Aspiring linguist Josh and professional guess-and-checker Bryan recently made their way up the tower featured in 2023’s indie puzzle game Chants of Sennaar! Along the way they marveled at the game’s superb use of color, clever language puzzles, and occasionally regrettable use of stealth mechanics. At its heart, Chants of Sennaar is a game about cu…

Isometric Games’ Tunic, released in 2022, is a game that delivers stronger than almost any other title on the promise of a genuine feeling of discovery. From you moment that you are dropped onto the isometric, flat color-shaded beach with nothing but the ethereal soundtrack by Lifeformed and Janice Kwan to keep you company, you are expected to star…

Climb to new heights with Josh and Bryan as they ascend the tower, learn its history, and rediscover a love of climbing while playing Jusant! Developed by the narrative powerhouse studio, Don’t Nod, Jusant puts the player in the shoes of a lone wanderer who must ascend a desolate tower filled with remnants of a civilization long past with only thei…

In this episode Bryan and Josh cover The Witness from Jonathan Blow… sort of. Actually they cover The Looker, which is a loving homage/scathing satire of Blow’s game and at the price of Free and the runtime of about 60 minutes, comes highly recommended by the guys. Good satire is hard to find and that is doubly so in the video game sphere, but deve…

Join Bryan, Josh, and Clint for a journey through the Forgotten Realms as they cover the breakout D&D simulation CRPG, Baldur’s Gate 3! Larian Studios has a long history with RPGs but in 2023 they outdid themselves to create what many considered to be 2023’s Game of the Year. Despite a time gap of over 20 years since the last entry, Baldur’s Gate 3…

In this episode Josh and Bryan play the aggressively random, and often unbeatable “Immersive Sim for People Who Hate Immersive Sims”, Mosa Lina by Stuffed Wombat. Its a unique experience that markets itself as a response to the current trend of Immersive Sim design, where abilities are often part of a "Lock and Key" system, where every ability is a…

What do you get when you cross the mechanical sensibilities of a casual MMO / mobile game developer with the aesthetics and charm of an indie game studio, then top it off with a dash of abnormally high production value? In the case of Dave the Diver, it is a tasty frozen cocktail of relaxing, tropical fun! For this podcast, Josh and Bryan retire to…

I think most people knew we were in for something special with the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but I don’t think anyone quite realized how special. Navigating a six-year-long development cycle that included a pandemic, the Zelda Team has once again ascended to new heights (and new depths) to bring the world an astonishing follow-up to th…

Bryan and Josh were feeling a bit nostalgic and with the recent re-release of the Sonic classics through Sonic Origins, so they decided to revisit an old favorite: Sonic and Knuckles 3! Actually two games released months apart in the same year, this one-two punch of 90’s mascot platformer mayhem put a smile on both of their faces as they recalled t…

In the 20+ years since its release, many would consider Baldur’s Gate 2 to be the pinnacle of the CRPG genre. Widely recognized as having laid the groundwork for Bioware’s future endeavors in the RPG space with Mass Effect and Dragon Age, Baldur’s Gate 2 stands tall to this day with its innovative scenario design, immersive and complex world buildi…

Dome Keeper is the genre mash up of Mining Game and Tower Defense that Bryan and Josh did not know they needed! Beneath the elegant elevator pitch and striking visual style exists a game that is truly a diamond in the rough. Created by Dresden-based indie game company, Bippinbits, Dome Keeper is their second commercial outing and first to break out…

The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog’s follow up to the critically acclaimed The Last of Us, is a challenging game that tells a challenging story about many challenging topics. It’s well known that the game’s director Neil Druckmann said “If The Last of Us was about love, then its sequel is about hatred.” The game asks the player to introspect in way…

Mr. Saitou is a beautiful and brief slice of life game with a charming world and even more charming characters. The success of its light-hearted tone is, however, underwritten by the seriousness of its premise. Mr. Saitou, is a salaryworker. He toils away in front of a computer screen for all hours, goes out for a meal he’s too tired to consume, an…

In 2013 the Indie gaming scene was going strong and interesting projects were everywhere… if you knew where to look for them. This was a time before the widespread population of indies on Steam, and as such many projects were less commercial in nature. One such project, that eventually went on to be a finalist for the Excellence in Design award at …

In August of 2023 Josh released another game! Within a Dead City is a tiny ‘Majesty-like’ with a striking color palette and a moody vibe. For those that haven't played Majesty, the crux of the game is you hire a group of heroes (that you do not directly control, but can influence via bounties and spells) in order to explore the land and eradicate t…

Last Epoch has been in Early access since 2018, a snowball of an ARPG, slowly gathering steam as it descends the mountain to eventually rest at the side of some of the all time great hack and slash RPGs. Bryan and Josh have both played a fair few of what they hoped would be the ‘successor to Dialbo II”, and most (all?) have come up short. But Eleve…

In this episode Josh and Bryan take to the high seas in 2023’s breakout debut from Black Salt Games: Dredge! The potent combination of fishing simulator and Lovecraftian horror had them instantly hooked and eager to explore the Marrows and its surrounding environs (as well as their capacity to generate fishing related puns). Dredge’s light, yet eff…

Join Josh and Bryan as they navigate through a wide sampling of the historical events, political intricacies, military conquests, and fascinating narratives that Europa Universalis IV has to offer. Paradox’s magnum opus grand strategy game has you inhabiting different nations and experiencing their unique circumstances as you navigate the political…

In this episode, Josh and Clint receive their owls and set off to achieve their destiny in the Wizarding World with Hogwarts Legacy. Sadly, Bryan, a lowly muggle (and new father of 2 at the time of recording) could not make it for this one, but listen in as Josh and Clint uncover the secrets, spells, and adventures that await players at Hogwarts. J…

Gather your party because this episode we are venturing forth into the Forgotten Realms with Bioware’s classic Dungeons and Dragon’s adaptation, Baldur’s Gate. As they gear up for Baldur’s Gate 3, Bryan and Josh are starting with an exploration of the rich mechanics and storytelling that make Baldur’s Gate, and its expansion Tales of the Sword Coas…

How do you follow up on one of the most celebrated open world games of all time? In 2018, Rockstar gave us their answer with the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. An instant classic, this juggernaut of AAA production value and storytelling gave us what remains one of the most well realized open worlds ever created. The production of an experience o…

This episode is something a little bit different. If you had told us we would manage to stick with making a podcast through 100 episodes, I do not think any of us would have have believed you. The fact that this occurred in the midst of our trio weathering a global pandemic, having a collective 5 children, and achieving a bunch of other life and ca…

In keeping with its incredible run of Resident Evil Remasters, Capcom’s latest outing sought to remaster perhaps the most beloved game in the series, Resident Evil 4. Bryan has had his eye on playing Resident Evil 4 in one form or another since the book club first played Resident Evil 7 years ago, so when this remaster finally launched Bryan and Cl…

Even in the year 2022, which was overflowing with excellent narrative-driven games, Citizen Sleeper stands out as a uniquely strong experience. In Citizen Sleeper, the second game from Jump Over The Age, the player takes on the role of the titular ‘Sleeper’, a human whose mind has been digitized and put into a robot body to work in the service of t…

In early 2022 we were almost 26 years into Pokemon’s existence as a francise when Pokemon: Legends Arceus released for Nintendo Switch on January 28th. Pokemon is famous (or notorious?) for its formulaic gameplay design and Legends Arceus is one of several entries over the years that bucks that trend to try out something new. Throwing out the gyms …