by Harold Goldberg

On Martin Luther King Day at a small, noisy Mexican restaurant, I met with the affable Forrest Dowling. He’s the co-founder of The Molasses Flood, the studio that will release the rogue-like river raft trip that is The Flame in the Flood later this month.

Forrest talked about his work with Irrational Games, the makers of the much-lauded BioShock series. With enthusiasm and candor, he told me about the motley group of former Irrational employees who came together to work on a dream game that would become The Flame in the Flood and then mounted a successful Kickstarter campaign.

We talked about the crazy vagaries of gamemaking and the painting-like creations of BioShock art director Scott Sinclair which appear throughout the game. At some point after a beer or two, we began to talk about what we could do regarding The Flame in the Flood at the New York Game Awards.

We have good news. Forrest is putting together a trailer which he himself will premiere at the New York Game Awards. I’ve seen a version that’s not the final edit, and has a bit of everything: superb artwork and music, a few reveals, and some taut humor as well.

We can’t wait for you to see it at the New York Game Awards on February 9th.

So, Forrest and The Flame in the Flood, welcome to the New York Game Awards!