indie game garden

11 - Dustin Andrews of HorrorVale

Jonny Malks — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700

Dustin Andrews is the Lead Designer and Artist of HorrorVale, a miraculous and spooky turn-based RPG set in the underworld. The streets are crawling with Vampires, Ghouls, Ghosts, and more, and we’re so excited to have Dustin on for a conversation about horror, JRPGs, and the way pets can inspire creativity.

Go buy HorrorVale right dang now :) https://store.steampowered.com/app/1114650/HorrorVale/
Check out the HorrorVale website! https://horrorvale.net/about/
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/3GDQJ9D

10 - Dylan Smith of Fair Play Collective

Jonny Malks — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700

Dylan Smith founded the Fair Play Collective after being laid off from Epic Games...twice. This experience prompted him to ask the simple yet radical question: what if independent game developers could make a consistent living wage? What if these types of games were patronized by a community of appreciators just like other art forms? We discuss these questions and more on this week's episode.

Check out Fair Play Collective's website! https://fairplaycollective.org/
Join Fair Play Collective's discord! https://discord.gg/2yNQVxDxtu
Read the "Manifesto" that started it all: https://fairplaycollective.org/manifesto

VICE article on FPC: https://www.vice.com/en/article/finally-a-manifesto-i-can-get-behind-the-fair-play-collective-looks-to-give-power-to-players-and-developers/
Support the journalist we mentioned in the episode, Shaun Cichacki: https://linktr.ee/shauncichacki

9 - John Lansing of Fantasy Football Tactics

Jonny Malks — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700

John Lansing’s solo development studio is called Eggplant Apps. John stepped away from his job as a staff software engineer at Uber because he had been tinkering with a prototype for a game that he just couldn’t get out of his head. That game, which would combine the classic turn-based tactics of Final Fantasy Tactics with the sport of Football, is called Fantasy Football Tactics – and, friends, it is a banger. The Football in this game is a fusion of the earth sports we know, combined with magical powers and turn-based action that makes the loop of the game feel astounding for sports-inclined nerds like me. It’s an honor to have John on the show to discuss gamemaking, sports, and the elegance of translating feelings into mechanics.

Wishlist Fantasy Football Tactics TODAY! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3035460/Fantasy_Football_Tactics/
Download and play the OUTSTANDING demo! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3958090/Fantasy_Football_Tactics_Demo/

Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games: https://www.youtube.com/@sora_sakurai_en

8 - Jeremy Jackson of Star Spark

Jonny Malks — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:00:00 -0700

Jeremy Jackson’s game development process is all about joy and flow. His solo dev studio is aptly named JoyFlow Games, and he’s currently all in on making STAR SPARK, an anime tournament roguelite in which powerful characters unleash devastating combos and collect skills to topple their opponents in a series of turn-based battles. In STAR SPARK, Jeremy combines the mechanics of fighting games, roguelites, and JRPGs to create a product that is as engaging as it is unique. Beyond this commercial release, one glance at Jeremy’s itch.io page (jeremyjackson89.itch.io) shows how much whimsy and joy he brings to game development and collaboration with his peers. It’s such an honor to have Jeremy on the show today.

GO WISHLIST STAR SPARK! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3639950/Star_Spark/

dbz legendary super warriors longplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs48C67I81g
the game developer community Jeremy mentions: www.devpods.gg

7 - Ryan Marr of FloWHOA, the makers of Scallywags

Jonny Malks — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700

Ryan Marr is a founding member of the startup FloWHOA, the game studio currently making Scallywags, a tactical crew management roguelike inspired by FTL and One Piece, where players quest to become Pirate Legends. Ryan helped found FloWHOA in 2023, alongside Allen Goode and Mike Schmalz. Before that, Ryan spent over 15 years at Digital Extremes, working his way through QA, QA management, System Design, and consulting. During that stint, he worked on games like Bioshock 2 and Warframe. In his spare time, Ryan is a hobbyist developer who has created hundreds of prototypes over the years. He’s also released some solo mobile games about goats. Ryan is a self-taught engineer and passionate creative. He embodies the values we love to celebrate here on Indie Game Garden by letting his joy and creativity blossom from his professional work all the way through to his family life. He even wrote a kid’s book and makes tabletop RPGs to play with his kids.

WISHLIST SCALLYWAGS!! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3770820/Scallywags/
Check out FloWHOA's Instagram for updates: https://www.instagram.com/flowhoa.inc/ (@flowhoa.inc)

Read Jason Schreier's book... https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/press-reset-jason-schreier/1137602697
Derek Yu and Klik & Play: http://gamemaker.io/en/blog/derek-yu-gm25
play domino grove... https://ezra-szanton.itch.io/domino-grove

6 - Ezra Szanton of Mr. Magpie's Harmless Card Game

Jonny Malks — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700

Ezra Szanton is a joy to speak to. A game developer with a clear vision for elegant systems and the joy within them, Ezra is currently making Mr. Magpie's Harmless Card Game. It's a Minesweeper-esque horror rogue-like where you sit across the table from an office mascot that will kill you if you don’t fulfill your quota in the allotted time. I saw Ezra himself pitch the game on Bluesky as “Severance meets Inscryption.”

Please support Ezra and his games. He's one of the most insightful folks I've spoken with for the show to date and a true gem of a human.

Wishlist Mr. Magpie on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3616280/Mr_Magpies_Harmless_Card_Game/
Ezra's itch.io page! https://ezra-szanton.itch.io/

The Frank Lantz talk Ezra references: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioSqEyZPkfs
Retromine: https://cicidigital.itch.io/retromine
Royals: https://ashervo.itch.io/royals
Holder of Place: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3464970/Holder_of_Place/
UFO 50: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/UFO_50/

5 - Rory Kelly of FoxHaunt

Jonny Malks — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700

Rory Kelly joins the show to talk about his recent Steam release, FoxHaunt! Rory is an independent game developer based in Tokyo. A self-described “Irish transplant,” Rory has been living in Japan for almost 9 years. FoxHaunt endeavors to distill the JRPG formula down to its core elements while combining concise turn-based combat with knowledge checks.

In addition to video games, Rory and Jonny discuss taking strolls through the city, vocaloid music, and the importance of community when making a thing. Don't miss this conversation! AND pick up FoxHaunt on Steam today: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4088140/FoxHaunt

4 - Cyryl Szmit of Monasterium

Jonny Malks — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700

Cyryl Szmit is a generous and creative game developer based in Poland. He’s in the process of developing Monasterium, a game which he describes as a cozy building/life sim where you craft a monastery and manage its inhabitants. He also works for Monster Couch, the company behind the digitization of the hit board game Wingspan.

To follow along with Monasterium's development, join the Discord! https://discord.gg/tZnYCQRnbV
To check out Cyryl's solo dev studio, head on over to his website: https://4fs.dev

3 - Pierce Papke of Darkway: Murder of King Mere

Jonny Malks — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0800

Pierce Papke is an abundantly creative individual. He’s a visual artist first and foremost whose game making and storytelling chops show through in all he touches. I was first introduced to his work via an Instagram reel describing how his partner, Greta, supported him in 2025 while he was making his atmospheric detective game Murder of King Mere. There's a distinct vision and deep worldbuilding threaded throughout the game that I felt a distinct kinship with.

Pierce updates Murder of King Mere regularly while working on other projects in the Darkway world, including a graphic novel and a full-length piece of written fiction. He is also working on a trail running game called ULTRA. You can keep up with these wonderful projects and more by visiting his website at ekpap.com – find him on Instagram @ekpap :)

2 - Etienne Pouvreau of Smolware

Jonny Malks — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:31:57 -0800

Etienne Pouvreau is an independent game developer in France. He is the force behind the solo studio known as SMOLWARE and the engine he built from scratch which he calls SMOL. An aficionado for building elegant twists into the classics, some of Etienne’s standout games are SNOPE, an itch.io release in which he combines Snake with rope mechanics controlled by a mouse, and Sweepminer. Sweepminer is Etienne’s first Steam release. It’s a collection of 7 bite-sized Minesweeper-inspired games.

The world needs more devs like Etienne who are confident enough to iterate on the classics while expressing the joy of games with small strokes. You can check out his work at smolware.itch.io and smolware.dev – be sure that you do. He's a gem, and so are his games.

1 - Jakob Wahlberg of Steam World Heist and Go Mecha Ball

Jonny Malks — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 11:28:42 -0800

Our first interview is with Jakob Wahlberg, art lead on Steam World Heist and developer of Go Mecha Ball. We discuss the Swedish game scene, the downfall of Image & Form (the studio behind the Steam World series), and the importance of developing games from the heart.

If you're enjoying the show, let us know! We're @indiegamegarden on Instagram and Youtube, and our email is indiegamegarden@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you :)