To kick off the new year Brady (FatePrime) joins the show to talk about Somerville, the first game from the indie studio Jumpship. Many on the Jumpship development team come from another indie studio, Playdead, who were famous for making Limbo and Inside, so you might recognize many elements of those famous games here. To start the show Both Kevin and Brady describe what made those early games so special and how they see the DNA of them in Somerville. Then they cover some of the puzzles that either fascinated or frustrated them and some of their favorite story moments in a semi-spoilery fashion. Near the end Brady posits a theory that helps make sense of all five possible endings and what they mean for the overall story of the game. We wish you a happy new year and hope you enjoy this discussion about just a regular guy trying to survive an alien invasion in Somerville.

Earlier this year Jordan Vickers recommended Blue Prince and Kevin sits down with him and newcomer to the podcast Gary Scott to extensively talk about it. If you’re afraid of being spoiled by anything in the game, don’t worry. After playing Blue Prince, they all agree that there is so much in here to discover that it’s hard to spoil everything and their discussion only briefly touches on the story elements of the game. This is more a collection of their own stories of exploring the Mount Holly Estate, finding our own paths to Room 46, and what else we discover after reaching it. The things they talk about may sound like nonsense to those who haven’t played the game, but even if you have, it may still confound you.

This discussion may make the game sound like a very daunting puzzle, but be assured that Blue Prince feels much more relaxed and casual than you might think. The three of them recommend this game if you like puzzle boxes, board games, and mysteries. You can obsess over all of the details of every room with a corkboard and string like Gary did, or you can just take everything as it comes. Kevin recommends a small notebook to keep track of some of those more obtuse clues or if you discover a puzzle that spans the entire layout of your house.

Speaking of discoveries, during this episode all three of them reveal something about the game that the others didn’t know. Kevin found a satellite dish for the house, Jordan may have discovered an extra safe to crack, and Gary suspected that a small animal was the key to everything. All of this proves our suspicions that there is always something more to discover in Blue Prince.

Max from the Mooglecast and Gary from the Platinum Achievements Podcast slide in to talk about the newest artistic release from indie developer and publisher Giant Squid. Their game Sword of the Sea evoked feelings for all three of them in different ways. Max opens up his first impression thoughts with a point that neither Kevin nor Gary picked up on and it completely changes how they view an essential element of the game. They talk about how the art style, music, and gameplay make this more of an art experience than a game, and why it’s meant to be experienced by absolutely anyone. They also note how this game retains many elements that appear in the developers’ previous games and how the new pieces introduced in this game fit surprisingly well with them. They talk about the minimal story and a few ways to interpret it. Lastly they all talk about the extra challenges that a player can tackle if they want to earn the trophies and how all three of them had different experiences overcoming them - collectibles, no-damage fights, and speed-runs. We hope you enjoy this episode of a short but excellent piece of art. Bonus points if you start this episode with a speed-run of the game and roll the credits before the episode ends.