Welcome to the eighth season of Into the Aether! For this season premiere, we will be discussing our favorite games for the Sony PlayStation Portable. The PSP was a very special console and is still a joy to play. Some might say it's the "Walkman of the 21st Century." 

As always, thank you all so much for listening to and supporting the show. Whether this is your first time joining us or you've been here since 2018, we're so happy you decided to give us a listen. Here's to friendship, summer, portability, and the rest of season eight!

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.social 
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 8 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/
---
Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro

When will they make a two-sided SD card that always lands text?

Discussed: PSPrequel on Patreon, upcoming flights to Jersey, flipping an SD card, Cobalt Core, StarVaders, FTL, He is Coming, Loop Hero, whether or not roguelikes need to be infinite, Void Stranger, Stephen finishing The Hundred Line, games with multiple endings, Sacred Stones, the best introductions to Fire Emblem, A Link to the Past, New Leaf, the potential of a new Animal Crossing, all kinds of Za, Patapon on Switch, The Forgotten City, 1000xResist, the “last time on” mechanic, Jersey diners & New York pizza 

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.social 
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 7 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/
---
Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro

I guess it’s kind of like a Bananza?

Discussed:  Upcoming episode for Patrons, TWG on Bluesky, Donkey Kong Bananza, early 3D Nintendo games, Donkey Kong as a series, the history of Nintendo console launch windows, the appeal of Zelda speed runs, Word Play, Boss Keys (GMTK), Developing (GMTK), the journey of any creative project, the dream of portrait mode, Nurikabe World, Brendon’s ROM Hack corner, Animal Crossing: City Folk Deluxe, why Animal Crossing works best handheld, and Beardo

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.social 
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 7 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/
---
Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro

I heard you like video tapes. You might not like this movie, but you’re gonna LOVE these games. Mmm, mmm.

Discussed: The weird animorph phase, a little bit more of Death Stranding 2, Stephen’s fear of dolls, Press Start joins TWG, Blitzball, Mario Golf: Super Rush, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Ages, the beauty of the 8-bit aesthetic, Baseball (’89), The Sword of Hope, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, how Fire Emblem stands out in its genre, the customization in Final Fantasy Tactics & Tactics Ogre, the approachability of Jeanne d’Arc, Edelgard’s quest to high five, CTGP Nitro, the “za” of Mario Kart DS, our love of retro racing games, Toad’s BBQ

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.social 
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 7 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/
---
Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro

I made it through Dom's dream and all I got were these podcast show notes.

Discussed: Indie the Aether, Dom Nero: Prophet, Death Stranding 2, I Believe in Pizza (w/ Chris Plante), Deltarune Chapter 3+4, Persona 5: The Phantom X, the plight of mobile gacha games, Bacon - The Game, Nintendo Wiid, Super Mariomon, Pokémon Odyssey, Elden Ring: Nightreign 

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 7 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/
---
Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro

Hey everyone! We have some big changes coming to Into the Aether in the near future and we wanted to talk through them a bit.

To avoid burying the lede here: We’re leaving the Pickaxe podcast network and returning to complete independence. This has actually been in the works for a little while, but we wanted to only share the news when all of the boxes were checked.

This is not a decision we made lightly, but we’re confident it is the right decision for us and for all of you.

To be clear, we have no ill-will with Pickaxe and there are no hard feelings either way. This was entirely our decision. As breezy as the process of joining was, the process of offboarding has been equally breezy. We want to extend a huge thanks to the team over there for taking a chance on us and being so cool over the last few months. It’s not often you’re given as much creative control as we were in situations like this.

Immediate Changes:

1) No more programmatic ads 

The first and most obvious change will be the removal of programmatic advertising in the podcast. We hugely appreciate the feedback from you all regarding the inclusion of these ads. While we’re happy to have tried this method out — it clearly didn’t work for us, the vibe of the show, or the values of Aether as an entity.

This change will affect the entire backlog of the podcast as well, so all episodes will return to being ad-free – with the exception of our host-read ads from before the Pickaxe era.

We’ll share more about our plans for returning to host-read ads at a later date, but for now: If you’re currently backing the show at the $10 tier, we completely understand if you’d like to downgrade or cancel your membership for the time being. While we will be returning to an advertising model that feels better to us and focuses on lifting up bands and games and projects we can get behind, the reality is that those ads won’t be present in the show until August at the earliest. We hope to have you back, but also understand if you need to pull your support for the time being. 

2) Chapters are back!

Another welcome change (cue the applause sfx) is that chapter markers are back on the menu. The move to Pickaxe unfortunately wiped the chapter markers from all episodes of the show, meaning you all needed to rely on the written timecodes in the episode descriptions. While this wasn’t the end of the world, it also wasn’t intentional or desirable on our part. 

We’re happy to say that chapter markers should be working in the entire backlog, including the episodes which were produced during the Pickaxe era.

The Future:

We have some other big changes and ideas in the works that we’ll be announcing on the PSP retrospective episode (which we will be recording on August 2nd). These changes are all positive and double down on our desire to keep the show independent for the foreseeable future. We’re excited to share them with you!

We’re immensely proud of what Into the Aether has become over the past seven years (!!) and want to make sure its future is sustainable and bright as an indie show on TWG. The reason we are able to try all the things we do and push ourselves further is entirely due to all of your support. So just another huge thank you to everyone for listening and giving us the confidence to try and make this show in our own way.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them here in Discord or email us at [email protected].

Thanks again,

BB + SH

I miss the good old days where all you had in your pockets were your keys, your iPod, and your Demon in a Tube.

Discussed: Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, Monster Train 2, Slay the Spire 2, Hades 2, 17bit, Galak-Z, Awaysis, The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online

Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online

Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast

---

Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/

Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online

Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social

---

Season 7 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/

Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/

---

Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:11) - Death Stranding 2 | Please walk us out of the weather
• (03:03) - Donkey Kong Bananza is coming!!!!
• (06:36) - Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army | A perpendicular segue
• (36:58) - Monster Train 2 | For my next trick
• (57:10) - Break
• (57:12) - 17bit | Brendon took a trip
• (01:00:16) - Awaysis | Brendon went to 17bit
• (01:36:05) - Break
• (01:36:07) - The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- | We're back baby
• (02:02:23) - Wrapping up

---

Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:

Zachary D

IanfaceMcGee

Matt H

Clayton M

Chris Y

w0nderbrad

Shawn L

Cody R

Zach R

Federico V

Logan H

Alan R

Slink

mattjanzz 

Deacon

Grok

Corey Z

Directional Joy

Susan H

Olivia K

Dan S

Isaac S

Will C

Jim W

Evan B

David H

min2

Aaron G

V

Erik M

Brady H

Joshua J

Tony L

Danny K

Seth M

Adam B

Justin K

Andy H

Demo

Parker E

Maxwell L

Spiritofthunder

Jason W

Jason T

Corey T

Minnow Eats Whale

Caleb W

fingerbelly

Jesse W

Mike T

Codes

Wesley

Erik B

mebezac

Sergio L

ninjadeathdog

Rory B

A42PoundMoose

Andrew

Justin M

Peter

Stellar.Bees

Brendan K

Scott R

wreckx

Noah O

Michael G

Arcturus

Chris R

hepahe

Cory F

Chase A

LoveDies

Nick Q

Wes K

Chris M

RB

Michaela W

Adam F

Scott H

Alexander SP

Therese K

jgprinters

Jessica B

Murray

David P

Jason K

Bede R

Kamrin H

Kyle S

Philip 

Intelligence is hating the blue shell. Wisdom is knowing that you're so good that being hit by the blue shell won't make a difference.

Discussed: The Nintendo Switch 2, sales, Mario Kart World, The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-, Fire Emblem: Three Hopes, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Super Mariomon, Pokémon ZA

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online

Buy some NEW merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online

Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast

---

Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/

Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online

Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social

---

Season 7 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/

Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/

---

Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (00:21) - Switch 2 | There's a new console release and we're talking about it
• (37:25) - Break
• (37:27) - Quick sales update
• (40:55) - Mario Kart World | Vroom.
• (01:30:09) - Break
• (01:30:11) - The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- | Non-Switch 2 grab bag
• (01:38:32) - Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo | Non-Switch 2 grab bag
• (01:43:06) - Fire Emblem: Three Hopes | What if the game could feel better?
• (01:49:45) - Tears of the Kingdom upgrade | Performance bumps
• (01:52:47) - Pokemon Scarlet and Violet | Performance bumps
• (02:03:56) - Wrapping up

---

Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:

Zachary D

IanfaceMcGee

Matt H

Clayton M

Chris Y

w0nderbrad

Shawn L

Cody R

Zach R

Federico V

Logan H

Alan R

Slink

mattjanzz 

Deacon

Grok

Corey Z

Directional Joy

Susan H

Olivia K

Dan S

Isaac S

Will C

Jim W

Evan B

David H

min2

Aaron G

V

Erik M

Brady H

Joshua J

Tony L

Danny K

Seth M

Adam B

Justin K

Andy H

Demo

Parker E

Maxwell L

Spiritofthunder

Jason W

Jason T

Corey T

Minnow Eats Whale

Caleb W

fingerbelly

Jesse W

Mike T

Codes

Wesley

Erik B

mebezac

Sergio L

ninjadeathdog

Rory B

A42PoundMoose

Andrew

Justin M

Peter

Stellar.Bees

Brendan K

Scott R

wreckx

Noah O

Michael G

Arcturus

Chris R

hepahe

Cory F

Chase A

LoveDies

Nick Q

Wes K

Chris M

RB

Michaela W

Adam F

Scott H

Alexander SP

Therese K

jgprinters

Jessica B

Murray

David P

Jason K

Bede R

Kamrin H

Kyle S

Philip 

Bazinga.

Discussed: Brendon is back!, the Switch 2, ⁠this post on bsky⁠,  Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, Elden Ring Nightreign, ⁠The Summer Game Fest Problem ⁠by Brendon for Wavelengths, ⁠We're Really Just Going Through With All This, Aren't We ⁠by Luke Plunkett for Aftermath, Consume Me, ⁠The award that changes the lives of its winners⁠ by Chris Plante for Post Games, Mina the Hollower, Silksong is not out yet, video game "Free Bird", Galak-z, The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- 

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online

Buy some NEW merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online

Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast

---

Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/

Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online

Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social

---

Season 7 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/

Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/

---

Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Brendon is back!
• (01:41) - The Switch 2 | The juice is worth the sqWiiz
• (08:37) - Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time | Brought to you by Japanese Wi-fi
• (38:31) - Break
• (38:33) - Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
• (01:10:16) - Break
• (01:10:18) - The state of SGF, briefly
• (01:13:21) - 🚨TW: Food-related trauma🚨Consume Me | It's demo day, baby
• (01:19:42) - Mina the Hollower | OUR demo
• (01:38:27) - Break
• (01:38:30) - UPS update
• (01:40:34) - The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- | The Three Houses Temporal Anomaly
• (02:03:48) - Wrapping up

---

Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:

Zachary D

IanfaceMcGee

Matt H

Clayton M

Chris Y

w0nderbrad

Shawn L

Cody R

Zach R

Federico V

Logan H

Alan R

Slink

mattjanzz 

Deacon

Grok

Corey Z

Directional Joy

Susan H

Olivia K

Dan S

Isaac S

Will C

Jim W

Evan B

David H

min2

Aaron G

V

Erik M

Brady H

Joshua J

Tony L

Danny K

Seth M

Adam B

Justin K

Andy H

Demo

Parker E

Maxwell L

Spiritofthunder

Jason W

Jason T

Corey T

Minnow Eats Whale

Caleb W

fingerbelly

Jesse W

Mike T

Codes

Wesley

Erik B

mebezac

Sergio L

ninjadeathdog

Rory B

A42PoundMoose

Andrew

Justin M

Peter

Stellar.Bees

Brendan K

Scott R

wreckx

Noah O

Michael G

Arcturus

Chris R

hepahe

Cory F

Chase A

LoveDies

Nick Q

Wes K

Chris M

RB

Michaela W

Adam F

Scott H

Alexander SP

Therese K

jgprinters

Jessica B

Murray

David P

Jason K

Bede R

Kamrin H

Kyle S

Philip 

Gravity Rush and Silent Hill are smog-likes.

Follow Joshua: https://bsky.app/profile/jmrivera.bsky.social

Follow Dom: https://bsky.app/profile/dominicknero.bsky.social
Listen to Eye of the Duck: https://eyeoftheduckpod.com/listen

Discussed: Gotenks, the Gravity Rush series, ⁠Silent Hill Creator Keiichiro Toyama Reacts to Shock Closure of The Evil Within Developer Tango Gameworks⁠ by Ryan Dinsdale for IGN, Final Fantasy IX, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, Street Fighter naming conventions and history lesson, ⁠The Need For GTA 6's Success Is A Symptom Of A Broken Industry⁠ by Joshua Rivera for Aftermath, ⁠Deus Ex: Human Revolution is FINE, And Here's Why⁠ by hbomberguy on YouTube, The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-, ⁠POST-HYPE: Dangonronpa v3 Pt 1⁠ by No Cartridge Audio, Pilot Quest on UFO50, ⁠Oh No, I Am Way Too Into UFO 50's Idle Zelda⁠ by Chris Person for Aftermath  

Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online

Buy some NEW merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online

Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast

---

Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/

Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online

Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social

---

Season 7 cover art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/

Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://ghostdown.online/

---

Timecodes:

• (00:00) - Intro with Dom and Joshua
• (01:58) - Gravity Rush | Gohan and Trunks make a choice
• (24:22) - Smog
• (24:28) - Final Fantasy IX | Smog check
• (32:31) - FINAL FANTASY IX SPOILERS
• (33:07) - Final Fantasy IX | Smog check
• (51:44) - Break
• (51:47) - Capcom Fighting Collection 2 | Too much good fighting
• (01:15:17) - The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- | It's not the best game and Joshua doesn't care!!!
• (01:37:19) - Break
• (01:37:21) - UFO50 | DOM01
• (02:04:24) - Wrapping up

---

Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:

Zachary D

IanfaceMcGee

Matt H

Clayton M

Chris Y

w0nderbrad

Shawn L

Cody R

Zach R

Federico V

Logan H

Alan R

Slink

mattjanzz 

Deacon

Grok

Corey Z

Directional Joy

Susan H

Olivia K

Dan S

Isaac S

Will C

Jim W

Evan B

David H

min2

Aaron G

V

Erik M

Brady H

Joshua J

Tony L

Danny K

Seth M

Adam B

Justin K

Andy H

Demo

Parker E

Maxwell L

Spiritofthunder

Jason W

Jason T

Corey T

Minnow Eats Whale

Caleb W

fingerbelly

Jesse W

Mike T

Codes

Wesley

Erik B

mebezac

Sergio L

ninjadeathdog

Rory B

A42PoundMoose

Andrew

Justin M

Peter

Stellar.Bees

Brendan K

Scott R

wreckx

Noah O

Michael G

Arcturus

Chris R

hepahe

Cory F

Chase A

LoveDies

Nick Q

Wes K

Chris M

RB

Michaela W

Adam F

Scott H

Alexander SP

Therese K

jgprinters

Jessica B

Murray

David P

Jason K

Bede R

Kamrin H

Kyle S

Philip