The Shank interview was the first one I’d scheduled at the IGF. So, of course the shuttle completely failed to get me there at the appointed hour. Fortunately, creative director Jeff Agala was kind enough to let me ambush him at the booth and indulge my questions about inspiration, art mechanics, and the combo system. Shortly thereafter, Klei CEO Jamie Cheng revealed secret Shank knowledge (within the limits of his NDA).

Not every company gets to return to the IGF, but Ratloop is back after last year’s Mightier. Actually it’s Ratloop Asia, and their new game Rocketbirds: Revolution bears nearly no resemblance to last year’s title. Fortunately, director/programmer/artist/renaissance man Tan Sian Yue was on hand to explain the ins and outs of the team’s latest project. He also covers the origins of the game and his company, why they used Flash for content delivery, and control loading.

I’m always a little nervous when comparing IGF and mainstream games during a developer interview. I have this (probably irrational) fear that they’ll take my attempts at clarity as an attack on their indie cred. However Owlboy developers Adrian Bauer and Simon Anderson aren’t shy about it and cite influences from Kid Icarus to Cave Story. Having set me at ease, they also shared their thoughts on platforming, pixel art, and even love. Read on to find out what they are.

On the face of things, Monaco is a game that shouldn’t work. Why sneak around with three friends when you’re so much less likely to get caught alone? However, it does work, and it’s a blast. That achievement alone probably merited the Seamus McNally Grand Prize. Read on for sole developer Andy Schatz’s insights on why it works, when it’s coming, and the state of indie games.

Miegakure is really the answer if anyone asks you what you learn from video games. The game takes a complex and abstract idea, navigating in a four-dimensional space, and collapses it into simple mechanics. Mind you, that’s not the same thing as a simple game. Developer Marc ten Bosch helps explain how all this works, the way he develops mind-breaking puzzles, and even what Miegakure actually means in today’s interview.

When you describe Limbo as a platformer, you’re missing the point. It’s an incredibly atmospheric game that’s stark in every respect. Stills don’t do the game credit, and movies don’t quite capture the compelling immersion. It’s just a game that’s hard to capture without actually playing it. Dino Patti, CEO and co-founder of developer Playdead, walked me through the style decisions, why the boy behaves so naturalistically, and even hints that Limbo is more cruel than we’ve yet seen. It’s all behind the link.

David Ream is the creative director for Hello Games, the development house for Joe Danger. David previously worked at Climax and Kuju, and his transition from established development houses to the indie scene gives him a distinct perspective. Read on for his take on development strategies, indie freedom, and Joe Danger‘s relationship to hoary old favorites.

Heroes of Newerth is a unique game at the IGF. In a group of twenty quirky and often unprecedented games, HoN is the refinement and extension of a user mod called Defense of the Ancients, which was itself a refinement and extension of Warcraft III. Of course, a pedigree that blurs the line between developer and user makes the game unique and fairly unprecedented. Developer Jeff Hunter was on hand to extol the virtues of a third generation pedigree. Read on to learn the merits of a pre-established community, the role of gamer jargon in games, and even eSportscasting.

Enviro-Bear 2000 is a little bit like last year’s You Have to Burn the Rope: both games are subversive, alternately piss off and enrapture internet connoisseurs, and neither game’s creator seems to take it too seriously. However, Justin Smith is the guardian of secret knowledge, and he shared just a bit with me about his game’s message, its origin, and most critically, its secret to getting noticed in the App Store.

In today’s interview, I chat with Brendan Mauro: lead (and sole) artist on IGF Finalist Cogs. The game brings sharp modern visuals to a classic puzzle concept, while taking the sliding tile puzzle from 2D to 3D. Check out the full interview for Brendan’s thoughts on his art’s purpose, updating a classic puzzle, and even localizing your game for cats in funny pictures.