The Safe Room

Content Warnings: Suicide, domestic violence, general horror gore

In this ocean-sized episode we tackle the FMV-soaked marvel that is Alan Wake II. We talk about how this feels both like a culmination and maturation of Remedy’s work over the past 20 years and how this is still kinda the same as Max Payne 2. We discuss the game’s delicious ambiguities and contradictions, which sometimes feel hamstrung by broader “lore” concerns. We marvel at how thick and thorny this is, and gristle at the game’s broader reception. At the end, we answer a bevy of listener questions and make a tier list of the characters. Big episode for a game worthy of the runtime.

Next episode: Resident Evil Remake

Content Warnings: Self-Harm, Suicide, Freud (Oedipal Complex)

Through the electric wires, a strange image appears on your TV… it’s Serial Experiments Lain the video game! We talk about the visual novel inflected adaptation? Retelling? of the classic anime. Discussion includes multimedia storytelling formats, Lain’s place in “franchise” narrative, what exact mental illnesses Lain has, and whether this is the spookiest game we’ve played yet.

In this episode of The Safe Room, we discuss the awe-inspiring craft of The Evil Within, its disappointing final third, and its campy, haunted-house-style level design. This is prossibly the most fun we've had with a game so far. We match that energy in a goofy and freeform ep.

The Safe Room returns with our episode on the 2010 cult hit Alan Wake! We discuss the game’s abundance of Stephen King and Twin Peaks references, its middiling combat system, and its relationship to other Remedy games. In our questions segement, we talk about games that are elevated by their memorable soundtracks.

Next time: Fatal Frame III

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Rose is on twitter  @bluestrose430

Hot off the heels of Fatal Frame, we jump straight into the game’s beloved sequel. We talk about the game’s mechanical improvements, its overall scarier tone, and its narrative shortcomings. During our listener questions segment, we talk Fatal Frame compared to Pokemon Snap, and discuss the games that spook us the most.

Next time: Alan Wake

The Safe Room returns to the world of survival horror with Fatal Frame! We talk about looking *as* horror, what makes a jump scare effective, and Fatal Frame’s place within found footage.

Next Time: Fatal Frame II

Dino Crisis goes to space in this mega episode, where we talk about Majora’s Mask, Dishonored, and answer quite a few listener questions to celebrate the launch of our new Patreon! And avoid talking about a game that we don’t like very much. Also somehow we talk about Tar again.

Next Time: Fatal Frame

content warnings: depression, suicide, self-harm, ableism, parental abuse

We (slightly) side-step normal coverage to talk about the twin horror visual novels: Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk and Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk. We discuss the game’s relationship to other visual novels about mental illness, the balance between spelling things out and leaving implications unsaid, and the games’ well-rendered and unsettling voyeuristic qualities. We also chat a bit about Xbox bullshit since Grace got one.

Next Time: Dino Crisis 3.

We finally did it… we played a bad video game. In this tangent laden episode, we talk about Dino Crisis’s silly action set-pieces, flat adventure design, and nonsensical plot. We also go off about hazy memories of Resident Evil 5, BioShock’s absurdity, and transferring survival horror ideas into an action game.

Next Time: Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk

Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk

Grace and Rose play the yuri-tinged, sci-fi horror hit and try to identify how the game manages to forge its own path despite its constant barrage of influences. We talk about its tricky and well-telegraphed puzzles, its lack of fixed camera angles, how much of the game is about maps, and what the meat is (don’t worry about it).

Next Time: Dino Crisis 2