Vessel is still early in development, so it’s just starting to really take shape. Fortunately John Krajewski was willing to walk me through features implemented and conceived, their realistic fluid modeling system, and even a bit about the transition from corporate to indie development. Read on for the full 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.

We last caught designer Tyler Glaiel at PAX, where he showed a four month build of Closure along with artist Jon Schubbe. It’s a puzzle platformer of light and dark, where the parts of the world wink in and out of existence along with the light that illuminates them.

Tyler and Jon are the same compact speakers as they were at PAX, which allowed us to hit on diverse topics like the updated build, their new music designer, and their inspiration for polishing the game.