Wide Flank

Sean and Alon are joined by Adam Saltsman, co-founder of Finji, designer of Canabalt, and creator of Flixel.On today's episode, we're discussing Dust Bunny – Adam's 12.5th PICO-8 release since last October!Hopping off from Dust Bunny, we explore the immediacy of the PICO-8 development environment, designing by playing, and the intimate relationship between designers and players.Find Adam at:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adamatomic.bsky.socialitch.io: https://adamatomic.itch.io/Finji: https://finji.co/—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 - Intro00:01:06 - Describe PICO-8 and designing with PICO-800:10:15 - Adam's design process (for Dust Bunny specifically)00:18:40 - A curve of discovery and the designer player relationship00:34:00 - 12.5th PICO game (a quarter of the way to a full UFO50)00:40:04 - 90% bad ideas00:46:45 - What do you do to rest?00:50:05 - Outro and Adam's links—SHOW NOTESDust Bunny: https://adamatomic.itch.io/dust-bunnyPICO-8: https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.phpCave of Cards: https://adamatomic.itch.io/caveofcardsCeleste: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=11722Dark Souls: https://store.steampowered.com/app/570940/DARK_SOULS_REMASTERED/Desktop Dungeons: https://store.steampowered.com/app/226620/Desktop_Dungeons/Doom: https://archive.org/details/doom-playElden Ring: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245620/ELDEN_RING/Mirror's Edge: https://store.steampowered.com/app/17410/Mirrors_Edge/Mole Mole: https://adamatomic.itch.io/mole-molePrince of Persia: https://archive.org/details/msdos_Prince_of_Persia_1990PuzzleScript: https://itch.io/games/made-with-puzzlescriptQuake: https://freebie.games/games/quake/play/Rat Dreams: https://adamatomic.itch.io/rat-dreamsSokoban: https://www.sokobanonline.com/Super Mario Maker: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/super-mario-maker-2-switch/Tetris: https://play.tetris.com/UFO 50: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/UFO_50/Wipeout: https://retroonline.net/DOS/WipeoutZachtronics: https://www.zachtronics.com/—WIDE FLANK LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Number go up.Deckbuilding and Bagbuilding.Menu games and Parkour games.—TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 - Intro and number go up (Balatro)00:04:55 - Describe Nubby's Number Factory and Pachinko00:11:15 - How does number go up differ from any good roguelike run?00:15:03 - What do you love about deckbuilding games (bagbuilding, push your luck)?00:18:56 - One thing that's holding up Sean00:20:53 - Describe Luck be a Landlord and what's inferable00:32:29 - Aesthetics00:37:58 - Consistency and skill (and defining bagbuilders)00:45:13 - Art's subjective, right?00:46:52 - What drew Alon to Luck be a Landlord00:52:44 - Is Nubby's a menu game or a parkour game?00:58:28 - Real life anxieties and anti-capitalism01:00:34 - What Sean likes about these games (number games)01:07:27 - Outro—SHOW NOTESNubby's Number Factory + Luck be a Landlord Bundle https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/51462/Nubbys_Number_Factory__Luck_be_a_Landlord/[Now Playing] Slay the Spire & Balatro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwl9TyquyeMBalatro https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/Slay the Spire https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/Angry Birds https://www.angrybirds.com/Pachinko: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pachinko?variant=zh-cnThe Binding of Isaac https://store.steampowered.com/app/250900/The_Binding_of_Isaac_Rebirth/Star of Providence https://store.steampowered.com/app/603960/Star_of_Providence/Rube Goldberg Machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machineZaga-33 https://smestorp.itch.io/zaga-33Party House (UFO 50) https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/UFO_50/Counter-Strike https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_2/Apex Legends https://store.steampowered.com/app/1172470/Apex_Legends/League of Legends https://www.leagueoflegends.com/Cookie Clicker https://cookieclicker.eu/cookieclicker/Number Munchers https://archive.org/details/msdos_Number_Munchers_1990Gizmos and Gadgets https://archive.org/details/msdos_Super_Solvers_Gizmos_and_Gadgets_1993Holedown https://holedown.com/Breakout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout_(video_game)The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_in_the_DunesVampire Survivors https://poncle.itch.io/vampire-survivors—LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

It's the crossover event of the century! Book-to-film adaptation freaks Shane and Bennett from the Reel Rap podcast join Sean and Alon for a triple header of mediums.Book... Movie... Game...M... Q... EA...Bond... James Bond...That's right, we're talking about Ian Fleming's 1957 novel, its 1963 film adaptation, and *its* 2005 game adaptation: *From Russia With Love*.—Timestamps:00:00:00 - Reel Rap Intro00:01:15 - Wide Flank Intro00:02:58 - Start with the book00:04:43 - What's Ian Fleming into?00:09:52 - The book to movie to game00:20:48 - Different Bonds for different mediums00:26:54 - Are we gonna talk about the videogame?00:41:31 - I wanna be Bond00:45:32 - The casting / Klebb and Kerim00:50:10 - Misogyny00:54:21 - Not knowing what's going on01:01:04 - The movie is kinda trash too01:11:24 - More misogyny01:14:25 - The prose01:20:05 - Ratings lol01:30:04 - Outro—Show Notes:Canyon Passage (ft. Hoagy Carmichael) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_PassageTinker Tailor Soldier Spy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_Tailor_Soldier_Spy—REEL RAP LINKSListen to Reel Rap: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reel-rap/id1792646198Follow Shane: https://x.com/crealoya—WIDE FLANK LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Wwwwelcome to New Cool, the show where Sean and Alon bring each other a games-and-play-adjacent topic that's new, cool, or both!On today's episode, Alon splashes around in the visual splendor of the original film adaptation of Super Mario Bros. while Sean contemplates mindfulness through Ball.DISCORD: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJPATREON: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankTHE REST: https://linktr.ee/wideflankTimestamps:00:00:00 - Intro / Admin00:03:14 - Alon's Topic (Super Mario Bros. [1993])00:31:22 - Sean's Topic (Ball [1980])Show notes:Super Mario Bros: The Morton Jankel Cut (VHS Extended Rough Cut 1.0) -https://archive.org/details/super-mario-bros-1993-the-morton-jankel-cut-extended-vhs_202207Game & Watch: Ball 3D Simulation by Itizso -https://itizso.itch.io/nintendo-ballVFX Artists React 99: Super Mario Bros, Bourne Ultimatum - https://youtu.be/QiF5oQtHnyA?si=KTlpUp8Qogeokz0W

Sean and Alon tear through another crop of five delightfully different video entertainment products for less than an hour apiece:Blaž Urban Gracar and Ferran Ruiz Sala's adaptation of acclaimed pen and paper puzzle book, LOK DigitalTaito's 1983 classic spy simulator Elevator ActionTonda Ros' roguelike print-em-up and game du jour, Blue PrinceHAL Laboratory's Kirby-branded mini golf game, Kirby's Dream CourseJay Ma and Matthew Davis' turn-based bug shover Into The Breach—Now's your big chance to decide which of the five games we played we'll be covering for the next Game Club! Come on down to the Discord and place your vote: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJWant to submit games for future mini Club episodes? Join the ranks of the High Council by subscribing to the Wide Flank Patreon and you'll gain access to an exclusive channel on the Discord: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankTHE REST: https://linktr.ee/wideflank—Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro / Admin00:04:01 - Sean's Plan for the Order of the Games00:09:11 - LOK Digital00:21:14 - Elevator Action00:34:32 - Blue Prince00:47:59 - Kirby's Dream Course00:59:56 - Into the Breach—Show notes:LOK Digital: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2207440/LOK_Digital/Elevator Action: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator_ActionBlue Prince: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1569580/Blue_Prince/Kirby's Dream Course - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby's_Dream_CourseInto the Breach: https://store.steampowered.com/app/590380/Into_the_Breach/Elevator Action showed me what games could be: https://ravi64.com/elevator-action-everyday-fun/XP Arcade: Elevator Action: https://retroxp.beehiiv.com/p/xp-arcade-elevator-action30 years of Kirby: HAL, experimentation, and Kirby: https://retroxp.substack.com/p/30-years-of-kirby-hal-experimentation

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, listening to Wide Flank..."Sean and Alon are joined by three-peat guest Hayden aka Hac to dive deep into the darkness that lives eternally within us all. This month's Game Club is 2002's Lovecraftian cult classic Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, developed by Silicon Knights and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube.—Do YOU want to submit games for Game Club consideration?Subscribe to the Wide Flank Patreon to join the ranks of The High Council on Discord, TODAY!PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankDISCORD: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJTHE REST: https://linktr.ee/wideflank—Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:56 - Admin stuff00:01:18 - What'd you think of the game overall?00:03:46 - Game overview00:05:34 - One character vs different characters00:08:07 - Repetitive areas and overdesigning00:11:40 - The different colors (ancients)00:16:26 - Going insane (diegetic insanity)00:24:19 - What makes repetition interesting in games?00:34:11 - The spell system00:47:12 - How much do you need to learn (onboarding?)00:52:12 - This is such a Video Game00:59:35 - The camera01:03:32 - The sound design and fear01:11:39 - The ending01:16:59 - Chapter 9 Boss (Black Guardian)01:23:30 - Sean Cheats01:33:33 - Mystery package at the door?01:35:01 - Another game to add insanity effects to01:39:06 - Hayden Silicon Knights story

For your pleasure, here's a sneak peek of Sean and Alon letting it all hang out on the latest episode of GLHF.Subscribe to Wide Flank on Patreon for the full episode! https://www.patreon.com/wideflankJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Sean and Alon talk to Nicholas O'Brien about his WarioWare-inspired baby game Bundle Of Joy.Where does being a designer end and being a Dad begin? The answer may surprise you!SHOW NOTESBundle Of Joy (and demo!) on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3138370/Bundle_of_Joy/Bundle Of Joy on itch: https://essaygames.itch.io/bundle-of-joyNicholas' studio, Essay Games: https://www.essay-games.com/Follow Essay Games on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/essaygames.bsky.socialBundle Of Joy's music composed by Ethan Desautels aka DonutShoes: https://soundcloud.com/donutshoesWorlds Collide - Final Fantasy VI Randomizer: https://ff6worldscollide.com/Flow on Max: https://play.max.com/movie/83df1c2b-db9d-49cd-bf83-9ddbaa7e5e30WIDE FLANK LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

It's another New Cool, the Wide Flank show where Alon and Sean bring each other a New and/or Cool gaming-adjacent topic to talk about!In this episode, Sean likes Klondike solitaire but LOVES Sawayama Solitaire, and Alon thinks Monster Hunter's rise to prominence is both good and cool.--Timestamps:00:00 - Intro / admin04:47 - Sean's topic: Klondike solitaire31:45 - Alon's topic: Monster Hunter55:43 - Outro--Show notes:Solitaire (Sawayama Rules) - https://www.watsonbrosgames.com/solitaire/--Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankJoin the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJAll Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Welcome to mini Club!!!Sean and Alon played five games for less than 60 minutes each. In this episode, they discuss all of those games for under 12 minutes each. And now, it's your turn to head to our Discord and vote on which game should get a full Game Club episode!Join the Wide Flank discord and rock the vote: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJTimestamps:00:00:00 - Intro / Admin00:01:10 - Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem00:13:23 - Mischief Makers00:25:41 - Killer700:37:56 - Hylics 200:50:05 - Star of Providence01:02:20 - Outro and what's a Game Club—Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankAll Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Sean and Alon are joined by Mark Robinson of Ireland-based Space Lion Studios to discuss their new vaporwave 3D puzzle game, Axyz, a spiritual successor to Kula World.The demo's live and free and you should check it out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2850490/Axyz/Check out Hyphinett: https://hyphin.netAnd follow Mark here: https://bsky.app/profile/lithiumproject.bsky.social---Support Wide Flank and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankJoin the Wide Flank discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJAll Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Fiveish minutes from the latest Patreon episode.Listen to the full episode at https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe five games that we'll be playing for the debut mini Club are:Killer7 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer7Star of Providence - https://bigmode.com/games/star-of-providenceMischief Makers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischief_MakersEternal Darkness - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_DarknessHylics 2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylics_2

It's another New Cool, the Wide Flank show where Alon and Sean bring each other a New and/or Cool gaming-adjacent topic to talk about!In this episode, Alon presents us with an old classic board game and why it's interesting and cool, and Sean attempts to figure out why and how to adapt a piece of work into another medium.Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankJoin the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJAll Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank--Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:15 - New show and new Patreon show announcements03:04 - Alon's topic: Backgammon (and the doubling cube)34:17 - Sean's topic: Adaptations (not the movie)--Show notes:How to Play Mancala - https://youtu.be/OX7rj93m6o8?si=tMTgdWj3XCw88LQbtaking the mountain by backgammon strategy by dan davies: https://substack.com/inbox/post/157139639Ben Brode talking about the doubling cube at GDC (when prototyping Marvel Snap): https://youtu.be/HjhsY2Zuo-c?si=IHbwJ7NYF1G2WQy5&t=434Bram Stoker's Dracula (video game) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker's_Dracula_(video_game)Master of Darkness - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Darkness

You gotta remember to play the game! It's fun to roleplay Indiana Jones and it's fun to screw around. That's all you need to know. Let's dive in.Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankJoin the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJAll Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflankTimestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:03:20 - Adapting the man himself00:07:00 - What is an Indiana Jones game?00:10:33 - The whip and f**king around00:15:57 - Is it an exploration game? Is it open world?00:20:44 - The stealth stuff00:26:49 - What's the core of the game?00:32:38 - The camera and the fidelity00:39:25 - Environmental puzzles00:43:39 - Immersive sims and Hitman00:49:29 - Celebrating the cutscenes a little00:52:55 - Why is this a game? Story + game01:00:50 - Slow game and easy mode and mass appeal01:09:15 - The sounds01:13:44 - It's getting better and better

Sean and Alon are joined by Prashast Thapan to discuss Pariah Interactive's new 3D platformer 1000 Deaths, where your choices matter!Get the free 1000 Deaths demo and wishlist the game:https://store.steampowered.com/app/1141260/1000_Deaths_Thousand_Deaths/---Support Wide Flank and help us pay for games and stuff at:https://www.patreon.com/wideflankJoin the Wide Flank discord!!!https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJAll Wide Flank links:https://linktr.ee/wideflank---Show notes:Croc: Legend of the Gobbos -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croc:_Legend_of_the_GobbosCrash Bandicoot -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_BandicootSpyro -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpyroSuper Mario Odyssey -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_OdysseySuper Mario Galaxy -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_GalaxyA Hat in Time -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Hat_in_TimeCeleste -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeste_(video_game)Neon White -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_WhiteCommon Opera -https://www.commonopera.com/RaFia Santana -https://raf-i-a.tumblr.com/Blake Andrews -https://pbjabcusa.com/And you can find the rest of the team for 1000 Deaths at:https://pariah.in/1000deathspresskit/sheet.php?p=1000_deaths

It's another New Cool, the Wide Flank show where Alon and Sean bring each other a New and/or Cool gaming-adjacent topic to talk about! In this episode, Sean takes us on a musical journey through Soyo Oka's work, focused mostly on her contributions to SimCity, and Alon encourages everyone to spend more time hanging out IRL. Coming soon we'll have the Game Club for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and a Dev Talk too, stay tuned :). Support us, get extra content, and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

This month's Game Club is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle therefore we're GLHFing about it! It's bonus content, join the Patreon for the full episodes of GLHF: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank

Water churning, time turning, sun burning, wave crash, head bash, ride, glide, collide, high flying, fish frying, eye crossing, cookie tossing, snaking, quaking, booty shaking, scrolling, controlling, rock ‘n' rolling. Wave Race 64, the first Jet ‘n' sweatin' in your face race for Nintendo 64. Strap on the seahorse and ride. Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:32 - Game background 00:01:26 - Wave Race announcer 00:10:10 - Announcers vs. narrators 00:15:10 - Is Jet Ski racing a sport? Is racing the first sport? 00:16:39 - What's Wave Race all about 00:25:29 - Racing games 00:26:33 - Wave Race without racing? 00:28:13 - Speedruns 00:33:03 - Not a Nintendo vibe 00:34:40 - The point system 00:36:26 - Buoys and their role 00:42:47 - Graphics, motion capture, & Shinya Takahashi 00:54:42 - Personal watercraft racing videogames 00:56:18 - The feel of the vehicle 00:58:06 - Alon vs. racing games 01:05:06 - Drake Lake 01:07:40 - Wave Race aesthetics & tone 01:13:33 - Rider's Republic and similar games 01:21:39 - The racing is good 01:30:34 - Different size waves 01:35:44 - Why don't more games sound like this now?

Sean and Alon are joined by writer, editor and game designer merritt k to discuss her vampire reality show visual novel Fledgling Manor. Alon surprises Sean and merritt with a different vampire-based game, Sean celebrates merritt's game a little bit, and merritt dives deep on her writing process and the collaborative process at In Secret Places. Why vampires? Why visual novels? How vampires? How visual novels? All this and more shall be answered within. ~ Wishlist Fledgling Manor: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3238510/Fledgling_Manor/ Follow merritt on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/merrittk.com In Secret Places: https://www.insecretplaces.com ~ Support Wide Flank: https://www.patreon.com/c/wideflank Join the Wide Flank Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank ~ Show notes: Jake Paul / Mike Tyson fight Jiangshi Blade Vampire: The Masquerade (tabletop game) Anne Rice Vampire: The Masquerade (video games) Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 The Chinese Room James Bond Jr. Jem and The Holograms Wishbone Danielle Riendeau Game Developer Fanbyte A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Terrifier John Carpenter Near Dark Kathryn Bigelow Bill Paxton The Lost Boys Fright Night (1985) Buffy The Vampire Slayer Twilight V Rising Vampire Survivors Slay The Spire Nosferatu (1922) Simon Pegg on "fast zombies" 28 Days Later Vampires 2.0 "List of vampire traits in folklore and fiction" Count Chocula Brandon Sanderson Phoenix Wright LB Hunktears Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator I Love You, Colonel Sanders! (KFC Visual Novel) Resident Evil (1996) Foley Freesound shaydh The War Follows Me Wherever I Go "That's Chappie" Citizen Sleeper Ren'Py Baldur's Gate 3 SCUF controller Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice New Cool – Tongues / Survivor Survivor The Mole Among Us LinkedIn Saw 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors Squid Game Tabula rasa Disco Elysium Game Of Roses (The Bachelor podcast) Rick Owens What We Do In The Shadows Big Brother

It's another New Cool, the Wide Flank show where Alon and Sean bring each other a New and/or Cool gaming-adjacent topic to talk about! In this episode, Alon gets physiological and talks about sticking his tongue out while playing games and then Sean talks about the ultimate TV series; Survivor. Next week will be a Dev Talk with Merritt K about her upcoming game Fledgling Manor! -- Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and Admin 02:57 - Alon's topic: Tongue (weird) 16:39 - Sean's topic: Survivor (TV series) 38:49 - Outro Show notes: Peanuts tongue comic: https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1963/02/03 -- Support us, get extra content, and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

“A surge of salt-kissed air fills your lungs, as waves rise to meet you. The horizon blurs, a distant dream, as your ski cuts through the surf, riding tides woven from speed, light, and water.” Please enjoy this 100% free preview of the Patreon-exclusive Wide Flank program GLHF, wherein Sean and Alon go mask-off and discuss a given month's upcoming Game Club game after playing it for like an hour. They're also allowed to ramble, tell stories, and talk about assorted other stuff that would never in one hundred million years make it to a main feed episode. tl;dr – it's bonus content Join the Patreon for the full episodes of GLHF: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Come on down to the Discord to play along and discuss the upcoming Game Club: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Here's every other link you could need under the sun: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Good Luck... Have Fun!

Sean and Alon sit down with Francisco González of Grundislav Games to explore the world of point-and-click adventure games like Rosewater. Francisco shares stories and insights from his early days as a gamer to his journey as a game designer. Check out the Rosewater Demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1226670/Rosewater/ Check out Francisco's work at: https://www.grundislav.games/ Support Wide Flank and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Sean and Alon bite hard and dig deep into the seminal survival horror classic. How does the game render reality? What's at the core of the franchise? Why is your health never “good”? You have once again entered the world of survival horror. Good luck! Tune in next week for a conversation with Francisco Gonzalez of Grundislav Games about adventure games and his upcoming game Rosewater! — Support the show: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/wideflank⁠  Join the Discord and play along: ⁠https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ⁠All Wide Flank links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/wideflank⁠ — Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Cold open 00:00:53 – Intro / admin 00:01:58 – Resident Evil, baby!!! 00:05:06 – Sweet Home + Alone In The Dark = Resident Evil 00:09:36 – It is a very iterative game 00:11:48 – Knowledge of Resident Evil prior to Game Club 00:16:15 – Alon taking reviews to task 00:18:27 – Going hater mode on a game we love 00:25:26 – It wants to be an action game 00:27:33 – Sean's path to violence 00:30:19 – The core of the franchise 00:32:45 – What makes it a survival (horror) game? 00:38:26 – Door sequences as part of the pace of play 00:40:36 – Alon's mom tried to warn us 00:42:27 – The container of Resident Evil is gigantic 00:46:50 – Is this a survival game? 00:49:10 – Your health is never "good” 00:49:55 – The game is generous 00:51:23 – Camera angles + sound design + sympathizing with Jill 00:54:34 – Rebecca + Barry – the presence of side characters 00:57:57 – The acting 01:02:47 – Thinking about the map the way you would irl 01:07:23 – Shinji Mikami on having the game "becoming a comedy” 01:14:01 – "This key is now useless. Would you like to discard it?” 01:15:53 – Sean goes map mode 01:21:32 – Alon goes Rambo mode 01:24:33 – The camera 01:28:47 – The spooky people you meet towards the end of the game 01:30:29 – The Camera + Tank Controls = Resident Evil 01:37:12 – The disempowerment of the player 01:45:22 – The comfort of Resident Evil 01:51:41 – Bosses(???) 01:55:21 – The not knowing 01:57:23 – The graphics 02:02:18 – Next week! — Show notes: Shinji Mikami Tokuro Fujiwara Sweet Home Alone in the Dark Doom

It's another New Cool, the Wide Flank show where Alon and Sean bring each other a New and/or Cool gaming-adjacent topic to talk about! In this episode, Sean explores how ideas spread and when a genre truly becomes a genre through the lens of "Suikalikes." Meanwhile, Alon dives into tournament formats and questions the purpose of tournaments themselves. Next week will be a Game Club episode on the original Resident Evil game from 1996. Support Wide Flank, get extra content, and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Show Notes: Underwatermelon Fruit Merge: http://bit.ly/3ZMBs2Z Suika Game: https://suikagame.jp/ Synthetic Big Watermlon (Chinese Wikipedia page): https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/合成大西瓜 How often does the best team win? A unified approach to understanding randomness in North American sport - https://arxiv.org/abs/1701.05976 Timestamps: 00:00 - Open 00:39 - Intro and Admin 02:45 - Sean's topic: Suikalikes 26:55 - Alon's topic: Tournaments 59:04 - Outro

Sean and Alon are joined by Andrew Parnell from Million Dreams to talk about Once Upon A Galaxy, a new mobile card battler. Together, they zoom into space to discuss the game's design philosophies, lessons learned from earlier card games, and the path from accessible information to strategic depth. Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank Discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Cold open 00:00:31 - Intro 00:06:37 - Talk start 00:06:53 - How would Andrew describe Once Upon A Galaxy? 00:09:18 - How much of the game's audience comes from a card background as opposed to a video game background? 00:12:24 - How does the team prioritize accessibility in the game? 00:18:45 - What's an autobattler and how did the team decide to make an autobattler? 00:21:10 - How does the team think about the player processing information during the battle phase? 00:29:32 - What is Andrew's role on the game? 00:30:45 - Game flow during the game (continued) 00:31:43 - Learning from players: "there isn't a visceral gut hit between the number 2 and the number 3” 00:33:57 - “Bad” cards 00:36:02 - The Deck / booster packs aren't lootboxes 00:40:57 - How does the team think about the importance of aesthetics in the game? 00:46:20 - Talking about asynchronous play 00:50:29 - Andrew's path into games 00:54:18 - How does the team think about making a game watchable? 00:57:25 - "Can we be the best 'play again' game on your phone?" + talking mobile games 01:02:16 - What is the creative collaboration process at Million Dreams? 01:04:21 - “Is it fun? 01:07:14 - What's Smee? Who is Smee? (public domain characters) 01:10:53 - Wrapping up Show notes: Download and play Once Upon a Galaxy for free: http://www.galaxy.fun/download Once Upon a Galaxy Discord: https://discord.gg/p7cuZQrmdX Andrew's Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/parn3y Andrew's Twitter: https://x.com/Parney_ Mark Rosewater's Drive To Work podcast – “Bad Cards”: https://youtu.be/gBvOcir_-kw

Fiveish minutes from the latest Patreon epsiode. Listen to the full episode at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank

Sean and Alon feel safe in the hands of game designer Lucas Pope and his whodunit ghostship of corpses and bones mystery game. You're an insurance appraiser playing sudoku by time-traveling (sorta) and transforming (sorta) into a fly on the wall. Discover the stories of the dead crew and passengers through the intense moments of their deaths. It may not make sense now but it's going to make sense by the end of this journey. Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:18 - Admin stuff 00:01:48 - Game overview 00:03:16 - Beginning of the game 00:06:36 - Simple inputs, complex game 00:07:28 - More of the game's beginning 00:10:46 - Fly on the wall effect 00:12:49 - Emotional moments of death 00:14:58 - Death snapshots 00:17:58 - The book 00:20:24 - Continuing chronologically 00:21:51 - On-rails in the mid-game 00:25:16 - It's like a book 00:27:52 - How open or linear is this game? 00:32:06 - Fates and boat knowledge 00:34:37 - SPOILERS from here on 00:34:46 - Knowable vs unknowable information 00:37:03 - Whodunit logic & eureka moments 00:46:47 - Lucas Pope's “data addiction” 00:53:42 - I'm the insurance appraiser and detachment 00:57:46 - Cascading puzzles & relationships 01:03:35 - Eureka moments outside the game 01:11:38 - Rolling credits before solving all of the fates 01:14:06 - Safe in Lucas Pope's hands 01:21:16 - Game as a book + the art and aesthetic 01:25:54 - Uninvited and what is the game about? 01:35:38 - Tip of the iceberg game design 01:38:34 - A deluge of information 01:41:33 - “One guy” game design question Show notes: Immortality Game Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiGnIHFYmZQ New Cool episode (Amy Henning worked with Lucas Pope at Naughty Dog): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as4NQQPveNQ&t=8s Lucas Pope's other games: https://dukope.com/ Uninvited: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninvited_(video_game) Picture of the boat map (”it's simple you see”): https://i.imgur.com/FCE9Wnb.png Lucas Pope on the Noclip podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D81mTaU55MY Picross/Nonograms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonogram

Introducing New Cool, the Wide Flank show where Alon and Sean bring each other a New and/or Cool gaming-adjacent topic to talk about! This month, we thread the history of Fantasy Sports with an exploration of "Fantasy" (not that kind) as a genre unto itself and use Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver to discuss the career of Amy Hennig and what draws us to games in the first place. Support Wide Flank, get extra content, and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Show Notes: Strat-O-Matic Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver instruction booklet Amy Hennig 3D Baseball Kurt Harland Michael Bell Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City Electrocop

In our inaugural Dev Talk, David Hellman, Art Lead and Co-Director of Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, joins Sean and Alon to chat about making art for video games, subjectivity in creativity, and David's work on the game. Check out Arranger here: https://arranger.quest/ And David's art and work here: http://davidhellman.art/ ---- Support Wide Flank, get extra content, and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Get a lil taste of the new Patreon-exclusive "GLHF" episode format as Sean and Alon dive into their raw first impressions of Return of the Obra Dinn. Plus, welcome Sean as Wide Flank official co-host as we shift to weekly episodes! Support the pod, help us pay for games and stuff, and get future GLHF episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All Wide Flank links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

It's not about the destination it's about the journey. Join us on the mask quests, the good deeds, and the yearning for connection. Hac is comradeHac on the Wide Flank discord Check out Dugan's game company: https://mostnights.com/ Follow Sean on bluesky @magicplayer164 and visit their website at seanpetell.com. Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ All links: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:34 - Why we're on this Mask Quest 00:03:55 - What the Mask Quest did for me 00:06:19 - Gamifying good deeds 00:07:00 - Mischief is yearning for connection 00:08:23 - Favorite mask and mask quest 00:21:02 - The meaning and purpose of dancing is the dance 00:22:40 - Why do we love this game so much (despite complaining a lot) 00:29:37 - Push and pull of narrative and game design in development 00:32:38 - Despair and melancholy in Ocarina of Time 00:34:20 - Let's not bring my wife into this 00:35:19 - Anju & Kafei and other masks 00:48:05 - Majora's Mask is a sequel (and the Legend of Zelda) 00:53:36 - Is Termina real? And other fan theories 00:58:24 - Making Ocarina 2 / Comparing to Ocarina of Time 01:01:50 - Learning to master the game, depth rather than breadth 01:07:14 - This game's about relationships inside and outside of time and space (EPONA) 01:11:00 - You can be bad too and story through items 01:14:50 - The ending and the Fierce Deity (Oni) Mask 01:30:07 - It takes darkness (and light) seriously 01:35:30 - Some questions from Discord 01:38:25 - How horny is Eiji Aonuma (we have data)? 01:44:12 - Timeloop games and some final questions 01:51:59 - Outro and more Anju & Kafei Show notes: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask by Gabe Durham - https://bossfightbooks.com/products/the-legend-of-zelda-majoras-mask-by-gabe-durham Majora's Mask Episode 1/4: https://youtu.be/gMtpXW_lnz8?si=zux4TjtMZ9BRf5mw Majora's Mask Episode 2/4: https://youtu.be/tPAdJfWWkz8?si=3pW1LCAsgk972FrT Majora's Mask Episode 3/4: https://youtu.be/Y63mpj-EKiY?si=2d1DIRLSNlsSPANQ Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link (Final Boss) [Watch for Horny Zelda content]: https://youtu.be/ioHqz6TBYK4?si=sU97GzTkU-Z9TxOJ&t=158

It's the penultimate episode in the Majora's Mask Gameclub series! Alon and Sean saved the world and beat the game. Incredible narrative meets sometimes good / sometimes bad game stuff. Let's talk about it. For the fourth and final episode in the series everyone is coming back on – Dugan, HAC, and Sean join Alon to go macro on Majora's Mask and talk about finding all the masks. Follow Sean on bluesky @magicplayer164 and visit their website at seanpetell.com. This episode of Wide Flank was edited & co-produced by Sean Petell. Play along! Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:47 - Start of podcast 00:01:48 - Sean's high level things / "trickle down" podcasting 00:04:23 - Zelda logic / "play as designed" 00:09:01 - Alon's "tasks to do before heading East" 00:12:13 - Heading East to Ikana Canyon 00:17:01 - We love the Garo! but 00:19:20 - Arriving to Ikana Canyon proper 00:20:13 - Lens of UNtruth 00:21:56 - Ikana Graveyard 00:27:50 - Death of Skele-captain 00:33:00 - Back to Ikana Canyon 00:35:17 - Sean pops off about Pamela and her father 00:39:31 - Beneath the Well 00:43:38 - Straight to Stone Tower! :) [hater mode activated] 00:51:54 - We're done. Ikana Castle! :) [hater mode deactivated] 00:52:15 - [hater mode reactivated] 00:55:54 - Compulsory positivity 01:01:18 - Final reference to powder keg. We promise 01:02:47 - "Eventually, you do blow the hole" 01:06:39 - Sean lets the light back in 01:09:20 - "Just when I thought I was out..." 01:14:45 - "Do either of us want to talk about this dungeon?" (Stone Tower Temple) 01:23:06 - Breaking the fourth wall (join the Wide Flank discord!) 01:29:53 - Stone Temper Towel boss: Twinmold 01:34:07 - Time to forgive my friend (endgame) 01:42:06 - Pre-credits (Skull Kid revelation) 01:47:23 - Credits Show notes: Majora's Mask Episode 1/4: https://youtu.be/gMtpXW_lnz8?si=zux4TjtMZ9BRf5mw Majora's Mask Episode 2/4: https://youtu.be/tPAdJfWWkz8?si=3pW1LCAsgk972FrT Citizen Sleeper episode: https://youtu.be/MAlEldTE-Pw?si=pybl0jS2rMrgprog

A bite-sized terrific game, and also a very large very deep game, and also a game of the year contender all in one. Join us and see what Animal Well's all about. Up next is episode 3/4 in the Majora's Mask series! Check out Gabe's game here: https://www.1000boxes.game/ Watch Nolan's streams here: https://www.twitch.tv/calamitynolan And check out Nolan's game company here: http://upatnight.games/ Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - Start of podcast 00:51 - Steam description of Animal Well 01:25 - Setting our priors 02:53 - Animal Well's development and release 08:12 - Solo development, the gaming industry right now, indie games, and triple-i games 13:32 - Animal Well aesthetics and the flower blossoming 17:21 - Visuals and file size 22:42 - Solo-dev is risky and crazy 24:07 - Music and sound design 29:27 - Spoiler warnings 30:11 - Cat king of dog world 32:35 - Items (toys) 37:43 - Try stuff, dig deeper, find secrets 40:41 - Metroidvania? Metroidbrainia? Iceberg? 47:08 - Order of items (representing the non-linearity) 51:47 - Map 55:56 - DEEPER down the well (deeper spoilers too) 57:12 - First layer ending 57:58 - Beyond the first layer 59:30 - Collaborative gaming and online communities 01:05:22 - Running out of steam and the “Castlevania Problem” (Illusory Wall Ahead) 01:07:39 - Secrets you like and secrets you don't like 01:13:06 - Nolan's favorite part of layer 2 01:16:41 - Lack of lore to get deeper into the game 01:24:33 - Game of the year? 01:29:33 - Play more games and find more gems (they're out there) 01:30:44 - Outro and where to find Nolan and Gabe Show Notes: BIGMODE games: https://bigmode.com/ videogamedunkey: https://www.youtube.com/@videogamedunkey How Animal Well taps into PS5 hardware to elevate 2D pixel-art platforming - https://web.archive.org/web/20240226070308/https://blog.playstation.com/2022/07/20/how-animal-well-taps-into-ps5-hardware-to-elevate-2d-pixel-art-platforming/ https://haseverythinginanimalwellbeenfoundyet.com/ All of the Secret Bunnies in Animal Well (furyforged) - https://youtu.be/HGa6XRKzLI4?si=cvTYDPSmyFpBGV8C The Ultimate Secret Ending of Animal Well (furyforged) - https://youtu.be/i4YnLI6UpTA?si=44f-Viq3KvDrTGdm Our Tunic episode (since Tunic gets referenced multiple times): https://youtu.be/s-MaK4ejqwA?si=mM_CLTPonIdyAfKr Download the audio version of the podcast here (only for the first to succeed): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bLqPj-8fFuOs9oeVFGmhXUbQyiyaawTR/view?usp=sharing

Episode two in the Majora's Mask Gameclub series and Alon and HAC played through the Great Bay Temple with a lot of complaints about it. For the next and penultimate episode Alon and Sean will be playing through the Stone Tower and the endgame. And for the fourth and final episode Alon will be joined by Sean again as well as HAC and Dugan returning to talk about the game as a whole and collecting all of the masks. Also in the Wide Flank queue is a Now Playing episode on Animal Well: https://store.steampowered.com/app/813230/ANIMAL_WELL/ If you missed episode one on Majora's Mask you can find all of our links here: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Play along! Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Timestamps: 00:00 - Majora's Mask intro 00:51 - Podcast intro and admin 01:59 - Remembering what is going on and resetting the loop 07:34 - HAC responses to episode 1 and Majora's Mask as a mod 10:53 - HAC's favorite Zelda game and comparing to Ocarina 12:19 - Mountain Village 16:19 - Lens of Truth 18:21 - The dark side of the masks 20:14 - A better action game than Ocarina 23:36 - Back to the darkness of the masks 25:34 - Getting into Snowhead 29;42 - Snowhead Temple 31:49 - Fairy collecting / secrets 37:52 - GOHT 40:54 - The Guardians 43:23 - Snowhead aftermath 46:18 - Powder keg / action button 47:16 - Goron racetrack 48:26 - Get Epona / alien invasion / waiting sucks 51:58 - Great Bay and Mikau's Cry 54:14 - Zora Link 55:57 - Equipment management 58:19 - Pirate Fortress 01:00:38 - Band practice / jamming 01:02:31 - Great Bay Temple 01:04:55 - Z-targeting 01:06:29 - HAC last fairy story 01:15:40 - Temple bad but timeloop good 01:16:56 - Great Bay Temple aftermath 01:18:01 - Getting and finding more masks / what masks do we currently have?

Fresh off of the Ocarina of Time it's time to enter the uncanny, Lynchian, and freaky sister-world of Majora's Mask. For this, the first episode in the series, Alon and Dugan played through the Woodfall Temple. For the next episode Alon and Hayden (HAC) are playing through the Great Bay Temple and it's aftermath. Play along! Support us and help us pay for games and stuff at: https://www.patreon.com/wideflank Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 00:00 - Title sequence 00:50 - Podcast intro 02:59 - Intro to the game vs. Ocarina 08:53 - Nightmare version of Ocarina 13:01 - Leveraging the two main characters from Ocarina 15:50 - First time playing the game 17:20 - Pressure, narrative, and environment created by the timer 20:03 - What is the loop 22:53 - The first cycle 29:57 - New kit 34:28 - Termina Field 40:23 - Woodfall area 45:30 - Alon's “Zelda logic” 47:56 - Not enough time to stop bad things / Deku Palace 51:48 - Woodfall Temple 57:23 - Respecting your time 58:57 - Is golf a roguelike? 01:01:08 - Back to Woodfall Temple 01:06:58 - Odolwa (boss fight) 01:10:16 - Going back to the fairies 01:12:02 - Woodfall aftermath 01:17:52 - You gotta get all the masks 01:20:48 - Upcoming episodes and goodbye

Alon's joined by Teddy and Madeline talking about two games we're playing in the saaaaameish genre: Slay the Spire and Balatro. Comparison may be the thief of joy but also it's really fun to do bad things (like being really greedy in card games). Let's dive in. The next episode will be the first in our Majora's Mask Gameclub! Play along! Join the Wide Flank discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Show Notes: Often mentioned Eggplant episode with LocalThunk (creator of Balatro): https://eggplant.show/136-going-in-blind-with-balatro Slay the Spire Discord: https://discord.com/invite/slaythespire

The game is over and the credits are rolling! This is the grand finale episode of the Ocarina of Time Gameclub and for this one we played from the Fire Temple through beating the entire game. There are a lot of spoilers in this episode, and this game is kinda unhinged. Did we get every heart piece? No. Did we get every skulltula? No. But we had a fun time playing through a great journey and a great game. Not sure yet what's next, but it might be Majora's Mask. Stay tuned. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and how we felt completing the game. 02:16 - What did we remember and game manuals. 05:04 - Fire Temple 11:39 - Volvagia fight and boss fights in general 15:14 - Ice Cavern 19:04 - Water Temple; actually good? 30:25 - Water Temple could have been the first temple 32:20 - Morpha fight 33:48 - Z-targeting and projectile speed 36:43 - Alon got stuck again 38:25 - I'm not supposed to be here yet 40:41 - Coddle me or don't, time travel paradox, and under the well 44:32 - Iron Boots vs Lens of Truth 47:35 - Shadow Temple 51:20 - Hover boots / worst item in the game 58:06 - Gerudo Valley, Desert Colossus, and Spirit Temple 01:04:32 - Could have been more time travel stuff 01:12:12 - Sheik is Zelda??? 01:19:06 - Secrets (unless it's mandatory) and exploring 01:25:54 - Ganon's Castle and boss fights 01:39:05 - Outro Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Thumbnail art from Tom Garden: https://www.artstation.com/tomgardenart

Is this game good or stale or dated? No, it turns out this game still rules. We played all the way through the Forest Temple for this episode and talked about solving the puzzles, the combat, being a kid, the music, time, Navi, technology, and more. Hey, listen! Next episode we're recording after beating the whole damn game. Dan Bruno article: https://danbruno.net/writing/ocarina/ Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

How many episodes will there be? Time will tell. We're going with the flow. For this episode Dugan and Alon are a couple of hours into Ocarina of Time and we're talking about our progress so far, Dark Souls, the difficulty, the vibes, the nostalgia, and more. Next episode we're recording after the first three dungeons. Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make and end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from" – T. S. Eliot

Special guest Damon coming in hot off the press for this episode. We basically rediscover books and what is good about reading because that's mostly what Citizen Sleeper is, a good old picture book. There are also some dice rolls and currency management but they don't mean that much after you get rolling ^_^. We forgive the lack of difficulty because this game has style, beautiful descriptions of mushrooms, and a critique of capitalism that hits hard. Next Gameclub we're doing Hollow Knight. Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 0:00 - Note about the show 0:51 - Intro 3:30 - What kind of game is this 8:00 - Mechanics 12:30 - Writing 21:20 - Difficulty? 26:39 - How to pick a direction 38:45 - “Classes” 50:00 - Characters 58:00 - Capitalism 1:03:00 - Ratings Show Notes: Hollow Knight - https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/ 80 days (iOS) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/80-days/id892812659 Frostpunk (Steam) https://store.steampowered.com/app/323190/Frostpunk/ This War of Mine (Steam) https://store.steampowered.com/app/282070/This_War_of_Mine/ Subterra (Boardgame) https://www.gamenerdz.com/sub-terra-core-game Papers Please (Steam) https://store.steampowered.com/app/239030/Papers_Please/ Slay the Spire (Steam) https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/

This game is about Marissa Marcel. You watch raw footage of three of her movies, and some behind the scenes footage associated with those movies. You can rewind and fast forward. But all the clips are hidden from you, and you can only find these clips by clicking an object in the scene that takes you to another clip with a similar item, and you watch all these scenes out of order. Sounds kinda bad? But it totally rules! We briefly debate whether or not this is a game, and really the answer is immaterial. This “game” is an incredible accomplishment. It was moving, funny, creepy, and dare we say…original? None of us had played anything like it. More games like this please. Next Gameclub we're doing Citizen Sleeper followed by Hollow Knight Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:55 - Is this a game? 13:10 - The mechanics 22:25 - The mystery revealed 33:15 - The movies are so good 41:00 - The movies criticize movies 44:00 - The movies are horny 50:30 - All experiences of this game are unique 59:43 - Behind the scenes 1:02:35 - Criticism of “Art” 1:04:28 - You can make art and be good 1:09:00 - The straightforward statements are superior to the metaphysical 1:12:45 - Wigs 1:14:08 - Favorite characters/scenes 1:16:35 - Ratings (and music discussion) Show Notes: Citizen Sleeper - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1578650/Citizen_Sleeper/ Hollow Knight - https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/

StarCraft (gotta love that one word and double capitalized title). This is a cool game. Even the metallic lettering of the title is cool. The music is good. The voice lines are funny. If not entirely dignified, StarCraft feels mature where other games in the 90s were often irreverent or puerile. The human campaign follows the rise of a terrorist faction in the midst of a galactic race (species) war. The Zerg campaign follows the quest to bring their species to biologic perfection, where the Protoss campaign is somewhat more muddled, and has maybe aged the worst. The Protoss are sort of Roman? Having an honor culture that is a bureaucratic nightmare for those just trying to save the galaxy. But their units are maybe the coolest so there's that. The campaign is long and it really shows its age. It has almost no tutorials and the beginning of almost every mission is the same: a 15 minute period where you plod along and get your economy up to a point where you can actually build an army. The pathing of the units is also atrocious: marines can fight but pray that they never encounter an elevated path/ramp because that is the ultimate counter. A lot of our StarCraft opinions are informed by and likely inferior to observations made by game designer David Sirlin. Kind of essential listening is his podcast on both StarCraft and Starcraft 2 as we reference it a lot (links below) Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 4:25 - What is an RTS 6:40 - MOBAs are the new RTS 14:57 - New to the RTS genre 16:38 - The campaign is a challenge (to learn) 32:40 - Overcooked and replayability 35:25 - VIBE 48:00 - Strategy beyond rock paper scissors 54:00 - Balance and meta 1:04:25 - StarCraft 2 1:16:40 - Skill ceilings, do they really exist 1:25:00 - Ratings 1:30:41 - Next game, IMMORTALITY. Show Notes: IMMORTALITY: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1350200/IMMORTALITY/ Sirlin's StarCraft criticism: https://www.sirlin.net/posts/sirlin-on-game-design-ep-13-starcraft-2 Sirlin “playing to win”: https://www.sirlin.net/articles/playing-to-win

For this gameclub the Wide Flank gang played “Tunic”. An isometric action game that at first glance looks like The Legend of Zelda, but is really so much more. Spoilers aplenty this episode so if you are considering giving this a go, play it before listening and reading below. What you thought was a cute little Zelda game turns out to be much deeper and darker as you explore the far reaches of its world. You gradually uncover pages of an in-game manual, written in an alien language, and you struggle (in a good way) to use it to decipher the world and the mechanics. Tunic does a great job of being just accessible enough, where nothing is too out of reach, letting you peel back the layers of mystery at a satisfying and challenging pace. Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 3:45 - A Zeldalike? 9:05 - In-game manual 18:18 - A Soulslike? 23:11 - World/level navigation 34:00 - The story 39:10 - Setting 47:22 - Systems, items etc. 1:02:52 - Bosses 1:12:05 - Secrets 1:15:30 - Endgame and the Golden Path 1:28:27 - Ratings 1:36:30 - Next game, Starcraft. Show Notes: Noclip doc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5A7uoJAOvY

What words describe Bloodborne? Gothic? Victorian? Lovecraftian? Scary? Impossible? Funny? Bloodborne is an enigmatic, genre-defining game. Chat GPT described best in a haiku: “Bloodborne's Depths Hidetaka's Twisted World Challenge Accepted” Its gameplay loop and mechanics are polarizing inside and outside of the Soulsborne fandom; too fast for lovers of Dark Souls, but too slow for high-octane gamers like Alon. We played it to varying levels of success. Is a game that is most fun after 30+ hours of playing a good game? Why do we love facing and defeating impossibility? How can we be friends when we feel so differently about this game? Few games have matched the immersion and setting of Bloodborne. The further your character dives into the world of beasthood and paleblood, the more you depart from the waking world outside of your Playstation. Jump in. Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction and background 4:00 - A modern Metroidvania 5:10 - Bloodborne vs. Souls, Speed 13:55 - RPG elements 17:30 - How the game undermines regain 22:00 - Boss fights 24:00 - Summoning and multiplayer 28:00 - Weapons 33:00 - Tutorializing and mastery 35:00 - New Game Plus 38:05 - Looking things up 41:20 - It's fine to cheese this game 47:30 - Not rewarding risk-taking 49:30 - Running through the world 54:00 - Artists making gross art 57:00 - Why doesn't Alon like it? 1:06:30 - This should be able to be your first Souls game. 1:12:35 - The impossibility of Soulsborne 1:17:02 - People who love the grind 1:28:10 - Aesthetics and outfits and themes 1:40:00 - Best areas and moments 1:47:45 - Debunking the Soulsborne purity test 1:50:10 - Music 1:53:25 - Ratings 1:58:20 - Chat GPT Haikou

18 months later, Danny, Alon and Teddy sit down and reflect on the glory of the Wide Flank catalog. Jump in and listen as we discuss our favorite and least favorite Gameclub games, talk about what has aged well, and where we are thinking of going next. It's been a blast playing games and hanging with you all in discord, and we hope that you'll stick with us as we keep this train moving in 2023. This is a spoiler-free relaxed episode, and we'll be back next week to release Bloodborne! Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

It's time to take your first journey into space, little Hearthian. Blast off into an alien solar system to uncover the strange physics and mechanics of planets you've only dreamed of. Many spoilers in this episode. But if that doesn't bother you, read on. Awaiting your arrival are the Hourglass Twins, a “double planet” (this is a real term), where two celestial bodies are locked together in their orbit around the sun. One is slowly spraying away the sands on its surface to reveal mysteries buried deep. Ember Twin receives all this sand, and you must explore it quickly before its secrets are buried forever, until of course the sun supernovas and you die…. It's time to take your first journey into space, little Hearthian. Blast off into an alien solar system to uncover the strange physics and mechanics of planets you've only dreamed of….Wait didn't we say this already? Yep – it's a time loop. So maybe this time you'll explore Brittle Hollow with a black hole at it's center. Or maybe it's volcanic moon? You have 22 minutes before the sun goes bang and we start this all over again. Outer Wilds (the game) believes in you. It knows you will figure out it's mysteries, even if it takes you a few loops. There is almost no point in beating the game – every little puzzle or planetary quirk is the best victory you could hope for. Outer Wilds' story, on the other hand, doesn't believe in you. It treats you like a kid, and indeed, it seems like all the characters in this game are themselves children. Yet while that's a miss, nothing could drag down the awe, wonder, and majesty of this solar system. Don't rush it, enjoy the ride, and roast a marshmallow. Everything will be alright. ==== Our next game for Gameclub is Bloodborne. We would link it, but you know the one. Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:43 - Development and game background 7:15 - Blastoff! 10:30 - The loop 15:35 - Roguelike? Story based mastery 21:25 - The first planet 25:48 - The goal of the game 34:35 - Story vs gameplay 39:26 - Resetting the loop - Live Die Repeat 44:22 Story/writing 50:25 Trust in players 1:02:00 Subnautica's pillars of game design 1:05:00sh The ending 1:26:45 Two idiots talk about science 1:33:00 Ratings 1:41:17 Goodbye Show notes Double-Slit Experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment

Hades is the latest release from Supergiant Games, a studio that consistently releases some of the slickest and most stylish games of the generation. This is the best yet. You are Zagreus, a son of Hades, determined to break free from the Stygian realm of your birth. A roguelike (roguelite?) that will test your twitch skills with weapons and power ups that make each run unique. Maybe most remarkably it has a nearly endless trough of voice lines and story beats that punctuate each run and unfold over the many deaths that await you. The game can be a little daunting at first, but we loved this game and bet you will to. Check it out. Next game for the gameclub is Outer Wilds: https://store.steampowered.com/app/753640/Outer_Wilds/ Join our discord!!! https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJ Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:57 What is Hades 07:30 Meta progression vs player mastery 10:30 Story vs challenge 15:05 Roguelikes and roguelites, are they fun? 29:40 Combat/Fav Weapons 37:00 Favorite Boons 41:40 Style, art, etc. 54:53 Music 1:00:00 Mythology 1:07:00: Random thoughts 1:15:00 Ratings Show Notes: Eggplant Podcast Hades episode: https://eggplant.show/58-easing-into-hades-with-supergiant-games

A listener asked us if we prefer the perfect brevity of Portal, or the focused improvements of Portal 2. But that gives it away – perfection wins every time. We often described Portal as a proof of concept, but that isn't a criticism. What else could you ask of a three hour game? It says everything it needed to say. After Portal was released, the thoughts of a generation of gamers were changed, maybe forever, about what games were and could be. Portal 2 really wrung the rag of what we loved so much about Portal. It tried to be more, and it was in some ways. It was bigger, longer, funnier (or at least tried to be). But it wasn't more novel or special. That might be too big of an ask to make. Yet with co op Valve proved it had a stone left unturned. That could have been the novelty that the game explored – the proof of concept that was enough to carry us through, but instead they went for…comedy? The moon was cool though. Our next game for Gameclub is Hades. Play it with a controller. Happy gaming. Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 4:01 - Basic concept of Portaling 11:30 - Portal is an accomplishment of creativity 15:51 - The fun of it 25:00 - Puzzling in Portal 34:40 - What kind of game is this 36:50 - Humor, AI, Marvel 58:25 - An indie game 1:04:28 - Sequels 1:18:34 - Is Portal 2 trying to say anything about Science 1:23:35 - Co Op 1:29:30 - Ratings 1:38:45 - Outro Show Notes: Besties Portal Episode - https://the-besties.simplecast.com/episodes/yall-portal-still-rocks-R0q31a2d Bathos video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-QhdzQo66o Theory of relativity - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity Narbacular drop - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narbacular_Drop Hades: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/

Alon is joined by Neil and Chris to talk about the fast, hyper, and hardcore game that is Neon White. We love it and it kicks ass, check it out. Neil is on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/clineil_ Chris recently made a game called Silly Seance: http://sillyseance.com/ Happy gaming. Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 00:00 - Opening 01:10 - Neon White background 02:00 - How the game feels and the mechanics 03:34 - How it makes you feel 04:33 - The hints 07:17 - How do we play Neon White 11:25 - Difficulty curve and approaching the game in different ways 13:15 - Genius level design (the gifts) 16:54 - Onsighting a level 18:05 - It's a platforming game 21:19 - The feel of running and jumping 24:01 - “Hellion” by Machine Girl 24:20 - Single player vs. team game responsibilities 28:21 - Too fast and too slow 31:35 - Neon White music compared to other game music 32:38 - “Virtual Paradise” by Machine Girl 33:43 - Favorite tracks from the soundtrack 34:21 - More “Hellion” by Machine Girl (Godspeed, baby) 35:46 - “Light in the Fog (Red's Theme)” by Machine Girl 36:06 - Sidequests 40:18 - Steve Blum (Spike Spiegel), the voice acting, and the writing 43:25 - The story has very little to do with the gameplay 47:00 - Am I a Holy Gamer 50:46 - Sense of humor 52:54 - Does this feel like Persona Show Notes: Asshole Mario Stage 1 - https://youtu.be/r86NLwCYXfk “Super Sonic Saves The World” (Romhacks) - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLALwcCNEIG0azLsP6LJ-jNw8iauuTr6Ca Eggplant podcast episode with Ben Esposito - https://eggplant.show/94-neon-white Neon White OST 1 - The Wicked Heart - https://machinegirl.bandcamp.com/album/neon-white-ost-1-the-wicked-heart Neon White OST 2 - The Burn That Cures - https://machinegirl.bandcamp.com/album/neon-white-ost-2-the-burn-that-cures

Another classic that really held up. Released in 1995 for the SNES, Chrono Trigger continues to top “Best Of” video game lists. None of us had played it, so we played it! The combat sort of sucked but there was so much that made up for that. It looked great, the world was compelling, some weird good NPC dialogue and a soundtrack that rocked. Next Gameclub is Portal + Portal 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/620/Portal_2/ Two months from now we are doing Hades, so start whenever is convenient and don't save it until the day before the show: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/ Happy gaming. Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank Timestamps: 0:00 - Opening 1:15 - Chrono Trigger background 4:05 - Our background with games 8:10 - It looks amazing and do newer graphics really matter 13:13 - Is this an RPG? An adventure game? 17:00 - How's the combat? 18:40 - Battles on the area map 21:27 - The combat is bad 29:00 - Combat could have been good: boss fights etc. 36:05 - Music 39:27 - It was all a dream? 41:46 - Open ended endings 44:40 - Story and the world 55:05 - Time travel 1:03:42 - Is Crono the villain? 1:14:00 - Different endings 1:15:45 - Questions 1:18:40 - Ratings 1:22:10 - Next game Portal, Portal 2, Hades Show Notes: Final Fantasy XII and the Glory of the Grind: https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/final-fantasy-xii-and-the-glory-of-the-grind/