dotzip

By dotzipLeisure Video Games Games

dotzip episodes

March 30Diving Deep in In Other Waters
When you think about it the ocean is kind of like space.

Today we're talking about In Other Waters by Jump Over the Age! A game about the wonder and devastation of ecological science, and good menus.

Get In Other Waters on Steam, Humble, GoG, or Nintendo Switch!!! Follow Jump Over the Age's work on their website!

Discussed in the episode:
Listen to Leaving the Party!!!
In Other Waters is about exploring an alien ocean through an AI interface by Nicole Carpenter for Polygon
In Other Waters, ft. Gareth Damian Martin by Bad End: A Videogame Podcast
'Citizen Sleeper' dev on how players’ bodies shape the story by Robin<3 for inverse
How ecological adventure In Other Waters's planet-wide mystery gives players hope by Joel Couture for Game Developer
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on YouTube!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari
---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - Day dreams (dreams you have that are what your day is going to be)
(01:26) - Chase NAILS the intro
(01:54) - What is In Other Waters
(04:17) - High level thoughts
(09:55) - Cheering at the UI
(15:36) - The line to Citizen Sleeper
(19:42) - Early game spoilers
(21:33) - Shoutout to Amos Roddy
(22:09) - Where to begin spoiling...
(24:03) - Diving deeper
(30:16) - Graphics are environmental metaphor actually
(39:00) - In the end
(50:01) - Big Takeaways
(50:05) - Robin's Big Takeaway
(54:18) - Chase's Big Takeaway
(56:45) - We win!
(57:10) - Thanks for finding the ending of the episode
★ Support this podcast ★
1 hr
March 23Being in Pain in Soul of Sovereignty
Just-- Wh-- Man....

Today we're talking about Soul of Sovereignty by GGDG! A game about needing to see the good in someone else and pretty flowers. This game was suggested by Amet! If you'd like to suggest a game head over to our website!

Get Soul of Sovereignty on itch!!! Follow GGDG's work on their website!

Discussed in the episode:
Cucumber Quest by GGDG
SoulSov Chapter 1-3 OSTs on Bandcamp
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on YouTube!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari
---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - We are friends!!!!!
(00:39) - Fri-day night
(01:30) - Thank you Amet for the suggestion!
(03:35) - What is Soul of Sovereignty
(06:45) - SPOILERS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT EVENTS IN THE BEGINNING
(11:47) - The intro is good and so is everything!!!
(14:17) - It's not done yet technically!
(15:51) - FINAL SPOILER WARNING
(16:12) - Welcome to spoilers
(16:35) - The turn
(18:52) - Selfish virtue and deadly kindness
(24:04) - The story is painful
(29:49) - Where does the story go from here?
(31:14) - Audience surrogate
(32:15) - It's time to talk about Them.
(37:32) - Flashback stuff
(38:56) - AJ and Kim bait
(45:22) - THE STORY IS PAINFUL!!!!!!!!
(47:31) - We haven't even talked about The Trials
(48:42) - There is just so much we haven't touched on
(53:53) - They're both hot
(54:48) - Whoops it's Big Takeaways
(55:09) - KAJ's Takeaway
(01:00:14) - Good
(01:01:01) - Thank you for listening :)
★ Support this podcast ★
1 hr 5 min
March 16Experiencing Womanhood in A Year of Springs
We’ve all had unrequited feelings for one of our best friends at the hot springs, right? Right????

Today we're talking about A Year of Springs by npckc! A game about the endless complexity of being a woman and sending cute lil emojis.

Get A Year of Springs on Steam or itch!!! Follow npckc’s work on their website!

Discussed in the episode:
A YEAR OF SPRINGS soundtrack on Bandcamp
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on YouTube!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari
---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - Someone make a good way to take screenshots
(01:07) - Lifeguard Off-Duty
(02:07) - Who is npckc?
(03:16) - What is a Year of Springs
(05:21) - Hard to not spoil!
(08:23) - General subject matter
(12:18) - Beep boop
(12:25) - One Night, Hot Springs
(18:07) - Endings
(22:45) - The difference in perspectives
(25:36) - Last Day of Spring
(29:03) - Presents for transgender women
(30:56) - The texting is good!
(32:25) - Spring Leaves No Flower
(37:40) - An unexpected shift
(42:32) - Why is it so hard to be a woman!!!!!!
(44:14) - I guess I gotta talk to my boyfriend...
(45:22) - Endings
(46:47) - This one is for the girls
(51:07) - The Epilogue
(52:39) - Getting a new start
(55:46) - Big Takeaways
(55:56) - Kim's Big Takeaway
(59:26) - Robin's Big Takeaway
(01:04:17) - Good game!!!
(01:04:23) - Kim attempts the outro
★ Support this podcast ★
1 hr 8 min
March 09Living in Time Flies
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Today we're talking about Time Flies by Playables! A game about being a fly and then being another fly.

Get Time Flies on Playstation, Switch, Steam, Epic, or the App Store!!! Follow Playables work on their website!

Discussed in the episode:
EYEZMAZE
Robin's piece on Time Flies for Inverse
Allegheny Cemetery: The story behind the Egyptian mausoleum and sphinx by Joaquin Gonzalez for 90.5 WESA
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on YouTube!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari
---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - We needed this
(01:22) - A Kim approved intro
(02:18) - What is Time Flies
(09:00) - The sound design
(10:18) - The art
(12:18) - A not spoiler spoiler
(12:34) - How many secrets did we find?
(13:41) - Standout stuff
(23:55) - Min/Maxxing life expectancy
(30:08) - How are we feeling about death?
(41:14) - A quick mechanical thing
(42:39) - Big Takeaways
(42:45) - Kim's Big Takeaway
(44:58) - AJ's Big Takeaway
(47:15) - Robin's Big Takeaway
(49:31) - How do I live a life like the fly?
(52:35) - Check the show notes!
(53:17) - Thank you for listening!
★ Support this podcast ★
57 min
March 02 Help!!! It's February Next Fest!!!
Send help.

Today we're talking about the February 2026 Next Fest!

Discussed in the episode:
Games that will almost certainly be covered by dotzip
Unhomely - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2941990/Unhomely/
I’m Making a Monster - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4047160/Im_Making_a_Monster/

Brain goes burr
VHOLUME - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4131730/VHOLUME/
Tileweaver - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4006200/Tileweaver/
Cursed Words - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3856460/Cursed_Words/
Pachincro - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4200890/Pachincro/
The Loopler - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4150860/The_Loopler/
The Magus Circle - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2796640/The_Magus_Circle/
Runeomicon - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3160570/Runeomicon/
Modulus - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2779120/Modulus/
Raccoin - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3784030/RACCOIN_Coin_Pusher_Roguelike/

I love whatever is wrong you
Rewind 99 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3977290/Rewind_99/
Busbound - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2095420/Bus_Bound/
Nightfall Cafe - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3816920/Nightfall_Cafe/
All Will Rise - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3165340/All_Will_Rise/ (on Kickstarter: All Will Rise: a narrative courtroom deck-builder )
AtmosFar - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1798230/ATMOSFAR/
West - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4302000/West/

Shoutout to Newgrounds.com
Chipmatic - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3780950/Chipmatic/
Mining Merchant - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3744080/Mining_Merchant/

Maybe that zoloft didn't block ALL my emotions
Hozy - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3326230/Hozy/
Memento - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2474770/Momento/
inKONBINI - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2723430/inKONBINI_One_Store_Many_Stories/
A Study In Blue - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4280150/A_Study_in_Blue/
Deep Snow Delivery - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3281970/Deep_Snow_Delivery/

This one's on the computer
Lost Wiki: Kozlovka - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4018950/Lost_Wiki_Kozlovka/
Human.exe - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4016270/Humanexe/
MMO 98 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3907940/MMO_98/
Secrets of Suburbia - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3111050/Secrets_Of_Suburbia/

What the fuck (affectionate)
Panthalassa - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2955720/Panthalassa/
WOODROT - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3896040/WOODROT/
THREE VERSES³ - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3139120/THREE_VERSES/
Burden Street Station - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3126340/Burden_Street_Station/

Feast for the Eyes
Petrichor - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4168440/Petrichor/
Phonopolis - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1206070/Phonopolis/ (nocaps on YouTube: i played every game by Amanita Design)
Titanium Court - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2364580/Titanium_Court/
Helix: Descent N Ascent - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2736370/Helix_Descent_N_Ascent/
Pluto - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3057670/Pluto/
HYPNOS - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2861210/HYPNOS/

The dotzip award for the most questionable idle animations
Super Alloy Crush - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3092360/Super_Alloy_Crush/

Hot girl walks
Dreamcore: Rabbit Hole - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4149700/Dreamcore_Rabbit_Hole/
Plum Road Tea Dream - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3206340/Plum_Road_Tea_Dream/
Walk the Frog - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3336240/Walk_The_Frog/
nophenia - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3979330/nophenia/
Gloomveil - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3156020/Gloomveil/

Women su...
2 hr 47 min
February 23Trying to Make Sense of the World in Eclipsium
i ain't interpreting all that. i'm happy for you tho. or sorry that happened
Today we're talking about Eclipsium by Housefire! A game about walking around and unspeakable things happening to your hand.

Get Eclipsium on Steam!!! Follow Housefire's work on their website!

Discussed in the episode:
AJ on The Worst Community Report
AJ's 2025 Game of the Year video on YouTube
Eclipsium (Original Game Soundtrack) by Hudson Bikichky on Bandcamp
AJ's playthrough of the beginning of Eclipsium on YouTube
Finding Emilie by Radiolab
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on YouTube!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine and check out his new project Foster Hope!

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari

---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - Listen to AJ on The Worst Garbage Community Report :-)
(01:45) - Welcome to the game
(03:31) - What is Eclipsium?
(04:58) - What'd we think
(08:30) - Bugs?
(10:00) - The music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The sound!!!!!!!!!!
(13:10) - The hand and the things done to the hand
(15:42) - Heading to spoilers
(16:11) - Chase wants to talk about the images
(20:01) - Kim wants to talk about judgment
(22:48) - Robin wants to talk about it literally
(25:16) - AJ wants to talk about the opting-in
(27:24) - What death means and religious imagery
(34:21) - Going to the panopticon
(47:27) - They can't ALL be PT!!!
(50:03) - An actually interesting series of hallways
(56:47) - Big Takeaways
(56:59) - AJ's Big Takeaway
(59:42) - Chase's Big Takeaway
(01:04:08) - Kim's Big Takeaway
(01:06:19) - Robin's Big Takeaway
(01:09:39) - The end of the game hot damn
(01:09:57) - Thanks for listening!
★ Support this podcast ★
1 hr 13 min
February 16Gliding on the Wind in Toroa: Skycall
Guy whose only played Sayonara Wild Hearts: "I'm getting a lot of Sayonara Wild Hearts energy in this game."

Today we're talking about Toroa: Skycall by Atawhai Interactive! A game about gliding and just hangin' out.

Get Toroa: Skycall on Steam!!! Follow Atawhai Interactive's work on their website!

Discussed in the episode:
The sourdough shaping video that AJ talked about by Matthew James Duffy on YouTube Shorts(tm)
TWG Steam Curator Page
Making Kin with the Machines, Archer et al. from the Journal of Design and Science by MIT Press
Royal Albatross Centre
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on YouTube!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari
---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - The end of a 20 minute conversation
(02:31) - We're not fighting!!!
(03:43) - fort.nite ????
(05:52) - Oh right the podcast
(06:12) - What is Toroa: Skycall
(07:36) - This game feels AMAZING
(10:21) - The MUSIC
(11:38) - The game is steeped in culture
(13:46) - Talking to other animals
(17:02) - Songs of the sea have been dulled by the drums of progress
(21:48) - The game wants you to just hang out
(23:05) - Bird heaven????
(28:49) - Everything is connected
(33:57) - You get where you're going
(35:57) - Made with love
(36:31) - Everything is connected!!!
(37:15) - Big Takeaways
(37:17) - Kim's Big Takeaway
(42:31) - AJ's Big Takeaway
(47:09) - Help the Northern Royal Albatross!!!
(47:38) - Thank you for listening!
★ Support this podcast ★
52 min
February 09Watching the World Cup in despelote with Matt Horton (Flow State, In Sequence)
This is a sports game! Well it's a game that centers around a sport... Er, it's a game that has a sport as a central narrative piece... uh...

Today we're talking about despelote by Julián Cordero and Sebastián Valbuena! A game about soccer and tuning out the adults in your life.

Get despelote on Steam, Switch, or Playstation!!! Follow Julian's work on his website! Follow Sebastián on his website!
Follow Matt on his YouTube channel, Flow State!

Discussed in the episode:
A Sportslike Manifesto by Grapefruit Games
Despelote review: miraculous slice-of-life soccer game pulls a hat trick by Moises Taveras for Digital Trends
Additional links:
Despelote with Moises Taveras by Tales from the Backlog on YouTube
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on YouTube!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari
---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - The sausage gets made
(00:19) - Babby's first intro
(01:34) - The Sports Corner
(04:20) - What is despelote?
(08:13) - Sportslike
(11:24) - Witholding the big stuff
(13:35) - Making it back to the bench
(14:36) - The first ten minutes
(18:39) - Standout moments
(26:07) - Being a child among adults
(31:24) - What happened...
(32:43) - Turn the game on!
(35:06) - Crossing narrative lines
(37:22) - The very end
(41:11) - Big Takeaways
(41:16) - Matt's Big Takeaway
(44:12) - Robin's Big Takeaway
(46:27) - Chase's Big Takeaway
(49:43) - Thank you Matt for coming on!
(49:53) - Chase attempts an outro
★ Support this podcast ★
52 min
February 02Going Shopping in Dépanneur Nocturne
Would you mind picking me up a mystery skull while you're out?

Today we're talking about Dépanneur Nocturne by KO_OP! A game about getting little treats and going to the washroom.

Get Dépanneur Nocturne on Steam!!! Follow Ko_OP's work on their website!

Discussed in the episode:
_amaranthine's (Jake's) new project Foster Hope on bandcamp!
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on YouTube!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari
---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - Eldot Ring
(00:21) - ahem
(00:34) - Snow day!!!!!!
(01:38) - What is Depanneur Nocturne?
(02:31) - This is a game about existing in a new place
(10:11) - The backroom
(11:25) - Going to the washroom
(15:31) - Sharing little secrets
(18:27) - The cashier
(23:01) - Our big takeaways for our beautiful partner
(29:40) - Big Takeaways
(29:53) - AJ's Big Takeaway
(31:42) - Robin's Big Takeaway
(33:16) - A beautiful game about going shopping
(33:52) - Thanks for listening!
★ Support this podcast ★
37 min
January 26Saying "No" in The Sea Will Claim Everything
In this one AJ and Robin experience every human emotion at once!

Today we're talking about The Sea Will Claim Everything by Jonas Kyratzes! A game about a sentient house and needing to read more philosophy. This game was suggested by Alex! If you'd like to suggest a game head over to our website!

Get The Lands of Dream collection on Steam!!! Follow Jonas Kyratzes' work on their website!

Discussed in the episode:
The Sea Will Claim Everything walkthrough and review on jayisgames.com (for the love of god don't click anywhere else around the website lol)
Emergence blog post on Jonas Kyratzes' website
Fear of Twine: Zombies and Elephants (Verena Kyratzes) on YouTube
Life Support by Veran Kyratzes
---

Support us on Ko-fi!

Visit our website!

Follow us on Twitch!

Follow the show on Bluesky!

Check out The Worst Garbage Online!

---

Art by Tara Crawford

Theme music by _amaranthine

Additional sounds by Boqeh

Produced and edited by AJ Fillari
---

Timecodes:
(00:00) - Remember that you have free will
(00:52) - The podcast intro equivalent of waking up in a pitch dark hotel room
(01:43) - The saga of The Lands of Dream
(04:52) - What is The Sea Will Claim Everything?
(08:09) - It's goofy!
(14:12) - Some advice
(14:59) - Some of the first text things you see
(15:18) - "The Sea Will Claim Everything, part II" by Chris Christodoulou, The Sea Will Claim Everything
(17:41) - Welcome to Underhome
(24:43) - Out into the world
(31:46) - The Isle of Stars
(34:20) - The Isle of Becoming
(38:58) - "Grains of Sand" by Chris Christodoulou, The Sea Will Claim Everything
(40:36) - Saying "No"
(40:49) - "Victory March" by Chris Christodoulou, The Sea Will Claim Everything
(41:15) - Saying "No"
(43:36) - The Oracle
(47:41) - Goodbye
(48:28) - "The Sea Will Claim Everything, part II" by Chris Christodoulou, The Sea Will Claim Everything
(52:31) - The packaging
(52:47) - SPOILERS FOR GREAT GOD GROVE
(52:59) - The packaging
(54:21) - All abooooard!
(54:27) - AJ's Big Takeaways
(56:59) - Robin's Big Takeaway
(58:42) - Hoo baby that's a video game
(59:14) - A little bit of diving
(01:00:34) - Thank you for listening!
★ Support this podcast ★
1 hr 5 min

About dotzip

From the publisher's feed

A show about big games in small packages! Join AJ, Kim, Robin, and Chase every week to talk about short video games, indie tabletop games, and maybe other stuff!