80 Days by Inkle Studios is a video game adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel of world travel and adventure. It’s also one of the best games of 2014. It was named the Time Magazine Game of the Year and was also honored by numerous other publications and critics. This week we look at what makes this interactive storybook based on a familiar tale so very, very compelling, and discuss some of the exciting details of our own trips around the world.

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This week we’re taking another short break from regular format to talk about our favorite video game music!

Did we miss your favorite soundtrack? (We probably did!) Let us know! We’ll play followup to this episode in a future show.

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The Swapper is a surprisingly awesome 2D puzzle platformer from small Finnish indie developers Facepalm Games. Released for PC/Mac/Linux in May 2013, it’s now also available for current generation Playstation and Nintendo consoles. Its puzzle design and mechanics are often compared to Portal (though it is a very unique game on its own) and it has an unusual art style, accomplished by building all the in game objects out of clay and photographing them to create the in-game graphics.

Expect the game to take between 5 and 8 hours to complete, depending on what kind of crazy clone swapping puzzle solving space genius you are.

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Nate’s Saint Louis Cardinals baseball podcast, Talking About Birds is returning for another season. Check it out!

Machinarium, a point and click adventure game by Czech game developers Amanita Design, is our topic this week. Released in 2009, it was their first full-length adventure game after numerous web-based titles. It has been widely praised for its gorgeous art style and a charming story told entirely without dialogue.

Machinarium is available for numerous platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and the PS3 and Playstation Vita. A web-based demo is available at their website. It was included in Humble Indie Bundle #2 in 2010 and the Humble Botanicula Debut bundle in 2012.

Expect the game to take about 5 to 6 hours to complete.

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