The monthly game design podcast you haven't been waiting for

Quickplay - Digimon World

The gang discusses Digimon World's Brains stat and how it allowed the designers to tutorialize the game's combat by abstracting the player's access to each monster's moves until they had gained a certain level of familiarity with them. Also: the start of a bitter feud that threatens to tear the world of Pretentious Game Ideas apart.

Questions? Comments? Got your own favorite non-standard stats? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from Digimon World by Bandai

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Early Access (Casey Yano)

We're back with a new interview episode! Special guest Casey Yano drops by to discuss the experience of developing his hit game Slay the Spire using early access development, in which a game is made available for play and purchase while it is still being actively built by the developer.

Together we explore how to recognize if early access is right for your project, what value it can create for you as a developer, how to convince your players to pay for an unfinished game, and strategies for avoiding the dreaded scope creep.

Questions? Comments? Pitches for your own early access games? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from Slay the Spire by Mega Crit Games

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Quickplay - Ladykiller in a Bind

Rob and Jon take to the mics alone to discuss Ladykiller in a Bind, Christine Love's 2016 visual novel about queer romance and mistaken identities. Specifically, we're digging into Ladykiller's innovative dialogue system, breaking down what makes it work so well and what other games can learn from it.

Questions? Comments? Want to practice your dialog tree skills? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from Ladykiller in a Bind by Love Conquers All Games

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Quickplay - Beat Saber

Ryan's computer is down for the count, so Rob and Jon go it alone to discuss Beat Saber's campaign mode and how its modifier-based system makes it both more fun and more educational than other rhythm games' campaigns.

Questions? Comments? Want to share some great Beat Saber songs? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from Beat Saber by Hyperbolic Magnetism

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Quickplay - Mario Kart 8

The gang discusses Mario Kart 8's various gameplay assistance features and how they manage to walk the line between making the game more accessible while still maintaining its competitive spirit.

Questions? Comments? Know of any other great accessibility features you want to share? Contact us on Twitter or email mailbox@pgipodcast.com. And if you liked the show, please review us on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend!

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Header image from Mario Kart 8 by Nintendo

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