Talking Simulator

The wonderful If Found... is a game you play by erasing the sketch-filled pages of a young Irish woman's diary. So Jordan wanted to talk to its artist, Liadh Young, about the process of creating gorgeous illustrations that were made to be erased.Links:We Know the DevilThe CatamitesHourly Comic DayMy Lesbian Experience with LonelinessGoodnight PunpunAs always, if you enjoy this episode please do let us know! Rate and review the show in Apple Podcasts, share it with your friends on social media (or even in person!), and help us to spread the word.Mix: Dan ParkesMusic: Jazz MickleArt: Emily Majarian

Eurogamer video producer Zoe Delahunty-Light asked Jordan if she could come on the podcast to talk about a recent indie game she "absolutely devoured": Wytchwood. Their conversation ended up covering the pros and cons of repetition in games, how it feels to play as an older female character, and a different kind of video game villain.Check out Zoe's stream of the first hour of Wytchwood for Eurogamer on YouTube. Jordan also streamed it on Twitch!As always, if you enjoy this episode please do let us know! Rate and review the show in Apple Podcasts, share it with your friends on social media (or even in person!), and help us to spread the word.Mix: Dan ParkesMusic: Jazz MickleArt: Emily Majarian

Hana Lee co-developed the semi-autobiographical game No Longer Home with their partner Cel Davison (with help from others on the music and code) over the course of six years. In this episode, Hana tells Jordan what it was like to recreate their home and represent their relationship in a game, and how their feelings about it changed over the long development.No Longer Home features the unhappy consequences of borders and visa limitations. If you've experienced similar, take care when listening to this episode and/or playing the game.

In Crème de la Crème you can be gay, straight, or pansexual; asexual and/or aromantic; monogamous or polyamorous; female, male, or nonbinary. You can choose the genders of other characters, and then befriend them, romance them, or even get engaged. You can use your time at the exclusive finishing school of Gallatin College to study, make connections, suck up to the staff, and try to restore your family name... or explore the darker side of the school and take a stand against it.So how do you write a game with so much choice, and well enough to win several awards? Jordan asked its writer Hannah Powell-Smith.As always, if you enjoy this episode please do let us know! Rate and review the show in Apple Podcasts, share it with your friends on social media (or even in person!), and help us to spread the word.Mix: Dan ParkesMusic: Jazz MickleArt: Emily Majarian

Draknek is known for their excellent puzzle games like Sokobond, A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, and Cosmic Express. A Monster's Expedition (Through Puzzling Exhibitions) continues that legacy but also adds narrative. You play as an adorable monster navigating a museum of humanity curated by someone with only a vague understanding of what any of the objects actually are. In this episode, writer Pip Warr tells Jordan how she drew on her own interests and experience to write the humorous exhibition plaques that provide a moment of respite between the challenging puzzles.As always, if you enjoy this episode please do let us know! Rate and review the show in Apple Podcasts, share it with your friends on social media (or even in person!), and help us to spread the word.Mix: Dan ParkesMusic: Jazz MickleArt: Emily Majarian

Murder by Numbers is a joyful mix of genres: a visual novel with Phoenix Wright style witness interrogation interspersed with nonogram puzzle-solving, in a camp 1990s setting. To get a sense of how a game like that gets made, Jordan spoke to its lead programmer Liz Wright, who explains how she built the framework to hold all of those disparate parts, what she would change if there was a sequel (please, let there be a sequel), and what it's like to move from working on tools to working on games... and back again.As always, if you enjoy this episode please do let us know! Rate and review the show in Apple Podcasts, share it with your friends on social media (or even in person!), and help us to spread the word.Mix: Dan ParkesMusic: Jazz MickleArt: Emily Majarian