We’re joined this month by our friend Nora to talk about the surprising and surprisingly forgotten Metroidvania Timespinner! Join us as we talk about the embarrassing writing of indie games, the gestures toward good ideas, and how fun it is to just be a lord even if difficulty is very hard to get right.

Our guest this month was Nora Blake, who you can find at @neithernora and on norablake.online

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: Final Fantasy VII (listen to us talk about it years ago HERE and HERE), Earthbound, Dark Souls III, Hat in Time, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Timespinner, Hollow Knight, Bloodstained, Symphony of the Night, Portrait of Ruin, Metroid Fusion (our episode on it can be found HERE), Cave Story, metroidvania as a term, Code Vein

This Month's Game Club:
Timespinner

Next Month's Game Club:
Disco Elysium

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Echoes of the Forgotten by Jeff Ball
From Our Hearts by Jeff Ball
Surpassing Authority by Jeff Ball

A hundred years, a hundred games! Abnormal Mapping does a full journey around the sun as we reach the centenary celebration of our podcast, the world’s first and only game club, by tackling popular GotY winner Outer Wilds! What do two hardened Star Trek fans think about this space mystery? What do these two space communists think about fate and hope? And what do two very tired podcasts think about the hundred plus games we have talked about into microphones.

Thank you everyone for all your support on this incredible journey. Here’s to two hundred more!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: eFootball PES 2020, Wattam, Brigador, A Short Hike, Outer Wilds, TNG Episode "All Good Things", the century of excellence and looking back at our huge library of episodes

This Month's Game Club:
Outer Wilds

Next Month's Game Club:
Timespinner

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
End Times by Andrew Prahlow
The Sun Station by Andrew Prahlow
Travelers by Andrew Prahlow

On today’s very special Abnormal Mapping, we are here today to celebrate the end of the year, and indeed the end of the decade! We’ve got some lists of our favourite games, from this year and the decade at large. There’s some music in there as well, but not as much as on previous years, because it’s been a weird one. Here’s to the second decade of podcasting. That’s a terrifying thing to say.

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Next Month's Game Club: Outer Wilds

Your Programme This Evening:

MUSIC: The Lost Forest by Keiichi Okabe, Kakeru Ishihama, Keigo Hoashi, Takafumi Nishimura (Nier)

Segment 1 - EM 2019

WORST:
MGSV

BEST:
Untitled Goose Game
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Bloodstained
Mario Maker 2
Don't Wake The Night

MUSIC: Wild Hearts Never Die by Daniel Olsén (Sayonara Wild Hearts)

Segment 2 - Jackson 2019

WORST:
Death Stranding
Nier Automata

BEST:
Nier
Death Stranding
Zone of the Enders 2
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Sonic Adventure 2

MUSIC: Beyond the Bounds by Maki Kirioka (Zone of the Enders 2: The Second Runner)

Segment 3 - Em Decade

10. The Last Guardian
9. Tacoma
8. Gravity Rush 2
7. Device 6
6. Binding of Isaac
5. Animal Crossing New Leaf
4. Bayonetta 2
3. Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2. Hollow Knight
1. Super Hexagon

MUSIC: Courtesy by Chipzel (Super Hexagon)

Segment 4 - Jackson Decade

10. What Remains of Edith Finch
9. Pikmin 3
8. Beeswing
7. Virginia
6. Abzu
5. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
4. Tacoma
3. The Room 2
2. Cibele
1. Thumper

MUSIC: Mickey Mouse March by Jimmie Dodd and Tsuyoshi Sekito (Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep)

Segment 5 - Em Old

10. Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker
9. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
8. Full Throttle
7. Portopia Serial Murder Case
6. We Love Katamari
5. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
4. Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines
3. Planescape Torment
2. Doom
1. Final Fantasy IV

MUSIC: E2M3 Intermission by Bobby Prince (Doom)

Segment 6 - Jackson Old

10. We Love Katamari
9. Doom
8. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
7. Dead Rising
6. Killer7
5. Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
4. Mega Man 6
3. Earthbound
2. Metal Gear Solid 3
1. Final Fantasy VII

MUSIC: Tifa's Theme by Nobou Uematsu (Final Fantasy VII)

We return to a franchise we haven’t explored since our earliest days as a podcast as our friend Cassie brings us on a journey through both of our favorite Zelda games remade for one of our least favorite Nintendo platforms! What does it mean to remake a game? Does toy Link really have the appeal of pixel Link? And why would you do anything other than jump all the time if a game allowed you to do it! All this and more as we dream of possibility and adventure on the beaches of Koholint.

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest! Thanks to Cassie for being on this week, you can find her @buzzsunflower on twitter or check out her music on bandcamp!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: Sudoku, Death Stranding, KORG Gadget, Metal Gear Solid V: the LP, Metal Gear Survive, Link's Awakening, Link to the Past, screen warp LP by MeccaPrime

This Month's Game Club:Link’s Awakening remake

Next Month's Game Club: End of year episode?

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Tal Tal Heights by Ryo Nagamatsu
Boss Battle by Ryo Nagamatsu
Ballad of the Wind Fish (Japanese ver) by Ryo Nagamatsu

This month we stray far from our comfort zone and find a game that spurs one of the best discussions we’ve had all year, even if our feelings on the game in question are turbulent. It’s time to talk about Hacknet, a game that inspired the longest email the podcast has ever seen and a remembrance of Abnormal Mappings past. Note: please send us your Episode 100 suggestions ASAP, we really do need your help! Thanks everyone for 6 ridiculous and rewarding years.

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: Clone Hero, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, Jak & Daxter, Apple Arcade, The Maw, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, our Episode 100 quandry, Hacknet, the cited article about Expand and Hacknet, Bash.org, Trauma Center: Under the Knife

This Month's Game Club:
Hacknet

Next Month's Game Club:
Link’s Awakening remake

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Revolve (R Mix) by Cinematrix
Malware Injection by Remi Gallego
Outrun the Wolves by Matt Mclean

What does it mean to try to make a mech game that captures the experience of mech anime but using the power of the PS2 and the incredible resources of Kojima’s production studio? We find out as we explore the hellscape that is Mars by gathering our Metatron and tackling the rollercoaster that is playing through Zone of the Enders as a series! Dingo Egret, Jehuty, ikimasu!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: Control, Link's Awakening, Link to the Past, Devil May Cry 4, Zone of the Enders, Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner

This Month's Game Club:
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

Next Month's Game Club:
Hacknet

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Air Battle by Norihiko Hibino
Leo! Leo! by Norihiko Hibino
Beyond the Bounds by Maki Kirioka and Maki Kimura

We tuck into our endless backlog with this classic of the SNES era as we too create order from chaos with ActRaiser! What does it mean for a game to be enshrined for its novelty long after these genres have been much more fleshed out? How much of a mashup is about the juxtaposition over the individual parts being good? What does it say about religion that when you help everyone out they stop praying to you? All this and more in this short but sweet episode!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: SMT 3: Nocturne, Monster Hunter, ActRaiser, ActRaiser 2, Sol Seraph

This Month's Game Club:
ActRaiser

Next Month's Game Club:
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

Music This Episode
Title Theme by Yuzo Koshiro
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Fillmore by Yuzo Koshiro

We head all the way back to the last flagship Sonic game released on a dedicated Sega console with the divisive Sonic Adventure 2. Em regales us with the tales of discovering Sonic ten years later than everyone else, and Jackson talks about how this fits into their conception of Sonic as something only discovered recently. Also, we needle drop four of the best songs of one of the greatest soundtracks ever made. The game itself? Well, we might disagree on treasure hunting, but we agree about one thing: you’ve gotta go fast and play this one!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: Sonic, Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, Silent Hill 2, Mario Maker 2, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Generations, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Forces, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy X, Your Uncle's Beach House

This Month's Game Club:
Sonic Adventure 2

Next Month's Game Club:
ActRaiser

Music This Episode
Escape from the City by Ted Poley
Wild Canyon by Hunnid-P
E.G.G.M.A.N. by Paul Shortino
Live and Learn by Crush 40

Summer is in full swing and we’re feeling the heat as we struggle to muster the energy for games in our broken brains and post-E3 stupor. That said, we’re able to run down two fun things that are both worthy of your time in opposite ways: the slow joy of cartoon murder and the soft afternoon with some new round friends! It’s the two genders of gaming represented in one episode!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: E3, Hollow Knight Silksong, Jackson's extremely good Mario play, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Xenoblade Chronicles, Deception IV, Pikuniku, Donut County (boo), our craving for questions, open world games?, Repertory Screenings (please listen to it!), Your Uncle's Beach House (also please listen to it!)

This Month's Game Club:
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess
Pikuniku

Next Month's Game Club:
Sonic Adventure 2

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Title Menu by Yuki Matsumura and Ayako Toyoda
Free Money! by Calum Bowen
The Rainy Mountain by Calum Bowen
Unholy Choir (Mission Complete) by Yuki Matsumura and Ayako Toyoda

A short but intense episode this week as we strike from the moon to bring you a slightly different vision of ‘what if Gundam but video games that can’t contain it’ than Titanfall 2 gave us two months back. We’re going into our PSX demo disc favs and pulling up Square’s attempt at a flashy shooting game—Einhander! This is our first shmup/shooter, and we still can’t figure out what to call this genre, but we do know what to call Einhander: a video game that we have Opinions about. Join us as we journey to the earth and back!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts, writing, and even opportunities to be on an episode as a guest!

If you want to send us comments or questions, shoot us an email at [email protected]!

Things Discussed: Hades, Inazuma 11, Final Fantasy VII, Sigil, Einhander, Playdate

This Month's Game Club:
Einhander

Next Month's Game Club:
Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Capital by Kenichiro Fukui
Street by Kenichiro Fukui
Bloody Battle by Kenichiro Fukui
Afterimage by Kenichiro Fukui