The long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed The Last of Us, Part II delivers an experience that no one could have anticipated. Subverting narrative expectations while polishing its survival gameplay to a tee, Naughty Dog Studio released a game that would go down in the annals of game history. Now being adapted into a live-action show on HBO, as well as having received a recent remaster featuring developer commentary, The Last of Us Part II’s legacy lives on. Join Sy and Gabriel as one revists the title, while the other gives their first impressions of this colossal title.

Nominated for Best Fighting Game, Best Independent Game, and Best Action Game at the 2022 Game Awards, Sloclap’s post-Absolver title delivers a combat experience that is unrelenting in its presentation. Sifu is the embodiment of “mastery through practice,” as the player follows a protagonist that dedicates their life and martial art to vengeance (and then redemption) against the man who killed their father. In this episode, Sy and Gabriel unpack Sifu’s brutally precise combat system and deep narrative parallels.

Directed by Takahisa Taura, lead game designer behind Nier: Automata, with supervision by Devil May Cry and Bayonetta series creator Hideki Kamiya, Astral Chain is an action-adventure title released on the Nintendo Switch in 2019. The gameplay features a host of powerful legions that the player can utilize as they navigate an inter-dimensional astral plane. As part of their second official game swap, listen in as Gabriel responds to Astral Chain’s design and Sy’s second game recommendation.