Mr. Saitou is a beautiful and brief slice of life game with a charming world and even more charming characters. The success of its light-hearted tone is, however, underwritten by the seriousness of its premise. Mr. Saitou, is a salaryworker. He toils away in front of a computer screen for all hours, goes out for a meal he’s too tired to consume, and stumbles home in a tired, drunken stupor. Next thing we know, he’s collapsed and we’re in a hospital. After meeting a young boy named Brandon in his hospital room, he learns about a fictional character the kid has drawn named Mr. Saitou: a llamaworm who works an important job making buttons for the tunnels that other llamaworms traverse. After waking up in the dream-world of the llamaworms, Saitou and Brandon set off on a journey to the crystal caverns. Mr. Saitou, its worth noting, is a sidequel to another game, Rakuen, both of which were created by game developer and singer-songwriter Laura Shigihara.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - The Little Things

Josh - Llamaworm Looking Glass

Clint - Lackluster Llama Drama

In 2013 the Indie gaming scene was going strong and interesting projects were everywhere… if you knew where to look for them. This was a time before the widespread population of indies on Steam, and as such many projects were less commercial in nature. One such project, that eventually went on to be a finalist for the Excellence in Design award at the 2013 Independent Games Festival was Starseed Pilgrim. On the surface it is a Pixel art Puzzle platformer, under the surface it is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, sprinkled with intrigue and vague snippets of poetry. The crux of the experience of playing Starseed Pilgrim is figuring out just what Starseed Pilgrim is asking you to do. So join Josh and Bryan as they simultaneously cultivate a symphonic block garden and repeatedly fail to make meaningful progress, but still have fun - and many revelations - along the way.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Bridge Too Far

Josh - Path Not Taken

Josh will be speaking at Roguelike Celebration 2023

In August of 2023 Josh released another game! Within a Dead City is a tiny ‘Majesty-like’ with a striking color palette and a moody vibe. For those that haven't played Majesty, the crux of the game is you hire a group of heroes (that you do not directly control, but can influence via bounties and spells) in order to explore the land and eradicate the local fauna (aka monsters). Within a Dead City puts its own spin on this idea placing you in charge of a guild tasked with exploring a long abandoned city.

While auto-battlers have come more into vogue in recent years, the combination of these ideas with a lightweight strategy/4x game creates a unique and compelling loop. Its a lovely little package and executes well on providing a quick hit of 'kingdom management' you can play easily over a lunch break.

As is tradition, Bryan took an opportunity to interview Josh on the process of creating the game, the lessons learned, and knowledge gained in his first launch working with a publisher. Thanks for listening and rest assured we will be back in the next few weeks with our regularly scheduled programming.

Show Notes:

Within a Dead City - Steam Page

Majesty Gold - Steam Page

Tiny Mass Games

LoSpec Color Scheme - Oil 6

Kenney Assets

Last Epoch has been in Early access since 2018, a snowball of an ARPG, slowly gathering steam as it descends the mountain to eventually rest at the side of some of the all time great hack and slash RPGs. Bryan and Josh have both played a fair few of what they hoped would be the ‘successor to Dialbo II”, and most (all?) have come up short. But Eleventh Hour Games’ Kickstarter game turned long-term project is making a run for the crown. Boasting some innovative mechanics, a novel world design concept, and some extremely entertaining, if familiar, classes to play with, Last Epoch plows through a lot of the problems that most games in this genre run headlong into. Not satisfied with smashing into the brick wall of similarity, its a title that forges some interesting new paths for the genre, and does so on the back of being a single player experience for the first four plus years of its development cycle. Listen in for Bryan and Josh’s time travelling exploits in the world of Eterra, but stay for the in-depth discussion of what makes a great hack and slash game stand the test of time.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Crafty Dungeon Crawler

Josh - Respect the Respec

Show Notes:

Josh’s 2020’s GOTY List Feat. Last Epoch

In this episode Josh and Bryan take to the high seas in 2023’s breakout debut from Black Salt Games: Dredge! The potent combination of fishing simulator and Lovecraftian horror had them instantly hooked and eager to explore the Marrows and its surrounding environs (as well as their capacity to generate fishing related puns). Dredge’s light, yet effective touch with storytelling and its subtly creepy atmosphere make it an easy recommendation for anyone who is interested in what it means to quickly put your players in a specific Mood. Aside from this the mechanics offer a simple and compelling loop that keeps the player on the line for the game’s entire runtime. So grab your rod and reel and join Bryan and Josh as they discuss what makes Dredge one of 2023’s most prized catches.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Hooked on Horror

Josh - Mood Over Mechanics

Join Josh and Bryan as they navigate through a wide sampling of the historical events, political intricacies, military conquests, and fascinating narratives that Europa Universalis IV has to offer. Paradox’s magnum opus grand strategy game has you inhabiting different nations and experiencing their unique circumstances as you navigate the political landscape of Europe (and beyond) from 1444 to 1821, during the emergence of the nation-state. So grab your virtual map, prepare your armies, and get ready to dive into the captivating world of Europa Universalis IV. Whether you're seeking strategic advice from relative veteran, Josh, or simply looking to share in Bryan’s perspective as a relative newcomer, the crew is here to discuss what it takes to conquer new horizons and forge your own historical legacy in the EU4.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Historical Guided Tour

Josh - By Other Means

Show Notes:

A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - Teaching Paradox

In this episode, Josh and Clint receive their owls and set off to achieve their destiny in the Wizarding World with Hogwarts Legacy. Sadly, Bryan, a lowly muggle (and new father of 2 at the time of recording) could not make it for this one, but listen in as Josh and Clint uncover the secrets, spells, and adventures that await players at Hogwarts. Josh and Clint have a long history with the Harry Potter world as fan of the books and go in depth on the world-building, spellcasting system, and the vast open-world environment that provided an excellent sense of exploration and discovery. So grab your wand, put on your robe, and listen in as Josh and Clint explain what makes Hogwarts Legacy a magical experience.

Three Word Reviews:

Clint - A Magical Experience

Josh - A Legacy Fulfilled

Gather your party because this episode we are venturing forth into the Forgotten Realms with Bioware’s classic Dungeons and Dragon’s adaptation, Baldur’s Gate. As they gear up for Baldur’s Gate 3, Bryan and Josh are starting with an exploration of the rich mechanics and storytelling that make Baldur’s Gate, and its expansion Tales of the Sword Coast, an iconic entry in the CRPG space to this day. Baldur’s Gate’s transition of D&D into the digital realm hews very close to it’s 2nd Edition roots, though this is unique and may have been a selling point to its core audience in 1997, it is not without its shortcomings from an accessibility perspective in a modern context. Listen in as we dissect the combat, adventuring, exploration, and context of this title within the broader history of gaming to determine what makes Baldur's Gate a true role-playing gem. So grab your swords, spellbooks, and a tankard of ale as Pixelated Playground delves into the secrets and stories behind this venerable title.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Low Level Legend

Josh - Dated Design Difficulties

Show Notes:

GDC Europe 2010: Baldur's Gate: A 10 Year Retrospective

How do you follow up on one of the most celebrated open world games of all time? In 2018, Rockstar gave us their answer with the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. An instant classic, this juggernaut of AAA production value and storytelling gave us what remains one of the most well realized open worlds ever created. The production of an experience of this depth and breadth is not without its pitfalls and shortcomings from a labor standpoint, but the end result is a truly ground-breaking entry not only for Rockstar as a studio but for the medium as a whole. So join Bryan, Josh, and Clint as they journey through the representational American frontier with Dutch and the gang. Bring some trail mix… its going to be a long ride with lots of exposition along the way.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Nature of Man

Josh - Slow Burn Gunslinger

Clint - Unprecedented and Unparalleled

This episode is something a little bit different. If you had told us we would manage to stick with making a podcast through 100 episodes, I do not think any of us would have have believed you. The fact that this occurred in the midst of our trio weathering a global pandemic, having a collective 5 children, and achieving a bunch of other life and career milestones, its safe to say we would have written that possibility off entirely.

However, against the odds we’re celebrating the podcast hitting 100 episodes! So we’re going to take an opportunity to thank all of our listeners and talk about some of our favorite experiences over the course of the life of the podcast. The good times, the bad, and all the games we played along the way. So If this is your first episode we’d recommend going back and listening to a pod or two of your favorite games we’ve covered, and if you’re still with us then listen in as we recount some highlights from our first century and talk through how and why we started the podcast in the first place.

We’ve always treated this podcast as a fun side-project and collective excuse to talk in depth about a hobby we love, but in hearing from our listeners over the course of the last few years we’ve also come to realize that we have a great audience who have been quick to let us know the positive impact our conversations have had on their day to day lives. Whether the podcast is a companion to your daily commute, a distraction to help you through a long work shift, or a companion while playing your favorite games we’re happy you’ve chosen us. So thank you for listening, and for bearing with us as we continue to seek out new experiences to share with all of you.

Take Care and Keep on Gaming!