1 Hour 1 Decision (1H1D)

From the monstrous mind of Mullins.

For this episode, our duo debates the devious deck-builder developed by Daniel Mullins Games and published by Devolver Digital. Chris has played Pony Island, so he's aware of this fellow's other work, but Tom has come utterly unprepared. Will the alleged roguelike nature of the game send them both running, or will the mix of multiple genres soften that aspect enough to keep them engaged and entertained? Following the standard rules, each host has sacrificed an hour of their time and now they meet to decide if that's one offering you should make willingly as well!

What do you think? Let us know!
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Thanks for taking this ride with us :-)

You and me and the deep blue sea!

For this episode, we have randomly selected the 1-to-4 player cooperative roguelite FPS developed by DoubleMoose Games and published by The Arcade Crew. Based on their previous titles and their self-description of being "three-dimensional organic meat automatons" we can tell this Sweden-based developer has a sense of humor... but the tone of this shooter about descending the depths seems decidedly darker. Being both multiplayer and a roguelite should stack the odds against it harnessing the hearts our hosts, but they are still honor-bound to give it a fair chance and at least an hour of their time. When the time is up, will they be compelled to continue their quest or will they be relieved to let a stinker sink to oblivion? Dive in and discover their destiny!

What do you think? Let us know!
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Thanks for taking this ride with us :-)

Neither the pokemon nor the python.

Tragedy! Our beloved assistant the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has be supplanted by a quiz! Our hosts had to find an alternative means to pick the random game for this episode and the selection was an indie bug collecting game from developer Doot! The game is tiny and so are the critters you must collect and battle if you want to win the summer beetle battle championship. But don't get confused, this game was designed to be entirely single player. So that means no PVP, no trading, and apparently also no spiders! With a streamlined set of features, will our hosts be bored by the end of their hour, or will the simplicity make this a keeper? Join Tom and Chris as they put all their cards (and their bugs) on the table to battle it out!

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

Crafted by a composer and a terrible lizard.

This episode covers the musically-inspired narrative adventure developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive. At the center of the story is a playlist of songs beloved by the lead singer of a band that took its name from a 1980's cartoon villain. That knowledge should prepare you for the nostalgia fueled coming-of-age tale told about a trio of teens' last day together before they part ways... forever? Being born in the 80's and growing up in the 90's themselves, our hosts seem like the obvious target demographic of this title. Will that make it easy to capture their hearts and keep them playing past the mandated hour... or will they hold the story to an impossible standard, having lived such similar events themselves? Let's find out!

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

Named for the mountain, not the heroine.

Developed and published by the indie studio Maddie Makes Games, this 2D platformer chosen by the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is highly regarded by most critics in the industry. That neither Tom nor Chris ever got around to playing it since it was released in 2018 is even extra surprising... but here they are! With sights finally set on climbing this mountain, will the experience live up to the hype and its many accolades? Will the levels be fun to play or will our hosts find the challenges too challenging? As usual, they have each spent an hour getting acquainted with the mechanics and now they must decide if they are moving upwards or calling it quits!

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

Renewable energy mixed with a DIY attitude!

Crafted in Germany by two developers dubbing themselves Cyberwave, this first-person sandbox survival game was brought to life through a Kickstarter campaign and has arrived on Xbox Game Pass just in time for our dynamic duo to check it out. Our trusty "Surprise Me" Button has previously selected its fair share of survival and crafting games, and our hosts have sampled plenty of Minecraft adjacent titles of their own volition, so the natural question is: how does this one stack up against all the rest? Will it have enough novelty to break free of the herd? Tom and Chris each played for the requisite hour and now have gathered to share their harvested wisdom with you. Let's hope it bears fruit!

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

Get thee to a nunnery!

We return to our regular method of game selection this episode with a random pick from our trusted friend the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button. Speaking of friendship, you'll find it is in short supply in this third person adventure developed by Odd Meter and published by 11 Bit Studios. As it begins, players step into the shoes of the titular character as she does her very best to fit in with her sisters at the convent, but this proves an uphill battle as a nagging voice keeps leading her astray. Will the plot thicken inside the first hour or will our hosts end up snoozing in the pews? Gather round cherished flock as Tom and Chris take to their pulpit and proselytize. You'll learn whether this title's a sinner or a saint!

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

We're off to the races, again!

Move over Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button, as Chris thumbs the scales once again to accommodate a guest. For this episode our duo is joined by Gobotch to play and discuss the latest entry in the racing game franchise developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. Over the years, many racing game franchises have come and gone, but this one clearly has legs, or perhaps wheels. As its name implies, it once started as a spinoff but blossomed into a beloved franchise of its own. We noted that our guest has specially requested this title, so it stands to reason that he has some expectations it will go far. But what about Tom and Chris, who have played plenty of racing titles for just this show alone? Will they be pleased that this one was cherry picked? Join our triumvirate as they decide if this is one race you shouldn't miss!

What do you think? Let us know!
Check out all our links here:
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Watch Gobotch on the Youtubes:
https://youtube.com/@dadlvlunlocked

Thanks for taking this ride with us :-)

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!
Check out all our links here:
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Thanks for taking this ride with us :-)

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!
Check out all our links here:
https://linktr.ee/tc1h1d

Thanks for taking this ride with us :-)