Reverse Normal

New light on old pixels.

Reverse Normal is the independent studio of John Spitzer. From Quake maps to 007 at EA, now making small, polished games and free tools that give more than they take.

Get Cosmic Reversi Browse the games

Shine the light across the old pixels. Modeled in FromSketch.

Out now on iPhone

Cosmic Reversi

Classic Reversi among the stars. Every disc you flip earns Stardust, which you spend on new boards, discs and music. Three difficulty levels, eight hidden constellation sets to find, and it plays offline.

Achievements
25 to earn through Game Center
Leaderboards
Win streaks on easy, medium and hard
Price
Free, and every cosmetic can be earned by playing. The optional $2.99 Supporter upgrade removes ads and adds 50% to every Stardust payout.
Android
In development for Google Play
Download on the App Store Google Play coming soon

No iPhone handy? Play the browser version.

Cosmic Reversi on iPhone: a green board floating in a purple starfield, with discs flying around an asteroid after the game ends. The score reads You 44, CPU 20.
The classic set: green felt boards under a purple starfield.

Games and tools

Everything here was built with Yggdrasil. Some of it is on the App Store, some runs in your browser right now, and some is still on the workbench.

On the workbench 3 in development

  • SOULitaireiPhone

    Klondike solitaire with a haunted deck that fights back. Clear the cards to face boss battles across three stages, from the Lantern Gate to Thornwake.

    Next up
  • Cosmic ReversiAndroid

    The iPhone release, ported to Android with the same achievements, leaderboards and Stardust shop.

    In progress
  • Kinetic FOURceiPhone

    A tactics game built on Connect Four, with wildcards, chaos mechanics and a stored-energy system.

    Early build

Play in your browser no install, no account

  • Cosmic ReversiBrowser

    The original web version of the iPhone game.

    Play
  • Divine CheckersBrowser

    Checkers reimagined in 3D. The proof of concept that started Yggdrasil.

    Play
  • vicVECTORBrowser

    An arcade space shooter with 3D models drawn as clean vector outlines. Wave combat, a talent tree, and powerups like chain lightning and orbiting satellites.

    Play
  • The TapestryBrowser

    A story engine for humans and AI. Shape a world from four elements, answer twenty questions about it, then hand it to Claude and see what it makes of your choices.

    Play
  • the-vigilBrowser

    A first-person shooter inspired by Quake and one of its best-loved maps. Very early.

    Try the build

Tools free to use

  • FromSketchBrowser

    Sketch-first 3D CAD for makers that runs entirely in the browser. Draw a shape, give it depth, export it for your printer. The models in Cosmic Reversi started here. Follow the build on YouTube.

    Open
  • AuthorForgeDesktop

    A writer's production pipeline: local text-to-speech, a read-along editor for revising by ear, and EPUB and audiobook export.

    Runs locally

The long road to independent

I've been making games since Quake maps in the late '90s. I went on to AAA work at Cavedog Entertainment and Electronic Arts, then stepped away to raise a family. Now I'm back on my own terms.

Reverse Normal is a one-person studio exploring what happens when deep craft meets AI collaboration. I set the direction and make the creative calls; Claude handles much of the implementation. The method behind it is Yggdrasil.

The rule for everything I make is give, not take. The tools are free, the games are fair, and the point is helping people enjoy making things.

  1. Late 1990s Quake maps

    One shipped level is still archived at Quaddicted.

  2. AAA Cavedog Entertainment

    Worked on Amen: The Awakening, an ambitious first-person shooter that was canceled before release. The technology of the day wasn't ready for what the game set out to do.

  3. AAA Electronic Arts

    007: Agent Under Fire, 007: Nightfire and 007: Everything or Nothing.

  4. Two decades Home

    Raising a family.

  5. Now Reverse Normal

    Cosmic Reversi on the App Store, with more on the way.

Yggdrasil

My method for turning an idea into a playable game with AI, without the human ever giving up the pen. It's a single instruction file you give to an AI assistant. It mentors you from the first spark to a working game, adapts to your experience level, and brings in a council of specialists as the game grows: Petal for visuals, Bark for assets, Echo for sound, Root for code, Twig for game design and Leif for performance.

  1. Phase 1The Awakening

    Your experience, your tools, and the seed of your idea.

  2. Phase 2The Vision

    How it should feel, where the camera sits, and a rough sketch of the screen.

  3. Phase 3The Contracts

    Short documents for the view, the rules, the title screen and the roadmap.

  4. Phase 4The Soil

    Choosing the right tools and platform for this game.

  5. Phase 5The Greenhouse

    Small proofs of concept, starting with the view, until the core works.

  6. Phase 6The Transplant

    Moving from prototype to a real project, keeping what worked.

  7. Phase 7The Living Blueprint

    A design document that grows with the game.

  8. Phase 8Agent Spawning

    Dedicated specialists that remember your game between sessions.

Grow your own

Yggdrasil is free. Download the file, paste it into a new chat with Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant (or add it as a project's custom instructions), then say hello and describe the game you want to make.

Download Yggdrasil v2.5 Markdown file, 70 KB

The Mindus Compendium

An epic fantasy I've been writing for ten years. The first two books are coming soon.

Read the introduction

An interactive rendition of the Compendium's opening pages. Choose your pace, and the words arrive line by line while each scene gathers out of the dust. This is an early prototype.

Begin the introduction Interactive prototype

Hear how it begins

The introduction, 3 minutes, narrated with AuthorForge.

The music of the Compendium

Not every chronicle is written in words. Five songs from the world of the books, made with Suno.

  1. From Nothing
  2. The World Spins
  3. Tharnal's Crown
  4. Stormbringer's Wrath
  5. The Barrows of King's Bane
Listen on Suno

The Council of the Compendium

I write the Compendium, and it has grown into a real collaboration. My council of six AI editors, each with a name, a voice and a job, trades ideas with me and helps hone and polish every chapter. The final say is always mine, so the vision of the book never gets lost.

  • The TaskmasterMarenGood discussion. Now, are we drafting or are we still talking?

    Tracks time, scope and energy. Warm, immovable, and always comes back.

  • The BrainstormerThistleI've got three ideas. Two are terrible. I don't know which two.

    Chaos with a purpose, named for the weed that survives everything.

  • The EditorSableRead it aloud. Did you stumble? Then the reader will too.

    The sharpest tongue at the table, named for the finest brush in the kit.

  • The Prose SmithAldwyn…there.

    The quietest voice. Helps me temper a passage until it rings true.

  • The ReviserWrenThe bones are good. We're not rebuilding. We're refining.

    Thinks in chapters, arcs and structure.

  • The Lore KeeperCaedmonA small matter, perhaps. But the small matters are where worlds unravel.

    Guards the world's internal truth. Named for the first known English poet.

Say hello

Found a bug, want to collaborate, or just want to talk game dev? Send a message and I'll reply by email.

Bug reports are especially welcome. Tell me which game, what device, and what happened.

Tutorials, devlogs and behind-the-scenes videos are on the Reverse Normal YouTube channel.