Podcasts about Metroidvania

This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave don their finest velvet cloaks, pack an unreasonable number of throwing axes, and descend into the shadowy halls of Dracula's castle in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Released in 1997, this genre-defining Metroidvania dropped players into a haunting, labyrinthine fortress as Alucard—Dracula's half-human, half-vampire son who's way too cool to run and instead dramatically glides everywhere he goes.As they explore the eerie corridors of the castle, they'll face off against possessed suits of armor, bone dragons, cursed books, and whatever the hell a Scylla Wyrm is. Armed with swords, spells, and a voice performance that can only be described as “nobly confused,” Dave and Nick will attempt to piece together the bizarre plot, unlock secret passageways, and probably argue about whether the inverted castle is brilliant game design or the work of a sadist.Will Nick finally admit he's completely lost without a walkthrough? Can Dave go five minutes without turning into a wolf by accident? And what exactly is a man, anyway—just a miserable little pile of secrets, or something more?Tune in as the boys dive fang-first into one of gaming's most stylish, spooky, and iconic adventures. Just don't forget to bring a library card—this castle has a lot of reading. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Metroidvania's in overvloed! Met de Pac-Man-spin-off Shadow Labyrinth, het sterk op Castlevania geïnspireerde Chronicles of the Wolf en de wel erg op oude Metroids lijkende game Zexion. Je hoort Joe van Burik daarover in deze Mini-Game Round-Up van All in the Game met kenner en voormalig gamejournalist Vincent Leeuw. Luister hier de eerdere aflevering over Metroidvania's met Vincent als hoofdgast, en de keer dat we hem uitgebreid spraken over Dungeons & Dragons. Shadow Labyrinth is nu te spelen op Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X en Xbox Series S en Windows pc. Chronicles of the Wolf is nu te spelen op PlayStation 4 en 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X en Xbox Series S en Windows pc. Zexion is nu te spelen op Windows pc. Over All in the Game All in the Game is de podcast over games voor iedereen. Wanneer er iets speelt in de wereld van games, hoor je dat hier: spannende ontwikkelingen, boeiende onderzoeken en natuurlijk de nieuwste releases om te spelen op je PlayStation, Xbox, pc of welk platform dan ook. Onder leiding van BNR's techredacteur Joe van Burik hoor je gesprekken met andere gamekenners, zoals beursnerd Jochem Visser, techredacteurs Niels Kooloos en Daniël Mol én popcultuurkenners Donner Bakker en Sam van Zuilen. Ook hoogleraar computerwetenschappen Felienne Hermans en universiteit docent Laura van der Lubbe schuiven geregeld aan, en je hoort bijdragen van audioproducers André Dortmont en Wesley Schouwenaars, Elke week hoor je minimaal één aflevering van All in the Game. Of juist meerdere, wanneer er veel speelt in de wereld van games. Soms met impressies en analyses over actuele ontwikkelingen en nieuwe games. Andere keren kun je luisteren naar interviews met makers van bijzondere games, van Grand Theft Auto (GTA) tot Baldur's Gate 3 - zowel Nederlandse als internationale ontwikkelaars. Of we praten met e-sport-atleten, onderzoekers en andere experts in de wereld van videogames, in onze rubriek Main Game. En regelmatig laten we iemand van BNR Nieuwsradio aanschuiven om te vertelen over diens favoriete game van vroeger in de Retro-rubriek. In deze podcast kijken we verder dan alleen wat een game leuk maakt: we bespreken juist ook in de culturele, maatschappelijke, economische en technologische impact ervan. Jaarlijks gaat er immers zo'n 200 miljard euro om in de wereldwijde game-industrie, dat is al (vele jaren zelfs) daadwerkelijk meer dan de muziek- en filmindustrie bij elkaar opgeteld. Zo hoor je bij All in the Game niet alleen wat je moet spelen - en op welk nieuwe (game)platform - maar kun je daar nog bewuster mee bezig zijn, over praten en natuurlijk van genieten. Of het nou gaat om Super Mario of Sonic the Hedgehog, Fortnite of Roblox, voetbalgames van EA Sports FC of de FIFA, Call of Duty of Battlefield, League of Legends of Dota,of goude oude titels zoals Tetris, Rollercoaster Tycoon, The Sims of zelfs Snake. En we hebben ook aandacht voor liefhebberijen die dicht op games zitten, zoals Dungeons & Dragons, Lego en de films, series en strips rond reeksen zoals Star Wars en Marvel. Het komt allemaal aan bod in All in the Game. All in the Game werd als podcast al in 2022 opgenomen in het archief van Het Nederlands instituut voor Beeld & Geluid in Hilversum - als eerste podcast van BNR Nieuwsradio en één van de eerste gamepodcasts van allemaal. Gezamenlijk met talloze Nederlandse televisieprogramma’s, radioshows, games, websites, webvideo’s en podcast vormt dit materiaal de Nederlandse mediageschiedenis. Over Joe van BurikJoe van Burik is presentator, podcastmaker en techredacteur bij BNR Nieuwsradio. Je hoort hem bijna dagelijks in de Tech Update met het laatste nieuws over digitale technologie, en gaat daar in BNR Digitaal (samen met Ben van der Burg) elke woensdag dieper op in met gasten uit de techwereld. Daarnaast maakt hij onder meer de podcast All in the Game, voor iedereen die meer wil horen over videogames.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Metroidvania's in overvloed! Met de Pac-Man-spin-off Shadow Labyrinth, het sterk op Castlevania geïnspireerde Chronicles of the Wolf en de wel erg op oude Metroids lijkende game Zexion. Je hoort Joe van Burik daarover in deze Mini-Game Round-Up van All in the Game met kenner en voormalig gamejournalist Vincent Leeuw.

Jeremy Parish, Kate Willaert, Chris Sims, and Stuart Gipp open the book on their next collaborative community playthrough (Prince of Persia: The Lost Sands) by discussing the game's heritage and sharing listener thoughts on the first half of the quest. Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

Prêt•es pour de l'explorer, massacrer, se faire massacrer, muter et recommencer ? On dirait qu'Alex', Johncouscous et Zephiriel ont signé pour ça les voilà en train de jouer à Dead Cells ! Dead Cells Par Antoine Bauza, Corentin Lebrat, Ludovic Maublanc, Théo Rivière Illustré par Laure De Chateaubourg, Naïade, Paul Vérité, Robin Lagofun & Thomas Choux Édité par Le Scorpion Masqué De 1 à 4 joueuses Pour 14 ans et + Pour environ 45 minutes Description : Dead Cells: The Rogue-Lite Board Game est un dungeon-crawler qui offre une expérience de jeu coopérative rogue-lite inspirée du genre Metroidvania jouable de 1 à 4 joueurs, pour des parties d'environ 45 minutes. Explorez l'île en constante évolution de Dead Cells dans un dungeon-crawler impitoyable. Explorez. Tuez. Mourrez. Mutez. Recommencez. Choisissez l'un des quatre Prisonniers (Euh, attends... Il n'est pas censé n'y avoir qu'un seul type comme ça ? C'est encore une de ces stupides histoires de boucle temporelle ?). Vous ressuscitez dans une cellule sordide sans savoir ce que vous faites là. Préparez-vous à... • Explorez des biomes. • Tuer des ennemis. • Mourrez. • Muter. • Recommencer. Emission présentée par Alex & Zephiriel Générique par Adrien Larouzée Twitter @ledefausse Instagram Le Dé Faussé Facebook Le Dé Faussé Envie de nous soutenir ? Vous pouvez, si vous le souhaitez, grâce au Patreon de notre collectif, le Vaisseau Hyper Sensas ! patreon.com/vaisseauhypersensas Découvrez également notre site vaisseauhypersensas.fr Rejoignez nous sur Discord! https://discord.gg/uGxNp6n

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we rave about Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2, which shines on the new Nintendo console, and the complicated Pac-Man Metroidvania called Shadow Labyrinth. We also recommend a great new stealth game, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, praising it for its gorgeous art direction and brilliant final act. Finally, Charles rounds out the podcast episode, briefly chatting about the Bravely Default HD remaster and a house-decorating Picross-like puzzler called Squeakcross.The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Thursday for chats about your favorite titles – past and present – alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry.Watch the video podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DOPg44qrcwkSubscribe to Game Informer Magazine: https://gameinformer.com/subscribeFollow our hosts on social media:Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken)Charles Harte (@ChuckDuck365)Wesley LeBlanc (@WesleyLeBlanc)Jump to a specific discussion using these timestamps:00:00 - Introduction06:53 - Donkey Kong Bananza36:33 - Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream (New Stealth Game)50:55 - Shadow Labyrinth (Pac-Man Metroidvania)01:02:57 - Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster01:08:16 - Squeakross

In dieser Folge sprechen Christina und Florian über Tower Wizard, Antro, A Solitaire Mystery und Quantum Witch.

"Infiltre-se em Zebes, destrua Mother Brain e fuja a tempo." Metroid, lançado em 6 de agosto de 1986 no Famicom Disk System, misturava ação, exploração e ficção científica em um cartucho que parecia vir do futuro.Inspirado por Alien (1979), o jogo foi criado pela equipe Nintendo R&D1, liderada por Gunpei Yokoi, e introduziu um novo jeito de jogar: não-linear, solitário, atmosférico e desafiador.Quer saber como surgiu isso tudo? Então aperte start e vem com a gente!.Capítulos:(00:00:00) - Vinheta introdução(00:00:58) - Resumo do episódio(00:02:45) - 1º Bloco(00:12:32) - 2º Bloco(00:22:30) - 3º Bloco(00:31:21) - Encerramento.Redes Sociais:

Metroid is so influential to video games that to call it revolutionary would be selling it short. Mitch, Bryan, and Ryan struggle to limit the discussion to just this very important game because of that. Metroid being the Grandmother of the Metroidvania subgenre is a huge talking point of this episode but we didn't forget to talk about this title that started it all. Join us for a fairly reverent episode of The Super Smash Cast!This Game's Manual Courtesy of Digitpress:https://www.digitpress.com/library/manuals/nes/Metroid%20v1.pdfCheck out Mitch and Drew on Casket Minds:https://youtube.com/@casketminds?si=fIBWFUWnbo7LJTNLCheck Drew out on Banter Fodder:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DHde31swumPeKaOyzuXBUYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@BanterFodderFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/816739803492791Check out Mitch and Drew on Live Long and Banter:https://open.spotify.com/show/51joadFk95SWGetRMLQiRI?si=oKCUhlMVSbqC8VgwfUX4Fwhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-long-and-banter-a-star-trek-podcast/id1729092784More Banter Fodder on Criterion Corner:https://open.spotify.com/show/5mrRcpXoxlT0vq4Rf6oLaASpecial Thanks to Patron, Mitchell Sheffield!Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:49 Training Mode10:31 First Contact with Metroid15:14 Generalities27:21 Music and More Gameplay Stuff46:16 Rating52:14 Challengers Approach: Samus and Ridley01:05:49

Luke Sanderson on how his game Tiny Turnip, a crank-centric climbing metroidvania, grew from its sibling game, Turnip Mountain! How'd he land on the game's unique mechanics? And why a turnip? PLUS: level design, difficulty balancing, and collaborating with composer Isabelle Chiming.

Side Quests is back and so is host Case Aiken! He is a podcaster, writer, actor and member of the Belmont clan! The game he is talking about today is Castlevania: Circle of the Moon by Konami. You can also find this host's podcasts on CertainPOV.com. We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus podcasts, reviews, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Spotify! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here!

This week on Nintendo Therapy, Kevin and Harrison dive into the chaotic charm of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror — a Metroidvania twist on the classic series with multiple Kirbys, a corrupted mirror world, and some surprisingly deep speedrunning cred. We explore its unique development history, visual flair, and whether Missile Kirby is just a little too OP.Plus:Did Sakurai try to negotiate Kirby Air Ride 2 instead of another Smash?Harrison's got thoughts on recent Nintendo decisions (and kicks off our new Nintendo Therapy Couch segment).Harris has lost the feels for exploring and Kevin sets out to conquer his backlog. A fun, thoughtful episode full of nostalgia, rumors, and maybe a pitch for Dark Souls Kirby.#NintendoTherapy #KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror #Kirby #NintendoPodcast #Metroidvania #Sakurai #HALLaboratory #KirbyAirRide #GameBoyAdvance #NintendoRumors #RetroGaming #KirbyFans #NintendoSwitch

Depois de falarmos dele na semana passada, Jeje agora também experimentou da escalada cooperativa em Peak e traz suas impressões. A gente também fala de The Alters, o novo jogo do pessoal da 11bit, uma prévia de Shadow Labyritnh (o Metroidvania da versão de Pac-Man presente em Secret Level) e mais.Participantes:Jeje PinheiroHeitor De PaolaAssuntos abordados:08:00 - The Alters44:00 - Peak54:00 - Projected Dreams1:02:00 - Prévia de Shadow Labyrinth1:22:00 - Donkey Kong 64Links citados:- Camise do Overloadr n'As BaratasVai comprar jogos na Nuuvem? Use o link de afiliado do Overloadr!Use nosso link de filiado ao fazer compras na Amazon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the planet also forbidden?The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is back in control and it has chosen the one-and-only game that will ever be developed by Typhoon Studios. Published by 505 Games, this first-person title is billed as "action-adventure" but feels a bit more like "exploration-survival" to us. If you start with inspiration from Far Cry, add comedy science fiction films, and then mix that with Metroidvania elements, you may start to form an idea of what playing this game could be like. Fortunately for you, Tom and Chris have each dedicated an hour of their busy schedules to do some real reconnaissance on this wild world and are ready to determine if this interstellar investigation warrants increased investment. Join our duo as they discuss and find out if this savage planet is worth your time!What do you think? Let us know!Hit us up on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tc1h1dOr on Threads at https://www.threads.net/@tc1h1dDrop us an email at tc.1h1d(at)outlook[dot]comFollow us on Goodpods @1h1dCheck out our fancy site: https://quitthebuild.com/1h1dWatch the video: https://bit.ly/1H1DYTThanks for taking this ride with us :-)

Depois de falarmos dele na semana passada, Jeje agora também experimentou da escalada cooperativa em Peak e traz suas impressões. A gente também fala de The Alters, o novo jogo do pessoal da 11bit, uma prévia de Shadow Labyritnh (o Metroidvania da versão de Pac-Man presente em Secret Level) e mais.Participantes:Jeje PinheiroHeitor De PaolaAssuntos abordados:08:00 - The Alters44:00 - Peak54:00 - Projected Dreams1:02:00 - Prévia de Shadow Labyrinth1:22:00 - Donkey Kong 64Links citados:- Camise do Overloadr n'As BaratasVai comprar jogos na Nuuvem? Use o link de afiliado do Overloadr!Use nosso link de filiado ao fazer compras na Amazon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most intriguing Metroidvania's in recent years has to be the announcement of Bandai Namco's Shadow Labyrinth, not only because it looks cool, but because it's a wildly different take on the standard Pac-Man genre. Yes, that Pac-Man, the one who eats pucks and runs away from ghosts! Reimagined as a gritty Metroidvania, this game sees you control an unnamed Swordsman, traversing a giant maze, and combining with Puck, a floating orb companion, to unleash powerful attacks! We were excited about the game when it was announced, and our friends at Bandai Namco must have noticed, because they have supplied us with a demo copy of the game that we had Doominal take for a test drive! We're talking about his experiences with the demo, which you can watch in full here, and what worked and didn't! We're also playing a fun game of Metroid A-Z, inspired by Nintendo's awful Nintendo Today app, so come hang out!   Visit OmegaMetroid.com!   Subscribe! Podbean x iTunes x Spotify x YouTube Support us on Patreon! Omega Metroid Patreon Buy Omega Metroid Merch! Check out our Etsy merch shop! Download the Omega Metroid Theme Song! Get the Single for Free on Bandcamp! Follow us! @OmegaMetroid x @Spiteri316 x @DoominalCross x Omega Metroid Team Member Starter Pack Chat with us in Discord! Omega Metroid Discord Advertise on the Omega Metroid Podcast!

Deze talkshow wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door MSI. Alle meningen in deze video zijn onze eigen. MSI heeft inhoudelijk geen inspraak op de content en zien de video net als jullie hier voor het eerst op de site.Het weekend staat voor de deur. En het belooft lekker weer te gaan worden. Misschien zelfs iets te warm in sommige regio's. Hoe fijn is het dan om iets op je oren te hebben als je straks op het strand of bij de plassen ligt. Vanuit een erg warme studio presenteren wij een nieuwe editie van Einde van de Week Live. Drie hosts, te weten Huey, Koos en Shelly gaan de discussie aan over een groot aantal onderwerpen. Bijvoorbeeld de Donkey Kong Bananza Direct van afgelopen woensdag. Wat vonden ze daarvan? Wat vinden ze van de enthousiaste previews van Borderlands 4? Dit alles en meer komt voorbij in de Einde van de Week Live van vrijdag 20 juni 2025.Wat vonden we van de Donkey Kong Bananza Direct?Er gebeurde deze week veel. Activision wist bijvoorbeeld niet hoe snel ze moesten melden dat Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 geen wall running en jetpacks zou hebben. Waarom was dat zo'n issue? Kojima meldde dat de eerste playtest zo positief uitpakte voor het verhaal, dat hij de boel meteen herschreef. Waarom? En die nieuwe God of War Metroidvania game wordt uitgesteld. Is dit een game die we in de gaten gaan houden of zitten we niet te wachten op Kratos in een Metroidvania? En zit Kratos er wel in?Profiteer van fijne kortingen op bijvoorbeeld de Vector 16 HX en maak kans op 250 cadeaukaart bij de ‘Upgrade Jouw Zomer' actieDe ‘E3'-periode is een speciale tijd. Een waar zomers spektakel voor gamers. En dus dachten MSI en Bol, hoe kunnen we deze mensen extra blij maken? De uitkomst is de ‘Upgrade Jouw Zomer actie'. Wat houdt de actie in? Heel simpel. Bij de aankoop van een MSI laptop met een RTX 4070 videokaart of hoger aan boord (en ja, de 50-serie hoort daar ook bij), pak jij fijne kortingen EN je maakt kans op een zomerse Bol.com cadeaukaart ter waarde van 250 euro. Kun je mooi een nieuwe zwembroek, een koelbox of parasol kopen. De actie is hier te vinden. Have fun.Krijg 120 euro exclusieve korting op de 27 inch UHD 4K monitor van LG UltraGearLG UltraGear heeft een toffe actie exclusief voor de Gamekings community opgezet. De 27-inch UHD 4K (3840x2160) Nano IPS Black display is namelijk met een korting van 120 euro verkrijgbaar voor onze community. Dit model is de eerste 27-inch gamingmonitor ter wereld met 4K-resolutie en 240Hz refreshrate en biedt daarmee in onze ogen een erg wrede en soepele spelervaring voor gamers, vooral voor liefhebbers van FPS-titels. Interesse, vul hier bij aankoop de code ‘gamekings' in het vakje bij vouchers.Timestamps:00:00:00 Einde van de Week Live van 20 juni00:00:23 Huishoudelijke mededeling: MSI00:04:27 Shelly heeft een Switch 2 gekocht. Gaat Huey er een halen als Bananza uitkomt? 00:07:14 Donkey Kong Bananza.00:18:24 Verkoop third party games Switch 2 zeer laag, alleen Cyberpunk 2077 scoort goed.00:24:33 Mario Kart World had een ontwikkel team van meer dan 300 mensen.00:28:06 Dit is te zien in de metro van Londen...00:31:43 Xbox gaat dus toch door met consoles maken, met AMD samen. Een PC-like apparaat met een open store beleid.00:37:13 Eerste Borderlands 4 previews zijn immens positief. ‘Eindelijk weer een ouderwetse Borderlands'00:39:25 NetEase komt met nieuwe game: Blood Message.00:44:36 BULLETTÎME 00:47:46 Dit zijn allemaal games met een Aziatische setting die de komende tijd uit gaan komen.00:51:14 Call of Duty Black Ops 7 krijgt geen wall running en jetpacks.00:53:07 Capcom Showcase komt eraan: 26 juni.00:57:29 De reacties op het verhaal van Dead Stranding 2 waren zo positief dat Kojima het verhaal heeft herschreven.01:01:46 Onaangekondigde God of War Metroidvania game doorgeschoven naar 2026.01:05:42 Stellar Blade is groot succes momenteel op PC.01:07:14 Er komt een coop mode in Hitman.01:07:22 Skate komt deze zomer uit.

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we start a new game in our series on independent games with 2004's Cave Story. We briefly set the game in its time, talk a little about its developer, and then talk about the game proper. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played: A couple of hours Issues covered: freeware vs democratized indie dev and publishing, Japanese independent development, an indie darling, likely antecedents, 2004 in review, the end of a cycle, standing out in a stacked year, sticking it out, breaking through onto Nintendo platforms, early independent success on the Switch platform, influences and what's in the mix, weapon leveling, more story than expected, characters and dialog, more adventure, having a mess of villagers, setting up mysteries, merging lots of elements into their story and interactions, a spike at the end, adding puzzle-y elements, keys and keys that are not keys, threads of characters and relationships, something that is more than a MetroidVania, a skill-based game, "you're a really good person," forgetting a console came out, having the opportunity to play off-the-beaten path games, not needing a map, the dangers of categorization, how the platforming feels, fear of skill-based need, becoming one with the controller, an emotional response, empathetic response, catharsis, building the dam and breaking it, graceful building, manipulation in art, can a movie version work vs the interactivity, shock in literary fiction. Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Nintendo Switch, Fez, Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya, Cara Ellison, Downwell, Wii, Crystal Dynamics, Super Meatboy, Metroid, Nifflas, Knytt, n/n+/n++, Pixeljunk (series), Q-Games, Dylan Cuthbert, World of Warcraft, Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines, Halo 2, Half-Life 2, The Sims 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Doom 3, Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal, Silent Hill 4: The Room, GTA: San Andreas, Far Cry, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Knights of the Old Republic 2, Star Wars: Battlefront, Pikmin 2, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Jak 3, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Katamari Damacy, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Republic Commando, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, WiiWare/DSi, PS Vita, Net Yaroze, Nicalis, Castlevania, MegaMan, CapCom, Bionic Commando, Sega, Sonic (series), Square Enix, Zelda (series), Final Fantasy IX, Dark Souls (series), The Seven Samurai, Firewatch, Animal Well, Spelunky (series), Hollow Knight, Gone Home, Ashton Herrmann, Last of Us, Shadow of the Colossus, Shakespeare, Outer Wilds, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia.  Next time: Finish Cave Story Twitch Discord DevGameClub@gmail.com

This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick tap into their inner chakras and dive headfirst into the gorgeously animated, spirit-infused world of Indivisible. When teenage hothead Ajna finds her village burned to the ground and a mysterious power awakened within her, she does what any emotionally stable protagonist would do—she sets off on a globe-spanning quest for vengeance and self-discovery. Along the way, she accidentally starts collecting souls like they're Pokémon, storing an increasingly chaotic cast of characters in her mind palace like it's a supernatural Airbnb. Can Dave survive the spiritual and emotional growth demanded by Ajna's quest, or will he be too distracted by the fact that one of the party members fights with a giant living yo-yo? And will Nick ever stop trying to perfect-parry everything, including environmental hazards? Join them as they punch gods in the face, question cosmic morality, and try to remember which button makes you slide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob, Janet, Patrick, and Chia are back together for another episode of Remap Radio, starting with Janet kicking a hornet's nest by asking: “Hey, what's up with the genre Metroidvania?” We also talk through Nintendo's decision to not send any Switch 2s to the media ahead of its launch and the GeoGuessr community successfully organizing and fighting back. (We recorded ahead of the Blank Panther news, BTW.) We've also played a bunch of games, including Elden Ring: Neightreign, Deliver at All Costs, Haneda Girl, and of course, more Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.Discussed: Major media outlets will not have Nintendo Switch 2 reviews at launch 23:29, Geoguesser Community Boycotts Esports World Cup 49:59, Rob's Vacation 1:01:48, Lines of Battle 1:14:10, Elden Ring Nightrein 1:23:05, Shotgun Copman 1:37:30, Hopshot! 1:39:20, Shotgun Copman 1:47:24, Clair Obscur 1:49:19, Haneda Girl 1:58:03, Deliver at All Cost 1:59:08, The Question Bucket 2:09:21See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our next 2.5D platformer is another classic PlayStation adventure. We're talking about Tomba! which was developed by Whoopee Camp and released in North America on July 16, 1998. Leap, bite, and throw your way across stunning 2.5D landscapes on a quest to overcome a deplorable cadre of nefarious pigs.The brothers enjoyed the unique event system which brought RPG and Metroidvania elements to the 2.5D genre, but did acknowledge that it was easy to get lost at times. Pete and Tom have vastly different opinions on the music of Bacchus Village, but do agree that the inventory system was brutal. Ant references the classic brothers Eli Manning inside joke when talking about the evil pig boss battles.For this week's poll, the brothers are asking which event from the game would you rather do? a) Assist in healing Baron the dog to gain teleportation abilities.b) Help your monkey friend Charles find his pants to acquire the parasol and learn to swim.c) Do all of the pump rock tasks to restore the tree of knowledge and learn the answers to all your questions.Follow us onX @BrosBossBattlesYouTube @BrosBossBattlesInstagram @BrosBossBattleshttps://brothersandbossbattles.com/

Part 2 guide for newcomers to video games! The gents are exploring additional genres that are beginner-friendly. They discuss what makes each genre approachable and recommend specific titles to help players develop familiarity and skills. Catch the stream on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/3v0podcast) Be our Friend on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/3v0Podcast) Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/3v0podcast/) Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/3v0Podcast) Peep our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0GSPhszNu0y5_yKMPNxC8w) Send us a message: 3v0PodcastTeam@gmail.com

Welcome to episode 63 of Shack Together! We're joined by special guest David Craddock to discuss his review of DOOM: The Dark Ages, who shares insights from his extensive time with the entry's new parry mechanics and combat mechanics. Afterward, we dive into everyone's favorite "DOOM: The Darth Plagueis" segment, where we compare and contrast the lore between DOOM and Star Wars universes, from ancient civilizations and powerful artifacts to legendary warriors and dimensional portals. In Story Time, we cover the crew's most recent PAX East previews including Shadow Labyrinth's Metroidvania-meets-Pac-Man approach and FBC: Firebreak's return to the Bureau of Control. Industry news brings significant developments with Take-Two's optimism for Nintendo Switch 2, Microsoft's 3% workforce reduction, and Sony's $1.7 billion share buyback program. We also discuss Palworld's monster glider removal and Epic Games' official Fortnite iOS submission. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!   Timestamps 00:01:09 NBA Playoffs Update   00:04:02 It's Shack Together!   00:04:42 David's Games: Doom: The Dark Ages, WWE 2K25   00:34:21 Joe's Games: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Fragpunk   00:42:47 Asif's Games: DOOM: The Dark Ages, Blue Prince, F-Zero 99   00:49:47 Doom: The Darth Plageuis   01:06:13 Story Time!   01:06:18 Previews: Tony Hawk 3+4, Shadow Lbyrinth, Hank: Drowning on Dry Land, Patapon 1+2, Battle Train, God Save Birmingham, FBC: Firebreak, Gex Trilogy   01:27:04 Reviews: DOOM: The Dark Ages, The Midnight Walk, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, Deedlee Doo! Carkour!   01:37:24 News: Mafia: The Old Country Release Date, Palword Concessions to Nintendo, NTDOY Sales Forecast, Bam Margera in THPS3+4, Fortnite Submitted to iOS   01:43:38 Industry News: Twitter AI, TTWO Q4 Earnings, Microsoft Layoffs, Super Mario World, Sony Supply Chain out of China, Sony Share Buyback   02:02:15 Community Notes     Articles mentioned in this episode DOOM: The Dark Ages review Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 preview Shadow Labyrinth PAX East preview FBC: Firebreak hands-on preview Bam Margera confirmed for THPS 3+4 Palworld removes monster glider mechanics Take-Two CEO on Nintendo Switch 2 Microsoft laying off 3% of workers Sony announces $1.7B share buyback Epic Games submits Fortnite to Apple

This week, we discuss GTA6 getting delayed, Nintendo's new Legal agreements, and our Favorite MetroidVania's!

This week on Arcade, Uno revisits Expedition 33 after logging more hours with it and digs into why it's a GOTY frontrunner. Chugs shares the scariest moments from his Silent Hill 3 playthrough and gives his thoughts on why Nine Sols might have the toughest bosses he's ever faced in a Metroidvania. The guys also run through the biggest releases hitting before the end of May, including Doom: The Dark Ages, Deliver At All Costs, and Elden Ring: Nightreign. Later on, the boys talk about the coolest things that stood out to them in the latest record-breaking GTA 6 trailer, Gears of War heading to PlayStation, the return of Ecco the Dolphin and reports that Half-Life 3 is not only real, but playable! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Burnie and Kerry Shawcross talk about his blind gmaing guides, Metroidvania, Switch Taste Tests, Ashley's cameo, Pope Francis's death, the fall of empires according to Jimmy Carr, a filled-up brain, the Millenial Saint, no new RWBY news, some old RWBY news, and what Kerry is working on these days.Support our podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/morningsomewhereFor the link dump visit: http://www.morningsomewhere.comFor merch, check out: http://store.morningsomewhere.com

Jeremy Parish, Nadia Oxford, Stuart Gipp, Chris Sims, and Kate Willaert kick off a new feature to play and discuss great metroidvania in depth. Play along and join the conversation! This time: we tackle the first half of the final true Castlevania game. Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more and join our Discord to take part in this ongoing metroidvania chat at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

He's not quite a knight, he's not quite a gladiator. He's just Rygar. And he's going to... defeat the Animalized Men Wriggling Eerily. Come join us in this proto-Metroidvania and we see what strange design decisions were made during the wild west era of early console gaming.

In this episode of 3V0, we descend into the beautifully haunting world of Hollow Knight. We're talking bug knights, sprawling underground kingdoms, and some of the most atmospheric gameplay in indie gaming. We explore the game's stunning art style, challenging mechanics, and deep (sometimes heartbreaking) lore. Catch the stream on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/3v0podcast) Be our Friend on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/3v0Podcast) Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/3v0podcast/) Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/3v0Podcast) Peep our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0GSPhszNu0y5_yKMPNxC8w) Send us a message: 3v0PodcastTeam@gmail.com

Guacamelee is an indie classic, that released by in 2013 from DrinkBox Studios. This action platformer is a stylish take on the Metroidvania genre and its story and vibes were inspired by Mexican-culture and folklore. You play as a young farmhand-turned-luchador, who escapes the world of the dead using a magical mask. As you traverse these gorgeous map zones, both in the world of the living and the dead, you fight the evil Calaca's minions and gain new powers to push further in hopes of rescuing your dear Lupita. In episode 43 of No Small Games, Kate and Emily return to this classic indie game to see how it holds up today! They discuss the design of the platforming and special combat abilities and, of course, dissect the Metroidvania-style map. They also share their thoughts on the representation of Mexican culture in Guacamelee, relative to the many diverse representations we see today in indie games. Timestamps 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:41 - Weekly Boss Battles 00:18:45 - Guacamelee Discussion 01:32:05 - Game Ratings 01:37:53 - One Small Thing 01:46:58 - Next Game Announcement Keep in touch with us on social media: Kate's Bluesky ✦ https://bsky.app/profile/katerblossom.bsky.social  Emily's Bluesky ✦ https://bsky.app/profile/aspecificegg.bsky.social  No Small Games Bluesky ✦ https://bsky.app/profile/nosmallgames.bsky.social  No Small Games Instagram ✦ https://www.instagram.com/nosmallgames  Want to learn more and weigh in on what games we should play in future episodes? Check us out and leave a game suggestion at nosmallgames.com

"It's the kind of thing that makes you glad you stopped and smelled the pine trees along the way, you know?"Rick is joined by Josh (Still Loading Podcast) once again to reach the end of 2019's Outer Wilds. The profundity offered by this game really snuck up on us, and the ending offers a feast of ideas and discussion points with which beautiful conversation can be had. Needless to say, we both love this game. Thank you for sticking around for the full series - please enjoy!Noclip Documentary on The Making of Outer WildsInterview with composer Andrew PrahlowClick on the following to find PPR on the web!PatreonJoin our DiscordBlueskyInstagram TikTokThank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

This week on The Free Cheese, you search and you action. Sega may be working toward its goal of transmedia takeover today, but the roots of the efforts follow back to 1987 on the Master System. In this episode, we look at Zillion and how Sega tried something different with a new property. It's also an opportunity for us to celebrate the unannounced Year of Metroid, so let's do that too.

Our yearly excursion into the realm of video games has brought us to Nintendo R&D1's classic action game, that helped define the Metroidvania genre as we know it.

"The pain of your absence is sharp and haunting, and I would give anything not to know it; anything but never knowing you at all (which would be worse)."The critical analysis of Outer Wilds continues this week as Rick and Josh (Still Loading Podcast) continue through the solar system! In this episode, Giant's Deep, Ember Twin, Brittle Hollow, and the Interloper are explored at length, and insight is gained into the Nomai - how they lived, what they valued, and their untimely fate. This ended up being a terrific discussion that spans not only the game, but how we can extract the lessons into our own lives. Please enjoy!Noclip Documentary on The Making of Outer WildsInterview with composer Andrew PrahlowClick on the following to find PPR on the web!PatreonJoin our DiscordBlueskyInstagram TikTokThank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Nintendo Direct Brings Exciting Surprises and New Gaming Features!The latest Nintendo Direct unveiled a treasure trove of announcements, from the mysterious Metroid Prime 4 to a revolutionary virtual game card system that transforms how families share their digital libraries. All before next week's Switch 2 Direct!Highlights include:- Metroid Prime 4 featuring new psychic abilities and alien races- A city-based Pokémon Legends game with the intriguing ZA Royale tournament- Dragon Quest 1 & 2 coming to Nintendo Switch- Shadow Labyrinth, a Pac-Man-inspired dark Metroidvania creative genre mashup- A family-friendly digital game sharing systemThe Direct also showcased creative genre mashups, including a Pac-Man-inspired dark Metroidvania and a rhythm-based roguelike, proving Nintendo's commitment to innovative gaming experiences.Tune in to hear our breakdown of these exciting announcements and more!

"Seems like only yesterday you joined the space program, and suddenly here you are, leaving on your first solo voyage."This week, Rick is joined by Josh (Still Loading Podcast) to begin a three-part analysis on Outer Wilds, a 2019 adventure game that captivated audiences (and me) with creativity and heart. Taking the role of The Hatchling, players explore a vast - and occasionally hostile - galaxy to gather data on the Nomai, an ancient race that disappeared under unclear circumstances. Mysteries abound, and with themes encompassing existentialism, religion, science, and community, Outer Wilds goes places players may not expect. We're both thrilled to be talking about this game. Please enjoy!Noclip Documentary on The Making of Outer WildsInterview with composer Andrew PrahlowClick on the following to find PPR on the web!PatreonJoin our DiscordBlueskyInstagram TikTokThank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Inspired By Metroid returns this week, as Andy and Zach get together to talk about a game somewhat light on Metroid references, but one with a deep connection to our community! Acclaimed developer of AM2R Milton Guasti joined Squid Shock Studios to make the wonderful Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, a Metroidvania that could best be described as Ōkami meets Hollow Knight, and this week, the guys get together and talk about what they like, areas they thought could be improved, the plethora of side quests and collectables, and so much more! If you're a fan of Metroidvania's, you'll want to check this one out! Don't forget to visit us on April 2nd as we live stream the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct alongside Alasyn from the The Zelda Cast on TZC's Twitch channel!   Visit OmegaMetroid.com!   Subscribe! Podbean x iTunes x Spotify x YouTube Support us on Patreon! Omega Metroid Patreon Buy Omega Metroid Merch! Check out our Etsy merch shop! Download the Omega Metroid Theme Song! Get the Single for Free on Bandcamp! Follow us! @OmegaMetroid x @Spiteri316 x @DoominalCross x Omega Metroid Team Member Starter Pack Chat with us in Discord! Omega Metroid Discord Advertise on the Omega Metroid Podcast!

As my full Arkham playthrough continues, we find ourselves at a new low with the game most people forget even exists: Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, the downloadable side-scrolling Metroidvania that's 90% tedious, 10% interesting. In many ways it feels like a bonus little side story to Arkham Origins and not an essential entry, so it's easy to see why it's often forgotten about; though, the fact it isn't that great of a game (probably) doesn't help either. It's biggest crime, however, is its desire to stay too true to the Arkham formula, instead of trying to find an identity of its own.

Alex and Luke Talk Elden Ring.In this episode, Alex and Luke finally tackle Elden Ring, FromSoftware's 2022 open-world epic that took the gaming world by storm. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, with worldbuilding contributions from George R.R. Martin, Elden Ring expands the Soulsborne formula into a sprawling, unforgiving landscape—the Lands Between—where death is certain, but victory is oh so sweet. At the time of this recording, Elden Ring holds a Metacritic score of 96, solidifying its place as one of the highest-rated games of all time. According to HowLongToBeat, a standard playthrough takes around 60 hours (a complete and utter lie), while completionists can expect well over 134+ hours of brutal bosses, deep lore, and relentless challenge. Both Alex and Luke played on Xbox Series X, comparing notes on their builds, the moments that broke them, and the bosses that left them questioning their life choices. From first steps into Limgrave to taking down some of Elden Ring's most infamous enemies, they share their highs, lows, and what makes this game such a landmark title. This episode is unofficially brought to you in part by Banging with the Bros. Send us a Text Message! We'll respond on our next episode!Support the show​​Visit us at LowFiveGaming.com.Join the Low Five Discord!Email us at hello@lowfivegaming.com.Theme music is by AJ Norman. Design assets were created by Studio Day Job.Low Five Gaming is a Studio Low Five Production.

This podcast episode is a detailed discussion about the video game Portal, exploring its innovative puzzle mechanics, narrative style, and cultural impact. The boys delve into the game's development history, particularly how it evolved from a student project to a major Valve release. They highlight Portal's clever writing, dark humor, and the iconic character GLaDOS, praised for her witty one-liners and deadpan delivery. The episode also touches on the seamless integration of gameplay mechanics with storytelling, the memorable "Companion Cube," and the dystopian yet comedic tone that makes Portal a standout title in gaming culture. Catch the stream on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/3v0podcast) Be our Friend on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/3v0Podcast) Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/3v0podcast/) Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/3v0Podcast) Peep our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0GSPhszNu0y5_yKMPNxC8w) Send us a message: 3v0PodcastTeam@gmail.com

This week on Arcade, Chugs and Uno talk web-slinging in Spider-Man 2, the latest Pokémon TCG set Triumphant Light, and the roguelike Metroidvania game, Stars of Providence. Uno also shares more of his Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii adventures and reveals his next big challenge—beating every Donkey Kong game ever made. Later on, the boys break down the latest Pokémon Presents showcase, including the reveal of Pokémon Legends Z-A and Pokémon Champions. In gaming news, the Fable reboot gets pushed to 2026, a new Terminator 2 arcade game is on the way, and the creator of PUBG is back with a $20 survival game that is "as hard a survival game as you can make." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Title: Super Metroid (スーパーメトロイド, Sūpā Metoroido) [Wikipedia] [IMDb] Developers: Nintendo R&D1, Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo Designers: Yoshio Sakamoto (director), Makoto Kano (producer) Platforms: Super Nintendo Entertainment System Release date: March 19, 1994 (JP) PROMO: Collateral Cinema Movie Podcast (@CCinemaPodcast) SHOWNOTES: For our fiftieth episode of Collateral Gaming, we decided we needed to do something special. So, we're finally diving into the 1994 SNES classic: Super Metroid! Considered by many one of the greatest video games of all time, this title in part established the "Metroidvania" genre and remains popular in the speedrunning community to this day. So, join Ash and Zach in Part 1 of our review of the third installment of the Metroid series, and stay tuned for Part 2 very soon! Collateral Gaming is on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Threads, and Twitter, and is on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, iHeart, Chill Lover Radio, and wherever else you get your podcasts! Also, check out Collateral Let's Play! on our YouTube channel. Collateral Media merch is now available on TeePublic! Check out everything from shirts and hats, to stickers and even tapestries, at our affiliate link now: teepublic.com/stores/collateral-media-group (Collateral Gaming is a Collateral Media Podcast. Intro song is a license-free beat by Quality_Online_Media from Pixabay. All music and game clips are owned by their respective creators and are used for educational purposes only. Please don't sue us; we're poor!)

Jurandir Filho, Felipe Mesquita, João Pimenta, Evandro de Freitas e Bruno Carvalhobatemum papo sobre "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night", um divisor de águas na franquia Castlevania e nos jogos de ação e exploração em geral. Desenvolvido pela Konami, o jogo se afastou do estilo linear de seus antecessores e introduziu um vasto mapa interconectado, inspirado na série "Metroid", dando origem ao termo “Metroidvania”. Mesmo décadas após seu lançamento, ele continua sendo um dos jogos mais influentes de todos os tempos, servindo de referência para inúmeros títulos modernos do gênero.No jogo, o gamer assume o papel de Alucard, filho de Drácula, que retorna ao castelo de seu pai para impedir uma ameaça misteriosa. Diferente dos protagonistas anteriores, Alucard não depende apenas de um chicote, mas de uma variedade de armas, magias e habilidades que podem ser adquiridas ao longo da jornada. Além disso, elementos de RPG foram adicionados, permitindo ao jogador subir de nível, equipar itens e desenvolver estratégias para enfrentar os inimigos. A jogabilidade fluída, combinada com um design de fases não-linear e repleto de segredos, incentivou a exploração e a experimentação. A reviravolta do castelo invertido, que dobra o tamanho do jogo ao revelar uma nova versão espelhada do mapa, se tornou um dos momentos mais icônicos da história dos videogames.Essa é mais uma edição da nossa série Remakes!=- Gosta do 99Vidas? Quer escutar um podcast EXTRA toda semana? Venha fazer parte do nosso clube de assinatura! São mais de 300 edições EXCLUSIVAS! Sai uma edição nova toda sexta-feira!!! Assine clicando aqui!- ALURA | Estude na Alura, a maior escola de tecnologia on-line do Brasil! Acesse o nosso link e ganhe 15% de desconto na matrícula! https://alura.com.br/99vidas

Al and Codey talk about Sugardew Island Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:01:53: What Have We Been Up To 00:08:25: Game News 00:13:01: New Games 00:22:02: Sugardew Island 01:09:09: Outro Links Song of the Prairie “1.2” Update Fields of Mistria “2nd Major” Update Outbound Roadmap Elusive People Bug & Seek Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/ Transcript (0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season. (0:00:35) Al: My name is Al and we are here today to talk about cottagecore games. (0:00:36) Codey: - And my name is Cody. (0:00:42) Codey: Oh woo. (0:00:46) Codey: Oh yeah. (0:00:47) Codey: Ow, ow, ow. (0:00:48) Al: All right, this episode, we are going to talk about Sugardew Island because as mentioned (0:00:49) Codey: Gotta do it the right way. (0:00:56) Al: in the last episode, it is not out except if you’re a Kickstarter backer, in which case (0:01:02) Al: it is kind of out. So I was a Kickstarter backer for some reason, so I got my code and (0:01:02) Codey: Mm-hmm, okay (0:01:08) Al: I have been playing it for the past week. So we’re going to talk about that. I’ve got (0:01:13) Al: some thoughts and I’m sure Cody will have some questions. (0:01:18) Codey: Probs. (0:01:19) Al: And then we can never mention the game again. Sound good? (0:01:21) Codey: Wow. (0:01:22) Codey: Yep. (0:01:23) Codey: Sounds good to me. (0:01:24) Codey: I’m sure we’ll have to mention like updates and stuff for news purposes, but (0:01:24) Al: All right. (0:01:26) Al: No. No. No, I don’t think… I mean, we’ll get patches with bug fixes, but it’s not good. (0:01:29) Codey: nah, okay, cool. (0:01:36) Codey: and we’re never not even gonna mention it though. (0:01:37) Al: They’re not going to add in. Well, we don’t tend to mention updates unless they actually (0:01:42) Al: include new stuff. There’s going to be no update including new stuff, let’s be honest. (0:01:46) Codey: OK. (0:01:48) Codey: Sounds good. (0:01:49) Al: We’ll see. We also have a bunch of news to talk about, but first of all, Cody, (0:01:55) Al: what have you been up to? (0:01:56) Codey: I realized the other day that I, this, this is the year that everything has flipped on (0:02:06) Codey: its head because all of the other years, every time I looked at a mobile game for this podcast, (0:02:11) Al: Yeah, I was going to say, Cody, this is a list of four mobile games in your world we’ve (0:02:12) Codey: I was like, I can’t wait to get rid of this game. (0:02:15) Codey: And I now have four different mobile games. (0:02:21) Codey: All of which, all of which I can blame on this podcast. (0:02:21) Al: been up to. (0:02:26) Codey: Even though we didn’t cover Pokemon Pocket, y’all talking about it is why I ended up getting (0:02:34) Codey: it. (0:02:35) Codey: So been playing that every day, got to play at least, you know, like twice a day to get (0:02:38) Codey: my, my stuff. (0:02:41) Codey: Johnny convinced me to play pocket camp. (0:02:43) Codey: So I’m doing that. (0:02:44) Codey: I am now, I think level like 63, I think initially when I talked to him about it, it was 41. (0:02:51) Codey: So you don’t necessarily level up that easy. (0:02:54) Codey: So that’s a yikes for me. (0:02:57) Codey: I would say if people are interested, the like used to be pay paid currency, you get (0:03:03) Codey: it really easily. (0:03:04) Al: Hm. Nice. (0:03:05) Codey: So I currently have like 854 of them and you can use like five of them to like skip things. (0:03:14) Codey: So it’s, it’s easy, like it’s, it’s, it’s good. (0:03:20) Codey: And I opened that and that was a mistake. (0:03:22) Codey: And then honeygrove, I’m still playing that. (0:03:26) Codey: Half of my map unlocks and I’m just kind of still doing the daily quests. (0:03:31) Codey: And then in mini mini farm, I am in the third, the third area now in the third area is like (0:03:33) Al: Minimini. (0:03:37) Al: Oh, nice. (0:03:38) Codey: a desert. (0:03:39) Codey: And then there’s an underground part of the desert where there’s like mushrooms. (0:03:42) Al: Have you got any answers yet? (0:03:46) Codey: So not really, there’s still a lot of like questions about where did the people go? (0:03:51) Codey: And there’s like these weird alien looking machines everywhere. (0:03:55) Codey: kind of like more and more. (0:03:56) Codey: The more you go through the game. (0:03:59) Codey: And in this last one, there is a cactus who that’s moving. (0:04:04) Codey: And as you like, you kind of follow the cactus and then walk into it. (0:04:10) Codey: And it it’s, it’s a person that has been turned into a cactus and they (0:04:13) Al: Oh, oh. (0:04:15) Codey: keep forgetting the conversation. (0:04:17) Codey: And so the conversation has a loop, like where they’re halfway through. (0:04:22) Codey: They’re like, wait, who are you? (0:04:24) Codey: Wait, what’s going on? (0:04:25) Codey: And then it starts back over. (0:04:27) Codey: But yeah, I’m so I’m still very intrigued and I still am playing (0:04:33) Codey: it every day, um, and I have no complaints there. (0:04:37) Codey: So I, and I’ve been wanting to play another game that I will, that (0:04:42) Codey: we will talk about later. (0:04:43) Codey: I just have to, I say, I have to convince myself to buy it. (0:04:47) Codey: It’s more that I have to move the money that I need for it into, (0:04:51) Codey: out of my savings account because I want, I know I want it. (0:04:53) Al: fair enough uh yeah i’ve been buying pocket as well uh just kind of chugging along open (0:04:56) Codey: Yeah. (0:04:57) Codey: What about you? (0:04:58) Codey: Well, what about you? (0:05:05) Al: impacts planes and battles um I have also been continuing to play harvest me home sweet home (0:05:10) Al: I am very close to finishing the story in that game um i’m in chat no i’ve just been playing a (0:05:13) Codey: Oh wow, okay. Is it because the story is small? (0:05:17) Codey: Okay. (0:05:19) Al: a lot. So I’m in chapter nine of 10. (0:05:20) Codey: Good. (0:05:23) Al: So yeah, we’ll see how that goes. I think I’ve got one thing. I’m about to get married (0:05:30) Al: and I think that finishes chapter nine. And so I’ll see how I’ll see what chapter 10 is. (0:05:32) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:05:35) Codey: Very nice probably like babies I would have (0:05:36) Al: So I don’t think this game has babies. We’ll see. (0:05:48) Al: and also, obviously, Shuguju Island. (0:05:51) Al: » Yeah. (0:05:54) Al: Which I’ll talk about more later and I’m currently debating whether to play to go do my home decks for sword and shield, which is the one that I’ve not finished yet because they just released. (0:06:06) Al: The completion reward for that one, but I’m still debating like do I want to do that just now because I do want the shiny keldio and I’d like to get it quickly. (0:06:12) Codey: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Then it sounds like it’s a yes. (0:06:18) Al: But, but, but am I going to burn myself out on Pokemon? (0:06:23) Al: What’s the problem? (0:06:23) Codey: Mm. Have you ever burned yourself out on Pokemon? Oh, wow. Well, then, yeah, there you go. Maybe, (0:06:27) Al: Yes, regularly. (0:06:31) Codey: uh, I mean, I think is it like something that’s only available for a short amount of time? (0:06:36) Al: No. (0:06:36) Codey: No, then just don’t worry about it. (0:06:38) Al: Well, yeah, but what if? (0:06:39) Codey: what if what what if the what if (0:06:42) Codey: uh my country declares war on everyone and nuclear strikes everyone tomorrow like (0:06:48) Al: Well, yeah, but there’s nothing I can do about that, though, is there? (0:06:50) Al: But there is something I can do about this, which is do it. (0:06:53) Codey: okay I was gonna just make a comment of you never know what’s gonna happen so (0:06:58) Al: No, you don’t exactly. (0:06:59) Al: So you have to. (0:07:00) Al: But it’s about balancing which things you can do, (0:07:02) Al: something about it, which things you can’t. (0:07:03) Al: I can’t do anything about nuclear war. (0:07:04) Codey: Yeah, you, you, uh, have you heard the hostile government takeover song? (0:07:06) Al: Other than what I’ve already done, I can do something about this. (0:07:11) Al: Yes. (0:07:12) Codey: I love that song. (0:07:13) Codey: It’s now on Spotify. (0:07:14) Codey: If you, uh, if people want, it’s such a good song. (0:07:19) Codey: Uh, that’s fair. (0:07:21) Codey: I was trying to be devil’s advocate, but no, you’ve convinced me. (0:07:24) Codey: Yeah. (0:07:24) Codey: Why don’t you play it? (0:07:26) Al: Anyway, my point is, I need to do something because I’m not going to continue playing (0:07:26) Codey: Get your fill your home decks. (0:07:32) Al: Suga Jai Island after today. And well, maybe we’ll see. And I think I’m about to finish (0:07:38) Al: Harvest Moon Sweet Home. So I’ll need something else to play. And there’s lots of things to (0:07:45) Al: play. But you know, I do like to fall back into the same things I have played. And I (0:07:54) Codey: big mood as is tradition (0:07:54) Al: need to procrastinate from playing the next. (0:07:56) Al: game for the podcast I’m going to be playing as well. (0:07:58) Al: well. Yeah, this is true. (0:08:05) Codey: except for the like very rare once a year ones that we’ve been waiting for forever that (0:08:10) Al: Yeah, yeah. I definitely managed to do enough Sugardew Island, I didn’t (0:08:12) Codey: we play immediately so (0:08:16) Al: procrastinate with that too much, I managed to get what I needed done in the (0:08:19) Al: last week, so. Well, nor should you. So let’s talk about the news then. Up first (0:08:20) Codey: which is good because I did not play it. (0:08:23) Codey: So, uh, (0:08:29) Al: we have Song of the Prairie, they have released their 1.2 update which (0:08:35) Al: Which includes the story for year 3 in the game. (0:08:40) Al: A praying festival. (0:08:42) Codey: yeah which they said is like you send lanterns up into the sky (0:08:47) Codey: um to pray for people or love or something I don’t know it’s a thing people do but it (0:08:53) Codey: sounds like it’s gonna it looks really pretty because it’s just like a bunch of lanterns (0:08:58) Al: They’ve also added Oakcroft as their new crop, and they have announced that they (0:09:06) Al: are releasing a bottom-of-the-screen version of their game, Rusties-like, if (0:09:12) Al: you will, called Song of the Prairie Wonderland. Is it (0:09:13) Codey: a rusty like yup oh gosh that would who knows but because does it say on (0:09:20) Al: Song of the Prairie Wonderland on desktop? (0:09:29) Codey: desktop in capitals in this though they’re they’re English is definitely (0:09:30) Al: in this, it’s in the, yeah. (0:09:36) Codey: not their first language in the in the that show note not show notes why do I (0:09:43) Codey: go with what this is called release okay interesting that is a choice (0:09:44) Al: Oh, yeah, no, it’s yeah, it’s called Wonderland on Desktop. (0:09:49) Al: I just noticed they have a Steam page up for it. (0:09:53) Al: Interestingly, it doesn’t have Song of the Prairie in the name on Steam. (0:09:56) Codey: not not a not on laptop just desktop it’s probably on it (0:09:57) Al: It’s just called Wonderland on Desktop. (0:10:02) Al: I think it’s like your virtual desktop. (0:10:06) Al: Like the back, like that’s like the home screen. (0:10:10) Codey: Oh, okay, my brain is potato today I apologize that makes I mean (0:10:11) Al: It’s called the desktop, right? (0:10:15) Al: It says no missions, no target, no other requirements, (0:10:18) Al: just all kinds of crops, as it says, corpse. (0:10:22) Al: But I’m pretty sure that’s meant to be crops, (0:10:25) Al: because that’s a very different game, an undeveloped land. (0:10:26) Codey: all kinds of courses. Yeah. But yeah. Yeah. I’m here for it, man. I am so excited that (0:10:31) Al: Hmm, interesting. (0:10:33) Al: Continuing that genre. (0:10:40) Codey: to continue the bottom of the screen. I’m not going to get this, but I love to see it. (0:10:44) Al: Yeah, very. Next, we have Fields of Mistria have announced that their second major update, (0:10:53) Al: which we talked about in a previous episode, is coming on the 10th of March. (0:10:58) Codey: Al, are you ready for that sweet, sweet automation? (0:11:01) Al: Always. This comes out three days after Sugardew Island, so you need to decide, are you playing (0:11:02) Codey: That sweet, sweet sprinkler and the auto-petter? (0:11:06) Codey: Heavy. (0:11:09) Al: Sugardew Island or the Fields of Mistria update? (0:11:12) Codey: That is a difficult decision. (0:11:15) Al: There is a correct answer here. (0:11:15) Codey: Sarcasm. (0:11:19) Codey: Yeah. (0:11:20) Codey: And just a reminder, this update includes so many different (0:11:23) Codey: things, including a new festival, new quests, monsters, (0:11:26) Codey: Pets. (0:11:28) Codey: Uh, that sprinkler that I mentioned, different cosmetic options for you and (0:11:31) Codey: your pets, um, lots of different things coming out. (0:11:33) Codey: And again, this is a game that people really love. (0:11:35) Codey: So, uh, if you have been loving it, uh, keep loving it with more things. (0:11:42) Al: And Outbound have released their roadmap for the game, so this is the Campervan game. They (0:11:54) Al: have said that they’re planning for their release in the first half of 2026, their alpha (0:12:01) Al: coming in April this year, and the beta coming in the second half of this year. That is their (0:12:06) Codey: Yeah, and they’re still aiming to have multiplayer out in the alpha, so that would be in mark h1 wait April in April (0:12:06) Al: current roadmap. (0:12:18) Codey: so that people can play test that but they really just are needing a lot of play testers and (0:12:25) Codey: They have they show a couple things they’ve been developing (0:12:29) Codey: That look kind of cool, but so if you’re interested in that check the show now (0:12:36) Al: Yeah, it’s good. They had originally said the alpha would come out in the first half of the (0:12:41) Al: year and so coming out in April is encouraging based on that, right? They’re not just sneaking (0:12:45) Codey: It’s also, it’s accurate too. (0:12:47) Al: in at the end of the first half. (0:12:50) Codey: Yeah, that is part of the first half of the year. (0:12:52) Codey: We love accuracy. (0:12:53) Codey: We stand accuracy here, (0:12:55) Codey: specifically scientific accuracy. (0:12:58) Codey: We believe in science. (0:13:00) Codey: I just hate my government so much. (0:13:03) Codey: We have a couple of new games. (0:13:04) Al: don’t we all. Yes, so the first one is technically not a new game but I’m going to treat it like (0:13:11) Al: a new game because when they first announced it they announced basically nothing about it. (0:13:16) Al: So this is what was announced three years ago. It’s a new, the upcoming Chibig game. (0:13:22) Al: It was announced in the Chibig Direct three years ago as Illusive People. It’s now just (0:13:27) Al: called Illusive and they’ve actually given us some information about it other than just, (0:13:34) Al: all we knew was like oh you’re tiny. That was it. That’s all they had. So they’ve got (0:13:39) Al: the Kickstarter coming soon and they’ve got a bunch of information on the Kickstarter. (0:13:44) Al: It is, they are describing it as an adventure and exploration game with Metroidvania elements. (0:13:55) Al: Which I mean just a quick thought about that. I’m a bit confused as to how you can have (0:14:01) Al: metroidvania elements because it is my own (0:14:04) Al: understanding that the point of a metroidvania is to have a large sprawling map which requires (0:14:09) Al: upgrades and backtracking to finish. And I’m not sure how you kind of have that like you either (0:14:13) Codey: Mm hmm. Yeah, yeah, I think it’s probably just a semantics thing because I agree like, (0:14:17) Al: are that or not. (0:14:23) Codey: like my brain thinking when you say Metroidvania antics, I think platforming and I think like (0:14:29) Codey: you’re saying like, there’s things that are locked at first, and then you have to go back once you (0:14:33) Codey: acquire a certain thing. And then once you have, I mean, I don’t see how a game could have that (0:14:38) Codey: type of mechanic and not have it be like a major part of the genre. (0:14:43) Codey: Or like the defining genre of the game and therefore just be called a Metroidvania. (0:14:49) Codey: But who knows? Maybe they’ll make it happen. Maybe we’ll be shocked. But yeah. (0:14:50) Al: the illusives are tiny creatures that live in our homes hiding from us and borrowing whatever (0:14:59) Al: they need. Is this the Borrowers? Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how much of that actually (0:15:03) Codey: It’s the borrowers people. (0:15:04) Codey: I am shocked that this hasn’t been a game yet, honestly. (0:15:07) Codey: Like. (0:15:12) Al: affects anything. I mean it clearly is like you are in a house rather than like a cave system, (0:15:16) Al: So I guess that is the bit that makes it. (0:15:20) Al: Just a tiny person, rather than you’re just a person. (0:15:24) Codey: My brain thought I’m trying to think of like ways that the house could be locked to you and I just imagined like, because they mentioned there’s a cat. (0:15:34) Codey: I just imagined that like there’s a cat and that part way through the game you learn how to like make the cat like you. So then you can get past the cat. I think that’d be really cute. (0:15:44) Codey: But who knows. I mean, we’re gonna play it. It’s a chibi game. Come on. (0:15:48) Al: Yeah, for sure. I’ve bookmarked the Kickstarter like I’m backing at day one. Let’s not pretend (0:15:56) Al: anything here. They’ll presumably have some information about it when they launch the (0:15:56) Codey: Yeah. No, no news on when that’s launching, but it’s just launching soon. Um, do we. (0:16:04) Al: Kickstarter because they have to give an estimated date. If I had to predict, I would say next year. (0:16:08) Codey: Well, yeah. I mean the, the Kickstarter though, (0:16:12) Codey: like we don’t know when that is launching. It just says soon to you. (0:16:13) Al: Oh, right. Okay. Okay. The Kickstarter. Yeah. Yeah. It’ll probably be in the next month or so. (0:16:19) Codey: I’m going to say that it will be fully backed within nine hours. (0:16:27) Codey: Like between eight to nine hours. That’s my guess. Three hours. Wow. You’re going for it. (0:16:28) Al: Yeah. Three errors. (0:16:35) Codey: You’re going to personally back it so that it gets done in three hours. (0:16:38) Al: Yeah, I’m gonna bankroll it. Imagine if I had that. Imagine having that kind of money, (0:16:42) Codey: I need, I need to. Right. (0:16:44) Al: that’d be amazing. Just go, “Yes, make your game.” (0:16:48) Al: » [LAUGH] (0:16:49) Codey: Uh, the other notable thing was on the, like, they have a picture of physical editions already. (0:16:57) Codey: Um, and they below that they have switch one and two steam PlayStation five and Xbox series X. (0:17:02) Al: Yeah, so yeah, so there’s two, obviously there’s the Nintendo Switch 2 thing, right? (0:17:13) Al: Fine, a little bit presumptuous, but I’m sure whatever, like if they release a Nintendo Switch (0:17:18) Al: version and it’s backwards compatible on the two, then technically they can say they’ve (0:17:21) Al: released on Switch 2. Fine, whatever, it doesn’t really matter. It’s interesting they don’t mention (0:17:27) Al: Xbox Series S, because it is my understanding that you’re not allowed to release a game just (0:17:32) Al: on the X. It has to release on the S as well, because that has been like a sticking point for (0:17:35) Codey: » Yeah, I don’t know. (0:17:39) Al: a few people I’m releasing on Xbox. They’re like, oh, it’s a bit underpowered. I can’t quite get my (0:17:43) Al: game to work on it. And they’re like, we’ll talk. (0:17:46) Codey: Yeah, I don’t know ‘cause they don’t, (0:17:48) Codey: they specifically leave it out. (0:17:51) Codey: So I don’t know if they struck a deal (0:17:53) Codey: or if they just, it was an oopsie daisy (0:17:56) Codey: and it will come out on that, but we’ll keep that updated. (0:17:59) Al: “Can I be a little bit pedantic and say it doesn’t say Nintendo Switch 1 and 2. It says Nintendo Switch 1-2.” (0:18:04) Al: » Thank you. (0:18:04) Codey: Oh my gosh, there’s an intermediate switch switch switch one version to switch 1.2. I don’t know. (0:18:15) Codey: Yep, you’re right. (0:18:18) Al: Anyway, yep, looking forward to that, we will keep you updated. (0:18:21) Codey: Oh, but yeah, but not a woo because there’s one more game. So this is a game that I don’t even I think it was just like on Instagram. Instagram knows my algorithm really well. (0:18:22) Al: And there’s another game that Cody found. (0:18:34) Codey: And it was like, you should play this game. And it’s called bug and seek. And so this is a game that’s already out. I just we just hadn’t talked about it. At least I didn’t find it in anything it’s 1499 on steam and it can be Mac or PC and on switch and the blurb is blurb catch 200 plus real life bugs in this chill eight bit cozy creature collector. (0:18:58) Codey: You’ve bought the local bug zoo abandoned after a mysterious robbery catch bugs. (0:19:04) Codey: So this is a game that I’m probably immediately after this going to go move money into my out of my savings account into my regular accounts like buy it because I need to play this game. (0:19:21) Al: - What? (0:19:21) Codey: It just looks really cute. Like you’re going around catching bugs the bug like pages look really cute because it has like the scientists. (0:19:34) Codey: It has a specific name and the common name and it’s got like a lot of really cool facts and the idea of having a bug zoo. I mean we have an insect zoo for the entomology department here at my university and I’m the person who takes care of the critters. (0:19:49) Codey: The idea of just like moving into a town and becoming the muse, the bug zoo person is just chef’s kiss like I love that idea and you get to like build it up however you want so you get to like buy a terrarium (0:20:04) Codey: and then put that wherever you want in the in the space and kind of make it your own instead of just filling an already curated museum. (0:20:14) Codey: So I think it’s super cute and on Steam it’s part of a bundle called the creature. Oh my gosh. I need to double check this because I had it up and then I got rid of it but it was like the creature or something. (0:20:31) Codey: Create celebrate bugs bundle. (0:20:35) Codey: The celebrate bugs bundle. (0:20:40) Codey: Yeah. Oh, and they have an isopods DLC and a weevils DLC. And yeah, what more could you need, but it’s in that bundle and that bundle includes bug and seek a pico and webbed, which is a super cute game where you’re a jumper jumping spider. (0:20:59) Codey: One of the peacock jumpers, I think, or maybe you run into a peacock jumper, but you basically swing (0:21:04) Codey: Spider-Man style throughout the world and just adventure. (0:21:08) Codey: And I remember seeing this up this game and freaking out. (0:21:11) Codey: It is regrettably not available on Mac. (0:21:15) Codey: And I already have Apeco, but if you do not have any of these games and you’ve been wanting any (0:21:19) Codey: of them, why not get all of them for $38 and 22 cents and save 15%. (0:21:26) Codey: Are you going to play bug and seek? (0:21:28) Al: probably not. But I’m excited. I’m excited for you. Apparently this came out in 2013. (0:21:29) Codey: Okay. Well, listeners tell us who should. (0:21:35) Codey: Be on the podcast episode with me about bug and seek. (0:21:40) Codey: What’s I have released it 2023. (0:21:41) Al: That’s what I said. Did I? I meant to say 2023. (0:21:45) Codey: You said 2013. (0:21:49) Codey: Yeah, 2023 wild. (0:21:51) Codey: I don’t know how this has not been on my radar until now. (0:21:55) Codey: No idea, but I’m excited. (0:21:57) Al: Well, now you know. (0:22:00) Al: All right, that is the news. (0:22:03) Al: So we are now going to talk about the game of the moment. (0:22:07) Al: Game of the Year, lol. (0:22:10) Codey: No, redacted. (0:22:11) Al: Sugardew Island, I’m sure it will be mentioned in the Game (0:22:16) Al: of the Year episode. (0:22:20) Al: Because I list all the games that come out in the air. (0:22:22) Al: And yeah. (0:22:24) Codey: Mm-hmm. You played it. I didn’t. (0:22:24) Al: So. Oh, boy, did I. (0:22:27) Al: Play this game. Right. (0:22:28) Al: So where do I start with this? (0:22:33) Al: Oh, OK. (0:22:34) Al: Cody’s just posted the blog post of the blurb. (0:22:37) Al: So apparently that’s where I’m starting in this code in this cozy farming game. (0:22:38) Codey: you don’t have to if you don’t. (0:22:41) Al: You have to run your own farm shop, take care of your animals and your farm. (0:22:45) Al: So your goods to the cute forest folk upgrade the island and fulfill small (0:22:50) Al: orders from the Harmony Tree to fill the island with life again. (0:22:54) Al: And let me tell you, that is all technically (0:22:57) Al: true. (0:22:58) Codey: Wow okay. Not the… there are no lies but not maybe the main part of the game. (0:23:00) Al: There are no lies there. (0:23:06) Al: No, no, no, it’s it’s this. (0:23:07) Codey: Okay. (0:23:09) Al: OK, right. Well, it’s I think it’s hard for me to give a good (0:23:10) Codey: Let’s dive into it. (0:23:14) Al: overview without just kind of going into the details. (0:23:16) Codey: Okay. (0:23:18) Al: But essentially, yeah, you have this island (0:23:21) Al: which it calls five, no, six different islands, but it’s not because they’re all (0:23:27) Al: island. They’re connected by land. (0:23:30) Al: There is there’s no bridges between them. (0:23:32) Al: There’s no water between. (0:23:33) Al: This is one island, right? (0:23:34) Al: I don’t know why it calls it multiple islands. (0:23:36) Al: Whatever doesn’t matter. (0:23:38) Al: You have Farm Island. (0:23:40) Al: I think that’s what they call the main one. (0:23:42) Al: And then you have let me get the exact (0:23:44) Al: names of these different islands for you because you need to hear them. (0:23:49) Al: We have so. (0:23:51) Al: Yeah, Farm Island. (0:23:53) Al: So technically this Seven Islands, because it’s Farm Island, (0:23:57) Al: forest island, bunny island, piggy island, deer island, ferret island and owl island. (0:24:04) Al: And it’s kind of shaped like an animal’s paw. (0:24:08) Codey: Oh, okay. (0:24:09) Al: On the map with like Farm Island at the bottom, that is, can you guess what’s there? (0:24:13) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:24:14) Codey: A farm. (0:24:15) Al: That’s your farm. (0:24:17) Al: And then in the middle is forest island. (0:24:19) Al: Can you guess what’s there? (0:24:19) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:24:21) Codey: Um, the desert, the forest. (0:24:24) Al: No. (0:24:25) Al: There’s actually not many trees there. (0:24:27) Al: But one big tree. (0:24:28) Codey: Oh, so it’s a, it’s a. (0:24:30) Al: There are more trees on my farm than there are in the forest. (0:24:33) Al: And then spreading out like the toes of the paw or the bunny island, (0:24:38) Al: piggy island, deer island, ferret island and owl island. (0:24:42) Al: And those all have animals on them. (0:24:45) Codey: Yeah. (0:24:48) Al: So you start off with, I think, one island having one animal on it. (0:24:53) Al: I think you have one bunny unlocked to start with. (0:24:55) Al: and then as you progress through the game. (0:24:57) Al: You unlock more animals on the islands up to, I think five on each. (0:25:02) Al: And these animals give you seeds that you can use to farm free seeds. (0:25:07) Al: You go up to one and it will go like, Oh, here, here you go. (0:25:09) Al: Here’s some carrot seeds, um, stuff like that. (0:25:14) Al: And, uh, when you unlock one of the animals, you also get like an upgrade to something. (0:25:20) Al: So, uh, examples of the upgrades would be you can now get pumpkin seeds or you can now (0:25:27) Al: upgrade your, your tools. (0:25:29) Al: You can now upgrade your shop stuff like that. (0:25:32) Al: So there’s, it’s a, it’s the pro that’s the kind of main progress through the game. (0:25:38) Al: And how do you unlock these things? (0:25:40) Al: You ask, well, you get a currency called Harmony. (0:25:44) Al: There’s only one way to get this currency and that is by selling things at the shop. (0:25:48) Al: So you cannot, you can get the other currency, which is called sugar dew, (0:25:53) Al: which is like the actual currency that you use to buy things. (0:25:56) Al: things. (0:25:57) Al: You can get that two other ways, you can sell to, like there’s one guy who sells you seeds, (0:26:02) Al: you can sell him stuff, but you don’t get the harmony that way. Or you can do, as it mentioned (0:26:07) Al: in the blurb, these small orders from the harmony tree. Those are the harvest sprites will ask for (0:26:18) Al: certain things and you can give them certain things and that will get you sugared you as well. Those (0:26:22) Al: tend to be like higher value things, so what would normally sell for? (0:26:25) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:26:27) Al: We’ll get to the shop later, because I have a lot to talk about about that, but let’s (0:26:44) Codey: Okay, I was gonna ask about this okay, okay (0:26:48) Al: get through this. (0:26:49) Al: So that’s the Island Unlocking, the main point of it is to get the unlocks so you can do (0:26:56) Al: other things. (0:26:57) Al: your tools and get different kinds of seeds and stuff like that. But it also unlocks more of these (0:27:02) Al: animals that you can go in and get seeds. And you seem to be able to get them basically infinitely. (0:27:07) Al: Right? Like if you walk between two islands, they’ll almost always have a seed for you. So you can (0:27:13) Al: like just constantly be getting free seeds, which I think is actually, yeah, which I think is really (0:27:13) Codey: Okay. Just go back and forth. (0:27:17) Al: good early on. It allows you to get a lot more seeds than you would otherwise be able to get. (0:27:24) Al: But I’ve hit the point where I’m like, this is just so much effort, I’m just. (0:27:27) Al: going to buy seeds, right? Because I’m now, you know, doing like 45 seeds a day. I’m not walking (0:27:33) Al: around the islands and interacting with the animals 45 times every single day, you know. (0:27:36) Codey: - Yeah. (0:27:40) Codey: Yeah. (0:27:41) Al: So there’s that. Farming wise, it’s pretty standard. But everything, it almost feels like (0:27:50) Al: it’s missed the last like 10 years of quality of life improvements in farming games. (0:27:56) Al: But it’s fine. (0:27:58) Al: What I will say is that your bag has two different buckets. (0:28:03) Al: I like having the tools in a different bucket because it doesn’t take up (0:28:06) Al: space to other things with it. (0:28:08) Al: So I will say that’s a good thing. (0:28:09) Al: I like that. (0:28:11) Al: That’s a thing. (0:28:14) Al: I don’t know what to say about the farming because it’s literally you (0:28:17) Al: till the land, you plant the seed, you water, it grows, you harvest it, right? (0:28:23) Al: It’s like standard farming. (0:28:24) Codey: That’s, that’s so innovative. (0:28:27) Codey: Uh, like how many types of seeds are there? (0:28:28) Al: So I have encountered maybe like 12. There’s a decent selection. It’s not humongous, but it’s a decent. I will say there don’t seem to be any seasons. (0:28:40) Al: So I’m on day 46 and I have not noticed any changes. It does have weather. I’ve noticed like three different weathers. So there’s rain, there’s sun, and then there’s wind. (0:28:54) Al: I don’t think wind does anything, it’s not like the storms and star- (0:28:57) Al: where sometimes you can’t go out the house, or it does something else, it’s just you see some wind. (0:29:02) Al: So I’m not really sure what that does, but yeah, the rain is good, it waters your plants standard. (0:29:10) Codey: love that. How is the, like, are the crops, like, well, not displayed, but like the visuals (0:29:19) Codey: of it really decent or are they pretty basic? (0:29:22) Al: I think if you like how the game looks you’ll like that. It is very much a choice how it (0:29:31) Al: looks. I’m not a huge fan, but yeah it’s not like you just see the crop up here on the (0:29:37) Al: ground or anything. They do have growth and they slowly grow and then you’ve got it on (0:29:42) Al: its plant and then you see the corn come off the plant, that sort of stuff. Interestingly (0:29:49) Al: I will say lots of the seeds look exactly (0:29:52) Al: the same. I’ve seen maybe three different kinds of seeds, so that can be a little bit (0:29:54) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:29:56) Al: weird. But the actual plants, they’re all unique and look so that’s fine, I guess. (0:30:00) Codey: Okay. (0:30:04) Codey: I suppose. (0:30:08) Al: Well, let me put it this way. Nothing excites me in this game. (0:30:13) Al: What else about the farming? You seem, I think, you upgrade like being able to (0:30:20) Al: So the seeds. (0:30:22) Al: So I’ve upgraded to the second watering can, which gives me a three by one instead of a one by one. (0:30:28) Codey: - Mm-hmm. (0:30:30) Al: And I can now sow seeds three by one as well. (0:30:34) Al: So I like that because some farming games forget that that that sewing seeds takes a long time. (0:30:34) Codey: Okay. (0:30:38) Al: And please give me an upgrade for that as well. (0:30:39) Codey: Yeah. (0:30:40) Al: So so that’s that’s good. (0:30:42) Al: I don’t think there’s anything really much to say about the farming. (0:30:46) Al: You get. Oh, yes, here’s one. You get three crops for every seed you plant. (0:30:50) Al: So if you plan, if you plant 10. (0:30:50) Codey: The benefit of the crops, is it just for selling or in your shop? (0:30:52) Al: And as far as I can see, you can only get it by buying it from the seed man. (0:31:00) Codey: Is there any cooking at all? (0:31:19) Al: I have not figured out a way to be able to. (0:31:22) Al: And I’ve not seen anything in the list of upgrades that would imply that you can unlock that later, which, if you can, feels weird that you can’t do it. (0:31:30) Al: Because I feel like I am maybe like halfway through the game, right? (0:31:34) Al: Like I’ve unlocked each of the islands to at least level three, and I’ve done two of them, one of them to level four, and I’m working on another one to level four, right? (0:31:43) Al: And that’s out of five. (0:31:44) Al: So I feel like I’m like I don’t think I could play this for another 10 hours and not have the. (0:31:52) Al: I’m all unlocked, so it would be weird if there was cooking and I just hadn’t unlocked it. (0:31:59) Codey: That is a choice, because I feel like people that farm are the ones that usually cook as well. (0:32:09) Codey: They’re more prone to cooking their own meals with their own food, but… (0:32:14) Codey: Mhmm. (0:32:14) Al: Well, and cooking is sometimes the only thing that gets you through the early stages of (0:32:18) Al: these farming games, right? (0:32:19) Al: Because you’re like, “I can’t do everything I want to do.” (0:32:20) Codey: Mhmm. (0:32:22) Al: And so you use some of your crops for energy instead. (0:32:24) Codey: Mhmm. (0:32:27) Al: Like that’s a pretty standard thing, and it does feel like a weird, especially with something (0:32:32) Al: at the shop, which I’ll get to in a minute. (0:32:34) Al: Let’s quickly talk about the animals. (0:32:34) Codey: Mhmm. Okay. Okay. Are these the animals on the islands or like farm animals on your (0:32:37) Al: The animals are fine. (0:32:40) Al: You buy an animal, you give it some food, it gives you some crops. (0:32:44) Al: Not crops, some produce. (0:32:48) Al: No, so these are farm animals, farm animals. (0:32:50) Codey: farm? Okay. Okay. Okay. All right. (0:32:52) Al: So I’ve got cows and chickens so far, and I believe you can get goats and ducks at least (0:32:57) Al: as well. (0:32:58) Al: I’ve seen them on the upgrade tree. (0:33:01) Al: I don’t know if there’s anything else. (0:33:04) Al: But yeah, they’re fine. (0:33:06) Al: One thing that is nice that some farming games do and some don’t is that as you upgrade the (0:33:11) Al: friendship to give you multiple produce in one day. (0:33:13) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:33:15) Al: So, and the produce is worth more than most of the crops, so you can invest a lot of money into (0:33:23) Al: the animals and get a lot of money that way, I think. Wheat, just wheat, which you can farm (0:33:28) Codey: What do the animals eat? Okay. Yeah. Okay. Is there quality to their products or is it just amount? (0:33:32) Al: yourself, so there is that. All right. No, no, it’s just, it’s just crops. (0:33:44) Al: There are two kinds of fertilizer. There is wet fertilizer and dry fertilizer. (0:33:49) Al: Yep, I don’t know why they chose the word wet. I do not enjoy that. (0:33:55) Al: Dry fertilizer speeds up the growing. Wet fertilizer keeps it watered. (0:34:00) Codey: That’s the choice. Are these things that you get from the animals? (0:34:04) Al: No, so you craft them from weeds. Oh yeah, let’s talk about, let’s talk about, so around your farm, (0:34:11) Al: obviously you have weeds and stones and trees and these things come back. (0:34:14) Codey: Mm-hmm (0:34:14) Al: They come back super quickly, like, oh, my word, rocks, rocks, I got rid of all the rocks from one, like, what is that like a 15 by 10 section I got rid of all the rocks from there, and then the next day I have nine rocks, nine rocks spawning in this small section in a day, it is so hard. (0:34:19) Codey: Hey, that’s that’s realistic, I mean maybe not like the rocks no (0:34:42) Codey: Nature is healing. (0:34:44) Al: To get rid of all this stuff and it’s like you have to like basically concrete over your farm if you don’t want these things to spawn. There’s so many of them. (0:34:52) Codey: I mean, it’s the rocks are plentiful in this spit a land, you know, they just love each other and (0:34:59) Codey: they’re making their rock babies. Yeah. What are you using like the rocks and the all that for? (0:35:02) Al: It’s just it’s not I feel like you could half it and it would still feel like a lot (0:35:11) Al: Very little there’s like some crafting things, but it’s like path like I’m I’m using the stone to create path (0:35:19) Al: to stop stone spawning (0:35:22) Al: In my in my crafting thing I can see like I can use the stone for some path (0:35:27) Al: I can use the WID for some path. I can use the WID… (0:35:32) Al: …for fences and that’s it. You do use the stone in the WID for house upgrades, but I do not care about it. Why would I care about house upgrades? (0:35:38) Codey: Mm hmm. Because you want a bigger house. (0:35:44) Al: Why? It doesn’t do anything. I never spend any time in my house. You can’t put anything there. (0:35:48) Codey: Doesn’t matter. When after a good hard day’s work, you want to come home to things. (0:35:56) Codey: Merica. Yeah, I don’t know. It sounds like this game is like half-baked. Okay. Okay. (0:35:59) Al: Yeah, so it’s bizarre. Oh, for sure, for sure. Speaking of half-baked, let’s talk about the shop. (0:36:07) Al: Oh, this is the worst part of the game. I just noticed I did the groan and I typed, (0:36:16) Al: that was apparently my top bullet point on this list. That was accidental. (0:36:18) Codey: What is the, how do you say that, the way that you typed it, ugh, okay. (0:36:26) Al: So, first of all, you have to… (0:36:29) Al: Use up stamina to sell things in the shop, which, considering you cannot replenish your (0:36:36) Al: stamina with your crops, you have to buy energy things. That is such a weird choice, especially (0:36:42) Al: as you don’t use up stamina to do anything to do with your animals. To milk your cows, (0:36:46) Codey: I will say my animals give me life every day, so that coming out net pause net. (0:36:48) Al: pet your cows, feed your cows, no stamina loss. Sewing seeds does not have stamina. (0:36:58) Codey: Okay, that’s a lie. (0:36:59) Al: But selling at the shop does? (0:37:00) Codey: Maybe, maybe they’re introverted. (0:37:04) Codey: Social interaction is hard. (0:37:07) Al: It’s not fun. Let me put it that way, right? (0:37:10) Codey: Social interaction is hard. (0:37:15) Al: I’m at the point in my farm where I have so many crops that I can only ever go to my shop (0:37:20) Al: on a rainy day. Because I run out of stamina by the end of my farming. (0:37:26) Codey: - Yeah, is there, wait, my brain is potato. (0:37:29) Codey: Can you upgrade your stamina? (0:37:30) Codey: Like increase your, the amount of? (0:37:31) Al: I don’t know, because there’s no number on it, there’s just a bar. And it does say that I’m (0:37:38) Al: upgrading my level, but I don’t know if that upgrades my stamina or not. Hard to know, (0:37:44) Al: because there’s no transparency there. Okay, so you go in and you say you have like four counters, (0:37:55) Al: you can put one stack of items on each counter. And then you go, right, I’m opening the shop now, (0:38:00) Al: You can do it once per day. (0:38:01) Al: You can spend as much time as you want doing things and then you go to your shop and you open the shop and when your shop closes, it’s night time. (0:38:16) Al: That is how this works, which I think is an interesting way of doing things. (0:38:20) Al: It has not been implemented particularly well here. It’s not particularly interesting in this game, but it is an interesting idea. (0:38:27) Al: That is what I will say. (0:38:28) Codey: OK, props for the idea, not for the execution. (0:38:29) Al: Sorry. (0:38:32) Al: Yes, so you open your shop and then these random village creatures who you never see at any other point in the game. (0:38:41) Codey: Yeah, I was gonna that was my next question. (0:38:42) Al: They come in. Where do they come from? I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. Don’t question it. (0:38:49) Al: So they pop into the shop and you can have like an infinite line of these creatures coming in as long as you still have stamina and you still have items on the counter. (0:39:01) Al: And they will go, they’ll wander around and they’ll pick something up, some number of one of your items and they will take it to you and they will either be like, “I want to buy this.” (0:39:10) Al: Or they’ll be like, “I maybe want to buy this.” If they want to buy it, you click the button, you sell it. Great. (0:39:17) Al: If they’re not sure, you get to convince them. And what you can do is you can either say, like, you can choose one of three things. You can either do like the middle one. (0:39:27) Al: one, and if it’s more likely. (0:39:31) Al: Or is the normal likelihood of them selling, and you get the normal amount of money? (0:39:36) Al: If you choose the higher one, there is less likelihood of them buying, (0:39:40) Al: but you get more money, and if you choose the lower one, you get less money, (0:39:44) Al: and there’s a higher chance of them getting it. (0:39:46) Codey: Does it sound like that’s how it works? (0:39:47) Al: Sounds like an interesting idea, right? (0:39:50) Al: Except… (0:39:53) Al: Just sell it the next day. (0:39:55) Al: Why would I ever choose anything other than the top one? (0:39:59) Al: Because I have a chance of getting more money. (0:40:01) Al: And if I don’t sell it, I will sell it the next day. (0:40:02) Codey: Yeah. (0:40:04) Codey: Yeah. (0:40:06) Al: There is no reason whatsoever to ever choose the lower one. (0:40:08) Codey: Yeah. (0:40:11) Al: I can just sell it the next day. (0:40:12) Codey: Yeah. (0:40:14) Al: This is not a problem. (0:40:16) Al: I don’t understand. (0:40:17) Al: This is the most half-baked idea for a shop I have ever, ever seen. (0:40:22) Al: I don’t, I don’t understand it. (0:40:22) Codey: Also, just imagining, just imagining like being in a shop (0:40:27) Codey: in the real and having someone look at the price tag and they (0:40:30) Codey: come up and they’re like, I don’t know. I don’t know if I (0:40:31) Al: So, well, the lower behind it is they say, “Oh, you’re right, here’s a tip.” (0:40:34) Codey: want this. How in the hell are you convincing them to spend (0:40:37) Codey: more money on it in the end? (0:40:45) Codey: Oh, (0:40:47) Al: That is the lower behind this. (0:40:48) Codey: Okay. Okay, and then. (0:40:50) Al: But also like all of the dialogue options are bad, right? (0:40:53) Al: Because what they’ll do is they’ll say like, “Oh, I have, I kid you not, this is the exact (0:40:57) Al: wording.” (0:40:58) Al: They’ll come up and they’ll say, “I thought I wanted…” (0:41:01) Al: It’s such, it’s just like, and I know that it’s probably just like, oh, they’re not native English speakers, but it’s just like, just remove the three times, right? (0:41:05) Codey: Well, yeah, the three times carrot at a home is like awful. (0:41:29) Al: and it would sound so much less bad. (0:41:31) Codey: Yeah (0:41:31) Al: It’s like, “Oh, you can never have too many carrots.” (0:41:33) Al: Rather than, “Oh, you can never have too many three-times-carrot.” (0:41:34) Codey: Yeah (0:41:37) Codey: I mean, but yeah that I mean even that like you can never have too many carrots like at a certain point (0:41:43) Al: I mean, it’s not true, but you know that there will be people saying that, right? (0:41:44) Codey: That’s you can (0:41:49) Al: Like, you can absolutely believe someone’s saying that in a shop. (0:41:52) Al: You can never have too many carrots. (0:41:52) Codey: I, I, I’m going to start saying that just to spite you. Okay, sausage. (0:41:54) Al: Nobody’s saying, “You can never have too many three-times-carrot.” (0:42:03) Al: Sausage roll thrice. (0:42:08) Codey: I want a quartet of sausage, please. (0:42:09) Al: Carrot thrice, please. (0:42:13) Codey: Thrice. Okay, the we’re gonna dial it back a little bit because a village creatures. (0:42:21) Al: I don’t know who they are! They’re humanoid, but like, short. They’re almost… (0:42:22) Codey: Are they’re human? (0:42:29) Codey: Okay, but short people are people too, Elle. (0:42:34) Al: I didn’t call them creatures, the game did. (0:42:36) Codey: Okay, okay, wait, what, what, what? (0:42:40) Al: I don’t know. It’s weird. Possibly, possibly. I think they’re meant to be like Harvest Sprites, (0:42:43) Codey: Is that maybe just a translation issue? (0:42:48) Al: Because, ironically, the game can… (0:42:51) Al: Characters in the game that are actually harvest sprites are like your size. (0:42:56) Al: And the characters that aren’t harvest sprites are harvest sprites size. (0:43:02) Codey: This is upside down world, opposite land. (0:43:05) Al: On so many levels, um, yeah. (0:43:08) Codey: Okay. (0:43:09) Codey: And are these the like, (0:43:12) Codey: okay, but you said you never see them elsewhere. (0:43:14) Codey: Like you don’t, there’s no village (0:43:16) Al: No (0:43:17) Codey: or they’re never wandering around Ferret Island. (0:43:19) Al: No, no, I have never seen them and I’ve played I’ve at least ten errors in it (0:43:26) Codey: Is the game, is there a mystery (0:43:29) Codey: as to why you don’t know where they are? (0:43:32) Al: It does not frame it like that, no. (0:43:33) Codey: Okay. (0:43:35) Codey: That was a choice. (0:43:37) Al: I don’t know where they’re coming from, nobody ever (0:43:39) Al: questions where they’re coming from, they just are. And there’s (0:43:43) Al: so many of them and you never see a single one until the minute (0:43:46) Al: you open the shop and there’s like a stream of them coming (0:43:49) Al: until you run out of stamina or items. (0:43:52) Codey: Mm-hmm. That does, that mechanic reminds me of garden paws because you did have a (0:43:58) Codey: shop in garden paws. There was no like haggling or whatever, but, um, in garden (0:44:04) Codey: paws, like it was just a line of thi-, of people that come until your shop closes. (0:44:08) Al: Yeah. It just keeps convincing me that I don’t think there is a good way to make a shop game. (0:44:15) Al: I just don’t think it’s possible. (0:44:17) Codey: That’s fair. (0:44:18) Codey: Oh, they also… (0:44:18) Al: Mineko got the closest and it only works because it’s like once a week and it’s super short and (0:44:23) Al: super quick. I don’t remember there being a shop where you’re selling stuff in that. (0:44:25) Codey: They also did spells and secrets (0:44:31) Codey: No, no, no, I’m just saying there I was looking to see what other games they’ve done and that is on their list (0:44:35) Al: Oh, okay. Yeah, so Roca play their their (0:44:38) Al: publisher. (0:44:39) Codey: Yeah, oh well why does (0:44:40) Al: They’re not developer. (0:44:40) Al: Oh, well, I think they have been a developer, but not for most games that you they’re linked (0:44:45) Al: to. (0:44:46) Codey: Okay (0:44:47) Al: They’re mostly a publisher. (0:44:48) Codey: They are the developer of this game though (0:44:49) Al: Oh, they are, are they? (0:44:52) Codey: Of this one specifically (0:44:53) Al: Okay. (0:44:54) Al: Right. (0:44:55) Al: So they are. (0:44:56) Codey: Okay (0:44:58) Al: They were there. (0:44:59) Al: They’re the second listed developer for spells and secrets. (0:45:02) Al: So probably not really. (0:45:04) Codey: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. (0:45:06) Al: They also published the new game. (0:45:08) Al: It’s called A Game About Digging A Hole, which seems to be getting a lot of traction, (0:45:12) Al: but they didn’t develop that either. (0:45:14) Codey: The game about digging a hole. (0:45:14) Al: It’s all over the internet just now. (0:45:20) Al: It’s just interesting how hit and miss they seem to be. (0:45:23) Codey: Mm-hmm. (0:45:24) Al: They’re publishing Solarpunk as well, which looks really good. (0:45:27) Codey: The game about digging a hole. (0:45:28) Al: Have you not seen this yet? (0:45:30) Codey: Oh, it’s literally called a game about digging a hole. (0:45:33) Al: It’s called A Game About Digging A Hole. (0:45:34) Codey: Oh, okay, keep going. (0:45:36) Al: It’s got very positive reviews on Steam. (0:45:39) Al: Six days ago, and it has nearly 4,000 reviews on Steam. (0:45:43) Al: It’s like blowing up. (0:45:43) Codey: Oh my god, I see it. This is… I would do that. I want to play this. (0:45:50) Al: It looks really good and people seem to really like it. They don’t seem to have a bar quality (0:45:53) Codey: Yeah. They’re just the publisher though. (0:45:58) Al: for their publishing, like some of them are great and some of them are SugarGee Island. (0:46:04) Codey: Specifically. (0:46:05) Al: Sorry, this is sounding really harsh. It’s fine. It’s not a terrible game, but I do not know why (0:46:09) Codey: They’re not batting a thousand. (0:46:13) Al: I would play this ahead of any farming game ever. That’s the thing. Why would I play this instead of (0:46:19) Al: of stargy. (0:46:20) Al: I would not play this instead of Coral Island. (0:46:23) Al: Why would I play this instead of Fields of Mistria? (0:46:26) Al: I wouldn’t. (0:46:26) Codey: - Mm-hmm, that’s fair. (0:46:29) Al: When I backed this on Kickstarter, I literally backed it saying, “I guess I’m going to cover (0:46:33) Al: this on the podcast,” like I’m not hating my time playing it, but I’m not like I must (0:46:38) Codey: Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I was really. I was really shocked that you’re still playing that when (0:46:39) Al: be playing it, which weirdly I am doing with Harvest Moon Home Sweet Home. (0:46:45) Al: That’s what territory we’re in. (0:46:46) Al: I want to play Harvest Moon Home Sweet Home. (0:46:48) Al: I don’t want to play Shuku-jiu Island! (0:46:50) Al: I can’t stop, Cody! (0:46:55) Codey: I saw it on your thing. Well, you’re almost done. It’s okay. Okay, so these harvest sprites. (0:47:04) Codey: Never see them except for when they’re buying from you. (0:47:06) Al: No, so that’s the the harvest sprites are different. (0:47:10) Al: So these are the what do they call them? (0:47:12) Al: Forest folk are the ones that buy from your shop. (0:47:16) Al: The harvest sprites are the ones that you sell stuff to with the like random requests. (0:47:22) Codey: Okay. (0:47:23) Al: They’ll be like, oh, I want these things and you can sell it and get more money for (0:47:26) Al: them, but no harmony. (0:

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Analytic Dreamz dives into "Batman: Arkham Shadow," released on October 21, 2024, as a sequel to Arkham Origins. Set in Gotham's Blackgate Penitentiary during a Fourth of July crisis, the game features The Rat King as the main antagonist leading a chaos-spreading cult. Experience classic Arkham combat adapted for VR, with gesture-based attacks, stealth, and detective mode through Metroidvania-style exploration. Unique gameplay includes switching between Batman and Bruce Wayne's undercover persona, Matches Malone, in a first-person perspective. The voice cast includes Roger Craig Smith as Batman, alongside Troy Baker, Elijah Wood, and Tara Strong. Exclusively on Meta Quest 3 & 3S, developed by Camouflaj with Rocksteady's support, it's free with Quest 3/3S until April 30, 2025. Despite some launch bugs, it's celebrated for its VR immersion, selling over a million copies by February 2025, and receiving an 87/100 on Metacritic. However, exclusivity and technical issues have sparked controversy. Analytic Dreamz discusses the game's impact on the VR market, potential future titles, and whether it sets a new standard for VR gaming. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This episode marks the 500th piece of The Say Report related media and to celebrate the occasion we aren't doing anything flashy or impressive.Instead we buckle down to share how cold it is in each of your respective Say Reporters regions, discuss how we're feeling after the events of Super Bowl LIX, discuss some Hallmark movies, new plans for consuming media, the latest example of Sony puppeting a course, and the recently released Metroidvania that claims to have added some Metal Slug into the mix. 

2025 already has a fantastic Metroidvania, errrr, Search Action game! Ender Magnolia combines Metroid, Nier, Mega Man, and Pokémon into a single, beautiful 2D experience. Technically, this is a sequel, but no prior experience is required to enjoy this indie treat. In the back half, Griffin talks about his mixed experience with Civilization 7. Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!

Side Quests is back and so is host Chris Diggins! He is a podcaster, writer, critic, professional GM, Tenth Sol and mastermind of the Eternal Cauldron Project! The game he is talking about today is Nine Sols by Red Candle Games. You can find this episode's host on his podcast Mostly Nitpicking! We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Spotify! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here!

Side Quests is back and this episode's host is streamer, podcaster, and lil blob exploring a labyrinth, Beau (Bo_Po) from Underplayed! The game he is talking about today is ANIMAL WELL by Billy Basso and Bigmode. You can also watch his streams here and listen to his podcast here. We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Spotify! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here!

As a fan of Red Candle Games' previous projects, Devotion (episode 139) and Detention (bonus episode on Patreon), Nine Sols instantly leapt onto my watchlist as soon as it was announced. However, as it released, I was a bit nervous to dive into it due to its Sekiro-inspired combat. I like Sekiro a lot, but did I want another one right then? Luckily, a few friends (including Josh, today's guest) convinced me to give it a whirl...and I was not disappointed. The combat is smooth and satisfying, the art and music are fantastic, and it tells what might be the best story in the genre. This is an awesome game, and I hope you enjoy the discussion! Guest info: Josh aka DogNozzle. You can follow him on BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/dognozzle.bsky.social)! TIMESTAMPS * Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 0:22 * Story Setup 12:05 * Presentation 28:41 * Combat 43:14 * Metroidvania Design 1:12:19 * SPOILER WALL 1:31:47 Music used in the episode: * Awakening (FFXX) * A Glimpse of the Future (FFXX) * Festival (FFXX) * Crossing Blades (FFXX) * Take a Tour in New Kunlun (Troy Lin) * A Place for Restless Souls (FFXX) * The Path for Us All ~ Yi's Theme (FFXX, Im Baek Hun) * Main Theme II (FFXX, Im Baek Hun) Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! (https://patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson)! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! (https://discord.gg/V3ZHz3vYQR) Social Media: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/tftblpod) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TalesfromtheBacklog/) Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages (https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures) Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-top-3-podcast/id1555269504), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/2euGp3pWi7Hy1c6fmY526O?si=0ebcb770618c460c) and other podcast platforms (atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!