In this episode Bryan and Josh go down the raccoon(?) hole and take a close look at Donut County, the hole physics game from Ben Esposito. Aside from being an utterly delightful experience, Donut County is also in that increasingly valuable class of games that Bryan and Josh feel can be ‘squeezed into’ almost any schedule. Shout out to the sleeping and eating habits of newborns and toddlers. So kick back, relax and enjoy listening to what the guys feel makes Donut County great for almost any player of games.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - A Hole Vibe

Josh - Sunday Afternoon Beer

Show Notes:

Failure Workshop GDC Talk

Cloning Article

By now its obvious to anyone not living under a rock that the magical boarding school trope is well and truly played out. After Harry Potter and its scores of imitators had run their course, it seemed unlikely that anything fresh could be done in this space…. until Ikenfell! Veteran indie dev, Chevy Ray, devised not only an innovative battle system, but also a cast of truly memorable characters supported by sharp, witty writing. It doesn’t hurt that the game also features the musical stylings of Aivi & Surasshu, the composers behind the Steven Universe series. Bryan and Josh had a magical time with Ikenfell so they summoned up their mics and had a discussion about how Ikenfell uses a diverse cast and empathetic writing to elevate itself to the top of the class.

Editor’s Note: We apologize for unintentional misgendering or incorrect pronoun usage, we are doing our best but know we still have a ways to go.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Accessible Representation Magic

Josh - Narrow and Wide

Show Notes:

Eggplant the Secret Lives of Games

Ari and Sarasshu’s Album - The Black Box

Ikenfell Pixel Art Article

With almost a decade in the books since its inception, Kentucky Route Zero’s final act was released in early 2020, capping off a project that has been called a new Great American Novel by some and simply obscure, yet poignant by others. Bryan and Josh have had their eye on this project for a while and recently sat down to record a podcast about their experience with Cardboard Computer’s Kentucky Route Zero. Its a long one, but this is a game that rewards a close read due to its numerous allusions and metaphors.

Three Word Reviews:

Josh - A Cavern Deeper

Bryan - Echoes of Tomorrow

Show Notes:

The Actor and the Audience

The Bedquilt Ramblers Bandcamp Page

This month the book club takes a trip back to the future of hacking with Quadrilateral Cowboy by Brendan Chung aka Blendo Games! Equipped with a "top-of-the-line hacking deck outfitted with a 56.6k modem and a staggering 256k RAM” (which is only slightly faster than Josh’s setup) the group talks through the plethora of interesting features and how the game succeeds, and sometimes fails, to pull them together into a mechanically engaging and aesthetically fascinating whole.

Three Word Reviews:

Josh - Long Compile Time

Bryan - Planning as Creation

Clint - Couldn’t Hack It

When gyms across the US (and the world) closed in the spring of 2020, many people were left without access to their normal outlets for physical fitness. Conveniently (especially for Nintendo) only months earlier, Ring Fit Adventure had released to more buzz than is usually warranted for an exercise game. A year later Bryan and Josh are here to tell you what all the fuss was about. Listen in to hear what takes Ringfit over the top from being a good exercise game to being a good game, period. And a decent workout, too!

Three Word Reviews:

Josh - Off the couch

Bryan - Maintenance Phase Perfection

Show Notes:

Wii Shop Bling

Take Control of your podcast listening device and tune into Bryan, Josh, and Clint’s discussion of the 2019 paranormal action thriller, Control, developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by 505 Games. Aside from its technical mastery and engaging combat mechanics, Control brought things to the next level with its ability to cleverly flesh out its own uniquely campy, yet tension-filled game world.

Three Word Reviews:

Clint: Remedy To Repetition

Bryan: You’re in Control

Josh: Archetypal Action Excellence

Roll on over and take a listen as Josh and Bryan revisit the early 2000’s classic, Katamari Damacy! The novel mechanics and constant joyful energy kept us smiling the whole time and the music is as unique as it is infectious. Join us for a discussion about Katamari’s unique charm, its unmatched quirkiness, and the moral implications of the katamari’s all consuming nature.

Three Word Reviews:

Josh - Sweet Rolling Revenge

Bryan - Calculated Chaotic Joy

Show Notes:

Katamari Patent

Bryan and Josh are feeling heist-y as they tackle an indie gem from yesteryear, Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine. Listen in for a discussion of the co-op and chaos that makes Monaco a memorable multiplayer experience even today.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Delicious Layer Cake

Josh - Chaotic Criminal Circus

It's been almost two decades since Bethesda released The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, a game that would revolutionize the genre and take the company from precarity to runaway success. Since then Bethesda has released two more entries in the series, Oblivion and Skyrim, with increasing commercial success with each iteration. However, in some ways the accomplishments of Morrowind have yet to be matched by the series' subsequent entries. This month we revisit Morrowind to have a discussion about what made the land of Vaardenfell come alive for so many, and what keeps this game as a fan favorite for many all these years later.

Three Word Reviews:

Clint - Fundamental, not fun 

Josh - Wander and Find

Bryan - A Forgotten Prophecy 

Show Notes:

Morrowind: An Oral History (Polygon)

Metaphysics of Morrowind

Morrowind Combat IRL

Building things is great. Building things that build things is even better. Factorio gives you the opportunity to build an entire manufacturing infrastructure by hand and then defend it from rabid aliens while you try to escape the hostile planet you’ve found yourself on. Bryan and Josh have both spent a significant amount of time with Factorio, so come listen for what makes Factorio so unique among management sims, and stay for the in depth discussion of fluid dynamics.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Robotic Rabbit Hole

Josh - Start With Nothing