Bullet Heavens. Action Roguelikes. Arena Shooters. Crowd Management Games. Survive ‘em ups… the list goes on. Whatever you call them, thanks to Vampire Survivors they were a big story in 2022. In this podcast, Bryan and Josh sample three games from this burgeoning genre, popularized by Ponkle’s breakout hit, and quickly iterated on by a legion of creative developers. Our selection includes: The OG - Vampire Survivors The Stylish Successor - 20 Minutes til Dawn and The Quirky Cousin- Boneraiser M...
Jan 16, 2023•Ep. 90
The falling leaves tell a story… Earlier this year, across the fog, in the Lands Between, Josh and Bryan embarked on their respective journeys to become the Elden Lord. And their Remaining Free Time was shattered. Along the way they met a variety of colorful characters: cowardly Patches the Untethered, the Unkillable Poisonous Jellyfish, and THE LOATHSOME DUNG EATER! Before long they realized the tales of their journey must be shared, and so a plan was hatched to condense hundreds of hours worth...
Dec 29, 2022•Ep. 89
Join Bryan and Clint for a discussion of Naughty Dog’s critical darling from 2013… and 2014… and of course, 2022! The Last of Us was, and remains, a landmark video game in the action-adventure sphere and continues to be the standard for character-driven narratives in gaming. Joel and Ellie’s cross-country road trip is just as exciting today as it was the day it launched, but the technical upgrade it received with “Part 1” is worth discussing in its own right. On the heels of its 2022 re-release,...
Dec 15, 2022•Ep. 88
Bryan and Josh have both long been intrigued by the prolific and quirky “Video Game Development Boy Band” hailing from Utrecht, Netherlands and calling themselves Sokpop. Given the recent breakout success of the group’s title, Stacklands, they decided to dive in and survey the vast back catalogue of projects that Sokpop has created. For those unaware: Sokpop is a 4 person video game development collective which has given itself an ambitious mission: launch a new game every 2 weeks. The games var...
Nov 30, 2022•Ep. 87
Fans of tactics games rejoice! Triangle Strategy is here to deliver you the square grid, isometric, turn-based action you’ve been craving! … Along with an equally large helping of palace intrigue, politicking, and a bafflingly large amount of cutscenes. Oh, and don’t forget the detailed worldbuilding, subtle character development, and narrative ‘convictions’ system. Triangle strategy is a game that is not afraid to let its story breathe, and it backs its ambitious script up with some of the tigh...
Nov 15, 2022•Ep. 86
In this podcast Bryan, Josh and Clint take their spooky season celebrations to space! Dead Space, that is. The franchise’s first outing by the studio that would later become Visceral Games is as heart-pounding today as it was groundbreaking back in its 2008 debut. Offering a frightening level of immersion with its innovative UI and audio design, Dead Space doesn’t skimp on world-building either, even if it did have a few missed beats from a storytelling perspective. The real star of this experie...
Oct 30, 2022•Ep. 85
In this very special episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan interviews the developer of Moondrop and founder of Moonroof Studios, our very own Josh Galecki! Some of you may have picked up from listening to our other podcasts that Josh has had a solo indie dev video game project titled Moondrop in the works, and it has recently launched in August of 2022. This gave us a unique opportunity to talk through the process of design and iteration of making an indie video game, from 7-day roguelike expe...
Oct 15, 2022•Ep. 84
NORCO is what you get when you take a long lost LucasArts adventure game and steep it in Louisiana Bayou swamp water, then strain in through a filter of deep cynicism and hyper-local, near-future science fiction. Bryan and Josh showed up for the evocative writing and stunningly designed pixel art , but soon realized that the game’s crowning achievement was likely the way it was able to convey a sense of place and history perhaps more effectively than any other game they have played. So listen in...
Sep 30, 2022•Ep. 83
Acid Nerve’s sophomore outing, Death’s Door, is a huge step up in complexity and scope from their first title, Titan Souls. For a small studio coming off of a successful debut, it was a very ambitious project which not only moved their trademark tight action gameplay style from 2D to 3D, but also involved them building out a large hub and spoke world with many interesting dungeons and levels to navigate. Bryan and Josh appreciated the game not only for its artistic and auditory merits, but also ...
Sep 15, 2022•Ep. 82
What happens when you create a series that launches an entire genre? While Metroid may not have been the first ‘metroidvania’, it and its predecessors are certainly the ones we look to as the standard bearer. Metroid Dread comes long after the Cambrian explosion of the metroidvania genre, but proves that the series and its new developers at Mercury Steam, are able to hang with the best of them. Metroid Dread iterates on Metroid Fusion’s introduction of being hunted and inclusion of horror elemen...
Aug 30, 2022•Ep. 81
International Cat Day has recently passed and to celebrate the Pixelated Playgrounds crew leapt at the opportunity to play the cat game that everyone is talking about: Stray! This game is getting a lot of attention, so much so that we even had friends reaching out to see if we’d be playing it. Developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive the game poses several interesting questions that the crew endeavors to answer: Will we reunite our cat with his family? What happened ...
Aug 15, 2022•Ep. 80
Hailing from Skövde, the same town that brought us Iron Gate’s Valheim, Stunlock Studios’ VRising has a new twist on the survival genre: make it a vampiric quest for power with a top down, diablo-inspired interface. Bryan, Josh, and Clint quickly found themselves thirsty for more of the game’s snappy combat, addictive crafting progression, and highly customizable base building. Despite the game’s well reported on degradation mechanics, the book club crew found a server that fit their needs and s...
Jul 30, 2022•Ep. 79
Long running open world roguelike project, Caves of Qud by Freehold games, has been in continuous development since its early access release on Steam in 2015… and it shows! Cave of Qud is a dense, interconnected, and unique experience with an unforgettable setting that comes across through its signature lo-fi aesthetic. Bryan and Josh set out to explore Qud’s post-post-apocalyptic radioactive jungles and caverns and came away with more stories than they can count, but listen in to their discussi...
Jul 15, 2022•Ep. 78
Ynglet is an interesting little game that is sometimes called an ‘anti-platformer’ or ‘platformer without platforms’. Part puzzle platformer, part digital music tool, it rides the line between audiovisual art installation and indie video game with style. Either way its a fun time with a truly magical algorithmically generated score. So listen in as Bryan and Josh race through the intriguing and playful soundscape of Ynglet! Three Word Reviews: Bryan - Feel the Flow Josh - Joyous Space Dolphin Sh...
Jun 30, 2022•Ep. 77
Wildermyth combines deep tactical combat with storylines that span generations of heroes, and Bryan and Josh enjoyed every minute of their offbeat epic mythologies. This included but was not limited to: heroes turning into crows, uncovering spellbooks of forgotten gods, and being inducted to an order of magical turtles. Wildermyth’s recreation of the tabletop, improvisational style of storytelling interweaves characters' traits, histories, and relationships, with the world's ongoing events. The ...
Jun 15, 2022•Ep. 76
Before Your Eyes is a breezy indie game with a simple premise: Blink your eyes, time advances. As you live the protagonist Benjamin’s life you begin at birth and time only moves forward when you blink by using facial recognition software and your webcam. Quite handy that such a game would release in 2020 right after everyone with a remote job had recently acquired such a device. What follows is an emotional story about parenting, expectations, love, and loss. The blinking mechanic ties into the ...
May 30, 2022•Ep. 75
In 2017, longtime console developer Ninja Theory decided to buck their normal trend of partnering with publishers and take a risk by self-publishing their upcoming project, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. The project was taking other risks as well: wading into the turbulent waters of portraying mental illness on screen, and taking big swings on new technology with their sound design. What emerged is a project that clearly shows great care in those areas of importance, but was perhaps a little thre...
May 15, 2022•Ep. 74
Listen in as Bryan, Josh, and Clint unpack last year’s indie darling, Unpacking! Despite not having a central conflict or antagonist to speak of, Unpacking nonetheless tells a compelling story about growing up, moving out, and learning to live with others (and yourself). Combine that with absolutely gorgeous pixel art, a catchy yet subtle soundtrack, and a hefty dose of nostalgia and you have a special experience on your hands. Join the book club crew for a breezy discussion that includes some o...
Apr 30, 2022•Ep. 73
Slowclap’s second major outing, Sifu, is a fascinating game. On the surface it is a kung-fu action brawler with choreography that makes you feel like you’re directing a martial arts movie. Then it layers in a more fantastic element where the protagonist is reborn a bit older each time they are defeated. The real grace note of the whole experience, however, is the the game’s ability to slowly train the player to overcome increasingly demanding scenarios. By the end of the experience it does truly...
Apr 15, 2022•Ep. 72
Hero’s Hour is a clever pixelated iteration on the Heroes of Might and Magic formula that sports some eye-catching pixel graphics and a manic, yet extremely satisfying auto-battler combat system. Created by Benjamin Haur of ThingOnItsOwn, this is part homage to a beloved classic and part thoughtful evolution on some of the core mechanics that make the series (now regrettably controlled by Ubisoft) so appealing. At the time we recorded this (way back in Fall 2021) the game was only out on itch.io...
Mar 31, 2022•Ep. 71
Thanks to its arrival on the Xbox Gamepass platform, Bryan, Clint and Josh summoned their inner monster and played through the ‘reverse-horror’ metroidvania, Carrion! A great time was had by all as this interesting twist on a power fantasy encouraged creative play and invoked feelings of mischievous and sometimes sinister glee. Making your way through the sprawling depths of Relith Science Corps always fun in the moment to moment, though the act of exploration itself left the book club crew want...
Mar 15, 2022•Ep. 70
In recent years the 'deck builder roguelike' has become a crowded genre unto itself. One that Josh and Bryan really enjoy! While cards make a great framing device for a roguelike, In this podcast Bryan and Josh look at the roguelikes that take their inspiration from other games at the casino in our first 'Casino Cast' featuring Dicey Dungeons and Luck be a Landlord! Three Word Reviews: Dicey Dungeons: Bryan - Generously Crafted Roguelike Josh - A Paradise Lost Luck Be a Landlord: Bryan - Second ...
Feb 28, 2022•Ep. 69
For this podcast Bryan, Josh, and Clint don their best shiny green power armor and launch into a wide-ranging discussion of the entire run of the venerable FPS franchise, Halo! At first we thought we might revisit Halo: Combat Evolved since we were nearing the 20th anniversary. Then we thought we’d add in a discussion on Halo: Infinite since it has made waves with Bryan and Clint recently. Finally the crew made the decision to “Finish the Fight” and touch on the rest of the franchise as well. So...
Feb 15, 2022•Ep. 68
If you have followed indie games at all over the course of the past several years, then odds are you have played or at least heard of Outer Wilds. A school project that became a Seaumas MacNally Grand Prize recipient at IGF in 2015, and then went on to be one of the most critically acclaimed games released in 2019. The team at Mobius Digital deserve every bit of that praise they received, because Outer Wilds is a truly special game. With superb physics simulation, an engrossing and complex myste...
Jan 30, 2022•Ep. 67
Card games and the secluded wilderness seem like a natural fit. You’re out camping with your friends, the day is over and everyone is gathered around the fire. Someone pulls out a deck of cards… …or … after your long day of hiking you pass out and are suddenly awakened in a mysterious cabin with nothing but a strange glowing pair of eyes beckoning you towards your first hand of a card game that may be your last. Inscryption’s framing device is certainly evocative, but its far from the most inter...
Jan 15, 2022•Ep. 66
In 2021 when Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy launched for PC and current gen consoles, Bryan was experiencing a bit of Marvel fatigue. This made him initially skeptical when Clint urged him to play the latest Marvel video game property, saying it was one of his top games of the year. After learning more and seeing it was a linear 3rd person single player-focused action game (an increasingly rare genre these days), Bryan joined Clint in playing the game and absolutely loving it. Guardians of the...
Dec 31, 2021•Ep. 65
In 2008, Turtle Rock studios brought a new kind of multiplayer experience to video gaming with Left 4 Dead. You and your friends took control of a group of four survivors and try to navigate a world overflowing with undead in a chaotic first person cooperative campaign. Thirteen years later and Turtle Rock are revisiting the idea with Back 4 Blood. We found that it iterated on the formula nicely in some places, and seems to have lost the plot a bit in others. Additions like the deck management s...
Dec 15, 2021•Ep. 64
In 2019, Asobo Studio released A Plague Tale: Innocence, a story about a brother and sister navigating a plague and war torn 14th century France. Just months later the world would experience its own major pandemic event. For months after that Bryan and Clint had put off playing A Plague Tale, but during the Fall of 2021 they managed to play through and both are extremely happy they did. Providing a affecting emotional story (with a few supernatural elements to spice things up), A Plague Tale pul...
Dec 01, 2021•Ep. 63
Someone’s murdered Paradise and Bryan and Josh are on the case! Paradise Killer literally drops you into the shoes of Lady Love Dies, who is investigating one of the most bizarre and otherworldly mysteries that one could imagine. The game immediately sets you free to explore a city full of convoluted history and conspiracy, dripping in sun-drenched style, and set to the tune of a relaxing and evocative soundtrack. Kaizen Game Works first outing is not a perfect game, but it is an excellent ride ...
Nov 23, 2021•Ep. 62
Join Bryan and Clint for a podcast on the latest game from Arkane Studios, Deathloop! It has all of their Arkane favorites: flavorful distinctive environments, a deep intriguing backdrop, and interlocking systems of stealth, combat and exploration to name a few, but it also brings plenty of new ideas all its own. Whether you’re breaking the loop or protecting it there’s plenty to love on the island of Blackreef. So pull up a chair, or perhaps, join us in our 70’s style conversation pit to hear h...
Nov 15, 2021•Ep. 61
