iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Next we have Banjo-Tooie. This was a tough one to write about. It's a game I love so much, it's hard for me to articulate why, since its amazing qualities just feel so self-evident. But apparently not everyone feels that way...

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Y'know, it's been a few months since I've done one of these, but since everyone's elaborating on their 9 games and what they meant to them this seems like a good time for another writeup series! Starting off strong we have The Binding of Isaac, the easiest include on the list...for better or worse.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is a fun trend, and more difficult than I thought it would be. Since I'm an indie dev, I specifically listed the games that have most influenced my game design sensibilities, or at least my stylistic and tonal inclinations.

My 9 games are The Binding of Isaac, Banjo-Tooie, Chrono Trigger, Kirby Super Star, Deltarune, Pokemon Gold, Yume 2kki, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and Gex 3

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Batomon Showdown is where incredible things happen.

Winning a run of Batomon Showdown with a Danuki that's dealing 26,000 damage per hit, two level 4 monsters, and a backpack with 96 trinkets in it...just to name a few things.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Oh, this place is gonna get turned into a CRATER at some point, huh?

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I picked Theodora's path to start, and I love the way her opening flips the script on what you think is going to be a typical "good princess has her throne usurped by a scheming relative" plotline. Immediately got me invested in her as a character. Also she's basically Ivy from Soul Calibur.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Okay, I’m in. I’m all-in. THIS is how you open a video game.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Thank you for your service, Kotaku.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Before anyone brings it up, because people always bring it up when I mention Engage, my problem with it wasn’t the art style. The character designs were actually the only part I consistently liked. I laid out my issues with it here when I finally stopped playing.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Also, in an age when a lot of games are blatantly ripping off Pokemon's art style, this game also does it but in a very...Flirting as opposed to Harassment kind of way that I find weirdly charming.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Easily the wildest jumpscare of the Direct. Like what do you MEAN?

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I’d love to know the behind-the-scenes on this because, to my eye, this REALLY looks like some procedural texture work and it makes me wonder if Nintendo came up with their own tech for it.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I feel like they’re going for a woven armor thing, but yeah…

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

BUT then I remembered the pajamas he wakes up in ARE much closer to that, so the Kokiri Tunic is probably something the Deku Tree or the fairies are going to give him in this version.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Honestly, my only issue with this design at first was that the outfit looked too fancy. I always assumed the Kokiri Tunic was basically just rags stitched together in the same way everything in Kokiri village is charmingly ramshackle. These goblin children aren’t doing leather embroidery.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Also the writing is…a bit much, but Neon Violet is a standout to me simply because a lot of Natalie from New Meat was me trying to write this exact kind of “cute violence-obsessed girl” archetype in a more realistic way than… …well, like it is here. It’s just an interesting contrast.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Today I randomly found myself playing Neon White, a game I got free through PS+ forever ago but never bothered playing until now. Has anyone else made the comparison that this game is Super Monkey Ball with guns? Because that immediately what it made me think of.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Wow, literally centered on the exact two places I’ve lived half my life.

My dialect map, showing my dialect is most like Maine and California.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Like, I am right now being messaged by what is clearly some kind of catfish bot on Steam, but the top games on her profile look like this. Apparently Trip to Vinelands is some run-based maze game from 2016. What is the story being told, here? I'm so fascinated.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I love how the Switch 2 store phone app highlights merch as much as games so the moment you load it up you can be hit with

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Hey, you remember there was that one person who was playing New Meat for so long I got worried they'd died at their computer? I think we found 'em. #indiedev

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

An entire Steam event for pegs and not a single indie dev is making a spiritual successor to DK Jungle Climber.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

At 7-stars you can't access vendors anymore you just get this.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Sometimes I just have to stop and reflect on what I’ve done to my YouTube algorithm.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

So rather randomly, I found myself playing Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope today and… Man, this game is REALLY GOOD. It’s kinda secretly a Mario RPG game, so if you like those but never tried Sparks of Hope out, I really recommend it.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Earthworm Jim 3D is a bad game, but a lot of people act like it's Superman 64 levels of unplayable when it's more...Tonic Trouble-level jank. There's a lot of variety and ambition in this game, and each level is nothing if not unique. You might snap your controller but you won't be bored.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

AND THAT'S A TRIPLE! Think indie games aren't going to save this industry? READ 'EM AND WEEP, BLACKPILLS! (...or...start weeping less I guess.) That's $250,000.00 for the Game Industry Hardship Fund! Triple our goal! The first step of many towards rebuilding a better games industry! #gamedev

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Only ⏱️12 HOURS REMAIN⏱️ to get the Game Industry Hardship Bundle to its third and final goal! $250k to help devs back on their feet after the recent wave of industry layoffs! 100+ great games for a great cause! Let’s hit that finish line! #indiedev #indiegame itch.io/b/3802/game-...

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Just musing this in response to a review someone kindly just left on New Meat. To be clear, I think it’s a really valid criticism of the game. It just got me thinking about where this kind of thing fits into my larger design philosophy.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The Game Industry Hardship Fund Bundle has reached its goal! Again! Onward to $250k to get people back on their feet after recent industry layoffs! Can we hit it? You decide! #indiedev #indiegame itch.io/b/3802/game-...

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

This is your last weekend to pick up the Game Industry Hardship Bundle (and my game, New Meat, with it) on Itch! We’re almost to (double) our goal, and aiming to go even higher! #indiegame #indiedev itch.io/b/3802/game-...

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Not gonna lie I don’t like this more detailed trending system nearly as much as the old one. I preferred when I’d randomly see something like “Cincinnati Tourism” was trending and I’d just sit here and imagine why that could be.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

9. Hussk Finally, Hussk. Unfortunately, there's not much I can say about Hussk without getting into spoilers. If you know, you know, and for the rest of you, you'll just have to play my game yourself! So go pick up New Meat! And don't worry about Hussk. It's...it's fine, probably.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

8. Mastare I'd like to thank artist Christopher Null, who I called in to turn my programmer-art doodles into these amazing designs. Of all of them, I think Mastare wins the prize for "The most exactly like what I was picturing in my head." Others are very close, but this one was dead-on.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

7. Nervaswarm My original idea for this boss was completely different. It was going to be a beast covered in quills that it would shoot at Niko's "pressure points" to inflict stat debuffs. Once I realized it would need to take multiple turns, I pivoted to the "swarm of little guys" design instead.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

6. Malamalgam Malamalgam is the only boss whose moveset changes depending on where it shows up in the boss order. The later in the game you fight it, the more moves it will have in its arsenal (taken from more powerful enemies).

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

5. Ringamabob There's really not much to Ringamabob. So I'll give you a hint about its fight which you may not have figured out. If you can't manage to hit it while it's got its evasive buff active, just throw a bomb at it. Works every time.

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

4. Ourobillious Ourobillious was a fan-favorite among playtesters, which amazed me, because I was about to scrap it completely! It's probably the easiest boss in the game, which made me concerned it might be boring, but fans were adamant its topsy-turvy resource-swapping gimmick was a highlight!

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Alex Lemley (Rocketlex) @rocketlex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

3. Spiraleyes Spiraleyes' special move, which deals more damage the more status effects on you, uses a special element called "Sadistic Damage." Every status element gives you a weakness to sadistic damage, you see. The Shotgun weapon also deals sadistic damage, as you might have guessed!

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