Stephen Lavelle

Berlin-based puzzle designer behind Stephen's Sausage Roll and PuzzleScript

@increpare Berlin, Germany Indie Game Makers Open Source Makers

Stephen Lavelle at a glance

Known for: Stephen's Sausage Roll, PuzzleScript and English Country Tune
Based in: Berlin, Germany
Indie since: 2004
Active products: Stephen's Sausage Roll, PuzzleScript and English Country Tune

Facts checked 2026-10-22

About Stephen Lavelle

Stephen Lavelle is a Berlin-based independent game developer who works under the name increpare, Latin for "rebuke". He has released more than 500 games since 2004, mostly small freeware experiments, and the 2016 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition named him the most prolific independent game developer for releasing 178 games between 2008 and 2014.

In October 2013 he released PuzzleScript, a free, open source HTML5 engine for making grid-based puzzle games with a few lines of rules, which became a foundational tool for the puzzle game community. His commercial puzzle games include English Country Tune (2011) and Stephen's Sausage Roll (2016), a notoriously demanding Sokoban-style game about grilling giant sausages that is widely regarded as one of the most influential puzzle games of its decade.

He has continued releasing commercial and free games, including Hypnocult (2019) and Oeuf (2026).

Products by Stephen Lavelle

Stephen's Sausage Roll

stephenssausageroll.com

Demanding Sokoban-style puzzle game about rolling and grilling giant sausages.

PuzzleScript

puzzlescript.net

Free, open source HTML5 engine for making grid-based puzzle games.

English Country Tune

store.steampowered.com

Abstract 3D puzzle game about pushing and rolling objects.

Hypnocult

store.steampowered.com

Commercial game released on Steam.

Timeline

2004 — Began releasing small freeware games.
2011 — Released English Country Tune.
2013 — Released PuzzleScript as open source.
2016 — Released Stephen's Sausage Roll; named most prolific indie developer by Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition.
2019 — Released Hypnocult.
2026 — Released Oeuf.

How Stephen builds

Make many small games and experiment constantly.
Puzzles should come from a few rules explored deeply.
Give tools away so others can make games too.

Stephen Lavelle FAQ

Who is Stephen Lavelle?

Stephen Lavelle is a Berlin-based independent game developer who works under the name increpare, Latin for "rebuke".

Who made Stephen's Sausage Roll?

Stephen's Sausage Roll was made by Stephen Lavelle, known as increpare, and released in April 2016.

Who made PuzzleScript?

PuzzleScript was created by Stephen Lavelle and released as a free, open source HTML5 puzzle game engine in October 2013.

How many games has increpare made?

Stephen Lavelle has released more than 500 games since 2004, mostly small freeware titles, and was named the most prolific independent game developer by Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition in 2016.