• he/him

Kind of just do stuff, tend to like stuff like Touhou and Doom and Terraria and Serious Sam and things
25
R-18 stuff over at @mandatoryanomaly

Basically everywhere else, Discord, Tumblr, Bluesky, Twitter, Steam, Fediverse, etc. I still go by "anomalouslymandatory" if possible


IndieGamesOfCohost
@IndieGamesOfCohost

As you probably know, Cohost is unfortunately closing its doors in a few weeks.

When I picked the name "Indie Games of Cohost" for this gimmick account, I did so for two reasons:

  1. The focus was to share the work and posts of game devs who use Cohost, to make it easier for users to find people to follow and forge a community on here.

  2. I told myself that the day when Cohost dies...I would let this whole thing die with it. I will not be trying to migrate, re-brand, and continue this on a different site in the short-term.

I really enjoyed doing short interviews with game developers. I imagine for many, it was the first time they've been interviewed about their creative work. Over the course of this year, the pace of interviews I posted slowed down. The reason for that was that I was trying to hold myself to a higher standard, wanting to ask more and more insightful questions about their individual projects. This kind of "increased the workload" for me, leading the interviews to come more slowly.

Today, I've sent out a final shotgun blast of emails to a few devs I was going to get to on my list, with "mini interviews" that all have the same questions.

Read below for more info on IGOC ending and sharing your work in the comments


What happens now?

If any of the devs I emailed today respond, I'll be posting a few last interviews to this page and then wrapping it up. I might also reblog a few of the old interviews just to have something to post in the final weeks.

I will make a 2024 wrap-up post of the indie games I posted about as New Releases. To hopefully pair well with my 2023 indie games mega list.

As tempting as it is to continue this release curation + interview series on a different social media platform with whole new branding, I don't think I have the energy or spare time right now. If I do decide to do it months down the line, you'll hear about it on one of my accounts. Maybe I'll start a site or newsletter or something. But it definitely wouldn't be before Cohost shuts down.

If you'd really like to follow a list of newly released games I spot...I may continue to update this spreadsheet where I was jotting down the games I post on this account. So feel free to bookmark that.

If you've liked the types of games I keep an eye out for, you might want to follow my Steam Curator Scattered Gems, that highlights highly-praised (or interesting) games with low review counts.

A small piece of advice, if you enjoy indie games...

...if you've found a game, project, or dev on here that you've found interesting, please follow them or jot it down somewhere!

It's so easy, when spending time online, to find cool and interesting stuff that you tell yourself "I'll check that out when it releases" and then totally forget what the name was.

Believe me, I know you're probably not interested in following like a hundred new people on Bluesky, Mastodon, etc (I know realistically that I won't), but that's all the more reason to take advantage of the tools at your disposal. If that dev or project is on itch.io, press the Follow button in the top right of their itch.io project! If the project is on Steam, add it to your Steam Wishlist! I know these are corny calls-to-action that you've heard a thousand times before, but it really is a great way to save a cool-looking game for your future self to look into.

Are you a game dev? Share your links below!

If you're a gamedev, or involved with indie games in any way, use the comments section of this post below to share links of where people can find you going forward!

If you want a prompt, you can do your own mini IGOC interview with these questions:

  1. Introduce yourself to everyone! Who are you?

  2. Is there a project you're working on currently?

  3. Any advice for aspiring indie developers out there?

  4. Where can people follow your work online?

Thanks so much for everyone who followed, shared, and commented on this account. And thank you also for anyone who has shared kind words about enjoying this account, appreciating the interviews, or anything else. It means a lot to me!

When Cohost first got started, it was immediately a platform that really resonated for me. But I knew that people (in this case, gamedevs) would have a hard time getting started here and finding other people who were into games, especially if they were coming from a bustling place like Twitter. I hoped to be a little bit of a hub that could help introduce Cohost users to other Cohost users who like indie games.

If you don't already know, my name is Kyle Labriola (@kylelabriola) and I ran this account on my own as a fun side project. If you'd like to follow me as I make games and talk about new game releases, you can find all my links on my site or over here. Thanks for everything!


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in reply to @IndieGamesOfCohost's post:

this page really has been one of the highlights of using cohost. thank you for all the work you’ve put into it. i’m just sad i never got to get back to working on creative projects so i could end up on this page myself during its lifespan.

i guess i’ll do the prompt down here as a consolation. hi, i’m GFD. it’s very possible you’ve heard my music somewhere before, but i don’t like to talk about that. technically i have published my own games online before, but i don’t talk about those either. i’ve had like 8 game ideas bouncing around in my head for years now but i’ve not yet had resources to realize any of them. i have links in a pinned post, but the main one is my Mastodon account. i hope to still see y’all around.

thanks for running this account, and for the really nice interview about Bossgame way back when!!


hi everyone! i'm Lily Valeen, and i made a game called BOSSGAME: The Final Boss is My Heart. it's a fast-paced boss rush about two girlfriends who flirt and fight devils to pay the rent.

i'm currently working on another new project, which is still early in development. it's a bit different than bossgame mechanically, but i can promise you is that it'll be full of lesbians and it will make you cry. if that's your shit, please keep an eye on me!


the best advice i have for aspiring indie game devs is to go sideways. indies are capable of going where million-dollar games cannot. make weird stuff. make kinky stuff. make stuff about your incredibly niche hobby. this is both so you can enjoy and love your work, AND because you will have far less competition than if you are just trying to copy Zelda. along those lines, this little bit of writing is some of my favorite advice: https://dominoclub.itch.io/good-writers-are-perverts


the best place to find out when i release games is going to be following me on Itch.io: https://itsmelilyv.itch.io/. everything i make will be on there and you will find out ASAP.

other than that, if you use social media, just search your site for @ItsMeLilyV and you'll find me... probably!

i'll also put up a mailing list soon ~ a nice and simple way to find out about new things.

good luck out there :eggbug-heart-sob:

Farewell, indie games of cohost~
I really enjoyed the work you did interviewing people! It wass always interesting hearing about the journeys people go on during long term projects. :)


Also, Hi! I'm Funwalker and I just finished a little suika-like called Zoo-ika, which you can find on my itch! I'm currently working on a small apothecary sim called Nana Soup (tentatively) that I hope to finish by sometime next year.

People can find it and my other little toys on my itch as well or follow me on twitter or tumblr, where I'll try to post my progress periodically (but I mostly just ramble over there).

Probably, my best advice for other aspiring devs is to make a battle plan and work on things steadily. Even if you just work on it an hour or two every day, how far you can go in just a month can be quite astonishing!

I'm Eric, I make games that explode, but in a good way.

My current project is called "Virtue's Heaven" and it is one of those cursed forever games that seem to never get done. BUT it will come out in 2025 and it has a steampage that you can go and wishlist:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1929860/Virtues_Heaven/

As where to find me, I have some links on my profile page, but the safest bet would probably to subscribe to my email newsletter, since I'm still not quite sure what to do next and where to go (if I even move somewhere else):
https://buttondown.com/MOKKOGRAD

Regarding advice:
Ignore any advice that makes you feel desperate, inadequate or anxious about your work and your personal goals. Seek out advice that makes you excited, or at least encouraged to try out something you haven't done, or to figure out your own path.
Also, when making an action game, it's better to start with too much of everything and turn it turn down, than the other way around.

P.S.: I really appreciate this account giving me a chance to talk about my work.

That's very nice to hear! I'm really grateful for you giving me a chance to talk about making games, without also having to explain that none of it is making me much money and such.
Doing these interviews and running this account was a really cool thing and I appreciate the energy and time you've put into it!

Hi everyone, I'm exodrifter. I'm a space catgirl vtuber on Twitch and a full time indie game developer (for now) trying to make games that connect with people on an emotional level. I've made Gender Dysphoria and I'm currently working on an escape room game about loneliness called no signal.

One piece of advice that I'd give new aspiring indie game developers is to scope your games as small as possible. Once you're done with that, make the scope even smaller. If you're anything like me and working either by yourself or on very small teams (<= 3 people), your appetite will always be bigger than what you can accomplish with the finances or motivation window you actually have.

I've always been meaning to do an interview with @IndieGamesOfCohost, but I never got around to it because I wanted to time it along with the release of no signal, and, well, I'm not quite there yet. I enjoyed seeing what popped up here and I'm going to miss seeing this account around and the interviews that were conducted.

I stream on Twitch and I have a Discord server. That's about all the social media I actually use. I'm planning on setting up a blog and I'm also working on making an indie game enthusiast/maker forum over at forum.tsuki.games. It's invite-only and very quiet right now, but if you'd like to join let me know.

da shiet u did 4 this web site is freaking cool as hell . . . . imstill so glad i got 2 meet ya and do taht silly little interview back then . . . iwish u couldve kept doin ur thang for all time . . . .

anyways.. for the Shilling of My Game Dev Shiet to all future viewers of this poast . . .. i am unlimited trees. i make silly and insane and gorgeous video gamez. i made a silly free game called UNITRES Dreams that could be played on ur broswer ( and even on a co host post . . . )

now im makin an insane game called UNITRES LUCID .. . there really isnt any easy way 2 describe it other than bein an insane arcade platformer thang... if u wish 2 see more of my shiets . . . i got a whole bunch of linkz on my pinned post. oh and yea. im doin level design and programmin shiet for sonic overture 95

to all game developerz and artistz and freakz out there . . . make watever crazy shit you want whenever you want forever. make somethin you love for yourself. even if you aint the best at making things . . . you have to make them.

Introduce yourself to everyone! Who are you?

We are Balloon Co. [gaming division]

Is there a project you're working on currently?

Our current project is to track down Balloon Co. [MARKETING*DIVISION] who went MISSING right around the time we launched our newest Dead or Live Service game: The Balloon Co. Gamevertisement Museum.

Any advice for aspiring indie developers out there?
Play games made by Balloon Co. [gaming division]. If you imitate our games in a legally distinct way that protects the game from our overly zealousgressive lawyers, then some of our GREATNESS can exist in your video game!

Where can people follow your work online?
After the angels of fire burned down our Angelfire editing abilities, we roamed the web before settling down at a nice itchy eye oh website. https://balloonco-gd-617017.itch.io/
We also give updates on our Cohost account! You can find it by clicking our profile picture!

I'm gonna miss this account so much, getting updates on indie games getting released was a real treat on my timeline!

My current main project is a falling-block style puzzle game called Conduit. You can find it on itch here: https://theonixie.itch.io/conduit . I need to make a steam page but I'm tired...
I wish I was better at posting my own content but I do have a BlueSky account where I hope to post more content about my game at some point once I'm feeling better: https://bsky.app/profile/theonixie.bsky.social

Thank you for all the work you did, and thank you for interviewing me about Frogsong. It made me feel very welcome to the site early on when I wasn't so sure about this place.

For the prompt:

Hi! I'm Bee! I'm the weirdo who loved frogs so much they made a game full of them called Frogsong!

Right now I'm working on a game called Stomp and the Sword of Miracles. It hasn't been publicly announced yet so mentioning the title so casually feels a little weird, but I gotta get people interested in it somehow! I won't say much about it right now, but I will say if you like Kirby, or Frogsong, or other cute indie RPGs full of weird characters, or Hollow Knight, you'll want to sign up for the newsletter: https://swordofmiracles.com/

My advice for aspiring indie devs is don't do this as a job until you're already doing really well. It's rough out there! Just keep making cool weird stuff and have fun with it. That is so important. We need more weird passion projects out there. I want to PLAY more weird passion projects.

I have a website here which contains links to all my social media sites, and it has an RSS feed so you can follow along whenever you want. It's got a gallery of my art and a list of all my projects! You can find it here: https://bumblebee.city/

Again, thank you for all your work. See you next time.

Thanks. I'm a Game Dev focusing on visual novels and interactive fiction. Getting back into the swing of things after essentially a year of burn out, most recently made a very small game that captures coming out to your abusive dad. My long term goal is to be oscillating wildly back and forth between all ages queer games--and off the wall whatever kink and oddity I feel like adult games.


Speaking of the later--somehow I'm working on a werewolf interactive novella that should be coming out this year. Impress your cool new bodyguard girlfriend(?)! Be a weird catholic freak! Murder your family in the name of revenge!

But careful about them Wolves--a werewolf's curse is a heavy burden to bear.


Be weird about something, which I'm sure you'll hear a lot.

More specifically, avoid being incestuous with your inspirations. If you inspired by something, don't just pull from their inspirations or other games like it. Pull from something entirely unrelated--like a painting, a table top game, a cool movie.

Or better yet, your own life. If you can't put your own lived experiences into something you're not going anywhere.


I'm out on twitter and blue sky @wannabe_cat and wannabecat.bsky.social--which tbh I'm pulling away from cause social media bums me out. I'm planning on making a website soon and start blogging about stuff there. For now, you can find me on itch.io where any major game news will go there.

sad that this had to end, but all good things must unfortunately come to an end.

Well, I'm #Guigui! The # is part of my online identity. I'm a french game developer, localizer, 2D/3D artist and a bunch of other footnotes.


My main project is Corrupted Worlds, a 2D platformer (in Godot) about breaking games and exploiting glitches. It features a game developer on the brink of burnout (me), a sentient glitch, a bunch of cameos from friends' OCs and gay people
I also have a side project of a command line rhythm game called shellrhythm, but I put it on the backburner as university started for me.


If I had any advice to give, it's to challenge conventions of whatever genre you're making your game in, or mix and match genres in ways you haven't seen anyone do before. Go wild! You're the one in command.


As for my socials, I mostly exist on fedi/mastodon (@guigui@wetdry.world for my personal account, @cw@mastodon.gamedev.place for Corrupted Worlds), but my bf and I are running a bluesky account for it (@corruptedworlds.bsky.social)
I also have an itch.io, https://hastagguigui.itch.io/. It features, along with a few gamejam projects, an old version of Corrupted Worlds that I originally made in Unity. It's... meh.

Hi! Thank you so much for creating this space for indien devs!
I've just started my very first game and made a post about it : https://cohost.org/Tootkin/post/7774785-presenting-fadunn
It's a puzzle game inspired by Shapez (for the core gameplay) and SOLAS128 (for the "successive rooms in a dungeon" type of progression). I detail the project in my post, with schema and a gif of the current state of the project. I have reached the testable prototype and I'm working on a playable one!

I hope this will reach and interest some people, I'm very excited about this project and I really hope I can make it happen!

Thanks for running this account! It was a great way to connect with other devs here and I'm glad that other people found it helpful too.


My name's Mike Horowitz (he/him). I'm currently working on Beastieball as a character animator and uh, being a dad!

If you're an aspiring indie developer out there, start small and don't follow trends. Do what interests you, even if the market for that kind of game is pronounced "dead" (it's not, devs are just waiting for other people to make the first move). If you want to turn this into a career, and have a body of work you can be proud of, get into the habit of releasing small games so that you can work your "project closing" muscles and to build up an audience or community, slowly, over time. It's more rewarding and more sustainable in the long run.

You can keep up with my writing at fungus.zone or email me at mikejwitz [at] gmail [dot] com. Always happy to connect and chat!

thank you so much for your work!! it's been a real pleasure seeing everything you've done for the community

i'm Vec, a game designer / programmer / artist, and i'm working on the sequel to my fighting game, DracoFighter 2! you can find my links at https://vecderg.carrd.co/ or https://www.vecderg.com/

the best advice i have for aspiring developers is to start small. do realistic projects you can finish that are still catered to your interests, and once you understand the feeling of finishing and releasing a work, you'll never go back.

your page has been one of my favorite places on cohost, thank you for doing this and for all the work you've done!

I'm atjscreams (on nearly all platforms....well the ones I care about at the moment being bluesky, twitch, and mastodon) except itch which is wenotfreeyet.itch.io. I'm a black, autistic, traumatized void working on a visual novel. It's (tentatively) called "I Told You Not To Look" and it's a horror story about black girls! I'm so new to this but the advice I have for anyone trying something new is to just keep going, one line of code, five words, a paint stroke--all of it matters even if it doesn't feel like it right now. Putting all those small things together is better than putting down nothing at all. My hashtags (I'm trying to be Professional) are #ATJScreams! Excited to learn more about all of y'all's work!

Thank you for all your hard work! I'll miss this place, and I'll be sure to follow your curator page.

In the spirit of sharing: I'm Justin, and I'm working on NOMIA right now. It's a tactical card battler where your party consists of two heroes with two decks each. It's got a vein of Chinese diaspora vibes folded into it. I'm doing all the art, design, and programming, despite the title being an acronym for No One Makes It Alone.