This week, Robin and Willa have a conversation no one will disagree with about a game everyone is being reasonable about. We talk through why Clair Obscur, the FRPG of the year, didn’t live up to the hype for either of us, and inevitably detour into why criticism is good and cool and doesn’t have to make you a killjoy.

Timestamps:

(00:30) Setting le tableau (or, don’t yell at us about Clair Obscur)

(03:40) Prologue: A Very Somber State Fair

(35:00) Act 1: Lost Syndrome

(45:45) Act 2: We Don’t Care That [REDACTED] [REDACTED]s

(53:00) Act 3: Every Frame A Painting

(1:04:50) Epilogue: Blaming Women

(1:18:18) Inspirations and comparisons

(1:29:40) Why everyone is being so weird about this game/why criticism isn’t a dirty word

(1:42:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Gundam GQuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuX, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown)

Mentioned this week:

The best part of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is it explains nothing

Close Reading Is For Everyone

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s style is its substance

I Want to Be Potboy! (with Robin and Tori!) - Into the Aether

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CW: Brief reference to suicide between (01:05:00) and (01:05:45)

This week, Robin and Willa dive into the work of Selkie Harbour, developer of the recent (and excellent) Many Nights a Whisper. We get into the interesting parallels and outliers among the studio’s catalog and come away more excited about ice skating than we ever thought possible. We also completely spoil all of these very short games, so consider taking a couple hours to play through all of them if you don’t want to hear about them first!

Also check out Robin's recent appearance on Into the Aether, where she talks indie deckbuilders and Expedition 33 with Stephen and Press Start's Tori!

Timestamps:

(01:20) X-Men belongs to the dolls

(02:45) A walking tour of Selkie Harbour’s itch page

(6:15) A Message for the Stone King

(12:15) The Well

(19:30) Everything You Didn’t Get To Do

(31:50) Sunset Shift

(40:20) I.C.A. Calendar Photoshoot 2023 (see Robin's calendar here)

(46:10) Rêverie

(51:30) The Anglerfish Project

(58:35) Wrapping up Selkie Harbour

(1:00:40) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Easy Delivery Co., Apocalypse Hotel, a great piece on Superhot VR, Blue Prince)

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This week, Robin talks to the delightful hosts of the equally delightful Emmi & Annie Talk Indie podcast. We discuss a whole mess of games, with tangents on sexualizing playing cards, furry-friendly pizza restaurants, the games that taught us to type, and learning the name for a group of butterflies.

Timestamps:

(00:20) Introducing Emmi and Annie (who talk indie)!

(14:30) Making dogs immortal in Many Nights a Whisper

(43:30) A food service soap opera in The Chef’s Shift :3

(1:02:55) Christine Mi’s games make us want to make games

(1:23:00) Growing a story in Tiny Garden

(1:26:45) Worshipping the devil after gym class in Expelled!

(1:39:00) What else have Annie, Emmi, and Robin been up to this week? (feat. traumatic YA books, gacha-based disappointment, The Apothecary Diaries, Changes of Heart, Look Back, a 29-year-old calling herself old and instantly killing Robin)

Mentioned this week:

Listen to EATI!

Follow Emmi, Annie, and EATI on Bluesky

Annie, Emmi, and EATI’s websites

A very good Christine Mi comic

Dotzip on Worm Girlfriend Dating Simulator

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Things are bad right now, but you can help make them better. Please take some time to consider how you can help trans people, immigrants, and others targeted by our fascist government with this Big List Of Links.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.