How Long To Beat

We’re back to regular programming again this week as Paula tackles another series of Otome routes, while Josh gets stuck into a couple of mysteries and some point and click adventures. With only one retirement and a few more on the go, it’s time for the winner of our guessing game to pick a title for the other to play, before kicking off a new round with a fresh guess. Will Paula take an early lead in this secondary instalment? The answer may surprise you!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:18 - Beaten

00:41:14 - Retired

00:44:08 - Playing

01:06:46 - Trophy/Achievement Hunting!

01:39:34 - Paula’s Game Assignment

01:45:56 - Guess The Game

Games Mentioned:

Josh: The Last Door [PC], Armikrog [PC], Wreckfest [PC], Adventure Of A Lifetime [PC], Spaceplan (replay) [PC], The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter [PS5], Hatred [PC], Super Adventure Hand [PC], Cube Escape: Paradox [PC], Baldur’s Gate 3 [PC]

Paula: Olympia Soiree [Switch], Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei [Switch], Magicka 2 [PS5]

For this special episode, Josh and Paula are joined by Knalb, the Lord of the Threads, to discuss the HLTB Game of the Month games that featured in 2023. We discuss the highs and the lows, the good and the bad, and the long and the short, as we delve into the last twelve months of communal gaming experiences. Then we draw 2023 to a close with a quiz on the stats and data that has been teased from the threads and collated by our very special guest.

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:29 - Knalb’s Been Playing

00:13:06 - Live A Live

00:17:28 - Crypt Of The Necrodancer

00:24:22 - Metroid Prime

00:26:24 - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

00:42:14 - Conker’s Bad Fur Day

00:47:44 - Spiritfarer

01:00:40 - The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

01:33:02 - Baba Is You

01:40:43 - Guacamelee

01:46:04 - Murder By Numbers

01:51:26 - Luigi’s Mansion

01:53:49 - F.E.A.R.

01:59:27 - Grim Fandango

02:04:45 - Undertale

02:11:03 - Half-Life

02:18:50 - 2023 Favourites

02:23:14 - 2023 Overall

02:26:14 - Looking Ahead

02:27:20 - Quiz Time!

02:43:34 - Final Thoughts

Back with a long list of games played over the New Year/ Xmas break, Paula and Josh get stuck into some highs and lows of their gaming lives of recent times. Then they have a chat about Special and Limited Edition games that come with all those fun collectibles, or disappointing tat. Finally, Paula puts Josh to the test and we find out who has managed to win this round of the guessing game!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:40 - Beaten

00:33:36 - Retired

00:39:48 - Playing

01:16:19 - Special/Limited/Day One Editions

01:57:21 - Guess The Game

Games Mentioned:

Josh: Rusty Lake: Roots [PC], Cube Escape Collection (The Cave) [PC], Rusty Lake Paradise [PC], The Next World [PC], Pony Island (GotM) [PC], Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate [PC], Endling: Extinction Is Forever [PS5], Traverser [PC], Absolver [PC], Under Zero [PC], Vigil: Blood Bitterness [PC], Teardown [PS5], Dragon Quest Builders [PS5], Injustice 2 [PS5], The Last Door [PC], Tribes 3: Rivals Playtest [PC]

Paula: Cube Escape (Seasons, The Lake, Arles, Harvey’s Box, Case 23, The Mill) [PC], Rusty Lake Hotel [PC], Cube Escape (Birthday, Theatre) [PC], Rusty Lake Roots [PC], A Little to the Left [PC], Cube Escape: The Cave [PC], Rusty Lake: Paradise [PC], Cube Escape: Paradox [PC], Ape Escape [PSX (through PS5)], Code: Realize - Wintertide Miracles [PS Vita], The White Door [PC], Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei [Switch]

In this bonus episode, Paula and Josh discuss what it’s like to enter the world of gaming as a brand new gamer. What kind of barriers exist and what do developers assume players already know? What kinds of experiences are a good way to introduce someone to a brand new concept? Would you give that game to your child? All this and some extra tangents can be found within.

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:06 - Gaming For Non-Gamers

00:49:22 - Pasing The Torch

01:21:22 - Final Thoughts

The year is ending, so we’re going big and rolling out our Game of the Year Extravaganza! Featuring a bunch of our friends from the HLTB community who happened to wander by and offer their own perspectives on the year that’s been 2023. To everyone listening, we wish you a happy new year and hope that 2024 is an awesome time for all.

Strap yourself in… this is a big one!

HowLongToBeat forums - ⁠https://howlongtobeat.com/forum⁠

Discord – ⁠https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk⁠

Email - ⁠[email protected]⁠

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:12:30 - Our 2023

00:32:30 - Our GOTY Picks

00:42:19 - Hello?

01:11:20 - Who’s There?

01:33:11 - ¿Quién es?

01:58:59 - Somebody?

02:24:59 - Papa?

02:40:03 - Anybody Else?

02:54:49 - Wer könnte es sein?

03:06:12 - The End?

It’s the night before Christmas and we have a delightfully packed holiday themed episode for you today. Josh has finished off a few games, and been thrown in the deep end of running a galactic empire, with dubious results. While Paula has been solving cases and getting close to some pigeons with ulterior motives. Thankfully though, all is saved when we discuss the kinds of holiday-specific games and gaming experiences that we associate with this time of year. Then, can Paula pull away once again with another quick guess in our guessing game? Or will she struggle to reach into the dark depths of her memory with questionable success? Tune in to find out!

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:58 - Beaten

00:22:07 - Playing

01:02:39 - Christmas / Holiday Gaming

01:43:16 - Guess The Game

Games Mentioned:

Josh: Assassin’s Creed: Mirage [PS5], We Need To Go Deeper [PC], Stellaris [PC], Rusty Lake: Roots [PC], Look Inside [PC]

Paula: Hatoful Boyfriend [PC], Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations [DS], Code: Realize - Wintertide Miracles [PS Vita]

As itchmas comes to a close, Josh has been playing more little itch.io games, along with the usual adventures that never seem to end. Meanwhile Paula has completed a few games that she’s been working on for a while now, and getting back into others that were finished long ago. Plus, it’s Game of the Month time again and the classic FPS Half-Life is on the table, ready to be dissected and considered on its 25th anniversary. Finally, Josh attempts to make short work of guessing a game for once, and the outcome may surprise you.

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:13 - Beaten

00:30:00 - Playing

00:54:49 - GotM: Half-Life

01:18:06 - Guess The Game

Games Mentioned:

Josh: The Anglerfish Project (itchmas) [PC], Feather Park (itchmas) [PC], Chalk Gardens (itchmas) [PC], Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures (Episode 4: The Bogeyman) [PC], Team Sonic Racing [PS5], The Next World [PC], Assassin’s Creed: Mirage [PS5], Half-Life [PC],

Paula: Wargroove - archipelago campaign [PC], Virche Evermore: Error Salvation [Switch], Quarantine Circular [PC], Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations [DS], Hatoful Boyfriend [PC]

As the end of the year draws ever closer, we have a look whether we succeeded with our gaming goals for 2023, as well as setting new ones for 2024. Meanwhile, Paula has been on an emotional rollercoaster while laser focused on her latest Otome. In contrast, Josh has played a whole heap of different games, including some Itchmas in July titles and some fresh takes on alternate media. Then we wrap everything up with a lightning round of our guessing game, where Paula may once again show us why she’s the champ.

HowLongToBeat forums - https://howlongtobeat.com/forum

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:29 - Beaten

00:17:07 - Retired

00:23:20 - Playing

01:25:05 - New Year Gaming Resolutions

01:50:20 - Guess The Game

Games Mentioned:

Josh: Cocoon [PC], Cube Escape Collection (Birthday, Theatre) [PC], Under Leaves [PC]. Lookouts [PC], Coloring Game: Pixel [PC], Soundmarine (itchmas) [PC], Sandtrix (itchmas) [PC], Pigeon Ascent (itchmas) [PC], Gotham Knights [PC], Half-Life: Source [PC], Yoshi Goes to Tesco (itchmas) [PC],Robocop: Rogue City [PC], Assassin’s Creed: Mirage [PC], The Next World [PC],  Half-Life (GotM) [PC], Thirsty Suitors [PC], Disney Dreamlight Valley [XBOX SERIES S]

Paula: Virche Evermore: Error Salvation [Switch], Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations [DS]

This week Paula and Josh have completed the same cat-themed time-travelling hidden-object game, but not a lot else. Once again they’ve avoided retiring anything, but Paula has been playing with clones, while Josh skated his way through some sentimental adventures in growing up. Finally, with the end of the year closing in, we have a chat about the HLTB Fantasy Critic League before Josh attempts to even up the scores and chase some all new stakes in our guessing game.

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:33 - Beaten

00:07:15 - Playing

00:41:26 - HLTB Fantasy Critic League

01:05:15 - Guess The Game

Games Mentioned:

Josh: An Arcade Full of Cats [PC], Thirsty Suitors [PC], The Next World [PC], Cocoon [PC]. Overcooked 2 [PS5]

Glory to Paula, as she deals with suspect documentation and terrorist cells at the border; while Josh hacks his way into some kid’s chat logs, and fights no good darn dirty soviet robots. Then they both get stuck into the undeniable impact Undertale has had on gaming…along with their own thoughts and hot takes on this Game of the Month. Finally, can Paula solve the conundrum that is perhaps the most popular game on HLTB? Have a listen and find out!.

Discord – https://discord.gg/v5F26Dk

Email - [email protected]

Music – Ian Edward (intro/outro) and Abatage (incidental)

Graphic design – M4thew and Pokepaw

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:58 - Beaten

00:24:15 - Playing

01:13:23 - Game of the Month: Undertale

01:33:55 - Guess The Game

Games Mentioned:

Josh: The Tiny Bang Story [PC], ToriDori [PC], Sorry, James [PC], Baldur’s Gate 3 [PC]. Assassin’s Creed: Mirage [PS5], Atomic Heart [PC], The Next World [PC]

Paula: Papers, Please [PC], Pokemon Sapphire [GBA] (Nuzlocke Randomizer), Wargroove [PC] (Archipelago Custom Campaign), An Arcade Full of Cats [PC], Virche Evermore: Error Salvation [Switch]