There are a lot of great games out there. Want to play a lot of them? On The Short Game, we celebrate great game storytelling and craft, in games that you can play in an afternoon or three. From brief but brilliant indie games to thrilling but manageable triple-A games, these are great games that respect your time.
Listeners of The Short Game that love the show mention: doki, indie games, switch, shorter, video game, gaming, played, lack, buy, playing, bunch, hosts, analysis, check, speak, chemistry, discussions, enjoyable, intelligent, resource.
The Short Game podcast is an absolute gem for any gamer looking for a source of intelligent, insightful, and funny reviews of short games. The hosts are fantastic, bringing a delightful rapport to each episode. Their analysis goes beyond just gameplay mechanics, as they discuss personal experiences, economics, and even outside knowledge to provide a well-rounded look at each game. The production quality of the show is top-notch, with professional editing and perfectly placed music. It's truly a joy to listen to.
One of the best aspects of The Short Game podcast is the deep dives and analysis into each game. The hosts do an excellent job breaking down and discussing the games in a way that is both informative and entertaining. They provide unique perspectives on the games that often introduce listeners to new games they may not have discovered otherwise. Additionally, the hosts have great chemistry, making the discussions lively and engaging.
The only downside to this podcast is that it may not appeal to gamers who prefer longer games or those looking for in-depth coverage of AAA titles. As the focus is on shorter games, some listeners may feel left out if they're not interested in this particular niche. However, for those who enjoy indie games or are looking for shorter gaming experiences that respect their time constraints, this podcast is perfect.
In conclusion, The Short Game podcast is a must-listen for any gamer seeking recommendations and analysis of short games. The hosts' thoughtful and genuine approach combined with their entertaining discussions make it an enjoyable experience from start to finish. Whether you're already familiar with the games being discussed or not, this podcast offers valuable insights that will enhance your gaming experience. Highly recommended!
We're talking about Many Nights a Whisper, a short, meditative archery (kinda!) game from Red Strings Club developer Deconstructeam and Selkie Harbour. The Dreamer has prepared their entire life for one impossible shot that will...
We spent this week playing a bit more of Inkle's follow up to Overboard!, and made some shocking discoveries!
This week, Laura and Nate dive into Trash the Planet, a free, browser-based resource-management game that subverts clicker mechanics to serve its narrative. You play as a group of raccoons who start out collecting trash...
Shane and Nate were buzzing about FlyKnight, a $5 indie dungeon crawler that surprised us with its humor and depth. In this episode, we break down what makes this tiny first-person RPG so fun, from...
Expelled! is the latest game from all-star narrative design studio Inkle. It's a follow up to our 2021 Game of the Year winner Overboard!, and it builds on that game's strengths in every conceivable area....
Steam Next Fest just concluded and the Short Game team searched through the mountain of demos to discuss some of the most exciting games with short game energy coming out this year. 00:00 Intro04:09 WYRMHALL: Brush...
All four co-hosts are present and accounted for as we talk about ultra-short platformer, Sheepy: A Short Adventure. It's right there in the name! Sheepy is a FREE game on Steam and itch.io, and it'll...
Rats with Knives! It's time to finally talk about Fight'N Rage! This has been on the back burner for a while; it was first suggested to us nearly 4 years ago as a modern, mechanically...
This week we are welcoming long time friend of the show Jason McIntosh (aka Jmac, aka Halstrick) who's joining us to talk about the Valve Steam Deck. It's been about three years since the Steam...
How has it taken us ten years to get around to covering a Sokpop game? The venerable but very weird indie collective has put out a fascinating perfectly normal gardening game. Ahem. OK fine, Grunn is a...
It's Game of the Year time again! This week we're looking back at 2024 to pick the best short video game of the year, and recognize some other great games as well. 00:00 Intro04:52 Game...
This Thanksgiving week the hosts gathered to play a bit of a game, trying to match short games to randomly chosen genres and adjectives. What's a David Lynchian Platformer, or an “I Want To Go...
Press Y to Neva There's a certain sector of our listenership that loves it when we talk about games that don't work for us. If that's you, then please enjoy our discussion of Neva, the latest...
What a story. 1000xRESIST is one of the best works of science fiction we've seen in a game, and it opens new territory at the intersection of visual novels, adventure games, and interactive fiction while...
An unsettling game for the tail end of spooky season. Mouthwashing is a non-linear narrative horror game about a doomed space freighter and her crew. Please enjoy Dragonsbreath X mouthwash.
We cover a few more games before the close of the comp. Get those votes in!
This has been recommended to us a lot, so we finally decided to clean out those drawers and organize those bookshelves. A surprisingly fun series of tiny organization puzzles which added up to an interesting...
Laura and Raygan talk about another handful of games from this year's interactive fiction competition. Thanks to the authors, and to all our patrons who are sharing their IFComp experiences on the Discord!
A quick episode about a very fast game. I Am Your Beast is the latest game from Strange Scaffold and Xalavier Nelson Jr. Even more “boomer shooter”-y than previous Short Game favorite El Paso, Elsewhere,...
Surprise! The comp started early! Well we were surprised anyway. We're kicking off our coverage of this year's IFComp with impressions of the following games: As with all our IFComp coverage, we need your help to...
Frog Fatigue and Frog Enthusiasm abound in this discussion of open world first person mountain climbing game Valley Peaks.
In this topic episode, Laura and Raygan go through their bookshelves to talk about the video game books they have enjoyed. Art books, game design books, history, and even novels.
A surreal comedy “slapformer” about a little guy who goes around.
Doth these nitwits hast what it takes to properly divine the qualities of this absolutely bizarre JRPG?
Let's dig into the memory hole and try to remember why we love games. What are some of your favorite gaming moments?
It's a Nate Game this week, as we're talking about Cobalt Core, a card-based roguelike deckbuilder about a space ship full of furries stuck in a time loop.
I've finally pushed my co-hosts down the Animal Well. This uneasy, mysterious, combat free take on the Metroidvania genre asks you to live in a hole and be terrified of kangaroos. It is both shorter,...
Sure, this game about a duck detective solving an office lunch theft is cute, but did you know it's also an introduction to Cold-war era Berlin for children? Duck Detective is a deducktion/adventure game that...
A single bullet to kill a whole bunch of cultists. Children of the Sun is a puzzle sniping game, where THE GIRL is out to kill THE LEADER of THE CULT. Telekinetically redirect your single bullet...
Indika is a young nun in 19th century Russia, suffering from a crisis of faith, delusions, and puzzles. It's one of the most cinematically interesting games we've played in a long time, and ended up...
Your ex-girlfriend, queen of the vampires, has holed up in an El Paso motel to perform a ritual that will bring about the end of the world. As John Savage, veteran monster hunter and bullet-time...
Slumps. Ruts. Dulldrums. Whatever you want to call them, most of us have likely experienced times when you couldn't play or enjoy games in the way you might want for one reason or another. In...
It's the ultimate video game power fantasy: the power to clean up after ourselves. Terra Nil is a unique “city builder” in the lineage of Sim City, but with tasks you with revitalizing a wilderness...
After an incredibly troubled development, we finally have the latest game from the team that brought you Gone Home and Tacoma… Sort of. Open Roads, from publisher Annapurna and the developers known here as The...
400 episodes. Nearly 10 years. I absolutely can not believe it. To celebrate, Laura put together an incredibly well produced trivia night game for us to play! Who knows the most about the last 10...
Slice & Dice is a game that just keeps giving, and we don't just mean incredible dice-rolling gameplay. Since we last covered Slice & Dice, it has received two major updates. As we prepare for...
As we close in on Episode 400 (where did the time go?) Shane and Raygan are talking about weird-horror phone bank simulator Home Safety Hotline. Is that caller suffering from bedbugs, or Bed Teeth? Tags...
This week we go rogue and chat about a whole bunch of games — Super Mario Wonder (short to mid-length), Helldivers 2 (long!), and an assortment of “daily games” (seconds to minutes!).
A card based roguelike that is arguably related to Poker has been blowing up recently, so naturally we gave it a shot. Turns out, yeah, it's good!
Debatably a short game, but indisputably a classic. Raygan has played SotN many times but the rest of the crew is experiencing it for the first time. What will they make of this revolutionary 1997...
Golf + pool + the developer behind holedown? Be still our hearts. Subpar Pool brings polish and charm to the (pool) table, with tons of variations and challenges to keep it fresh — we highly...
When inkle drops a surprise release, we dive in — and this time, we dove into a maze of art from museums around the world. The Forever Labyrinth is a totally free, browser-based “replayable narrative...
Turns out all of us skipped the tutorial and (whaddayaknow!?) had a really hard time with the early hours of this retro action platformer. Don't be like us! In the end though we all had...
I can't believe it's been almost two years since we last talked about the Playdate, the cute little console with a crank. We start with an update on if/how we're still playing out Playdates, and...
The famous Roottree sisters and their parents, heirs to a billion dollar candy empire, have suddenly died in a plane crash. The inheritance is in question, with a massive family tree full of potential beneficiaries. ...
This week Nate and Laura cover Jusant, somehow our second 2023 tower game and our second 2023 climbing game — but micro-genres aside, Jusant's got plenty of charms of its own. Don't Nod, the creators...
We're a little late, but it's time to talk about The Short Game's Game of the Year! As with previous years we're also handing out many superlatives, including returning awards like Dirtbag of the Year....
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