Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
@totter87.bsky.social
Award-winning gamedev. Animation/games Associate Professor. Level design author. SAAM Arcade founder. Making Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2229030/Little_Nemo_and_the_Nightmare_Fiends/
Pinned
Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends on Steam
Little Nemo and his friends return for a hand-animated metroidvania adventure! Explore magical dream worlds with Nemo, the Princess of Slumberland, the mischievious Flip, and royal guard Peony as they...
store.steampowered.com
Happy #WishlistWednesday! If you like hand-animated games with multiple playable characters and big worlds to explore, our #indiegame Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends may just be the game of your dreams! Please help us out by wishlisting it at: store.steampowered.com/app/2229030/...
#2Danimation
#2Danimation
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
Caves of Qud mutates onto the Nintendo Switch, February 16th!
February 4, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Caves of Qud mutates onto the Nintendo Switch, February 16th!
Another video game level pencil drawing for the new edition of my level design book. This time from Final Fantasy VII Remake
February 4, 2026 at 5:27 AM
Another video game level pencil drawing for the new edition of my level design book. This time from Final Fantasy VII Remake
Level design research hack (buy old guides)
February 3, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Level design research hack (buy old guides)
I might get some of the exact course titles wrong, but:
1. Introduction to design
2. Theory of Architecture
3. Japanese design aesthetics
4. The Literature of Fantasy
5. The Gospel of John
Heck, this one was cool, so 6: Biblical Archaeology
1. Introduction to design
2. Theory of Architecture
3. Japanese design aesthetics
4. The Literature of Fantasy
5. The Gospel of John
Heck, this one was cool, so 6: Biblical Archaeology
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Constructed Languages, from Esperanto to Klingon
2. Orbital Dynamics and Planetary Formation
3. Fan Cultures
4. From Tolkien to Pullman
5. History of the English Language, 1066-present
1. Constructed Languages, from Esperanto to Klingon
2. Orbital Dynamics and Planetary Formation
3. Fan Cultures
4. From Tolkien to Pullman
5. History of the English Language, 1066-present
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Stars and Galaxies (which turned out to be Black Holes and Math)
2. Reporting in War Zones
3. Environmental Policy as Cultural Violence
4. Abnormal Psychology
5. Symbolic Logic + Philosophy
1. Stars and Galaxies (which turned out to be Black Holes and Math)
2. Reporting in War Zones
3. Environmental Policy as Cultural Violence
4. Abnormal Psychology
5. Symbolic Logic + Philosophy
February 3, 2026 at 3:19 AM
I might get some of the exact course titles wrong, but:
1. Introduction to design
2. Theory of Architecture
3. Japanese design aesthetics
4. The Literature of Fantasy
5. The Gospel of John
Heck, this one was cool, so 6: Biblical Archaeology
1. Introduction to design
2. Theory of Architecture
3. Japanese design aesthetics
4. The Literature of Fantasy
5. The Gospel of John
Heck, this one was cool, so 6: Biblical Archaeology
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
BREAKING: A federal judge has EXTENDED Haiti TPS!
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes’ order read it was “substantially likely” that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
HERE TO STAY!
WI NOU KAPAB!
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes’ order read it was “substantially likely” that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
HERE TO STAY!
WI NOU KAPAB!
February 3, 2026 at 1:11 AM
BREAKING: A federal judge has EXTENDED Haiti TPS!
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes’ order read it was “substantially likely” that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
HERE TO STAY!
WI NOU KAPAB!
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes’ order read it was “substantially likely” that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
HERE TO STAY!
WI NOU KAPAB!
Okay - thought a lot about this today. I think you can even map the level of how bad a technology is to whose subplot it is. The order is:
Jerry: Warning! Seems bad!
Kramer: Abuse will be attempted (and fail)
Elaine: It will be abused (and fail)
George: It will be successfully abused
Jerry: Warning! Seems bad!
Kramer: Abuse will be attempted (and fail)
Elaine: It will be abused (and fail)
George: It will be successfully abused
You can test new tech ideas using the Seinfeld Test
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
February 3, 2026 at 1:16 AM
Okay - thought a lot about this today. I think you can even map the level of how bad a technology is to whose subplot it is. The order is:
Jerry: Warning! Seems bad!
Kramer: Abuse will be attempted (and fail)
Elaine: It will be abused (and fail)
George: It will be successfully abused
Jerry: Warning! Seems bad!
Kramer: Abuse will be attempted (and fail)
Elaine: It will be abused (and fail)
George: It will be successfully abused
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
ha ha ha what do you mean by that adobe. what do you mean you're killing a good portion of the 2D animation pipeline adobe
February 2, 2026 at 6:44 PM
ha ha ha what do you mean by that adobe. what do you mean you're killing a good portion of the 2D animation pipeline adobe
The Chinese edition of Architectural Approach has joined the pile! It’s getting pretty tall…
February 2, 2026 at 3:30 PM
The Chinese edition of Architectural Approach has joined the pile! It’s getting pretty tall…
My kids heard me talking about how good Godzilla: Minus One is, and asked to watch it. It’s a movie about regular people uniting against a common, seemingly overwhelming threat. It felt relevant coming out of Covid, and feels like it keeps getting more relevant
a boat with the letters aa on it
ALT: a boat with the letters aa on it
media.tenor.com
February 2, 2026 at 12:56 AM
My kids heard me talking about how good Godzilla: Minus One is, and asked to watch it. It’s a movie about regular people uniting against a common, seemingly overwhelming threat. It felt relevant coming out of Covid, and feels like it keeps getting more relevant
An Architectural Approach to Level Design has now been translated to Chinese!
January 30, 2026 at 11:53 AM
An Architectural Approach to Level Design has now been translated to Chinese!
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
This is an absolutely incredible reference that level designers should know
My 2025 talk 'Gyms, Zoos, and Museums: Your documentation should be in-game' is now also available in text format, for those who like to read instead of watch: rystorm.com/blog/gyms-zo...
And if you haven't seen it yet, there is an all new video too, with bonus material on the history of Zoos!
And if you haven't seen it yet, there is an all new video too, with bonus material on the history of Zoos!
Gyms, Zoos, and Museums: Your documentation should be in-game — Robin-Yann Storm, Product & UX Designer for Tools
Gyms, Zoos, and Museums: Your documentation should be in-game
rystorm.com
January 28, 2026 at 5:25 PM
This is an absolutely incredible reference that level designers should know
A lot of game studies is like this. Certain theorists are cited so much that citations just roll off your back. Like, “ahh…reviewer 2 told you you had to bow at the altar, did they?”
Use a theorist in such a way that it doesn’t make me want to put down your essay and read the theorist challenge
January 28, 2026 at 12:26 PM
A lot of game studies is like this. Certain theorists are cited so much that citations just roll off your back. Like, “ahh…reviewer 2 told you you had to bow at the altar, did they?”
I feel like we’ll truly know that the idea of shared media references and literacy are truly in danger when people stop being able to recognize Peter Lorre. He’s the lynchpin holding shared media cultures together
a cartoon says " and don t think it hasn t been a little slice of heaven "
ALT: a cartoon says " and don t think it hasn t been a little slice of heaven "
media.tenor.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:14 AM
I feel like we’ll truly know that the idea of shared media references and literacy are truly in danger when people stop being able to recognize Peter Lorre. He’s the lynchpin holding shared media cultures together
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
It’s that time again 😭 Sweet Baby Inc are a team of Writers & Narrative Designers, and we did not work on Highguard.
Ask yourselves what it is about Highguard that reactionaries have connected to us. That should clarify who they are and what they’re upset about.
Ask yourselves what it is about Highguard that reactionaries have connected to us. That should clarify who they are and what they’re upset about.
The reason I say “Sweet Baby Inc is a team of Writers & Narrative Designers” so often, is because even people who support us are often under the impression that we are sensitivity consultants.
Sensitivity consultants are great, but again, Sweet Baby Inc is a team of Writers & Narrative Designers.
Sensitivity consultants are great, but again, Sweet Baby Inc is a team of Writers & Narrative Designers.
The top reason studios use consulting labour for narrative is that they all want to avoid having a greater quantity of writers and narrative designers on the full-time payroll. That's it. It's to get the stuff designed and written but also save money/commitment.
January 27, 2026 at 4:01 PM
It’s that time again 😭 Sweet Baby Inc are a team of Writers & Narrative Designers, and we did not work on Highguard.
Ask yourselves what it is about Highguard that reactionaries have connected to us. That should clarify who they are and what they’re upset about.
Ask yourselves what it is about Highguard that reactionaries have connected to us. That should clarify who they are and what they’re upset about.
Woah!!!
This is really neat! For $49.99 USD you get compacts of:
All-Star Superman
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Long Halloween
DC: The New Frontier
Kingdom Come
Watchmen.
That's pretty good value!
All-Star Superman
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Long Halloween
DC: The New Frontier
Kingdom Come
Watchmen.
That's pretty good value!
January 26, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Woah!!!
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
“The shooting of Porter, who leaves behind daughters aged 10 and 20, was not caught on camera”
How convenient for ICE
How convenient for ICE
Family of man killed by off-duty ICE agent in LA demands charges: ‘The ache will never go away’
After Renee Good’s killing in Minneapolis, calls grow for accountability in the shooting of Keith Porter Jr on New Year’s Eve
www.theguardian.com
January 25, 2026 at 11:20 PM
“The shooting of Porter, who leaves behind daughters aged 10 and 20, was not caught on camera”
How convenient for ICE
How convenient for ICE
January 25, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.
January 25, 2026 at 1:15 AM
You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
I have been very much struck in the last month or two by how many content creators I know who cover entirely other fields — cooking, workouts, dogs, whatever — have started freely talking about progressive politics when they never, ever used to.
I don't think it's a coincidence that one of my favorite foodie YouTubers is wearing a Minnesota State Fair hoodie in the video she just posted 15 minutes ago.
January 25, 2026 at 1:29 AM
I have been very much struck in the last month or two by how many content creators I know who cover entirely other fields — cooking, workouts, dogs, whatever — have started freely talking about progressive politics when they never, ever used to.
This would actually be a great and memorable quest in a video game. 🤔🤔🤔
I suggested "A Quest To Find The Best Burger" as a silly example when asking a question about quest generation, which turned into an *actual quest* where we went to find the best burger in the land.
It was cursed af but who cares, it was delicious
It was cursed af but who cares, it was delicious
Played a fun game of D&D this morning where our adventurers set out to determine the best burger in town, meeting representatives from Ye King of Hamburg, Ye Burger Barn, and Ye Olde Classical Tymes- each of which was missing a key ingredient to make their burger.
January 24, 2026 at 10:39 PM
This would actually be a great and memorable quest in a video game. 🤔🤔🤔
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
Multiple officials of the US federal government are spending their day rather blatantly obstructing Minnesota law enforcement and covering up a murder.
January 24, 2026 at 9:34 PM
Multiple officials of the US federal government are spending their day rather blatantly obstructing Minnesota law enforcement and covering up a murder.
Protomen Act II: The Father of Death
January 24, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Protomen Act II: The Father of Death
Just finished Metroid Prime 4 with 100%. It was really good! The levels and many of the boss fights were interesting and novel, esp the Snow Wolves. I really enjoyed riding the bike and felt the Federation Troops that Samus meets gave good emotional stakes to the “lost on a mystery planet” setup
a purple object is surrounded by a purple glow
ALT: a purple object is surrounded by a purple glow
media.tenor.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Just finished Metroid Prime 4 with 100%. It was really good! The levels and many of the boss fights were interesting and novel, esp the Snow Wolves. I really enjoyed riding the bike and felt the Federation Troops that Samus meets gave good emotional stakes to the “lost on a mystery planet” setup
Reposted by Chris Totten - Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends
like this a lot, just adding alt for accessibility, text search and such
January 22, 2026 at 9:52 AM
like this a lot, just adding alt for accessibility, text search and such