[School of Everything Else 2025]

It was a long time coming. The remake itself has been mooted as far back as the early 2000s, and the wait for it was half of my life. But then, when this astonishing game finally landed in 2020, a time when we all needed to escape to other worlds, I found myself paralysed with indecision within the game, unable to move for metatextual reasons.

Finally returning to it in 2025 I was able to play through and savour the experience with Sharon and Willow watching along. It is magnificently chaotic and chaotically magnificent. How could a remake which goes so much further than the simple graphical and musical polish we were all hoping for still manage to knock it out of the park, despite the inherent need to drag old players out of their comfort zones and somehow impress upon new players, the meaning and significance imbued into every moment and character?

On this show, following on from our 2023 episode on the 1997 original, Sharon and I do our best to elaborate on these mountainous strengths. Even if you've never played any version, this may help you appreciate why the game is so beloved. This episode also contains a segment submitted by Hanna Peregrine.