The Chompcast

What year is this, 1990? As autumn rolls in, the gaming community has been gifted a great Sonic and a great Mario game. This week, we discuss our thoughts regarding the Sonic game that acts as a remaster, a remix, and a new game all balled into one. We have our infamous D&D bartender Rich Meister around to offer his in-depth analysis of Mario and Rabbids with Josh. Rich also brings along the topic of most disappointing anticipated game after a recent harrowing experience with Agents of Mayhem. Shea rejoins the podcast this week and details his recent travels. Come join us for some fun and lengthy conversation on the Chompcast!

While Shea is away this week learning how to use his new gills, we are joined by guest Jackie Shock. We discuss the games we have missed from our favorite series. As far as game tacos, we also hit Destiny 2, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Uncharted: Lost Legacy, and briefly touch Sonic Mania (which will be discussed in depth next week). Enjoy the show!

While Shea is away this week learning how to use his new gills, we are joined by guest Jackie Shock. We discuss the games we have missed from our favorite series. As far as game tacos, we also hit Destiny 2, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Uncharted: Lost Legacy, and briefly touch Sonic Mania (which will be discussed in depth next week). Enjoy the show!

Our merry band of adventurers take a break this week to reflect on their journey thus far and to celebrate one year questing in search of the legendary Sword Chomp. It has been a rough road so far, and ahead shows no sign of easing; but tonight is a night for looking back. As the roaring flames of their bonfire give way to glowing embers, each hero looks back in his own way.

Fish gently fingers the filigree on a small silver locket. He carefully unfastens the latch and opens it. Inside is a lock of hair and faded picture of a loved one. He tenderly kisses the etching, and lingers deeply breathing in what little scent remains in those golden strands. Fish clasps the locket closed as carefully as he opened it, and quickly returns it to its place by his heart.

Shea prays for the souls of those the heroes couldn't save... mostly just that they'll haunt someone else in the party. As he opens his eyes a pair of flickering coals meet his gaze and seem to acquiesce. From the pit a final flame leaps up, crackling, and its sparks fly away on a wind not felt.

On the other side of the fire Josh empties his pack to clean and inventory his poisons. He is unsure how so many skulls got in there, but that's what the name tags were for. He opens a bottle with more warning labels than most, and he takes a sip. One of smaller skulls seems to laugh at him knowingly, and he tosses it in the fire.

Sat too close to the fire for safety, but not close enough for warmth, Morgan stuffs a pile of envelopes with IOUs. He uses the same pet name in all the accompanying letters, but makes sure to sign each with the correct alias.

This week we discuss year one of the Chompcast, No Man's Sky, What Remains of Edith Finch, and answer lots of listener questions.

Our merry band of adventurers take a break this week to reflect on their journey thus far and to celebrate one year questing in search of the legendary Sword Chomp. It has been a rough road so far, and ahead shows no sign of easing; but tonight is a night for looking back. As the roaring flames of their bonfire give way to glowing embers, each hero looks back in his own way.

Fish gently fingers the filigree on a small silver locket. He carefully unfastens the latch and opens it. Inside is a lock of hair and faded picture of a loved one. He tenderly kisses the etching, and lingers deeply breathing in what little scent remains in those golden strands. Fish clasps the locket closed as carefully as he opened it, and quickly returns it to its place by his heart.

Shea prays for the souls of those the heroes couldn't save... mostly just that they'll haunt someone else in the party. As he opens his eyes a pair of flickering coals meet his gaze and seem to acquiesce. From the pit a final flame leaps up, crackling, and its sparks fly away on a wind not felt.

On the other side of the fire Josh empties his pack to clean and inventory his poisons. He is unsure how so many skulls got in there, but that's what the name tags were for. He opens a bottle with more warning labels than most, and he takes a sip. One of smaller skulls seems to laugh at him knowingly, and he tosses it in the fire.

Sat too close to the fire for safety, but not close enough for warmth, Morgan stuffs a pile of envelopes with IOUs. He uses the same pet name in all the accompanying letters, but makes sure to sign each with the correct alias.

This week we discuss year one of the Chompcast, No Man's Sky, What Remains of Edith Finch, and answer lots of listener questions.

The adventurers spot the den on the other side of the lake, surrounded by reeds and other various plants. Smears of blood on the ground lead the way to the den. The band dismounts, and ties their horses to a nearby tree. The four, weapons drawn and ready, round the lake towards the den. They inch closer, hearing insects chirp in the water and wetland area. A cool breeze blows through the flora, brushing past the adventurers. As they grow close to the cave, they witness a woman making her way to the entrance on the opposite side of the water.

Perplexed, Shea quickly walks towards her, attempting to discern her intent.

“You must leave this area. There is a strong creature here, and we are going to destroy it,” he informs her.

The woman replies quietly, “This creature killed my husband, among others, in my village. I will have my revenge.”

The creature roars in defiance. A giant stream of greenish fluid jets towards Shea and the woman. Morgan tackles them both in the nick of time. Behind them, some plants singe and disappear as acid eats away at their cellulose. The two cease their arguing, and prepare to battle the fiend.

It steps out into the light. It stands 10 feet tall. Four giant eyes stare at the adventurers and widow, with yellow teeth gleaming at them. Stubbly whiskers protrude from the sides of the mouth. Scaly ears lift from the top of the head. With a greenish-yellow body with bright blue patches on the side, the creature’s front legs are clawed, while the back legs are cocked, ready to hop. The fiend appears to be a hybrid of a frog and a jaguar.

Josh begins to sling spells, some to protect the adventurers and the woman, while others are damaging the creature. Fish shoots enchanted arrows, attempting to pick apart weaknesses in the creature’s skin. Morgan swings his axe, hacking at the muscled front legs. Shea draws the attention of the creature, blocking the lightning-fast claws of the creature with his shield and sword. The woman begins to also hack at the legs of the creature with her two long daggers, ducking in and out of reach of the creature. The creature knocks Shea down and quickly descends upon him, jaw open. Fish quickly knocks an arrow, firing at the right-most eye. Direct hit! The creature howls in agony as blueish-grey blood drips from its ocular cavity. Capitalizing on the moment, the woman throws one of her daggers at another eye, puncturing her target. The creature is now enraged. Josh uses all of his remaining magic to cast a giant blaze right underneath the creature, frightening it and causing it to fall on its back. Morgan and the woman quickly follow the creature, hacking at its softer interior and looking for a weak point. Morgan slashes the crease between the creature’s front right leg and body, cutting deep. The woman begins to stab the same area on the back left leg. Fish drags Shea away from the immediate area while the two work, disabling the creature. Blood overflows the den as the creature quickly bleeds out.

After the battle is won, the woman retrieves her dagger from the creature’s eye. “Thank you.” She simply replies. She begins to walk back the way she came.

“Wait! Hold up! What is your name?” Morgan asks, as she continues to walk off.

“Melanie,” the woman states, as she walks until she disappears over the crest of a hill.

This week on the Chompcast, we are joined by the lovely Melanie Dunn, the host of the Rare Candy Podcast. The crew, sans Shea, discusses story vs mechanics, gaming with kids, and Pyre. Join us as we round up the Summer of Guests here at Swordchomp!

The adventurers spot the den on the other side of the lake, surrounded by reeds and other various plants. Smears of blood on the ground lead the way to the den. The band dismounts, and ties their horses to a nearby tree. The four, weapons drawn and ready, round the lake towards the den. They inch closer, hearing insects chirp in the water and wetland area. A cool breeze blows through the flora, brushing past the adventurers. As they grow close to the cave, they witness a woman making her way to the entrance on the opposite side of the water.

Perplexed, Shea quickly walks towards her, attempting to discern her intent.

“You must leave this area. There is a strong creature here, and we are going to destroy it,” he informs her.

The woman replies quietly, “This creature killed my husband, among others, in my village. I will have my revenge.”

The creature roars in defiance. A giant stream of greenish fluid jets towards Shea and the woman. Morgan tackles them both in the nick of time. Behind them, some plants singe and disappear as acid eats away at their cellulose. The two cease their arguing, and prepare to battle the fiend.

It steps out into the light. It stands 10 feet tall. Four giant eyes stare at the adventurers and widow, with yellow teeth gleaming at them. Stubbly whiskers protrude from the sides of the mouth. Scaly ears lift from the top of the head. With a greenish-yellow body with bright blue patches on the side, the creature’s front legs are clawed, while the back legs are cocked, ready to hop. The fiend appears to be a hybrid of a frog and a jaguar.

Josh begins to sling spells, some to protect the adventurers and the woman, while others are damaging the creature. Fish shoots enchanted arrows, attempting to pick apart weaknesses in the creature’s skin. Morgan swings his axe, hacking at the muscled front legs. Shea draws the attention of the creature, blocking the lightning-fast claws of the creature with his shield and sword. The woman begins to also hack at the legs of the creature with her two long daggers, ducking in and out of reach of the creature. The creature knocks Shea down and quickly descends upon him, jaw open. Fish quickly knocks an arrow, firing at the right-most eye. Direct hit! The creature howls in agony as blueish-grey blood drips from its ocular cavity. Capitalizing on the moment, the woman throws one of her daggers at another eye, puncturing her target. The creature is now enraged. Josh uses all of his remaining magic to cast a giant blaze right underneath the creature, frightening it and causing it to fall on its back. Morgan and the woman quickly follow the creature, hacking at its softer interior and looking for a weak point. Morgan slashes the crease between the creature’s front right leg and body, cutting deep. The woman begins to stab the same area on the back left leg. Fish drags Shea away from the immediate area while the two work, disabling the creature. Blood overflows the den as the creature quickly bleeds out.

After the battle is won, the woman retrieves her dagger from the creature’s eye. “Thank you.” She simply replies. She begins to walk back the way she came.

“Wait! Hold up! What is your name?” Morgan asks, as she continues to walk off.

“Melanie,” the woman states, as she walks until she disappears over the crest of a hill.

This week on the Chompcast, we are joined by the lovely Melanie Dunn, the host of the Rare Candy Podcast. The crew, sans Shea, discusses story vs mechanics, gaming with kids, and Pyre. Join us as we round up the Summer of Guests here at Swordchomp!

Our four adventurers set off the next morning, having been told of the malevolent creature by the surprisingly generous bartender. Buzzing with excitement, they head northwest, where lies a den by the edge of a once-beautiful lake. Since being claimed by the creature, the area near the water sees no wildlife. The majestic, plump Ebibird has moved on.

Along the road that leads to the lake, the adventurers spot five guards posted up on the road. Three of them are lying on the side of the road, clutching various wounds. The other two are on the lookout. Our adventurers spot another man observing the wounds of the injured guards, tending to them and using magic to temporarily heal them.

"What happened here?" Josh inquires with concern.

Without looking up the healer replies, "The creature of the lake attacked the guards while they were patrolling this morning." He rises, wiping the sweat from his brow, and continues, "It ran back to the lake."

"We are on our way now to exterminate the very same" offers Fish.

"Zacharias is the name," says the healer, thrusting his hand into Fish's. "Let me join you to defeat the vile creature! I have-"

"Please tend to the guards," Morgan interrupts. "We will handle the creature."

The four adventurers ride off swiftly, looking to waste no more time in defeating the creature of the lake. Pushing their horses, they make short time of the remainder of their trek.

Keeping up the Summer of Guests here at Swordchomp, we have special guest Zachary Helms join us for some talk of video game endings, and how much they mean to us individually as well as overall. From there we move on to Pyre, the new Elder Scrolls: Legends card game, and The End is Nigh. Packed with engaging discussions and air horns, you won’t want to miss this hilarious episode of the Chompcast!

Our four adventurers set off the next morning, having been told of the malevolent creature by the surprisingly generous bartender. Buzzing with excitement, they head northwest, where lies a den by the edge of a once-beautiful lake. Since being claimed by the creature, the area near the water sees no wildlife. The majestic, plump Ebibird has moved on.

Along the road that leads to the lake, the adventurers spot five guards posted up on the road. Three of them are lying on the side of the road, clutching various wounds. The other two are on the lookout. Our adventurers spot another man observing the wounds of the injured guards, tending to them and using magic to temporarily heal them.

"What happened here?" Josh inquires with concern.

Without looking up the healer replies, "The creature of the lake attacked the guards while they were patrolling this morning." He rises, wiping the sweat from his brow, and continues, "It ran back to the lake."

"We are on our way now to exterminate the very same" offers Fish.

"Zacharias is the name," says the healer, thrusting his hand into Fish's. "Let me join you to defeat the vile creature! I have-"

"Please tend to the guards," Morgan interrupts. "We will handle the creature."

The four adventurers ride off swiftly, looking to waste no more time in defeating the creature of the lake. Pushing their horses, they make short time of the remainder of their trek.

Keeping up the Summer of Guests here at Swordchomp, we have special guest Zachary Helms join us for some talk of video game endings, and how much they mean to us individually as well as overall. From there we move on to Pyre, the new Elder Scrolls: Legends card game, and The End is Nigh. Packed with engaging discussions and air horns, you won’t want to miss this hilarious episode of the Chompcast!

After a few long months of journeying with the Slayer of Minotaurs, our paths together finally diverge. Our companion takes her leave. She strides off into the West, pursuing her own voyage. We look on and wave atop our mounts, wistful at the disappearing sight. "Let us travel on," says the mighty Fish.

We gallop to the next town, and we spot a quirky inn at its center. Trollops drape over the rails on second floor balcony, the tavern on the first floor is painted a mixture of red and purple, and there is a wooden carving of a fox with a straw hat holding a fishing pole with a goose at the end.

Intrigued, we enter the bar, looking to imbibe and wind down. Morgan immediately bee-lines for the second floor staircase, the rest of us chuckling at the depraved man. We sit down at a free table, and begin to look around. Some of the patrons are hooting and hollering, having a grand time. Others are intensely focused on a game of cards and dice. The sounds of customers bumping uglies on the second floor find their way through the cracks in the floor and cause the chandelier to gently sway overhead. The barmen and barwomen hard at work, sling mugs of beer and glasses of hard liquor across the bar and from table to table.

We order our beers and begin to speak of our next adventure. Should we complete a contract? Go to a new town? Sail to some new land? Suddenly, Morgan comes rolling down the stairs, with his pants around his ankles. He lands at the bottom on his back, sprawled out at the minstrel's feet. The bar suddenly goes quiet as they observe the spectacle. From the top of the stairs one of the floozies, clutching her bosom, yells "Get that man!"

Out of nowhere, six brutish men stand up from a table and began to make their way towards the pantsless adventurer. We stand up and rush in front of the six men, blockading Morgan. "We will get him out of here," we offer. The men attempt to push past without a word. Josh throws a lightning-fast punch, knocking one guard in the throat, instantly killing him. The men, shocked at Josh’s skills, step back in fright. Fish and Shea pick up Morgan, and he pulls his pants back up onto his hips.

A man from behind the bar yells over the commotion, "Hey! You’re going to have to pay for your friend's time upstairs and that guard of mine you just killed!" The guards move, revealing a man with glasses.

"No problem," Shea replies. "We apologize for the commotion. What is your name?"

The man grunts back, "Rich."

Shea waves for the other three to go outside while he handles the money exchange, fervently apologizing for the hullabaloo.

Rich, calming down after receiving his coin, asks Shea what the travelers were doing here anyway.

Shea calmly states that they were looking for their next adventure.

Rich asks him to sit for a minute as he tells him a tale of a foul creature plaguing the village.

The Chompcast is graced with a second guest this week in our Summer of Guests: Rich Meister, a writer for Destructoid. The five of us discuss what games we would include on a hypothetical N64 Classic, prompted by rumors of Nintendo putting a patent out for the controller. The crew also discuss the new game sweeping the world, Pyre, as well as Battlegrounds, Splatoon 2, Phantasy Star 2, and various VR talk. Come join us for another awesome episode, and our 50th episode at that!