All My Best Friends Are Digital

Growing up can be hard, so we explore some coping mechanisms--Road Trip to the End of the World suggests conjuring an adorable anthropomorphic fish, whereas Deception III endorses trap-based murder. Options! What We're Playing 01:06 Caitlin: Loop Hero (Four Quarters, 2021) 10:15 Mark: Lost Eidolons (Ocean Drive Studio, 2022) 24:29 GOOF: Deception III: Dark Delusion (Tecmo, 1999) 41:26 Feature Game: Road Trip to the End of the World (Alex Lee and Shark & Pelican Games, 2025) SHOUT 56:31 Caitlin: Rabbit and Steel DLC (mino_dev) 57:22 Mark: Spirit X Strike (Maicha Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We, once again, have a shonen problem. Brave Fencer Musashi's abrasive overconfidence is in stark contrast to the cool professionalism of Aliens: Fireteam Elite. Stay frosty, people. What We're Playing 00:59 Mark: Metal Eden (Reikon Games, 2025) 12:06 Caitlin: Final Fantasy VI (Square, 1994) 21:59 GOOF: Brave Fencer Musashi (Square, 1998) 38:12 Feature Game: Aliens: Fireteam Elite (Cold Iron Studios, 2021) SHOUT 57:07 Mark: Hades II (Supergiant) 57:46 Caitlin: Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven (Massive Monster) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How six years can change an industry--from local deathmatch FPS being all the rage (Perfect Dark), to online co-op third-person cover-hugging (Gears of War: Reloaded). What We're Playing 00:52 Mark: Marfusha: Sentinel Girls (hinyari9, 2021) 10:16 Caitlin: PEAK (Team PEAK, 2025) 20:15 GOOF: Perfect Dark (Rare, 2000) 39:27 Feature Game: Gears of War: Reloaded (The Coalition, 2025) SHOUT 1:03:22 Mark: Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch (Ocean Drive Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Metroidvania is a very popular formula. We see how much has it changed in the twenty years between its formalization in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and its indie apotheosis in Hollow Knight. What We're Playing 00:54 Caitlin: Coral Island (Stairway Games, 2023) 17:35 Mark: Mortal Sin (Nikita Todorovic, 2025) 27:05 GOOF: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Konami, 1997) 42:50 Feature Game: Hollow Knight (Team Cherry, 2017) SHOUT 1:00:49 Caitlin: Resident Evil: Requiem (Capcom) 1:02:04 Mark: Runa (Fennec) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pocky & Rocky scoffs at so-called difficult games like Soulslikes, and Artis Impact scoffs at the limitations of RPG Maker. What We're Playing 01:03 Caitlin: Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap (Robot Entertainment, 2025) 08:15 Mark: The Rogue Prince of Persia (Evil Empire, 2025) 18:31 GOOF: Pocky and Rocky (Natsume, 1992) 28:36 Feature Game: Artis Impact (Mas, 2025) SHOUT 53:03 Caitlin: Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes (Alt Shift) 54:25 Mark: Valor Mortis (One More Level) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Minigames abound in the WarioWare series (featuring a drive-by discussion of the Mario Party games), and then we ponder the corporate dystopia that is video gaming in Citizen Sleeper. What We're Playing 00:58 Mark: Deadzone: Rogue (Prophecy Games, 2025) 11:34 Caitlin: Hidden Capybaras with Orange (Whimsical Universes, 2023) 17:00 GOOF: WarioWare: Twisted! (Nintendo SPD, 2004) 34:04 Feature Game: Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over the Age, 2022) SHOUT 57:19 Mark: Drift Survivor (MEWSTURBO) 59:57 Caitlin: Coral Island Multiplayer (Stairway Games) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We check out a classic strategy RPG series with Shining Force II, then hurry up and die with Elden Ring: Nightreign. What We're Playing 01:03 Caitlin: Cryptmaster (Paul Hart, Lee Williams, and Akupara Games, 2024) 07:12 Mark: Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios, 2025) 19:38 GOOF: Shining Force II (Sonic! Software Planning, 1993) 36:02 Feature Game: Elden Ring: Nightreign (FromSoftware, 2025) SHOUT 55:16 Caitlin: Once Upon a Katamari (RENGAME) 57:12 Mark: Spine (Nekki) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vagrant Story is one of Mark's all-time favourite games, but is he ready to talk about Ashley Riot's butt? Can Caitlin cope with the madness that is JoJo? Or capybara feet? It's a whole lot. StarVaders allows us a break to focus entirely on the game of it. What We're Playing 01:29 Mark: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (Anchor, Inc, 2006) 16:05 Caitlin: Capybara Spa (Cozy Bee Games, 2022) 22:31 GOOF: Vagrant Story (Square, 2000) 48:30 Feature Game: StarVaders (Pengonauts, 2025) SHOUT 1:05:24 Mark: 8bitdo Pro 3 (8bitdo) 1:08:37 Caitlin: At Fate's End (Thunder Lotus) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The nineties were a rough place, as the writing of Parasite Eve reminds us. Is Jusant a corrective, given that it has no dialog at all? What We're Playing 01:07 Caitlin: The Ranch of Rivershine (Coze Bee Games, 2025) 11:39 Mark: Kunitsu-Gami: Otherworldly Ventures (Capcom, 2025) 21:28 GOOF: Parasite Eve (Square, 1998) 37:21 Feature Game: Jusant (Don't Nod, 2023) SHOUT 56:05 Caitlin: Artis Impact (Mas) 58:05 Mark: Terminator 2D: No Fate (Bitmap Bureau) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All action and no real story with Street Fighter II Turbo, and then all story and no real action with 1000xRESIST. Each successful in their own way!  What We're Playing 01:11 Mark: Space Mercenary Defense Force (Tom Paradise, 2023) 10:53 Caitlin: Neva (Nomada Studio, 2025) 17:08 GOOF: Street Fighter II Turbo (Capcom, 1992) 35:04 Feature Game: 1000xRESIST (sunset visitor, 2024) SHOUT 52:01 Mark: Varlet (FURYU) 52:57 Caitlin: Kingmakers (Redemption Road) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do we allow some games, even ones we enjoy, to drop off and go on the back burner? And why do some get picked up again and not others? It is mysterious, much like why designers continue to insert terrible "comic relief" characters in games like Okami. What We're Playing 01:03 Caitlin: Dead Letter Department (Belief Engine, 2025) 08:50 Mark: Suit for Hire (Godmode Interactive, 2025) 18:34 GOOF: Okami (Clover Studio, 2006) 44:13 Feature Topic: Dropping Off, Picking Up SHOUT 1:09:10 Caitlin: Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) 1:10:06 Mark: Enter the Gungeon Mobile (Dodgeroll) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King Arthur's World makes us long for Lemmings, and does Nier: Automata peak in the first hour? Our suplexes are German and our fashion sense is questionable this week. What We're Playing 01:03 Mark: God Hand (Clover, 2006) 15:13 Caitlin: Date Everything! (Sassy Chap Games, 2025) 24:13 GOOF: King Arthur's World (Argonaut Software, 1992) 36:11 Feature Game: Nier: Automata (PlatinumGames, 2017) SHOUT 55:31 Mark: Persona 4 Revival (Atlus) 57:16 Caitlin: Haunted Paws (LazyFlock) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's protagonist vs. protagonist week here at AMBFAD, and we repeatedly ask--why can't we all just get along? First it's Spy vs. Spy, and then Jan vs. Jan in The Alters. What We're Playing 01:41 Caitlin: A Building Full of Cats 2 (Devcats, 2025) 08:45 Mark: Star Trek: The Next Generation (NES/GB, Imagineering, 1993) 20:25 GOOF: Spy vs. Spy (GBC, Kemco, 1999) 32:50 Feature Game: The Alters (11 Bit Studios, 2025) 35:26 Spoilers Begin 36:52 Spoilers End SHOUT 55:03 Caitlin: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (Square Enix) 56:46 Mark: Pragmata (Capcom) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We run, we gun, we laugh, and we cry with Azure Striker: Gunvolt, and then we overcome jank and feel the call to adventure with Oblivion: Remastered. What We're Playing 01:04 Mark: Bleed 2 (Ian Campbell, 2017) 10:33 Caitlin: Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD, 2025) 23:28 GOOF: Azure Striker Gunvolt (Inti Creates, 2014) 39:27 Feature Game: The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered (Bethesda, 2025) SHOUT 58:18 Caitlin: Beast of Reincarnation (GAME FREAK) 59:26 Mark: Blighted (DrinkBox Studios) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We talk a bit about accessibility in gaming, which is sadly all too often left to modders rather than the developers themselves. The games on the agenda (super serious) are Metroid Prime and Monster Train 2. What We're Playing 01:19 Caitlin: R.E.P.O. (semiwork, 2025) 03:28 Caitlin: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (Square Enix, 2024) 07:00 Mark: Iron Meat (Retroware, 2024) 16:32 GOOF: Metroid Prime (Retro Studios, 2002) 35:12 Feature Game: Monster Train 2 (Shiny Shoe, 2025) SHOUT 53:18 Caitlin: The Expanse: Osiris Reborn (Owlcat Games) 54:10 Mark: Elden Ring: NIGHTREIGN patch (From Software) 55:34 Mark: Kunitsu-Gami: Otherworldly Venture (Capcom) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We look back to the 3DS and Fire Emblem: Awakening, and question how weak the sauce is in Doom: The Dark Ages. What We're Playing 01:00 Mark: Death Road to Canada (Rocketcat Games, 2016) 12:59 Caitlin: Path of Exile 2 (Grinding Gear Games, 2024) 24:31 GOOF: Fire Emblem: Awakening (Intelligent Systems, 2012) 47:34 Feature Game: Doom: The Dark Ages (id, 2025) SHOUT 1:08:08 Caitlin: Gold Gold Adventure Gold (Can Can Can a Man) 1:09:38 Mark: Fallen Fates (Hibernian Workshop) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We finish our spoiler-free discussion of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Caitlin expresses the view that she was tricked into playing Flashback: The Quest for Identity. What We're Playing 01:30 Caitlin: Do No Harm (Darts Games, 2025) 10:30 Mark: Void War (Tundra, 2025) 21:44 GOOF: Flashback: The Quest for Identity (Delphine Software, 1992) 35:39 Feature Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, 2025) SHOUT 1:05:47 Caitlin: DELTARUNE (tobyfox) 1:06:56 Mark: Elden Ring NIGHTREIGN (From Software) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the end of the world in both the N64's Sin and Punishment and the new Clair Obscur, and there's lots of ennui to be had. What We're Playing 01:05 Mark: Power Stone 2 (Capcom, 2000) 12:27 Caitlin: Forever Skies (Far From Home, 2025) 17:36 GOOF: Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Earth (Treasure, 2000) 33:23 Feature Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, 2025) SHOUT 1:05:06 Mark: Gears of War: Reloaded (The Coalition) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The N64 continues its redemption tour with F-Zero X, and South of Midnight is a strange mix of the novel and the derivative. What We're Playing 00:50 Caitlin: R.E.P.O. (semiwork, 2025) 11:55 Mark: Astral Ascent (Hibernian Workshop, 2023) 19:01 GOOF: F-Zero X (Nintendo EAD, 1998) 34:34 Feature Game: South of Midnight (Compulsion Games, 2025) SHOUT 1:00:23 Caitlin: Date Everything (Sassy Chap Games)  1:01:43 Mark: Ayaneo Pocket ACE (Ayaneo) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We navigate the twisting labyrinths of the human mind in Psychonauts, as well as the twisting labyrinths of the puzzling mansion(s) of Blue Prince. What We're Playing 01:27 Mark: It Takes Two (Hazelight, 2021) 13:03 Caitlin: R.E.P.O. (semiwork, 2025) 19:21 GOOF: Psychonauts (Double Fine Productions, 2005) 38:37 Feature Game: Blue Prince (Dogubomb, 2025) SHOUT 1:04:46 Caitlin and Mark: Malys (Summerfall Studios) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices