Patrick Traynor
@cwpat.me
Puzzle game developer and programmer
Patrick's Parabox, Linelith, I Wanna Maker, and others!
Puzzle design on Thekla's game Order of the Sinking Star
https://cwpat.me/about
Patrick's Parabox, Linelith, I Wanna Maker, and others!
Puzzle design on Thekla's game Order of the Sinking Star
https://cwpat.me/about
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
i posted about all my favorite games from this year. i hope you will fall in love with them too!
One whole year of video game recommendations: www.nathalielawhead.com/candybox/one...
"The international indiegame scene is full of undiscovered gems. They are waiting for you to find them."
#IndieGames
One whole year of video game recommendations: www.nathalielawhead.com/candybox/one...
"The international indiegame scene is full of undiscovered gems. They are waiting for you to find them."
#IndieGames
December 20, 2025 at 2:48 PM
i posted about all my favorite games from this year. i hope you will fall in love with them too!
One whole year of video game recommendations: www.nathalielawhead.com/candybox/one...
"The international indiegame scene is full of undiscovered gems. They are waiting for you to find them."
#IndieGames
One whole year of video game recommendations: www.nathalielawhead.com/candybox/one...
"The international indiegame scene is full of undiscovered gems. They are waiting for you to find them."
#IndieGames
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
Here's the December edition of Thinky Third Thursday, the monthly roundup of thinky puzzle games that have caught our eye: thinkythirdthursday.com/december-2025
Thinky Third Thursday - December 2025
Monthly game recommendations from the puzzle experts at Draknek & Friends
thinkythirdthursday.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Here's the December edition of Thinky Third Thursday, the monthly roundup of thinky puzzle games that have caught our eye: thinkythirdthursday.com/december-2025
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
Clover's Quadrants has a trailer! If you've wanted to get a better idea of how the game actually plays, this video should help.
Clover's Quadrants - Puzzle Game Prerelease Trailer
YouTube video by Idolon
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Clover's Quadrants has a trailer! If you've wanted to get a better idea of how the game actually plays, this video should help.
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
Sneak peek at Outpour's new look!
Outpour is a puzzle game where you redirect flowing water across dreamy cathedral rooftops. Manipulate your surroundings to guide a dynamic water system, traverse high places, and restore harmony to sacred structures.
Outpour is a puzzle game where you redirect flowing water across dreamy cathedral rooftops. Manipulate your surroundings to guide a dynamic water system, traverse high places, and restore harmony to sacred structures.
December 18, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Sneak peek at Outpour's new look!
Outpour is a puzzle game where you redirect flowing water across dreamy cathedral rooftops. Manipulate your surroundings to guide a dynamic water system, traverse high places, and restore harmony to sacred structures.
Outpour is a puzzle game where you redirect flowing water across dreamy cathedral rooftops. Manipulate your surroundings to guide a dynamic water system, traverse high places, and restore harmony to sacred structures.
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
Announcing the nominees for the 2025 Thinky Awards! 🎉
Announcing the nominees for the 2025 Thinky Awards! · Thinky Games
Our annual awards show is returning for another year: you can now see the nominees in every category and cast your vote for the various audience awards.
thinkygames.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Announcing the nominees for the 2025 Thinky Awards! 🎉
I've been working on puzzle design on Order of the Sinking Star at Thekla for the past 2 and a half years, and I'm excited the game has just been announced!!
It's a special game, made by a lot of talented people, and I hope everyone enjoys it when it comes out!
It's a special game, made by a lot of talented people, and I hope everyone enjoys it when it comes out!
The creator of Braid and The Witness reveals his most ambitious puzzle game yet: Order of the Sinking Star.
Read our preview here: gameinformer.com/preview/2025...
Read our preview here: gameinformer.com/preview/2025...
December 12, 2025 at 2:08 AM
I've been working on puzzle design on Order of the Sinking Star at Thekla for the past 2 and a half years, and I'm excited the game has just been announced!!
It's a special game, made by a lot of talented people, and I hope everyone enjoys it when it comes out!
It's a special game, made by a lot of talented people, and I hope everyone enjoys it when it comes out!
The expanded version of Woodworm, a very cute puzzle game where you are a worm creating sculptures, is out now! I quite enjoyed the original itch version, I'm excited to play the full version!
store.steampowered.com/app/3404590/...
store.steampowered.com/app/3404590/...
December 10, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The expanded version of Woodworm, a very cute puzzle game where you are a worm creating sculptures, is out now! I quite enjoyed the original itch version, I'm excited to play the full version!
store.steampowered.com/app/3404590/...
store.steampowered.com/app/3404590/...
I had the pleasure of playtesting Herd in development, and it was such a delight! Lots of environments and puzzle surprises hidden along a shephard's journey. I highly recommend it!! :)
Get the physical version, the stacking pieces are very well manufactured and are the intended play experience!
Get the physical version, the stacking pieces are very well manufactured and are the intended play experience!
Herd is now finally out.
Available as a physical game and as print files. Physical version is also part of the Letibus Bundle for 10% off. There are 100 free community copies of print files on Itch.io.
blazgracar.com/herd
Available as a physical game and as print files. Physical version is also part of the Letibus Bundle for 10% off. There are 100 free community copies of print files on Itch.io.
blazgracar.com/herd
December 9, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I had the pleasure of playtesting Herd in development, and it was such a delight! Lots of environments and puzzle surprises hidden along a shephard's journey. I highly recommend it!! :)
Get the physical version, the stacking pieces are very well manufactured and are the intended play experience!
Get the physical version, the stacking pieces are very well manufactured and are the intended play experience!
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
We’re very excited to announce Thinky Dailies! 🎉 Follow our thinky friend on an adventure through handcrafted daily puzzles!
thinkygames.com/dail...
thinkygames.com/dail...
December 4, 2025 at 3:57 PM
We’re very excited to announce Thinky Dailies! 🎉 Follow our thinky friend on an adventure through handcrafted daily puzzles!
thinkygames.com/dail...
thinkygames.com/dail...
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
"From the developer of ElecHead, Öoo is another brilliantly concise puzzle platformer, one that delights in showing you that it was your understanding, not your abilities, which barred your progress."
👍Derek Likes Öoo: store.steampowered.com/curator/4057...
👍Derek Likes Öoo: store.steampowered.com/curator/4057...
"Öoo" the bomb caterpillar exploration puzzle platformer, is out now! 🎉
Dive into an adventure packed with discovery and clever puzzles, we hope you enjoy it!
👇
store.steampowered.com/app/2721890/...
Dive into an adventure packed with discovery and clever puzzles, we hope you enjoy it!
👇
store.steampowered.com/app/2721890/...
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
"From the developer of ElecHead, Öoo is another brilliantly concise puzzle platformer, one that delights in showing you that it was your understanding, not your abilities, which barred your progress."
👍Derek Likes Öoo: store.steampowered.com/curator/4057...
👍Derek Likes Öoo: store.steampowered.com/curator/4057...
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
great design talk by @namataka.bsky.social about the reactive / observational process behind creating his most recent (and superb) game!
4Gamer 🔗https://www.4gamer.net/games/872/G087218/20251119054/
生高橋氏が語る「Öoo」の開発哲学とは？ 欲求・問題・偶然を生かし，そして入念にテストプレイする［IDC2025］
同作の開発プロセスをベースに，パズルアクションゲームにおけるコンセプトワーク，レベルデザイン，テストプレイの考え方などが語られた
生高橋氏が語る「Öoo」の開発哲学とは？ 欲求・問題・偶然を生かし，そして入念にテストプレイする［IDC2025］
同作の開発プロセスをベースに，パズルアクションゲームにおけるコンセプトワーク，レベルデザイン，テストプレイの考え方などが語られた
生高橋氏が語る「Öoo」の開発哲学とは？ 欲求・問題・偶然を生かし，そして入念にテストプレイする［IDC2025］
www.4gamer.net
November 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
great design talk by @namataka.bsky.social about the reactive / observational process behind creating his most recent (and superb) game!
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
I loved Strange Jigsaws and I love Fleb www.polygon.com/strange-jigs...
With Strange Jigsaw, puzzlemaker Fleb wants getting stumped to feel like a gift
'I would like people who have never played puzzle games before to be able to complete the game'
www.polygon.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM
I loved Strange Jigsaws and I love Fleb www.polygon.com/strange-jigs...
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
In this lightning talk, Patrick Traynor goes over the programming of Patrick's Parabox: an award-winning recursive sokoban game!
@cwpat.me
@cwpat.me
The Programming of Patrick's Parabox - Patrick Traynor (ThinkyCon 2025)
Patrick Traynor joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "The Programming of Patrick's Parabox"
Talk description: This talk covers a few specific programming implementations from the development of Patrick's Parabox, an award-winning recursive sokoban game released in 2022. Specific topics i
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
In this lightning talk, Patrick Traynor goes over the programming of Patrick's Parabox: an award-winning recursive sokoban game!
@cwpat.me
@cwpat.me
I highly recommend this talk from Adam Saltsman! I got a lot out of it!
@adamatomic.bsky.social has created a *lot* of small games, and we were delighted for him to join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to share how he approaches it.
My approach to making small games - Adam Saltsman (ThinkyCon 2025)
Adam Saltsman joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "CorgiSpace, or, short legs on purpose, or, my approach to making small games"
Talk description: I've made and released 14 games in the last 12 months, all in my very limited free time, and had a super fun time doing it, even though I al
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I highly recommend this talk from Adam Saltsman! I got a lot out of it!
I found the Q-UP demo a hilarious and striking satire! Looking forward to playing the full game now! #TeamUpSide
The biggest day in esports has arrived. Q-UP is out. store.steampowered.com/app/3730790/...
Save 10% on Q-UP on Steam
Sick of long queues, unfair matchups, and arbitrary reflex tests? Try Q-UP, the coin flipping eSport. It's one part clicker, one part multiplayer strategy game, one part demented capitalism simulator,...
store.steampowered.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:14 PM
I found the Q-UP demo a hilarious and striking satire! Looking forward to playing the full game now! #TeamUpSide
ThinkyCon is live now and continues today, Thursday, and Friday! And my lightning talk about Parabox programming starts in a half hour!
November 5, 2025 at 7:32 PM
ThinkyCon is live now and continues today, Thursday, and Friday! And my lightning talk about Parabox programming starts in a half hour!
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
November 4, 2025 at 4:04 PM
This Wednesday-Friday is ThinkyCon!
There are lots of talks I'm looking forward to! And I'm giving a short talk about some of Parabox's programming on Wednesday!
thinkygames.com/events/think...
There are lots of talks I'm looking forward to! And I'm giving a short talk about some of Parabox's programming on Wednesday!
thinkygames.com/events/think...
November 3, 2025 at 4:50 PM
This Wednesday-Friday is ThinkyCon!
There are lots of talks I'm looking forward to! And I'm giving a short talk about some of Parabox's programming on Wednesday!
thinkygames.com/events/think...
There are lots of talks I'm looking forward to! And I'm giving a short talk about some of Parabox's programming on Wednesday!
thinkygames.com/events/think...
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
Really excited for this! Especially the "The Programming of Patrick's Parabox" talk~
Announcing the line-up for ThinkyCon 2025! 🎉 Tune in for 3 days of amazing talks from the makers of your favorite puzzly games!
thinkygames.com/even...
thinkygames.com/even...
October 29, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Really excited for this! Especially the "The Programming of Patrick's Parabox" talk~
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
🚨 Hey, everyone! We are extending our submission deadline until Oct 31! 🚨
So there is week more to send games for consideration for the 2026 session of the Experimental Games Showcase.
Submission form and more info in our new website: www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com
So there is week more to send games for consideration for the 2026 session of the Experimental Games Showcase.
Submission form and more info in our new website: www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com
Experimental Games Showcase
SUBMIT YOUR GAME TO THE
www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:35 AM
🚨 Hey, everyone! We are extending our submission deadline until Oct 31! 🚨
So there is week more to send games for consideration for the 2026 session of the Experimental Games Showcase.
Submission form and more info in our new website: www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com
So there is week more to send games for consideration for the 2026 session of the Experimental Games Showcase.
Submission form and more info in our new website: www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com
Having playtested Spooky Express, I highly recommend it! The mechanics are deep, level design is really tightly done, and it has a cute theme and story! Another great puzzle game from Draknek & Friends!
Spooky Express is OUT NOW on PC and Mobile! 🚂🎃
All the passengers are dying to ride the Spooky Express! Don’t let them miss their stops: they may be monsters, but they still have places to be and people to eat – er, we mean meet!
spooky.express
All the passengers are dying to ride the Spooky Express! Don’t let them miss their stops: they may be monsters, but they still have places to be and people to eat – er, we mean meet!
spooky.express
October 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Having playtested Spooky Express, I highly recommend it! The mechanics are deep, level design is really tightly done, and it has a cute theme and story! Another great puzzle game from Draknek & Friends!
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
ICYMI yesterday. The book's already in fantastic shape – @rachelwatts.bsky.social combines fascinating dev testimony with her own Thinky Games expertise and the result is an elegant, insightful deep dive inside this enigmatic puzzler. And (not on BlueSky) designer Nikki's work here is *beautiful*
COCOON x LOST IN CULT🪲
Warp between worlds with Cocoon: Design Works in collaboration with @geometricinteractive.com, @annapurna.com & @rachelwatts.bsky.social🤝
Pre-order the Deluxe Edition before 16th December @ 6pm BST 🚨
www.lostincult.co.uk/cocoon🪲
Warp between worlds with Cocoon: Design Works in collaboration with @geometricinteractive.com, @annapurna.com & @rachelwatts.bsky.social🤝
Pre-order the Deluxe Edition before 16th December @ 6pm BST 🚨
www.lostincult.co.uk/cocoon🪲
October 17, 2025 at 9:49 AM
ICYMI yesterday. The book's already in fantastic shape – @rachelwatts.bsky.social combines fascinating dev testimony with her own Thinky Games expertise and the result is an elegant, insightful deep dive inside this enigmatic puzzler. And (not on BlueSky) designer Nikki's work here is *beautiful*
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
Looking for a party game that combines social deduction with the pleasant absurdity of rating animals, films, and the weather on a scale of ★ to ★★★★★? And it's just a simple deck of cards? AND it's live on Kickstarter now?!?! Guess what, STARFRIENDS has launched! www.kickstarter.com/projects/bra...
Starfriends: The 5-Star Game About What Everyone Else Thinks
A party game where you get into your friends' heads. Kinda like a blend of Wavelength and Letterboxd that fits into a deck of cards.
www.kickstarter.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Looking for a party game that combines social deduction with the pleasant absurdity of rating animals, films, and the weather on a scale of ★ to ★★★★★? And it's just a simple deck of cards? AND it's live on Kickstarter now?!?! Guess what, STARFRIENDS has launched! www.kickstarter.com/projects/bra...
Reposted by Patrick Traynor
Supertasks versus Transfinite tasks in the infinite Sokoban board
youtu.be/9e0lVCZ0U7w
#recreationalprogramming #transfinite #sokoban
youtu.be/9e0lVCZ0U7w
#recreationalprogramming #transfinite #sokoban
Supertasks versus Transfinite tasks in the infinite Sokoban board
YouTube video by Puzzling Gamedev
youtu.be
October 11, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Supertasks versus Transfinite tasks in the infinite Sokoban board
youtu.be/9e0lVCZ0U7w
#recreationalprogramming #transfinite #sokoban
youtu.be/9e0lVCZ0U7w
#recreationalprogramming #transfinite #sokoban