Josh Galecki
@jgalecki.bsky.social
Video game dev: Moondrop, Within a Dead City, and Neongarten.
Podcast: Pixelated Playgrounds.
Coffee: por favor.
Podcast: Pixelated Playgrounds.
Coffee: por favor.
I'm still obsessed with Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (2000). I took a look at it through a game design lens and tried to figure out what made it tick.
Sunday afternoon reading :)
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/sidequests/g...
Sunday afternoon reading :)
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/sidequests/g...
Game Design Perspective: Majesty — Pixelated Playgrounds
In the simpler times of 2000, I first discovered Majesty. The game entranced me. I spent countless hours training up your standard DnD archetypes (ranger, fighter, wizard, druid) from zero to hero. It...
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com
October 19, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I'm still obsessed with Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (2000). I took a look at it through a game design lens and tried to figure out what made it tick.
Sunday afternoon reading :)
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/sidequests/g...
Sunday afternoon reading :)
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/sidequests/g...
Last month, @bsushi.bsky.social and I talked about @zapdot.com's Cipher Zero - a puzzle game that explains without using words. It's a great study in elegance and minimalism in game design. Check out the game, and hear our thoughts on it at www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/bookclub/cip...
CIPHER ZERO — Pixelated Playgrounds
In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh dive into Cipher Zero, the minimalist logic puzzler developed by Boston-based indie studio Zapdot and released in July 2025. Beginning life as ...
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com
October 18, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Last month, @bsushi.bsky.social and I talked about @zapdot.com's Cipher Zero - a puzzle game that explains without using words. It's a great study in elegance and minimalism in game design. Check out the game, and hear our thoughts on it at www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/bookclub/cip...
Beneath a Dead City update 0.3.0 has been released onto itch! This update introduces Villager NPCs, resource gathering, and a tinier and cozier map grid. Also, more arson than ever. Check it out at joshuagalecki.itch.io/beneath-a-de...
Beneath a Dead City by Joshua Galecki
A procedural narrative colony sim
joshuagalecki.itch.io
September 27, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Beneath a Dead City update 0.3.0 has been released onto itch! This update introduces Villager NPCs, resource gathering, and a tinier and cozier map grid. Also, more arson than ever. Check it out at joshuagalecki.itch.io/beneath-a-de...
A recent Steam review on Neongarten made my day: "The shape rotator's Luck Be a Landlord... this is a great extrapolation."
There's a good chance I end up stealing that phrase. It's great to hear that the game delivers the experience I was trying to design.
There's a good chance I end up stealing that phrase. It's great to hear that the game delivers the experience I was trying to design.
September 26, 2025 at 1:33 AM
A recent Steam review on Neongarten made my day: "The shape rotator's Luck Be a Landlord... this is a great extrapolation."
There's a good chance I end up stealing that phrase. It's great to hear that the game delivers the experience I was trying to design.
There's a good chance I end up stealing that phrase. It's great to hear that the game delivers the experience I was trying to design.
The 1.2 update for Neongarten is out! This update includes new starting Scenarios with different sets of starting buildings and perks. Finally, you can build that dystopia around a stack of Actual Trees or Toxic Waste Dumps like you've always wanted.
September 19, 2025 at 1:08 AM
The 1.2 update for Neongarten is out! This update includes new starting Scenarios with different sets of starting buildings and perks. Finally, you can build that dystopia around a stack of Actual Trees or Toxic Waste Dumps like you've always wanted.
Game dev's been busy. I've been working on a prototype. You know those terrible and soulless kids videos on Youtube? Imagine a malevolent AI is forcing you to make them all day, every day! New office horror game in the works.
August 28, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Game dev's been busy. I've been working on a prototype. You know those terrible and soulless kids videos on Youtube? Imagine a malevolent AI is forcing you to make them all day, every day! New office horror game in the works.
Reposted by Josh Galecki
@tinymassgames.bsky.social has completed another season and with it - another round of releases!
tinymassgames.itch.io
Here's a little thread of the games that released as part of our latest season - Season 10! 🧵
#GameDev #IndieDev
tinymassgames.itch.io
Here's a little thread of the games that released as part of our latest season - Season 10! 🧵
#GameDev #IndieDev
Tiny Mass Games
tinymassgames.itch.io
June 19, 2025 at 9:58 PM
@tinymassgames.bsky.social has completed another season and with it - another round of releases!
tinymassgames.itch.io
Here's a little thread of the games that released as part of our latest season - Season 10! 🧵
#GameDev #IndieDev
tinymassgames.itch.io
Here's a little thread of the games that released as part of our latest season - Season 10! 🧵
#GameDev #IndieDev
Latest culinary obsession: kielbasa and kimchi. The kimchi works like a spicy, better-tasting sauerkraut. Love it.
June 1, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Latest culinary obsession: kielbasa and kimchi. The kimchi works like a spicy, better-tasting sauerkraut. Love it.
Something I've got in the hopper - a tiny 16 pixel x 9 pixel rhythm-based dungeon crawler. Part of Season 10 of Tiny Mass Games!
May 10, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Something I've got in the hopper - a tiny 16 pixel x 9 pixel rhythm-based dungeon crawler. Part of Season 10 of Tiny Mass Games!
Reposted by Josh Galecki
Thank you to everyone who came out to watch my first play session of the full release of Neongarten! @jgalecki.bsky.social, you put together one hell of a game!
April 25, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Thank you to everyone who came out to watch my first play session of the full release of Neongarten! @jgalecki.bsky.social, you put together one hell of a game!
Neongarten has been released! Come check out my cozy little cyberpunk city builder, where the food is 99% guaranteed to be free of dolphins and people.
April 23, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Neongarten has been released! Come check out my cozy little cyberpunk city builder, where the food is 99% guaranteed to be free of dolphins and people.
Neongarten releases in three days! To celebrate, my podcast (Pixelated Playgrounds) did an episode covering the game. It was fun to chat with @bsushi.bsky.social and do a deep dive on my own work. Check it out! www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/bookclub/neo...
Neongarten — Pixelated Playgrounds
Have you ever wanted to play a turn-based city builder that’s inspired by Luck be a Landlord and Islanders ? That’s drenched in a stylish cyberpunk aesthetic and boasts intricate tactical depth? On...
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com
April 19, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Neongarten releases in three days! To celebrate, my podcast (Pixelated Playgrounds) did an episode covering the game. It was fun to chat with @bsushi.bsky.social and do a deep dive on my own work. Check it out! www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/bookclub/neo...
Neongarten is releasing in ONE WEEK on April 22nd! Check out the best cyberpunk citybuilder ever made*! (*of games by me.)
April 16, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Neongarten is releasing in ONE WEEK on April 22nd! Check out the best cyberpunk citybuilder ever made*! (*of games by me.)
Warped Door is doing great work looking at interesting games you otherwise wouldn't have heard of. Check them out!
Beneath a Dead City (Demo) (@jgalecki.bsky.social)
"Recruit heroes to explore a ruined city, but keep an eye on those murder hobos. An unhappy hero could turn to arson, violence, and jaywalking."
Demo - Windows, Browser: warpdoor.com/2025/02/22/beneath-a-dead-city-demo/
"Recruit heroes to explore a ruined city, but keep an eye on those murder hobos. An unhappy hero could turn to arson, violence, and jaywalking."
Demo - Windows, Browser: warpdoor.com/2025/02/22/beneath-a-dead-city-demo/
February 25, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Warped Door is doing great work looking at interesting games you otherwise wouldn't have heard of. Check them out!
New trailer for Neongarten! This shows off the new building models and the great new lighting / art direction. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx1E...
Neongarten Gameplay Trailer V
YouTube video by Moonroof Studios
www.youtube.com
February 14, 2025 at 12:09 PM
New trailer for Neongarten! This shows off the new building models and the great new lighting / art direction. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx1E...
Next up, we have some of the Corporate buildings and a few of the more pleasant parks. The Corporate buildings were all designed based off of the Art Deco art style, like the Niagara Mohawk building in Syracuse. Meanwhile, the parks include my favorite dystopian building name: "An Actual Tree".
February 13, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Next up, we have some of the Corporate buildings and a few of the more pleasant parks. The Corporate buildings were all designed based off of the Art Deco art style, like the Niagara Mohawk building in Syracuse. Meanwhile, the parks include my favorite dystopian building name: "An Actual Tree".
Neongarten has gone through a huge art upgrade, and now the dystopian future is 200% prettier. I'll be showing off the new art over the next few days.
Starting out, we have some lovely apartments next to your typical futuristic factories, making oil, food paste, and thousands of tiny spider robots.
Starting out, we have some lovely apartments next to your typical futuristic factories, making oil, food paste, and thousands of tiny spider robots.
February 12, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Neongarten has gone through a huge art upgrade, and now the dystopian future is 200% prettier. I'll be showing off the new art over the next few days.
Starting out, we have some lovely apartments next to your typical futuristic factories, making oil, food paste, and thousands of tiny spider robots.
Starting out, we have some lovely apartments next to your typical futuristic factories, making oil, food paste, and thousands of tiny spider robots.
Beneath a Dead City, a colony sim / story generator is now out on itch! I'm far from done with it, though - I've got lots of great ideas where to go with its dynamic storytelling. Cool ideas from DotAGE, Dungeon World, and Sunless Seas.
joshuagalecki.itch.io/beneath-a-de...
joshuagalecki.itch.io/beneath-a-de...
joshuagalecki.itch.io
December 31, 2024 at 3:07 AM
Beneath a Dead City, a colony sim / story generator is now out on itch! I'm far from done with it, though - I've got lots of great ideas where to go with its dynamic storytelling. Cool ideas from DotAGE, Dungeon World, and Sunless Seas.
joshuagalecki.itch.io/beneath-a-de...
joshuagalecki.itch.io/beneath-a-de...
One of my top 10 this year. A gem.
Hello to all of our fellow wanderers! @jgalecki.bsky.social and I completed our quest for revenge in @arcogamedev.bsky.social and all we got was this (admittedly very fun to record) podcast... Listen in for an in-depth, spoiler-filled discussion on what makes Arco an incredible experience!
Arco — Pixelated Playgrounds
In this episode, Josh and Bryan don their pixelated sombreros and head into the Mesoamerican wilderness to check out the latest in indie tactical greatness with Arco! Boasting some snappy writing, inv...
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com
December 22, 2024 at 12:55 AM
One of my top 10 this year. A gem.
Reposted by Josh Galecki
We created an interactive guide to the Steam Winter Sale: wintersaleexplorer.com
Winter Sale Explorer
wintersaleexplorer.com
December 20, 2024 at 1:02 PM
We created an interactive guide to the Steam Winter Sale: wintersaleexplorer.com
And with one more game to be added by the end of the year :)
Tiny Mass Games, Season 8, the final season of our second year, has just launched!
Check out the games here:
tinymassgames.itch.io
Check out the games here:
tinymassgames.itch.io
Tiny Mass Games
tinymassgames.itch.io
December 7, 2024 at 11:26 AM
And with one more game to be added by the end of the year :)
Beneath a Dead City is a sorta-sequel to Within a Dead City. I've expanded the game so much that it's changed genres, haha. WaDC was a fast-paced Majesty tribute - more of an RTS, really - and BaDC is going full-blown colony sim.
The art is getting an upgrade, too.
The art is getting an upgrade, too.
November 27, 2024 at 10:31 AM
Beneath a Dead City is a sorta-sequel to Within a Dead City. I've expanded the game so much that it's changed genres, haha. WaDC was a fast-paced Majesty tribute - more of an RTS, really - and BaDC is going full-blown colony sim.
The art is getting an upgrade, too.
The art is getting an upgrade, too.
Neongarten is getting an artistic helping hand. Here's some concept art to give you an idea of what's coming down the line! My old buildings are in the top left corners of each box - at least they served as inspiration for the sweet new digs, haha.
November 26, 2024 at 1:19 AM
Neongarten is getting an artistic helping hand. Here's some concept art to give you an idea of what's coming down the line! My old buildings are in the top left corners of each box - at least they served as inspiration for the sweet new digs, haha.
Had a lot of fun with this one! Highly recommend.
The most recent episode of Pixelated Playgrounds @jgalecki.bsky.social and I covered Tactical Breach Wizards! I've been impressed with everything I've played from @pentadact.com, but TBW really had Suspicious Developments firing on all cylinders: Tactics, Writing, World-building all sublime!
Tactical Breach Wizards — Pixelated Playgrounds
Have you ever asked yourself what quirky humor forward take on a breach and clear tactics game featuring wizards might look like? Well about 8 years ago Tom Francis of Suspicious Developments did just...
www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com
November 26, 2024 at 1:00 AM
Had a lot of fun with this one! Highly recommend.
Game dev is weird. I just coded up a new job for the heroes to do: Dying. Also, it's always a priority job!
November 23, 2024 at 7:13 PM
Game dev is weird. I just coded up a new job for the heroes to do: Dying. Also, it's always a priority job!