Ethan Clark

@ethanclark.bsky.social

408 Followers 135 Following

Game Developer/Programmer. N Step Steve, Tauriel Teaches Typing, Bee Magic, Parallel Dungeons, & more. Opinions my own. (they/them)

That one Calvin and Hobbes "Playing a record? I'll show you something interesting." Comic edited to say: "Playing a PS5 game? I'll show you something interesting. See this disc that contains the game data?" "Yeah..." "In 2028, they'll stop making discs like these. They'll only release games digitally." Calvin seems to be distraught by this.
A neat Sokoban puzzler that's challenging but has neat ideas. Its gameplay is often weird, but (mostly) ends up making sense.
Image on homestuck.com/005968 showing a baby alien that was inexplicably born with a fully formed "girl face" (makeup, eyelashes, the works.)
A view of my current deck showing there are 272 items in it right now.
A "Pandora's Box" item: "Add a copy of every item in the game into your deck.
Someone asked: "how do u feel about the, uh, similarities" I reply: "I don’t mind. It’s a concept you could independently reinvent. (And maybe they did, who knows?) TBQH (To be quite honest) at the risk of sounding too egotistical, if they copied N Step Steve more closely it would be better than it is."
A decent, bite-sized Zach-like. It's nothing huge or mind blowing, but it's well designed and is a fun time.
As its title suggests, this is a short game. It's also one that's best experienced blind, so all I'll say is: this is worth your time.
The chef from Pixar's Ratatouille reading a note, but edited to put the "eye looking" emoji over his eyes.
A fun roguelike about swapping between characters. The design is smart and encourages/rewards skilled and fancy play; It's really satisfying to do a difficult trick shot and have the game reward you for it! The art and music are also top notch. Pick this up if you want some roguelike mayhem.
Despite being played with only one button, this rhythm game is challenging, complex, and wonderfully written.
Cat 1: Soooooorrrryyyy, but I can't afford to pay you for the work you did. Cat 2: WHAT? You said Tencent was backing this! Cat 1: I said "ten cents" was backing this. Heh heh... heh? Cat 1 starts sweating. A newspaper article with Cat 1's face reads "Local cat sentenced to 5 days of Puzzle solving. 'wordplay no excuse for fraud!' says judge."
(Disclaimer, I'm friends with a lot of people on the dev team) This is a simple but very well designed logic puzzle game. It takes the lofty premise of Islands Of Insight (battle royale game about solving puzzles) and refined it into a more focused single player experience that focuses on the core of the game: the puzzles. The puzzle solving interface is great, and despite the massive variety of puzzles on offer, each one is expertly crafted. Give it a play if you like pen-and-paper puzzles; And if you don't, you might develop an appreciation for them.
Steve from 5 Step Steve on the left, with "DLSS OFF". The "DLSS ON" version on the right looks noticeably worse. (this is a joke post
A 2d platforming/shooting game by the creator of Cave Story. Just like Cave Story, this game is fun and charming.
The STS folks have done it again. When I first heard about the STS sequel, I was a little disappointed that the team was "just" doing another STS game. But now that I've played it, I can say that it's still a worthwhile game to play, even if you've played the first one. Plus, there's a lot of new systems here, such as the Balatro-style card enhancements, that interact with the existing systems in fun ways. And the new visuals are very polished and charming.
Not much to say about this one; It's a simple idea with an excellent execution.
Like Opus Magnum, this is a fun factory game. It's easy to play yet challenging to optimize.
Principal Skinner wondering "Am I out of touch?"
This feels like it was made for me specifically. You play as a swap-able team of characters that banter with each other as you fight (I promise it's endearing and not annoying.) It also strikes a perfect balance between being simple and having a lot of depth.
One of the most creative Sokoban games ever made. Writing this review almost feels pointless because you can probably just look at the screenshots and see why it's worth playing. But if you're wondering if the game is deep and worth playing after the novelty wears off, the answer is a resounding "yes."
This is a deceptively simple looking tile making game that's actually a very deep and challenging puzzle experience. The UI is a bit clunky, but other than that it's an amazing game. It vastly exceeded my expectations.
While this isn't the most polished deckbuilding game, or the most balanced, it's still fun to play. It certainly deserves credit for inspiring the genre of roguelike deckbuilding.
This game is what Michael Brough does best: A minimalist game with lots of depth and cool ideas. There's a lot of different abilities to pick up, and figuring out good combinations between them is satisfying.
A minimalist "programming" Zachlike that's easy to play but contains lots of depth. The story is also charming, striking a perfect balance between being relatable and being absurd.
A charming take on the match 3 genre. I could explain it to you, but I feel like that would go against the spirit of the game. So just try the demo and prepare for the unexpected.
This quirky roguelike can be frustrating sometimes, but it's nonetheless charming. While the peg popping gameplay is more luck based than skill based, you do need to be smart about the kinds of items you get in order to create good synergies. And when you do get a good combo going, it's fun.
One of the most difficult puzzle games I've played, but also one of the best designed puzzle games as well. If you want to commit to this, it's well worth it; This game is a minimalist masterpiece.
Perhaps the first truly amazing multi-cart game. Most of the games in here are very fun; I'm sure you'll find a few that you'll enjoy. Some of my favorites are Party House and Rail Heist.
A modern classic. The characters are very well written and the story is very emotionally touching, which keeps the game endearing even as you relive the same day over and over again.
This is perhaps one of the most accessible Zachtronics games, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting. The problems are fun to solve and it's satisfying to watch your solutions.
This puzzle platformer is unapologetically weird, and thus very charming. Despite its looks, there's a lot of very cool puzzles in here. It's quite unique. (content warning for some cartoony blood when you die.)
An idiosyncratic programming game about moving and manipulating numbers. If you want to solve some very challenging engineering problems, this game is for you.
I did not ask you to send me a gamecode, its a bot doing it, sorry
A challenging puzzle platformer with "match 3" elements. The puzzles are laid out in a neat interconnected world which makes exploring feel fun, with a lot of nice surprises with the puzzle mechanics.
A short and unique puzzle game with lots of clever puzzle ideas. It's well worth your time.
A cozy game that's sort of a "platformer" in some sense of the word, except instead of running and jumping you control a squishy car. Everything here is fun and playful, and most of the game revolves around typical levels where you get the car to the goal. But one of my personal favorite aspects of the game is the new "long jump" level that's in here; It's very fun!
A relaxing game about boxes inside boxes inside boxes. This is on the easier side overall, but no matter your skill level, these puzzles will delight and surprise you.
A Sokoban puzzle game loosely based on chemistry rules. The puzzles are well designed, as you'd expect from Alan Hazelden, and there's more than enough challenging content to keep you occupied.
A series of abstract logic puzzles where you have to figure out what each puzzle wants from you and then solve them. It's short, sweet, and pretty neat.
UNREVIEWED GAMES (i.e. games I have yet to review): 198
One of the most iconic games of the 21st century, and one that defies description. But if you want a weird and funny time, look no further.
In terms of gameplay, this is the best programming game of all time in my opinion. Few others even come close. If you love programming, you'll love this game.
This is a great resource for Japanese language learners. I am at a beginner/intermediate level and it helped me strengthen my skills. It shows you Japanese conversations with full context and makes it engaging by gamifying the process of translating them. The art is nice and the music is relaxing.
(Disclosure: I backed this on Kickstarter.) Unbeatable is, at its core, a game about music. Yes, it's a rhythm game, and it has a very meaty story mode. But the story revolves around music, specifically that of a punk rock variety. The kind of music that's messy and defiant, yet also strikingly beautiful. Because at the end of the day, that's what Unbeatable is about. It's a messy, defiant, and beautiful piece of self expression.
Disclaimer: I am friends with the person who made this. But I promise: even if I wasn't, I would still be recommending this game. It is a fun, fast paced roguelike game where you make really fun combos. It's simple to learn but has lots of depth. Playing it made me think "Oh, I can see why this inspired Balatro."
This is a very well designed puzzle game about taking a simple premise and gradually expanding it into a very intricate system of things that interact with each other in fun and unique ways. The puzzles are on the harder side, but there's a very well thorough hint system for them. There's a lot of "meta" elements to the puzzles as well, and that aspect is pretty well done too. Just a solid game all around.
Wikipedia entry for "Betteridge's law of headlines": Betteridge's law of headlines is an adage that states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no." It is based on the assumption that if the publishers were confident that the answer was yes, they would have presented it as an assertion; by presenting it as a question, they are not accountable for whether it is correct or not.
Igor Vorobyov's "6 or 9" comic edited to feature two people arguing over weather something is an "Item" or a "Card".
That one meme about "not so easy to find..." edited to say "!!: 'Well, well, well, not so easy to find a type cast that doesn't crash the game, huh?'"
That one image from Coraline of that dude on the computer, looking really worn out.
A screenshot of Parallel Dungeons. It shows "Boxer" in the "Tutorial" fighting "Laughing Baby"
An N Step Steve level with pairs of flags on them. The flags have 6 and 7 on them. To play this level, go to https://epicpikaguy.itch.io/n-step-steve-part-2, enter the level editor, and load this level: āȇ́ࠌĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀÿదĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀದĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿďÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿПÿϿÿЀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿҟÿѿÿҀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĄÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĶÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
The "Uncle Duck" short with Homestuck characters edited in.
“It was a great game that changes the way I think about storytelling in games.”
A screenshot of Siri recognizing a song (Heart of Glass) using Shazam.
The Grubhub customer from the infamous "Delivery Dance" ad, but modified to look like a Homestuck Troll with gray skin and yellow horns.