Sometimes, You Win By Losing

Article  |  June 26th, 2026
By Dave Jackson
blog, indie games, many nights a whisper, pyre, the dark queen of mortholme

Video games are all about winning- overcoming challenges, defeating your enemies, and so on, but some games build great narratives around your failures.

Review- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Article  |  January 30th, 2025
By Dave Jackson
citizen sleeper, indie games, review

Dave reviews Jump Over the Age's Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector.

Review- Blasphemous 2

Article  |  August 17th, 2023
By Dave Jackson
blasphemous 2, indie games, review

To tide you over while a full Tales from the Backlog episode is scheduled, recorded and edited, here is a written review of The Game Kitchen's Blasphemous 2.

Tales from the Backlog 68: Silicon Dreams | cyberpunk interrogation

Article  |  April 5th, 2023
By Dave Jackson
indie games, podcast episode, silicon dreams

In episode 68 of Tales from the Backlog, Dave is joined by Scott Danielson to discuss Silicon Dreams | cyberpunk interrogation, by Clockwork Bird.

Review- DREDGE

Article  |  March 23rd, 2023
By Dave Jackson
dredge, indie games, review

To tide you over while a full Tales from the Backlog episode is scheduled, recorded and edited, here is a mini review of DREDGE, the Lovecraftian horror fishing game by Black Salt Games.

Tales from the Backlog 55: Inscryption

Article  |  December 14th, 2022
By Dave Jackson
indie games, inscryption, podcast episode

In episode 55 of Tales from the Backlog, Dave is joined by John Rogers (Gaming in the Wild) to discuss Inscryption.

Tales from the Backlog 38: Vampire Survivors

Article  |  August 10th, 2022
By Dave Jackson
indie games, podcast episode, vampire surivivors

In episode 38 of Tales from the Backlog, Dave is joined by Chris Rettig to talk about the roguelike that came out of nowhere to take the gaming world by storm, Vampire Survivors.

Tales from the Backlog 33: Unsighted

Article  |  June 15th, 2022
By Dave Jackson
indie games, metroidvania, podcast episode, soulslike, unsighted

In episode 33 of Tales from the Backlog, Dave is joined by Nave (Gaming Together: A Cooperative Podcast) to discuss Unsighted.

It Takes Two

Article  |  May 5th, 2022
By Dave Jackson
hazelight studios, indie games, it takes two, podcast episode

Dave is joined by Aaron Angle to talk about It Takes Two, the 2021 Game of the Year award winning co-op platformer from Hazelight Studios.