Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson There are more than enough sports games to go around out there, but the culture of sports does not begin and end on the field of play. There is an entire culture surrounding sports, and I've never played a game that tackles that culture quite like Despelote (Julián Cordero and Sebastián Valbuena, 2025) does. It also takes you back to a slice of childhood in a way that no other game can really claim- it's really something else. Tune in for the discussion! Guest info: Moises Taveras (he/him) Check out the Despelote review that Moises wrote https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/despelote-review-miraculous-slice-of-life-soccer-game-pulls-a-hat-trick/ Check out other writing by Moises on Endless Mode https://www.endlessmode.com/author/moises-taveras Follow Moises on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/platanoranger.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:16 Intros 4:11 Personal Histories with Despelote and Sports 15:21 Opening Thoughts About Despelote 20:01 Story Setup and Community Around Sports 38:14 Childhood and Visual Presentation 46:52 Taking You to a Time and Place and Sound Design 53:26 Gameplay 1:07:11 Final Thoughts and Recommendations 1:12:32 Moises' Writing and Where You Can Find It 1:15:06 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous 1:16:27 Spoiler Section Music and game ambiance used in the episode is credited to Sebastián Valbuena 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

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Sometimes a game you'd never heard of will break out with a 90+ on the review aggregator websites and immediately turn heads, and that's exactly what happened to me with Bionic Bay (Mureena Oy, Psychoflow Studio, 2025). One screenshot was all it took to make me want to check it out, and then a patron vote sealed the deal. Bionic Bay- cool game! Guest info: Harry Loizides (he/him) Check out everything Six One Indie does https://www.sixoneindie.com/ Get ready for the upcoming Six One Indie Showcase https://www.sixoneindie.com/showcase Check out Harry's writing for Geek Therapeutics https://geektherapeutics.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:32 Intros 4:36 Our Histories With Bionic Bay 7:33 Opening Thoughts About Bionic Bay 10:13 Story/Game Setup 15:57 Visual Presentation 22:20 Music 27:32 Platforming Abilities and Structure 40:33 Floaty Jumps, Ragdoll Physics and Comedy 49:17 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations 53:45 Six One Indie and Geek Therapeutics 1:02:18 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous 1:04:03 Spoiler Section- Favorite Levels, Gimmicks, and Theorycrafting Music used in the episode is credited to Francisco Javier Pérez. Tracks used: Polarity, The Grand Egg, Swap, Polarity (Reprise), Bionic Bay 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

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Everybody has that game they played a hundred times as a kid and therefore can't be objective about anymore, and for us, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is NOT one of those! Both my guest Ty and I both tried the game at various points, but never quite got on with it. The podcast has now given us a chance to revisit Nintendo's landmark title and give it the deep dive treatment- so listen in to find out how we felt this time! Guest info: Ty Schalter (he/him) Check out FunFactor podcast http://www.funfactorpod.com!/ Follow Ty on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/tyschalter.com TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:15 Intros 6:03 Our Histories with Zelda and A Link to the Past 10:59 Opening Thoughts About A Link to the Past 18:11 Story Setup 27:58 Visuals 31:59 World/Map Design 35:44 Music 47:13 Combat 58:41 Difficulty Curve, Exploration and Secrets 1:10:00 "The Zelda Formula" 1:18:41 Dungeons 1:23:23 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations 1:38:37 FunFactor Podcast and Ty's Work Online 1:45:24 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-You's 1:47:49 Spoiler Section Music used in the episode: Title, File Select, Opening Demo, Hyrule Castle, Dark World, Kakariko Village, Ending 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

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/V3ZHz3vYQR Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (Don't Nod, 2023) represents a different type of game that Don't Nod has been making alongside their popular choice-based narrative games like Life is Strange and Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. With 2018's Vampyr, Don't Nod took a swing a narrative, decisions-matter action RPG, and while I liked Vampyr a lot, the decisions-matter part of it left a lot to be desired. Five years later, they took another swing at that type of game with Banishers, and really righted that specific area. Decisions matter in Banishers in a way they don't matter in most games, and it led to one of the most effective stories I've played in a while. Guest info: Erik (he/him) Listen to Pages of Play podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pages-of-play/id1755937349 Check out Erik's written work on So Many Games https://somanygames.co.uk/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:32 Intros 5:03 Histories with Don't Nod and Banishers 8:29 Opening Thoughts 16:22 Story/World Setup and Characters 28:43 Inciting Plot Event and Choice/Morality System 37:51 Tough Choices 48:02 Presentation and Side Quest Writing 59:00 Combat 1:13:37 World Design and Vibes 1:22:50 Boss Fights 1:27:20 Recommendations 1:30:20 Pages of Play Podcast 1:36:38 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous 1:38:06 Spoiler Section- Side Stories Tying Into the Main Story 2:17:10 Spoiler Section- The Nightmare 2:32:08 Spoiler Section- Endings Music used in the episode is credited to Trevor Morris. Tracks used: Main Menu, The Harrows, Intimate Moment- Harmony 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

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog You know a game is good when it kicks off a new round of discourse about genre names, right? Regardless, Blue Prince (Dogubomb, 2025) is the latest hit in a type of knowledge-is-power game that is really appealing to certain types of gamers. The only difference is that we seem to fully know the full depths of previous games like Animal Well, Outer Wilds, Fez, Tunic, etc....but nobody knows how deep Blue Prince goes. It's also rich with interesting design choices and contradictions, more story than meets the eye, a lowkey amazingly good soundtrack and more. Tune in for the discussion! Guest info: Jenny Windom Check out the Geeks & Grounds game club podcast https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/ Check out Wholesome Games https://wholesomegames.com/ Check out Wanderstop https://store.steampowered.com/app/1299460/Wanderstop/ Check out Jenny on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/kimchica Check out Jenny on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/kimchica TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:28 Intros 5:23 Personal Histories with Blue Prince 8:50 Opening Thoughts About Blue Prince 15:40 Story Setup and Top Level Thoughts 17:59 Note-taking and Organization 25:44 Drafting Mechanic, Goal Setting and Randomness 42:55 Getting Better at Blue Prince 47:52 "This Game Doesn't Respect My Time" 53:28 You Said This Was a Puzzle Game 1:03:59 Art and Music 1:15:04 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations 1:18:49 Geeks & Grounds, Wholesome Games 1:25:50 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-You's 1:28:00 Spoiler Section- Discoveries and the Quest for Room 46! 2:16:00 Spoiler Section- How Deep Does This Go? and The Story, As We Know It Music used in the episode is credited to Trigg & Gusset Tracks used: Stories of All Manor, Vanitas, Bequest, Westwardly Winds, Visions of Emerald, Departure, The Baron of Mount Holly. Purchase the soundtrack here: https://triggandgusset.bandcamp.com/album/blue-prince-the-original-soundtrack Check out Dave's guest appearance on Flashback 64: https://flashback64.com/ 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

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson A good friend of mine likes to say "every game is somebody's favorite game", but I'm always intrigued when some oddball picks enter those conversations, and DoubleFine's Psychonauts is mentioned often enough that I felt like I had to play it someday. And my show patrons (thank you!) made it a point to vote it onto the show, so away we go for a discussion about a fascinating game! Guest info: Marc aka Try of My Life in Gaming Check out My Life in Gaming on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@mylifeingaming Check out The Backloggery https://backloggery.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:18 Intros 4:46 Personal Histories with Psychonauts 10:34 Opening Thoughts 16:20 Story Setup, Comedic Tone 23:48 Visual Aesthetic 32:25 Music 35:37 Voice Acting 40:49 A Fun Story with Odd Pacing 55:43 Platforming and Combat 1:13:15 Cool But Unintuitive 1:27:11 Wrap-Up Thoughts/Recommendations 1:33:57 My Life In Gaming/The Backloggery/King of Games 1:42:32 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous 1:44:33 Spoiler Section Music used in the episode is credited to Peter McConnell. Tracks used: Title and Credits Montage, Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, The Meat Circus, Fighting for the Cause in Lungfishopolis, Agent Cruller's Sacred Hall, The Milkman Conspiracy 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

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Hazelight Studios were already on the map before their Game of the Year winner It Takes Two, but that game was so much fun that everyone, including me, was waiting to see what their next offering would be like. And it turns out, 2025's Split Fiction is very similar- a ton of fun to play, gorgeous graphics, bad story, and great gaming memories made with a friend. Tune in to find out more. Guest info: Aaron Angle Check out A Top 3 Podcast https://atop3podcast.fireside.fm/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:32 Intros 4:49 Our Histories with Hazelight and Split Fiction 6:46 Opening Thoughts About Split Fiction 11:30 Story Setup 26:55 Loudly Bad vs Quietly Bad 34:10 Gameplay and Difficulty 40:17 Changing Up Gameplay 47:57 Visuals/Music 58:41 Truly a Cooperative Game 1:03:46 Recommendations/Closing Thoughts 1:10:12 A Top 3 Podcast 1:12:51 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous 1:14:47 Spoiler Section Music used in the episode is credited to Gustaf Grefberg and Jonatan Järpehag. Tracks used: Gravity Bike (Gustaf Grefberg) Split Fiction Main Theme (Jonatan Järpehag) The Legend of the Sandfish (Gustaf Grefberg) The Monkey King (Jonatan Järpehag) In Memory of Blake Hudson (Jonatan Järpehag) Social Media: BlueSky Instagram Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricaturesSupport Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi I didn't hear about Dragon Quest for a very long time, probably an embarrassingly long time, and once I played one, I didn't....get it. It all seemed too plain, too simple, too lacking in complexity, and while a part of me was relieved to suddenly have less "homework" to do as I'm forever catching up on RPGs that I missed, part of me felt an ever-present need to "get it". Yada yada yada, I finally had another reason to try Dragon Quest, starting with Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride on DS, and folks....I get it now. Tune in to find out how I got there. Guest info: Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover Listen to Retro Hangover https://linktr.ee/retrohangover Check out the first of Dragon Quest V's episodes in the King of Games 1992 tournament https://retrohangover.captivate.fm/episode/king-of-games-92-round-1-match-4-sonic-the-hedgehog-2-vs-dragon-quest-v Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/retrohangover.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:42 Intros 6:10 Personal Histories with Dragon Quest V 12:15 Opening Thoughts 14:54 Story Setup/Generational Structure 26:19 Overcoming Constraints/Presentation 34:26 Story Themes/Cozy Charm 45:16 Soundtrack/Influence 56:10 Gameplay- Combat/Monster Collecting 1:12:05 Final Thoughts/Recommendations 1:14:45 Retro Hangover Podcast 1:19:23 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-You's 1:21:15 Spoiler Section- Act 1 and 2 2:06:04 Spoiler Section- Act 3 and Closing Thoughts Music used in the episode is credited to Koichi Sugiyama. Tracks used: Overture, Overworld, Town, Battle, Melody in an Ancient Town, The Ocean, Zenithia, Saint Social Media: BlueSky Instagram Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has risen to the gaming mainstream with its beloved Like a Dragon series, and when a hot streak occurs, a heat check often follows, and there is no bigger heat check than a game where you play through a Hawaiian pirate adventure starring the series' lovable maniac, Goro Majima. So why has Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii fallen out of the conversation, even among series diehards? Did the heat check connect, or is it the beginning of a downturn? All that and more in this great conversation. Guest info: Brian Edwards Listen to the Cane and Rinse podcast https://caneandrinse.com/ Listen to the Character Issues podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-character-issues-podcast/id1530881747 Follow Brian on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/characterissues.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:20 Intros 5:45 Personal Histories With Yakuza Series 9:53 The Yakuza Secret Sauce 14:12 Opening Thoughts about Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii 20:34 Like a Dragon Series Fatigue? 35:15 Story Setup, Majima the Leading Man 45:40 Framing Device, Substories, Goofs 1:11:18 Pirate Gameplay, Ship Combat 1:33:51 Action Combat 1:44:59 Mini-Games and Side Activities 1:52:36 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations 1:57:57 Character Issues, Cane and Rinse 2:02:33 Spoiler Wall/Patron Thank-Yous 2:04:37 Spoiler Section- Substories 2:18:42 Spoiler Section- Main Story and Ending Music used in the episode: Anchors Aweigh (Saori Yoshida) Nameless Traveler (Saori Yoshida) Palekanian Dance (Yuri Fukuda) Mad Dog (Keitarou Hanada) Echoes of Hope (Kazuki Takagi) Masaru's Love Journey (Mitsuhara Fukuyama) Check out the King of Games 1999 tournament on Retro Hangover! https://linktr.ee/retrohangover Social Media: BlueSky Instagram Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

*Spoiler section includes some spoilers for key moments and/or themes in Nier Automata, Persona 5 Royal and Metaphor ReFantazio. Support my work on Patreon Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Once or twice a year, a game will hook me so strongly that not only can I not stop playing it, I can't stop thinking about it. If it's not the constant pull to get back on the sticks and play, it was the constant pull to think about the story. Sandfall Interactive caught lightning in a bottle with their debut game, and I couldn't wait to have this conversation and share it all with you. Guest info: Michael Higham Read Michael's review of Expedition 33 https://www.ign.com/articles/clair-obscur-expedition-33-review Follow Michael on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/brazyazn.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:42 Intros 6:25 Personal Histories with Expedition 33 9:31 Opening Thoughts about Expedition 33 13:12 Story Setup/Worldbuilding/A Strong Story Hook 24:15 Cast of Characters 31:29 Overview of Themes 39:55 Comic Relief in a Bleak Story 45:15 Music/Presentation 1:03:02 Combat- Dodging and Parrying, Difficulty 1:14:57 Combat- Offense and Character Building 1:28:28 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations 1:36:28 Michael's Work at IGN 1:39:37 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-You's 1:41:20 Spoiler Section- What's Happening? 2:07:28 Spoiler Section- Endings and Interpretations 2:39:13 Spoiler Section- Optional Bosses, More Thoughts, "For Those Who Come After" Music used in the episode: Alicia (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier) Lumière (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier) Gustave (Lorien Testard) World Map- In Lumière's Name (Lorien Testard) Une vie à t'aimer (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, Victor Borba) Our Painted Family (Lorien Testard) We Lost (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, Victor Borba) Verso (Music Box) (Lorien Testard) Is It a Gestral or a Volleyball? (Lorien Testard) You can purchase the soundtrack here: https://lacedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/clair-obscur-expedition-33-original-soundtrack Social Media: BlueSky Instagram Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog