As a fan of Red Candle Games' previous projects, Devotion (episode 139) and Detention (bonus episode on Patreon), Nine Sols instantly leapt onto my watchlist as soon as it was announced. However, as it released, I was a bit nervous to dive into it due to its Sekiro-inspired combat. I like Sekiro a lot, but did I want another one right then? Luckily, a few friends (including Josh, today's guest) convinced me to give it a whirl...and I was not disappointed. The combat is smooth and satisfying, the art and music are fantastic, and it tells what might be the best story in the genre. This is an awesome game, and I hope you enjoy the discussion!

Guest info: Josh aka DogNozzle. You can follow him on BlueSky!

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Music used in the episode:

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I once heard the original Pathologic (Ice-Pick Lodge) described as "the best game you shouldn't play", which is an oddly appealing pitch to me. I need to see what it is that puts it in that category, ya know? Luckily for me, Pathologic 2 exists and seems to be the preferred way for many to get the Pathologic experience, and I was not disappointed with what I got. Dense worldbuilding, intriguing and mysterious characters, harsh but meaningful survival systems and more await anyone who decides to take our recommendation and play Pathologic 2.

Guest info: Jack, or as you may know him online, Piboi.

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Music used in the episode:

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In 2024, we began a new community event in the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- the Backlog Resolutions Challenge. A big group of us picked a list of games that had been collecting dust in our libraries and resolved to play them! This episode is all about how that challenge went- what worked, what didn't work, why most of us didn't complete our lists, and any adjustments we are making going into the 2025 challenge. If you'd like to join us, hop in the Discord server, make your list and start playing!

Guest info:

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Music used in the episode:

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Dave recaps his favorite games that released in 2024 and discusses the year in podcasting, gaming and more. Catch Dave's favorite games from other years that he played for the first time in 2024 on Patreon, available to all paid patrons!

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Music used in the episode:

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Check out more information on the ongoing SAG-AFTRA video game actor strike and support the actors in any way that you can.

Batman video games got a resurgence with 2009's Arkham Asylum, continued to be critically acclaimed with 2011's Arkham City, and then started to become divisive with 2013's Arkham Origins and especially 2015's Arkham Knight. Since Arkham Origins takes place during Christmas, we've chosen to dive into that one. Arkham Origins seems to be the odd one out, the black sheep, when discussing this series, and we don't understand why- if the reason for disliking this game is that it doesn't star Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill...you're going to have to find another reason. This game rules! Listen in to find out why we feel so strongly about that.

Guest info: Mick Davis aka Mick Arcade. Check out Mick on Twitter and D&D adventures on Twitch

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Music used in the episode is credited to Christopher Drake. Tracks used: Carol of the Bells (Joker's Theme), Arkham Origins Main Titles, Shadow of the Bat, Assassins, Winter Comes to Gotham, Why Would You Save...Me?, Arkham Origins Suite, Arkham Origins End Titles

Check out Dave's guest appearances on Pixel Project Radio (talking about Souls games) and Super Pod Saga (talking about Metal Gear Solid 1-3)!

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System Shock 2 **(Looking Glass Studios/Irrational Games**, 1999) contains one of the most iconic images in gaming (the scifi horror Medusa-esque SHODAN) and one of the most iconic spiritual sequels in gaming (the Bioshock series), but I still feel like experience with System Shock 2 itself is relegated to those who were there playing on PC in 1999. What was it about this game that made it so foundational for the Bioshock series and so many other modern games? Well, it's a good thing I have this podcast to dig into it!

Guest Info: Doug Lief, host of Nostalgium Arcanum podcast

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Music used in the episode is credited to Eric Brosius. Tracks used: Medical, Engineering, Hydroponics #1, Science, Hydroponics #2, Operations #2, End Cutscene, Credits

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It all started with an elevator pitch, courtesy of someone on the Axe of the Blood God podcast- "A sokoban puzzle game with a JRPG story". Sign me up! Void Stranger (System Erasure, 2023) does boast those things, but to my surprise, Void Stranger is so full of secrets as well. But if you want to get at those secrets, Void Stranger will challenge you in more ways than one. Join us as we dive into this one-of-a-kind experience.

Guest Info: Steve from Indie Quest and Polykill Podcast. Check out his podcasts and Twitch channel!

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Music used in the episode is credited to Eero Lahtinen. You can purchase the album on Bandcamp. Tracks used:

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Remedy Entertainment have built a sort of extended universe by this point, but 2019's Control is both the piece that introduced a lot of people to their world and the key that unlocked the possibility for an extended universe in the first place. Control's Men in Black-meets-SCP Foundation setting is ripe for creative sci-fi storytelling and Remedy took full advantage of that. Despite some hiccups in the story and gameplay that may wear out its welcome, Control is an undeniably cool game.

Guest info: Nick & Will from Friday Night Gamecast.

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Music used in the episode:

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What was FromSoftware up to before Demon's Souls? Most people know about the King's Field series, and the Armored Core sickos have been around too, but they were even more prolific in the RPG and dungeon crawler space than just King's Field. Shadow Tower: Abyss (2003), the sequel to the Playstation game Shadow Tower, was never officially localized in English, but thanks to FromSoftware's explosion in popularity, the cottage industry of Souls creators, and most importantly a fan translated ROM, we can now go back and see some of the DNA that eventually made it into Demon's Souls and beyond.

Guest info: Adelaide Lohkamp- find her on YouTube.

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Music and sound used in the episode is credited to Yukinori Takada, Tsukasa Saitoh, Kota Hoshino, Yūki Ichiki, Yūji Kanda. Tracks used:

YouTube walkthrough and lore explainer by ElucidatedByFire.

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Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall, 2017) challenges us in a lot of ways. The gameplay mechanics are a means to get you from one side of town to another and nothing more. The protagonist can be unlikable. The story is much more local than your standard "save the world" fare. And it's all the better for the direction it takes. Instead of a sweeping epic, we get a very emotional, personal, close-to-home look at a small slice of American life. And as a result, we get a very rich and interesting story, which is the main focus of this podcast.

Guest info: Rick Firestone of Pixel Project Radio podcast.

Correction- In the episode I state that Charles Huettner and Sven Ruthner have music credits- they have animation credits, and I mixed up my notes. Oops!

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You can purchase the soundtrack here. Tracks used:

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