Games I Played in July 2025

Uncategorized
Braid. | screenshot by me

Braid: Anniversary Edition (Thekla, Inc.) is a classic indie puzzle-platformer known for its innovative time-based gameplay, in which the player rewinds time to solve puzzles. These puzzles often require a combination intuition and precise button timing to accomplish. Since I’m not great at platforming and suck at precise time-based actions, some of these sections were a challenge for me. In other cases, I could manage the platforming, but struggled with the puzzle, so I unabashedly looked up hints as needed.

Most of the narrative is presented at the beginning of each level through a series of pedestals holding books. As the player passes each one a passage opens, revealing pieces of the story. It’s a lot of text up front, and I can imagine some players skipping most of it. However, I like the way the gameplay elements (specifically time manipulation) reflect the game’s overall themes regarding memory, regret, and the desire to do things differently. The final level — essentially a boss fight — also provides a twist on expectations, demonstrating the unreliable narration of the player-character up until this point.

Appearance on Indiepocalypse Radio

Uncategorized

A couple of weeks ago, I appeared on Indiepocalypse Radio – Episode 0123 along with Kaile Hultner, editor of No Escape, and ebi-hime, developer of Girlfriend Simulator and other visual novels. During my segment, I got to speak with host Andrew about my game What Lies Underneath (which appeared in No. 32 of the Indiepocalypse zine). We talked about game design, the value of constraints, and the crossover between poetry and games.

Listen to the episode below or on Spotify here.