Not to be confused with the sixth one.

If you disqualify retro collections, this must be the oldest individual game our hosts have ever played for the show. Tom and Chris have certainly played newer entries in the famous franchise, but neither lived in Japan in 1990, so they both missed this turn-based pixel-art role-playing game developed and published by Square when it debuted on the Family Computer. To be fair, it did receive a 3D remake on the Nintendo DS in 2006, but both of our hosts slept on that too, so a pixel remaster was still fair game for this episode. With some quality of life improvements included and a whole lot of old school charm, perhaps the deck is stacked a bit in this title's favor. Well, our hosts have now played it for an hour and must decide if they will keep on going with something so classic that it's probably older than you! Is time travel in your future too?

What do you think? Let us know!
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It's back on the menu, boys!

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has selected an entry in a platforming series that has historically only existed in two dimensions. As this game's title suggests, this 2026 platforming game developed by Team Meat and Sluggerfly introduces the third. Our hosts have a cursory knowledge of the franchise, but admittedly have not spent much time, even collectively, with previous entries. This gives this title a relatively clean slate to work with, so let's see how messy that slate gets as little fleshy cube men are pierced, sliced, and smashed on their way the end of the stage. Will the recognized difficulty and repetition prove positive, or insanity inducing? Per the rules, Tom and Chris must abuse the poor chap for an hour and then report back if it felt more like sadism or masochism. Press play to see which it was, and if you should have a go at it too!

What do you think? Let us know!
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It's the opposite of a perihelion.

For this episode, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has chosen a fresh narrative-focused action-adventure game developed and published by Don't Nod. Set in a possible future where the Earth has become uninhabitable, our hosts don the spacesuits of intrepid explorers looking to find humanity a new home! With roots in films like The Martian and Interstellar and promised nods to more thrilling fiction like Alien, the plot should have something for the space nerd that lives inside us all. Will the parkour action segments complement the story well? Will the combination create a compelling experience? Tom and Chris have each dedicated an hour to discovering this for themselves and are now prepared to deliver their mission debrief. Let's learn if this difficult-to-pronounce title is worth the effort!

What do you think? Let us know!
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Kenji and Kumori deal death to demons!

How many games in this franchise will Tom and Chris review? When you leave game selection up to the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button, we suppose the whole franchise could be on the table. Fortunately for our hosts, this retro 2D side-scroller developed by The Game Kitchen and published by Dotemu has a distinctly different style than the past two they played for this podcast. With solid developer experience in the genre and with Team Ninja along to consult, the outlook here sure seems promising, but is this spin-off worth your time? As usual, our hosts have played for an hour and now they will decide if they recommend you do some ninjutsu-flavored demon-slaying too!

What do you think? Let us know!
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Just how easy will it be?

The XBOX Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is back in the driver's seat for this episode! It has fittingly chosen an indie delivery game that was developed by a single person (Sam Cameron). Okay, so he had some help from his brother with the dialogue, but otherwise it's entirely his creation. With a PS1 aesthetic and some obvious inspiration from the another game with anthropomorphic cats (Animal Crossing), this was definitely not on the radar for our hosts. Approaching with zero expectations, how will this package be received? Tom and Chris spent an hour playing and now they'll give you their detailed delivery report. Will it pass with flying colors or crash and burn in failure?

What do you think? Let us know!
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A cyberpunk story that's set in the past.

This selection's not random! Chris has been eager to try the two and a half dimension action platformer developed by Sad Cat Studios but, unfortunately for him, it was delayed several times. Fortunately for us all, the game ultimately arrived and thus could be added to the queue for this show. To make this episode even more tantalizing, Chris invited Todd as a special guest to help weigh in on whether it's been worth the wait. Will it exceed their expectations? And where will it rank for Tom, who remained completely oblivious prior to booting it up? Join our trio of hosts as they discuss and hear if they'll keep playing now that the required time is up!

What do you think? Let us know!

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You can find Todd here:

https://thefandomfoundry.com

Thanks for taking this ride with us :-)

The apostrophe isn't a typo!

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has surprised our hosts with a top-down twin-stick shooter from the minds of SoulGame Studio! Comprised of two fresh cousins from Toulouse, this studio is incredibly indie. Perhaps that has allowed them to take a big swing here by taking the action of a bullet hell ship shooter like Ikaruga and combining it with the story and progression system of an adventure RPG like The Legend of Zelda. Our hosts have played for one hour and now they must decide if this strange pairing is actually a surprising delight. Let's learn if they prefer to play or pass.

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Time to brush up on your Latin!

Tom was sure that he had played the first entry in this series for a previous episode of the show, but just like this game, it turns out that memory was a work of fiction inspired by true events. This first person action RPG developed by Warhorse Studios and published by Deep Silver was recommended to Chris, and Tom did indeed play at least a few hours of the first game, so expectations are running a bit high for this sequel. In fairness, the success of the first one is well documented and led the developer to add over a hundred more employees while developing the sequel, so some of those elevated expectations are likely warranted. Will playing through this slice of late medieval history live up to all that hype? More importantly, will our hosts want to keep playing after the first hour is up? Let's listen as they discuss and decide!

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Can they try 100+ games in an hour?

Spoiler alert: they can't! Even if they split the list down the middle and tried to tackle fifty each, the challenge of getting to everything included in this retro compilation from Antstream Arcade in the allotted hour is just impossible for our two hosts. That didn't stop Tom and Chris from testing out as much as humanly possible within those tight time constraints and ultimately coming to a decision whether or not they will keep this classic collection after the mandated hour is up. How did they each decide to spend their time? Were their experiences very different? Join our dynamic duo as they discuss to learn if these retro classics are worth your time!

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All aboard another loony locomotive!

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button surprised our hosts by selecting a sequel to a title they have actually played! For this episode, Tom and Chris return to the world of roguelike deckbuilders crafted by the folks over at Shiny Shoe. The fundamental gameplay remains the same, but the premise this trip is that titans have taken over the tracks, so angels and demons need to team up to take down this new threat. With new clans, new cards, and new modes, fans of the original are sure to be pleased... but are there enough mechanical changes to make this experience unique for more casual players? Following the established rules, Tom and Chris have each spent an hour investigating this very question. Hop aboard to hear how it went, there's no ticket required for this ride!

What do you think? Let us know!
Check out all our links here:
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Thanks for taking this ride with us :-)