Sam Barlow, the visionary behind interactive fiction titles like Her Story, Telling Lies, and Immortality, has offered a glimpse into his personal Steam library, revealing a diverse taste in games that ranges from deeply challenging roguelikes to atmospheric adventure classics. Barlow, known for his innovative use of Full Motion Video (FMV) and intricate narrative design, also expressed a fondness for minimalist aesthetics and elegant game mechanics.
Currently, Barlow is dedicating time to Michael Brough's 868-BACK. He describes Brough's work as a "molecular gastronomy of Rogue," deconstructing the roguelike genre into its fundamental components and refining them into something universally engaging. "This one has a lot to it though, it's humongous, so I need to step up and prove myself worthy of the full twenty course meal," Barlow stated. He finds the series' inherent tension and the constant threat of failure stressful, yet compelling, noting, "Every single move you make could be a disaster." The game's scoring system, which can frequently dip into negative territory, further emphasizes this challenge, pushing Barlow to improve his skills.
Reflecting on recent plays, Barlow revisited Warp Interactive's D: The Game. Inspired by an interview with its creator Kenji Eno, Barlow found the point-and-click adventure to be "creaky as hell" but possessing undeniable "juice." He praised its cinematography and atmosphere, despite the slow, pre-rendered animations for character movement. The game's unique design features a strict two-hour time limit and no save functionality, intended to be experienced like a film. Barlow plans to replay it without distractions after a previous attempt was cut short due to multitasking.
Barlow's oldest installed digital game is Interplay's 1989 CRPG Dragon Wars. He considers it his foundational role-playing experience, similar to Bard's Tale IV but with a more distinct setting and direction from Rebecca Heineman. He appreciates its use of un-signposted skill checks, which allow for emergent gameplay and creative problem-solving, a design element he finds difficult to replicate in modern 3D environments. "These secret actions that are never signposted, meaning you have to conceive the idea and then go deep into the skill menus, so there's a real delight of having your idea pay off," he explained. For those willing to consider ROMs, Barlow also holds a special place for TAITO's 1988 maze game, The New Zealand Story, calling it "the finest maze game ever made."
With over 500 hours logged, Barlow considers Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island to be perhaps "the greatest videogame, and certainly in my opinion, the greatest roguelike ever made." He has been a fan of the series since its Nintendo DS remake. He highlights its deep systems, sense of possibility, and the rich, Japanese mythological setting. He remains dedicated to conquering the game's final, most difficult dungeon, finding continuous delight in its mechanics and emergent strategies.
When asked about a game he would "never, ever uninstall," Barlow chose Riven. He holds the original Cyan Worlds classic in higher regard than its recent remake, lauding its incredible atmosphere, visuals, and sound design. Barlow feels its 640x480 resolution contributes to a sense of tangible reality, making it difficult to discern the seams of its CGI. He frequently revisits the game, mapping its puzzle flow and appreciating its open-ended design.
Beyond gaming, Barlow is a staunch advocate for Fade In, a screenwriting software he considers indispensable. He contrasts it with more expensive and often buggy industry-standard programs, praising Fade In for its speed, stability, features, and responsiveness to user feedback. The software integrates seamlessly with his studio's workflow at Half Mermaid, facilitating the transition between spreadsheets and scriptwriting.
Barlow admitted his desktop screen is "absolute chaos," a habit born from saving all files there. He occasionally "jumpscares" himself by accidentally revealing the overwhelming stack of icons.