Use Your Items!

By useyouritems

A podcast about video games, design, and what they mean to us. Supported by our blog useyouritems.substack.com... more

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FAQs about Use Your Items!:

How many episodes does Use Your Items! have?

The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.

Use Your Items! episodes:

May 20, 2025I hope this hurts
CW: Sexual abuse, abuse, suicide, alcoholism
Fran and Jason explore the Tulpar in Mouthwashing, the indie horror hit from 2024. Welcome aboard.

Spoilers begin at 00:59:00
Credits
‘Mouthwashing’: A repugnant, tragic play that wants to hurt you
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/video-games/2024/12/11/mouthwashing-story-themes-johanna-kasurinen/
Real-Time Datamoshing in Unreal Looks Mesmerizing
Mouthwashing Developer's Diary #1
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2475490/view/4590944913262591479
Mouthwashing Developer's Diary #2
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2475490/view/4587567847119440903

Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
https://linktr.ee/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilled-drizzler.bsky.social
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
Follow us at: useyouritems.bsky.social
----------------------------
Art and Research by Francisco Martin
Editing by Jason Weiss
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
2h 12min
April 21, 2025Short-Long-Distance Love in Firewatch
Today Fran and Jason talk a walk through Wyoming with Delilah and Henry in Campo Santo's Firewatch from 2016. Don't forget to use your antlers!

Spoilers begin at 1:19:00
Credits
Field Notes: How Devs Recreate Wilderness In Gameshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/making-of-ethan-carter-firewatch#more-243319M
Firewatch: hope and heartbreak in the American wilderness
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/01/firewatch-american-wilderness-campo-santo
The Art of Firewatch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdxQ3HlhTE8
Firewatch's Wyoming fosters a bigger, weirder adventure than I expected
https://www.pcgamer.com/firewatchs-wyoming-fosters-a-bigger-weirder-adventure-than-i-expected/
Why less is more when it comes to Firewatch’s beautiful trees
https://www.pcgamer.com/why-less-is-more-when-it-comes-to-firewatchs-beautiful-trees/
Field Notes: How Devs Recreate Wilderness In Games
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/making-of-ethan-carter-firewatch#more-243319M
Firewatch: hope and heartbreak in the American wilderness
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/01/firewatch-american-wilderness-campo-santo

Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
https://linktr.ee/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilled-drizzler.bsky.social
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
Follow us at: useyouritems.bsky.social
----------------------------
Art and Research by Francisco Martin
Editing by Jason Weiss
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
1h 54min
March 24, 2025Final Fantasy VII Remake - Spikes, Bikes, and Suspenders
Use your items celebrates a year of recording by returning to the game that started it for them with Final Fantasy VII...REMAKE! Break down with us as we dig into the history of the remake, the character design, and the Nomura of it all! RPG history at your fingertips.
Spoiler-free: 0:00-1:22
Spoilers: 1:23-end
Credits
Final Fantasy remakes sold separately
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/final-fantasy-remakes-sold-separately/1100-2679121/
Square Enix Once Promised Final Fantasy VII, VIII And IX Remakes
https://www.siliconera.com/square-enix-promised-final-fantasy-vii-remake-cancelled/
FFVII Remake: Nomura interview translation [Famitsu 25/06/15]
https://thelifestream.net/lifestream-projects/translations/33038/ffvii-remake-nomura-interview-translation-from-famitsu/
Final Fantasy VII Remake details: reason for multi-part release, CyberConnect2 collaboration, more
https://www.gematsu.com/2015/12/final-fantasy-vii-remake-details-reason-multi-part-release-cyberconnect2-collaboration-more
10 Questions And Answers About The Final Fantasy VII Remake
https://web.archive.org/web/20160420143428/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/04/11/final-fantasy-vii-remake-interview-game-informer.aspx

Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
https://linktr.ee/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilled-drizzler.bsky.social
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
Follow us at: useyouritems.bsky.social
----------------------------
Art and Research by Francisco Martin
Editing by Jason Weiss
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
2h 58min
February 24, 2025 The Snatcher That Stole Christmas
Jason accuses a Snatcher of stealing Fran's body and impersonating him to access our excessive and gross podcast revenue. This time, we discuss the Kojima cult classic, Snatcher! Played on the Sega CD; we get into the details of cyberpunk, Snatcher's role in that genre, and some meta-narrative discussion of the game at large.
Spoiler-Free: 0-1:04
Spoilers: 1:05-End

Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
https://linktr.ee/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilled-drizzler.bsky.social
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
Follow us at: useyouritems.bsky.social
----------------------------
Art and Research by Francisco Martin
Editing by Jason Weiss
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
2h 10min
January 27, 2025 The Many Lies and Lives of INDIKA
CW: War, Sexual Abuse
Jason and Fran talk religion, crime, and ethical perogatives when checking out INDIKA, indie masterpiece from 2024. Between bad, good, evil, sin, and virtue what is left to decide for ourselves? What does it mean to experience true nostalgia and absent fondness? What happens when we impose ourselves unto others?
0-46m Spoiler Free
46-End Spoiler
Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
https://linktr.ee/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilled-drizzler.bsky.social
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
Follow us at: useyouritems.bsky.social
----------------------------
Art by Francisco Martin
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
1h 38min
January 06, 2025 ENDING [KH]: Nier Automata Final Ending
Fran and Jason cannot upload their data to the bunker. There is a problem with the uplink. ERROR-ERROR-ERROR-ERROR-ERROR-ERROR-ERROR

Spoiler Free for about an hour
Works Cited:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/28/17173244/nier-automata-yoko-taro-interview-gdc-2018
Yoko Taro Predicts Metaphor
Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
https://linktr.ee/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilled-drizzler.bsky.social
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
Follow us at: useyouritems.bsky.social
----------------------------
Art by Francisco Martin
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
1h 30min
December 30, 2024 ENDING [A]: Nier Automata
Fran and Jason upload their data to the Bunker talking about Nier Automata!

Spoiler Free for about an hour
Works Cited:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/28/17173244/nier-automata-yoko-taro-interview-gdc-2018
Yoko Taro Predicts Metaphor
Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
https://linktr.ee/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilled-drizzler.bsky.social
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
Follow us at: useyouritems.bsky.social
----------------------------
Art by Francisco Martin
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
2h 31min
December 02, 2024 This is a Box; not a retrospective of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
We, uh, played a game called Metal Gear Solid 2. Or maybe it played us, jump in to find out.
CW: 9/11 at 50m
0-1:05 Spoiler Free/History
1:06-End Spoilers and verdicts
Works Cited:
Metal Gear Solid 2 Grand Game Plan - Kojima (ping us for a copy)
The Final Hours of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Super Bunnyhop MGS2 video
Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
https://linktr.ee/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilleddrizzler on twitter
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
----------------------------
Art by Francisco Martin
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
2h 33min
November 04, 2024 The Gang Goes Scanning Again - Metroid Prime Remastered
Metroid Prime Remastered is a miraculous masterpiece and not enough can be said about it. We dive in to explore the history of the genre, the development, and the pacing of Tallon IV.
0-1:46 Spoiler Free/History
1:46-End Spoilers and verdicts
Works Cited:
DGC Ep 355: Metroid Prime Bonus Interview with Jack Mathews! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dgc-ep-355-metroid-prime-bonus-interview-with-jack-mathews/id1090136163?i=1000621631102
The rocky story of Retro Studios before Metroid Prime:
https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/29/17386066/the-rocky-story-of-retro-studios-before-metroid-prime
https://web.archive.org/web/20071129191427/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16389
https://web.archive.org/web/20120928094007/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/08/29/a-space-bounty-hunter-in-texas?page=4

Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord, it's free!
Email us at: [email protected]
Read us at: useyouritems.substack.com
Chat us at: twitch.tv/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @skilleddrizzler on twitter
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
----------------------------
Art by Francisco Martin
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
2h 49min
July 29, 2024 Porridge is a tool and so is Pavol - Felvidek
Exploring the weird, wonderful world of the Slavic JPRG Felvidek. We will drink, pray, and slash our way through 15th century Slovakia.
Spoiler free for the first 60 minutes or so.
Felvidek OST
Felivdek on Steam
Francisco is a game designer and engineer, while Jason brings a scholarly, literary background to each game analysis as they piece together the why and how of our favorite games. If you'd like to support the show please join us on Discord or leave us a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts-we've love to chat!
----------------------------
Join the conversation on Discord
Email us at: [email protected]
Read us at: useyouritems.substack.com
Chat us at: twitch.tv/useyouritems
Follow Jason at: @dancingfroggame on twitter
Follow Fran at: frantastico | Instagram | Linktree
----------------------------
Art by Francisco Martin
Theme music by William O'Rourke
...more
1h 27min

FAQs about Use Your Items!:

How many episodes does Use Your Items! have?

The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.