Describing The Skybox

Mario must be ready to face the podcast ahead of him. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re talking about Super Mario World. Undeniably one of the most iconic games on the Super Nintendo, if you are involved in the platformer space at all, you will see Super Mario World come up pretty much every day. This more than any other game defined what 2D platformers could be throughout the 90s, and it’s a very easy game to look back on because of just how refined it is in terms of level design and control. I don’t think there’s too much more that needs to be explained about one of the most well known games of all time, We’re going to be talking about polish vs. innovation and which parts of this game you find by tracing back its legacy, the iconic presentational elements of this game like its music and credits sequence, and we pitch yet another way Nintendo could improve Pokémon Snap for some reason. Thank you for joining us again this week! Obviously this is a very old and well regarded game, so we’re hoping that having a new player will give us a fresh perspective on it 36 years down the line from its original release. I highlighted this as one of my top 100 games on our 10th anniversary, but is this a title you have a particular history with? Are you way too young to be playing games that are pushing 40? Let us know over on our Discord or in the comments! Next time, we begin Mystery May, where we let fate decide which episodes we are doing and for the first roll this month came up Fez! So we hope you’ll join us for that and to find out which game gets randomly decided on during that episode. We are absolutely dripping with tension this month.

Listen to this podcast. I’ll show you what this mouth can do. Happy Halloween oooooooooooooooh! and welcome back to the podcast. Today, we’re going to be talking about Slitterhead, an action horror title, and the first game from developer Bokeh Game Studio, founded by one of the creators of Silent Hill. In Slitterhead, you play as a kind of spirit entity with the ability to possess regular people. Some of these people are more special than others, “rarities,” and they mostly act as your main playable characters throughout the game. While possessed, characters can attack and use skills and you can swap between people with very few restrictions. This allows you to cover distance quickly, make it harder for enemies to hit you, as well as more specific tech like “avoiding” fall damage and setting traps with certain skills. This is a really cool concept for a combat system and an even cooler concept for the tone and narrative of the game. Unfortunately, that’s about the best that Slitterhead gets. The whole game is designed in a very dated way, with disconnected missions that need to be replayed multiple times with little to no variation, a lack of enemy types to flesh out the combat system which could have been fairly deep, and generally shows a lack of polish that could have really helped it sing. What is there can still be cool, if you’re particularly nostalgic for that sixth or seventh generation design, but it requires some patience and the ability to appreciate the ideas the game has despite its flaws. We’re going to be talking about the classifications of rarities and what we think the game was trying to accomplish with its systems, the frustration of being forced to play through a section multiple times, and we lament the state of development that makes games so expensive. Thank you for joining us again this week! This is one of those games that feels like it has such a good idea that it just wasn’t quite capable of delivering on that makes the finished product more disappointing than anything, but still, I’ve seen the game has its fans. If that’s you, let us know what it is you like about it in the comments or over on our Discord. I’m sure some things that were a big deal for us might not be for you, and some of our negatives are positives in your eyes, it’s all subjective. Next time, however, we’re going to be talking about Silent Hill f, so we hope you’ll join us then!

I can podcast it. I’ll take responsibility. Welcome to the very first episode of Describing the Skybox and the first horror game episode for October! Today, we’re talking about Mouthwashing, a narrative adventure game set on a freighter in space. There isn’t too much in the way of interaction in this game, a few light puzzles and traversal challenges, so the story takes the spotlight for the majority of the experience. Which is entirely fine because of how well written this game is. Mouthwashing is a pretty tragic story that despite its low-fi and sometimes surreal visuals, really emphasizes the horror in the human experience, whether that comes from systemic problems or directly from another person, and the narrative does a good job of navigating its nonlinear story in a way that as each new layer is uncovered in the story it hits you in new and strange ways. The game is also short and easily played in a single, albeit somewhat long, sitting, so it can feel very tight and self contained, almost like a film. We’re going to be talking about how the intro sets up different elements of the story that get paid off throughout the entire game, how the individual shots and short mechanical sections emphasize the tone of the story at each moment, and we discuss what may or may not be a womb. Thank you for joining us this week, and please don’t be scared or confused by the new name and logo, we really haven’t changed that much under the hood. I know Mouthwashing gained a bit of a following over the last year, so if you had played the game before, what about it really sucked you in? Was it the development of the characters, the game’s enigmatic visual style, or the dystopian vibes? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord! We hope you’ll bear with us as we shift everything over to the new branding (and let us know if there’s anything we missed or broke in the move)! Next time, we’re going to be talking about Parasite Eve, so we hope you’ll join us then!

It won’t end nicely. Not this time. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, on a special epilogue episode, we’re going to be taking another look at Bloodborne. This is a FromSoftware action RPG, tragically confined to the Sony ecosystem, but still containing a lot of the genre trappings of the games related to Dark Souls. However, the combat has ben retooled to be faster and more aggressive and the setting has been moved from medieval dark fantasy to gothic and Lovecraftian horror. Similarly to Sekrio, From, even when experimenting with genres and themes outside of their typical wheelhouse, manages to create a shockingly complete package. The mechanics of the notoriously difficult series play into the unfathomable nature of cosmic horror, the gothic werewolf stuff has a consistent narrative throughline into the otherworldly stuff, it’s all very well considered. It still uses the Dark/Demon’s Souls style of storytelling that leaves the burden of interpretation on the player, but it works especially well in a world in which clear answers would run counter to the game’s themes. It’s a fantastic game and one we wanted to take another crack at given that it’s been eight years since our original episode. We’re going to be talking about the interplay between the studio’s signature style and the game’s themes, how the weapon mechanics change the way you approach Bloodborne compared to other Soulslikes, and we give a massive shoutout to our boy Floory. Thank you for (re) joining us again this week! Without accounting for some anomalies here and there, we’ve released around three hundred episodes of this podcast over ten years and Bloodborne has been one of those that seemed ripe for the epilogue series given its age relative to how much we like it as a game. If you haven’t played the game yet, is it because you don’t own a Playstation? That would be a good reason. If you do own one, what’s up? Do you hate quality? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Discord! Next time is an extremely special episode leading into some also special announcements, given that it is Episode 200 and on the cusp of our ten year anniversary, so we’re finally playing the game that we are the last two people on Earth to have not played, Minecraft! We hope you’ll join us then, and keep an eye out for the upcoming news.

Live in your world, podcast in ours. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re going to be talking about Astro Bot, a 3D platformer and a PS5 exclusive. When it comes to console exclusivity, I would usually argue against it, as it restricts people’s access to games and tend to only benefit established developers and publishers who already have a lot of clout in the industry. This game, however, really wouldn’t exist without it. Set in a very Sony-themed world where your lead character travels through space inside a PS5 and flies between levels on a DualSense 5 controller, your goal is to complete levels in order to regain the internal components, fan, GPU, etc., of the PS5 and rebuild it. The main collectibles for progression are robot representations of games that Sony has had a hand in over the years and the lead up to the final boss involves fighting atop a PS Vita. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel a little dystopian. It is cute, to some extent, and the game’s levels are well designed and rotate between a variety of interesting powerups, so I wouldn’t fault you for enjoying the game in spite of the branding, but I might look at you a little funny if you enjoyed it because of it. We’re going to be talking about the use of the unique hardware of the PS5, how motivational the collectibles are, and what you could and could not consider to be a box. Thank you for joining us again this week! This was a pretty smooth game to play, all things considered, and there’s something to be said for that. Sometimes you’re just in the mood for something that doesn’t throw up too many roadblocks, and this fills that niche pretty well, being not too challenging but very visually vibrant and playful. Were you looking forward to this game after the previous Astro titles, or did you get this game because of a lack of other titles on the PS5? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord server! Next time, we’re going to be talking about Life is Strange: Double Exposure, so we hope you’ll join us for that.

NOCLIP finishes the URA Finale and stands above all other podcasts. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re going to be talking about… a currently popular gacha game about horse racing anime girls. Uma Musume (or Umamusume depending on who you ask) is a sort of sports management roguelike game where you build stats on characters and then, in combination with a small six-card deck of support cards, use them to run races in hopes they can better build another character in the future. Add to that one of the most duplicate intensive gacha systems I’ve ever seen attached, and you have the bones of what makes up this game. The roguelike mode of this game, the career, is honestly pretty lenient, which is good given the amount of cards and characters you would have to pull to make a top-tier team. However, it is interesting where the game chooses to spend its resources. Runs are bogged down with enormous amounts of text, every race has an optional “concert” you can watch afterward (which will repeat often, understandably as each contains a bespoke song and animation to accompany it), and character costumes, while unique for each horse girl, are locked for the lower tier rarity characters until you either pull enough duplicates or buy one the games many currencies one at a time from limited shops. The result is a game that you can sink a lot of time into without spending a lot of money, but with limited growth unless you start “swiping” or become friends with someone who does. These kinds of things are expected to an extent within the genre, and it isn’t one with which we have a ton of familiarity, so prepare for a bit of an exploration of our interpretations of the model as we go through it. We’re going to be talking about the time commitment required of you to make the most of your time with this game, what parts of the game could be appealing to what kinds of people, and which of our favorite real life horse stories make an appearance in this game. Thank you for joining us again this week! I want to use this paragraph to note that there is a bit of a companion video to go along with this episode over on our YouTube channel exploring the actual length of the dialogue, so check out like maybe 10 minutes of that if you’re interested. Are you a dedicated gacha player with an understanding of banners and when and how to pull on them, or are you tourists like us coming in with various, but mostly low, levels of understanding of the model? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord! Next time, we’re going to be talking about last year’s most popular roguelike, Balatro, so I hope you’ll join us then.

Do you know why we’re here? It’s because I have a small podcast. Welcome back to NOCLIP! Today, we’re going to be talking about Spiritfarer, an incremental, management sim, narrative game. Which is a lot of ways to describe what is really a pretty simple game. The core of Spiritfarer is in its characters, spirits who you pick up from various islands and tend to while they come to grips with their own demise and prepare to go to the “Everdoor.” The storylines presented by each are genuinely heartfelt, the characters are expressive and the art used to depict them is beautiful. Some of their dialog might just be meaningful enough to provoke a strong emotional reaction from you. Many different tragedies play out with these characters, but also successes. Some just need a little more time to finish what they barely missed out on in life, while others fall into a state beyond repair and have to move on by their own will or not. And all of these great character moments and fantastic artwork is stapled onto what I would describe as a fairly slow paced farming sim game. Whether the gameplay of Spiritfarer speaks to you is going to be personal preference, but the game may be worth checking out for the other elements alone. We’re going to be talking about the value of spending more time in the game to building character relationships, the lack of value in spending more time in the game just getting from place to place, and, frankly, the value of our own time. Thank you for joining us again this week! We’ve been on a bit of slow pace with releasing episodes, so I’m sorry if you’re someone who does listen week to week and we haven’t been there, but life unfortunately has been fairly busy and our games have been fairly long, this one being no exception. The pacing of this game may have been a little better before expansions were added, but it’s hard to say playing it in its current state. If you were an early adopter, let us know what you thought in comments, or over on our Discord! Next time, we’re going to be talking about The Talos Principle II, so I hope you’ll join us for that.

Forget about Freeman, we’re abandoning the podcast. Welcome back to the podcast! We may be into June, but we’re in the ides of Mystery May right now, and the fates have deigned we play Half-Life, and I am not one to argue with the fates. Half-Life is one of the most influential FPS games of all time, and part of that comes down to the way the game builds a really impressive world for you to play through. Black Mesa feels as vast in some places and stifling in others as it needs to in order to create a tone that is full of anxiety as you conserve ammunition while fighting enemies with genuinely great creature design. It’s part FPS, part horror title, like Doom was, but with this added environmental element that really pushes it to the next level. The other part of its influence is really just about how good the game was when it came out. Levels are mostly well paced, even from a modern perspective, movement through them feels fluid and like you’re using all the parts of your toolbox, and the aforementioned ammo conservation feels well thought out. This one is an easy game to go back to despite it’s age, and it’s still just as moody while still having that over-the-top 90s sci-fi edge to it. We’re going to be talking about Source Engine movement, the pros and cons of Xen, and whether we were or were not excited to turn on pumps. Thank you for joining us again this week! We’ve been consistently hitting the games that have been on our list for the longest this year, and Half-Life is one we’ve been dancing around for a little too long. This game still rules, particularly if you are a fan of its descendants, so if you haven’t given it a shot yet, I recommend doing so. And then let us know what it was like over on our Discord, or in the comment section! Next time, we’re going to be talking about To The Moon, which is not about the stock exchange, so we hope you’ll join us then!