IRL Video version over on the YouTube

This is a special one! The IRL edition of the podcast was recorded in front of a live studio audience (producer Jack) in Vienna! Jess and Kat took a minute away from the Christmas markets to talk about making friends online, the dangers of parasocial behaviour and what they've learned from their good and bad experiences on Twitch and beyond.

Please note: this was recorded in November but editing was delayed by an international move, so bear with us while we get back into the swing of things.

Gaming news 3:45

Discussing the Video Game Awards nominees (this was recorded before the ceremony!), the controversy over Dave the Diver being nominated for Best Independent Game, and some Twitter drama over the role of influencers in marketing video games. Journalist Jess vs Influencer Kat: who will win? Both! Because we're all friends here.

Online Friendships 30:24

Life Chats 01:00:13

Kat's recent YouTube review roundupKat's Tears of the Kingdom streams The New CozyGamerKat Cozy AF Collection!Jess' Alan Wake streams Jess' Resident Evil 4 Remake streams

Find our podcast on all other platforms here

Your hosts: JessIsHaunted - Links CozyGamerKat - Links

Intro: Baegel - Try Hard Outro: AGST - Callout

We LOVE Fall. So this week we're talking indie games set in the Fall or that just give us those delightful autumn vibes. With spooky season behind us and Christmas markets on the horizon, we also chat about why we're looking forward to the cold weather, some big life changes, and why marketing jobs can be the worst.

Before Your Eyes discussion 6:34

Gaming news 12:30

Discussing new releases, more AAA studios making cozy games, and Disney Dreamlight Valley drops its promise to be free-to-play.

Games mentioned: My Time at Sandrock, A Tiny Sticker Tale, Jusant, Paleo Pines

Games with Fall Vibes 33:18

Games mentioned: Firewatch, Night in the Woods, A Short Hike, Little Misfortune, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Fall of Porcupine, My Time at Portia, Wylde Flowers, Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, Lake, Life Is Strange, The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, Speed Dating for Ghosts, Pumpkin Panic, Bramble: the Mountain King

Our assigned game: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Life Chats 1:03:07

Kat's My Time at Sandrock let's play Kat's YouTube stream of Before Your EyesKat's YouTube stream of Paleo PinesJess' Twitch stream of Pumpkin Panic

Find our podcast on all other platforms here

Your hosts: JessIsHaunted - Links CozyGamerKat - Links

Intro: Baegel - Try Hard Outro: AGST - Callout

For those of us who love to settle down with a good book and become immersed in a story, indie games can offer a similar experience. For all you bookworms, let's talk about indie games that are narrative-driven, text-heavy, or give us the feeling of flipping through a novel.

Gaming news & releases 15:31

Games mentioned: Goodbye Volcano High, Stray Gods, Far Farm, Sea of Stars.

Games for Bookworms 31:13

Our assigned games: I Was A Teenage Exocolonist / The Forgotten City

Games mentioned: Coffee Talk, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, What Comes After, Dordogne, A Space For The Unbound, Doki Doki Literature Club, Return of the Obra Dinn, The Case of the Golden Idol, The Outer Wilds, Disco Elysium, Tiny Bookshop, Book of Hours, Before Your Eyes, Buddy Simulator 1984.

Kat's first impressions of I Was A Teenage ExocolonistKat's recent video on Fae Farm Kat's YouTube stream of Space For The Unbound Kat Plays Tiny Bookshop DemoKat's Dordogne let's play

Find our podcast on all other platforms here

Your hosts: JessIsHaunted - Links CozyGamerKat - Links

Intro: Baegel - Try Hard Outro: AGST - Callout

Romance is an important genre for these two cozy gamers, so let's talk about how indie games have explored love and relationships in their themes and gameplay.

New & Upcoming releases 8:50

Games mentioned: Lakeburg Legacies, Venba, Oxenfree 2, Viewfinder, Dave the Diver and Baldur's Gate 3.

Romance 22:36

Our assigned game: Haven

Games mentioned: Hatoful Boyfriend, Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator, Pop. Love. Panic (previously We Are OFK), Florence, Coffee Talk, To The Moon, When The Past Was Around, It Takes Two, Solo: Islands of the Heart, Unpacking, Hades, Grave Seasons, ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area, Space for the Unbound, The Gardens Between, Boyfriend Dungeon and Love, Ghostie.

Jess' TikTok on VenbaJess' stream of VenbaKat's playthrough of It Takes Two with Sskarrlett Kat's video on the Love, Ghostie demo

Find our podcast on all other platforms here

Your hosts: JessIsHaunted - Links CozyGamerKat - Links

Intro: Baegel - Try Hard Outro: AGST - Callout If you want to send us an email, you can find us at [email protected]

Can a horror game be cozy? Or do the two not mix? And who gets to decide? This topic has been quite divisive, but who better to talk about it than a scaredy Kat and a haunted Jess?

New & Upcoming releases 3:00

Games mentioned: Fall of Porcupine, Smushi Come Home, Dordogne, The Palace on the Hill, To A T, Little Kitty Big City, The Invincible, Botany Manor, The Star Named EOS, Tiny Bookshop, Venba, Gourdlets, Henry Halfhead, Kibu, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Moonstone Island, Grave Seasons

Cozy Horror 22:08

Our assigned game: Dredge

Games mentioned: Firewatch, Oxenfree, Call of the Sea, Little Nightmares, Little Misfortune, Inside, Limbo, Stray, Strange Horticulture

Jess Nevins' cozy horror thread Simon McNeil - In Praise of Discomfort Shila Vikström's 'Why do we experience horror games as cozy?' thread

Jess' TikTok on Venba Kat's video on Can Horror Games be Cozy?Kat's Firewatch playthrough Kat's video on the Botany Manor demoKat's quick look at Dordogne

Find our podcast on all other platforms here

Your hosts: JessIsHaunted - Links CozyGamerKat - Links

Intro: Baegel - Try Hard Outro: AGST - Callout If you want to send us an email, you can find us at [email protected]

Just two cozy girls talking about video games. And sometimes life.

Join us while we dissect our favourite indie games through our theme of the episode! From exploring new genres like cozy horror to how story games bring important subject matters to life, each episode will deep dive into a new topic, cover news in the industry, and more.

Cozy up and grab a tea or coffee while we chat all things indie gaming! And definitely never our love for retro horror movie monsters. Definitely not that.

Indie Games mentioned: Hades, Unpacking, What Remains of Edith Finch, The Gardens Between, Spiritfarer.

Find our podcast on all other platforms here

Your hosts: JessIsHaunted - Links CozyGamerKat - Links

Intro: Baegel - Try Hard Outro: AGST - Callout If you want to send us an email, you can find us at [email protected]