The So Many Games Podcast

#17 | Mina the Hollower with Yacht Club Games

In a major pinch-me moment, we welcomed Sean Velasco and Alec Faulkner to the podcast to discuss their newest game, which isn't Shovel Knight. Their Zelda-like, Game Boy Colour-styled game, Mina the Hollower, is due to be released next week, and we get the lowdown on its development from the idea behind it, the limitations of making such a game, the reasons behind its heavy delay and much, much more. A huge thanks to Sean and Alec for spending some of their time talking to us, and also a big thank you to Luna from the media team for being amazing; they were always so happy to help me with any queries or problems I had. Big thanks to the composer Jake for sending over some tracks from the Mina the Hollower soundtrack for us to use in this episode. Mina the Hollower is due to release on May 29th, 2026, on PC and consoles! Go give it a wishlist so you don't miss it when it releases. Yacht Club Games Links Follow Yacht Club Games on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/yachtclubgames.bsky.social] Join their Discord [https://discord.gg/khzjjZNdvf] Wishlist Mina the Hollower on Steam [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1875580/Mina_the_Hollower/] Chapters [00:00] Intro [02:40] Yacht Club Games Interview Part One [59:37] Music Break – At Last We Rest (Old Graveyard) [1:01:13] Yacht Club Games Interview Part Two [1:04:22] Final Thoughts & Outro [1:05:44] Messages from Creator Friends So Many Games' Links Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/somanygames.co.uk] Check out our ⁠website [https://somanygames.co.uk/] ⁠ [https://somanygames.co.uk/]Visit our Discord server [https://discord.gg/Zee2vYQsUs] Join our Patreon [https://patreon.com/SoManyGames] Take a look at our ⁠Linktree [https://linktr.ee/somanygames] Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke [https://bsky.app/profile/jerdencooke.bsky.social] Music Clip Credits The following tracks were used in this episode, which were all taken from the Mina the Hollower Soundtrack composed by Jack Kaufman A Sinking Feeling (Loner's Landing) At Last We Rest (Old Graveyard) The God Harvest (Septemburg)

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

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 [https://bsky.app/profile/gaminginthewild.com] Youtube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWild] Podcast [https://pod.link/1498853997] James Bruce Links Saltstone Studios Website [https://saltstonestudios.com/] Wishlist Hearth and Harbour on Steam [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2528170/The_Hearth_and_Harbour/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1] The Pale Beyond on Steam [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1266030/The_Pale_Beyond/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1] 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 Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/somanygames.co.uk] Check out our ⁠website [https://somanygames.co.uk/] ⁠ [https://somanygames.co.uk/]Visit our Discord server [https://discord.gg/Zee2vYQsUs] Join our Patreon [https://patreon.com/SoManyGames] Take a look at our ⁠Linktree [https://linktr.ee/somanygames] Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke [https://bsky.app/profile/jerdencooke.bsky.social] 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

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 [https://bsky.app/profile/mooneysart.bsky.social] Check out the Machinefun website [https://www.machinefun.co.uk/] Wishlist Trash City Turbo on Steam [https://store.steampowered.com/app/4484260/Trash_City_Turbo/] 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 Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/somanygames.co.uk] Check out our ⁠website [https://somanygames.co.uk/] ⁠ [https://somanygames.co.uk/]Visit our Discord server [https://discord.gg/Zee2vYQsUs] Join our Patreon [https://patreon.com/SoManyGames] Take a look at our ⁠Linktree [https://linktr.ee/somanygames] Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke [https://bsky.app/profile/jerdencooke.bsky.social] 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

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 [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2997230/Planet_of_Lana_II/] 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 [https://wishfullystudios.com/]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 Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/somanygames.co.uk] Check out our ⁠website [https://somanygames.co.uk/] ⁠ [https://somanygames.co.uk/]Visit our Discord server [https://discord.gg/Zee2vYQsUs] Join our Patreon [https://patreon.com/SoManyGames] Take a look at our ⁠Linktree [https://linktr.ee/somanygames] Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke [https://bsky.app/profile/jerdencooke.bsky.social] 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

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 [https://bsky.app/profile/tom.trinketstudios.com] or Battle Suit Aces [https://bsky.app/profile/team.trinketstudios.com]' BlueSky, becoming a member of the Trinket Studios Discord [https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscord.gg%2Ftrinketstudios&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw2yofyqLMKJx21kin9_Qc0F] server or by visiting their website [https://www.trinketstudios.com/]. Please visit Battle Suit Aces Steam page [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1578720/Scrabdackle/] We also have a written review of Battle Suit Aces on So Many Games [https://somanygames.co.uk/review/battle-suit-aces]. 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 [https://patreon.com/SoManyGames]. 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 Follow us on ⁠BlueSky⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/somanygames.co.uk] Check out our ⁠website [https://somanygames.co.uk/] ⁠ [https://somanygames.co.uk/]Visit our Discord server [https://discord.gg/Zee2vYQsUs] Join our Patreon [https://patreon.com/SoManyGames] Take a look at our ⁠Linktree [https://linktr.ee/somanygames] Intro/outro music by ⁠Jerden Cooke [https://bsky.app/profile/jerdencooke.bsky.social] 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.