Video Games. For years, we have wondered: What are they? Where do they come from? And what do they want from us? Today, we have answers for you... answers that would delight even that strictest of industry philosophers: Sonic the Hedgehog. These are shorter games, far less hardware intensive than the latest AAA titles, and made by passionate developers. In fact, the only thing that might not satisfy Sonic's demands is that indie developers aren't always paid more to work less, but maybe by te...
Dear Listeners,Have you ever felt, particularly in late November when the rain picks up and keeps you housebound, that you are trapped in a strange house full of people you don't entirely know? In many ways, the distance between holiday revelry and horrifying mystery is smaller than we like to think. What would happen if all of our Thanksgiving reunions took place on an isolated, stormbound island? Would everyone in attendance keep a level head if a gramophone announced the most sordid sins o...
1-4-2-6-2-10-5-1Please remember this combination. When you enter the elevator (FIRST FLOOR! Don't enter from the ground level or garage!) press the play button on this podcast. You should do this alone, ideally late at night or in the early morning when no one else will try to ride the elevator with you. Make sure the building you're in has at least 10 floors. Once you arrive on the fourth floor, wait 10 minutes while you listen to the podcast and then press the button for floor 2. Repeat thi...
How do I get to the convenience store from here? How does anyone get to a convenience store from anywhere? Where are you right now, and can I follow you for a while? I don't think I'm catching up even though I told you I was right behind you - I just didn't want you to worry or feel inconvenienced by my indecision. Hey, is it alright if we just sit here for a while? I think... yeah, even this much has worn me down this morning. Let me tell you about a game I played recently. A couple games, i...
August is not merely a month — it is an emotion. For some, the final month of Summer rings in its hottest days and the looming dread of a new school term. For others, it's a time steeped in nostalgia and the memories of summers' past. Perhaps your August is the feeling of bittersweet romance and the distant promise of your future. Perhaps, even, as the seasons turn you feel, more strongly than anything, a longing for 1992.This month, Sara and Runa discuss Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer, a 2022 rema...
"The small coastal town where you'll be staying this weekend bears the cool sea air like a mantle. Your suite, the luxurious Victorian era Revival room in a traditional Western style hotel, overlooks the harbor and the steep, switchback mountain trails that flow into town like a ruddy stream. Breakfast is served an hour past dawn and free ornithology classes are held each afternoon with the proprietress. When you leave here, you will forget some things. Don't be afraid - this is what we wante...
Dear Listeners,Like the inevitable woe of an ancient curse, Summer is upon us once more. We're awash in refreshing recipes for strawberry rhubarb shrub, homemade swamp coolers, and the perfect accompaniment for a day indoors during a rainstorm: Indie Visual Novels. With huge bundles such as the annual Queer Games Bundle on itch, you're bound to find something that speaks to the most particular desires of your heart. Today, we're once again inviting you to explore the delightful space of Indie...
If you should ever find yourself trapped in a time looping phenomenon, there are a few tried and true strategies you can employ to survive, maintain your grasp on reality, and single out the mastermind(s???) behind the loop. First: Stock up! The mastermind of this loop will not expect you to be well hydrated, full of electrolytes, and properly equipped for mountaineering. Second: Get to know your surroundings! You've got plenty of time to study up on the most minute details of local history a...
You are traveling alone on a dark highway late at night. Desperate for a place to rest your weary frame, and maybe a distraction from the terrible break-up that set you on this journey, you turn down a narrow mountain road. The pavement abruptly vanishes beneath you and a rock flies up pat your face - that's right, you're on a motorcycle. Really a bad position, if we're being honest. You search for a house light, a streetlamp, any sign of civilization at all, and then at last you see it:The b...
Readers, Friends, Members of the Scientific Community! You, astute as you are, may recall a moment in the distant past in which Sara and Runa adamantly proclaimed that they would never cover Steins;Gate on the podcast - This memory which some of you may hold is LIVING PROOF of the phenomena which we will henceforth discuss in today's episode. You see, that was an alternate, parallel timeline in which we did not discuss Steins;Gate! Thanks to miracles no smaller than the manipulation of the fl...
Good Morning Dear Readers, it's the wonderful day of February 29th, a day that only comes around once every four years! On this rare occasion we wanted to bring you an equally rare creation: Loopers, a kinetic novel developed by Key and written by Ryukisho07 of 07th Expansion! It's all about the wonderful day of August 1st, a day that only comes around once every four years! On this rare occasion we wanted to bring you an equally rare creation: Loopers, a kinetic novel developed by Key and wr...
You're on a narrow mountain path at the edge of dusk, on your way to a cabin that holds a captive princess. You might be confused or wary - Don't be. There's only one thing you have to do now: Continue down the narrow path, enter the cabin, pick up the knife, and listen to the voices on your podcast tell you what they think about killing the Princess locked in the basement. This week, Sara and Runa descend the ever-shifting stairs and discuss Slay The Princess (2023), a visual novel drip...
Dear Listeners, have you ever struggled to see something out of the corner of your eye? Has a local legend ever stuck in your mind, not for its content but for its puzzling omissions? Have you looked behind your screen at the figure flitting away from the light? Never fear - many listeners have reported to us that they suffer from a lack of normasight, so today we're giving you twice what you need to make up for that deficit: A full Paranormasight episode!This month, Sara and Runa hunt throug...
Dear Listeners,The days are darkening swiftly, at least for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring's Tide and Winter's Tidings wash over the world as the year draws to a close, and limited time sales all entice you to buy this year's biggest AAA games at a rare moment of discount. In this corridor of time that is so often filled with scarce moments of calm, why not take a moment to relax with a smaller game, perhaps even one that you may already own? Today, we're inviting you to chec...
It's that time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, a time when chill autumn pushes us from the sidewalks into warm cafes for a thickly spiced latte and a hearty baked treat to ward us against the cold. Far to the South, spring arrives and the cackling trees and warming sun make a streetside coffee shop a delightful stop for an iced coffee and a delicate pastry as you pass the time. Is there anything so versatile, so timeless, and so persistent in our cities as coffee and the pleasantry of a s...
Consider the city of our Future, the hyperconnectivity of high rise corporate data centers and the grungiest retrofitted back alley """studio""" apartments you can imagine. A city which, in many ways, resembles a shining new PC case fitted around a collage of older parts ranging from a smoke and dirt encrusted motherboard to the newest GPU that barely hums under the strain of eight hour video renders. Would you enjoy your life there, in a cyberpunk city where we carry on all the problems of t...
Our memories are often strongly tied to a sense of Place, the confluence of sights and sounds and scents and pathways that take us to the heartwrenching, the familiar, or the uncanny. The setting of our youth, particularly our high school days, can often evoke profound nostalgia and pathos - The halls of our old school during the culture festival, the café where we worked back then, the abandoned warehouse by the harbor, the amazing view from Tokyo Tower, the heart-pounding moment of our firs...
The best proportion of coffee grounds to hot water for a single pour-over cup is roughly 1:16 by weight, or roughly two tablespoons to twelve ounces by volume. Scales are recommended for precision and large batches, but for a single cup I usually find that I'm fine just estimating and pouring the water slowly over the medium-coarse ground coffee so that it blooms and froths nicely. After that, it's just a matter of waiting a few quiet moments as the coffee drips down into the mug. It's a grea...
Shhh... keep still. Listen closely. Between the gasps of the snowstorm and the crowding underbrush, there's something lurking. Look, just up ahead - those two shadows are moving deeper into the forest. What could they be doing there, so far from the village and so long after dusk? Where could they be going, so lightly dressed in the midst of a blizzard? And most of all, do you think... maybe, they might be... girlfriends?This week, Sara and Runa visit the snowy mountainside village of Eysenfe...
Dear Listeners, Have you ever found yourself at the end of a tiresome day with scarcely an hour for personal leisure? Have you ever sought, to seemingly no avail, a story that can slake the particular cravings of your heart? Most importantly, do you like Visual Novels? We certainly hope, since this episode finds us talking about nearly a dozen. It's time for our inaugural Indie Game Compilation Track episode, in which Sara, Runa, and returning guest KT Kelly discuss 11 different Ind...