The Indie Diarist

Sometimes leaps of faith can pay off! In this episode I spent some time with Julian, a Belgian game developer living in Normandy, who shared his raw journey from childhood gaming memories to launching his first bullet hell game, Particulitix.
After being laid off from his tech job, Julien took a leap of faith and he hasn't looked back since. I wish I were as brave sometimes!
In this episode:
Julian’s nostalgic first game: Burger Time on Commodore 64
The leap from hobbyist to full-time developer after losing his job
Conquering the unique challenges of bullet hell and roguelite hybrid design
Secrets to making a bullet hell feel intuitive and fun
How feedback and noise shape a game’s evolution
The importance of core mechanics that players don’t see but feel
A peek into indie development’s messy, beautiful code and endless iteration
Building meaningful connections with games designed for loved ones
Enjoy! 🎒💛
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Support Julien 🎒💛
X: https://x.com/TheWorkshopGeek

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/workshopgeek.bsky.social

Particulitix on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4139330/Particulitix
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Support the show 🎒💛
Join the community: https://discord.com/invite/J84aPfSSvj
Become a Patron: https://patreon.com/theindiediarist
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheIndieDiarist
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/theindiediarist⁠
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theindiediarist
Threads: https://threads.net/@theindiediarist
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theindiediarist⁠

Get ready for a whopper of an episode! In this one, I spent some time with Tali from ORIGAME DIGITAL, developer of Penguin Colony – a short narrative adventure game which re-imagines H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness in... unexpected ways. Our conversation soon went completely off the rails, embracing topics such as games as a form of art, the power of political philosophy, and how creativity allows us to reclaim meaningful narratives while condemning others. It was a privilege to both record and take part in this episode. Enjoy! 🎒💛
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Support Tali 🎒💛
Wishlist Penguin Colony: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3695930/Penguin_Colony/
Follow on Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/veselekov.bsky.social⁠
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Support the show 🎒💛
Join the community: https://discord.com/invite/J84aPfSSvj
Become a Patron: https://patreon.com/theindiediarist
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheIndieDiarist
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/theindiediarist⁠
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theindiediarist
Threads: https://threads.net/@theindiediarist
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theindiediarist⁠

Itching to make a cool game late this year? Seasoned developer or complete newbie, this might be a good chance to do something special for it! To celebrate episode 100, I'm hosting the Meaningful Games Jam 2026. It's a jam to make a game that means something to you!
Listen to this episode to learn about all the rules and details, or skip to the good stuff with the links below. 🎒💛
Check out the Meaningful Games Jam 2026: https://itch.io/jam/meaningful-games-jam-2026
Join the Discord server to vote the theme with us: https://discord.com/invite/J84aPfSSvj
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Support the show 🎒💛
Become a Patron: https://patreon.com/theindiediarist
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheIndieDiarist
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/theindiediarist⁠
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theindiediarist
Threads: https://threads.net/@theindiediarist
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theindiediarist⁠

Game development is a journey of passion, persistence, and often a little bit of sweat and tears. In this episode, I spent some time with Pippo and Alex from Cobalt Lane, a small development studio currently working on narrative gem Imprinted. If you're into David Lynch and obscure vintage references, this episode is for you!
We're going to have a dev commentary livestream with these two lovely peeps on Discord soon, so make sure to join the community from the links below!
Enjoy! 🎒💛
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Support Alex & Pippo 🎒💛
- Wishlist Imprinted: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3980340/Imprinted/
- Social links: https://linktr.ee/cobaltlanegames
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Support the show 🎒💛
Join the community: https://discord.com/invite/J84aPfSSvjBecome a Patron: https://patreon.com/theindiediaristYouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheIndieDiaristTwitch: https://twitch.tv/theindiediarist⁠TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theindiediaristThreads: https://threads.net/@theindiediaristTwitter: https://twitter.com/theindiediarist⁠

Can a childhood visit to a dentist’s office game plant the seed for a lifelong journey into game design? Well, you're about to find out!
Most game developers have a secret weapon for turning mundane ideas into deeply compelling experiences. AP Thompson (the Brooklyn-based solo dev behind Titanium Court) discusses that hidden magic in this episode, revealing how a tiny spark of curiosity transformed into a narrative-driven masterpiece. Enjoy! 🎒💛
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Join the Meaningful Games Jam to celebrate Episode 100! 🎒💛
-> https://itch.io/jam/meaningful-games-jam-2026
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Support AP 🎒💛
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/apthomson.bsky.social

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2364580/Titanium_Court/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2359120/Consume_Me/
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Support the show 🎒💛
Join the community: https://discord.com/invite/J84aPfSSvjBecome a Patron: https://patreon.com/theindiediaristYouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheIndieDiaristTwitch: https://twitch.tv/theindiediarist⁠TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@theindiediaristThreads: https://threads.net/@theindiediaristTwitter: https://twitter.com/theindiediarist⁠