Thinky Games
@thinkygames.com
Discover games you'll love to solve. 🧩 🔎 🗺️
We share new puzzly, problem-solving games.
https://thinkygames.com/
We share new puzzly, problem-solving games.
https://thinkygames.com/
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Thinky Games
@thinkygames.com
· 17d
Announcing the line-up for ThinkyCon 2025! 🎉 Tune in for 3 days of amazing talks from the makers of your favorite puzzly games!
thinkygames.com/even...
thinkygames.com/even...
Joe has an existential orb crisis!
November 15, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Joe has an existential orb crisis!
Halloween might be over, but that doesn't mean we're done playing the excellent pathfinding game Spooky Express!
Spooky Express review: An excellent Halloween-themed pathfinding game from experienced puzzle mongers · Thinky Games
The superb Halloween theme of Spooky Express acts as conductor for its train puzzles, bringing the whole game together into a seasonally-appropriate, varied, and delightful outing.
thinkygames.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Halloween might be over, but that doesn't mean we're done playing the excellent pathfinding game Spooky Express!
Reposted by Thinky Games
this was a pretty good talk. focused on a novel design framework to evaluate and iterate games
@adamatomic.bsky.social has created a *lot* of small games, and we were delighted for him to join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to share how he approaches it.
My approach to making small games - Adam Saltsman (ThinkyCon 2025)
Adam Saltsman joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "CorgiSpace, or, short legs on purpose, or, my approach to making small games"
Talk description: I've made and released 14 games in the last 12 months, all in my very limited free time, and had a super fun time doing it, even though I al
www.youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:37 PM
this was a pretty good talk. focused on a novel design framework to evaluate and iterate games
Animal Fest is running on Steam for another 3 days, so here’s a roundup of some of our favorite puzzly critter-filled games!
store.steampowered.c...
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Animals
Steam Animal Fest 2025
store.steampowered.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Animal Fest is running on Steam for another 3 days, so here’s a roundup of some of our favorite puzzly critter-filled games!
store.steampowered.c...
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store.steampowered.c...
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Reposted by Thinky Games
🧠 The FormIO Program – An immersive first-person sci-fi puzzle thriller built with Unreal Engine 5.
🌌 Wishlist now on Steam → store.steampowered.com/app/3881910/...
💬 Join the Program → discord.gg/TYxpuu4jgv
#TheFormIOProgram #IndieGame #UE5 #SciFi #PuzzleGame #Mystery
🌌 Wishlist now on Steam → store.steampowered.com/app/3881910/...
💬 Join the Program → discord.gg/TYxpuu4jgv
#TheFormIOProgram #IndieGame #UE5 #SciFi #PuzzleGame #Mystery
November 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM
🧠 The FormIO Program – An immersive first-person sci-fi puzzle thriller built with Unreal Engine 5.
🌌 Wishlist now on Steam → store.steampowered.com/app/3881910/...
💬 Join the Program → discord.gg/TYxpuu4jgv
#TheFormIOProgram #IndieGame #UE5 #SciFi #PuzzleGame #Mystery
🌌 Wishlist now on Steam → store.steampowered.com/app/3881910/...
💬 Join the Program → discord.gg/TYxpuu4jgv
#TheFormIOProgram #IndieGame #UE5 #SciFi #PuzzleGame #Mystery
MotionRec is a playful, snappy puzzle game with a movement recording mechanic that has a lot of potential!
A brilliant new take on "record your movement" puzzles (MotionRec)
This is one of those games where I'd heard enough people raving about it that I knew it must be pretty good - and it is! It's so clearly inspired by the games of NamaTakahashi, with much of the playfulness and snappiness of games like Ooo and ElecHead, but with a fresh new mechanic that seems to hav
www.youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
MotionRec is a playful, snappy puzzle game with a movement recording mechanic that has a lot of potential!
The Darkest Files is a compelling detective game about prosecutor Fritz Bauer’s attempts to bring war criminals to justice.
The Darkest Files is a powerful and compelling detective game that asks you to question truth and justice · Thinky Games
Set in postwar Germany, The Darkest Files is a historical detective game about prosecutor Fritz Bauer’s attempts to bring war criminals to justice. It explores the objectivity of truth through its mechanics.
thinkygames.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
The Darkest Files is a compelling detective game about prosecutor Fritz Bauer’s attempts to bring war criminals to justice.
Reposted by Thinky Games
The temperature is getting colder here in London, so this is an excellent time to remind you that every hour, the monster goes out to the weather station in London to check the temperature and sets the price for A Good Snowman is Hard to Build to match the weather.
draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman
draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman
A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build by Draknek & Friends, Benjamin Davis
Pay what the temperature is: 16.3°C = $16.30!
draknek.itch.io
November 14, 2025 at 3:02 PM
The temperature is getting colder here in London, so this is an excellent time to remind you that every hour, the monster goes out to the weather station in London to check the temperature and sets the price for A Good Snowman is Hard to Build to match the weather.
draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman
draknek.itch.io/a-good-snowman
Reposted by Thinky Games
TRACE: Definitive Edition is officially AVAILABLE on Steam!
store.steampowered.com/app/3448760/...
We're running a 10% discount for launch week! We hope you enjoy!! :D #steam #escaperoom
store.steampowered.com/app/3448760/...
We're running a 10% discount for launch week! We hope you enjoy!! :D #steam #escaperoom
Save 10% on TRACE Definitive Edition on Steam
A point-and-click escape game set on a strange, desolate planet. Collect items and solve puzzles to unravel the mystery of this cryptic world.
store.steampowered.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:02 PM
TRACE: Definitive Edition is officially AVAILABLE on Steam!
store.steampowered.com/app/3448760/...
We're running a 10% discount for launch week! We hope you enjoy!! :D #steam #escaperoom
store.steampowered.com/app/3448760/...
We're running a 10% discount for launch week! We hope you enjoy!! :D #steam #escaperoom
All of the talks from ThinkyCon 2025 are now on YouTube! If you missed them or if you want inspiration for the jam happening right now, you can find them here!
ThinkyCon 2025 · Thinky Games
On 5th to 7th November 2025, Thinky Games held the second ThinkyCon event, an online conference for creators of thinky games.
thinkygames.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
All of the talks from ThinkyCon 2025 are now on YouTube! If you missed them or if you want inspiration for the jam happening right now, you can find them here!
Reposted by Thinky Games
Instead of our usual podcast this week, check out our #ThinkyCon talk about how your players can’t Read, Count, or Listen - and what to do about it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEvW...
#gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign @videogameworkshop.com @thinkygames.com @charlie.videogameworkshop.com
#gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign @videogameworkshop.com @thinkygames.com @charlie.videogameworkshop.com
Adults Can’t Count Either - Dennis Ramirez & Charlie Mackin (ThinkyCon 2025)
YouTube video by Thinky Games
www.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Instead of our usual podcast this week, check out our #ThinkyCon talk about how your players can’t Read, Count, or Listen - and what to do about it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEvW...
#gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign @videogameworkshop.com @thinkygames.com @charlie.videogameworkshop.com
#gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign @videogameworkshop.com @thinkygames.com @charlie.videogameworkshop.com
Reposted by Thinky Games
Thanks so much for having us!
Even adult puzzle game players don't want to count, read, or listen! So, Dennis Ramirez & Charlie Mackin gave us some useful design tricks to help them out!
@dennis.videogameworkshop.com
@charlie.videogameworkshop.com
@dennis.videogameworkshop.com
@charlie.videogameworkshop.com
Adults Can’t Count Either - Dennis Ramirez & Charlie Mackin (ThinkyCon 2025)
Dennis Ramirez & Charlie Mackin from @VideogameWorkshop join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "Adults Can’t Count Either: Design Tricks We Used at PBS That Apply to All Games"
Talk description: We aren’t telling you to treat your players like children, but we ARE saying everyone has a har
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Thanks so much for having us!
Reposted by Thinky Games
This was one of my favourite talks of the con. Charlotte brought the happy vibes in this one.
Follow along on Google Slides in this workshop by Charlotte Pang about making adorable, quick 2D animations!
How to make cute, speedy 2D Animations in Google Slides! - Charlotte Pang (ThinkyCon 2025)
Charlotte Pang joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "How to make cute, speedy 2D Animations in Google Slides!"
Talk description: Open to beginners and accessible to all, come check out animating in Google Slides! In this workshop, we'll be covering the basics of animation, basic characte
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 5:04 PM
This was one of my favourite talks of the con. Charlotte brought the happy vibes in this one.
Anno 117: Pax Romana is now out! Expand the Roman Empire from the Latium heartland to the Celtic territories.
Anno 117: Pax Romana · Thinky Games
Expand the Roman Empire from the Latium heartland to the Celtic territories.
thinkygames.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Anno 117: Pax Romana is now out! Expand the Roman Empire from the Latium heartland to the Celtic territories.
How do you test a game like Blue Prince that goes so deep and refuses to be predictable? Tonda Ros talks about finding playtesters and watching over 2,000 hours of playtest footage!
@blueprincegame.bsky.social
@blueprincegame.bsky.social
Testing Blue Prince - Tonda Ros (ThinkyCon 2025)
Tonda Ros joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "Testing Blue Prince"
Talk description: How do you test a game that refuses to be predictable? This talk explores the unique hurdles of playtesting a title defined by extreme variance, and presents the unorthodox tools, and wildly impractica
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 4:22 PM
How do you test a game like Blue Prince that goes so deep and refuses to be predictable? Tonda Ros talks about finding playtesters and watching over 2,000 hours of playtest footage!
@blueprincegame.bsky.social
@blueprincegame.bsky.social
Borb gives us a look inside the fantasy console EMUUROM is being developed in! Steam's first ever TIC-80 demo is for this upcoming metroidbrainia!
@borbware.itch.io
@borbware.itch.io
EMUUROM: Using a fantasy console for serious gamedev - Perttu "Borb" Tuovinen (ThinkyCon 2025)
Perttu "Borb" Tuovinen - @borbware - joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "EMUUROM: Using a fantasy console for serious gamedev"
Talk description: As Celeste has proven, fantasy consoles like Pico-8 or TIC-80 are great for prototyping serious commercial video games. But what if you were
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Borb gives us a look inside the fantasy console EMUUROM is being developed in! Steam's first ever TIC-80 demo is for this upcoming metroidbrainia!
@borbware.itch.io
@borbware.itch.io
How do you keep your player from stumbling into a solution? Jackson Nagy shares insights from developing Starhopper and Bilattice!
Under the Hood of Stumbling in Puzzle Games - Jackson Nagy (ThinkyCon 2025)
Jackson Nagy joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "Under the Hood of Stumbling in Puzzle Games"
Talk description: In this talk I will break down how players use heuristics when solving puzzles, when that's a bad thing, and how to use it to your advantage as a designer. I'll go over how I
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 3:43 PM
How do you keep your player from stumbling into a solution? Jackson Nagy shares insights from developing Starhopper and Bilattice!
Follow along on Google Slides in this workshop by Charlotte Pang about making adorable, quick 2D animations!
How to make cute, speedy 2D Animations in Google Slides! - Charlotte Pang (ThinkyCon 2025)
Charlotte Pang joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "How to make cute, speedy 2D Animations in Google Slides!"
Talk description: Open to beginners and accessible to all, come check out animating in Google Slides! In this workshop, we'll be covering the basics of animation, basic characte
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Follow along on Google Slides in this workshop by Charlotte Pang about making adorable, quick 2D animations!
In just a few minutes, we'll be streaming A Case of Fraud, The Apothecary of Trubiz, Rhombus, and The Farmer Was Replaced!
Come take a look! twitch.tv/thinkygames
Come take a look! twitch.tv/thinkygames
November 13, 2025 at 2:56 PM
In just a few minutes, we'll be streaming A Case of Fraud, The Apothecary of Trubiz, Rhombus, and The Farmer Was Replaced!
Come take a look! twitch.tv/thinkygames
Come take a look! twitch.tv/thinkygames
Reposted by Thinky Games
This talk is superb - useful and fun to watch. It's not exactly how we make stuff, but there are tons of interesting parallels and diagonals.
@adamatomic.bsky.social has created a *lot* of small games, and we were delighted for him to join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to share how he approaches it.
My approach to making small games - Adam Saltsman (ThinkyCon 2025)
Adam Saltsman joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "CorgiSpace, or, short legs on purpose, or, my approach to making small games"
Talk description: I've made and released 14 games in the last 12 months, all in my very limited free time, and had a super fun time doing it, even though I al
www.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:05 AM
This talk is superb - useful and fun to watch. It's not exactly how we make stuff, but there are tons of interesting parallels and diagonals.
Reposted by Thinky Games
Thank you for having me, I had a lot of fun prepping this talk 😊
Next up, we were joined by returning speaker @lineygames.bsky.social for an insightful exploration of thinky games as emotional experiences.
Thinky games are emotional experiences - Caroline Clark (ThinkyCon 2025)
Caroline Clark joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "Thinky games are emotional experiences, and designing with those emotions in mind will help you build better games"
Talk description: Games are emotional experiences. This is very clear in genres like first person shooters or adventure
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Thank you for having me, I had a lot of fun prepping this talk 😊
Reposted by Thinky Games
Adam Saltsman just gave the best talk about the process of game design that I’ve ever seen. Bravo.
Incredible investigation of the journey an idea goes through, and smart breakdown of the intrinsic and extrinsic forces tugging on the project. A must watch.
Incredible investigation of the journey an idea goes through, and smart breakdown of the intrinsic and extrinsic forces tugging on the project. A must watch.
@adamatomic.bsky.social has created a *lot* of small games, and we were delighted for him to join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to share how he approaches it.
My approach to making small games - Adam Saltsman (ThinkyCon 2025)
Adam Saltsman joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "CorgiSpace, or, short legs on purpose, or, my approach to making small games"
Talk description: I've made and released 14 games in the last 12 months, all in my very limited free time, and had a super fun time doing it, even though I al
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Adam Saltsman just gave the best talk about the process of game design that I’ve ever seen. Bravo.
Incredible investigation of the journey an idea goes through, and smart breakdown of the intrinsic and extrinsic forces tugging on the project. A must watch.
Incredible investigation of the journey an idea goes through, and smart breakdown of the intrinsic and extrinsic forces tugging on the project. A must watch.
How can puzzle developers playtest their own games when they already know all the answers? Terry DuBois offers a solution to this problem: random number generation!
@terrythetriangle.bsky.social
@terrythetriangle.bsky.social
Be Your Own Playtester with Random Number Generation - Terry DuBois (ThinkyCon 2025)
Terry DuBois joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "Be Your Own Playtester with Random Number Generation"
Talk description: Game developers love to playtest their own games, but thinky games pose a challenge to this process. How can one playtest their own puzzle when they already know exa
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 8:06 PM
How can puzzle developers playtest their own games when they already know all the answers? Terry DuBois offers a solution to this problem: random number generation!
@terrythetriangle.bsky.social
@terrythetriangle.bsky.social
Even adult puzzle game players don't want to count, read, or listen! So, Dennis Ramirez & Charlie Mackin gave us some useful design tricks to help them out!
@dennis.videogameworkshop.com
@charlie.videogameworkshop.com
@dennis.videogameworkshop.com
@charlie.videogameworkshop.com
Adults Can’t Count Either - Dennis Ramirez & Charlie Mackin (ThinkyCon 2025)
Dennis Ramirez & Charlie Mackin from @VideogameWorkshop join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "Adults Can’t Count Either: Design Tricks We Used at PBS That Apply to All Games"
Talk description: We aren’t telling you to treat your players like children, but we ARE saying everyone has a har
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Even adult puzzle game players don't want to count, read, or listen! So, Dennis Ramirez & Charlie Mackin gave us some useful design tricks to help them out!
@dennis.videogameworkshop.com
@charlie.videogameworkshop.com
@dennis.videogameworkshop.com
@charlie.videogameworkshop.com
Are real languages too complex to design a game around? Daria Jerjomina talks about the challenges involved in designing The Land Forgotten!
Designing Puzzles Based on Real Languages - Daria Jerjomina (ThinkyCon 2025)
@dariamakesgames joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "Designing Puzzles Based on Real Languages"
Talk description: I've adopted the concepts of linguistic puzzles for my game The Land Forgotten. I would love to share the challenges that came with that and how we've overcome them.
Use
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Are real languages too complex to design a game around? Daria Jerjomina talks about the challenges involved in designing The Land Forgotten!