Critical Diversions

At the request of Wilkins, Matt and his wife Natascha have done their best to summarize the plots of Yakuza Kiwami 1 & 2 on the eve's eve's eve of the release of Kiwami 3, while also talking about what they love about the series so much. Get webby for an exploration on beast style, positive masculinity, and why Ryuji is such a weird character.Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/

Everyone (or at least Boogs, Seth, Jason, Hunter, Wilk, Jim, and Matt) is here to talk for way too long about the Critical Diversions group list for game of the year. Come for the glazing, stay for Animal Well being needlessly dragged through the mud repeatedly for absolutely no reason at all.Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Links to people's social media and work:Jason and So Many GamesSeth at All N and Carpool Gaming,plus his Youtube ChannelGarrett BugaySong credits for this episode:missing you (in this distant country) - Angeline EraThe Sightless Shepard - Hades IIThe Shroom Swarm - BALL X PITThe Power of Goro's Pirates - Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in HawaiiThought Soup - Star of ProvidenceJourney Into the Sunlight - Infinity NikkiRoad Shop - Kirby Air RidersHouse Party ~ Medium Party - UFO 50Flying Waters ~ Rain from the Ground - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Choral Chambers - Hollow Knight SilksongChallenge Course 2 - Donkey Kong Bananza

It's the end of the show as we know it, and Matt's closing it out in the only way he knows how: by talking about a bunch of different games he's been playing the past few weeks. Join us for one final foray, alongside games such as Animal Crossing New Horizons, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Sorry We're Closed, Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, and more!Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was Another Summer On My Own by Melos Han-Tani from the Angeline Era soundtrack.Thanks so much to anyone and everyone that ever listened to this thing!

Matt's back after an unplanned holiday break to talk about more Angeline Era and Fantasy Life i, Skyrim, and his most anticipated games of 2026 (so far).Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was Onion Delivery - Day Job by Eirik Suhrke from UFO 50.

On this near-Christmas episode of the show, Matt's winding down the year by talking about Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Skate Story, Pokémon Lazarus, and the current dumpster fire that is Larian Studios and their use of generative AI, among other things!Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this episode was Yeti Caves composed by Eirik Suhrke, from Spelunky HD.

Matt's played a lot of different games in the past week, and you're the audience he's got to talk about them to. We've also got all of The Game Awards announcements to go over, and I do mean ALL of them, for some reason.Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was Golfaria - Overworld by Eirik Suhrke from UFO 50.

Metroid Prime 4 is out, and Matt's gonna talk about it for a while. We've also gotta talk some Kirby Air Riders, Infinity Nikki 2.0, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, plus others, believe it or not! Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/

Kirby Air Riders is officially out in the world, and Matt's here to ramble about how good it is for an uncomfortable amount of time. He's also got a lot to say about Final Fantasy Tactics, Birdcage, and The Game Awards nominations, so get in here.Matt's review of BirdcageCheck out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was CEYX - Stage 5 composed by Barry "Epoch" Topping for Birdcage. The whole OST is available to purchase on Bandcamp now!

Matt's back after a missed week, and there's plenty to talk about, such as the Kirby Air Riders demo, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, and Videoverse. We'll also be tiptoeing a bit into GTA6's latest delay and the reasons for it, as well as talking about Pokopia and the Super Mario Galaxy movie.Matt's review of VideoverseCheck out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was Party House - Medium Party by Erik Suhrke from UFO 50.

On top of talking about games he's been playing this week, such as Vampire Survivors and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, Matt also got to experience breaking news in the middle of recording this podcast in the form of a Switch 2 edition of Animal Crossing, plus 3.0 update. It's a weirdly packed, meandering, and non-sleepy episode of the show, so get in there while the getting's good.Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was Magic Garden - Gameplay by Eirik Suhrke from UFO 50.

Matt's finished Absolum and started playing Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar this week. But none of that matters, because we have the second Kirby Air Riders direct to talk about. Matt's review of AbsolumCheck out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was Mini & Max - Clock composed by Eirik Suhrke for UFO 50.

This week, Matt's still playing Hades 2. But also Ball x Pit and Absolum. It's the week of (very high quality) roguelites, baby. In the news, we've got release dates, surprise ports, delays, and data theft leaks, oh my.Matt's review of Ball x PitCheck out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was Warptank - Red from UFO 50, composed by Eirik Suhrke.

Your Weekly Diversion is back, and it's dragging Matt with it. We've got a lot to talk about this time, including final thoughts on Hollow Knight Silksong, ongoing Hades 2 talk, and just how good Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is. And that's without even getting into the news, like Mario & Wario hitting Switch NSO, Mega Man and Proto Man coming to that Sonic racing game, and Yakuza Kiwami 3 being announced. Come join us for all of that and more this very special return episode.Matt's written review of Trails in the Sky 1st ChapterCheck out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at https://www.fortfamly.com/Our interstitial music this week was Campanella - Stage 4 by Eirik Suhrke from UFO 50.

Matt's back for one last weekly diversion before a couple week break. And as the title would imply, he has only played Silksong this week, and yet still managed to put out a nearly two hour episode.Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at Fort FamlyOur interstitial music this week was Ninpek - Gameplay from UFO 50, composed by Eirik Suhrke

On this very sleepy edition of the Weekly Diversion, Matt's here to talk about Silksong, ranking some UFO 50 games, muse about why the cat is misbehaving so badly during a podcast recording, and talking about the latest Infinity Nikki update, including the Stardew Valley music hidden within.Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on MarsOur interstitial music this week was Rakshasa - Stage 1B from UFO 50, composed by Eirik Suhrke

We're back to a more reasonable runtime this week. Matt's talking about finishing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the new Kirby DLC (I'm not typing that whole thing out), and Chibi Robo. When it comes to news, it's a completely random hodgepodge of Mega Hawluchas and Memories of Oaths of Memoirs of Celetas. Join us!Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on MarsOur interstitial music this episode was Moonlight Canyon Labyrinth from Kirby and the Forgotten Land Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed Worlds.

The carbonated water saga of the Weekly Diversion has ended....for now. It's time to get back to what really matters in life: talking about UFO 50 and going over Gamescom news, such as Indiana Jones coming to Switch 2, a 45 minute Kirby Air Riders direct, and hands down the biggest news of the week: Infinity Nikki crossing over with Stardew Valley. And Hollow Knight Silksong got a release date too I guess.Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on MarsOur interstitial music this week was Party House - Medium Party from UFO 50, composed by Eirik Suhrke

That's right, 100 episodes deep and we're just as tired and rambly as ever. On this special episode of the show, Matt's talking at length about carbonated water again, as well as his top 10 favorite games so far this year and what his most anticipated games are for the remainder. Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on MarsOur first interstitial music this episode was Mooncat - Forest A from UFO 50 composed by Eirik SuhrkeOur second interstitial music was Camouflage - Gameplay from UFO 50 composed by Eirik SuhrkeBook Badlands Chugs on Cameo

This week on the show: UFO 50 is back with a vengeance. Matt's also finished Ninja Gaiden Ragebound and watched his wife play a lot more of Tales of the Shire. For news, we've got another Nintendo presentation to cover, as well as some stuff out of EVO.Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on MarsOur interstitial music this week was Pilot Quest - Crash Site by Eirik Suhrke from UFO 50.

On the schedule this week: we have a Nintendo Direct to go over! Ninja Gaiden Ragebound and Tales of the Shire came out this week! Infinity Nikki had its biggest (and coolest) update yet! Mario Paint returns! Matt complains a lot about carbonated water! And much, much more.Check out Bit Harmony: A Video Game Music Podcast!Bit Harmony on AppleBit Harmony on SpotifyBecome a Patron of All N!Matt Murray on Blue Sky - @mattmurray.bsky.socialPodcast art by Natascha MurrayNatascha Murray on Blue Sky - @couchmochi.bsky.socialThe various Critical Diversions theme songs were made by Mic Fox. Check out all of his cool stuff over at Fort Famly & The Greenhouse on MarsOur interstitial music this week was Kick Club - Gameplay composed by Eirik Suhrke for UFO 50