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.

Madeline Stanley returns to talk with Kevin about what is arguably the best of the Dark Pictures series, House of Ashes. They first cover why they both love the “movie” style games and how Supermassive has perfected this sub-genre. They also talk about some of their favorite horror movies and games that this reminds us of and why any fans of those examples will love House of Ashes. Then they get into a full-on spoiler cast where they break down every major story beat. Along the way they explain who their favorite characters are, which characters have the most memorable relationships, and who has the best action-movie one-liners. They also discuss what makes the monsters in House of Ashes so special and how Supermassive has once again subverted our expectations of what the danger was. Surprise! It’s not exactly what you think it is.

Madeline Stanley joins Kevin to talk about The Forgotten City after the Trophy Talk Discord voted for it to be the September game for the episode. They start things off by discussing the game’s unique development history and recommend a few excellent non-spoilery documentary videos on YouTube talking about what makes the game special. Then they get into a spoilercast covering the mystery of the game, the sidequests, and the main story from its beginning all the way through the “fake endings” and real ending. We highly recommend you play this game to truly appreciate this episode, but we hope you love our discussion none-the-less.

Colin joins Kevin to talk about Sayonara Wild Hearts. They start off the episode with the usual plat shoutouts and game overview. Then they get into a deeper discussion of what makes this game so special and how it was nothing like what either of them expected it to be. They also try to break down each of their own readings of the story, which shows how this piece of art can be interpreted in many different ways. It’s impossible to talk about this game without discussing the music, so they both highlight some of their favorite tracks in the game. Then they get into a discussion about which stages had the best and most unique gameplay experiences. Finally they wrap up the show with some recommendations for games that are a little like this one, but really this gaming experience is so unique that there is absolutely nothing like it on PlayStation. We hope you enjoy our break down and analysis of this beautiful game.

In this mammoth episode Kevin is joined by fellow “metroidvania” enthusiasts Jordan Vickers and Kade (@TheGreenGorillaGamer) to tackle the critically acclaimed Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Jordan warned Kevin and Kade the game is much bigger and longer than expected, but they had no idea how hard the story goes and the epic turns it takes. They all spend more than two hours gushing about it in great detail, starting with some general thoughts about the game, covering what amulet builds and Athra (magic) surges worked best for each of their play styles. Then they jump into a long discussion about some of the amazing environments, epic boss fights, and story surprises that were genuine shocks for them. Kevin decided to go all-in on the game and gives a brief overview of the DLC and why it is a must-buy if you like the base game at all. This is a massive game and we hope this episode helps convince you to play it if you haven’t already.

Zac suggested that we include Cult of the Lamb again for our quarterly vote in the Trophy Talk Discord and it won despite no one else we know playing it (as far as we can tell). We cover our favorite weapons and spells to take on the crusades through the dungeons, what it’s like to build a community with the scarce resources we have, and why it feels terrible to leave our little followers alone while rampaging through another ancient god’s lair. Then we get into the weird, funny, and sometimes disturbing things each of our cultists asked us to do. We also cover what can make this kind of game frustrating if you are trying to see and earn everything it has to offer. Sometimes this kind of game can be too much of a good thing.