Phil Bothun

Hi! I’m Phil, I co-run 70% Complete, a video games website, co-host the 70% Complete Podcast, and make Youtube essays. If you like deep dives into the books of Avowed, the silly lore of OSRS, and blogs about narrative gambling in Blue Prince, check us out! Find links at: www.70percentcomplete.com

And, if you enjoy this video or want more writing and video work exploring how design can be used as a tool of power (or resistance) check out the entire ongoing collection! Fonts, architecture, gameplay systems, and more await you! www.70percentcomplete.com/the-design-o...

My latest video is out! Its about Wolfenstein, typefaces, and resistance. Go check it out! youtu.be/XGUxLGgz-f8

Go play 70% Complete’s 2025 Game of the Year, Duskpunk, RIGHT NOW. It’s an incredible tale of solidarity, the messiness of protest and coalition building, and making your home better. It was the story I needed this time last year and we all need it today.

See you on Friday 😉

Wait…MapQuest is Good?

An explanation on why Big Walk isn't available on Xbox. bigwalk.game/xbox

70% Complete has proudly signed the @nogamesforgenocide.com pledge. You can sign up as an individual or add your organization to to the growing list today. We stand in solidarity. ✊ nogamesforgenocide.com

And there’s more videos about concrete, architecture, and video games coming out soon!!!

I cannot believe the fun I’ve been having in Songs of Glimmerwick these past few days. I can’t wait to get back to it, and I bet you’ll be feeling the same too. www.70percentcomplete.com/songs-of-gli...

Even the small snippets of text point to such a cohesive, rich world I want to know more about. Jusant is such a master class of world design in both art and text. “When there’s no water, everything seems so fragile.” The whole world written down at the bottom of a missable letter about seagulls.

In the grimdark future of 401k there is only “In this economy??”

Control Resonant reviews day? No thanks. Carly Rae release day? Yes please

Huge thanks to @giannidicrosta.bsky.social and @mrthehuman.bsky.social for stopping by to play The Final Cut of Lilith Cunningham at PAX West! The praise is both heartwarming and validating. Their discussion reflects exactly what we're going for with the demo! youtu.be/pGY0Rb_Ce8s?...

It’s newsletter day once again,! This time I’m diving into the visual inspirations for the “ink and grain” aesthetic of Signet City. 📷 Read here: jumpovertheage.substack.com/p/signet-cit...

If you were looking for a good take on dice in games today, here you go:

New post on the site all about dice and how I can’t help but see the world in tabletop terms. Check it out! Odds are pretty good you’ll gain 1 Perspective, Discourse, Stress, or Quiet 👀 www.70percentcomplete.com/the-greatest...

Also, totally unrelated. I super want a crew blazer all of a sudden

I’ve spent most of my adult life wearing an Apple Watch and, after a week in Hawaii without a charger, and forgetting to wear it the past few days, it’s very weird unwinding the gamification of movement…and trying to figure out if it’s a positive force or not.

I see the September release calendar, then look back down at my Steam Deck downloading Deathloop

Don’t judge a book by its cover folks, spoilers, there wasn’t a single gunshot in this one. Classic Aggie misdirect

If a massive video isn’t enough for you, we’re also launching The Design of Power, a collection of essays, videos, and podcast episodes that use games to explore the fraught relationship between power and design. The first essay is available now! www.70percentcomplete.com/the-design-of-power/

Year 3 of 70% Complete kicks off with a video I’ve been working on for months. It’s about Wolfenstein, yes, but it’s about so much more than that: architecture, history, and, yes, concrete. This isn’t your typical video game essay. youtu.be/iNe3Y1EgkWI?...

Working on a Wolfenstein: The New Order video. It’s both about what think it is…and also really not.

ONE BILLION DAILY USERS *Microsoft remains a target of the BDS Movement. If you don’t know what that is, you can learn more here: bdsmovement.net/microsoft

Reading emails (unlike real life) is actually Good and Helpful

I love that the first quote is from Looking Backward, a utopian novel so few have heard of. This is a really cool site!!

Review of sorts for Dimhaven is up on the site! More than anything though, this game solves a HUGE puzzle game struggle I’ve had (since Myst!) that I want more folks to experience: the camera. www.70percentcomplete.com/dimhaven-the...

For the morning crowd! Big new piece on the website about the difficulty assists in MIO: Memories in Orbit! It’s not about *less* difficulty, it’s about *different* difficulty. www.70percentcomplete.com/mio-memories...

The Prisoner, huh? For a show I only know through white-piped blazers and an Iron Maiden song, this kicks ass?

I’m back playing MIO: Memories in Orbit, which means it’s time to enter the difficulty discourse. Assists are good, but MIO makes them meaningful. www.70percentcomplete.com/mio-memories...

What a fun time having with Jesse and making some dream games! Give it a watch or a listen and TRY not say SHOWTIME throughout your day

For $42 for one ENTIRE year of some of the best tabletop reporting and writing around, you too could be doing your part to support independent journalism! Go sub to Rascal!

HELL YEAH DUDE ROAD TO ONE BILLION STARTING OFF STRONG Remember kids, Xbox is still a target if BDS Movement. The best time to boycott Xbox was when the boycott started, the second best time is today.

In response to the unprecedented number of game developers laid off this year, we have created a bundle on itch to benefit a Game Industry Hardship Fund, managed by @videogameworkers.bsky.social. More than 100 games for 10+ bucks! Please share widely and donate generously! itch.io/b/3802/game-...

Shout out to @bonjourborzoi.bsky.social for making a deeply affecting video game I think of almost everyday. I’m happy to share it with all my friends and parent friends whenever I get a chance youtu.be/p4E1jwNFQbE

I remember getting my first fake id in college for the infinite pasta glorp bowl. 19 straws slurping up highlighter orange noods from a dog bowl man those were the days

Man. Norco, huh? www.70percentcomplete.com/the-fourth-f...

This mystery auction is an absolute nail biter!! You’re not going to want to miss this one!

There was some big talk at #SummerGameFest about gamers wanting new experiences, loving independent developers, and SGF helping promote discovery. How well did the big names do?? My latest essay breaks it down by numbers, and the results might surprise you ⬇️⬇️⬇️ youtu.be/5SDdi2vHZuM

Jesus. How can you possibly pull out of this tailspin

I’ve heard similar thing in the software engineering space. The problem is that those same engineers that deny jobs to “AI natives,” don’t quite see the contradiction. “Of course, we use it everyday…but if you mention using it extensively in an interview, big red flag.”

the Nintendo Switch 2 price sucks

With the Xbox news, it’s becoming much more obvious every day why so many indie devs are pivoting to mobile ports too. Golden Lap, possibly Caves of Qud, and Disco Elysium. When hardware is astronomically expensive, mobile development isn’t a nice to have, it becomes paramount to survival

Did you know you can just get the sickest books ever made from the library???

Mobile seems PERFECT for Golden Lap!

Nothing is more telling about the state of AI quite like driving into SF and every billboard is for AI tech companies I’ve never heard of…instead of for like car dealerships or scammy car accident lawyers Your ad spend is telling on you