PODCAST

Flow State

Matt Horton

A show about the games we get lost in

leisure video games

All Episodes

17:19

Losing Control in Consume Me

Flow State ·

2025/09/24

Consume Me is an auto-biographical story of a young girl and the untenable pressures she feels to be a success, whatever that means. It is serious, but it is goofy. The game has sad moments, but it’s not somber. Far more often, it’s really funny, chronicling Jenny’s young adulthood through a series of WarioWare-style mini-games. They are chaotic and funny and messed up in all the ways that real life can often be.(00:00) - - A goofy game about real stuff(02:19) - - Consume Me's big

25:06

It's A Miracle Fretless Got Made

Flow State ·

2025/08/26

Subscribe to Flow State: https://youtube.com/@flowstatecrit(00:00) - - Fretless has a magic(01:41) - - What is Fretless? (02:42) - - Getting QTEs just right (09:15) - - The musical theme of Fretless (16:27) - - The game is great! And that's it. (19:32) - - Fretless almost didn't get made There’s a magic in the game feel of Fretless, and it’s immediately noticeable. Quick-time events in battle form the foundation of this game's incredible game feel. The wild thing, is that despite

31:43

The Puzzle Game Where a Minotaur Starts a Union

Flow State ·

2025/08/05

Hoard's LLC: Limited Labyrinth Corporation is a block puzzle game about a minotaur who wants to unionize his workplace, a corporate dungeon. I sat down with Cephalopod Ink, the developer of Hoard's LLC, to learn just what kind of team makes a game like that.(00:00) - - NO BENEFITS(02:09) - - Meet Cephalopod Ink (06:10) - - A corporate dungeon??? (07:47) - - The inspiration for the game (08:59) - - The games industry is a nightmare for workers (11:23) - - Cephalopod's experience with

16:21

Finished Expedition 33? Play these next.

Flow State ·

2025/06/10

Expedition 33 is just one of many great turn-based RPGs released in the last 10 years. Here's a bunch of RPGs that you should play when you're finished with Clair Obscur.0:00 - JRPGs never died2:12 - Turn-based RPGs are killing it4:25 - High-fidelity 3D graphics6:11 - Art Direction7:21 - World Maps8:23 - Combat11:02 - Characters & Social Sim13:11 - A Message14:56 - Turn-based RPGs aren't ancient historyFind me elswhere:Support my work at ko-fi.com/MattHortonRead more of my writing at

3:30

Expedition 33 is so much better than its ending

Flow State ·

2025/06/10

We've GOT to talk about the ending of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and why it's the worst part of an incredible video game0:00 - Spoilers ahead0:09 - The speech0:52 - Expedition 33 is beautiful1:18 - The endings2:45 - We just need consistencyThat sick edit by @monners5910 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bd3Zgf964kThanks to my writing partner, Lex, and to my friend Jason for coming up with this video's punch line in our Discord DMs.

6:43

Wanderstop isn't cozy. It's a chore.

Flow State ·

2025/03/10

I don't recommend Wanderstop.Find the video of this episode at https://youtu.be/MXGSgWCv90YFind the written version of this episode at https://MattHorton.live0:00 - How you make tea in Wanderstop1:37 - Not just another "cozy" game4:02 - I'm reminded of Indika4:54 - Why tea?

4:16

Known Mysteries refuses to be gaslit

Flow State ·

2025/02/25

Play Known Mysteries: https://www.solarserver.games/onnow.htmlReferences:More about Solar Server: https://karastonesite.com/2022/11/03/solar-server/The Bluesky post: https://bsky.app/profile/raantuva.fyi/post/3liahynaoyx2vMore of me:More writing at https://matthorton.liveSupport my work at https://ko-fi.com/matthorton0:00 - I'm tired of pretending things are normal0:52 - What is Known Mysteries?

25:48

Searching For The Best Game of 2024

Flow State ·

2024/12/31

I couldn't decide which game was the best this year. So I didn't. There's a universe where every one of these is the game of the year.Thanks to Cosmosis and AJ Fillari for being in this one!Thanks to phloup_ for the cover of "I Will Protect You"Find the written version of this video at https://MattHorton.live Sudden Death on itch - https://dominoclub.itch.io/sudden-death0:00 - The best game of 20240:16 - Mystery game2:36 - Fishing game5:25 - Fantasy game9:16 - Spooky puzzle game11:22 - The

37:19

You're going to fail in Citizen Sleeper 2

Flow State ·

2024/12/06

We crave failure, or at least the chance of it. Why?00:00 - You crave failure01:39 - Citizen Sleeper’s ideas of failure06:46 - We fear failure09:29 - The Paradox of Failure12:19 - The queer art of failure14:48 - CW: Homophobia17:22 - How Citizen Sleeper 2 uses failure22:15 - Who gets to fail?25:33 - The risk of making games30:29 - Failing the contract in Citizen Sleeper 234:18 - Why we crave failureFind links to everything I do online at MattHorton.liveSupport the channel at

30:17

Persona has a problem - Persona 3 Reload review

Flow State ·

2024/10/21

What this on YouTube at https://youtu.be/wGwtEtuuChMRead more from Matt at matthorton.liveSupport Flow State at ko-fi.com/matthorton“Is Persona Gay?” by GarfieldKermit - https://youtu.be/37LacI2erq8?si=rEMKHsbLvATmSGRkGameplay footage provided by FazRead Brendon Bigley's review at Wavelengths - https://wavelengths.online/posts/persona-3-reload-a-review"Katsura Hashino, directing Persona 5" by Archipel - https://youtu.be/jGb3BNgU7SE?si=O3V4WbM4nu7AchMu"You should play 13 Sentinels: Aegis

65:54

What Should You Leave Behind? - 1000xRESIST Review

Flow State ·

2024/08/26

Support my work at Ko-Fi.com/matthortonMy writing - MattHorton.liveMy podcast - cantletitgo.gayKim's video game podcast - dotzip.onlineKim's frod podcast - frogpod.online1000xRESIST by Sunset Visitor - sunsetvisitor.studioGameplay footage by @samussonic-playsCheck out the dotzip 1000xRESIST spoilercast at https://share.transistor.fm/s/9180106a1000xRESIST is not only a game about remembering. It is a game about we carry forward and what we must choose to forget. Holding onto every memory

19:49

Don't be stubborn. Use a guide.

Flow State ·

2024/06/02

It turns out that it's easier and more enjoyable to get things done when you're nicer to yourself.Text version at https://MattHorton.liveListen to our podcast, Can't Let It Go, at https://cantletitgo.gayThe IGN review of Animal Well - https://www.ign.com/articles/animal-well-reviewMy short blog about Animal Well - https://matthorton.live/2024/05/11/animal-well-isnt-tunic/0:00 - Something is wrong with me3:50 - Lorelei and the Laser Eyes7:55 - Tearing down the Wall of Awful8:31 - Animal

3:21

This video game changed my life (for real)

Flow State ·

2024/04/29

Citizen Sleeper changed my life. Did it make it any better?Citizen Sleeper: How to Escape Dystopia - https://youtu.be/Eiyf-4FhdFs0:00 - Citizen Sleeper changed my life1:17 - Did it help?Get Balatro running on iOS - https://old.reddit.com/r/iosgaming/comments/1bnf0zy/tutorial_run_balatro_on_your_ios_device/

3:19

Stop doing homework!

Flow State ·

2024/03/30

Read more at https://MattHorton.live0:00 - X-Men '97 rules (no spoilers)1:10 - It's not just X-MenI swear you don't need to watch all of X-Men the Animated Series to start X-Men '97. And you don't need to catch up. I swear.Stop doing homework just to have fun. Just enjoy things!

4:25

I'm embarrassed I never played a Yakuza game

Flow State ·

2024/02/19

0:00 - Yakuza: Like A Dragon is good1:06 - Why I played it1:33 - Why I enjoyed itMore writing at https://MattHorton.liveI'll spoil the point up front for you. Yakuza: Like A Dragon rules. It's a great game, and I regret not playing a game in this series until now.You know what I usually hate? Long, overly complex games, over the top, macho violence, and turn based combat. So why did I start Like A Dragon? Because Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth features a famous Hawaiian t-shirt shop that was

33:02

Midnight Suns Deserves a Sequel

Flow State ·

2024/01/29

This video and more writing at https://MattHorton.liveMy podcast https://cantletitgo.gay0:00 - Marvel's Midnight Suns4:12 - What is Midnight Suns?4:38 - Hero and Ability Management7:14 - Combat12:25 - Superhero Social Sim17:19 - Abbey Grounds Exploration18:37 - The Loop that keeps me playing20:17 - The Problems with Midnight Suns31:31 - This game deserves a sequel

9:40

The Game Awards Don't Matter

Flow State ·

2023/11/28

0:00 - The Game Awards1:25 - A sequel that outdid its predecessor3:26 - A beautiful, smart puzzler5:12 - The indie that surprised me6:33 - Rethinking an earlier video8:07 - A game DEMO?!More writing at https://MattHorton.live

12:21

Broken Games are Good, Actually

Flow State ·

2023/10/29

0:00 - I love broken games0:41 - The game I can't quit playing3:00 - The game that taught me imbalance is good6:30 - Making games FEEL great9:32 - Balance feels bad

20:07

Pokémon Needs to Evolve: Cassette Beasts Review

Flow State ·

2023/08/25

0:00 - Cassette Beasts really works for me1:04 - The vibe3:58 - Cassette Beasts is Pokémon for adults6:42 - It's not that deep10:40 - Great battles13:06 - Killer music14:14 - Well-written characters17:12 - Letting go🔗 All my links @ https://matthorton.liveKyle Labriola's Sea of Stars Review - https://cohost.org/kylelabriola/post/2762235-thoughts-on-sea-of-sThe Pre-Order Bonus podcast episode with Jay Baylis - https://www.buzzsprout.com/747596/episodes/12421340The Back Page podcast episode

30:04

Why Great Games Fail

Flow State ·

2023/08/15

0:00 - A great game1:50 - The expert2:59 - What games work on Steam4:21 - Where Season did well6:01 - Why talk about Steam?7:38 - Marketing doesn't mean success8:20 - DATA8:44 - A secret formula9:32 - What games don't work10:53 - What about Steam Deck?12:11 - A buzzy game you might know14:48 - Ways to make a game work15:36 - What about cozy games?17:16 - Sports games do bad on Steam18:22 - Pokémon-likes, on the other hand...19:38 - Something doesn't add up...22:11 - This is like software

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Flow State

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