It turns out I haven’t posted updates in about a year, so here’s a big catch-up post, from recent news to older ones. All of these games are free, so give them a try!

Restless (play it here)

“You’ve been haunting old Mrs Fagles for decades. Now she’s sold the house, and the new owner’s moved in. Sylvie’s broke, bad at plumbing, and anxious about everything.  And with a living, breathing, fretting roommate, how are you supposed to rest in peace?

Drink blood. Set fires. Tell lies. Give advice, loan out a wedding dress, reclaim your true name.  Remix your dialogue options to reflect your mood or dig deeper into the topics that interest you.”

I’ve been doing more freelance work (writing or art, depending on the job), and this is the first project that’s been released. Working on Restless was great fun! Destina (the other half of Tea-Powered Games) and I worked with Emily Short (a writer I really respect) to make this game in time for Ectocomp. I was in charge of the visuals, so I did my best to accompany the story and fit its mood and characters (…and place the buttons. Restless has many buttons.)

Home (play it here)

Haunt a House Peacefully

Another game where you’re a ghost! I wanted to try using Bitsy for a while, but I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to make with it. [spoiler warning] Rather than moving between rooms, I wanted you to stay in the same place and watch it change over time. What better way to show the passage of time than a magical realism multi-generational story? It was fun trying to fit an Allende or García Márquez style story in 5 minutes. [end spoiler]

Attunement (play it here)

Anaïs’ monthly magical ritual is interrupted, but perhaps that’s for the best…

I made Attunement for Ace Jam in January. It’s not the kind of thing I write often, but this seemed like a good time to try. I got a little ambitious in what I wanted to implement – it was a month-long jam, it seemed plausible – and I did manage to get most of the interactions in, even if they weren’t exactly what I envisioned. Both Home and Attunement received some nice feedback, which always makes me smile!

Elemental Flow – Sofia’s Side Story (play it here)

“Elemental Flow is a role-playing game (RPG) with conversation encounters instead of battles. Explore a modern optimistic world, where technology has developed to coexist with nature and society has evolved in a cooperative direction.”

I guess it’s only been a year since the demo was up! This is our main project as Tea-Powered Games, so I’ve talked a lot about it in other places. We’re working on the game itself while we look for a publisher, but the demo is a good approximation of what it’ll be like to play the game (mechanically, at least – Sofia’s not the main character of the game proper, so expect a different story)

Also, as you may have seen, I shelved my Bite-Sized Thoughts for now. I really enjoy highlighting games that may not get as much recognition otherwise, but I’ve had a lot more to do, so it seemed better to take a break and start it up again later, rather than post less and less frequently. If you enjoyed using them as game recommendations, I did two twitter threads (here and here) where I talk about games I enjoyed.

That’s it from me! A lot has happened in 2018, and I still have plenty left to do, but I’m looking forward to 2019!