(00:00:00) Opening and World Map

(00:02:23) Flying Waters

(00:04:15) Mysterious Manor and Reunion

(00:11:08) Back to the Waters

(00:13:54) Lofi Beats to Study and Parry To

(00:15:56) Maelle's Nightmare

(00:25:01) Gestral Village

(00:37:05) Tournament and Sciel

(00:43:45) Maelle's Nightmare

(00:50:00) Meeting Esquie

(00:56:26) Maelle's Nightmare

(00:57:58) Stonewave Cliffs

(01:04:27) Lamplighter and White-Haired Man

(01:10:54) Loss

(01:14:38) Verso

(01:20:23) Back at Camp

(01:21:43) Act II

(01:29:43) Forgotten Battlefield

(01:33:36) RIP

(01:35:35) Monoco's Station

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You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!

"This won't make sense to you now, but we both want what's best for our families. I'm sorry you're caught in the middle. But I did try to warn you."

Rick and Thrak (The 3DO Experience! and ThrakOps) return to continue their narrative analysis of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! Episode II covers from the first foray into the world map until we meet our last permanent party member shortly into Act II. Puzzle pieces begin fitting together, but they introduce more questions than answers: who is the White-Haired Man? Why does he seem particularly interested in Maelle? And what's the deal with Esquie? The implications of condolences, experiencing loss, narrative framing, and more—please enjoy!

Developer Interview with Final Fantasy Union
Interview with Narrative-lead Jennifer Svedberg-Yen

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

(00:00:00) Tomorrow Comes | Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 Analysis (Ep. 151)

(00:08:07) What This Podcast Is

(00:09:39) Community Forum

(00:13:19) Development

(00:24:00) Visuals

(00:33:31) Mechanics

(00:50:44) Music and Sound

(01:06:14) Spoiler Wall Warning

(01:08:10) Prologue

(01:21:30) The Gommage

(01:26:27) Tragedy on the Shore

(01:33:19) Gustav's Choice

(01:40:35) Closing Thoughts

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!
You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!

"If you're going to give flowers to someone, you should probably do it before they wither and die."

Today, Rick and Thrak (The 3DO Experience! and ThrakOps) begin their analysis of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! This introductory work from Sandfall Interactive came onto the scene with absolute fervor—and we can tell you upfront that it lives up to the hype. In this episode, we talk at a general level about the game's visuals, mechanics, music, and symbolism, before diving into our narrative analysis. Here, we cover from the beginning of the game until the introduction to the world map. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy!

Developer Interview with Final Fantasy Union
Interview with Narrative-lead Jennifer Svedberg-Yen


Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!
You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!

"And when he stared me down, that ghost, I knew he was here to kill me...and why shouldn't he?" 

A bombastic, emotional, and somewhat messy finale to our Death Stranding analysis is here, as Rick, along with Nick and Will (Friday Night Gamecast, see the story to its completion. Origins revealed, confessions made, and relationships clarified...along with some questionable mechanics and very questionable (but confident) dialogue. Please enjoy!

Translated Kojima interview
"Death Stranding is a reaction to Trump and Brexit, says Hideo Kojima"
National Parks of Japan: Oze's Mighty Bokka Porters



Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!


"Everything is true, except for all the lies."

The Death Stranding analysis continues. Nick and Will (Friday Night Gamecast) join again to continue through this story of isolation and connection. This episode covers Episode 2 into Episode 7. The possible nefarious intentions of Bridges, Higgs's game plan, writing a character's death, and more. Please enjoy!

Translated Kojima interview
"Death Stranding is a reaction to Trump and Brexit, says Hideo Kojima"
National Parks of Japan: Oze's Mighty Bokka Porters



Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!
You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!


"Once there was an explosion. A bang that gave birth to time and space."

This week, Rick is joined by Nick and Will (Friday Night Gamecast) to begin their journey through Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima's 2019 project exploring a broken America and the importance of rebuilding. Isolation, interconnectivity, relationships, the importance of a mail system--there are many themes and ideas explored throughout Sam Porter Bridges's journey. In Part I, we discuss the game as a whole in our preliminary conversation, and follow into and through the Prologue and Episode I. The efficacy of writing, naming conventions, a subversion of gameplay expectations - all this and more, just inside. Rick Podman out.

National Parks of Japan: Oze's Mighty Bokka Porters


Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!
You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!


"What is the worth of a replica, a copy of a copy?"

This week, Rick is joined by Ben (Play Along Podcast) to discuss Signalis, a 2022 survival horror game that pays homage to the influential PS1 era of the same genre. Signalis is a game that seeks to provoke both feeling and thought, boasting a sprawling narrative that is not interested in giving definitive answers to in-universe lore. As is so often the case, though, these clear-cut answers are anything but the point. Join us as we examine the game's central questions and extrapolate them to our lives off of the screen, discuss aesthetics and vibes, and much more. Please enjoy!

VICE interview with Yuri Stern and Barbara Wittmann
2018 interview with Yuri Stern
Yuri's Twitter thread on the ending of Signalis



Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!
You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!


How far would you go to bring back a loved one?

This week, Rick is joined by Michael (Bits of Time Podcast) to consider the premise of Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. Part visual novel, part adventure game, and part mystery thriller, Paranormasight opens with the question at the core of its story: would you resurrect a loved one if you could? If there were no consequences? How far would you go? This Square Enix title does a lot well - take a listen to hear us talk about the OST, the fantastic art style, and the divisive ending. Please enjoy!

Interview with Paranormasight creative team

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!
You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!


Nothing can now be ruined. We are the guests of someone gone.

This week, Rick is joined by Chris (1 Hour 1 Decision Podcast) to talk Gris, a 2018 work exploring grief, loss, and acceptance. Though initially unassuming, there's more to Gris than meets the eye. Our conversations focus on two themes: Prescriptivism vs Descriptivism; and that of the title, interpretation being a co-creation between the viewer and creator. Please enjoy!

Gris Is A Game About Death (Of The Author) - Max Goldstein
Youtuber Robin Walden on Interpretation


Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!
You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!


Quest 64 2: Quest Harder. 

Quest 64 Official joins the show once again to discuss the oft-forgotten Game Boy Color game Quest: Brian's Journey! Sitting as a combination of a sequel to and expanding/demake of Quest 64, Brian's Journey brings the Saga of Melrode to the handheld - and in some ways, shines a bit brighter than its predecessor. Join us to hear the (very brief) dev history, how the games differ from one another, musings on retro soundfonts, and much more. Please enjoy!



Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon!
You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok!


He's not the Messiah, he's a very nau-...wrong Brian, my mistake.

This week, Rick is joined by none other than Quest 64 Official to ask once and for all: is the reputation of Quest 64 earned? Is it really such a terrible video game? As you might expect, the answer isn't black and white. Join us as we discuss the game's hurried history, the (very pleasant!) music, what could have been of the story, and more. Please enjoy!


Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!