Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
@petermeiklejohn.bsky.social
Indie game looker-atter | Escaped Brit | Just another dad on the internet | Pretty rubbish at social media | Vertical bar fan | Currently running @IndieLoupe.com
tell me about your game / invite me on a podcast / say hi / etc. : peter{at}indieloupe.com
tell me about your game / invite me on a podcast / say hi / etc. : peter{at}indieloupe.com
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
Heading for the first anniversary of Citizen Sleeper 2 next week (time just doesn’t stop does it 😅) this means:
🚫 no more Game Pass, play now or buy forever Xboxers!
💫 something cool will definitely happen but its a secret
🚫 no more Game Pass, play now or buy forever Xboxers!
💫 something cool will definitely happen but its a secret
January 20, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Heading for the first anniversary of Citizen Sleeper 2 next week (time just doesn’t stop does it 😅) this means:
🚫 no more Game Pass, play now or buy forever Xboxers!
💫 something cool will definitely happen but its a secret
🚫 no more Game Pass, play now or buy forever Xboxers!
💫 something cool will definitely happen but its a secret
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
This video analysis is one of the best ruminations on why generative AI has no place in creative endeavors. Give it a watch.
AI in Games: Why Should You Care?
YouTube video by IndieLoupe
youtu.be
January 19, 2026 at 7:42 PM
This video analysis is one of the best ruminations on why generative AI has no place in creative endeavors. Give it a watch.
Trying (and probably failing) to word this in a non-grovelling way...
This video is the most effort I've put into anything for IndieLoupe, but, for whatever reason, is doing pretty terrible numbers in terms of impressions & views.
...so, I'd really appreciate any love you can give it. Thanks!
This video is the most effort I've put into anything for IndieLoupe, but, for whatever reason, is doing pretty terrible numbers in terms of impressions & views.
...so, I'd really appreciate any love you can give it. Thanks!
AI in Games: Why Should You Care?
YouTube video by IndieLoupe
youtu.be
January 19, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Trying (and probably failing) to word this in a non-grovelling way...
This video is the most effort I've put into anything for IndieLoupe, but, for whatever reason, is doing pretty terrible numbers in terms of impressions & views.
...so, I'd really appreciate any love you can give it. Thanks!
This video is the most effort I've put into anything for IndieLoupe, but, for whatever reason, is doing pretty terrible numbers in terms of impressions & views.
...so, I'd really appreciate any love you can give it. Thanks!
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
The Ratline is part of Steam Detective Fest, starting tomorrow
store.steampowered.com/app/3756940/...
store.steampowered.com/app/3756940/...
January 11, 2026 at 12:33 PM
The Ratline is part of Steam Detective Fest, starting tomorrow
store.steampowered.com/app/3756940/...
store.steampowered.com/app/3756940/...
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
Hey @discord.com, if you already know these answers, are you just like, evil? Or what?
January 10, 2026 at 10:08 AM
Hey @discord.com, if you already know these answers, are you just like, evil? Or what?
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
While no one could possibly play every incredible indie from this past year, there are tons of wonderful titles out there for every gaming style.
We're shining a spotlight on some 2025 indies that deserved a little more attention and are more than worth your time!
nosmallgames.com/2026/01/11-o...
We're shining a spotlight on some 2025 indies that deserved a little more attention and are more than worth your time!
nosmallgames.com/2026/01/11-o...
11 of the best underrated indie games of 2025 - No Small Games
What counts as an "underrated game" in the year that brought us Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II, Blue Prince and...
nosmallgames.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:53 PM
While no one could possibly play every incredible indie from this past year, there are tons of wonderful titles out there for every gaming style.
We're shining a spotlight on some 2025 indies that deserved a little more attention and are more than worth your time!
nosmallgames.com/2026/01/11-o...
We're shining a spotlight on some 2025 indies that deserved a little more attention and are more than worth your time!
nosmallgames.com/2026/01/11-o...
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
I'm increasingly horrified by what I see happening around me and often feel powerless. But there are so many ways to resist.
These are my thoughts on fighting back in one way I know how: With indies.
These are my thoughts on fighting back in one way I know how: With indies.
Tunic: Fight Back With Me
Knowledge is power.
theindieinformer.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:17 PM
I'm increasingly horrified by what I see happening around me and often feel powerless. But there are so many ways to resist.
These are my thoughts on fighting back in one way I know how: With indies.
These are my thoughts on fighting back in one way I know how: With indies.
Excellent thread here! A good few games I'd heartily recommend & a bunch more I now want to try out:
Here is my thread of all the Detective games I am aware of that came out in 2025. It’s organized in mostly alphabetical order, and contains both detective themed and detecting mechanic games. You can find them on Steam unless I note on the game
December 31, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Excellent thread here! A good few games I'd heartily recommend & a bunch more I now want to try out:
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
With the Steam Winter Sale winding down, don't forget these great 50 indie recs to see if something calls to you!
I write about indie games literally every week, so this should be doable. HERE WE GO!
1. Consume Me
Consume Me will disarm you with its earnest approach to difficult topics like eating disorders and teenage angst due to its smart calendar structure. Its WarioWare-style minigames are fun too!
1. Consume Me
Consume Me will disarm you with its earnest approach to difficult topics like eating disorders and teenage angst due to its smart calendar structure. Its WarioWare-style minigames are fun too!
December 30, 2025 at 8:12 PM
With the Steam Winter Sale winding down, don't forget these great 50 indie recs to see if something calls to you!
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
2025 was a big year for me in gamedev! Rose and I normally make a jam game or two a year, but this year I also happened to stumble into a really nice community of narrative deduction game fans and got inspired to dive even deeper.
🧵 This is a Jamwitch 2025 recap thread!
jamwitch.itch.io
🧵 This is a Jamwitch 2025 recap thread!
jamwitch.itch.io
jamwitch
jamwitch.itch.io
December 29, 2025 at 5:06 PM
2025 was a big year for me in gamedev! Rose and I normally make a jam game or two a year, but this year I also happened to stumble into a really nice community of narrative deduction game fans and got inspired to dive even deeper.
🧵 This is a Jamwitch 2025 recap thread!
jamwitch.itch.io
🧵 This is a Jamwitch 2025 recap thread!
jamwitch.itch.io
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
I love the ~idea~ of being able to interact with a character and get something truly novel and unexpected out of the experience. Like, it ~would~ be neat to go to Westworld and get lost in the 'realness' of the characters, try to push the systems to build an adventure.
But LLMs can't do that
But LLMs can't do that
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
I had five fascinating conversations for this RPS piece, gathering perspectives on genAI chatbots in games, as seen in Where Winds Meet. Thanks to @meghna.bsky.social, @pyrofoux.bsky.social, @maxkreminski.bsky.social, and @chrisgardiner.bsky.social www.rockpapershotgun.com/horrible-bor...
December 24, 2025 at 1:12 AM
I love the ~idea~ of being able to interact with a character and get something truly novel and unexpected out of the experience. Like, it ~would~ be neat to go to Westworld and get lost in the 'realness' of the characters, try to push the systems to build an adventure.
But LLMs can't do that
But LLMs can't do that
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
It is fucking wild The Escapist accused Blue Prince of using AI without sources.
The game that ASKS you to comb through its world and art with a fine tooth comb, which AI is awful for! It's the fine details it gets wrong that makes us know it's AI! It couldn't have used it without people noticing!
The game that ASKS you to comb through its world and art with a fine tooth comb, which AI is awful for! It's the fine details it gets wrong that makes us know it's AI! It couldn't have used it without people noticing!
There is no AI used in Blue Prince. The game was built and crafted with full human instinct by Tonda Ros and his team at
@dogubomb.bsky.social.
It is the result of eight years of development, fuelled by imagination and creativity, and we are extremely proud of what Tonda has achieved.
@dogubomb.bsky.social.
It is the result of eight years of development, fuelled by imagination and creativity, and we are extremely proud of what Tonda has achieved.
December 21, 2025 at 6:20 PM
It is fucking wild The Escapist accused Blue Prince of using AI without sources.
The game that ASKS you to comb through its world and art with a fine tooth comb, which AI is awful for! It's the fine details it gets wrong that makes us know it's AI! It couldn't have used it without people noticing!
The game that ASKS you to comb through its world and art with a fine tooth comb, which AI is awful for! It's the fine details it gets wrong that makes us know it's AI! It couldn't have used it without people noticing!
Just spied this while showing Many Nights a Whisper to someone – congrats on the "Overwhelmingly Positive" @deconstructeam.bsky.social & @selkieharbour.com!
If you've not played it: it's a wonderful experience that v. much stays with you, and it's currently like 2 euros/dollars/pounds.
Go get it!
If you've not played it: it's a wonderful experience that v. much stays with you, and it's currently like 2 euros/dollars/pounds.
Go get it!
December 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Just spied this while showing Many Nights a Whisper to someone – congrats on the "Overwhelmingly Positive" @deconstructeam.bsky.social & @selkieharbour.com!
If you've not played it: it's a wonderful experience that v. much stays with you, and it's currently like 2 euros/dollars/pounds.
Go get it!
If you've not played it: it's a wonderful experience that v. much stays with you, and it's currently like 2 euros/dollars/pounds.
Go get it!
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
Our Top 10 Indies of 2025 List is now live!
We got big games! We got little games! We got games from small teams! We got games from solo devs! We got games that make you laugh, we got games that make you think, we got games that make you cry.
We got indies, y'know?
We got big games! We got little games! We got games from small teams! We got games from solo devs! We got games that make you laugh, we got games that make you think, we got games that make you cry.
We got indies, y'know?
The Top 10 Indies of 2025
YouTube video by IndieLoupe
youtu.be
December 19, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Our Top 10 Indies of 2025 List is now live!
We got big games! We got little games! We got games from small teams! We got games from solo devs! We got games that make you laugh, we got games that make you think, we got games that make you cry.
We got indies, y'know?
We got big games! We got little games! We got games from small teams! We got games from solo devs! We got games that make you laugh, we got games that make you think, we got games that make you cry.
We got indies, y'know?
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
New devlog for my Pokemon-inspired deduction game, My Friends the Monster Trainers!
Featuring a lot of my typical narrative deduction design thoughts, a general devlog with some behind-the-scenes screenshots, and what's next for MFTMT!
celia14.itch.io/my-friends-t...
#indiedev #gamedev
Featuring a lot of my typical narrative deduction design thoughts, a general devlog with some behind-the-scenes screenshots, and what's next for MFTMT!
celia14.itch.io/my-friends-t...
#indiedev #gamedev
Pokemon x deduction: the development of My Friends the Monster Trainers
My Friends the Monster Trainers is Jamwitch’s award-nominated (had to get that in there) Pokemon-inspired narrative deduction game, created for Ludum Dare 58 . In this devlog, I’ll give an overvie...
celia14.itch.io
December 19, 2025 at 10:24 PM
New devlog for my Pokemon-inspired deduction game, My Friends the Monster Trainers!
Featuring a lot of my typical narrative deduction design thoughts, a general devlog with some behind-the-scenes screenshots, and what's next for MFTMT!
celia14.itch.io/my-friends-t...
#indiedev #gamedev
Featuring a lot of my typical narrative deduction design thoughts, a general devlog with some behind-the-scenes screenshots, and what's next for MFTMT!
celia14.itch.io/my-friends-t...
#indiedev #gamedev
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
John does great work, happy to support a vital channel for indie recommendations 🥳
Wow. GITW hit 1,000,000 plays this week. Thanks to all who've watched & listened!
To celebrate, the next 50 ppl who join—or upgrade—on Patreon will get a code for a game that shaped the show: #Ultros, #1000xResist, #CitizenSleeper 1/2, or #InOtherWaters.
✨ Join here: patreon.com/gaminginthewild
To celebrate, the next 50 ppl who join—or upgrade—on Patreon will get a code for a game that shaped the show: #Ultros, #1000xResist, #CitizenSleeper 1/2, or #InOtherWaters.
✨ Join here: patreon.com/gaminginthewild
December 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
John does great work, happy to support a vital channel for indie recommendations 🥳
This is genuinely my favourite thing at the moment – such a nice little way to start your day and get your brain into gear!
(play Celia's other games too they're great)
(play Celia's other games too they're great)
I keep thinking I'll be posting soon with some notable updates to share, but then I run out of time for updates because I'm busy writing puzzles. 😅 Soon!
In the meantime, if you haven't tried The Daily Spell yet, give it a shot! I'm really surprised and happy about the response to it so far. 💜
In the meantime, if you haven't tried The Daily Spell yet, give it a shot! I'm really surprised and happy about the response to it so far. 💜
For @thinkygames.com's #ThinkyCon jam, I made The Daily Spell, a daily puzzle with an ongoing narrative. ✨
My goal was to combine satisfying word puzzling with a story you'll be excited to see unfold. Try it and let me know what you think!
#gamedev #puzzlegames
jamwitch.itch.io/the-daily-sp...
My goal was to combine satisfying word puzzling with a story you'll be excited to see unfold. Try it and let me know what you think!
#gamedev #puzzlegames
jamwitch.itch.io/the-daily-sp...
December 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
This is genuinely my favourite thing at the moment – such a nice little way to start your day and get your brain into gear!
(play Celia's other games too they're great)
(play Celia's other games too they're great)
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
Our final (we think!) review of 2025 has just gone live!
@bluebackpack.bsky.social's The Berlin Apartment sees players take control of five characters over the course of a century, touching on some of the city's most important moments in compelling & poignant ways.
#indiegame | #gaming | #review
@bluebackpack.bsky.social's The Berlin Apartment sees players take control of five characters over the course of a century, touching on some of the city's most important moments in compelling & poignant ways.
#indiegame | #gaming | #review
A Century in Five Stories | The Berlin Apartment
YouTube video by IndieLoupe
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Our final (we think!) review of 2025 has just gone live!
@bluebackpack.bsky.social's The Berlin Apartment sees players take control of five characters over the course of a century, touching on some of the city's most important moments in compelling & poignant ways.
#indiegame | #gaming | #review
@bluebackpack.bsky.social's The Berlin Apartment sees players take control of five characters over the course of a century, touching on some of the city's most important moments in compelling & poignant ways.
#indiegame | #gaming | #review
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
All of the companies that make the software I use are increasing their prices, to account for an "investment" in AI.
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
December 4, 2025 at 8:41 AM
All of the companies that make the software I use are increasing their prices, to account for an "investment" in AI.
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
Then we should do as its title suggests
Made with AI - Let it Die sequel Inferno discloses substantial generative AI use www.eurogamer.net/made-with-ai...
November 28, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Then we should do as its title suggests
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
Really enjoying @celia-14.bsky.social 's new game The Daily Spell - jamwitch.itch.io/the-daily-sp... - it's a daily drop quote game that expands the lore of a magical world.
The Daily Spell by jamwitch, Celia
Drop letters into place to unscramble today's magical headline. ✨ New puzzle and story daily!
jamwitch.itch.io
November 21, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Really enjoying @celia-14.bsky.social 's new game The Daily Spell - jamwitch.itch.io/the-daily-sp... - it's a daily drop quote game that expands the lore of a magical world.
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
I’m soooooo ready
We don't know. What we do know is the wiring diagram works. We built it, virtually, in @godotengine.org. We fed it scans of the books we found.
And the books are very, very strange. The "game" that resulted is also strange.
We're hoping people can make sense of it for us.
And the books are very, very strange. The "game" that resulted is also strange.
We're hoping people can make sense of it for us.
TR-49 on Steam
Narrative deduction meets audio drama, from the creators of Heaven’s Vault, Overboard! and A Highland Song.
store.steampowered.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:55 PM
I’m soooooo ready
yes please
We don't know. What we do know is the wiring diagram works. We built it, virtually, in @godotengine.org. We fed it scans of the books we found.
And the books are very, very strange. The "game" that resulted is also strange.
We're hoping people can make sense of it for us.
And the books are very, very strange. The "game" that resulted is also strange.
We're hoping people can make sense of it for us.
TR-49 on Steam
Narrative deduction meets audio drama, from the creators of Heaven’s Vault, Overboard! and A Highland Song.
store.steampowered.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM
yes please
Reposted by Peter Meiklejohn | IndieLoupe.com
I recently asked "Should you be able to kill the quest giver?" over here obn BSky, and got a load of interesting thoughts and solutions. Instead of letting htem all die with the thread, I wrote an article about it on my blog.
www.nullpointer.co.uk/should-you-b...
www.nullpointer.co.uk/should-you-b...
Should you be able to kill the quest giver? - RPG design
I have been prototyping a new game, an RPG of sorts. And…
www.nullpointer.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 10:29 AM
I recently asked "Should you be able to kill the quest giver?" over here obn BSky, and got a load of interesting thoughts and solutions. Instead of letting htem all die with the thread, I wrote an article about it on my blog.
www.nullpointer.co.uk/should-you-b...
www.nullpointer.co.uk/should-you-b...