subsetgames.com/
Dorfromantik (video game version): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1455840/Dorfromantik/
Dorfromantik (board game version): https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/370591/dorfromantik-the-board-game
Sol Cesto: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2738490/Sol_Cesto/
Rift Wizard: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1271280/Rift_Wizard/
Path of Achra: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2128270/Path_of_Achra/
Animal Well: https://store.steampowered.com/app/813230/ANIMAL_WELL/
DEMON'S TILT: https://store.steampowered.com/app/422510/DEMONS_TILT/
XENOTILT: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2008980/XENOTILT_HOSTILE_PINBALL_ACTION/

Obsidian (notetaking app): https://obsidian.md/
My silly little game, Harley & Bleak: https://darthmalks.itch.io/harley-bleak

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indie game garden – Details, episodes & analysis

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indie game garden – Details, episodes & analysis

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