Tales from the Backlog

Pentiment, by Obsidian Entertainment, made an immediate impression on everybody who saw the art style, and then saw that this game wasn't made by an indie team with a dream, it was made by one of the most established and respected game studios out there. The incredible art is only the tip of the iceberg in this journey to the past. The music, writing, characters and plot all take you into 16 century Bavaria for a tale of murder, faith, tragedy and hope, and I was joined by the one and only TroytlePower to discuss it! You can find Troy on Twitter and check out Troy's writing and podcasts at his website! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:24 Story Setup/Gameplay 15:39 Art/Music 41:07 SPOILER WALL 58:16 Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is many things. It was a giant risk. It is a joyous experience as an open world sandbox, but it alienated some longtime fans of the Zelda series. It is a callback to the original Legend of Zelda game. It's also the one single game that I can say brought me back into gaming in 2017. Jake and Cameron from the Pre-Order Bonus podcast (Website, Twitter) join me to discuss this landmark title. TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:15 Story Setup/Open World 20:38 Gameplay/Exploration 40:58 Emergent Gameplay 1:03:18 Music/Final Thoughts 1:49:37 SPOILER WALL 2:05:53 Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

The gaming landscape is so full of games aping what makes other games successful that we end up with a lot of games that are of good quality but otherwise unremarkable. And then on the other side of the room is Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Stranger of Paradise uses the setting of the first Final Fantasy game to give Jack space to cook, and cook he does. The result is a game that does swing and miss in some areas, but will leave a mark in your memory more than a lot of games that might be "better". So which of those would you rather play? Joining me to discuss Stranger of Paradise is Eric Gess of The Unlockables and Keith Gasper of The Main Quest, two podcasts that are great and worth your time. Click the links to check out their shows! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:12 Story Setup/Jack 19:24 Combat/Gameplay 34:16 Visuals/Music 1:08:18 SPOILER WALL 1:31:25 Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

We haaaave a plan! Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar's 2018 western open world mega hit tells the story of Arthur Morgan and the decline of the outlaw era of American history...when you can pull yourself away from the hunting and fishing. Alex and Luke join to discuss this masterpiece in storytelling. You can check out Low Five Gaming on every podcast app or by visiting their website. TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:04 Story Setup/Presentation 12:31 Methodical Gameplay 35:21 Combat/Closing Thoughts 1:11:36 SPOILER WALL 1:28:06 [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](htt ps://patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Catherine: Full Body, the 2019 re-release of the original Catherine from 2011, is one of the more unique games I've ever played. A mashup of life sim and watching an anime, all built around an interesting puzzle game. Themes of adultery, responsibility, relationships, indecision and social commentary on modern-day Japan are all parts of a story that really surprised me. I didn't know what to expect from this game before I played it, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I'm joined in this episode by Rick Firestone from Pixel Project Radio and Ryan Juengling from List Off!, two good friends of mine from two of my favorite gaming podcasts. Check out Rick on Pixel Project Radio and Ryan on List Off!, and all three of us making appearances on each show! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:06 Story Setup 15:38 Visuals/Music/Voice Acting 35:30 Gameplay/Final Thoughts 42:37 SPOILER WALL 1:10:03 Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Silicon Dreams, the product of two-person studio Clockwork Bird, has one hell of an elevator pitch- "Blade Runner meets Papers, Please". For the right type of person, that pitch should rocket this game straight up to the top of the to-play list. It is a text-based interrogation game, where you are tasked with getting to the root of problem behaviors in androids through a series of dialogue puzzles. Excellent writing and a new perspective on a not-so-new story lift Silicon Dreams above its elevator pitch, and it is absolutely worth a play if that elevator pitch sounds good to you at all. I'm joined by good friend and returning guest to the show Scott Danielson to discuss! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:01 Story Setup 8:41 Decision Making/Music/Final Thoughts 38:21 SPOILER WALL 1:06:14 Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Chained Echoes, a solo project by developer Matthias Linda, might grab your attention with its elevator pitch- "The JRPG classics like Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden, Secret of Mana and more get a modern makeover/love letter", but to say that all Chained Echoes does is modernize those games would only be telling half of the story. Chained Echoes not only writes an effective love letter to the games that inspired it, but stands on its own merits as one of the best in the genre with its inventive combat system, satisfying story and great visuals and music. I'm joined by my A Top 3 Podcast co-host Aaron Angle to discuss it! Chained Echoes OST was done by Eddie Marianukroh! You can support by purchasing this awesome OST here! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:11 Story Setup 12:15 Combat 33:35 RPG Stuff 1:01:22 Visuals/Music 1:16:07 SPOILER WALL 1:32:09 Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by Brian Edwards of Character Issues and Cane and Rinse podcasts to discuss Nier: Replicant. Yoko Taro's 2010 cult classic got a makeover in 2021, so let's find out how it is! Nier will do anything to save his sick sister Yonah, and along the way he meets a stellar supporting cast of characters, including the stuck-up talking book Grimoire Weiss, the scantily clad badass Kaine, and the lovable Emil. Joining me to discuss the story, characters and gameplay is none other than Brian Edwards! You may have heard Brian on the wonderful Character Issues and Cane and Rinse podcasts. Brian is a wonderful person and I loved this conversation with him- you should check out Character Issues and Cane and Rinse by following the links! TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:23 Story Setup/Characters/Repetition 16:09 Visuals/Music/Atmosphere 54:01 Gameplay 1:09:21 Final Thoughts/Housekeeping 1:24:33 SPOILER WALL 1:30:46 Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Emergent gameplay- when simple gameplay mechanics interact to create unique and complex situations and solutions to problems, and it might be the secret sauce that takes your favorite games from good to great! I'm joined by Moonborne, Alex (Please Don't Listen) and Nave (Gaming Together) to talk about emergent gameplay and our favorite examples from games like Breath of the Wild, Hitman, Deus Ex, Rain World, Magic: The Gathering and more! You should also check out Moonborne's YouTube Channel, Please Don't Cast, and Gaming Together! Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Eastward (Pixpil) is a game that has a great elevator pitch- absolutely gorgeous pixel art, bopping music and gameplay/story that evoke The Legend of Zelda, Earthbound and Dragon Quest, but failed to live up to the heights of any of those games for me. Poor pacing and a baffling decision to have a silent protagonist dragged this game way down into the "this feels like homework" zone. And that's a shame, because a) we never want a game to feel like that, and b) this game won a patreon poll! I still love you, patrons! Joining me on the podcast to discuss Eastward is Chris Dominguez, one of the two hosts of A Novel Console, a podcast dedicated to video games, books and food. As I told them on the show- if you're not up for video games, books and food, I don't know what to tell you. You can check out their show by following this link, and I was also on their show last week to talk about The Lord of the Rings and all of the other Tolkien adaptations. TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:16 Story Setup 11:12 Aesthetics 34:02 Gameplay 40:49 SPOILER WALL 1:07:42 Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog