Pixel Sift

With a game series as long running as CIVILIZATION, how do you keep reinventing and refining when you hit the seventh title? With long campaigns and countless hours for each play through, these games take on a life of their own for each player. Recently at Melbourne International Games Week Firaxis Games developers Andrew Frederiksen (Lead Producer), John Fitzgerald (Lead Unit Artist) and Matthew Quickel (Senior Lead Environment Artist) shared their thoughts on the making of CIVILIZATION VII. We discuss how to update, add new features and maintain the features players love and how updated visuals add a new unique feel. Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers o

If you love the feeling of racing until you perfect the line PHANTOM SPARK might be exactly what you're looking for. Joon Van Hove (NUTS) one part of Icelandic studio Ghosts shares how Torfi Asgeirsson nailed the gameplay before anyone else even came on board. How subtle storytelling, but no plot, was an essential design element, that builds to competitive online leaderboards. Enjoy the retro aesthetic but don't put too much emphasis on Wipeout or F-Zero when you play. Adam Christou guest hosts this episode of Lightmap. ‍Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting ind

Comedian Tommy Dassalo who you might know from podcasts Filthy Casuals and Little Dum Dum Club, thought it might be too narcissistic to make a game about yourself and charge for it.Lucky SUPER DASSALO LAND is a free prequel to his latest comedy special, so therefore not as narcissistic, and he teamed up with talented Gameboy creator Gumpy Function (GRIMACE'S BIRTHDAY, UNEARTHED).It's a lot of fun so get on board as Kyle guest hosts Lightmap.Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi h

Have you every wondered what it takes to design one of those sprawling trading card games? It's not that often that a news series pops up, there are a few major series but one of the newest to hit the tabletops is DISNEY LORCANA by Ravensburger. Ryan Miller is the co-designer and brand manager and sat down to share how a childhood love of Dungeons & Dragons, time working at Wizards of the Coast and how The Princess Bride lead him to making this new game. Find out more about Shimmering Skies the next expansion for the game, the fifth series and how to balance increasing mechanics in an ever expanding card set, design intentions behind this new expansion and why putting smiles on people's faces is Ryan's driving goal.Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your fre

Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled.Ewoud van der Werf had an idea. Could you combine Dutch folklore, shadowy stealth and his hometown to make a game that captures the cheeky joy of childlike fun? That's SCHIM, where you jump as a shadow frog interacting with this town as you move from shadow to shadow. Nils Slijkerman from Extra Nice noticed Ewoud's skill as part of an internship and a partnership was made.Learn more about translating downtown Friesland into a game, capturing joyful fun, and making everything interactive.You can support SIFTER's indepen

Have you ever wanted to make the ultimate super hero teamup? Inspired by XCOM: CHIMERA SQUAD, CAPES is the new tactical super hero game where positioning and combo moves are the way to win. Want to put together your own fastball special? Squad composition and positioning is the way to win.Cade Franklin one of the original team on HAND OF FATE joins Lightmap to share the design intentions, making it feel super and how the team who made one of the most interesting Australian made games is back together working on new titles. Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled.You can

Chris Conte & Dean Ferguson from Queensland's 5 Lives Studios share COZY CARAVAN and ask you te enjoy lo-fi hip hop beats to open a market stall to. Learn why the team wanted to make something that was decidedly smaller than their previous titles, designing this cool stepped animation and why they still want to return to SATELLITE REIGN one day. Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

Can't get your friends to come join you at your house for a night of tabletop gaming? BALADINS by French studio Seed by Seed takes the fun of rolling dice and playing a character and distills it to a cool timeloop adventure. Jean Nicholas and Thaïs Arias join Lightmap to share their narrative game which was featured as part of Ludonarracon, their coop studio structure and prototyping this cute multiplayer adventure. Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

It's been nearly eight years since Trent Kusters one of the co-founders of Melbourne's League of Geeks joined me on the podcast. Back in the Pixel Sift days, Trent was working through the early days of ARMELLO their groundbreaking digital board game, but the last twelve months have been some of the hardest for the company. JUMPLIGHT ODYSSEY was shelved in order to limp along and get SOLIUM INFERNUM across the line. In a very candid interview Trent shares what went wrong and how it felt to have to bring crashing down what they had built over the last decade. We also chat about coming full circle with the tabletop boardgame version of ARMELLO being developed by King of the Castle Games.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

Did you grow up blasting through Green Hill Zone or Casino Night Zone? Maybe you spent hours defeating the nefarious schemes of Dr Wily. These colourful platformers hold a fond place in the hearts of many including Zu Ehtisham solo developer of the new BERSERK BOY where you blast through levels switching elemental powers as you go. Learn how Zu build a modern platformer that is inspired by but isn't beholden to the past.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ‍

Queensland based Halfbrick have been making games for almost 25 years, and chances are if you’ve picked up a phone in the last decade you’ve played one of their games.Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, Age of Zombies or maybe you’re a bit more oldschool and played one of their Gameboy Advance games or PlayStation or Wii titles. In an industry that surges and wanes, Halfbrick has been one of the enduring stories of game development in Australia. Shainiel Deo is CEO and one of the founders, and Maddy Annibale have just put out their newest title, SUPER FRUIT NINJA and Jetpack Joyride 2 for the Apple Vision Pro.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

The groundbreaking STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL is pretty unique and the very first Australian made game to be nominated for a Grammy Award, which will be awarded today.Composers Austin Wintory (JOURNEY, ASSASSIN'S CREED SYNDICATE) Scott Edgar and Simon Hall from musical comedy group Tripod, singer-songwritter Montaigne aka Jess Cerro join Summerfall Studios Liam Esler to talk about what it was like to make this branching musical adventure.The 66th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday 4th February 2024 (Monday 5th February in Australia)You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

We listen back through this incredible year of games with our friend Meena Shamaly, musician, composer and host of ABC Classic's The Game Show. It's Shamaly Selects 2023 and boy are there some incredible pieces to listen to. Here is what delighted and made the top eight this year.STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL - Adrift & Challenging a Queen (Red Edition)TCHIA - Main ThemeBALDUR'S GATE 3 - Down by the RiverMARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN 2 - Greater TogetherASSASSIN'S CREED MIRAGE - Mirage ThemeMORTAL KOMBAT 1 - A New Era (Main Theme)VENBA - RaasaTHE LEGEND OF ZELDA TEARS OF THE KINGDOM - Main ThemeWhat made your soundtrack list? Leave us a review with your favourite soundtrack. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

If you grew up playing the Gameboy Advance and the Nintendo DS, you might have missed the aesthetic those games created at the time, but you'd definitely remember the vibes. Those vibes are what Andy Brophy and Olivia Haines are trying to recapture in their weird and wonderful roleplaying game KNUCKLE SANDWICH. With some kicking tunes and fun turn based battles, this is a game that might just inspire the next generation of video game creators. Learn how this project went from flash game to full release and how Olivia's love of PlayStation 1 era games also shaped the game for the better.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

SLAY THE PRINCESS is a horror narrative visual novel where you've got one task. You're here to slay a princess, but if you do is actually up to you. This game brings branching narratives and a style of roguelite gameplay to the visual novel genre where all your choices can lead to an ending.Developers Abby Howard and Tony Howard-Arias join Lightmap to share how their small side project SLAY THE PRINCESS was made while developing episodic game SCARLET HOLLOW and how it's found them a brand new audience.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

THE PLUCKY SQUIRE feels like a world of pure imagination. Jonathan Biddle and James Turner head up All Possible Futures a completely remote studio working on the gorgeous game that acts as a love letter to some of your favourite genres and games of the last 30 years.Gianni sat down with Jonathon Biddle at PAX Australia to explore how this collaboration came together, inspirations from Nintendo games past, and what to expect when the game hits your consoles next year.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

If you want to play a video game you have to plug something in, that power comes from somewhere and Dr Ben Abraham, has completed the second annual Net Zero Snapshot for the games industry. Ubisoft is leading the charge dropping their emissions, despite being one of the world's biggest studios, but for many other Triple A game developers they just aren't making enough of a change according to Abraham.You can read the full report over on the After Climate website. You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

When you first hear the soundtrack for CULT OF THE LAMB it's immediately clear how much of a part it is to the experience of the game. Narayana Johnson who performs under River Boy made his first soundtrack when working on Massive Monster's smash hit, and it will be rearranged and performed this Melbourne International Games Week with Orchestra Victoria.Narayana shares the origins of this work, some of the techniques used to make the music, and what it's like to be making all the sounds for the game now.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ

We've got some brand new episodes of Lightmap on the way, featuring some very cool guests but to get you there here is the latest episode of Drop Rate featuring Chris Button, SIFTER EP Gianni Di Giovanni and Player2.net.au writer Jess Zammit talking all about STARFIELD Bethesda's huge spacefaring roleplaying game.Follow Drop Rate on your favourite podcast player here New episodes of Lightmap next week.---It's a massive universe to explore in STARFIELD a game that builds on many of the gameplay systems you've come to enjoy in Bethesda's roleplaying games.Does it live up to the hype after years of development and delays? Well it depends on what type of player you are, but there is lots of fun to be had here.Jess Zammit (Player2.net.au) joins SIFTER's own Gianni Di Giovanni for two pretty different galaxy spanning adventure.A copy of STARFIELD on Xbox Series X|S was provided to SIFTER for the purpose of this review.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us

The first thing you notice when you see a game made by Half Mermaid the studio lead by Sam Barlow is that it doesn't really look like a game, the full motion video looks more like a TV show or movie.For Barlow what initially started as a creative and budgetary constraint of being a small indie team has become a defining feature of his work, with his most recent title IMMORTALITY which explores three decades of filmmaking.Barlow will be making his way to Australia for SXSW Sydney in October this year and spoke about his creative process, filmic literacy in the audience, and why he stands with the actors striking for a better deal in Hollywood.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ