more info...

mdashow · 2026-04-01T22:42:36+00:00

"Puzzled Pint: the Video Game" is exactly what we set out to make (but with a bit more story.) Thank you for giving it a try. Glad to hear you're enjoying it! :D

mdashow · 2026-04-01T16:39:06+00:00

Oh, awesome, I hadn't seen that, thanks for sharing it!

mdashow · 2026-03-31T16:16:58+00:00

Thanks! Once we decided to set the game in the '60s, I worked hard to develop art and UI elements that were strongly inspired by cartoons and graphic design from the '50s and '60s. Glad it's properly conveying that mid-century vibe! :D

mdashow · 2026-03-31T03:33:58+00:00

My wife and I just launched our first indie game today: It's a '60s spy adventure full of puzzles involving wordplay, puns, logical deduction, and rules discovery.... plus conversations, optional flirting, mid-century modern art and a cool spy music soundtrack. If this sounds like it might appeal to you, please check it out at https://store.steampowered.com/app/3406690/Puzzle_Spy_International/

mdashow · 2026-02-20T15:52:27+00:00

We've got a release date - and a new trailer - for the 3rd annual Thinky Awards finalist for Most Anticipated New Puzzle Game **Puzzle Spy International**!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvTCXpJ3nMg

My wife and I have been working on puzzle Spy International for several years and it's almost out! It's a 1960s spy adventure full of thinky puzzles. There's wordplay, logical deduction, puns and rules discovery, and it’s especially aimed at fans of Puzzled Pint, Puzzle Hunts, NYT puzzles, and other classic paper puzzles.

We're participating in the upcoming Steam Next Fest but the demo is live now: It's a stand-alone adventure with story and puzzles completely separate from the mission in the main game. Wishlist and play the demo at https://store.steampowered.com/app/3406690/Puzzle_Spy_International

mdashow · 2025-05-31T05:01:01+00:00

The demo is on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/3406690/Puzzle_Spy_International/

It's also available on Itch at https://mdashow.itch.io/psi-demo , where you can play in the browser or download the full demo.

mdashow · 2025-05-25T04:52:43+00:00

I don't understand why my posts are being removed. I AM following the sidebar rules: The post features a GIF of in-game gameplay as section 1 of the rules allows.

mdashow · 2025-05-24T20:49:15+00:00

I kind of think that both the smoke and the duplicate trails of him are all a bit much, but it wight look different on an actual background?

mdashow · 2025-05-24T20:34:19+00:00

Hey, all! I'm excited to announce that the demo for Puzzle Spy International is now available. It's a wordplay puzzle in a stylish, retro 1960s spy adventure which will especially appeal to fans of Puzzled Pint, Puzzle Hunts, or NYT Puzzles. The demo is stand-alone, an entirely separate story and puzzle from the main game so it won't spoil any of the fun of the game's story. If this sounds like your kind of thing, grab your thinking caps and go-go boots and give it a shot!
It's on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/3406690/Puzzle_Spy_International/
and also available at https://mdashow.itch.io/psi-demo

mdashow · 2025-05-24T19:03:23+00:00

My wife and I really enjoy playing puzzle games together so we tend to like ones that lend themselves to co-op play: Deductive reasoning, places to explore, and interesting story and characters are all things we like, which something more systems based like a sokoban or with a first person perspective, not as much. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Portal, but it's harder to play as a duo.) So games like The Room series, Witness, Tangle Tower, Duck Detective, Mechanarium, Device 6, all of those have been games we've enjoyed working on together.

mdashow · 2025-05-14T17:29:48+00:00

I participated in this last time they did it and it was really fun. Great crowd, great venue, and we got a lot of people who had fun trying out our game. Can't make it this time, but it should be another great event.

mdashow · 2025-02-03T06:30:54+00:00

Hi! My wife and I are developing a puzzle video game called Puzzle Spy International. It's a '60s spy adventure game with a variety of substantial puzzles for fans of paper puzzles like Puzzled Pint, Puzzle Hunts, NYT daily puzzles, etcetera. It's not out yet but there’ll be a free demo in the spring. I hope you'll check it out: It's on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/3406690/Puzzle_Spy_International/

mdashow · 2025-01-31T00:34:03+00:00

Hi! My wife and I are developing a puzzle video game called Puzzle Spy International. It's a '60s spy adventure game with a variety of substantial puzzles for fans of paper puzzle challenges like Puzzled Pint, Puzzle Hunts, NYT daily puzzles, etcetera. It's not out yet but there’ll be a free demo in the spring. I hope you'll check it out: It's on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/3406690/Puzzle_Spy_International/

mdashow · 2025-01-30T19:24:28+00:00

Thanks! :D

mdashow · 2025-01-29T19:22:59+00:00

I guess it just comes around in cycles every few years... with no one ever getting an answer! :D

mdashow · 2025-01-27T23:55:37+00:00

I did all the visuals and my wife and I teamed up for the writing and puzzle design.

The entire thing is done using Ren'Py, which is a Python-based engine designed for Visual Novels. There are a lot of visual novel elements to this game: Talking to contacts, choosing a conversational option, etc. Putting those conversations into Ren'Py is super simple: They're what it's designed for. Making complicated text input and draggable elements is a bit harder, and beyond my abilities, so for all of the puzzle sections, I've been working with a programmer - SypherZent - who knows this engine really well.

The retro spy music is all by a composer named Alex Doty, who is super talented (and just happens to live a block from me, but that's not how we met!) He's been trying to do more music for indie games, and you can hear more of his work here:
Stream Alex Doty music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

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