indie game garden

Jonny Malks
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Video Games

breaking down internet apathy by rooting joy in games – interviews with devs and more ❤︎⁠ available on your podcatcher of choice and here: indiegamegarden.transistor.fm

  1. 1d ago

    30 - Mike Bithell of Bithell Games, maker of the upcoming Vampirium: 1997

    Mike Bithell is an independent gamemaking titan who I am absolutely honored to get to talk to today. In 2010, he created the prototype for his breakout game, Thomas Was Alone, which saw a commercial release in 2012. Thomas is my favorite PS Vita game that I still play to this day, a graphically simple and philosophically layered platformer that shows what indie video games can be. When Thomas took off, Mike founded his own studio, Bithell Games, and has been making stellar games ever since. Some of his more recent games that strike a particular chord with me are The Solitaire Conspiracy–a supercharged take on classic Solitaire featuring a narrative of near-future espionage–and John Wick Hex–an outrageously stylish, action-oriented strategy game that was created in close collaboration with the creative teams behind the films. Mike is on today to discuss the announcement of his newest project Vampirium: 1997 and chat with me about his life and work.  WISHLIST VAMPIRIUM: 1997 – https://store.steampowered.com/app/4035190/Vampirium_1997/Find all of Mike's important links: https://linktr.ee/bithellgamesSign up for the mailing list to read the novela! https://mailchi.mp/bithellgames/thenextgameRead the back issues of Mike's novella set in the Vampirium universe: https://www.bithellgames.com/thelastportraitNorth Star Rising, Mike's radio play: https://www.northstarcrew.com/For all your other Bithell games needs, visit their site! https://www.bithellgames.com/

    30 - Mike Bithell of Bithell Games, maker of the upcoming Vampirium: 1997

  2. Aug 31

    29 - Doot of Froggy’s Battle, Minami Lane, Kabuto Park, and Milki Delivery

    Doot is an indie game dev working on small cute games. He and his partner Blibloop are the developers behind Froggy’s Battle, Minami Lane, Kabuto Park, and the upcoming Milki Delivery, in addition to many more freeware games. In Milki Delivery, the player is tasked with rebuilding a community alongside their pet cow Milki. To do so, players will gather resources and upgrade their barn, then bike along dirt paths, breezy meadows, and seaside cliffs to bring fresh milk back to the sleepy countryside. This kind of lyrical, cozy description only begins to describe Doot’s delightful style, a mixture of message-driven cuteness and mechanical delight that filters throughout all the interactive experiences that he makes. It’s such a joy to have him on the show today! WISHLIST Milki Delivery on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4259360/Milki_Delivery/Check out the rest of Doot's commercial catalogue: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44914288And links to everything else you can imagine: https://linktr.ee/dodoot

    29 - Doot of Froggy’s Battle, Minami Lane, Kabuto Park, and Milki Delivery

  3. Aug 24

    28 - Timothy Staton-Davis of Melanated Game Kitchen

    Melanated Game Kitchen is a co-op studio and collective of BIPOC game creators focused on the creation and curation of unique interactive experiences revolving around culture. Fittingly, they run a game jam series called "Culture Bytes.” Every quarter they host the jam, and the theme of each jam is something that is relevant to members of the connected diasporas they represent. It’s an honor to have Creative Director Timothy Staton-Davis on the show today to discuss MGK’s mission, goals, and outlook on games and the folks that create them. Join MGK or Inquire About Business Opportunities! https://mgamekitchen.notion.site/About-Us-Services-27fdf32a14aa801fbb9ad48b56701270 MGK on Itch! https://melanatedgamekitchen.itch.io/MGK Newsletter! https://itch.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b4ca6cd4e18b897a9b55ffd37&id=1c86b86412 Tim's personal site: https://beacons.ai/timstatisMGK on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dh46nqnxce2azkpmkcgozydaMGK on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOB_265ZPEAHwLJglYNiZGg Clock Out at 2 on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3235690/Clock_Out_at_2/ (produced by Borderless Studios, a studio that got started at the Game Kitchen and is part of their collective) More games from MGK to check out!!Duppy Detective Tashia: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1958800/Duppy_Detective_Tashia/ Beatdown City Survivors: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3383040/Beatdown_City_Survivors/ Ourlands: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2074470/Ourlands/ Gravity's Edge: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4353210/Gravitys_Edge/

    28 - Timothy Staton-Davis of Melanated Game Kitchen

  4. Aug 17

    27 - Francisco González of Rosewater, Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator, and everything in between!

    Francisco González has been making adventure games since 2001. His Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator series became a cult hit on AGS forums and beyond, and once he finished the series in 2012, he decided to make games professionally. His first game, A Golden Wake, was published in 2014 by Wadjet Eye Games. He released his second game, Shardlight,  in 2016. In 2018, he released Lamplight City, published by Application Systems Heidelberg. His most recent release, Rosewater, is a thrilling western tale set in the world of Lamplight City. It includes strange technologies alongside classic western tropes while simultaneously stretching said tropes to new heights. It’s such a great example of what an adventure game can be, made by one of the foremost champions of Adventure Game Studio and the adventure game community at large. It’s such an honor to have Francisco on the show to talk about his life and work. Play Rosewater! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1226670/Rosewater/Check out the rest of Francisco's fantastic work on his website: https://www.grundislav.games/ Meredith's Gran's blog is dope: https://meredithgran.com/Shout out Jay Tholen! https://jaytholen.net/Gabriel Knight Games: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_KnightThe Animator's Survival Kit: https://archive.org/details/TheAnimatorsSurvivalKitRichardWilliams/mode/2up Return of the Obra Dinn: https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/Return_of_the_Obra_Dinn/The Case of the Golden Idol: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/The_Case_of_the_Golden_Idol/The Roottrees are Dead: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2754380/The_Roottrees_are_Dead/ Perfect Tides: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1172800/Perfect_Tides/Perfect Tides–Station to Station: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2088810/Perfect_Tides_Station_to_Station/The Drifter: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/The_Drifter/The Excavation of Hob's Barrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1182310/The_Excavation_of_Hobs_Barrow/ The Curse of Monkey Island: https://store.steampowered.com/app/730820/The_Curse_of_Monkey_Island/The Day of the Tentacle: https://store.steampowered.com/app/388210/Day_of_the_Tentacle_Remastered/Leisure Suit Larry 7: https://store.steampowered.com/app/765890/Leisure_Suit_Larry_7__Love_for_Sail/Foolish Mortals: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1848440/Foolish_Mortals/

    27 - Francisco González of Rosewater, Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator, and everything in between!

  5. Aug 10

    26 - Julia Minamata of The Crimson Diamond

    Julia Minamata is an artist and solo indie dev. She’s best known for The Crimson Diamond, an EGA text parser mystery adventure game where you play as mineralogist/reluctant detective Nancy Maple as she investigates increasingly mysterious happenings at The Crimson Lodge, a stately old house in the middle of a ghost town. EGA, for folks who don’t know, stands for Enhanced Graphics Adapter, which was a standard for PC displays introduced in 1984 that allowed for up to 16 colors on screen simultaneously. It was a major leap over the older 4-color CGA displays, bringing classic adventure games like King's Quest to life. These are the games that Julia was raised on. It’s an honor to hear more about her journey in this episode!  Go play The Crimson Diamond! It's not to be missed: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1098770/The_Crimson_Diamond/ Follow and subscribe to Julia on Twitch! https://www.twitch.tv/a_maplemysteryAnd subscribe to Julia on YouTube for VODs and more: https://www.youtube.com/@JuliaMinamataCheck out The Round About Orchard (Over the Garden Wall Mini-Adventure): https://juliaminamata.itch.io/otgw Earthrise: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/earthrise-vz/play-vzOmnicron Conspiracy: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/omnicron-conspiracy-q1The Colonel's Bequest: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_colonels_bequestThe Aching: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2295210/The_Aching/Yuji Horii Mystery Trilogy! https://giantbomb.com/wiki/Franchises/Yuji_Horii_Mysteries

    26 - Julia Minamata of The Crimson Diamond

  6. Aug 3

    25 - Lage Bergman of Chesto: A Chess-Like Adventure

    Lage Bergman is the solo game developer behind Chesto: A Chess-Like Adventure. Heavily inspired by the Professor Layton DS games, Chesto allows players to explore a cozy town and challenge its residents in a chess-inspired game with custom pieces. Lage describes it as “Professor Layton but instead of everyone being really into puzzles, they’re really into chess.” You collect new pieces with strange powers as you adventure through the brightly illustrated town. Chesto is still in development, but it’s already a joy to play. Wishlist Chesto! And join the playtest :) https://store.steampowered.com/app/4294340/Chesto_A_chesslike_adventure/Play Stig! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2834830/Stig/Check out the rest of Lage's games on itch: https://lageb.itch.io/Lage's YouTube channel! Head there for those sweet devlogs: https://www.youtube.com/@bergberggames YuGiOh! Capsule Monster Chess: https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Capsule_Monster_ChessToribash: https://store.steampowered.com/app/248570/Toribash/Baba Is You: https://store.steampowered.com/app/736260/Baba_Is_You/Chants of Sennaar: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1931770/Chants_of_Sennaar/Professor Layton: https://layton.fandom.com/wiki/Professor_Layton_and_the_Curious_Village PaperKlay: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1350720/PaperKlay/

    25 - Lage Bergman of Chesto: A Chess-Like Adventure

  7. Jul 27

    24 - Piotr Bunkowski of One Rotten Oath

    Piotr Bunkowski is a solo game dev from Gdańsk, Poland that works on various FMV projects. He created his first game “A Trip to Yugoslavia,” an experimental interactive film, in 2016 while he was still in high school. Then, he worked on “Purgatorium: A Family Torn Apart,” a moody murder mystery about tense family dynamics and drug abuse. Now, after a 5 year hiatus, Piotr is back working on a game. This new one is called “One Rotten Oath.” It came out on Steam on November 28th, 2025. One Rotten Oath is a story-driven FMV+FPS hybrid with horror elements. Piotr's GAMES!One Rotten Oath: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3902710/One_Rotten_Oath/ Purgatorium, A Family Torn Apart: https://piotr-bunkowski.itch.io/purgatorium-a-family-torn-apartA Trip to Yugoslavia: https://store.steampowered.com/app/545410/A_Trip_to_Yugoslavia_Directors_Cut/ Piotr's MUSIC! duo with his fiance (Niemałe Słabości): https://open.spotify.com/artist/7sNl23kq00MODSjZiQ29n1?si=Dbxuz9xWSoib-X8yHtnWhQduo with his sister (Arkada w Piotrowicach): https://open.spotify.com/artist/2wyNxEc9dW0EFQd0i0xHku?si=jX9wfozHTbugfNi2LqLqqQ

    24 - Piotr Bunkowski of One Rotten Oath

  8. Jul 20

    23 - Willy Picard (AKA Bushmonkey) of The Red Pearls of Borneo

    Willy Picard, AKA Bushmonkey, is a hobbyist developer of free detective mystery games, but that doesn’t quite do him or his interactive experiences justice. Inspired by games like Type Help, Return of the Obra Dinn, The Case of the Golden Idol, and Immortality, Will meticulously crafts experiences that challenge players to make deductive leaps that feel meaningful while not being overly obtuse. Will manages to keep this tenuous balancing going throughout hours-long experiences full of beautiful art, competent writing, and thrilling detective work. As an enjoyer of Will’s genre of choice in particular, I have only played two or three games that I can think of that I would say measure up to his level of craftsmanship and obvious grassroots love for detective fiction. What’s more, Will chooses to provide his games to audiences for free. It’s a genuine joy to have him on the show today. Wishlist Green Mist Over Portland! https://store.steampowered.com/app/4644870/Green_Mist_over_Portland/Check out The Red Pearls of Borneo on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/4488860/The_Red_Pearls_Of_Borneo/Bushmonkey's itch.io page: https://bushmonkey.itch.io/ Read Dead History: https://bookshop.org/p/books/red-dead-s-history-a-video-game-an-obsession-and-america-s-violent-past-tore-c-olsson/38b382c4bccacd1e?ean=9781250287700&next=t&next=t&affiliate=3214

    23 - Willy Picard (AKA Bushmonkey) of The Red Pearls of Borneo
See All (30)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

breaking down internet apathy by rooting joy in games – interviews with devs and more ❤︎⁠ available on your podcatcher of choice and here: indiegamegarden.transistor.fm

Information

  • Creator
    Jonny Malks
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jonny Malks