This week is all about Ys, the Action RPG series developed by Falcom!

Games Mentioned:

• Atelier Ryza 2
• Disco Elysium
• Final Fantasy X
• Octopath Traveller
• Scarlet Hollow
• Thank Goodness You're Here
• Triangle Strategy
• Va-11-Hall-A
• Ys Origin
• Ys 1
• Ys 2
• Ys The Oath in Felghana
• Ys Memories of Celceta
• Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim

• Ys Seven
• Ys Origin
• Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
• Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
• Ys X: Nordics

Recommendations:

• Notrock: Stories from Sol: The Gundog
• Rob: Draw Steel!
• Jared: Grow Vegetables and Share them with Neighbors.
• TK: Moondrop Chu II

Music in this episode:

• Genesis Beyond the Beginning - Ys Origin
• Sunshine Coastline - Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana
• The Boy's Got Wings - Ys The Oath in Felghana
• The Boy's Got Wings - Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
• Windslash Steps - Ys Vi: The Ark of Napishtim
• Innocent Primeval Breaker (Game Version) - Ys Seven

This week we're talking about the Summer Games Challenge introduced to us by Matt Horton!

Games Mentioned:

Summer Game Challenge:

Matt's Games:

• Despalote
• Yakuza 0 Director's Cut
• The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe
• Home Safety Hotline
• Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson

Kitty's Challenge List:

• Metal Gear Solid
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
• Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
• Blue Prince
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
• Resident Evil 4
• The Outer Wilds

Kitty's Completed List

• Opus: The Day We Found Earth
• Opus: Rocket of Whispers
• Rocket of Whispers: Prologue
• Control
• Monument Valley
• Monument Valley 2
• Monument Valley 3

• Celeste
• Before Your Eyes
• Abzu
• Sword of the Sea
• Road Trip to the End of the World

Bluzo's Summer Challenge List:

• Stories from Sol
• The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
• Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
• 25th Ward: Silver Case
• Under a Star Called Sun
• Demonschool
• Bayonetta
• Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC
• Heaven Will Be Mine
• Sorekara

What Bluzo Played:

• The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
• Undertale
• Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
• Of the Devil
• Planetarian HD
• Connect the Dots
• Fairy Unfortunate
• Ten Metre Tide

Jared's Summer Games Roundup:

• Dragon Ruins II
• Blue Prince
• Planetarian HD
• Pokemon Sinking Sapphire
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses
• Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
• Final Fantasy VII
• Hollow Knight Silksong

TK's Summer Games Update:

• Ridge Racer
• Ridge Racer 2
• Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity
• Me & My Katamari
• Loco Roco
• Loco Roco 2
• Strange Jigsaws
• Blue Prince
• Loco Motive
• Toree
• Toree 2
• Toree Saturn
• Toree's Panic Pack
• Hollow Knight Silksong

Recommendations:

• Kitty: Join a Union!
• Bluzo: Gundam Wing
• Jared: Dungeon Crawler Carl
• TK: Play Games on Original Hardware (Sometimes)

Follow us on Backloggd

• Matt
• Kitty
• Bluzo
• Jared
• TK

Women lovers and Monster lovers shake hands in this episode as we discuss some very excellent Monster Yuri manga!

Manga discussed:

Zeno’s pick: Alcohol and Ogre-Girls, vol 1 (ch 1-6)

Amet’s pick: I See You, Aizawa-san! (Vol 1, ch 1-6)

Emily’s pick: This Monster Wants to Eat Me, vol. 1

Recommendations:

Zeno:Liar Satsuki Can See Death

Amet:

• Seifuku no Vampiress Lord
• Snake woman and Offering-chan (or most things from Nagori Yu)
• Akuyaku Reijou no Oyome-sama
• Tyra & Cera
• Beauty and the Beast Girl
• I Want to Make Black-Knight Fall In Love With Me!

Emily: The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window

This week, we're chatting with Lex and Rinoa about what we've been up to, the Best Hemisphere [Citation Needed], tinkering, and even some video games!

Games Mentioned:

• Jet Lancer
• Pacific Drive
• Guilty Gear STRIVE
• Hollow Knight Silksong

• Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Remake Demo
• Toree Saturn
• April Grove
• 20 Small Mazes
• Strange Jigsaws
• Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Tolls
• Super Kiwi 64
• Pru the Pidgeon
• Gwen the Hen 64
• Oblivion
• Configuring Oblivion mods
• Customizing Linux
• Running a home server
• Butter by Asako Yuzuki (a Book)
• Oliver VII by Antal Szerb (a Book)
• Japanese Role-Playing Games: Genre, Representation, and Liminality in the JRPG by by Fanny Barnabé, Nökkvi Jarl Bjarnason, Joleen Blom, Andrew Campana, William Huber (a Book)

This week we're joined by Cassie, Joel and Cameron to talk about blogging, the indie web, and SpaceJam.com?

Please check out Cassie, Joel, and Cameron's blogs! (and maybe TK's too)

Games Mentioned:

* Super 10-Pin

* Rocket Bowling

* Thrillville

* Rollercoaster Tycoon

* Jet Lancer

* Abiotic Factor

* Fields of Mistria

* Stardew Valley

* Persona 5 Royal: Rose & Violet

Tools & Resources

* Bearblog

* Pika.page

* Hugo

* Jekyll

* Eleventy

* Gitea

Recommendations:

Cassie:

* Fields of Mistria

* I Love My Computer by Ninajirachi

Joel:

* Blaugust

* Wolf 359

* Jet Lancer

Cameron:

* Abiotic Factor

* AEW

* Homemade Biscuits

* Dexter Resurrection

TK:

* 70% Complete

* Persona 5 Royal: Rose & Violet

Hey Podtimists,

This week Jared asks an innocent question and gets dragged into Monster Hunter while TK is playing a new version of Persona 5 Royal.

We also took a deeper look into the GBA game, Gekido Advance. This was suggested to us by The Worst ROM Set. Thank you for your suggestion!

—-

Games mentioned:

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Noita

Persona 5 Royal: Rose & Violet

Gekido Advance

This week we've held our ghouls close, rescued a yellow hat, and had dental surgery just for you!

Games Mentioned:

• Ghost & Found
• Ghoul Digger
• I Just Want My Cat Back
• Ghoulish Farming
• Along an Extremity
• Keep Your Ghouls
• Hold Your Ghouls Close
• Connect the Dots
• Ten Metre Tide
• Loco Motive
• Half Minute Hero

Here's the Jam Submissions!

Keep putting pressure on payment processors!

Check out Toxic Yuri games! WIlla Rowe has some recommendations!

Check out Wavelengths 2.0

Check out In Sequence!

Why don’t you come to the podcastarium?

The beautiful sound of eternity that will never fade, no matter what.

All the bits in the sky are waiting for you.

This week we're joined by Rinoa to talk about where visual novels came from, which ones are good for starters, annd... which one can do a kickflip? It's a ride.

Games Mentioned:

Visual Novel History:

* Portopia

* Kamaitachi No Yoru (PSX recommend, Banshee's last cry on iOS no longer supported)

* Yu-No A Girl who chants love at the bound of this world (R18 originally but the new releases are all ages)

* Shizuku (R18)

* Kannon (R18, steam release all ages)

* Tsukihime (R18, remake all ages)

* Ace Attorney

* Nine Hours Nine Doors Nine Persons (Zero Escape)

* Hatoful Boyfriend

* Date Everything!

* Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos

* Clannad

* Zero Escape

* Loopers (other game by Key)

Other games mentioned:

* Monkey Island

* The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

* Kenka Bancho Otome

* Pizza Game

* Love Sushi Rangers

* Raging Loop

* Steins Gate Elite

* Return to Shironagasu Island

Recommendations:

* Rinoa: Crazy Quilt Solitaire

* Emily: The Toxic Yuri Game Jam

* Jared: Pokemon Sunken Sapphire

* TK: Koi Koi, Hanafuda Koi Koi Dojo