Guildlings is a charming mobile-first adventure RPG set in “a world of wizards and wifi.” We’ll be scribbling bad fan art of the characters in this Apple Arcade adventure for a long time.

Guildlings is exclusive to Apple Arcade, and is playable across all Arcade platforms. Expect it to take around 5 hours to complete, with additional chapters coming as soon as summer of 2020.


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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This week we’re discussing Wide Ocean Big Jacket, a story-game camping trip, from developer Turnfollow and publisher Tender Claws. Mord and her boyfriend Ben are on their first camping trip together (like, together together) accompanied by Mord’s uncle Brad and aunt Cloanne. From MEAN TEENS to birdwatching, this game was Short Game bait, and clocks in at 60-90 minutes, or as the developers describe it “like watching a good movie with friends or curling up to read a book”. It’s also an IGF Finalist for Excellence in Narrative! Available February 4th on itch.io, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch.


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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Shane and Laura take the podcast where it’s never dared to go… up off of the couch! Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch is yet another Nintendo attempt at a fitness game, but it falls much farther on the “game” side of the line than past offerings. Laura and Shane have both been playing the game for a few weeks, and discuss how it’s transformed their approach to exercise.


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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Kentucky Route Zero, both the game and this episode, have been a long time coming. With the 5th act of the long in-development magical realist adventure game finally coming on January 28th, we decided it was time to cover this frequently requested game. We played and discuss the first two acts, with plans to cover the remainder of the game after the release of chapter 5.


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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This week we’re breaking from our usual format to discuss the 2010s, and the arc that indie games (and gaming generally) have taken through the decade.


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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As Nate put it, Katana Zero is a game that really goes for it. It goes for ALL of it. Incredible high speed acrobatic melee combat. Clever time-manipulation mechanics. A dialogue system that lets you literally slice through your opponent’s words with your sword. All of this, in service of a story that, well… let’s just say it prompted a very spirited discussion both before and after our spoiler break. This episode was enormously fun, both in the playing and in the discussion.

Katana Zero is available on PC/Mac (Steam) and Nintendo Switch. Expect it to take around 7 hours to complete.


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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2019 was a divided year in so many ways, so perhaps we should have expected a stalemate when picking a Short Game of the Year. All four hosts run down our exceedingly divergent Short-GOTY picks while also calling out other games we loved in 2019. We also include some listener picks from our Patreon supporters!

00:00:00: Introduction
00:03:58: Raygan’s List
00:25:53: Shane’s List
00:43:35: Nate’s List
00:57:50: Laura’s List
01:06:58: Picking The One And Only Game Of The Year
01:15:17: Long Games Of The Year
01:20:15: Listener Picks
01:25:50: Outro

Raygan’s GOTY: Manifold Garden
Shane’s GOTY: Untitled Goose Game
Nate’s GOTY: Slay The Spire
Laura’s GOTY: Baba Is You


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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The Detective is back in his second mysterious adventure! We covered the first Frog Detective game earlier this year, and now we’re back with his most intriguing case yet.

The Frog Detective games are really warm and funny, and we think they’d be great to play with a young relative during the holidays. We spend the first half of the episode talking about Frog Detective 2, and the second half talking about short games to play with short people (ie your younger relatives!) Laura has special insight in this area as someone who’s worked on children’s games professionally, so check it out!


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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Outer Wilds is a bit longer than the games we typically cover, but it was such a surprise favorite that we had to talk about it on the podcast before the end of the year. In Outer Wilds you play as an astronaut exploring his tiny solar system and uncovering the mysteries of the vanished species that came before. It’s a game that does exploration and discovery in a way I’ve never seen before.

Because the game is so much about uncovering story through exploration, we wanted to be especially careful about spoilers, so we’ve added a record breaking two spoiler breaks to this episode. Listen up to the first spoiler break for more or less totally spoiler free discussion of the game and its mechanics. Continue past the first spoiler break for a discussion of some unique early game twists. Listen past the second spoiler break for a full on spoiler-cast where we’ll be discussing the ending and what we uncovered.

Outer Wilds is available on PC (Epic Game Store) as well as Xbox One and PS4. Expect it to take around 15 hours to complete.


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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Bleak Sword is a dark fantasy action game with 1-bit diorama artwork and brutally difficult combat. It’s a surprise inclusion in the opening volley of Apple Arcade, since it’s tough as nails and doesn’t seem like the typical mobile game fare, even with its excellent touch screen controls. This game really made our $5 subscription feel worth it this month!


The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts!

You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame

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