Into the Aether - A Low Key Video Game Podcast - podcast cover

Into the Aether - A Low Key Video Game Podcast

Stephen Hilger + Brendon Bigleyintothecast.online
A low key video game podcast by Stephen Hilger and Brendon Bigley. Produced by AJ Fillari!
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Episodes

Wet Krillin (feat. Star Fox (2026) & Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition)

If Slippy is just "Wet Krillin," then who are you, dear listener? Discussed: Elliot tomorrow, first year of the Switch 2, the demo for Star Fox (2026), Dragon Ball in space, what makes an interesting remake, concerns about the Ocarina of Time remake, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Switch 2 Edition, what makes the first Xenoblade so special Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online Join the Patreon: https://www.patreo...

Jun 17, 20261 hr 28 minSeason 8Ep. 47

Final Fantasy VII: Roommates (feat. Summer Game Fest announcements and Mina the Hollower)

Just going to pat myself on the back for the restraint shown in not including Joey in the episode art this week. "The Making Of Mina The Hollower" Game Informer Documentary Discussed: Sleepy BB, Sick Steve, Overworld, Summer Game Fest, post-leakage, direct predictions, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, revisiting Rebirth, Roche redemption, Resident Evil Veronica, the return of Claire, Guild Wars 3, Alien Isolation 2, Gen Atlas, Guild Wars 3, Tifa in Street Fighter, Vincent in Guilty Gear, Spyro: A R...

Jun 10, 20261 hr 37 minSeason 8Ep. 46

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What if Nintendo genetically modified a Direct in a lab just for us? Well, the answer is "we talk about it for an hour." ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jun 09, 20261 hr 11 minSeason 8Ep. 45

Persona Summer - A Post Games Crossover Clip!

Hello! Wanted to share a clip of our conversation with Chris Plante over on Post Games where we discussed what makes and how to achieve the perfect Persona Summer. So lovely of Chris to have us on, and you can go listen to the rest — for free!! — on Post Games! Check it out here: https://pod.link/1815131711 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jun 08, 20268 min

Property of MI6 (feat. Mina the Hollower, 007 First Light, and Pocket Bomberman)

Bond, we need you to stand in front of this wall and show off the latest styles from Old Navy. Check out Neon Crown by Jenny Reed on Kindle! - https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Crown-Jenny-Reed-ebook/dp/B0H1FBBTHB Discussed: Hits of 2026, Mina the Hollower, games from our past that haunt us, Pocket Bomberman, N64 era of Bomberman, 007 First Light, GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, favorite eras of Bond, the influence of Uncharted, WarioWare montage, beige Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some...

Jun 03, 20261 hr 53 minSeason 8Ep. 44

Artificial Banana (feat. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight + Xenogears)

Sometimes I have dreams about a fruit you have to peel before you eat. It's this bright yellow color, it almost looks unnatural. Use code AETHER20 at checkout for 20% off your first year of Pika! "The Need for GTA 6's Success Is A Symptom Of A Broken Industry" by Joshua Rivera Discussed: Summer Game Fest on the horizon, GTA 6 on the horizon, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, the ambition of the Lego games, different eras of Batman, video game comedies, Rugrats, Mario, Xenogears, the haunte...

May 27, 20261 hr 16 minSeason 8Ep. 43

Octodad Traveler (feat. The Adventures of Elliot Demo, the PS1, Resident Evil 2, and more!)

Octodaaaad, really loves his RPGs. Teachers Lounge's new EP Home Entertainment is available now on Bandcamp! - https://teacherslounge.bandcamp.com/album/home-entertainment The PS1 Playlist Polygon interview with Tomoya Asano and Naofumi Matsushita Discussed: Malört, show predictions, PS1 playlist update, PS1 sampler platter, Bust A Groove, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, Crash Team Racing, Final Fantasy VII, FFIX & Howl’s Moving Castle, Spyro vs Crash, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tale...

May 21, 20261 hr 50 minSeason 8Ep. 42

Conker's Best Fur Day for the Ultra Nintendo (feat. Alabaster Dawn, Pragmata, Saros, and more!)

Dinosorry to hear you expected Fox McCloud instead of Conker! Discussed: Star Fox and its upcoming remake, the various eras of Star Fox, the return of the 3DS, Alabaster Dawn (Early Access), Ultra Nintendo, Cross Code, Pragmata, Project Hail Mary, Saros, telling a story through a roguelike Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast --- Follow Stephen Hilger: https://bsky.app/p...

May 13, 20261 hr 54 minSeason 8Ep. 41

Waiting for Joey (feat. Esoteric Ebb, Saros, Bobo Bay, and more!)

Joey's head pierces the veil of the chained apartment door as blinding sunlight pours in behind him. His eyes are wrong — they're the color of jewels, reds and blues all mixed up and coating every millimeter. His expression is contorted, almost beyond recognition. "THE CEASELESS FEAST OF WANT," he yells into the room, "A GLEAMING BEACON SHIMMERING ON THE HORIZON." He tries to force his way into the room again, but the chain holds. "WE ARE WANTED. WE ARE HERE TO SERVE AND REST OUR BONES UPON A GO...

May 06, 20261 hr 36 minSeason 8Ep. 40

One Hundred Grandfathers (feat. Rogue Legacy 2, Monster Hunter Stories 3, Paranormasight, and more!)

Name one hundred grandfathers. Fastest to name one hundred grandfathers wins. You will be disqualified if you name someone who is not a grandfather or if you remove your headphones which will be naming one hundred grandmothers at a high volume. Your time starts when you put your headphones on. Discussed: Taskmaster, huge thanks to our patrons, the Vita episode is out, handheld games, revisiting Rogue Legacy 2 on a smaller screen, future consoles, daydreaming about UFO 50, Monster Hunter Stories ...

Apr 29, 20261 hr 29 minSeason 8Ep. 39

Hatsworthiness (feat. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Vampire Crawlers, and Titanium Court)

It's Henry's court now. Discussed: Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, the joy of making OCs, Vampire Crawlers, Titanium Court, Hatsworthy games, hits that didn’t click Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast --- Follow Stephen Hilger: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.social Follow Brendon Bigley: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online Produced by AJ Fillar...

Apr 22, 20261 hr 43 minSeason 8Ep. 38

Hugh and Rockin' Rob with The Moonheads (feat. Pragmata, Guilty Gear Strive, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax)

The AI running this moonbase hasn't responded for a few days, which is weird. I'm being sent up there on a mission to investigate the possible cause, but before I go I have one last thing on my agenda: Play a kickass rock song with the crew. Discussed: the p4g episode and the vita episode, Pragmata, the street sweeper, fighting games, Guilty Gear Strive 2.0, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the Persona spin-offs, Pokémon Champions Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd l...

Apr 15, 20261 hr 17 minSeason 8Ep. 36

Persona 4 Golden | Bonus Episode

Stephen and Brendon discuss the entirety of Persona 4 Golden and answer questions about friendship, social psychology, and what it's like to be a maligned cartoon bear in the human world. Discussed: Persona 4 Golden ITA's PS1 Playlist Matt Horton's video essay on P4G for Flow State "It's Time to Talk About it: Atlus, Naoto, and Transphobia" by Mattie Brice "Atlus, We Haven't Forgotten Your Mishandling of LGBTQ Characters" by Carol Grant "Persona 4's Identity Crisis Invalidates its Themes" by Luc...

Apr 10, 20265 hr 53 min

Daruni-O's: They Rock! (feat. Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, and Cairn)

Stephen and Brendon discuss the latest rumors surrounding an Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2, prompting a broader conversation about the evolution of the Zelda series and the divided fan base. They also share experiences with the notoriously difficult Advance Wars, examining its remake's aesthetic choices. The episode concludes with first impressions of the acclaimed climbing game Cairn, highlighting its unique narrative and immersive mechanics.

Apr 08, 20261 hr 23 minSeason 8Ep. 35

That's Fire Emblem: Three Houses (feat. Fire Emblem: Three Houses... and Mega Man Star Force)

When the calendar is bare, and a game can fit in there? That's Fire Emblem: Three Houses! When you don't know what to play, but you gotta kill the day? That's Fire Emblem: Three Houses! Discussed: PAX East, C2E2, new patreon episodes, the 2010 era of roguelikes, Spelunky, FTL, different styles of motivation, Fire Emblem Three Houses, the beauty of barks, Mega Man Star Force, the worst dressage music Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd like: https://shop.intoth...

Apr 01, 20261 hr 53 minSeason 8Ep. 34

Wacky Wally’s Big Bassoon Solo (feat. Persona 5 Royal, Soulcalibur III, Marathon, and more!)

Oh god, Wally's up on stage at the open mic again. Get ready for ten more minutes of "Oh! Susanna" unless he finally learned how to play something new this month… Discussed: Upcoming P4G bonus, Persona 5 Royal, the loop of Persona, our expectations for Persona 6, Resident Evil Requiem, the hunk of gaming, the history and the future of Resident Evil, Soul Calibur III, Marathon Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online Join the Pa...

Mar 25, 20261 hr 39 minSeason 8Ep. 33

Teddie is for Everyone (feat. Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse, Slay the Spire II, Minishoot' Adventures, and more!)

Travel outside of any major metropolitan area. Escape the light pollution. Hike out to the middle of the woods. Climb the highest peak you can. On exceptionally clear nights, surrounded by your friends, look into the sky and you just might see him peering back. Discussed: Our hero with a pizza, an impromptu Square Enix discussion, the strength of Team Asano, the future of Final Fantasy, Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse, final puzzles and true endings, the future of Paranormasight, the importa...

Mar 18, 20261 hr 20 minSeason 8Ep. 32

Scyther is my Roommate (feat. Pokémon Pokopia, Slay the Spire 2, and Resident Evil Requiem)

"Yo, Ditto, I gotta admit -- splitting the rent is almost as fun as gathering lumber!" If anyone else said this to me, I would assume they were being passive aggressive. But not Scyther, my roommate. He's the coolest guy in all of Pokopia. Discussed: Pokémon Pokopia, the DQ Builders 2 influence, Pokémon personalities, roommate Scyther, the future of Animal Crossing, the latter half of Resident Evil Requiem, the Jekyll and Hyde restaurant, why Claire Redfield should be in more games, Slay the Spi...

Mar 11, 20261 hr 35 minSeason 8Ep. 31

Buff Sam and Old Leon (feat. Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon, and Ys X)

If I do this squat, it'll be the most squats I've ever done outside of The Shire. Discussed: Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom’s modern hits, Off-Broadway Skyrim, our experience with Resident Evil, Leon and Grace, camp, Ys X: Proud Nordics, modern Ys gameplay, Buff Sam, Trails of Cold Steel, Falcom Corner, Marathon Server Slam, battle royales and Destiny-likes, BB’s time with Destiny, extraction shooters, Super Monsanto, Big Defect Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if yo...

Mar 04, 20261 hr 52 minSeason 8Ep. 30

Mud is Overpowered (feat. Mario Tennis Fever, Reanimal, Danganronpa, and Paranormasight)

Sakurai steps up to the podium, looking troubled. He's not his confident self this time around — and it's doubly weird that he's making this announcement live and in person instead of through some kind of Nintendo Direct. There's even regular press here, not just games media people. "We are removing Matthew McConaughey as Mud from Super Smash Bros. We are aware of rumors circulating regarding a licensing agreement lapsing or some kind of issue with having a real person present in the video game,...

Feb 25, 20261 hr 44 minSeason 8Ep. 29

Dice of Fate (feat. Danganronpa, Windblown, Under the Island, and more)

Sometimes life leads you down a certain path where you know exactly where, when, how, and why things should fall into their natural order. Other times, you need to dice of fate to give you a helping hand. And that's what life is all about. Discussed: rolling a d10, Windblown, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, the vibe of the Vita library, BB’s P4G update, rolling a 4, Culdcept, Smash Bros. for 3DS, Tabuu, Under the Island, the influence of Zelda, Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpe...

Feb 19, 20261 hr 44 minSeason 8Ep. 28

Highguard Accent (feat. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Nioh 3, and Monster Hunter Stories 3)

Linguists are baffled. “There seems to be a new subcommunity in a niche online video game developing a totally new manner of speech by fusing what’s known as the ‘Valorant accent’ with idioms from medieval English,” writes a joint statement from The Linguistic Society of East and West. Discussed: BB realizes he’s offline, Highguard, early impressions of Deadlock, Yoda in Soul Calibur, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, the pros and cons of remakes, the history of DQVII, Nioh 3, Monster Hunter Stories ...

Feb 11, 20261 hr 45 minSeason 8Ep. 27

Joeylike (feat. Code Vein II, CAIRN, Nioh 3, and Fire Emblem: Awakening)

The makings of a Joeylike are pretty simple, all things considered: The player character needs to ask "how you doin'?" as often as possible. This generally makes Joeylikes easy to spot from a mile away, but it also means they come off as derivative. Attempts to change the Joeylike catchphrase are often disasterous. Discussed: Code Vein II, Nioh 3's demo, Elden Ring: Nightreign, soulslikes, Joey from Friends, Fire Emblem Awakening, CAIRN Check out Pixels and Polygons! - https://pixelsandpolygons....

Feb 04, 20261 hr 35 minSeason 8Ep. 26

You Remind Me of the Frog (feat. Tokyo Xanadu, 428: Shibuya Scramble, and more)

Jareth skulks through the castle and out the front gates while listening to their favorite podcast , hair somehow bopping to and fro while also locked into its gravity-defying shape. As he makes his way towards the lillies, a new song idea slams its way into his frontal lobe. It's a riff on another song he sang long ago. He croaks it into existence. Discussed: strange recording arrangements, Persona 4 Golden, the final bosses of Persona, Tokyo Xanadu Ex+, the potential of a sequel, DnD with Bren...

Jan 28, 20261 hr 26 minSeason 8Ep. 25

Toot My Own Back (feat. Hytale, Escape From Ever After, Tekken 3, and more!)

I don't mean to hy my own tale about this, but I have some theories about Persona 6 that I'm feeling pretty confident about. Discussed: Malort, steam heat radiators responding to negative temperature weather, Tekken 3, informed button mashing, Vital Shell, Cannon Spike-Likes, a reminder about the ps1 poll and goty giveaway, Escape From Ever After, next bonus ep, Persona 6 theories, Hytale Cameron’s piece on Hytale Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd like: http...

Jan 21, 20261 hr 36 minSeason 8Ep. 24

Time to Slime (feat. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Blue Prince, Unbeatable, and Mario Tennis Power Tour)

What do Dragon Quest games and 90s Nickelodeon game shows have in common? Discussed: What is five dollars, Blue Prince, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Unbeatable, Mario Tennis: Power Tour Use code AETHER20 at checkout for 20% off your first year of Pika! Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast --- Follow Stephen Hilger: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.social Follo...

Jan 14, 20261 hr 33 minSeason 8Ep. 23

7:18 and a Bowl of Chili (feat. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment & Persona 4 Golden)

Thank you to Theater of the Mindset for sponsoring this episode! Hey is this thing on? Had an idea for a Persona game but instead of "The Midnight Channel" there's "The 7:18 Bowl of Chili." What do we think, gang? Discussed: Post-GOTY, what we had for dinner, Antiques Roadshow, GOTY 2016, the next season premiere, The Jersey Devil, Brendon Vaguely, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the appeal of the Warriors spin-offs, Zelda’s past and future, the Zelda movie, Persona 4 Golden, the upcoming ...

Jan 07, 20261 hr 39 minSeason 8Ep. 21

The 2025 Game of the Year Spectacular

Hear ye, hear ye!! Don your warmest winter gear and settle in for another recounting of our favorite video games from this most recent year. And by "our" we of course also mean "your." It's everyone's GOTY. And that's why it's called a "Spectacular." Discussed: Our ten favorite games of 2025, and a lot more. (Spoilers for our 2026 Season Premiere:) Google Form for your input. Details mentioned in the episode! Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online Buy some merch, if you'd like: https://s...

Dec 31, 20256 hr 23 minSeason 8Ep. 20

Throw Up and Explode! (feat. Persona 4 Golden, Angeline Era, and Octopath Traveler 0)

The return of bump-slash combat is here, but what we’re positing is: What if it’s time for throw up and explode combat? Disclaimer: We recorded this before the recent news about Larian’s use of generative AI for creative work. It’s very disappointing. Discussed: the Vita is here, Persona 4 Golden, the upcoming remake of P4, our experience getting into Persona, our S-Link arcana, Vita games we’re most excited for, a caveat from the future, the Divinity trailer, BG3, Divinity Original Sin 2, the p...

Dec 17, 20251 hr 58 minSeason 8Ep. 19

Rorchad's Journal with Brandon Sheffield (feat. Demonschool and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond)

We're joined this week by Brandon Sheffield — creative director at Necrosoft Games and cohost of the fantastic Insert Credit podcast — for a conversation about making games, and making Demonschool specifically. Afterwards, we have a conversation about the highs and lows of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and making a version of Rorschach who is somehow even worse than the original. Discussed: Brandon Sheffield is here, the pitfalls of men’s fashion, the release of Demonschool, the beauty and importance ...

Dec 12, 20252 hr 3 minSeason 8Ep. 18
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