Sign in

Sinister Design

@sinisterdesign.net
1.7K followers 378 following 495 posts

Creator of turn-based tactics games and SRPGs; most recently, Together in Battle! store.steampowered.com/app/1267210/… 📧: sinisterdesign@gmail.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Sinister Design
Sean Dick @seandick.net · 28/09/2026
This is incredibly good and you should kick some money to the dev if you are able shinmera.itch.io/promptfont
shinmera.itch.io
PromptFont by Shinmera
This is a font designed for user interfaces and button prompts in games. It features hundreds of custom made icons.
23514
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 29/09/2026
That's a good metaphor. IMHO, if leveling up doesn't feel good in your RPG, then you've chosen the wrong genre
0130
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 23/09/2026
As a graduate of USC from before the school even had a game design major, I find this terribly interesting
021
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 23/09/2026
I deleted my account there years ago
000
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 23/09/2026
Oh god yes; Twitter is a trash fire
100
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 17/09/2026
Thanks for hosting #TurnBasedThursday! I just pushed a new update to the fantasy gladiator management SRPG Together in Battle this week with a cool new class that trades restricted attack range for massive, ninja-like battlefield mobility: bsky.app/profile/sini...
0131
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 16/09/2026
People hate mechanics that add tension and give their decisions real weight; it detracts from the fluffy power fantasy, you see
110
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 14/09/2026
I'm especially proud of the wachikit: giving them a unique kit and playstyle when the game already has so many classes was a challenge, but the results are pretty great! 🙂 youtu.be/OTIxqLBsUEc?...
youtu.be
Meet the new Wachikit class! [Together in Battle]
YouTube video by Sinister Design
000
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 14/09/2026
Together in Battle is now at version 1.1.20, featuring the whip-wielding, tree-climbing, gap-swinging wachikit; 13 new skills; cross-path advancements; a combat animation speed setting; and more! Here's the full post: store.steampowered.com/news/app/126...
store.steampowered.com
Together in Battle - Version 1.1.20: New classes, cross-path skills, speed improvements, and more! - Steam News
Greetings, tactics fans! It's been a few months since our last update, but the wait is over! As a certain SRPG juggernaut with an odd (one might say unbeWeaveable) amount of overlap* with TIB bears do...
162
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 14/09/2026
Beautiful work! 🙂
010
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 14/09/2026
God, that sucks. Did you see the comment linking to an article about something similar happening to Finji? If I were ever going to consider advertising there, this kills that notion stone dead. www.gamedeveloper.com/marketing/ti...
gamedeveloper.com
Tiktok refuses to axe racist AI-generated ads for Finji games
Indie developer and publisher Finji is battling unwanted AI ads advertising its game on TikTok that were made by TikTok.
145
Reposted by Sinister Design
Moonshen @moonshen-owl.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
A few months ago I did this, it may be a good time to post it here to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this game. #chronotrigger #chronotriggeranniversary #pixelart #chrono #chronotriggerfanart #gamefanart #retrogame #pixel
242988921
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 07/09/2026
It's always been like this--but the decline of independent websites due to social media and Google Gemini has made it immeasurably worse. These sites don't make money without clicks, and relatively few people click for games they don't already know about. The incentives are skewed. 😕
010
Reposted by Sinister Design
Phil Szostak @philszostak.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
“Tony [Gilroy] finally turned to me, and he said, ‘Hey, you just got to stop pitching plot. Plot is bullshit. Plot is what happens when you get the behavior right. Pitch me a line of dialogue, pitch me atmosphere, pitch me something visual. Stop pitching stuff that happens.’” 1/2
182781455
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 03/09/2026
Well...I guess I can add that to my List of Reasons I'm Not on Twitter Anymore
010
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 02/09/2026
Just finished listening to it! I agree; it's really good. I especially appreciated the parts about product people getting replaced with finance people--very insightful, I think.
010
Reposted by Sinister Design
Jake Birkett - Veteran Indie @greyalien.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Information: This is for 720 games released (see start of thread). So 8.6% hit 100 reviews, which might mean they are doing OK, depending on budget. And 1.4% hit 1000 reviews. Those games are probably successful (or will be in the long term) but it all depends on team size, time taken etc.
11910
Reposted by Sinister Design
BlindCoco Studios - Wicked Night @blindcoco.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We are pleased to host this week's official #TurnBasedThursday on Bsky Game devs and genre connoisseurs, kindly share your turn-based games in the replies! Enjoyers, fans and kindred spirits, Like ❤️ and Repost 🔁 any game you like!
378644
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 20/08/2026
Badass; extremely Peter Mohrbacher-coded.
010
Reposted by Sinister Design
Jon Davies 🦖 🔜 Pixel Art Park (Tokyo) @sovanjedi.bsky.social · 07/10/2024
Black Hole Hand #pixelart #artpost
271892435
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 11/08/2026
The fourth route is Silver Snow, and IMO it was not interesting or different enough from the others to make it feel worth another playthrough
011
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 11/08/2026
The early game is basically identical for all routes, which makes doing multiple playthroughs kind of a slog. I'd recommend Blue Lions first. Most folks would say to save Golden Deer for last, but IMO Crimson Flower is also a solid one to end on (depending on how much you personally hate theocracy)
110
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 11/08/2026
Lol, nice. Let me know if you want suggestions as to which route(s) to try; I have Opinions 😂
110
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 07/08/2026
Content creators: are you planning a list of games like Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave? Make sure to add the one game with Fire Emblem-style mechanics that's organized around gladiatorial games; the one with a calendar and time management. Together in Battle! 🙂 store.steampowered.com/app/1267210/...
store.steampowered.com
Together in Battle on Steam
Manage a team of fantasy gladiators in this Fire Emblem-style strategy RPG with vibrant characters, funny random events, and emergent relationship-building. Uncover a sinister conspiracy; fight deep t...
131
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 31/07/2026
Same! I'd like to support it too. It's just weird to consistently see stories like "Godot now supports cuneiform" or "Godot now has a point cloud renderer" while way more basic stuff like full C# integration (which I would absolutely need in order to switch) is still not there.
010
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 31/07/2026
Maybe I did it wrong, but I had to keep bouncing back and forth between the scripting solution and the IDE to copy-paste the names of nodes and properties as strings; in a robust C# integration, that stuff should pop up as an autocomplete suggestion within the scripting environment.
100
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 31/07/2026
I swear to god, Godot devs will implement absolutely anything except for proper C# integration
261
Reposted by Sinister Design
Quasimorph, 1.0.4 is OUT! @quasimorph.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
We're honored to be this week's official #TurnBasedThursday host! #gamedevs #indiedev share your #turnbased games below, and use the hashtag! Like what you see? Don't forget to ❤️/🔁 and feel free to @ other devs!
#TurnBasedThursday
Show us what you got
368041
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 26/07/2026
I understand why this is exciting for some, but honestly, even the best EV is an inefficient heap of shit compared to good public transit and walkable neighborhoods. I do wish the technology enthusiast crowd could be made to care about efficiency on a more structural level.
010
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 25/07/2026
This is a good summary. The legal reasons are enough all on their own, tbh--not actually owning a copyright in your own game art is a bad situation to be in.
020
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 23/07/2026
This is looking good! The UI looks *extremely* slick, and I love the portrait art. 🙂
010
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 23/07/2026
Thanks for hosting #TurnBasedThursday! Together in Battle is a fantasy gladiator SRPG with deep interactive battlefields, a social sim layer, and support for custom characters with their own portraits, personalities, and dialogue. Currently 90% positive on Steam! 🙂 bsky.app/profile/sini...
081
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 20/07/2026
Street Fighter's Vega; not because I find him attractive, but because he represents a kind of extreme vanity and obsession with personal beauty we almost never see in male video game characters. It's entertaining.
010
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 20/07/2026
Solid pick, tbh; can't argue with the reasoning
010
Reposted by Sinister Design
Casey Explosion @caseyexplosion.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
With regards to that last repost, reviews can mean a lot to smaller developers, so I'm gonna put out a little call to action. Everyone following me? DO THIS NOW! I'm asking for replies so more folks pick this up, and continue it. Please take this graphic and ask your followers to do the same!
"Goto your Steam™ library

Leave a review for a smaller game you like

Now tell me what it was"

There's a very crudely drawn Steam logo in the middle. In the bottom right, there's an even crudely-er drawn frog, and the sideways text reads "I am a graphic design terrorist"
122972483
Reposted by Sinister Design
Simon Hintermann @aurumek.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Gut Falkensee
51497334
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 06/07/2026
From 2025, but I think Together in Battle deserves more attention. It's a very systems-driven SRPG that still manages to have a strong narrative hook and memorable characters--it's like infinite Fire Emblem for people who really love SRPGs: store.steampowered.com/app/1267210/...
store.steampowered.com
Save 25% on Together in Battle on Steam
Manage a team of fantasy gladiators in this Fire Emblem-style strategy RPG with vibrant characters, funny random events, and emergent relationship-building. Uncover a sinister conspiracy; fight deep t...
000
Reposted by Sinister Design
Zane Schacht - Voice Goblin @voicesbyzane.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Dude I saw you autosave before walking up to me whats up man we cool
190042482
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 05/07/2026
Can they all drown now please
000
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 02/07/2026
Thank you!
000
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 02/07/2026
Thanks for hosting #TurnBasedThursday! I recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of Together in Battle's v. 1 launch with an update and laurels trailer. Now sitting at 90% positive on Steam! 🙂 bsky.app/profile/sini...
140
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 01/07/2026
She's not wrong. It's kind of mind-blowing to me that companies like Sony have voluntarily chosen to make this the case.
010
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 18/06/2026
The CYOA precursor to District 9??
000
Reposted by Sinister Design
Standplaats Kraków could really use some cash! @standplaatskrk.pl · 17/06/2026
Paladin: Oathbreaker 

[stock photo of people in business suits]

An oathbreaker is a paladin who breaks their sacred oaths to pursue some dark ambition or serve an evil power. Whatever light burned in the paladin's heart been extinguished. Only darkness remains. Source: Dungeon Master's Guide Oath Spells You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed. 

[...]

So the banner ad didn't scale down for the mobile browser and it took me multiple minutes to realize that this stock photo of people in business suits was not, in fact, an illustration of what oathbreaker paladins in service to an evil power are supposed to look like
5276103
Reposted by Sinister Design
Schippj @schippj.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Reflection
429686
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 16/06/2026
Nope! Three Houses is a very forgiving Fire Emblem title; it's hard to really go wrong. Have a great time--it's a good one! 🙂
010
Reposted by Sinister Design
Brendan Keogh @brkeogh.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I don't want to pretend this *isn't* shocking or ghastly but, like, when digital media experts are expressing concern generally about the data a game like Pokemon Go is collecting from day one, this is precisely the kind of end game they are thinking about.
527288
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 08/06/2026
Both suck, but at least as far as writing goes, I'd say A is less-bad. Ideas are a dime a dozen--it's the execution that really makes a story.
000
Reposted by Sinister Design
Nancy Lucía López @cybergata.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Artist: the late B. Kliban #Kliban
063
Sinister Design @sinisterdesign.net · 06/06/2026
Uh oh. What did they do?
110