This month’s game of the month (September) was Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance. This game was the console ARPG (along with its sequels and in-engine-siblings) that blazed the trail for Blizzard to eventually release Diablo III on consoles (to great success). And also a kind of inciting event for the fact that we now can play Diablo and other ARPGs portably on Switch and Steam Deck (on controllers) and the like, which is awesome.

The first in this duology on the sixth generation consoles (appearing on PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube) and GBA in de-made (but still complete form) gave us the setting and storytelling of Baldur’s Gate crossed with the looting and dungeon crawling of the PC Diablo games, along with a set of controls that didn’t fight the player the whole way.

Although we discuss some friction and trouble with how this one has aged for a modern player (since 2001), we agree in the end that Path of Exile I and II, shiny modern examples, owe a few something to this game and the Snowblind engine games that came after it. The core appeal of the ARPG is still there (and attacking us seemingly randomly when we hit the button).

Check out the liner notes for the usual ephemera and links around our playthrough this month.

And join us at the end of October for our conversation around Absalom a roguelike beat-em’ up from the people that made Streets of Rage 4 and other favourites of ours.

This month (August) was Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair, another link moving along in our Donkey Kong Country and Returns/Tropical Freeze lineage; we’ve been trying to see where this rabbit hole ends (as of 2025). In the end, this one was disappointing for a few reasons, but has a lot of promise, especially if you appreciate the collectable structure of the game (which requires with its gating, often for us, at least, that you spend time grinding for the game’s currencies). We discuss the 2.5d “unity” feel of the game, the various gating and currency systems, the level design, and others features in relation to Yoshi’s Island (last month’s game), as well as others talked about previously on the podcast.

This one is very well produced, has good music, and evidence that suggests it was a labour of love for the developers.

All of that is to say that it could be a fan favourite for those that do appreciate the Retro Studios Donkey Kong games, and/or those that really have a lot of time to devote to its systems and level/currency grind; it just didn’t really do enough for us.

We’ve got the usual suspects in the liner notes, and look out at the end of September for our take on Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance — another bit of lineage tracing to look the console origins of the action RPG.

This month (July) was Yoshi’s Island. The SNES/GBA original (GBA we’re counting as a port rather than a massive update or remaster, although the liner notes will have more information on that). You may also know it as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, or, Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3.

Regardless, if you aren’t familiar or don’t remember, it’s the one where Yoshi-family must safely transport a baby Mario across a dangerous landscape. You can shoot eggs, collect keys and other currencies/collectables are more prevalent here than previously in Mario (good for replaying). You play and run and jump as Yoshi, who must not get hit or else risk Baby Mario getting captured and taken away. A timer lets the player how long they have to re-seat Baby Mario before you lose a life and various pickups and other elements let you add to that timer (to a maximum of 30 seconds, minimum of 10).

The levels progress linearly and there are still a lot of hold-outs and obvious influences from Super Mario World (the first), but then in the end we sort of feel this is more of a new branch of the Mario tree that quickly becomes a Yoshi tree (with subsequent sequels on the DS and 3ds and Wii/Wii U, and now Switch). It’s obviously quite influenced by the Mario mainline games that preceded it, but then it’s quickly also its own thing, owing to a different feel to the previous (mainline Mario) games, a focus on exploration, as well as its hand-drawn aesthetic.

This branch of the grand ol’ platformer tree is more exploration-heavy, more accessible in certain ways with its difficulty (no timer on the level overall), uses a relatively less expansive move-set with less modifications from items and no mount-based different abilities when holding things, for example (odd a bit for a Yoshi game that the colour of Yoshi seems to mean nothing here), etc. We discuss this auspicious (and a bit bewildering at times) beginning for Yoshi-platformers as well as what we’ve been playing recently, and, as is want to happen, Pokemon stuff.

Check out the liner notes for links to what we discussed and usual ephemera. Catch you next month (August) for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.

Last month (June) we discussed Metaphor ReFantazio, the fantasy RPG from the Atlus and the producers/developers of Persona. We talked about the time management systems, combat mechanics, social links or bonds with party members (an import from Persona), as well as the political perspective the game adopts (considering it is a game where narratively and in some ways mechanically you mount a political campaign). We also consider how this RPG branch or perspective differs in respect to the see anything do anything or Bethesda school of RPG design (Fallout 3, 4, New Vegas, Morrowind, Skyrim, Starfield). We have a lot of good things to say about this one. It’s highly recommended. I’ll be continuing my play through in parallel as I play this month’s (July’s) game Super Mario World 2.

Check out the liner notes for more Metaphor ReFantazio goodies. And in particular, happy soundtrack listening (it’s epic).

This month, May’s podcast, was on The Legend of Zelda (TLoZ): The Wind Waker. This game originally came out in 2003, believe it or not (on the Gamecube). While the version we played, largely faithful as it is, was remastered for the Wii U in 2014. Depending on when you read these words the easiest way to play Wind Waker today is likely either on the Nintendo Switch Online (Gamecube emulation) with your Nintendo Switch 2, or as the case today, via emulation with Cemu (Wii U emulator) or Dolphin (Gamecube/Wii emulator). One of the least modernly available Nintendo games, but not for long, I guess.

We long suspected a collection was coming for the switch (bundling the two Wii U stalwarts, Wind Waker, and TLoZ: Twilight Princess together, but as of 2025 May, that’s not the case.

Discussion was around the aesthetic feel of the game through the artwork, sound design and music, character designs, and humour. We also discussed how those and some other elements compare to its more modern (capital O, open world) Switch siblings.

Check out the liner notes for the usual ephemera and stuff that might interest you around this game (speedrun, OST, interviews, etc.) and we’ll see you at the end of June/beginning of July for our podcast on Metaphor: ReFantazio, 2024’s big (est) ticket Atlas-produced JRPG.

This month (April) was Halo Infinite, a game in a series we had a lot to talk about. The open world and other elements felt divisive for us, and mainly, in a way, somewhat ironically (given its name), but also in terms of the development of the game and its road map, fittingly empty.

There just wasn’t as much to do that was meaningful as we had hoped there would be. Balance issues also seemed to abound in terms of how the narrative wants you to feel about the Chief and his abilities, versus the game scenarios that seemed most challenging to us.

Building out the tech tree wasn’t super satisfying (we both went for grapple hook and then really didn’t bother with much), and the world-building had its own missed opportunities; for example, Infinite would basically be much improved by its own Nemesis-type system, as the named enemies felt after a while to just be another way-point on a map full of not-so-meaningful way-points (unfortunately).

Nonetheless, there is a lot to like here; a lot of work went into the presentation (music, visuals, sky boxes, etc.), the way the Chief controls (how it feels to embody his perspective), the 30 seconds of fun loop that was so compelling in other games is still mainly intact as well.

Check out the usual links and ephemera in the liner notes here. And watch out for end of May’s discussion of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

*Apologies for the dropped connection about halfway through; skip ahead two minutes or so to skip us talking separately (and not to each other).

This month’s (March) podcast was on Pokémon Black, part one of the DS odd duck in the Pokémon family: it has a direct sequel (which we didn’t play this month, but may get to later)! There are some interesting growing pains to observe in this game — it having 3D elements that might not stand the test of time (in 2025) being on the DS, it having an entirely new for-the-time roster of Pokémon without the old standbys, thirty-somethings are nostalgic for, etc. We definitely have a lot of friction with this one, but I think also allow in the conversation that if this is your first generation of Pokémon and first game you played in the series, of course you might be more attached do these particular pocket monsters and the story around them. Speaking of story, this game definitely has one, and makes a concerted effort to say a bit of something more than previous entries around the relationship between Pokémon and trainers — what each might mean to each other, and/or what Pokémon emancipation might look like as a political or philosophical perspective. However, this game also doesn’t full commit to that bold direction or promise, allowing only the same “catch, train, battle, repeat” verbs that were well established before this entry. We’re a bit mixed, but also intrigued (narratively), but also definitely happy to see some of the quality of life improvements that were made here and get added to the later formula and games (in Pokémon X and Y and later on with the multiple companion motivations/arcs, with gym leaders having more to do than just hangout inside their gyms, puzzle-box gym designs, etc.).

Check out the liner notes for the usual cadre of links and ephemera, and come back at the end of April for discussion of Halo Infinite.

This month (February’s) podcast was on Monster Train, a deck-building rogue-like and also tower defense game (somewhat literally in the way the game represents things with you pyre/health at the top). You have cards with abilities and units, various effects are enacted, you place units in the way of an enemy deck and their units which try to get to the top floor to take out your pyre/engine.

In this one we discuss our experience building decks and secondary champions, trying out the various combinations, how this game stacks up to others we’ve played in the genre, difficulty and tuning of it with rogue-likes in mind, like Hades and Darkest Dungeon as well as Balatro, which was on our minds as a recent game of note (play that too!).

Check out the liner notes here, as well, for the usual extra bits and bobs to add to the experience of listening and hopefully checking out Monster Train for yourself.

Also if you’re already a fan, the second game comes out soon (!):

Next month is Pokemon Black, with a return to the series after our play-through of Pokemon Crystal back in 2022.

This month (January’s) game was Path of Exile 2. Our conversation settled in on the genre conventions this game embraces, extends, and avoids (in relation to something like Diablo II or even Dark Souls type experiences), as well as how it works in a visceral way to convey what’s happening when the player provides input (how enemies react to your abilities, staggering, etc.). We talk about early access in relation to this game and others, what it takes to know a game like this well, the rabbit hole being truly deep if you want it to be, its live service aspects and what it might look like in the future without a clearly broadcast roadmap for developments and changes beyond what they’ve said they originally wanted to do.

In the liner notes we have some usual suspects in developer commentary/talks, build guides, soundtrack links, and more.

Check us out in February for a discussion of Monster Train.

In our last cast of 2024 we discussed Stardew Valley. Our conversation included all the ways to play (multiplayer, defined or undefined roles, etc.), our histories with the game personally, comparison to Harvest Moon, systems complexity and gener consideration, roleplaying by your own moral compass, as well as who Stardew Valley is for in 2024 (and then into 2025).

In the liner notes, we highlight the interesting variations on play that many streamers and let’s players have done with Stardew. There are people playing for the social interactions (interacting with the town’s inhabitants), min/maxing their farm, roleplaying one of the ideological positions the game presents (JOJO mart versus the independent or traditional farmer), speedrunning (of course), and more.

2025 begins with Path of Exile 2 in early access. We couldn’t wait to play, and considering Toben’s investment in the genre (as a researcher), this should be a good one to kick off the new year.