The So Many Games Podcast

#16 | London Games Festival with John Rogers & James Bruce

Fri, 01 May 2026 05:00:39 +0000

The London Games Festival was held between the 13th and 19th of April 2026, and New Game Plus, the festival's indie game showcase event was held on the 16th and 17th of April.

We managed to attend New Game Plus on the 17th, and it was a fun, full day of talking with developers, trying out new games, and meeting familiar faces for the first time.

One of those faces was John Rogers from Gaming in the Wild, and he kindly agreed to hop onto this episode to share his thoughts on the event as a whole. We also highlight a few games that we played that deserve your attention.

While at the event, I also spoke with James Bruce – co-founder of Saltstone Studios – on their game The Pale Beyond as well as their upcoming spiritual successor, The Hearth and the Harbour. We did try to find a quiet spot to talk, but unfortunately some loud people found us, which was picked up on the mics. We did our best to remove them, but they were quite stubborn to leave the audio, unfortunately.

John Rogers Links

BlueSky

Youtube Channel

Podcast

James Bruce Links

Saltstone Studios Website

Wishlist Hearth and Harbour on Steam

The Pale Beyond on Steam

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:26] London Games Festival with John Rogers

[59:37] Music Break – Colony from The Pale Beyond Soundtrack

[1:01:13] James Bruce Interview

[1:27:25] Final Thoughts & Outro

[1:29:24] Messages from Creator Friends

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

The following tracks were used in this episode.

Unstoppable – Wax Heads soundtrack, composed by Gina Loughlin

Colony – The Pale Beyond soundtrack, composed by James Bruce

Overture – The Pale Beyond soundtrack, composed by James Bruce

#15 | Concept Art in Video Games with Shaun Mooney

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:30:43 +0000

Concept art has been used in video game development for years and years, and yet we don't really know much about the role it plays in game development.

It may seem like a question that answers itself, but I asked veteran game developer and concept artist Shaun Mooney to dive more into its role.

While Shaun was here, I took the opportunity to discuss some of his past projects, including his time at TT Games and his work on the LEGO video games, before we transitioned to his current project, Trash City Turbo, the debut game from his new indie game studio, Machinefun.

Shaun Mooney Links

Follow Shaun on BlueSky

Check out the Machinefun website

Wishlist Trash City Turbo on Steam

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:51] Shaun Mooney Interview

[35:11] Music Break – Helicopter From the Mortal Kombat X Soundtrack

[35:45] Shaun Mooney Interview

[1:14:38] Final Thoughts & Outro

[1:15:59] Messages from Creator Friends

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

The following tracks were used in this episode.

Mechanically Inclined – taken from the GIGASWORD soundtrack composed by Jack Breen

Helicopter from the Mortal Kombat X soundtrack, composed by Dynamedion

Passion for Exploring - taken from the VVVVVV soundtrack composed by Magnus Pásson

#14 | Planet of Lana I & II With Wishfully Studios

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:00:53 +0000

This month we had the opportunity to talk to Adam Stjärnljus & Klas Eriksson, the creative director and main writer of Planet of Lana and the sequel Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf.

The conversation was delightful, full of interesting factoids on the development of both games and their many features, including how the idea came to be, the struggles of getting the game noticed, the amazing music and the new features of the latest game.

It's a jam-packed episode, and once you're finished here, please go and give Planet of Lana II a wishlist or go buy it, as this episode drops on the day that it releases on all major platforms.

If you would like to keep up to date with Wishfully and the Planet of Lana series, the best way would be to visit their website or search for Wishfully on all the major social platforms.

I would like to give a huge thank you to Adam and Klas for agreeing to join me and for sharing so much knowledge on the games.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[03:01] Adam & Klas Interview Part 1

[35:48] Music Break

[36:39] Adam & Klas Interview Part 2

[1:12:43] Final Thoughts & Outro

[1:14:17] Messages from Creator Friends

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

All clips were taken from the Planet of Lana and Planet of Lana II soundtracks, composed by Takeshi Furukawa.

Clips from the following tracks were used in this episode:

Tailo Village from Planet of Lana

Utopia From Planet of Lana II

Wemari Village from Planet of Lana II

Many thanks to Wishfully Studios for their kind permission to use these clips from the soundtrack.

#13 | Battle Suit Aces with Tom Eastman

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:16:07 +0000

Tom Eastman from Trinket Studios joins us for this month's episode to discuss their recently released deck-builder, narrative adventure Battle Suit Aces.

Tom shared some fascinating insights into the game's development, and I was thrilled to learn of all the different elements, ideas, and time that went into creating such a well-thought-out game.

If you would like to keep up with Tom and Trinket Studios, the best way would be through Tom's or Battle Suit Aces' BlueSky, becoming a member of the Trinket Studios Discord server or by visiting their website.

Please visit Battle Suit Aces Steam page

We also have a written review of Battle Suit Aces on So Many Games.

Many thanks to our patrons, John, Kammy, Antonia, Ruzzh, Shyguy and Cerys, who we are incredibly lucky to have. If you would like to see what we offer and support independent video game coverage, then please take a look at our Patreon.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[03:08] Tom Eastman Interview

[36:30] Music Break

[37:07] Tom Eastman Interview Part 2

[1:05:56] Final Thoughts & Outro

[1:07:25] Messages from Creator Friends

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

All clips were taken from the Battle Suit Aces soundtrack, composed by Carlos "insaneintherain" Eiene. Clips from the following tracks were used in this episode:

To the Battle Line

Cosmic Rendezvous

StarBall Match

Many thanks to Jake for his kind permission to use these clips from the soundtrack.

#12 | Scrabdackle with Jakefriend

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:30:35 +0000

Jakefriend is a solo developer from Canada. The first act from his debut game, Scrabdackle, has recently been released, and Jake was very kind in spending some of his rare spare time to talk to us about the game.

Jake shared some really interesting details about the development of the game, from the concept to how he landed on the locations to how he ended up with the episodic release idea.

If you would like to keep up with Jake and Scrabdackle, then you can follow him on BlueSky, or he is very active in his Discord server.

Please visit Scrabdackle's Steam page

We also have a written review of Scrabdackle on So Many Games.

Many thanks to our patrons, John, Kammy, Antonia, Ruzzh and Cerys, who we are incredibly lucky to have. If you would like to see what we offer and support independent video game coverage, then please take a look at our Patreon.

Correction: I mention the game is published by Fellow Traveller in the intro, but this is not entirely accurate, as Fellow Traveller is co-publishing the game alongside Jakefriend.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:14] Jakefriend Interview

[29:23] Music Break

[29:50] Jakefriend Interview Part 2

[1:01:57] Final Thoughts & Outro

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

All clips were taken from the Scrabdackle soundtrack, composed by Jakefriend. The following tracks were used in this episode:

House of Beak and Blade

Land of pride and Plumage

One Bat Attitude

Many thanks to Jake for his kind permission to use these clips from the soundtrack.

#11 | Old Skies at AdventureX

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 06:30:08 +0000

We are back with part 2 of our AdventureX coverage.

This episode is very much an Old Skies special, as we talked with the composer of the game, Thomas Regin, and the writer, Dave Gilbert, while at AdventureX.

We round off this episode with part 2 of our Sally Beaumont interview (who voiced Fia, the main protagonist in the game), where we delve into her recent BAFTA breakthrough achievement and what part Old Skies played in that success.

A huge thank you goes to Thomas, Dave and Sally for their time and also to the organisers of AdventureX for being such great organisers and hosts.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[01:54] Thomas Regin Interview

[15:46] Dave Gilbert Interview

[55:12] Sally Beaumont Interview

[1:29:25] Final Thoughts

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

All clips were taken from the Old Skies soundtrack, composed by Thomas Regin The following tracks were used in this episode:

Old Skies Main Theme

The 80's Called

Night at the Club

Twist in Time

You Can Play That Game

#10 | AdventureX with Special Guests

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 06:30:33 +0000

AdventureX is a narrative adventure gaming event held annually in London, and we took ourselves along for this year's offering.

Find out how we found the event and how we found the game selection, and we report on the panels that were held throughout the weekend.

We also took the opportunity to interview some of the attendees and for part one of our coverage, you can find interviews with The Dark Queen of Mortholme developer Mosu, the Séance of Blake Manors Narrative Director Dave McCabe and the developer behind the 2022 coming-of-age point-and-click game Meridith Gran and to cap off the episode, I had a wonderful chat with Saly Beaumont about AdventureX and her role as Olivia D'arcy from The Séance of Blake Manor.

A huge thank you goes to everyone that I talked to at the event for their time and to the organisers for being so open and welcoming.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:51] AdventureX Impression

[05:02] Mosu Interview

[16:13] More AdventureX Impressions

[17:29] Dave McCabe Interview

[39:48] Meridith Gran Interview

[56:50] Sally Beaumont Interview

[1:25:18] Final Thoughts & Outro

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Visit our Discord server

Join our Patreon

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

Music Clip Credits

The Dark Queen of Mortholme – Main Theme Composed by Mosu

The Dark Queen of Mortholme – Enraged Dark Queen Composed by Mosu

The Séance of Blake Manor – Title Screen Composed by Clement Panchout

The Séance of Blake Manor – Vincent Varley Composed by Clement Panchout

Perfect Tides – Main Theme Composed by Daniel Kobylarz

Perfect Tides – Mainland 1 Composed by Daniel Kobylarz

The Séance of Blake Manor – Evelyn's Theme Composed by Clement Panchout

Heartspell – Notes Passed Composed by Dire Kitten Games

#9 | 1000xRESIST with Remy Siu

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 19:49:01 +0000

Episode 9 of The So Many Games Podcast finally brings not only one of the best video games created to the podcast but also its Creator Director, Remy Siu.

We have an insightful conversation on the game, from Remy's goals at the start of development to its incredible narrative, visuals and soundtrack.

We finish up with some wonderful questions from the community, with much thanks to Matt, Dave and Steven for submitting them.

We would also like to thank Fellow Traveller for arranging the interview with Remy. We are very grateful for all their help and assistance.

Remy Siu Links

BlueSky

Sunset Visitor Website

1000xRESIST on Steam

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[02:36] Remy Siu Interview

[1:00:36] Outro

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Join our Discord server

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

The music clips used in this episode come from the 1000xRESIST soundtrack by Line Katcho, Drew Redman, and guest songwriter Alex Mah.

#8 | Hollow Knight: Silksong

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 05:30:12 +0000

We break from the usual format to bring you a deep discussion on one of this year's biggest games, Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Jason is joined by fellow So Many Games writers Matt and Erik to share their experiences of their playthroughs of the game. We delve into most aspects of the game in our discussion, from our expectations. coming into the game to our favourite locations, mechanics, its difficulty level and a meaty chat on the game's bosses.

Although we split this episode into two, with the second part dedicated to a heavy spoilery discussion, some very light spoilers did creep into the first part; such was our enthusiasm for the game.

Make sure to stick around to the very end of the podcast, as this episode debuts us playing adverts from our content creator friends. You may discover your next favourite podcast!

Check out our written review of Hollow Knight: Silksong

Take a look at Matt's podcast, Bit Harmony and Erik's podcast, Pages of Play

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[06:34] Hollow Knight: Silksong

[43:49] Musical Break – Moss Grotto Composed by Christopher Larkin

[44:30] Music Break – Hollow Knight: Silksong Spoilers Chat

[1:36:31] Outro

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website

⁠Join our Discord server

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

The music clip used in the break is Moss Grotto from the Hollow Knight: Silksong soundtrack composed by Christopher Larkin

#7 | Promise Mascot Agency with Kaizen Game Works

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 05:00:36 +0000

This month we sat down with Game Director and Co-Founder Oli Clarke Smith, Technical Director and Co-Founder Phil Crabtree and Art Director Rachel Noy from Kaizen Game Works to discuss their latest video game, Promise Mascot Agency.

We go into the game's origins, how the team found designing an open-world game, the struggle to not overbear a player, the collectables, how the van was implemented and much more!

A huge thank you goes out to Oli, Phil and Rachel for taking time out to talk to me but also for being as open as they were.

Follow Kaizen Game Works on BlueSky

Take a look at their website

If youd like to read our review of Promise Mascot Agency, you can do so here

Promise Mascot Agency is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC and Xbox Series X|S

We’d Also like to thank Rach Macpherson for helping to organise the interview. If you need any PR for your video game, then Rachel is certainly worth considering.check out her website for more info:

https://rach-macpherson-freelance.prezly.com/

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[01:22] Guest Intros & Game Development Histories

[08:20] Promise Mascot Agency

[36:33] Music Break – Straight To The Sea Composed by Ryo Koike

[37:18] More Promise Mascot Agency

[1:03:06] Outro

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website⁠

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

The music clip used in the break comes from the Promise Mascot Agency soundtrack co-composed by Ryo Koike. Permission to use the track was kindly granted by Kaizen Game Works.

#6 | Voice Acting & Old Skies with Sally Beaumont

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 05:00:33 +0000

For episode six of the podcast, Jason was joined by voice actor Sally Beaumont.

Sally has been a staple of video game voice acting, starring in many high-profile games including Harold Halibut, Loco Motive and Old Skies.

Sally was very kind to spend some of her spare time to talk about her time voicing Fia from Old Skies and on voice acting itself. It was a fascinating and fun conversation that we hope you enjoy listening to.

We also had questions from the community, so thank you to Astronoluke and Louie for the questions featured in this episode.

Sally Beaumont Links

Please visit Sally's YouTube channel, where she has a host of behind-the-scenes videos from when she was recording for Fia.

Follow Sally on BlueSky, and if you are after a highly skilled voice actor, then please check out her website.

Chapters

[00:00] Intro

[00:44] Sally on Old Skies and Voice Acting

[45:43] Musical Break

[46:08] More Old Skies!

[1:24:08] Outro

So Many Games Links

Check out our ⁠website⁠

Take a look at our ⁠Linktree

Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

The music clip used in the break comes from the Old Skies soundtrack composed by Thomas Regin. Permission was kindly granted by David Gilbert.

#5 | So Many Games Crew Roundtable Discussion

Fri, 30 May 2025 19:38:50 +0000

In this episode, some of the So Many Games crew sit down for a roundtable discussion, with the hope that not only will you get to know us a little better, but also for us to get to know each other a little more too.

Tofr, Kurosh, Michael and Erik sit down with Jason to discuss their other projects and gaming histories, and each brought one of their favourite games to discuss.

Hopefully the rest of the crew – Matt, Jacob, Elsa and Steven – can make it onto a future episode.

*Chapters*

00:00 Intro

05:33 Other Projects

28:20 Gaming Histories

1:01:50 Favourite Games

1:35:53 Outro

*Links*

Erik on BlueSky

Pages of Play Podcast

Tofr on BlueSky

Tofr Linktree

Kurosh on BlueSky

SavePoint Stories Podcast

Michael on BlueSky

Tiny Game Chronicles Podcast

*So Many Games Links*

- Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠

- Check out our ⁠website⁠

- Take a look at our ⁠Linktree ⁠for all of our links

- Music by ⁠Jerden Cooke

#4 | My Favourite Indies: Jenny Windom

Wed, 07 May 2025 20:23:17 +0000

For episode four of the So Many Games podcast, we are joined by two fantastic people.

Firstly, So Many Games writer and podcaster Erik Lunde joins in the fun as co-host on his first appearance on the podcast.

And for our second guest, we were delighted to welcome the amazing Jenny Windom!

In the first half of the episode, we chat about her many projects, including the Wholesome Directs, her podcasts and being a classroom teacher!

In the second part we discuss three indie games that have left important impressions on Jenny. Those games were 1000xresist, The Outer Wilds and In Stars & Time. We get into why these games are so important to Jenny, as well as Jason & Erik sharing some of their thoughts too!

*Important Note*

When we first started making this podcast, we were determined to make these as video podcasts. Over the last three episodes, our naivety has shown that this way was a much deeper time sink than we ever thought. So we have come to the decision to prioritise the audio version over its video counterpart.

We will still release on YouTube, with a custom video, but the production of the video will be heavily scaled back. We apologise if this causes any disappointment, and we wish we had more time to dedicate to it, but sadly that is not the case. Many thanks for your understanding and we hope you'll continue to enjoy our podcast.

*Chapters*

00:00 Intro

00:16 Jenny's Projects

34:54 Jenny's Favourite Indies

1:27:15 Outro

*Jenny Windom Links*

- Wholesome Direct

- Geeks and Grounds

- The Indie Council

- Jenny on BlueSky

- Jenny on Instagram

*So Many Games Links*

- Follow us on BlueSky

- Check out our website

- Take a look at our Linktree for all of our links

- Music by Jerden Cooke

#3 | Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure with Nico Recabarren & David Hellman

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 20:29:22 +0000

This episode of the podcast brings two developers of the puzzle RPG game Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure to So Many Games.

The designer and programmer of Arranger, Nico Recabarren, and the game artist, David Hellman, share insights into the game's development, from concept to the challenges faced, and a look into how the game's art was made and realised.

Arranger is out now on PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation, and Netflix.

*Chapters*

00:00 - Intro

09:22 - Arranger Interview

1:08:57 - Outro

*Links*

Arranger: A Role Puzzle Adventure website

https://arranger.quest/

Nico Recabarren on BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/cabezotta.bsky.social

David Hellman on BlueSky

https://bsky.app/profile/davidhellman.bsky.social

David Hellmans Website

https://davidhellman.art

Arranger on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2596420/Arranger_A_RolePuzzling_Adventure/

*So Many Games Links*

https://bsky.app/profile/somanygames.co.uk

Check out our website

https://somanygames.co.uk

Take a look at our Linktree for all of our links

https://linktr.ee/somanygames

#2 | Ultros & Ultros Design Works Book with Pelle Cahndlerby and John Rogers

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Episode 2 of the So Many Games podcast is filled with Ultros goodness as we welcome the narrative designer of the game, Pelle Cahndlerby and the writer of the upcoming Lost in Cult Design Works Ultros book, John Rogers, to the show. The first half of the episode focuses on the Ultros design works book, how John got involved with the project, what to expect to find inside the book, and that mightily impressive deluxe version.

The second half concentrates on the development of Ultros, how Pelle tackled the writing of the game and its many characters, plus a bunch more amazing chat on the game. Many thanks to Pelle and John for taking time out to join me, and below you can find links to their social media and other projects.

*Chapters*

00:00 - Intro

06:38 - Ultros Design Works Book

27:48 - Ultros Trailer

29:09 - Ultros Development

1:13:50 - Outro

*Links*

Follow Pelle on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cahndlerby.bsky.social

Follow John on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/gaminginthewild.bsky.social

Find the Gaming in the Wild Podcast on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0gVnXCO1k5CuFXLnKOB3P5

Ultros Steam Page (now also available on Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PS5):

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2386310/Ultros/

Take a look at the So Many Games website:

https://somanygames.co.uk

Find So Many Games on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/somanygames.co.uk

Check our Linktree for all our links:

https://linktr.ee/somanygames

#1 | Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 20:10:23 +0000

After finishing Citizen Sleeper 2, we were bursting to talk about our experiences. So, Jason and Tofr did exactly that, and so The So Many Games Podcast was born.

Here, we discuss the original game before jumping into a spoiler-filled chat about Citizen Sleeper 2, our experiences, the new additions to the gameplay, how we felt about them, and much more! We would like to thank Fellow Traveller for very kindly sending review codes for Citizen Sleeper 2. It was very much appreciated.

[Important Note]

Although we knew and respect Gareth Damian Martin's pronouns before recording, there are instances where Jason refers to Gareth as "he” in the video. We would like to mention that Jason meant no disrespect to Gareth, and Jason always strives to recognise the importance of people's preferred pronouns. We apologise if this causes any distress to Gareth or to anyone else.

[Links]

Read Tofr's Citizen Sleeper 2 Review

Please check out our written reviews on our website

For all our other links, including our Bluesky, please check our Linktree