285: Creating The Sounds Of Ultros (with special guest Ratvadar)

This week's episode is a very special one. It's a conversation with Oscar Rydelius, aka Ratvader — the composer behind the inspired, symphonic soundtrack of Ultros, and its stunning audio and ambience. This interview was originally recorded for Lost In Cult as part of my work on the Ultros: Design Works book. It was included in the deluxe edition on CD. Special thanks to Shaun and Lost In Cult for agreeing that it should also go out in this public feed, for preservation's sake, and to reach as many people as possible.Pick up the Ultros book: http://lostincult.co.uk/ultros.Hear more of Oscar's work, and support him with a purchase: https://ratvader.bandcamp.comCheck out the Ratvader website: https://www.ratvader.comSee my initial 2023 Ultros review (episode 201 in the podcast feed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8B5Cw3fMSk See my interview with developer Hugo Bille (episode 202 in the podcast feed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5TJg2-OKqsSupport this podcast: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.Thanks for listening!

This weeks episode is a grab-bag looking at an assortment of recent releases, and some games we have to look forward to in the month ahead, including: Cursed Words, Dosa Divas, Moomintroll Winter’s Warmth. Gecko Gods, Aether & Iron, Fishbowl, RACCOIN: A Coin-pushing Roguelike, Fame or Folly, Eternal Afternoon, Starfield, Moves of the Diamond Hand, Dosa Divas, Gecko Gods, OPUS: Prism Peak, Pragmata.Full April releases video: https://youtu.be/q2VS2uDo4aoBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/gaminginthewild.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gaminginthewildSteam Curator: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529Discount game codes (5% goes to the channel): https://www.fanatical.com/en/?ref=gitwbb.Thanks for listening!

This week's episode has an interview with Michael French, head of the London Games Festival. He dropped by to talk about the programme, the venue change, and the place of of games in culture — and to answer some lightning round questions like "Spyro or Crash?", "worst controller?", and "best ever indie game?". Find more info on the event at http://games.london.In the roundup: Dread Delusion, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Personal 5 Royal, Esoteric Ebb, Bloodletter, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War, Pokopia.Join the patreon: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildFollow on YouTube, Bluesky, etc: http://linktr.ee/gaminginthewildSteam Curator Page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/And as always, thanks for listening!

This week's episode is about the wildly creative, utter bonkers, critically divisive Romeo Is A Dead Man, the latest from Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture. It's a game that throws a huge amount at the wall, from classic hack 'n' slash ('n' guns) combat, to '80s pulp cinema, Japanese mythology, UK rock iconography, Lychian surrealism, and classical philosophy. For me, that led to a fun, punk, oddly intoxicating game experience that acts as a valuable counterpoint to the more safe and predictable big-budget games.In the roundup: Resident Evil requiem, Esoteric Ebb, Homura Hime, London Games Festival.Join the Patreon: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildCheck out YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWfsBe3N3bwFollow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/Visit the GITW TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gaminginthewildThanks folks!

This week's podcast is all about February's Steam Next Fest — a feast of new games that myself and the GITW community enjoyed to the fullest. First we run through my impressions of the 20 or so games I played, then move on to a personal top five, and the community's top ten game picks. We had a record number of particpants, with over 150 demos played — thanks as always to patrons Slater and soccr for making the spreadsheet work and crunching the numbers — it was a blast!In the roundup: Resident Evil Requiem, Esoteric Ebb, Raccoin, Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime, Planet of Lana II, REPLACED, March Indie Games, and the London Games Festival.LinksJoin the Patreon: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildMarch indie games video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkNksga-Q4cSo Many Games article: https://somanygames.co.uk/articles/indie-guide-feb-2026Steam Curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gaminginthewild.comAnd thanks for listening!

Duskpunk is a quite brilliant "Sleeper-like" that came out at the tail end of last year. Set in the gritty, murky, war-torn city of Dredgeport, it casts those addictive, multi-functional dice and clock tabletop mechanics in a gritty Steampunk world.In the roundup: Romeo Is A Dead Man, Persona 5 Royal, Raccoin, REPLACED, and Steam Next Fest. Join Patreon for Discord and extras and the Next fest community event: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/.Buy discounted game codes via this link to support the channel: https://www.fanatical.com/en/?ref=gitwbb.And thanks for listening!

This weeks episode is a bumper one. First, there's a review Cairn, the ambitious granular climbing simulator; then, there's a 50-game guide ot the games we have to look forward to in 2026. In the roundup: Balatro (... yup, again), and Assassin's Creed Origins, of all things.Support the pod & join the patron community: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildYouTube channel: http://youtube.com/gaminginthewildCitizen Sleeper 2 book pre-order: http://lostincult.co.uk/citizensleeper2Follow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/ Social media and so forth: http://gaminginthewild.com Thanks for listening!(00:00:00) Intro(00:10:37) Cairn(00:32:59) Indie game guide to 2026(01:13:10) Outro

ARC Raiders is a multiplayer phenomenon and a surprise smash-hit that’s drawn in players not usually into that kind of thing: including me. To discuss, I’m joined by my ARC wingperson and MVP Ciarán Daly, to talk player behaviour, AI, emergent gameplay, and more.In the roundup: ROG Ally X, MIO: Memories In Orbit, Cairn, Cauldron.Watch me and Ciarán play the game: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGvXMgrjlCYtRfDNBcQ8AWJimHpMutVz4&si=K7El2MJCFzB7JG7X Support the channel, join the community, and get a free game code: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.Follow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/ Social media and so forth: http://gaminginthewild.com Thanks for listening!

After spending December playing GOTY catchup and posting deliberations with various brilliant guests, it's crunch time. This episode is my personal games of the year list for 2025.Support the pod, join the patron Discord, and get a game code for 1000xRESIST, Citizen Sleeper, Ultros, or In Other Waters: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.See the YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Z4bBENvW0Follow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/.And thanks for listening, everybody!

The votes are cast and counted, and it's time to unveil the results of the Gaming In The Wild patron GOTY vote 2025!This annual fixture has slowly eclipsed my own GOTY list as the most-hype podcast of GOTY season in my mind. We had a record-breaking 50 voters, selecting 88 games, and one final winner. And to help me go through the results, I had one special guest: Blinkoom aka Steve from Indie Quest podcast. Enjoy the show, folks, it was a blast to create.Find Blink on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Blinkoom See Blink’s GOTY stream: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2648247802 Find Blink's podcast Indie Quest: https://indiequest.buzzsprout.comIf you'd like to join the community, hit up Patreon — new patrons at any tier get a free game code for 1000xRESIST, Ultros, In Other Waters, or Citizen Sleeper (while they last) — and you can vote next year! http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild  Happy holidays folks — I'll be back before NYE with my personal GOTY episode in the final episode of the year.00:00 Intro04:30 Blink's Top Ten51:54 Patron vote: lower ten01:25:53 Patron vote: top ten