Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Dave recaps 13 indie games that he played on the PAX East 2026 show floor. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:25 The Secret of Weepstone 2:05 Throwback! Jai-Alai Heroes 2:59 Canvas City 3:51 DREADMOOR 5:03 Fractured Blooms 6:20 GNAW 7:31 Valor Mortis 8:32 Well Dweller 9:39 Never's End 11:17 ZWAARD 12:15 Project Lexa 13:37 Backyard Baseball 15:20 Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon 16:31 Wrap-Up 17:06 More Indie Game Coverage! 17:52 Outro and How to Support Game links: The Secret of Weepstone- https://store.steampowered.com/app/3702100/The_Secret_of_Weepstone/ Throwback! Jai-Alai Heroes- https://www.astrocrow.com/throwback Canvas City https://store.steampowered.com/app/3226830/Canvas_City/ DREADMOOR https://store.steampowered.com/app/3629430/DREADMOOR/ Fractured Blooms https://store.steampowered.com/app/3730310/Fractured_Blooms/ GNAW https://store.steampowered.com/app/2306490/GNAW/ Valor Mortis https://store.steampowered.com/app/2828710/Valor_Mortis/ Well Dweller https://store.steampowered.com/app/3699590/Well_Dweller/ Never's End https://store.steampowered.com/app/1999930/Nevers_End/ ZWAARD https://store.steampowered.com/app/2251170/ZWAARD/ Project Lexa https://store.steampowered.com/app/3162890/Project_Lexa/ Backyard Baseball https://store.steampowered.com/app/3935020/Backyard_Baseball/ Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon https://store.steampowered.com/app/1466060/Tainted_Grail_The_Fall_of_Avalon/ Music used: High Above the Land (The Flying Machine)- Jake Kaufman (Shovel Knight) Various tracks from The 16-Bit Starter Pack, composed by Bert Cole [bitbybitsound.com](bitbybitsound.com) For more PAX and indie game coverage, check out: https://theindieinformer.com/ https://www.sixoneindie.com/ https://nosmallgames.com/ https://funandgames.libsyn.com/ https://youtube.com/@crossplayconvos https://youtube.com/@danomak https://leftbehindgame.club/ https://youtube.com@NOLAnerdcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/pixelspectrum/ https://www.gamesandwich.com/ https://www.buzzsprout.com/747596 https://kzum.org/podcasts/underplayed/ https://youtube.com@CGDannyB https://youtube.com@Kimchica https://bossrush.net/ https://passthecontroller.io/ https://www.gamerheadspodcast.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@PSTrophyRoom https://datewithuspodcast.podbean.com/ https://epiloguegaming.com/ https://somanygames.co.uk/ https://dotzip.online/ https://skyboxcritics.com/ https://www.quitthebuild.com/1h1d Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and guest Travis Colenutt on their language-learning journey up the tower in Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc, Focus Entertainment, 2023). What do our languages say about our culture, and how can learning another language change the way we see the world? All of this and more in the discussion! Guest info: Travis Colenutt (he/him) Check out Left Behind Game Club https://leftbehindgame.club/ Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/traviscolenutt.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:21 Introductions 4:53 Why Did We Play Chants of Sennaar? 9:50 Top-Level Thoughts About Chants of Sennaar 16:06 Story and Language Learning Setup 28:00 Using Language to Make Progress 33:40 Learning About Culture Via Languages 39:04 Making Connections Via Languages 48:02 Stealth In My Puzzle Game? 53:58 Visuals, Music and Sound 1:08:31 Do We Recommend? 1:11:17 Left Behind Game Club 1:15:10 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous 1:17:34 Spoilers- The Devotees & Warriors 1:40:05 Spoilers- The Bards & Alchemists 1:55:32 Spoilers- The Anchorites & Ending Music used in the episode is credited to Thomas Brunet. Tracks used: The Call, Out of the Cavern and into the Light, Catch Me!, Envers, Bonds Reforged Catch Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum talking about Rocky https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and guest Bryan Skursha as they deep dive Death Howl (The Outer Zone, 11 Bit Studios, 2025) on their journey through the underworld to find out what the hell a soulslike deckbuilder even is. Brutal turn-based combat, a story about grieving and a mother's love, and all the fucked up guys a gamer could ask for. Listen in to find out more! Guest info: Bryan Skursha (he/him) Check out Pixelated Playgrounds https://www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/ Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/bsushi.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:18 Introductions 5:39 Our Histories with Death Howl 10:50 Top-Level Thoughts 15:42 Story Setup 23:58 Dreamy, Hazy Visuals and Sound 40:01 Combat Basics and Deckbuilding Strategy 54:58 Is It Soulslike? 1:05:00 Open-Ended Structure and Side Quests 1:10:22 Combat Depth 1:16:40 Who Should Play Death Howl? 1:19:00 Pixelated Playgrounds 1:22:55 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous 1:24:58 Spoilers- Favorite Areas, Bosses, Decks 1:41:00 Spoilers- Final Area and Final Bosses 1:55:46 Spoilers- Story Discussion Music used in the episode is credited to Chris Bjørumslet & Malte Burup. Tracks used: Death Howl, Olvi, Shadows of Rot, Cantharsis, Meadows of Delusion, Moon Eel, Ever Since Your Heart Stopped Beating Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Josh Leslie as they discuss Skate Story, developed by Sam Eng and published by Devolver Digital in 2025. How does the skating compare to touchstone games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater or skate.? How does its poetic storytelling land? How do the aesthetics enhance other aspects of the game? All this and more- enjoy! Guest info: Josh Leslie (he/him) Check out IndieQuest podcast https://indiequest.buzzsprout.com/ Check out The Monthly Mishap podcast https://monthlymishap.buzzsprout.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:21 Introductions 5:00 Our Histories with Skate Story 9:05 Top-Level Thoughts 16:00 Story Setup and Poetic Storytelling 23:42 Open Zones and City Life 27:58 Visuals and Music 41:00 Skating and Downhill Sections 50:48 Boss Encounters and Challenges 59:43 Plan and Perform 1:03:30 Recommendations 1:07:13 Josh's Work- IndieQuest and The Monthly Mishap 1:11:34 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous 1:13:21 Spoilers- Eating the Moons 1:31:08 Spoilers- Emotional Arc & Interpretations 1:50:20 Spoilers- Final Boss and Ending 1:56:32 Spoilers- We Still Exist Music used in the episode: Collapsing, Like Clouds Into Smoke (Blood Cultures), Where the City Can't See (Blood Cultures), Redvoid (John Fio), Lyceum (John Fio), Alcian Blue (Blood Cultures), Hole in the Sun (Blood Cultures), Godhook (John Fio) Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Bioshock is a title that carries weight, nearly 20 years after its 2007 release by 2K Boston and 2K Australia, and it feels like one that every gaming podcast eventually talks about. And hey, it's our turn this time- Bioshock has long been a favorite of mine that I've revisited through the years. But when put under the Tales from the Backlog microscope, does it hold up under pressure or does it spring a leak? Listen in to find out. Guest info: Joseph Hooper (he/him) Check out Crossplay Conversations https://www.youtube.com/@crossplayconvos Check out Can't Pause on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@cantpause Check out Player Player https://playerplayerpod.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:26 Introductions 5:25 Our Histories with Bioshock 9:20 Top-Level Thoughts 14:25 Story Setup 21:30 Learning Backstory Via Audio Logs 26:40 Rapture and Ideology 35:18 Big Daddies, Little Sisters and Moral Choices 44:24 Combat Mechanics 54:00 Some Immersive Sim DNA 1:03:29 Combat Balance & Difficulty 1:13:26 Visual Design and Music/Sound 1:22:27 Who Do We Recommend Bioshock To? 1:24:38 Joseph's Podcasts and YouTube Channel 1:28:26 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:30:13 Spoilers- Would You Kindly? and Fontaine 1:44:48 Spoilers- Rapture's Downfall 2:01:37 Spoilers- Other Major Players 2:14:00 Spoilers- Big Daddy and Endings Music used in the episode is credited to Garry Schyman unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Under the Sea (Bobby Darin), Welcome to Rapture, Mr. Bubbles - Little Sister, Dancers on a String (Reprise), Through the Docks, Cohen's Masterpiece, Leaving Rapture Gameplay footage used with permission from World of Longplays on YouTube, gameplay by Spazbo4. www.longplays.org Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog I always tend to take note when a game from previous generations gets a remaster and the general consensus is "hell yeah, finally!", which just so happened to be the case when Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Capcom, 2010) got the HD treatment in 2023. The DS is a real blind spot for me, as are the works of ShuTakumi, so this has been on my backlog list for a while now. Listen in to find out how my guest and I felt about it! Guest info: Steve aka Blinkoom (he/him) Check out IndieQuest podcast https://polymedianetwork.com/indiequest Check out Polykill podcast https://polymedianetwork.com/podcast Check out Steve's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@Blinkoom Follow Steve on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/blinkoom TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:21 Introductions 5:37 Our Histories with Ghost Trick 9:20 Top-Level Thoughts About Ghost Trick 13:26 Story Setup 19:11 Ghost Tricks and Puzzles 37:16 Where Does the Charm Come From? 49:35 Handheld Console Pacing 55:09 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations 1:01:10 Steve's Work 1:04:54 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:06:38 Spoilers- Favorite Levels/Puzzles 1:22:50 Spoilers- More Story Thoughts 1:34:15 Spoilers- Big Mysteries and Reveals 1:43:21 Spoilers- Ending Music used in the episode is credited to Masakazu Sugimori. Tracks used: Ghost Trick, Prologue, Cabanela, Lynn ~ A Targeted Redhead, 4 Minutes Before Death, The Last Desperate Struggle, Epilogue ~ The End of the "Night" Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Ghost of Tsushima (2020) was one of my favorite games of that year, and happens to be episode 2(!!) of this podcast, an early game that screamed to me "you should talk about this into a microphone for 2+ hours). That being the case, Sucker Punch's follow-up, Ghost of Yotei, was an instant day-one buy. And while the things I expected to impress were great, there were certain aspects of the game that felt worse to me than Tsushima's version. Did I change over the past five years? Did the game adjust to industry trends? A secret third answer? All of this is part of the discussion, so I hope you enjoy it! Guest info: Jacob Price (he/him) Check out The Pre-Order Bonus podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/747596 Check out Jake's reviews at So Many Games https://somanygames.co.uk/ Follow on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/chipdip18 Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/chipdip.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:23 Introductions 5:18 Our Histories With This Series/Game 9:24 Opening Thoughts About Ghost of Yotei 18:50 Story Setup, Atsu and Revenge Stories 26:59 Presentation and Comparisons to Westerns 35:24 A Well-Made Known Commodity and Further Worldbuilding 49:51 Open World Design and Reward Structure 1:10:23 Stealth and Clearing Camps 1:16:33 Duels and Boss Fights 1:31:45 Closing Thoughts 1:37:34 The Pre-Order Bonus and So Many Games 1:42:12 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:44:02 Spoiler Section- The Onryo and Ghost Connections 1:57:56 The Snake, The Oni and The Kitsune 2:14:46 The Spider, The Dragon and Saito Music used in the episode is credited to Toma Otowa: Ghost of Yotei, The Yotei Six, The Wrath of the Ghost, The Wilds of Ezo, Battle No.3, Battle No.1, Atsu's Theme Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog The Pokémon franchise got a long-awaited shakeup with 2022's Legends: Arceus, changing the game structure, catching and battling mechanics and setting. But now that Legends has become its own subseries with 2025's Legends: Z-A, all eyes were on its own innovations and changes, such as the new real-time battle system and one-city setting. Check out the discussion for our thoughts on all of it! Guest info: Kenneth Shepard (he/him) Check out Ken's work at Kotaku https://kotaku.com/author/kennethshepard Check out Normandy FM podcast https://soundcloud.com/normandyfm Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/shepardcdr.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:22 Introductions 4:15 Our Histories with Pokémon 7:10 Opening Thoughts about Pokémon Legends Z-A 16:56 Story Setup & Connections to X&Y 21:29 Our Starter Pokémon, Wild Zones & Lumiose City 43:04 New Battle System, Mega Battles and Battle Zones 1:02:47 Ken's Work at Kotaku and Normandy FM 1:05:52 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:08:26 Spoiler Section- Our Final Teams & Connections to Certain Pokémon 1:13:52 Dungeons and Story Chat 1:29:57 Endgame and Ending Music used in the episode has a large ensemble of composers and no individualized credits at this time. All credits to Game Freak and The Pokémon Company. Tracks used: Lumiose City (Day), Battle Zone, Trainer Battle, Lumiose City (Night), Hotel Z, Battle! Vs Trainer (Z-A Royale) Check out Dave on Pages of Play for "The Meeting of the Makers"- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mom-the-meeting-of-makers/id1755937349?i=1000749250884 Chekc out Dave on Underplayed for Hollow Knight: Silksong- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/underplayed/id1606954029 Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Goodnight Universe had a lot to live up to as the spiritual successor to Before Your Eyes, utilizing the same innovative webcam-based gameplay mechanics to tell a story...about a psychic baby? Well, the premise sounded weird but these creators had earned my trust, and it turns out that this might be the perfect way to play as a baby in a video game. Goodnight Universe turned out to be interesting, if not great, and won me over in a few key ways. Check out the discussion for more! Guest info: Jill Grodt (she/her) Read Jill's work at The Indie Informer https://the-indie-in-former.com/ Find The Indie Council podcast here https://www.youtube.com/@theindieinformer TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:30 Introductions 8:01 Our Histories with Goodnight Universe 11:51 Opening Thoughts About Goodnight Universe 17:49 Story Setup, Characters and "The Cave" 31:28 Camera Tracking Tech & Gameplay 41:06 What Didn't Work? 52:28 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations 55:36 The Indie Informer 59:27 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:01:00 Spoiler Section- Big Reveals 1:27:35 Spoiler Section- The Family Music used in the episode is credited to Oliver Lewin. Tracks used: Homecoming, A New Channel, Normal Boy, Being Orson, Your Room Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog In the eyes of many football fans, 2004 was the greatest year for football games. It also happened to be the last year before EA secured the exclusive rights to the NFL license, leaving many fans wishing we could go back to the way things were back then, and we were left with two games that many consider to be some of the best sports games ever made- Madden 2005 (EA Tiburon) and ESPN NFL 2K5 (Visual Concepts). 20+ years later, which game stands on top? That's what we aim to decide in this episode! Guest info: Chris Coplien (he/him) and Adam Gumbert (he/him) Check out Chris on all things Retro Hangover https://linktr.ee/retrohangover Check out Adam on The Tier List: A Video Game Podcast https://www.youtube.com/@AdamGumby Check out Adam on Respawn, Aim, Fire https://www.youtube.com/@respawnaimfire TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:16 Introductions 4:22 Personal Histories 12:51 Our Real-Life Football Fandom 24:15 Head-to-Head: Gameplay 48:40 Head-to-Head: Gameday Presentation 1:05:24 Head-to-Head: Game Modes 1:22:50 The Final Decision 1:33:28 Respawn Aim Fire, The Tier List: A Video Game Podcast, Retro Hangover 1:38:37 Patron Thank-Yous Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog