Our this episode, the crew runs through their impressions of Hermit and Pig and the new demo of Fishbowl! They also plan out their Steam Next Fest plays and share them with you!

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 3:00 - Icebreaker Question: "What Steam Next Fest Demos will we be jumping into?"
• 8:20 - Hermit and Pig Review
• 19:20 - Fishbowl Preview
• 26:20 - Outro & PAX East 2026 Plans

Steam Next Fest Demos Discussed During the Episode:

• Denshattack!
• Thrifty Business
• Titanium Court
• Cursed Words
• The Mermaid Mask
• The Eternal Life of Goldman
• Replaced
• Lelu
• Helix: Descent N Ascent
• Gambonanza

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast
• Left Behind Game Club
• The LukeWarmGames Podcast
• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

This week, Luke and Joseph discuss their time playing 4 recent indie releases including Big Hops, Mio: Memories in Orbit, Cairn, and Love Eternal!

Games Discussed During the Episode:

• Big Hops - Luckshot Games
• Mio: Memories in Orbit - Douze Dixièmes
• Cairn - The Game Bakers
• __ Love Eternal - brlka

Episode Resources:

• Joseph’s Mio: Memories in Orbit Review on CantPause

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 4:48 - Ice Breaker Question: If you were to describe your personality using an indie game, what game would you select and why?
• 8:54 - Big Hops
• 16:04 - Mio: Memories in Orbit
• 25:48 - Cairn
• 37:53 - Love Eternal
• 46:10 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• CantPause on Instagram

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia **

This week, the crew wraps up their 2025 Game of the Year series by debating a variety of award categories. Stay tuned until the end of the episode for the reveal of the Crossplay Conversations Top 10 Games of 2025!

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro

• 2:50 - The Luke Lewis Chill Out With a Coffee on a Rainy Weekend Afternoon Award

• 25:11 - Hooper’s Puzzle Paradise Award

• 41:51 - Claire’s Creatively Cozy Award

• 57:40 - Best Music

• 1:12:05 - Best Visuals Technical

• 1:30:52 - Best Visual Art Direction

• 1:36:59 - Spoilers: The Drifter

• 1:37:45 - End of Spoilers: The Drifter

• 1:42:35 - Best Narrative

• 2:00:15 - Our Top 10 Games of 2025 Reveal Video

• 2:15:51 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social

• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social

• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social

• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social

• CantPause on Instagram

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia **

This week, the crew kicks off their 2025 Game of the Year series by debating a variety of award categories. From the vast puzzle rooms of the Mount Holly Estate in Blue Prince to branching narratives of Dispatch and so much more, there’s a game here for everyone. Let’s close out 2025 in style. Stay tuned for the next episode for the reveal of the Crossplay Conversations Top 10 Games of 2025!

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 4:20 - Best Gameplay Loop
• 42:41 - Most Underrated Game
• 1:17:07 - The Business Boy’s 2025 Bit of Bad Business
• 1:58:11 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast
• Left Behind Game Club
• The LukeWarmGames Podcast
• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

This week, Jacob and Luke give their thoughts on the 2025 Indie Game Awards! Please note that this episode was recorded before the IGA Team announced that they would be retracting awards for Debut Game, Game of the Year, and one of the Indie Vanguard recipients. If you would like to learn more about the process for the decision you can view the statement by the IGA Team below:

Episode Resources:

• IGA Eligibility Statement: https://www.indiegameawards.gg/faq

• Our Blue Prince Review & Spoilercast: https://youtu.be/In647FS-reU?si=jb7dIcWAdHqIcIJ-

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro

• 1:47 - Icebreaker Question: How are you enjoying playing Expedition 33?

• 8:56 - The GOTY category

• 11:38 - Indie Game Awards overall thoughts and breaking down our highlights of the night

• 13:47 - The Indie Vanguard Class of 2025

• 16:12 - Double Aggro Crab win!!17:20 - Solo Development19:24 - Best Narrative

• 24:03 - Bite-Sized

• 26:29 - Gameplay Design30:53 - Best Visuals

• 32:43 - Best Music

• 36:47 - Emotional Impact

• 41:05 - Showcase Award Categories and Community Picks

• 46:49 - Our Crossplay Conversations Game of the Year Awards

• 52:57 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social

• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social

• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social

• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social

• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia **

This week, Joseph and Luke give their thoughts on the 2025 Game Awards! From award winners to game announcements, the crew unpacks their reactions.

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro

• 1:11: Ice Breaker Question: What are your overall thoughts on the Game Awards 2025?

• 5:25: Breaking down the winners

• 31:42 - Announcement highlights

• 1:04:42 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social

• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social

• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social

• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social

• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia

Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-51cd63 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Crossplay Conversations: A Video Game Podcast.

This week, Jacob and Luke dive into five 2025 indie games that you may have missed as they prep for Indie Game Awards!

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:40 - Icebreaker: What’s a trend in gaming that you think 2025 will be remembered for?
• 9:40 - Tall Trails
• 15:05 - Discounty
• 20:00 - The King is Watching
• 25:10 - Megabonk
• 29:45 - Absolum
• 34:00 - Housekeeping & Outro

We only have 2 shows left for 2025! Tentatively, here's what we have left:

• 12/16 - The Game Awards 2025 Debrief
• On or before 12/23 - The Indie Game Awards 2025 Debrief

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast
• Left Behind Game Club
• The LukeWarmGames Podcast
• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-51cd63 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Crossplay Conversations: A Video Game Podcast.