In this 2nd installment of our latest deep-dive miniseries, the crew continue to discuss “yahtzee roguelike” Slice & Dice, a host favorite that has made our GOTY list for two years running.

We're joined once again by series guest co-host Darius Kazemi, as well as very special guest Michael Brough (!), whose own roguelike Cinco Paus is one of the cited inspirations behind Slice & Dice. This episode, we discuss the game's curses and blessings system, as well as its links to some of Michael's games, including 868 HACK.

Join our Discord and send in your questions for the Slice & Dice designer tann.

Show Notes:

Slice & Dice on Steam, itch, iOS, and Google Play

Michael Brough's blog posts on streak scoring (2013, 2017)

868-HACK

Cinco Paus

Michael Brough's blog post on the "powerup" (curse) system in 868-HACK

Slice and Dice | 98%+ Winrate Unfair Hero Tier List video

Hoplite

Classic Unfair run with Doug, Rob, and Andy

We're joined by Animal Well's sole developer Billy Basso and his business partner Dan Adelman to discuss their genre-defying/defining, steeped-in-secrets hit. Plus special guest co-host Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), as we dig deep into the game's slow-burn development, the iteration of its manifold gameplay (and other) layers, and the delicate balance of stoking the fires of your fanbase.

Show Notes:

Animal Well

Billy Basso

Dan Adelman

Adam Conover

Scary kangaroo video

Axiom Verge

The Decade-Long Quest for Shadow of the Colossus' Last Secret

Fez

The Witness

Spelunky

Why do God of War's characters keep spoiling puzzles?

All of the Secret Bunnies in Animal Well (HUGE SPOILERS)

The Ultimate Secret Ending of Animal Well (EVEN BIGGER SPOILERS)

haseverythinginanimalwellbeenfoundyet.com

ARG Guardrails blog post

VVVVVV

Riven

Super Win the Game

In the first installment of our Slice & Dice deep-dive miniseries, the crew head Into the Depths with the “yahtzee roguelike” that's shown up on our GOTY list for two years running. We're joined by interactive artist/developer Darius Kazemi to help introduce the game and share beginner tips from our (significant) playtime, and get into its unique combination of maximalist design and systems-driven humor.

Next episode, we’ll get into some of our favorite game modes: Classic Unfair, Cursed, and Cursed-Hyper. Don’t forget to join our Discord and send in your questions for the game's designer tann, to be answered over email later in the series.

Show Notes:

Slice & Dice on Steam, itch, iOS, and Google Play

Eggplant’s 2022 GOTY Episode (S&D Rob’s #2)

Eggplant’s 2023 GOTY Episode (S&D Doug’s #2)

Darius Kazemi’s Spelunky level-gen browser tool

Slice & Dice development history essay, by tann

Allison Parrish’s talk on designing to explore possibility spaces

Slice & Dice beginner tips powerpoint

Sid Meier’s 2010 GDC keynote

Tharsis on Steam

The stream where Rob and Doug “puppeteered” Andy to a Classic Unfair victory in Slice & Dice v2.0