PODCAST

Pixelated Playgrounds

Taking one game per month (old, new and everything in between) and talking though an in-depth examination of narrative, mechanics, theme, and the interplay between the three.

leisure video games

All Episodes

DotAGE

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/07/15

Bryan and Josh recently spent some time managing a series of settlements in rogue-like city builder and prophecy-defier, DotAGE. Long time project of solo game developer, Michele Pirovano, DotAGE is wonderful little management sim with bright cheerful pixel art, sharp entertaining writing, and a level of ease and polish that you do not often see in the worker placement genre of games. What really sets the game apart though is the game’s prophecy and apocalypse mechanics, which sets up a series of

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Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/06/30

Bryan and Josh continue their race down memory lane for the Sonic series with a look at Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2! Both of the guys have a long history with these titles and were excited to take a look back at the character’s origins. While the original Sonic the Hedgehog was certainly an impressive debut for the Sega mascot, it did not have quite as much of the series’ signature speed as one might expect. Meanwhile Sonic the Hedgehog 2, refined and solidified what would become the standard-bearer

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Casino Cast 2 ft. Balatro and Slice & Dice

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/06/15

Its time for another Casino Cast with Josh and Bryan! Last time we tackled dice (Dicey Dungeons) and slots (Luck be a Landlord), so this time around we are tackling cards with recent world-beating indie success, Balatro, and more dice with the extremely compelling roguelike, Slice & Dice. Balatro is a game that at this point needs no introduction: The run based score-beating roguelike using the language of poker has captured the hearts and minds of critics and players of all stripes due to its

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Cobalt Core

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/05/30

Bryan and Josh recently got stuck in a time loop out in deep space and wound up playing a lot of cards trying to fight their way out… in other words: For this episode they played Cobalt Core! Even in a crowded genre like the roguelike deckbuilder, sometimes a game can do so many things right (and a few things transcendently) that it breaks through the noise to become a new favorite. Rocket Rat’s second game (and second IGF nominee) was such a game. What it brings to the table in terms of novel

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Helldivers 2

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/05/15

In this podcast the whole crew squads up to play the latest and greatest in Co-Op PVE action, Helldivers 2! As soon as word of the game’s rock solid mechanics and exceedingly fair live service implementation reached his ears, Clint boarded his Hellpod and shot like a literal bullet into the fray. His enthusiasm eventually spread to Bryan and Josh, and the team welcomed back seasoned Helldiver and re-appearing guest, Andy, to round out our 4 person discussion. This game has a fascinating evolving

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Idle Cast ft. Universal Paperclips, SPACEPLAN, and...

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/04/30

In this episode, Bryan and Josh dip their toes into the idle/incremental game space! Three idle games have been chosen: Universal Paperclips, SPACEPLAN, and (the) Gnorp Apologue. All are quite different manifestations of the idle/incremental game and each has its own strengths and unique offerings to explore. Universal Paperclips (2017) was created by Frank Lantz of New York University and has been acclaimed as one of the best of the genre. It features a unique retelling of the paperclip maximizer

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Chants of Sennaar

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/04/15

Aspiring linguist Josh and professional guess-and-checker Bryan recently made their way up the tower featured in 2023’s indie puzzle game Chants of Sennaar! Along the way they marveled at the game’s superb use of color, clever language puzzles, and occasionally regrettable use of stealth mechanics. At its heart, Chants of Sennaar is a game about culture and communication, so what better way to celebrate this wonderful game than through an in depth discussion about its design, themes, and artistry

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Tunic

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/03/30

Isometric Games’ Tunic, released in 2022, is a game that delivers stronger than almost any other title on the promise of a genuine feeling of discovery. From you moment that you are dropped onto the isometric, flat color-shaded beach with nothing but the ethereal soundtrack by Lifeformed and Janice Kwan to keep you company, you are expected to start exploring. To start learning about the game’s various rules, systems, and secrets… because the game will not teach you about any of them itself! Tunic a

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Jusant

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/03/15

Climb to new heights with Josh and Bryan as they ascend the tower, learn its history, and rediscover a love of climbing while playing Jusant! Developed by the narrative powerhouse studio, Don’t Nod, Jusant puts the player in the shoes of a lone wanderer who must ascend a desolate tower filled with remnants of a civilization long past with only their little blue blob buddy and an endless endurance for gripping hard surfaces. Its a truly majestic game, from the vistas afforded as you look back on your

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The Looker

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/02/29

In this episode Bryan and Josh cover The Witness from Jonathan Blow… sort of. Actually they cover The Looker, which is a loving homage/scathing satire of Blow’s game and at the price of Free and the runtime of about 60 minutes, comes highly recommended by the guys. Good satire is hard to find and that is doubly so in the video game sphere, but developer Bradley Lovell hits the mark with The Looker which is just packed with jokes both written and mechanical. Listen in as Bryan and Josh do their best

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Baldur's Gate 3

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/02/15

Join Bryan, Josh, and Clint for a journey through the Forgotten Realms as they cover the breakout D&D simulation CRPG, Baldur’s Gate 3! Larian Studios has a long history with RPGs but in 2023 they outdid themselves to create what many considered to be 2023’s Game of the Year. Despite a time gap of over 20 years since the last entry, Baldur’s Gate 3 holds true to what made the originals special while adding in a healthy dose of modern convenience and quality of life for the 5th Edition outing

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Mosa Lina

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/01/30

In this episode Josh and Bryan play the aggressively random, and often unbeatable “Immersive Sim for People Who Hate Immersive Sims”, Mosa Lina by Stuffed Wombat. Its a unique experience that markets itself as a response to the current trend of Immersive Sim design, where abilities are often part of a "Lock and Key" system, where every ability is a tool that is meant to overcome a single type of problem. Mosa Lina’s randomness guarantees that the player will need to make use of whatever tools are

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Dave the Diver

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2024/01/15

What do you get when you cross the mechanical sensibilities of a casual MMO / mobile game developer with the aesthetics and charm of an indie game studio, then top it off with a dash of abnormally high production value? In the case of Dave the Diver, it is a tasty frozen cocktail of relaxing, tropical fun! For this podcast, Josh and Bryan retire to the tropics and try their hand at sushi restaurant operation / scuba diving. The publisher of several MMO megahits, Nexon, tried their hand at a casual

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01:50:40

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2023/12/30

I think most people knew we were in for something special with the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but I don’t think anyone quite realized how special. Navigating a six-year-long development cycle that included a pandemic, the Zelda Team has once again ascended to new heights (and new depths) to bring the world an astonishing follow-up to the beloved Breath of the Wild. Keeping the same sense of exploration and discovery while flexing their narrative muscles in new ways, Tears of the Kingdom

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01:00:23

Sonic 3 and Knuckles

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2023/12/15

Bryan and Josh were feeling a bit nostalgic and with the recent re-release of the Sonic classics through Sonic Origins, so they decided to revisit an old favorite: Sonic and Knuckles 3! Actually two games released months apart in the same year, this one-two punch of 90’s mascot platformer mayhem put a smile on both of their faces as they recalled the joy of going fast, the frustration of running into hidden spike traps, and the universal understanding that playing as Tails is “Little Brother Mode”

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Baldur's Gate 2

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2023/11/30

In the 20+ years since its release, many would consider Baldur’s Gate 2 to be the pinnacle of the CRPG genre. Widely recognized as having laid the groundwork for Bioware’s future endeavors in the RPG space with Mass Effect and Dragon Age, Baldur’s Gate 2 stands tall to this day with its innovative scenario design, immersive and complex world building, and engaging (if sometimes overly complex) implementation of 2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons combat. Bryan has been through the streets of Athkalta

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Dome Keeper

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2023/11/15

Dome Keeper is the genre mash up of Mining Game and Tower Defense that Bryan and Josh did not know they needed! Beneath the elegant elevator pitch and striking visual style exists a game that is truly a diamond in the rough. Created by Dresden-based indie game company, Bippinbits, Dome Keeper is their second commercial outing and first to break out on steam in a big way. By crafting a compulsive and immersive game loop that relies on shuttling back and forth between an alien-world mine and the

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01:31:21

The Last of Us Part 2

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2023/10/30

The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog’s follow up to the critically acclaimed The Last of Us, is a challenging game that tells a challenging story about many challenging topics. It’s well known that the game’s director Neil Druckmann said “If The Last of Us was about love, then its sequel is about hatred.” The game asks the player to introspect in ways that most games don’t, and takes bigger swings, while making bolder narrative choices than almost any project of similar scope and budget. Far from

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Mr. Saitou

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2023/10/15

Mr. Saitou is a beautiful and brief slice of life game with a charming world and even more charming characters. The success of its light-hearted tone is, however, underwritten by the seriousness of its premise. Mr. Saitou, is a salaryworker. He toils away in front of a computer screen for all hours, goes out for a meal he’s too tired to consume, and stumbles home in a tired, drunken stupor. Next thing we know, he’s collapsed and we’re in a hospital. After meeting a young boy named Brandon in his

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01:01:44

Starseed Pilgrim

Pixelated Playgrounds ·

2023/09/30

In 2013 the Indie gaming scene was going strong and interesting projects were everywhere… if you knew where to look for them. This was a time before the widespread population of indies on Steam, and as such many projects were less commercial in nature. One such project, that eventually went on to be a finalist for the Excellence in Design award at the 2013 Independent Games Festival was Starseed Pilgrim. On the surface it is a Pixel art Puzzle platformer, under the surface it is a mystery,

en-US

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Pixelated Playgrounds

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