Pixelated Playgrounds

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh suit up for Dispatch, the 2025 superhero workplace comedy developed and published by AdHoc Studio, originally released on PlayStation 5 and Windows. Founded by Telltale Games alumni including Michael Choung, Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, and Pierre Shorette AdHoc brings their episodic storytelling DNA to a story about Robert Robertson, a powerless third-generation hero who, after the destruction of his Mecha Man suit, lands a job as a dispatcher for the Superhero Dispatching Network, managing a team of dysfunctional, reformed villains known as the Z-Team. It's a tale as old as time featuring a group of screw-ups slowly becoming a found family, but Dispatch pulls it off with so much craft and confidence that it feels fresh all over again.We dig into what makes Dispatch tick as both a game and an interactive series, examining its tight episodic structure, its gorgeous animation, and the way its licensed needle drops lend it the rhythm and credibility of a prestige streaming show. We also talk through the tension at the heart of the experience: this is a game that is, at times, less played than watched, and we explore whether the dispatching mini-game with its spiderweb stat graphs, skill-matching, and ongoing mission storylines does enough to make you feel meaningfully invested in the heroes you're sending into the field. Standout voice performances, particularly Aaron Paul's restrained but surprisingly expressive take on Robert Robertson, and a genuinely well-written ensemble help carry the load. The humor occasionally veers crude or cliché, but that's half the charm. So clock in with Bryan and Josh as we take the call on AdHoc's confident, polished, and wonderfully familiar Dispatch.Three Word Reviews:Bryan — Clichés Executed FlawlesslyJosh — Its Super Effective

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Josh and Bryan dive into a Roguelite Roundup double feature with Loop Hero (2021) and Ball x Pit (2025), exploring how each game twists genre conventions in its own eccentric way. They start with Loop Hero, the 2021 auto-battling, world-rebuilding oddity from Four Quarters, unpacking its eerie DOS-inspired aesthetic, its “zero-player” design origins, and its signature loop structure that blurs the line between dungeon-master and adventurer. Bryan and Josh break down the tension between player strategy and character automation, how tile placement shapes risk and reward, and why the game’s intentionally opaque systems are both fascinating and frustrating.Next we turn to Ball x Pit, the recently released brick-breaker–meets–city-builder from Kenny Sun and Friends. We discuss the game’s gleefully chaotic blend of chunky 3D constructions and crisp pixel effects, its two intertwined gameplay loops, and its ever-expanding roster of characters, buildings, and more than sixty ball types. The conversation digs into the fusion, fission, and evolution mechanics that make every volley unpredictable, the strategic timing involved in choosing upgrades, and the playful experimentation the design encourages. With its brisk metaprogression, flexible buildcrafting, and constant sense of discovery, Ball x Pit feels tightly crafted and refreshingly energetic.Three Word Reviews:Loop Hero:Bryan - Around in CirclesJosh - Loops Within LoopsBall X Pit:Bryan - Not the PitsJosh - Leans Too Far

In this episode, Bryan and Josh dive deep into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the 2025 dark fantasy RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive. This is the first outing of director Guillaume Broche, formerly of Ubisoft, featuring a powerhouse voice cast including Jennifer English, Ben Starr, and Charlie Cox, and a wildly eclectic soundtrack by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier that spans classical to dubstep. If that wasn’t enough to draw you in the premise of the game alone is one of the more intriguing in recent memory: For the last 67 years, the island of Lumière has endured the “Gommage,” a ritual in which an ethereal being known as the Paintress erases everyone older than a mysteriously dwindling number. Expedition 33 sets out to confront the paintress, them embark on an exploration of how art, death, and memory intertwine within the game’s Belle Époque-inspired world.Bryan and Josh also unpack the game’s richly layered writing and worldbuilding, noting how the prologue perfectly sets the tone and how the setting pulses with French cultural flair, even down to battling a mime in the opening minutes. Clair Obscur features a truly memorable cast, contributing to a story that’s equal parts tragic and hopeful, and while the combat system’s balance of dodge, parry, and unique “Pictos” and “Luminas” mechanics met the challenge of keeping combat snappy and engaging. However, at the end of it all, Clair Obscur’s core themes of death and grief give it both its weight and its beauty, cementing its place as one of 2025’s standout video game experiences.Notes: The impossible (true) stories behind the making of Clair Obscur Expedition 33The Ones Who Walk Away from OmelasClair Obscur: Expedition 33 | LumièreThree Word Reviews:Bryan - What Comes AfterJosh - Overcaffeinated, Moving, Obscure

In this episode Bryan and Josh are diving into UFO 50, the long-awaited indie collaboration from Derek Yu, Jon Perry, Eirik Suhrke, Paul Hubans, Ojiro Fumoto, and Tyriq Plummer. It collects fifty original games into one sprawling anthology made by a fictional company called UFO Soft between 1982 and 1989. They explore its meta-narrative, collective authorship, its “lost console” aesthetic, and how its ambitious scope becomes a keen commentary on the experience of creating games across a console generation. From the clever chaos of Party House to the moody depths of Porgy and the sprawling weirdness of Grimstone, we’ll talk about which games could stand alone and which thrive because they exist in conversation with the rest. Not every game shines equally, but together they form a unique love letter to game-making and retro gaming. Three Word Reviews:Bryan - Crafty Creative Cornucopia Josh - A Design FeastShow Notes:TIGsource - The Indie Game SourceEggplant: The Secret Lives of GamesMichael Brough

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh dive into Cipher Zero, the minimalist logic puzzler developed by Boston-based indie studio Zapdot and released in July 2025. Beginning life as a Ludum Dare entrant, Cipher Zero has evolved into a sprawling collection of nearly 400 handcrafted puzzles, each one teaching players through experimentation rather than exposition. With its sleek UI, geometric art, and reactive industrial soundtrack, the game communicates ideas wordlessly, then layers and recombines them to expand what’s possible within its puzzle language. The guys explore its satisfying rule discovery, linear progression, and the elegance of its design choices while also considering where its lack of hints or philosophical pretension set it apart from genre peers. Spoilers abound after the first 29 minutes, so join us as we pick apart how Cipher Zero turns tile toggling into a gamified learning curve full of gratifying “aha” moments.Three Word Reviews:Bryan - Gamified Learning CurveJosh - Start with SilenceShow Notes:Composer - Will SeegersChris RemoJosh’s Talk for Roguelike Celebration 2023 A Monster’s Expedition: Through Puzzling Exhibitions & Snakebird

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds Bryan and Josh explore Metal Garden, a short but atmospheric indie FPS from solo Croatian developer Alexandra Herout aka Tinerasoft. Set in a crumbling megastructure reclaimed by nature, the game blends old-school shooting mechanics with immersive environmental storytelling, subtle lore, and haunting mid-2000s aesthetics. Ammo scarcity, limb damage, and weighty weapons make every encounter tense, while double-jump platforming and cryptic logs reward exploration with glimpses into a forgotten Dyson-scale civilization. The game’s sparse dialogue and ambient sound design evoke a sense of isolation and scale far beyond the game's runtime. So tune in as we dive into Metal Garden's bleak beauty and brutal combat while pondering the lingering question: Why do we keep descending?Three Word Reviews:Bryan - Subtlety is KeyJosh - Small Rusty Flower

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh dive into Umurangi Generation, the vibrant, potent, and subversive photography game from Māori developer Naphtali Faulkner. Set in a near-future Aotearoa (New Zealand) under invasion and authoritarian control, the game asks players not to save the world, but to document its unraveling. Bryan and Josh explore how Faulkner’s anger at systemic failure, fueled by the bushfires and pandemic response, shapes the game’s unapologetic aesthetics, themes, and searing environmental storytelling. From graffiti-covered skate parks to militarized train stations, every frame you capture is an indictment, not an escape.Bryan and Josh also discuss Umurangi Generation’s unique take on photography as play, protest, and preservation. Through its deliberately clunky movement, time-bound challenges, and varied levels, the game interrogates the tension between art and commerce, beauty and collapse. As Māori language and culture saturate its design, Umurangi Generation’s world feels deeply personal and localized, yet globally resonant. This isn’t a story of revolution or heroism—it’s a quiet, furious insistence on witnessing collapse. Join us as we unpack how Umurangi Generation turns a camera into a weapon of truth in a world on the brink.Show Notes:Interview containing the Quote Bryan shared: The Umurangi Generation is Asking You To CareThree Word Reviews:Bryan - Documenting the FallJosh - Afraid of Judgement

In this episode Josh and Bryan have a relatively timely (for them) discussion of 2025’s surprise indie hit Blue Prince! Blue Prince puts you in the shoes of Simon P. Jones, a boy who recently willed the Mt. Holly Estate, a mansion owned by his deceased great uncle Herbert S. Sinclair. There’s one catch: Simon must locate a hidden 46th room within the mansion in order to secure his inheritance. In addition to this challenge the estate’s rooms continually reset and re-arrange each day. What starts as a card drafting puzzle asking the player to connect the right rooms to open the way to the 46th room evolves quickly into a nested and broad ranging puzzle to unravel the mysteries of the Mt. Holly Estate and the family that has occupied it.Bryan and Josh very much enjoyed their time unravelling the game’s puzzles, but came away with differing opinions on how it made use of its intricate backstory, mind-bending puzzles, and random generation elements. Overall, both agree that this was a game worth experiencing for the novel ways it combined its gameplay focuses and storytelling methods. So grab your magnifying glass and get ready to investigate the Mt. Holly Hill Estate with Josh and Bryan as they discuss Blue Prince!Three Word Reviews:Bryan - Roguelike Epistemic CrisisJosh - Puzzle Versus Roguelike