Kritiqal Care

You can learn more about Sylvie’s games and writing on her website, and follow her on cohost @sylvie.

Sylvie’s Cool Things to Share
- The Tower of Druaga (Namco, 1984) and her 1CC playthrough

Things Discussed
- Sylvie’s game spreadsheet
- love ♥ game
- Sylvie Lime (Sylvie, 2023)
- Her Little Sylvietower (Sylvie, 2022)
- Sylvie RPG: 7 Elf Apocalypse (Sylvie, 2024)
- Sylvie Miniature (Sylvie, 2024)
- The Ys franchise (Nihon Falcom, 1987-2023)
- Angeline Era (Analgesic Productions, upcoming)
- Sylvie’s essay “Ways of Speaking”

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider leaving a review or rating, sharing it with a loved one, and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

You can learn more about Meredith’s games and comics on her website.

Meredith’s Cool Things to Share
- Having a VHS collection with Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)

Things Discussed
- Perfect tides (Three Bees, 2022)- Octopus Pie (Meredith Gran, 2007-2017)- King's Quest (Sierra, 1984)
- I Like Movies (Chandler Levack, 2022)
- PEN15 (Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman, 2019-2021)
- Perfect Tides: Station to Station (Meredith Gran, upcoming)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider leaving a review or rating, sharing it with a loved one, and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

For the first Kritiqal Care bonus episode, returning guests Colin (he/they) of melessthanthree and Kevin Wong (they/them) join me to discuss their recently released action RPG, Death of a Wish. A more aggressive sequel to Lucah: Born of a Dream, Death of a Wish follows ex-antagonist Christian as he embarks on a revenge mission against the christofascist Sanctum. We discuss where the idea for a sequel came from, its themes emerging from contemporary anxieties and apathy, balancing thematic resonance with difficulty, and planning a coordinated marketing push for an effective team of two.

Death of a Wish is available now on itch, Steam, and Switch.

Things Discussed
- Death of a Wish (melessthanthree, 2024)
- Lucah: Born of a Dream (melessthanthree, 2018)
- Dear Future (Dear Future Production Committee, 2021)
- How to Blow Up a Pipeline (Daniel Goldhaber, 2022)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider leaving a review or rating, sharing it with a loved one, and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

You can play Cecile’s games on itch, and follow them on cohost @haraiva.

Cecile’s Cool Things to Share
- Australian sports season starting up soon (go Geelong Cats!)
- Subterraneans Podcast

Things Discussed
- Indiepocalypse (listen to our episode with Andrew)
- Domino Club (check out our episode with Emma, Nat, and Rose)
- Bitsy (enjoy our episode with Adam Le Doux)
- Novena (Cecile Richard, 2018)
- Endless Scroll (Cecile Richard, 2019)
- Topography (Cecile Richard, 2020)
- Hope (Cecile Richard and Cable Ties, 2020)
- Gutless (Domino Club, 2022)
- Cycle (Domino Club, 2022)
- The Devil’s Imago (Domino Club, 2023

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider leaving a review or rating, sharing it with a loved one, and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

You can play Davids games on itch, and follow him on Twitter @usdivad.

David’s Cool Things to Share
- Visiting local video stores and buying DVDs

Things Discussed
- Brass Lion Entertainment
- Runaway Reveree (David Su, 2016)
- Yi and the Thousand Moons (David Su, 2017)
- Seasons (David Su and Dominique Star, 2018)
- The Ballad of the Metamorphosis of M. Dolly (David Su, 2019)
- One Hand Clapping (Bad Dream Games, 2021)
- Tasting Room Jam Halloween 2019

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider leaving a review or rating, sharing it with a loved one, and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Featuring
Elaine Gómez | Kate Olguin | Quinn K | Andrew of Indiepocalypse | Nicholas O'Brien | SKELETON DEEP HELL DOT COM | Taylor McCue | Nilson Carroll | Kat of Pixel A Day | Nathan Blades | Kevin Wong | Jeff Chiao | Lily Valeen | Canvas (bighandinsky)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

Domino Club is a pseudo-anonymous internet collective that makes weird, horny, and genre perverting videogames. In this episode I’m joined by Domino Club card carrying members Emma (she/her), Nat (she/they), and Rose (she/her) to chat about the group’s origins, its unconventional approach to anthology projects, and how all these games are secretly just for them. We also dive into their latest jam, Humors & Humus, to discuss how each member approached the chickpea-less theme.

You can find all of Domino Club’s games on itch and their website, and the group on Twitter @club_domino.

Domino Club’s Cool Things to Share (more down below)
- Rose: Cecil B. Demented (John Waters, 2000)
- Nat: the films of Sarah Jacobson
- Emma: people who have been inspired by Domino Club to make their own game groups

Domino Club Games Discussed
- HACKER//SUCKER//LOSER (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)
- Adverse Possession (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)
- Ziptie Choker (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)
- The Devil’s Imago (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)
- PISSED-ON PETITE PERVERT (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)
- Greaser (Metal & Flesh Jam, 2022)

Other Things Discussed
- Believeinthe.net
- Garden’s of Vextro (vextro, 2022)
- Donating My Body To Science (Heavens To Betsy, 1994)
- FREEYOUTUBEMP3DOWNLOAD
- Mutant Hunt (Tim Kincaid, 1987)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

View additional question answers from other Domino Club members on KRITIQAL.

You can play Sand Gardeners’s games on itch, and follow Sam on Instagram @sambehindglass.

Sam’s Inspiring Things to Share
- The tragically misunderstood Wii U

Things Discussed
- the Brownie Cove webcomic (partially archived on its facebook page)
- Kentucky Route Zero (Cardboard Computer, 2016-2020)
- Exhaustlands (Sand Gardeners, 2018)
- Brownie Cove Cancelled (2018)
- Kitchen For One (Sand Gardeners, 2019)
- Dark Kitchen (2020)
- Memphis, Bubbleland (2022)
- Unpaid Serenade for Future Solution Group [2026 eCon Grief/Heartbreak Singalong Nightmare/Archive] (Sand Gardeners, 2021)
- Feast Work (Sand Gardeners, 2023)
- non-places (Marc Auge’s Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity)
- non-time (Mark Fisher’s Ghosts of my Life)
- non-endings (LeeRoy Lewin’s The Aleph Hustle)
- co-open (lowpolis, 2021)
- No shit, video games are political. They’re conservative. (Josh Tucker, 2019)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

You can play Lili’s games on itch, and her personal site.

Lili’s Cool Things to Share
- The Blazing World (Margaret Cavendish, 1666)

Things Discussed
- Crypt World
- Crypt Underworld
- The Virtual Museum of Dead-Wifery (Lili Zone, 2020)
- Room Map (Lili Zone, 2022)
- Glorious Trainwrecks
- Problem Attic (Liz Ryerson, 2013)
- Indie Game: The Movie (James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, 2012)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Canvas (he/she), aka bighandinsky, is the creator of crunchy, narrative driven scifi games A Forgetful Loop (2020) and A Day of Maintenance (2022). He’s collaborated with fellow writers and indie devs Freya Campbell and Elliot Herriman, and joined me on this episode to chat about integrating dense narration into mechanics heavy games, writing casual and circuitous conversations with robots, and the struggle of managing energy and stress during longterm projects.

You can follow Canvas on Cohost @peterrobot, and play his games on itch.

Canvas’ Cool/Inspiring Things to Share
- Daily wordplay games Murdle and Redactcle
- How much they appreciate their partner

Things Discussed
- A Forgetful Loop
- A Day of Maintenance
- Two Peas in a Pod (bighandinsky, 2021)
- Ink by Inkle
- Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro, 2022)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

You can follow Leah on Twitter @leahthecase, and play her games on itch.

Leah's Cool Things to Share
- C. J. Cherryh’s science fiction writing

Things Discussed
- Twine
- Lysogenesis (Leah Case, 2022)
- A Political Marriage (Leah Case, 2022)
- SugarPhone, a SugarCube 2 Phone Engine (Leah Case, 2023)
- Leaving, 2153 (Leah Case, 2020)
- San Francisco, 2118 (Leah Case, 2019)
- Snotwurm
- GOOD DUNGEON (Snotwurm, 2021)
- BAPY (Snotwurm, 2021)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

You can follow Autumn on Twitter @slitherpunk, on Tumblr @slitherpunk, and play her games on itch.

Autumns's Cool Things to Share
- Lunacid (KIRA LLC, 2022)
- Cartomancy Anthology (Compact, 2022)
- The Owl House (Dana Terrace, 2020-2023)

Things Discussed
- Sewer Rave (Autumn Rain, 2018)
- Voidland Mystery Goodnight (Autumn Rain, 2022)
- Be Not Afraid A.K.A. Seraphim Horror Show!? (Autumn Rain, 2020)
- Artists of a Dead World (Autumn Rain, 2020)
- Gardens of a New World (Autumn Rain, 2021)
- Super Paper Mario (Intelligent Systems, 2007)
- Code Coven
- Haunted PS1

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

You can follow Lily on Twitter @ItsMeLilyV, and play her games on iOS, Android, and itch.

Lily's Cool Thing to Share
- Becoming friends with people on the internet (it's more likely than you think!)

Things Discussed
- BOSSGAME (Lilycore Games, 2022)
- Collaborating with guest artists (full list of artists here)
- A lost era of mobile games
- Indie game marketing (spoiler: there's no secret)
- Mobile -> PC -> mobile ports
- Romances about couples that are already together
- Mystic Messenger (Cheritz, 2016)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Kate Barrett (she/her) is a game developer and comic artist best known for her playful, irreverent, and frequently copyright infringing design philosophy, best showcased by games such as Ready Player Fuck (2017) and Pottergame (2020). She joined me this episode to retrace her curiosity-turned-obsession with Earnest Cline’s novel, evangelize her suitably unorthodox commitment to Blitz3D, and discuss the freedom that comes with embracing Glorious Trainwrecks.

You can play Kate’s games on itch and Glorious Trainwrecks.

Kate’s Inspiring Thing to Share
- Playing more videogames (and learning to enjoy them again)

Things Discussed
- Ready Player Fuck
- Amy in Art Land (Kate Barrett, upcoming)
- KateLabs (Kate Barrett, 2021)
- Space Funeral 3D (spiders, krisekrise, 2021)
- dream metro quadrilogy (bagenzo, 2021)
- Gooshlands Gathering (Cubewell, 2021)
- Dolphin Preserve RPG (Whales 2021)
- Devourer: The Minigames (2021)
- Blitz3D now-open-source engine

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can follow Kenzie on Twitter @yoplatz, support Hardcoded on Patreon, and download the free demo on itch.

Kenzie’s Cool Things to Share
- Using vegetable stock instead of water for rice (!)
- The Erotic Poems of E. E. Cummings

Things Discussed
- Hardcoded
- Why Patreon sucks for porn
- Ladykiller in a Bind (Love Conquers All Games, 2016)
- Ancient porn mods for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- Manhunt (Gretchen Felker-Martin, 2022)
- Content warnings in games (or the lack thereof)
- Untitled sexy fantasy card game

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

Featuring
Leo Bunyea | Aubrey Isaacman | Elaine Gómez | Kate Olguin | Kiki & Alicia of Transparency | Quinn K | Andrew of Indiepocalypse | Nicholas O'Brien | SKELETON | Taylor McCue | Hyacinth Nil | Nilson Carroll | Kat of Pixel A Day | Jeff Chiao | Jeremy Couillard | Karin Malady | Joel Jordon | Son La Pham | Adam Le Doux | Jason Bakker | Max Miller | Cosmo D

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can follow Dave on Twitter @davemakes, on cohost @geometric, and purchase Mixolumia on itch, Steam, and Switch.

Dave’s Cool Thing to Share
Getting owned by Goncharov

Things Discussed
- Mixolumia
- Executive Golf DX (davemakes, 2021)
- Rotohex (Skip Ltd., 2006)
- Pico-8
- Down With the Mixness  (I refer to this twice as Chop Suey and I cannot explain why)
- Tetris Effect (Monstars/Resonair, 2018)
- Josie Brechner’s music
- SimCity 2000: Urban Renewal Kit (Maxis, 1994)
- Petal Crash (Friend & Fairy, 2020)
- Spirit Swap (Soft Not Weak, 2023)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can play Cosmo D’s games on Steam and itch, purchase the soundtracks on Bandcamp, and join his community on Discord.

Cosmo D’s Cool Thing to Share
The Great Pottery Throw Down (Love Productions, 2015-ongoing)

Things Discussed
Off-Peak (Cosmo D, 2014)
The Norwood Suite (Cosmo D, 2017)
Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 (Cosmo D, 2020)
Betrayal At Club Low
Gone Home (Fullbright, 2013)
Disco Elysium (ZA/UM, 2019)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

Commonplace is available on PC and Mac for free via itch.

You can follow Max on Twitter @Funbil_ and keep up with Pitter-Patter @PitterPatterDev.

Max’s Good Thing to Share
Appreciating small, not-yet-nostalgic memories (also Tim Roger’s review of boku no natsuyasumi)

Things Discussed
- Commonplace
-  Commonplace Original Soundtrack (Max Miller, 2022)
- Yume Nikki (Kikiyama, 2004)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can follow Goldie, Jason, and Ghost Pattern on Twitter @GhostTownGoldie, @jason_bakker, and @ghostpattern (respectively).

Goldie and Jason's Inspiring Things to Share
- Goldie: her gratitude towards the Ghost Pattern team for all their work
- Jason: the curiosity and joy of his 2-year-old daughter

Things Discussed
- Wayward Strand
- Sleep No More (Punchdrunk, 2011)
- Little Party (Turnfollow, 2015)
- Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik, 2019)
- Bunurong Land Council
- Dementia Alliance International
- "Growing up and growing old in Wayward Strand" by Stephanie Harkin

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can find Adam’s games and tools on itch, and follow him on Twitter @adamledoux.

Adam’s Cool Things to Share
Everest Pipkin’s “Tiny Tools Directory”
Nathalie Lawhead’s “Tiny Tool Roundups”
Bread + Puppet’s “Why Cheap Art” manifesto

Things Discussed
Bitsy (Adam Le Doux)
Twine (Chris Klimas)
Pico-8 (Lexaloffle Games)
Creature Passing (Froach Club, 2016)
Claire Morwood’s “Bitsy tutorial”
Seleb’s “Bitsy Hacks” repo
Borksy (ayolland)
pixsy (synth ruiner)
flicksy (mark wonnacott)
Museum of ZZT
bitsybox (Adam Le Doux)

You can find spiders behind you, play their games on itch, and follow them on Twitter @spiderszzz.

Spiders' Cool Thing to Share
Playing Disco Elysium (2019, ZA/UM) as a weekly social book club

Things Discussed
The Museum of Radically Obsolete Futures
Flight Simulator 20XX Infinity (spiders, 2020)
Space Funeral 3D (spiders and krisekrise, 2021)
Occult Spreadsheet Synthesizer (spiders, 2021)
Cursed List of Jungle Tilesets as Narrated by Werner Herzog (spiders and krisekrise, 2021)
Nathalie Lawhead’s CSS itch profiles
The Queer Games Bundle 2022 (available until July 6th 2022! Buy it!!)
The Indiepocalypse Pledge Drive (happening through July 2022! Support it!!)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can play Half Earth Socialism for free and purchase the book from Verso.

You can learn more about Son La Pham and Francis Tseng on their personal sites.

Good Things to Share
Son La: the sports park with the green roof (you know the one) where baby lambs mow the lawn.
Francis: being in Berlin and appreciating how walkable/bikable the city is.

Things Discussed
Half Earth Socialism (game), Half Earth Socialism (book), and Half Earth Socialism (political theory)
Trust
Reigns (Nerial, 2016)
Into the Breach (Subset Games, 2018)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can learn more about Fantasia Malware and subscribe to their mailing list on their website. Jira also hosts the podcast, New Genesis Online.

Fantasia Malware’s cool things to share
Jira: “somewhere between the 8th and 9th floor” by aya
Chloê: the Merlin bird identification app and Australian birds (especially these ones)
Gabriel: Super Bogus World (hubol, 2011)

Things Discussed
The Orchid Collector (Fantasia Malware, 2020)
The Life of Saint Fiona Bianco Xena (Fantasia Malware, 2021)
Okthryssia and Saturnia's Bureaucratic Adventures (Outlands, 2022)
AAA Software
What I thought was a Yahoo Answers question about Minecraft but was actually a Steam forums thread about Her Story.

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can learn more about Studio Oleomingus on their website, play their games for free on Steam or itch, and follow them on Twitter @studiooleomingu.

Dhruv’s Cool Thing to Share
Nainsukh (Amit Dutta, 2010) - a film about the artist of the same name, which recreates several of his miniature paintings with live actors

Things Discussed
The Indifferent Wonder of an Edible Place (Studio Oleomingus, 2020)
a Museum of Dubious Splendors. (Studio Oleomingus, 2018)
Dear Esther (The Chinese Room, 2008)
”No shit, video games are political. They’re conservative.” by Josh Tucker
”Anarcute, Tonight We Riot, and the Optics of Revolution”

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can wishlist Time Bandit on Steam and play the free prologue on itch. Joel is on Twitter @pumbertop.

Joel’s Encouraging Thing to Share
Recognizing that everything is constantly moving and evolving; that change will come even when it feels impossible

Things Discussed
Time Bandit
Joel’s blog, “The Game Manifesto”
VESPER.5 (Michael Brough, 2012)
Animal Crossing (2001-present, Nintendo)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

Karin Malady (any/all pronouns) is a writer, poet, and occultist interested in the relationship between art and audience. Recently, they’ve contributed writing to apocalyptic photography game, Dear Future (Dear Future Production Committee, 2021), and videogame flesh realm DEEP HEEL DOT COM. In this especially free wheeling episode, we talk about growing up on the internet, metafiction, being Tony Hawk, and provoking readers.

You can find Karin on Twitter @SweetNAwful, and explore their many creative endeavors on their personal site.

Karin’s Cool People to Shoutout
Tildelta - dark electronic musician with a new album out soon
Persephone Erin Hudson - horror fiction who reminds us “the real canibals were the friends we made along the way”
Frog K - flash fiction and insight into “the spiritual rot at the heart of America”
blake planty - “best writing about catboys on the internet”

Things Discussed
Dear Future (and its ending)
Tony Hawk’s Pro Shopper (Karin Malady, 2019)
”This Video Will Make You Angry” by CGP Grey
Sea-Witch (Never Angeline Nørth, 2020)
”NO FEAST FORT THE UNDERFED” by Karin Malady

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

Taylor McCue | Colin (melessthanthree) | Nem (Sandy Pug Games) | Nilson Carroll | Kat (Pixel A Day) | Nathan Blades | Kevin Wong | Shane Yach | Jeff Chiao | Yaffle (lowpolis) | Jeremy Couillard

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can find Breogán’s many, many games on itch and follow them on Twitter @BreoganHackett. You can learn more about The Haunted PS1 on Twitter @HauntedPs1.

Breogán’s Cool Thing to Share
A student video essay about Bleakshore

Things Discussed
Haunted PS1 Demo Disc 2021 (various developers, 2021)
Perennial (Breogán Hackett, 2018)
Bleakshore (Breogán Hackett, 2020)
CUCCCHI (Julian Palacios, 2021)
Promesa (Julian Palacios, 2020)
Valheim (Iron Gate AB, 2021)
Noita (Nolla Games, 2020)
An Outcry (Quinn K., upcoming)
Mummy Sandbox (Z. Bill, 2021)
Chasing Static (Headware Games, 2021)
Ectostasis (ENIGMA GAMES, upcoming)
Sub Mechanoid (Breogán Hackett, upcoming)
Everust (Breogán Hackett, 2017)
Super Metroid (Nintendo, 1994)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can follow Nelson on Twitter @WritNelson, and find a sample of his games on itch.

Xalavier’s Good Thing to Share
The vast troves of art and media available to everyone right now (up to my ears in creative juices)

Things Discussed
An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator
Can Androids Survive (aPriori Digital, 2021)
Skatebird (Glass Bottom Games, 2021)
El Paso, Elsewhere (Strange Scaffold, upcoming)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

If Heather Flowers did exist, you could follow her @HTHRFLWRS and play her games on itch.

What Heather Flowers Good Thing Would Be, If They Existed
Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)

Things Discussed
EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER (Heather Flowers, 2018)
EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER: BOUND BY ASH (Heather Flowers, 2020)
GENDERWRECKED (ryan rose aceae, 2017)
Extreme Meatpunks Forever: The Roleplaying Game (Sinister Board Games, upcoming)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can play Umurangi Generation on Steam and Switch, and follow Naphtali @Veselekov.

Napthali’s Fun Things to Share
Disco Elysium (I promise I’m gonna play it soon)
The Hunt: Showdown (Crytek, 2018), with reservations

Things Discussed
Umurangi Generation - See also: “The world you wished for”
Disco Elysium
”Fallout: New Vegas Is Genius, And Here's Why” by hbomberguy
If Found… (DREAMFEEL, 2020)
Being trapped in a horror movie with Joe Biden and Alex Jones

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can play Jeremy’s games on itch and Steam, and follow them @jeremycouillard.

Jeremy’s Inspiring Thing to Share
Alt games curators and communities (shout out to Indiepocalypse and Dirigitive)

Things Discussed
JEF
Fuzz Dungeon
Alien Afterlife (Jeremy Couillard, 2017)
Updating to Remain the Same: Habitual New Media (Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, 2016)
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (Julian Jayne, 2000)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can follow lowpolis @lowpolis, @rayzones, and @Yafffle. Their games are available on itch.

lowpolis’ Good Things to Share
Yaffle: waking up and going to bed with the sun
Rayzones: replaying Heaven Will Be Mine (Worst Girl Games, 2017) and Beautycopter (Graceless Games, 2020)

Things Discussed
co-open
x_purrsonline_x (lowpolis, 2019)
Crayon Physics Deluxe (Kloonigames, 2009)
A Game By Its Cover
Wholesome Games
Pijj’s Cove OST (Uio Loi, 2021)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can play Ryan’s games on itch and follow them @gendervamp.

Ryan’s Nice Thing to Share
A surprise package of plant identification books from a friend (let me know what your favorite plant is, genuinely)

Things Discussed
GENDERWRECKED
Gay Monster Kiss Club (Ryan Rose Aceae, upcoming)
Extreme Meat Punks Forever (Heather Flowers, 2018)
I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter (Isabel Fall, 2020)
Interview with Isabel Fall

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can follow Jeff @comet_melting and play the demo for UNBEATABLE on Steam and itch.

Jeff’s Inspiring Thing to Share
Chicory - See also: Episode 13 featuring Greg Lobanov

Things Discussed
UNBEATABLE and [white label]
A Nightmare’s Trip (Sky Hour Works, 2019)
OneShot (Future Cat, 2016)
LET IT DIE (Grasshopper Works, 2018)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can play all of Freya’s games on itch and follow her on Twitter @Spdrcstl.

Freya’s Cool Things to Share
We Know the Devil (Worst Girl Games, 2015)
Heaven Will Be Mine (Worst Girl Games, 2018)
Ladykiller in a Bind (Love Conquers All Games, 2016)
Disco Elysium (ZA/UM, 2019)

Things Discussed
Superlunary (Freya Campbell, 2019) - See also: “Food from the torpedo chambers”
The Tower Trilogy (Freya Campbell, 2018-2019)
The End of Decay (Freya Campbell, 2020)
Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik, 2019) - See also: “Episode 23: Hannah Nicklin”
Bitsy
Twine
Flicksy

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can play Elliot’s games on itch and follow her @elliotherriman.

Elliot’s Unspeakable Thing to Share
Some Sword / Some Play (Jemma, 2020) - duelist smut, what more is there to say?

Things Discussed
Winter (Freya Cambpell and Elliot Herriman, 2021)
Outside (Elliot Herriman and Rachel Morgan, 2020)
Cover Me In Leaves (Elliot Herriman, 2020)
10mg collection
Heaven’s Vault (Inkle, 2019)
Calico & Catmint
Twine
Ink
Bitsy

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can play Shane’s games on itch, find their music on Bandcamp, and follow them @tipsheda.

Shane’s Cool Thing to Share
Returning to games they missed on release and finding them no less inspiring (you can find many of these in his itch collection)

Things Discussed
The Devil (cathroon, Aaron Taecker-Wyss, flan, Nic, shane yach, bb tombo, 2020)
No One Is Here (Shane Yach, 2018)
I Feel Fantastic (Shane Yach, 2019)
Approaches (Shane Yach, 2019)
”Exploration as a game genre,” by Shane Yach (2020)
Haunted PS1
LSD: Dream Emulator (Asmik Ace Entertainment, 1998)
7DFPS
98DEMAKE
Proteus (Twisted Tree Games, 2013)
Promesa (Julian Palacios, 2020)
Mundaun (Hidden Fields, 2021)
Glorious Trainwrecks

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

Kevin Wong (he/they) is a game designer, producer, and scholar who has worked on projects as varied as Chambara, Lucah: Born of a Dream, and Manifold Garden. On this episode he recounts his experience as a student game designer and how anti-hierarchal art movements and Twitch Plays Pokemon inspired the apocalyptic photography game, Dear Future.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @ThatKevinWong and keep up with Dear Future @DearFutureGame.

Kevin’s Inspiring Thing to Share
Umurangi Generation (ORIGAME DIGITAL, 2020)

Things Discussed
Chambara (team ok, 2017)
Dear Future (Dear Future Production Committee, 2021)
Manifold Garden (William Chyr, 2020)
Twitch Plays Pokemon
The Fluxus art movement
Exquisite corpse

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can find Nathan’s games on itch, catch their streams on Twitch, check out their voice acting reel, and follow them on Twitter @PhantomArtsEnt.

Nathan’s Cool Thing(s) to Share
Omori (OMOCAT, 2020) - editor’s note: Omori’s composer has received ongoing sexual harassment allegations which are worth considering before playing the game
”Off With Their Heads” by Calliope Mori

Things Discussed
The Queer Cyberpunk’s Guide to Tabletop RPGs (Nathan Blades)
Agents of HUE (Nathan Blades)
Heartbeats in Perfect Sync (Nathan Blades)
The Talent Agency (Nathan Blades, 2018)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

You can find Kat’s videos on Youtube, her writing on Medium, and follow her on Twitter @pixel_a_day.

Kat’s Cool Thing to Share
If On A Winter’s Night, Four Travelers (Dead Idle Games, 2020) - a free spooky point-and-click on a train

Things Discussed
"ECHO: Self-Transcendence In Space" (Pixel a Day, 2020)
"Fearful Beauty: Subnautica and The Long Dark" (Pixel a Day, 2020)
"Playing With Death: The Long Dark and Pathologic 2" (Pixel a Day, 2020)
"COVID Kingdom" (Pixel a Day, 2021)

Channel Shoutouts
Transparency
Pim Is Online
I am Error
Thomas Ife

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

Nilson Carrol (he/him) is an archivist, MFA student, and ROM hacker working to preserve obscure and queer internet culture. His thesis project, Video Games Have Been Queer, chronicles his history with games and the queer culture within and around them which is often ignored. We talk about his early experiences with ROM hacking, the importance of preserving digital culture, and the earnest, wondrous possibility of glitches. In closing we fawn over Anodyne 2: Return to Dust (Analgesic Productions, 2019), a game which feels too good to exist.

You can find Nilson’s games on itch and at swampbabes.

Nilson’s Inspiring Thing to Share
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust
New Private Window (Marina Kittaka)

Things Discussed
RPG Maker
Dragon Pervert
Monster Party (Human Entertainment, 1989)
Brief History of Perverted Dragon Quest ROM Hacks (Nilson Carrol, 2019)
Flashpoint (flash game archival project)
Video Games Have Always Been Queer (Bonnie Ruberg, 2019)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.

You can find Lena’s work on her personal site, play Nightmare Temptation Academy on itch, and listen to her music on Bandcamp.

Lena’s Cool Thing to Share
Dorian Electra (specifically tracks Edgelord and Musical Genius)

Things Discussed
Nightmare Temptation Academy
Neopets
Fuck Everything (Lena NW, 2014)
MySpace

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.

You can follow prophet goddess on Twitter @prophet_goddess, play their games on itch, and catch their streams on Twitch and trash.cloud.

prophet goddess’s Good Thing to Share
Live Forever by Bartees Strange (also Prince)

Things Discussed
LÖVE
Dwarf Fortress (Tarn and Zach Adams, 2006
this must be the place (prophet goddess, 2017)
nullpointer (prophet goddess, 2017)
Crusader Kings 3 (Paradox, 2020)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games, 2016)
Blood is Compulsory (Ian Danskin, 2015)
ANATHEMA (prophet goddess, upcoming)
The Odyssey (translated by Emily Wilson, 2017)
Hades (Supergiant, 2020)
Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error (Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, 1979)
Boat Murdered, Dwarf Fortress Let’s Play
Caves of Qud (Freehold Games, 2015)
Anime is for Jerks

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.

Nem (they/them) runs the leftist tabletop studio and occasional publisher, Sandy Pug Games, creating games exploring anti-capitalism, alternative forms of interaction, and what it would be like if DMC’s Dante was in Dungeon World. Recently, they have helped facilitate the Our Shores Kickstarter, allowing members of the South-East Asian TTRPG scene (RPGSEA) access to funds and exposure they had previously been denied. In this episode we discuss the contentious nature of Kickstarter, Twitter politics, and the limitations of aesthetic revolution in art.

You can find links to Nem’s work on their Carrd and on itch.

Nem’s Good Thing to Share
The success of the Our Shores Kickstarter
Their friend’s comedy channel, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

Things Discussed
All Flesh Must Be Eaten (George Vasilakos, 1999)
Our Shores (Multiple Designers, upcoming)
Orc Stabr (Sandy Pug Games, 2018)
Monster Care Squad (Sandy Pug Games, 2020)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.

Colin (he/they) of melessthanthree makes crunchy action games about catholic guilt and queer acceptance. He joined me to talk about early adventures goofing off in coding class, bucking publisher marketability, and Lucah: Born of a Dream’s intriguing and often confounding narrative structure. Later on we dig into the ethics of violent games and appreciate the eternal charm of Lord of the Rings.

You can find Colin on Twitter @melessthanthree and play Lucah on Steam, itch, and Switch.

Colin’s Good Thing to Share
Watching Lord of the Rings for the first time and feeling inspired by their ordinary heroism.

Things Discussed
Lucah: Born of a Dream (melessthanthree, 2018)
Extreme Meat Punks Forever (Heather Flowers, 2018-2020)
Ectoplaza (Syndicate Atomic, 2016)
”Divest from the Video Games Industry!” (Marina Kittaka, 2020)
”De-Organization and Salvation — Politics of The Self in LUCAH: Born of a Dream” (Catherine Brinegar and Jessica Harvey, 2019)

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.

You can follow Hyacinth on Twitter @Synodai, play their games on itch, and catch their streams on Twitch.

Hyacinth’s Good Thing to Share
Building small communities online within the noise of social media (come hangout in the Kritiqal Discord)

Link Zone
Transfer
The Tower (Hyacinth Nil, 20??)
Silent Hill 3 (Konami, 2003)
Killing Time at Lightspeed (Gritfish, 2016)
No Higher Court: Towards a Methodology for Designing Alternative Morality Systems in Games

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.

Taylor’s games are available on itch and Steam.

Taylor’s Good Thing to Share
If we are doomed, every moment is the best it will be. And if we’re not doomed, that’s cool too.

Things Discussed
Saving You From Yourself (2018)
Do I Pass? (2019)
My Executioner and I (2020)
Twine
GB Studio

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.

Featuring
Leo Bunyea | Joe Russ | Aubrey Isaacman | Elaine Gómez | Kate Olguin | Quinn K | Dani Lalonders | Andrew Pizza Pranks | Nathalie Lawhead | MadameBerry | Makeup and Vanity Set | Maria Mison | Ferran Bertomeu Castells | YenTing Lo | Oma Keeling | DEEP HELL DOT COM

Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.