264: Scrabble meets Balatro in Word Play

Herdling is another vibey journey through a forlorn world from the young Okomotive studio. The shepherding gameplay is alternatively fun, clumsy, endearing, and frustrating, but overall, it’s a three-hour journey that is a must for indie game fans.In the roundup: Hollow Knight, and Silksong pre-game!Support the show on Patreon: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildFollow the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWildFollow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gaminginthewild.bsky.socialFollow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/And thanks for listening!

Sword of the Sea is like playable dream. It combines the simplicity and wonder of Journey, the oceanic splendour of ABZU, and the searing speed of The Pathless into a mesmerising new form — it's the apotheosis of the Matt Nava formula.Support the show: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildFollow the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWildFollow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gaminginthewild.bsky.socialFollow the Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/And thanks for listening!

Wheel World is a free-flowing cycling game that's met with a surprisingly mixed reception, given the demo hype. It starts off well, but it's a game of two halves, in quite an unusual way.In the roundup: Haste, Cipher Zero, Artis Impact, Ovis Loop, Heistgeist, Donkey Kong Bananza, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, and more.See the videos: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWild Support this show: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildFind the Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gaminginthewild.bsky.socialRead my recent articles: https://grapevine.is/author/john-rogers/Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/Thanks for listening!

Word Play is an ingenious new puzzle-roguelike that crosses the streams of Balatro and Scrabble. The result is a compelling little game with big potential.In the roundup: Cipher Zero, Haste, Driftwood, Ritual of Raven, Time Flies, Death Standing 2, Wheel World, and more.Here's that video of the Word Play dev talking about making his game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHKRWmfcMBwHere's the Ludocene site (best used in a phone browser): https://www.ludocene.comJoin the Patreon for bonus episodes: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildSub to the YouTube channel for more stuff: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWildFind my on Bluesky, Insta, Steam, etc: http://gaminginthewild.comHere's my Medium page where I post article I write: https://medium.com/@johnbrnlvrogersThanks for listening!

It's the Year of Kong! Nintendo's first "proper" (don't @ me, Mario Kart fans) Switch 2 blockbuster is here, and it's one for the books. Donkey Kong is now a fully realised modern Nintendo mascot as he smashes, dances, and chomps his way through a series of wonderfully designed, multi-layered levels that are simply a joy to experience. A couple of minor-ish quibbles stop it from being an unreserved 10/10, for me at least — but that doesn’t detract from the headline: it truly is Donkey Kong’s time. In the roundup: Cipher Zero, Wildwood Down, Wheel World, Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson, The Drifter, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.Indie Quest guest appearance: https://indiequest.buzzsprout.com/1425403/episodes/17508234-episode-115-keep-on-questin-indie-people-with-john-of-gaming-in-the-wildSupport the show on Patreon to get a load of bonus episodes, a Discord invite, a thank you on the pod, and more: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.Get more Gaming In The Wild stuff on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWild.Follow me on Bluesky, Insta, Steam, etc: http://gaminginthewild.com.Thanks to boss tier patrons KingChamp and ShyGuy — and thanks for listening!

This week's pod is a roundup episode featuring Blade Chimera, Midtris, and Death Stranding 2. In the roundup: Tron Catalyst, Tiny Garden, Preserve, Wheel World.I also talk about moving the podcast's hosting away from Spotify, given the unforgivable actions of the CEO, and discuss removing GITW from Spotify completely. For the record — Pocketcasts does it just as well; and YouTube Music has you covered if you have a YT Premium subscription.Links mentioned: My Grapevine cover story: https://grapevine.is/mag/feature/2025/07/04/the-summer-ring-road-around-iceland-in-12-days.The latest Gaming In The Wild YouTube videos: http://youtube.com/gaminginthewild.Support me on Patreon for bonus episodes, Discord, blogs, and more: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.Find the BlueSky, Instagram, Steam curator page, etc: http://gaminginthewild.com.Thanks for listening!

Hey folks! This week's pod gives some initial thoughts on Kojima's new joint Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, then runs through over 20 demos from the recent Steam Next Fest, including Ball X Pit, Herdling, MIO: Memories In Orbit, Hirogami, Death Howl, Gecko Gods, and more.Join the Patreon for extra stuff: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildSteam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/Video version of the Next Fest section: https://youtu.be/zdqXD205SIk?si=y9ZZus1JclKr92K1Death Stranding 1 episode: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gaminginthewild/episodes/62-Death-Stranding-with-special-guest-Ciaran-Daly-e13qrur/a-a61t7f8Other stuff: http://gaminginthewild.comSpecial thanks to boss tier patrons Shy Guy, King Champ and essywoods. And thanks for listening!

Post-Hades roguelikes are a dime a dozen, but Lost In Random: The Eternal Die stands head and shoulders above the pack. It matches the gold standard set by the Supergiant classic with its strong art style, tight combat, satisfying progression, and build variety. Unlike much of the genre, it also respects your time, and it takes luck, thought, and skill to craft a winning build, and earn a winning run.In the roundup: Next Fest, Gecko Gods, MIO: Memories In Orbit, The Drifter, and more.Support the show, get extra stuff, and help me to 150 patrons! http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildHear the original Lost In Random review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7lVYw1sOSMSee the June indie release video: https://youtu.be/dTxqYRvC7zc?si=rvcZ0AC6jWoq9mEf Follow me on Bluesky, Steam, and all the other places: http://gaminginthewild.comThanks for listening!

Hello folks! Here's a little bonus episode taken from a YouTube video I put out this week — it's a rundown of some of the most interesting games spotted at the summer showcases so far, including Summer Game Fest, Day of the Devs, State of Play, the Xbox Showcase, and the PC Gaming Showcase.If you're listening in Spotify, you can see game footage as you listen. If you're listening elsewhere and wanna see the games, have a look over here: https://youtu.be/JvxovKLmM9IThanks for listening as always! Come be a patron if you'd like more bonus stuff: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. And you can find all kinds of useful pod and YouTube and Steam curator and social media links here: http://gaminginthewild.com.

Switch 2 is here! This week's show reviews Nintendo's brand new hardware, and the launch lineup — and wonders whether Switch 2 can become another indie game powerhouse. There's also a review of Spilled, a lovely little eco-game about cleaning up waterways and making the world a better place.In the roundup: Symphonia, Star Overdrive, Tainted Grail, Pipistrello & The Cursed Yoyo, Fast Fusion, Mario Kart World.Support the show on Patreon: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewildCheck out my Pages of Play guest slot: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4anESwtFMWEUYwEbJlK1waCheck out the Best Ever Switch Indies video: https://youtu.be/48f-zXDkuaUAnd thanks for listening!