In Part 5 of our Tears of the Kingdom Book Club, we’re deep enough into the game to start asking the tough questions… like, is this story actually working?

Kayla and Jerica catch up on their progress and explore how the game’s environmental design shapes the way you play. Then, we dive into a thoughtful — and maybe spicy — conversation about how the narrative is structured, whether it lands, and how non-linear storytelling might be doing more harm than good.

00:00:00 Start
00:16:00 Last Week’s Checkpoint
00:23:30 Easy Mode
00:34:00 TOTK Traversal and Environments
00:45:53 Story Flawed?

Checkpoint Completed:
– A third Sage companion
– 4+ more shrines (12+ total)
– Another Dragon Tear memory
– Bonus: Depths exploration begins

Listener Question of the Week:
“What is more important to you: gameplay or story — and why?”
We read your answers and unpack where we stand.

Next Checkpoint (Part 6):
Finish the game. No pressure.

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In Part 4 of our Tears of the Kingdom Book Club, we wrapped up a second Regional Phenomena and brought another Sage into the squad. Kayla’s sharpening her combat skills, and Jerica dives deeper into what makes this open world experience truly stand out from the rest.

Timecodes:
00:00 Start
08:40 Easy Mode
34:15 Normal Mode
58:00 Expert Mode

Checkpoint Completed:
– Another Sage companion
– 4+ more shrines
– Another Dragon Tear memory

Next Checkpoint (Part 5):
– A third Sage companion
– 4+ additional shrines
– One more Dragon Tear memory
– Bonus: Try to buy a house and… Jerica is definitely going to catch the biggest horse in the game. Not kill. Definitely not kill.

Join the club and play along with us:
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In Part 3 of our Tears of the Kingdom Video Game Book Club, we reached our first Regional Phenomena, recruited a Sage companion, knocked out a handful of shrines, and uncovered our first Dragon Tear memory.

This week we dig into what makes combat in TOTK actually feel good, the magic behind its environmental storytelling, and how the game keeps surprising us. Kayla got zapped by lightning. Jerica may or may not be preparing to slay a dragon. Spiritually. Maybe literally.

Checkpoint Completed:
– First Regional Phenomena
– One Sage companion
– 4–8 shrines
– One Dragon Tear memory

Next Checkpoint (Part 4):
– Another Sage companion
– 4+ more shrines
– Another Dragon Tear memory

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We’ve landed. In this episode of JK! Games! Book Club, we’ve officially completed our first checkpoint in Tears of the Kingdom — and Hyrule is opening it's butthole wide for us.

We discuss reaching Lookout Landing, unlocking the Skyview Tower, getting the Paraglider, and choosing our first steps in the open world. We also share our reactions to returning characters like Purah and Robbie, how this sequel builds on Breath of the Wild, and what new mechanics and mysteries have already hooked us.

This episode sets the stage for the real adventure ahead, and we announce next week’s checkpoint — tackling our first Regional Phenomena (Rito, Zora, Goron, or Gerudo). Pick your path and play along with us!

Checkpoint just completed:

Finish the Great Sky Island
Reach Lookout Landing
Unlock the Skyview Tower + Paraglider
Talk to Purah and Robbie

Next week’s checkpoints:
1. Complete one of the four Regional Phenomena questlines
2. Complete 8 Shrines
3. Find a Dragon Tear memory

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JK! Games! is back—and we’re kicking things off with a brand-new format.

In this episode, we officially launch our video game book club with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. We catch up after our podcast hiatus (and time spent deep in The Last of Us coverage over on ClickerBait), and share what this new chapter of JK! Games! is all about.

We reflect on our personal history with the Zelda franchise, break down our first impressions of TOTK’s gameplay, powers, and early worldbuilding, and set our very first book club checkpoint so listeners can play along with us.

This week’s checkpoint: Complete the Great Sky Island tutorial and reach Lookout Landing.

Whether you’re revisiting Hyrule or jumping in for the first time, there’s a place for you in the JK! Games! Book Club. Join us every week as we play through one game at a time—together.

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We’re Back! JK! Games! Returns with a New Format 
After a 4-month break (thanks to our ClickerBait takeover 👀), we’re back with a brand new JK! Games! episode — and we’ve got some exciting updates to share.

In this episode, we catch up on what we’ve been up to, talk about our time covering The Last of Us Season 2 on our podcast ClickerBait, and reveal the future of JK! Games!...

We’re turning JK! Games! into a video game book club!
That’s right — we’re still covering the news and reviews we care about, but the heart of the show will now center around one featured game at a time. Whether you’re playing along with us or revisiting an old favorite, this is your chance to join the conversation.

We announced our first game this episode and shared our vision for how this new format will bring our community together to share thoughts, memories, and hot takes as we play through games together.

💬 Want to be part of the club?
Join our Discord to submit your thoughts, questions, or spicy opinions while we play through our featured games:
👉 https://discord.gg/P3NaGwQh (Look for the Drop-in Drop-out server — we have a JK! Games! Book Club section there!)

📺 Catch us live on Twitch for recording sessions, game nights, and more:
👉 twitch.tv/jkgamespodcast

🔗 Don’t forget to follow us everywhere @JKGamesPodcast and check out our ClickerBait recap of The Last of Us Season 2 if you missed it!

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Jerica and Kayla talk about their first impressions of #splitfiction and for Expert Mode this week, we talk about our experiences with playing Co-op Games. We also talk a little about #thelastofushbo and that #deathstranding news!

00:00:00 Start
00:04:40 Stream announcement!
00:09:40 Easy Mode - What we playing?
00:24:25 Normal Mode - No more #tlou and #deathstranding2 is coming out this JUNE?!
00:48:25 Expert Mode - Split Fiction and Co-op Games!

Follow us @JKGamesPodcast on Twitter, Instagram, FB, and Bluesky!  Also, we wouldn't be content creators without a TikTok. Let us know what you think of the show and share ideas on what content you would like to see next! Also email us at [email protected] for questions, comments, or corrections! You all are amazing and thanks for listening!

contact Jerica directly [email protected]
contact Kayla directly [email protected]

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This week Jerica is joined by Josh aka  @HighscoreWeekly  to discuss latest games they've been playing like #wanderstop and #monsterhunterwilds  Normal mode and Expert mode is sorta blended into the same topic but you should enjoy the conversation about #liveservicegames  

00:00:00 Start
00:10:30 Easy Mode - What have we been playing/Monster Hunter Wilds
00:44:10 Expert Mode - Let's Talk About Live Service Games

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We played more of #lostrecordsbloomandrage and are excited to share more thoughts. We haven't finished yet but so we will keep story spoilers very light. We are going to talk about #episodicgames this episode. What makes them great and what makes them not great? We asked you what your favorites are and guess what? We share that too.

00:00:00 Start
00:12:40 Easy Mode - What have we been playing?
00:20:15 Normal Mode - News topics we care about.
00:32:13 Expert Mode - Lost Records Boom and Rage no major story spoilers!

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This week we talk about those new video games that came out this month and beyond. We also dive into the #stateofplay and is #playstation in a healthy place? 

Yes, we played #avowed maybe we talk about it?

00:00:00 Start
00:12:00 Easy Mode (Avowed First Impressions)
00:40:25 Normal Mode
01:03:00 Expert Mode

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