Dog of Wisdom
My brother Joe Gran released a video game this week, his first as a solo developer. It takes about 15-20 minutes to play, and I recommend adding it to your day.
dog of wisdom: the title screen
Although we share a last name, people are often jumpscared to find out we’re siblings. It’s true that mine and Joe’s best-known 2010s stomping grounds didn’t directly overlap. But I’m always amused by people’s surprise, since the individual ways we approach art seem so inextricable to me.
This isn’t to say I can predict what my brother will do. He’s so agile in his fixations that I’m often winded keeping up. It’s just hard, as his idiot big sister, not to think every joke, hilarious drawing, mind-scarring vocalization, and moment of poignance is aimed directly at me. But that’s the power of his work: we’re all his idiot sibling, and he’s coming to make us lol.
And then I gives them da wisdom.
Our shared history is a basis for much of what he creates. Joe’s Dog of Wisdom videos, starring cherished family pets, are incredibly personal. But their appeal is incomprehensibly global, as evidenced by countless thousands who drum to the beat of his mind.
Pepper meets the Dog of Wisdom
Which brings us to the new game, featuring beautiful pixel artwork, the technical elegance of a handheld classic, and the manic humor you’ve come to expect from Joe. It’s a tiny delight, and I encourage you play it right away. It runs in your browser or on your phone (though you can also flash it to an original GameBoy if you’re a true game freak).
Heidi/DoW plushie
Joe is also taking pre-orders for a plushie of Dog of Wisdom/Heidi, a beautiful creature who also happens to be my dog. Heidi turns 17 next month, and we’re all very proud of her.
Dev Log: July 14, 2025
I’m van camping in the mountains, week 2 of 3.
My family does this every summer. But this year, I’m on deadline and I need to work.
Everything at camp is work. Keeping the space clean, splitting the wood, wringing out laundry, monitoring the food and batteries and supplies. My dog is also sick, and you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to collect a urine sample on the road. (Treatment is underway and she’s doing better.) This work needs to get done. My game “““needs”“” to get done by comparison, but this is a dev log, so here I am thinking about it at the crack of dawn.
The meager hours I claw away for dev work never satisfy. Even now, a snail on a rock near my foot is competing for my attention. I swear he’s going about things faster than me. The actual benefits of camping - the closeness of family and friends, the silence, the molecular and panoramic beauty - are always calling. They want and deserve me more than my precious life-affirming work does. How lucky I am to be pulled by such forces!
In practical terms, I have about 1 week per in-game “Day” to get the minor art assets sorted. The more major cutscenes are about half done, and will rely on this day-a-week schedule for their own time allotment. I need a lot of help - more than I’m getting - but I can’t spend time looking for it most days. When I’m burnt out on sprite animation, I shift to the remaining code problems. At this point I only have time to check things off lists. It’s going to be this way for the next 7 months.
I miss writing and tumbling the pebbles of new ideas. But there’s something freeing about this stage, too. I don’t look at things in the game, shudder with stress, and say “I’ll get to it later” anymore. Later is now. It’s a relief to admit that. Closing gaps, putting scenes to bed, is very satisfying. I haven’t been in this place since 2021 when I was stitching up PT. Soon enough, I’ll be back on this mountain and people will have been playing PT2 for months.
The sun has burned off the morning fog. I’ll finish this post after breakfast.
Post Narrascope Landscape
As of June, Perfect Tides: Station to Station has a release date. We’ll see you sooner than you think!
I’m back to work after Narrascope. Although I couldn’t attend the full 3 days, the showcase and talks I got to see were a lot of fun, and I’m eagerly awaiting the VODs of the ones I missed. I will post a link to my own talk when it goes up.
Now that I understand how unique the show is, I’m very honored to have been a part of Narrascope. It would’ve been enough to attend, but Perfect Tides: Station to Station also took home the “Best in Show” showcase award.
Louise was very proud.
My heart swells to know that PT:STS excites both the academic set and the broader gaming audience of PAX. These small windows into the game’s future are very encouraging, but once again I need to narrow my vision for the work ahead.
On that front, June has been very productive. I’ve gotten through quite a few complex animated scenes, and have started delegating assets to the team at a more steady rate. We will probably be working like this for the rest of the year, but it’s getting done, and it’s looking good.
A few side projects are on track as well: Switch development, and the first (of many, hopefully!) localization of Perfect Tides. Hoping to have more to say about this before the summer is out. Stay cool!