Couldn't let the year end without one of my favourite features. I wrote about a bunch of the standout Canadian games of 2025. 🇨🇦 🎮 In a particularly difficult year, it's been genuinely inspiring to see Canadians making so many wonderful and creative experiences. Here's to all of these talented devs!

So good! How lucky are we to have @ilyawoodland.bsky.social on our team!!!

Looking to play a game wrapped in a burrito blanket and with a warm drink for cold winter days? Winter Borrow might be for you. Definitely something to consider for the #Cozy and #IndieGames. Check my review below 👇 medium.com/@constantin.... @pinecreekgames.com @noodlecake.bsky.social

Say what you will about the Wii U (and people do!) but it can still be so much fun, even 13 years later! Would love Nintendo to explore more asymmetrical multiplayer stuff, especially since everyone has their own screens in handheld mode

Steam Winter Sale means Lil’ Guardsman is 60% off! Critically acclaimed, award-winning, widely agreed to be actually funny. Happy holidays from Hilltop! Next year’s packed with big swings, exciting news, and things we’re so stoked to share! Link to 🎵 below! 🎄

Great vid from @interactiveontario.com & @wearecontinue.bsky.social about Ontario's talented gaming scene, from big studios like Digital Extremes (Warframe) & Ubisoft Toronto (Star Wars Outlaws) to indie darlings like @playhilltop.bsky.social (Lil' Guardsman) & @softrains.bsky.social (Ambrosia Sky)!

The @wearecontinue.bsky.social team had the immense pleasure of producing a live music video for comedy rock superstars Ninja Sex Party at History in Toronto earlier this year: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GbG...

God, I miss the days of physical manuals!

Are we crazy for doing this for a little South African indie game festival? Showed our game at Playtopia last weekend. Might have gone a little overboard with our booth. #gamedev #indiedev #indiegames #gamedevelopment #shroomandgloom

A big thing @wearecontinue.bsky.social produced drops tomorrow at noon: youtu.be/9GbG5ANiBkY?...

Look closely at 0:23 and you’ll spot Lil’ Guardsman + Hilltop Studios doing our best “blink and you’ll miss it” cameo! Thanks @interactiveontario.com for including us with so many awesome Ontario developers. Proud to make games in this pixel-powered province. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyXJ...

Whatever horrors you may find in these dark spaces, have heart and see them through. There are no premature endings. There are no wrong decisions. There are only fresh perspectives and new beginnings. This is a love story. SLAY THE PRINCESS is 40% off on Steam, the cheapest it's even been.

1-hour warning - tonight we return to Lil Guardsman! We've met Lil and the colorful cast of characters in her town. It's time to continue the story and maybe find that missing princess... Join me at 6pm EST for our shift at the guards booth

If you’re a small #gamedev team and you want people to feel safe contributing beyond their own corner, you’ve gotta learn how to disagree well. Some of the coolest ideas come from moments when strong opinions bump up against each other, and we feel that crackle of friction…

Deserves to win in all 3 categories!

This. Seeing some of Canada's best indies have to go up against (and lose to) Dragon Age in many categories at the last Canadian Game Awards was crushing. Yes, Dragon Age was also made by Canadians, but it was made by hundreds if not thousands of people unlike say Balatro, Venba, or Lil' Guardsman.

Apologies for the quiet. I've been in full dev hermit mode, fuelled by caffeine and life choices my future self will judge. The new game is shaping up beautifully, and I’m desperate to spill details soon. It’s totally different from LG… and yet in lots of strange ways still hums in the same key.

Its been a while but we are finally back with Lil Guardsman! LIVE NOW! twitch.tv/basic_existe...

Happy There Is A Circulatory System Walking Through The Kitchen Day to all who celebrate.

Toronto-based @softrains.bsky.social’s Ambrosia Sky Act One is out today. Haven’t had time for a full review but I really dig what I’ve played. Wonderfully atmospheric with a lot of narrative intrigue & clever traversal. A solid foundation that I’m excited to see the team build upon in future acts!

IT'S AMBROSIA SKY DAY! The Soft Rains team have something VERY special here, mashing up ingredients from some of my all-time favourite games into something brilliant, unique and fresh. @softrains.bsky.social store.steampowered.com/app/3580160/...

Great Toronto game dev panel with @ubisoft.com Toronto’s Navid Khavari, @rocketadrift.bsky.social’s @linrocketadrift.bsky.social and @softrains.bsky.social’s @kaittremblay.bsky.social! Really love seeing this kind of spotlight on talented Canadian devs at a local public venue like Hot Docs.

Louder for the people in the back:

Spotted: @thehandeyesociety.bsky.social Super FESTival 2025 arcade cabinets in my neighborhood! WHOO!!!

This morning's roving Hilltop corporate headquarters is a VIBE, and feels very consonant with the game we're making! #remotework #Toronto #Nabulu

I’ve missed you and im feeling a little weary so why don’t we hang out with Lil and save our kingdom with Lil Guardsman made by @playhilltop.bsky.social ! Streaming in just a bit! ⭐️Twitch and YouTube! www.youtube.com/live/_16N8u_... #vtuber #adventuregame #lilguardsman

Wild weekend here in Toronto: the Blue Jays gave it their all, but didn’t clinch the World Series. Not quite the chaos or body count of a #LilGuardsman goblinball match, but it came close.

I'm going to go live and play Dispatch tomorrow! Excited to finally get going on this one. 9 am Central. twitch.tv/theindiegamecafe

Remember to be considerate tonight while trick-or-treating!

Happy Halloween, folks. May your candy hauls be massive!

Today's music: a series of eerie vibes. Let's move past the Halloween cliches - Night on Bald Mountain, Bach's d-minor Toccata & Fugue, Dans Macabre, etc. - and embrace a new paradigm! Let's start with Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta.

Happy Halloween! Lil’ Guardsman's night shift levels are fan-favourites. We got to play with horror tropes and twist them inside out. For your spooky-season playlist, give the Nightshift theme a listen. Vibey, ominous... and sneaks in a FF7 nod Then stick around for the rest of the soundtrack too!

Very cool puzzle people in this lineup 💯 Looking forward to ThinkyCon 2025 next week!

Indie games

VERY excited to play Outer Worlds 2 this week. Anyone dig in yet? Any hot takes/thoughts/impressions so far?

This is a Jeremy Lapalme appreciation post. Jer is one of Lil' Guardsman 's co-writers, and also voices some of the most iconic characters in the game! youtu.be/fFklWpVpSno

Looking to level up your October game plans? 👾 @igdatoronto.bsky.social is hosting a Meet & Mingle next week — great folks, good vibes, and industry chats. Don’t miss it! 📅 October 30 🎟️ www.eventbrite.ca/e/october-30...

art. book. out! (digital version!)

Anyone in my bsky network headed to MIGS next month in Montreal? Reach out if you want to connect (and maybe get a sneak peek at the new game we're cooking!)

For all the new folks landing in @bsky.app, both #indiedevs and players alike, I made some starter packs a while back that you might find useful 👍 🔸 Indie Game Studios - go.bsky.app/EbnyA2d 🔸 Solo Indie Devs - go.bsky.app/46HSs4C 🔸 Indie Game Publishers - go.bsky.app/DAoKtHj

We love @dames4games.org and this trailer is sick.

anniversary stream in less than a week... see you there 100 entries to go

It's #SteamNextFest time again, and here are all the Pirate PR demos we'd love for you to check out! Link to the Press Release below, as well as each individual game :) I rarely ask for anything here, but a share would be massively appreciated 🔁=❤️ youtu.be/RdD7h05gg6o?...

Steam Next Fest begins today! Don't know where to start? There's tons of great games to try at the Indie Fan Fest page: bit.ly/IFFSteam Want to get a better sense of what these games are? Rewatch our Indie Fan Fest showcase: www.youtube.com/live/fA5uao6...

if not a dating sim, why girl pretty????

I love #SteamNextFest, and I wanted to make a weird little thing for it, and here it is: A Primer on 'How to Next Fest' for those new to PC gaming 🤣 www.tiktok.com/@thestarbuck...

Here are the global release times for Yooka-Replaylee! 🕒 Only 24 hours to go! Set the timer now! We'll see you tomorrow, adventurers! 💚💜

📣Release date announced. 10.24.25 #gamedev #indiegame #deadfingerdice

It's killing me and the team to not be able to talk about what we're working on (yet), but I can say that October has impeccable vibes for what we're cooking up! 👻

Since we finished stray recently, time to introduce another game for stream aside from AC Odyssey and Minecraft. Super exited to start Lil Guardsman!