In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Zach Barth, one of the developers behind Kaizen: A Factory Story and Zachtronics. Topics include the development of Kaizen, making accessible Zach-likes, and systems design.

Episode 35: Zach Barth (Kaizen: A Factory Story, Opus Magnum, etc.)

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Ben Wilson the other producer at Draknek & Friends. Topics include his journey through the games industry, crossword puzzles, and card games.

Episode 34: Ben Wilson (Draknek & Friends)

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Robin and Jeremy, the developers behind The Roottrees are Dead. Topics include the origins of the game, the remake on Steam, and genre classifications.

Episode 33: Robin and Jeremy (The Roottrees are Dead)

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Chao Cui, the developer behind Kiko's Apple Adventure. Topics include the development of the game, designing a sokoban with movable stages, and the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant.

Episode 32: Chao Cui (Kiko's Apple Adventure)

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Corey Martin the developer behind Bonfire Peaks. Topics include the development of Bonfire Peaks and its DLC sequel, Bonfire Peaks Lost Memories, his other work on games like Tire Boy, and puzzles in non-puzzle games.

Episode 31: Corey Martin (Bonfire Peaks, Tire Boy)

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Dana Trebella, the founder of Spoke & Wheel Strategy. Topics include best practices for how and when to message your game, common marketing pitfalls, and stories of working with the Draknek team.

Episode 30: Dana Trebella (Spoke & Wheel Strategy)

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Lucie Viatgé, the concept artist behind Spooky Express. Topics include the development of Spooky Express, her time at KO-OP, and her relationship with puzzle games.

Episode 29: Lucie Viatgé (Spooky Express)

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Joseph Mansfield for his threepeat appearance on the podcast to discuss the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2025 and the recently premiered Thinky Direct!

This episode has a video version that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/RVNMsXXeatk

A copy of each of our shortlist of recommended games, some of which did not get discussed in the episode:



Games Discussed:

Bonfire Peaks - Lost Memories Parts 2+3

Gentoo Rescue

Kiko's Apple Adventure

Spooky Express

Compress(space)

Shape Sender Deluxe

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping

Map Map: A Game About Maps

Schrodinger's Cat Burglar

Pup Champs

He Who Watches

Blue Prince

Isles of Sea and Sky

868-BACK

Memory's Reach

The Button Effect



Other recommendations we ran out of time to discuss:

Stuffo the Puzzle Bot

Hiding Spot

SOLAS 128

Linelith

Is this Seat Taken

Headlong Hunt

The Court of Wanderers

Toki Tori 2+

LOK Digital

Echo Weaver



Episode 28: Cerebral Puzzle Showcase and Thinky Direct

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Zachary Johnson, a developer behind games like Joggernauts and Stage Fright. Zach is also the inspiration for Draknek's next game, Spooky Express - a fact he did not know when the recording started. Topics include an overview of Zach's career, stories from Train Jam, and Zach's hopes for Spooky Express.



The Spooky Express demo is live now, so go ahead and give it a try after listening to this episode!

Episode 27: Zachary Johnson (Stage Fright)

In this episode, hosts Alan and Syrenne are joined by Luke Spierewka, the developer behind Pup Champs and Railbound. Topics include the development of Afterburn's games, developing games in shorter turnarounds, and lessons learned across multiple successive puzzle games.

Episode 26: Luke Spierewka (Pup Champs)

Join Alan and Syrenne from Draknek & Friends as they talk to developers of some of their favorite puzzle games, shedding light onto how games get made and the people behind them!

Syrenne McNulty

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