Salmon Sex, Psychedelics, And ‘Shake-A-JPEG Technology’: The Story Behind One Of 2026’s Best And Most Baffling Games
Titanium Court, an indie game set for release in 2026, blends match-3 tower defense mechanics with narrative depth, drawing comparisons to titles like The Return of the Obra Dinn and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Developer AP Thomson cites handheld games like Golden Sun as major influences on both the game's aesthetic and design philosophy. The game's surreal tone combines elements of Shakespearean drama, psychedelic visuals, and experimental 'Shake-A-JPEG' technology, making it difficult to categorize but highly distinctive.
- ▪Titanium Court is described as a 'match-3 tower defense for people who like to read' by its developer AP Thomson.
- ▪The game’s visual style is inspired by handheld-era games and uses a limited color palette borrowed from the game Downwell.
- ▪AP Thomson found that describing the game purely by its mechanics led players to skip its narrative text, which is a core component of the experience.
- ▪Titanium Court was developed almost entirely by AP Thomson until late in its production cycle.
- ▪The game features surreal elements including references to salmon sex and psychedelic sequences, contributing to its baffling yet compelling reputation.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Salmon Sex, Psychedelics, And ‘Shake-A-JPEG Technology’: The Story Behind One Of 2026’s Best And Most Baffling Games Lord, what fools these mortals be! IndieTitanium Court By Rebekah Valentine Published May 1, 2026 | Comments (2) | 𝕏 Copied! © AP Thomson, Fellow Traveler AP Thomson, game designer and developer of Titanium Court, is a man after my own heart. Yes, exactly. I mean a Golden Sun lover. I ask him to introduce himself as a warmup question for our interview, and about two sentences in he catches sight of the pack-in instruction manual for Game Boy Advance classic Golden Sun on a floating shelf behind me and points it out. “Is that an instruction manual? Like right behind you? Is that the original or is that The Lost Age? [It’s the original.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Kotaku.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Kotaku
