Luke and Alex talk Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
Trekking through Ubisoft Montpellier's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, released on January 18, 2024, we're catapulted into a 2.5D realm where action-adventure meets platforming and Metroidvania. The game introduces Sargon, navigating the cursed city of Mount Qaf to save Prince Ghassan. With time-manipulating powers, Sargon embarks on a puzzle-filled journey, encountering allies and foes in a story-rich landscape. Unique mechanics and a connected world enrich this installment of the Prince of Persia series, offering a deep dive into Persian mythology and action-packed gameplay.
At the time of recording, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has a Metacritic score of 86. According to How Long to Beat, it can take upwards of 30 hours to complete the game in full. They list main story completion at 165 hours, but that feels too short for a first time playthrough.
Luke played on his Xbox Series X and Alex played on his Nintendo Switch.
This episode is unofficially brought to you in part by Prince James Murphy.
Visit us at LowFiveGaming.com.
Join the Low Five Discord!
Email us at hello@lowfivegaming.com.
Theme music is by AJ Norman. Design assets were created by Studio Day Job.
Low Five Gaming is a Studio Low Five Production.
Luke and Alex talk Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
Trekking through Ubisoft Montpellier's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, released on January 18, 2024, we're catapulted into a 2.5D realm where action-adventure meets platforming and Metroidvania. The game introduces Sargon, navigating the cursed city of Mount Qaf to save Prince Ghassan. With time-manipulating powers, Sargon embarks on a puzzle-filled journey, encountering allies and foes in a story-rich landscape. Unique mechanics and a connected world enrich this installment of the Prince of Persia series, offering a deep dive into Persian mythology and action-packed gameplay.
At the time of recording, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has a Metacritic score of 86. According to How Long to Beat, it can take upwards of 30 hours to complete the game in full. They list main story completion at 165 hours, but that feels too short for a first time playthrough.
Luke played on his Xbox Series X and Alex played on his Nintendo Switch.
This episode is unofficially brought to you in part by Prince James Murphy.
Visit us at LowFiveGaming.com.
Join the Low Five Discord!
Email us at hello@lowfivegaming.com.
Theme music is by AJ Norman. Design assets were created by Studio Day Job.
Low Five Gaming is a Studio Low Five Production.
Hello and welcome to Low 5 Gaming, and we are back to our roots this month. Alex, how are you man? I'm doing alright, you know, truckin' along, truckin'. Hell yeah, we're into March. No more winter. Big Midwest update. Mildest winter of all time, though, so I don't know what I'm complaining about. But hey, shout out global warming, and last winter it was wild, so I'll take a mild.
Speaker 2:That's true man. I'm livin' that home ownership life dude. Now they had a shovel like three times and if you're from the area you know that is a blessing.
Speaker 1:And yet he has not taken down his Christmas lights, which I have not made fun of him to this moment. Glad I waited for that one. Who's that guy in the neighborhood? Do you let him ride at night, or are you shamefully leave him unplugged? Or are you just like full steam ahead?
Speaker 2:Uh, okay so I have no problem running the lights through up to like right around Valentine's days when I'm like, alright, good on those. Wow, it's pretty deep dude, but they pretty big joy, man, it's dark out there. Now we have this like spring, so like you know this early spring, so I'm not gonna.
Speaker 1:At what point is? At the point of no returning, like I might as well keep him up for next year. Oh no, I'm in that territory now, or really should I?
Speaker 2:I'll get the letter out and I'll take him down this weekend. I'm gonna tell myself that for the last three, four weeks.
Speaker 1:You know that's fair. It's like doing your taxes. But um Speaking of that, my tax guy Tax corner.
Speaker 2:My tax guy. They got me in. The tax guy that I like was able to get me in this year. The last three years I've been slow on setting up the appointment, so he's been all booked out. They got me in the day before tax day, which is tight, but it also means I've just been putting off all my book work. Gosh dang.
Speaker 1:Well, if you came here for tax updates, you're welcome. If you came here to hear about Prince of Persia the Lost Crown, you're welcome. Oh dang, what's with the shock? Shock, dude, oh man.
Speaker 2:This is a throwback. Stoke on this game. Dude, this is a cool game. Fuck yeah, fuck yeah.
Speaker 1:It's called back to our first pod. So our long time listeners will know that we launched our first five pods actually simultaneously, but backlog to the very first one was a young and much cuter Alex and Luke. It's just been beat down these last few years. No, those optimistic boys.
Speaker 2:We went back. We were boys, now we're men. Maybe I don't know, just like the idea, it's like those were our early podcasters boys, but we're men now. You should see the beard on this boy over here. I mean this man over here, this man.
Speaker 1:It's pretty raggedy. There's the spoiler there. But yeah, man, the first pod we ever did was on the Prince of Persia from like the late 80s, early 90s, 89, bro, hell yeah. And Ubisoft, despite all of their up and downs of late, released a slapper, but for a pretty niche crowd and we were like, hey, we're that niche crowd, so thanks. Ubisoft Don't say that very often.
Speaker 2:But thank you, no man. It's been interesting following that discourse. Like a lot of people do love this game, that niche target, I'm fucking loving it. I think more or less I really love it, but the sales aren't great. We can talk a little bit more in a little bit, but that's how it is today with the, with these games, big budget games especially and they're never hitting their quotas unless they're really knocking out of the park.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, no doubt. So our quick, quick refresher and a nice little cute update. This is like one of the oldest games that we had. We had a little floppy disk of it and we would play it. So it goes way back. The Prince of Persia series, that is. For some reason, everybody else likes the GameCube arrow, but I haven't played any of those.
Speaker 2:Ironically, I know you, I was a bit. I'm actually into getting the steam pack during one of the sales. I've fired them up, but I'm the type of person to do that Like. I want to play the first one first and it's a little crunchy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you don't have to feel guilty to me, I haven't even opened them. Right on so, but you know, $5 is five dollars.
Speaker 2:It was fantastic, it was like, how are you not going to send it and get these beloved games? Dude, that series, the 3D Prince of Persia series. And it's wild too, man. I dug around. There was like a weird I can't remember if it was Dreamcast or what but they like before those 3D series, like they had another weird Prince of Persia platformer that went out to Well.
Speaker 1:There's Prince of Persia too, which was all right, but anyway, but that's a side score.
Speaker 2:So this is interesting, dude, because, like you said, people love that shit. Shout out to the homie Stephen he loves like that was my introduction, even though I didn't play like he loves the 3D Prince of Persia series.
Speaker 1:So much.
Speaker 2:Dude and like I've watched him like fucking on his little like man cave, just like running around and like doing the parkour shit that that you can do and it's tight man Like I don't know how Parkouring and video games is underrepresented.
Speaker 1:I think people end up liking that more than developers like doing it Fair enough.
Speaker 2:It's probably pretty complicated dude Like I don't know. I told a pretty.
Speaker 1:It's pulled a pretty goofy story about the OG game in the first pod where I had a student that during the pandemic would just watch me play all the time. And then I'd have him play when he came back because it was a weird hybrid thing and he sucked at it and it was really funny. I now teach his little brother oh word and just randomly told his little brother about it and he plays it and he has to get around the school's firewall and all these things when he plays it all the time.
Speaker 2:And he's gotten as far as me. Little brother or the little brother, yeah, little brother Also, he plays it. Little brother plays it.
Speaker 1:Older brother never really cared other than to watch me play when he was bored and advisory. But little brother is like pretty good at it and it's pretty wholesome to watch.
Speaker 2:So if you introduced little brother to it or did?
Speaker 1:older brother introduce.
Speaker 2:I did Okay Interesting You're like it'd be cooler if his older brother did, but I was just like hey, check this shit out, you're older brother. Yeah, pretty much, man, pretty much.
Speaker 1:So that's a fun little update. So yeah, man. So when the game came out, it was kind of surprise announced last year. I'd say Like there wasn't a huge window. There wasn't like people knew about the remake they were trying to do of those 3D games and that seems to be in some sort of developmental delay. I'll just say nicely Seems a little confused, as what's going on there and also, and they're like no, we have like a 2.5D, just completely different thing, about 90% cooked over here and it's gonna release soon and I'm I'm in the small niche market of people who are most excited for it. So I got a pretty close to release and I was like some nice motivation to play it. So let's make out play it will put on the pad, yeah that's why we're here today.
Speaker 2:I was stoked on it too, man, like one. The history we have with the original 2d Prince of Persia Like I was like then, like I love metrobanias, dude same. So I was excited to see this one come and it's been. It's been a treat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's a great game, might as well. Just get into what it is. Would you like to read your large press release, you paragraph? Sure would, bro. I'd rather not bring it heavily into the mic.
Speaker 2:Maybe I'll just step inside, right on Prince of Persia. The lost crown is an enthralling action adventure platformer developed by Ubisoft Montpelier, set in the mythological realm of Mount cough.
Speaker 1:How have you been reading that? I think the screen actor say it, but cough, cough, I think it's just cough inspired by Persian mythology, which is cool.
Speaker 2:I haven't really. I mean, I think that's dope. I didn't really like look into that, but I love that.
Speaker 1:It plays into the game's aesthetic a lot, which is really cool. But yeah, there's lots of lore in there that I don't read, but it's cool when I sometimes read a little bit of it.
Speaker 2:I have noticed that too and I do dig it, but it was released on January 18th 2024. The game offers players a unique adventure to save the Prince and restore the world balance. Players step into the shoes of Sargon, a young, gifted Persian warrior, navigating through cursed lands filled with diverse biomes and formidable foes, utilizing a combination of unique time powers and super abilities. The gameplay promises an epic journey across a beautifully crafted imaginary world. Available across multi platforms, the lost crown delivers a captivating blend of exploration, combat and story, all set against a richly detailed Persian mythological backdrop.
Speaker 1:Hmm. So yeah, man, to break that down, modern Metroidvania, you have your big, your 2d, 2.5, cuz some things are kind of through depth. I don't really know how to describe 2.5, but when I'm playing the game I sometimes get it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dog, I think it's like well, it's a 2d side scrolling platformer. But I think that 2.5 thing is because exactly you more or less nailed it. It's that what used to what I think it a very in its simplest terms, would be like the parallax scrolling, like that was introduced to gaming a While back on the 2d it's basically you have your front and then the back, the background like moves along with what you're doing or whatever. So there's action in the background. But it takes that another level right because it's multi layered and then it's also shaded in a way where it's not just, it's not like your pixel layers or whatever, it looks like there's depth. So, like that's, the 2.5d is because there's actual depth, like visual depth to it, as opposed to just being like kind of flat or like these pictures or whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I say modern Metroidvania because it definitely you'll hear others talk. If you've listened to any other podcasts on the game, they definitely borrowed or adapted or Improved upon or polished different Aspects of a Metroidvania. These days, like it's got a lot of Hollow Knight in it, it's got a lot of Metroid in it.
Speaker 2:I know I've a dude I'm Hollow Knight is like a gaping hole in my for being a Metroidvania stand, like the fact I haven't played like I'm Hollow Knight is kind of shameful, and I like a part of me is feels a little bit bummed that I haven't played a Hollow Knight before this, because I have heard so much discourse about how much it does borrow from Hollow Knight. But you know, whatever Appreciate this game even more, though, because I'm like this dope shit, dope shit.
Speaker 1:I have played Hollow Knight and I loved it, but it reminds me more of dread.
Speaker 2:I definitely felt that too man, especially at the get-go, dread with swords.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would say that it stands on its own as far as they have some unique ish Qualities to it, but just the overall style and flavor of it, I'd say, set to itself apart. Maybe you're not gonna say this is the most crazy innovative game, but you're gonna say this is a cool game and it was an enjoyable game and they did everything really well. And it's just kind of funny like Ubisoft goes so big all the time and a lot of people get tired of the big. So the fact that they just could did a quieter, smaller, refined experience was awesome.
Speaker 2:So I was reading this like it's like a reddit post or whatever or someone. It was one of those deals where they kind of tore it apart. And then they're like I don't mean to be such an ass about it, because I did enjoy it, but like there's just like this high expectation on these games and like I don't know man, it's a, it's a, even though the graphics aren't like stunning. Like we live. We're in a really weird time for graphics, because I thought the graphics work real well in this they're smooth.
Speaker 1:They remind me of, like a scattered a morning cartoon aesthetic right, right, but the thing is they didn't like.
Speaker 2:They also didn't like wow me, but I felt I played it on a switch. So for me I was like this is totally fine, but I think for someone like you played on the, the series X maybe you're longing for a little bit more, but at times, dude there were times though, like especially with that 2.5d going on in the backgrounds, I was pretty impressed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean it's cool. It's just it's a very unique art style, the I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert on Persian archaeology, but the backgrounds are very lush and lavish Mm-hmm, I'd say so. The environments of the game are really cool. It's a nice skin to put on this style a game and then sometimes that's all you need is like I want to play this style a game and the environment that your character is in makes a big difference. So the Mount Coff or whatever is like this cursed mountaintop. You're trying to save the prince. You're not actually the Prince of Persia.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was a big like from my understanding.
Speaker 1:Sure, I mean all the other Prince of Persia. You're always the prince right, Sure, I guess.
Speaker 2:But I'm not that big. I never guess whatever.
Speaker 1:I'm really just pulling from the you know sides curler game we played, where I'm just this little blonde white boy just platforming along, so I've never cared. But the story in the atmosphere are really cool. I love the music and I can't tell you that it's like awesome Persian music, but it has tricked me. It sounds cool.
Speaker 2:So that's another thing. I didn't pick this up but just by reading about it around the internet and stuff like cuz, that's another thing where folks are like, well, that's not, like not bangers, I don't really care, but I, my understanding is they did. It's like a nice infusion of some some Persian music, like it's infused into what's going on. So that's like this subtle, like you know. So it's got the flavor which is kind of tight.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like the actors. They did a good job with that. I like just the way they animate things in general on this, so I just, I really like the style. So, moving on to like the big impressions, I've played a solid 17 to 18 hours which I was surprised by. Sometimes it felt like I've been playing forever when I was lost and lumbering around the map, trying to figure something out In true Metroidvania fashion right, this game's interesting, so that's.
Speaker 2:I've put in about 10, 11 hours, so not not as much as I wanted to, but I enjoyed it. All those all that time, man, because it is a, it's a good Metroidvania and I think that you know you kind of nailed it with like the poking around the map, shit, like it, like it does that super well and that's interesting because you have a couple options. They you have that. Ubisoft gave you the option to have a guided path, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like more checkpoints. Yeah, so like it does my pride, but not let me do that. I was like maybe I'll, maybe I'll beat the game on time for the pod. But I was like my pride, I was like this type of game I'm supposed to like look at the map and be like right over there.
Speaker 2:So the maps, good bro, like in the mass, great, different sections and like and they and uh, you know it's everybody that's covered. This game was excellent map design. Everybody that's talked about this game is gonna bring up the screenshot ability that you can do that is sick for my system.
Speaker 1:Like the Xbox small grievance, I open up the map, I look at the picture and then it exits me out of the map. So that's infuriating like that either the switch. Everyone's always complained about the home screen.
Speaker 2:This is very niche thing about to say here, but I've always taken screenshots and just okay on my own, and then through so it's a slightly better version of that system.
Speaker 1:So I felt like I had invented this, and I am willing to take credit for this use of this map skill, because I've been doing this on my own, brilliantly, where I would take a picture of whatever I couldn't get to and then pull up my map and take a picture. So then I'd be because the switch, like yeah the home screen. All that's really fast and like really quick. It's like they still do and I never got it because I was like this is actually my favorite one, you can you can get to these places so fast and I would do that.
Speaker 1:But yeah, you hold down on the d-pad and it takes a screenshot. Essentially, that is laid over your map. So you hover over the icon on your map that you laid there and it shows you Whatever it is that you were stuck at or wanted to return to.
Speaker 2:So that's gnarly. I really like that, for because in true metrobeneiform you would, you know, find something that you can't quite, you can't platform through it or you can't figure it out clearly, tell this is where you need to go.
Speaker 1:But like the yellow, the bricks with the yellow. And or they're not even yellow bricks, but it's like a wall that looks breakable there's well, they're like coming through the wall and you're like I need know what breaks through this wall. Totally, I got that thing and it feels great.
Speaker 2:I think I'm slightly ahead of you on that, so so I've got those pictures too, and it's like that was just kind of a nice note taking type. You know in-game note taking thing that I thought was a great addition to this. Uh, and then I, and then I'll race him once I complete that area, but it's a nice like reminder because you can it's not new to be able to put stamps on something or to like have like you know, uh, metro dread did a really good job of having Different symbols and color codes or whatever, but you always forget, right, there's so much shit going on and um.
Speaker 1:And this notebook gamer.
Speaker 2:But maybe someday I will be this was one too that as I, as I played that map Just like, was so expansive, like it kept surprising me at how big, like, how many different areas there were, like you know, like a very very unique to one another and like we won't get in the story too much because it gets kind of convoluted, it's spoilery and it's not hard to follow. But like I haven't finished.
Speaker 1:And there's that like, as soon as we start explaining it, we sound crazier than we are, so so it's fun to shake going on with it, though I do enjoy that they time is generally cursed on this place. So, some people do some rapid aging. They feel like they've been stuck forever. Some people are like a kid, but they've been stuck doing this thing. They feel like forever. So like time is weird, mistress totally, and I think that comes uh you know the sands of time stuff.
Speaker 2:Probably everybody that's played the that series of games is going to understand or be probably more familiar with those types of things.
Speaker 1:The general rewind they've got a fancy word, but the general rewind of it all and I'm playing these games throughout this hour it's it's a good play because they nail the different elements very well. So, like we said, it's not like this crazy innovative thing, but their combat I think for a metroidvania and it's a hand-to-hand combat for the most part are like swords, melee combat. I think it's really good. It's really sharp. I actually did the tutorials recently that I didn't know were available way earlier and I learned like a bunch of things that I could have been doing smarter about my combats.
Speaker 1:That was kind of funny.
Speaker 2:Is the combat is great in this game and right when I fired it up I actually played the demo. Yeah, I didn't complete the demo, but I like got a flavor of it or whatever. And it was interesting to me because you know I got this on release day or whatever. I pre-ordered it Like a day or two in advance. But uh, you know, yeah, whatever, yeah, I was stoked on it and I wanted to play. But you know it shows up and I fired up and I just tasted the demo and I was so surprised Like the demo was tight in the sense, but I was like a little upset that the the actual game intro and tutorial was better than what the demo gave you.
Speaker 2:Yeah like you know, did a really good job of like laying everything out. So I was surprised. I was like, why didn't they just give us like the beginning.
Speaker 1:I like when they make demos where your save carries right, so I think that would have worked.
Speaker 2:I didn't even look at, I was kind of surprised that they didn't do it that way, because the demo drops you In a little bit further than because it basically the game like lays out some story and does a little tutorial section before it drops you in the Mount Coff or whatever, and the demo just drops you right in Mount Coff. Like it's right at the point where you first like break down the door but you have powers unlocked already and you wouldn't know this. But there's a couple different things like Like the air dash is something you start with it's used extremely like it's.
Speaker 1:The game is built for you, constantly dashing Right.
Speaker 2:So I guess it makes sense that they would give that to you in the demo so that people like know that this is like a big part of this game. Yeah, but it was really hard to me that like I don't know. I was like I just think it would have worked better. But then if they did that like you, probably because it does take you a little bit of time before you get the air dash so like maybe they wanted people to know that that existed or something, yeah the air dash and just dashing in general is very smooth.
Speaker 1:It's a very quick game you have your parries. So you have like the special parries, kind of like Metroid Dread, although not as intense.
Speaker 2:Dude, how are you at parrying? Awful dude, I'm so bad at it. I spam, I spam, dodge.
Speaker 1:I was bad at it in Dread, too, any game that you're supposed to parry. I just don't have the thoughtfulness and patience.
Speaker 2:And it does a color coded thing too. Yeah, which is red? You have to, you have to like it's a very player friendly game. It is yeah. And the yellow, the yellow signals like if you're being attacked and like the attack looks yellow, that signals that you can parry and you have to time it right and it does a really cool cut scene type thing where you kill or a huge chunk of their house, exactly. Which is dope, but my timing is always so off with it.
Speaker 1:I tightened up. So I'm playing on the series X and I have an elite controller or whatever, so I actually tightened up the left trigger. Oh nice, yeah, because during one of the boss fights I was not hitting it, because I was too fast on it. Or maybe not fast enough, but I just needed to like right there. So that's really cool. The combat is fast, fluid, I'd say. As you get different platforming abilities in the game, it's really cool how the combat integrates those as well, right, I?
Speaker 1:think there's the one where you do the rewind thing, where you place like a shell yourself zip back to that and you do this attack, or twice or whatever. Yeah, and I was like I never would have thought of that, which is why you should really do those stupid story. I'll still understand some of the hidden moves, but like, and then, once I did that, I unlocked more of a dance which brings, you know, the game's got, it's got the bones of it all the way back from 1989.
Speaker 1:Those, sword fights were actually low key, kind of intense. So it's tight there and when you're jumping over giant spikes you're like hell, yeah, some things never.
Speaker 2:But that's a there's those big, like it's just common platforming those big blades or whatever. They swing back and forth you're buying to be the chompers.
Speaker 1:I really I was really bummed, so we can transition this to like talking about the platform.
Speaker 2:Let me say one thing about the combat real quick, sure Dude. The combat super slick to begin with. You can more or less button hack your way through fights or whatever.
Speaker 1:Very fast, or you know, like figure out what works for you.
Speaker 2:But what I think is really cool about this game and what elevates that combat, is that it has not only taken that metrophania like flavor, but with the combat it's infused like fighting game stuff, like the combos you can do, yeah, like, if you're the type of person that loves fighting games, I think you're going to love the combat in this game because you can hit those combos for really cool threads of like oh shit, and that's another thing. With that, toriel will help teach you I'm very not great at it, but sometimes you get the fucking baddies you like.
Speaker 2:you can do the upswing, get them juggle in, jump up like shoot them with an arrow, like hit them a couple of extra times. If you're doing the combo correctly, it's pretty dope, dude.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but yeah, yeah, no for sure. And the abilities once again play into that. The platforming is tight. It's actually last night was the first time that it's like hit me with the platforming assist thing and I was like fuck you. Oh, yeah, so how does that even work? I'm not sure, because I have too much pride and I didn't take it up on its I've never seen that problem, but I had heard I had you know as far.
Speaker 1:Maybe another seven hours I might say, right, no, I had heard in a pod that someone was just like sick of the platforming at some point because he wanted to beat it before a deadline and he flipped that on there and he was actually breezing through stuff and he was he was grateful for that.
Speaker 2:But I think the platform, life, that kind of shit like I, or the accessibility options, I think it's cool.
Speaker 1:It's cool if you're just like hey man, I want to see some other stuff.
Speaker 2:But, like.
Speaker 1:That being said, you will stumble upon a lot of areas that are clearly platforming challenge sections of small, different rewards and you have different upgrades all over the map.
Speaker 2:Hark's back to some less for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I dig those, although, Celeste, you get the strawberry and you're like, yay, and it's too hard.
Speaker 2:Dude, some of the shit is like, I don't know, I may be a little bit more, but maybe a little bit more rewarding than a strawberry. Definitely more rewarding because you can use it as strawberries like a pride thing, yeah, um. But, dude, like you know, you'll get like a Xerces coin or something which I realize you can use for some pretty powerful items and stuff later on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, for a while. It is like pride slash.
Speaker 2:This is going to pay off later.
Speaker 1:You jump over giant spikes and those. I really want to run through some choppers, though I'm like really bummed Dude, the closest thing is, I feel like the choppers are those swinging axes. I thought of that. Yeah, but, but.
Speaker 2:I do feel like, if they don't and granted, I haven't rolled credit so it could show up at some point I don't feel like a wheel, but like those fucking choppers I'd love to see them Like. That would be a really cool thing to sprinkle in this game. The motto we saw my failure Like why'd?
Speaker 1:you got me on your fucking brainstorming table. Yeah right, Hire me. You already stole my idea about the screenshots.
Speaker 2:I talked about earlier.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it. The platforming is also extremely solid in its own right. So it's like a different element of this game, where you have the combat and the platforming is combat platform and that's actually mentioned Duh, but it's very solid, made like.
Speaker 2:That's what kind of. Also gave me that Celeste flavor and Celeste top tier platformer like one of the best, and this one like and that's I think you mentioned earlier, but this one did like Ubisoft did their fucking homework, dude they're definitely fans of games.
Speaker 1:I think that's the good way. I'd put it Like some people would be like copying this. I'm like no, they just like know what works in these games.
Speaker 2:It's a refinement and that was like that was like a knock that I was reading someone's like comments on Reddit or whatever, and they're like. They're like you can tell that you know Ubisoft, just like you know, took all this shit. Like they were saying that maybe this game could have been better if it was built in. I see what they're saying, Like the idea of like if a smaller studio or like an indie studio put this game together, like we would maybe see more innovation or more, like it would like bring it to that next level, and I think that's a fair statement. But at the same time, like I don't think we can heart, I don't think we can wrap on Ubisoft too heavily for the fact that they like cherry pick some of the best fucking things from existing Metro Ivania is and put it into this game.
Speaker 1:Metro Ivania itself is like a callback homage to games of a different era. So you're making a 2.5 D game in this era. So like I'm just like, you're just giving people like a nice cheeseburger.
Speaker 1:You don't have to reinvent cheeseburgers every time, like sometimes they have some of the goofiest. I like a weird burger, yeah, but like sometimes I'm looking at stuff and I'm like that actually doesn't sound good on my burger. No, it sounds good as like you just hit these main ingredients but you give me a really good beef and really good cheese and a really good bun, instead of like I got three meat patties, yeah, dog Little.
Speaker 2:Promo from the Minnesota folks hit up Brunson's pub in St Paul. Okay, good, good burger program there One of those things though, dude, like I'm always like you know, kind of to your burger, to your burger analogy, I fucking like I'll get to what the people came here Fucking.
Speaker 1:tell me how you're feeling.
Speaker 2:I'll fuck with, like you know, the bandito or, like you know, the the. No pain, no gain. Like I said, little Brunson's pub promo here, but here's the deal, man, I wouldn't. I would never really fuck with the classic double right Cause I'm like, whatever, it's a classic double, it's fine, Like you know. I had there dude, it's good, had it. It's fire, Like I mean, I've had it before too, but like sometimes this back to your fucking analogy sometimes you just want that classic double bro.
Speaker 1:Like good ass, classic double in a less classy thing. Or example Sometimes a McDonald's double cheeseburger is just too thin, shitty little. Delightful patties, man.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:Um different hot take. I no longer like jalapenos on my burgers very much. Oh, all right, all right, um, I like spice. It's just jalapenos. Don't give me this awesome spice flavor combo that I want on my burger.
Speaker 2:I'd rather go down different venues. See, I like jalapeno, so pickled ones, not raw ones.
Speaker 1:Sometimes they do raw ones. I'm like that was a huge mistake, but like a pickle, pickled jalapeno not a clown, it's just preference.
Speaker 2:I'm not saying it's bad results. I'll talk to you. Are we getting pretty off topic here, bro?
Speaker 1:I suppose a nice wide array of enemies yes that require you to do different things that you will find their tells mm-hmm. Sometimes they kick your ass for a little bit and then you kind of figure it out and that's not unique or new to them either, but that each region seems to have some different sets of enemies. So it just I bring it up because it keeps things fresh and the boss battles to are like a nice epic Set piece another way, another thing about this game.
Speaker 2:You know where we were talking about. How did it work in the original pop? When you died, did you go all the way to the beginning? Did they start you off? Like I'm trying to?
Speaker 1:remember levels had checkpoints, okay, but no, you have a life count or any like. There's like a timer.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1:You had 60 minutes to beat that game and then in the 3d games, I'm pretty sure there's like a narrative style to it where the person's like telling the story of it after the point. So when you die, it rewinds, it goes no that's not quite how it went. Oh interesting, that's pretty cool, yeah, fine.
Speaker 2:I bring this up because I think this game does a really good job, similar to how dread did a Metroid dread and probably some other new-age Metrovanias. But when you and I bring this up because you mentioned the enemies, and some of the enemies are pretty tough until you figure out, like, what works to beat them, so when you die it brings you back to we haven't mentioned them yet, but there are these trees. What are the trees called? Again, you remember?
Speaker 1:No, that's like the campfire or the bench Totally depending on what game you're playing the Metroid tubes, I don't know what you call it.
Speaker 2:So, as you progress through this map, you run of these trees and you it's basically like checkpoints in a way. You can also, like you know, the ability badges.
Speaker 1:That you're just about to say before I cut you off. Yeah, yeah, that's definitely a Hollow Knight thing.
Speaker 2:It's like other deals. That's a hundred percent a Hollow Knight thing, so that's, that's a big thing.
Speaker 1:I think it's cool and it changes how you know it makes it.
Speaker 2:It adds like an RPG level to it, or layer of, rather. Which ones do you do who? I do the? So I added the one that gives you like a half your health bar when you die. So that one's nice, I do the one.
Speaker 1:Now, what's that? Yes, small health bar.
Speaker 2:You talk about me like is that a personal dig or is that like just a reference on the game Cuz you as you go through you on?
Speaker 1:the flower petals? Well, I was. Yeah, the pieces of heart for sure.
Speaker 2:But no, my heart bars alright, do, but I also use the one that gives you the health bar boost.
Speaker 2:So when you go to those, yeah, so when you go to the trees or whatever you can, it gives you like an extra. I don't know, maybe third, cuz I've like upgraded a couple times. So it's a nice boosty like little that, which is great for bosses, but it's nice. So you've got the ambulance that you bring up, but if you die it will bring you back to the last tree that you checked in it annoyingly here. Although when you die at a boss it gives you the option to restart at that boss, which?
Speaker 1:I which is happening.
Speaker 2:I tried, did that right, dreaded up, yeah, yeah yeah, and I love that and dread and in this it's really nice, although it doesn't give you that Health bar boost. So if you choose to go back to the tree, it will give you the health bar boost, which I prefer, because it's usually a bit pretty short, like usually they got a tree pretty not? It's not too much traversing to get back to that boss, so I'll very prayer Gotta cut this bear prairie from a.
Speaker 1:Very player friendly game.
Speaker 2:It is, which I think is cool man Like it's funny. I appreciate it yeah it's funny we're you know we are kind of teasing this with the quality not quality life, but the accessibility features. I love that they put them in there, but I'm also the type of the gamer that's like I'm not gonna use it though.
Speaker 1:Until I do like.
Speaker 2:I wasn't gonna. You did use that thing. You say no, I didn't. Oh word, Okay.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to think of if I actually looked anything up in this game yet, or if I've just been like really just like holding onto my phone, being like am I about to look up where to go? I Think for one bonus thing I did and then. Cuz. Like a lot of times there's a weird pride thing where you're like I don't want to cheat it.
Speaker 2:I, because that's part of the game. It's like with Celeste, you know. It's like you're like, oh, I'm gonna fucking. You know, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna feel great about it.
Speaker 1:It's less if it was an option Dude.
Speaker 2:I think that, like for, because and I think that's a you take a shot for every time we say Metroidvania.
Speaker 2:But I think that like it is a Metroidvania right, and I think a good Metroidvania dude is like. Part of that experience is you're meant to be exploring and I know that there's a urge. Especially and this is a reoccurring theme on the pod is just this, this like infinite amount of games that we have today. But you know, like this, I I think that you're really gonna enjoy that. You truly are really gonna enjoy Metroidvania. If you like, just give in to the exploration of it.
Speaker 1:That's when it really sings and I'll say that it's less obscure than Metroids newer, old, where you like what. I didn't drop a bomb on the One ever so slightly different gray scale block, like that's bullshit, right. I haven't been mad about anything Struggled, but I haven't, like ever, been like too upset sure, sure, sure.
Speaker 2:So yeah, and I and I just bring it up because, like I do think that there's a player that and even me and you, you know, you just mentioned to that like it'd be nice to push through, like I think there's that idea and a lot of folks just want to push through to the end of the credits, and that's fine, and I think that that I think having those accessibility features to allow folks to do that is cool, and I think that is cool that you have the opportunity to turn them on or not. I'm just a type of player that I'm like I'm gonna fucking and and I think, once I let go of the fact that, like this month, I wasn't gonna be able to get to the credits, I was like, okay, instead of plowing through this, just enjoy. Like there's a part of the map that I can see is Because you talked to that little girl and she'll, like you can buy a map off of her 30 bucks and hence I enhance, which is like I like both Yep.
Speaker 2:But so like, as you traverse through the map, though it like illuminates, that section show be shaded so you can tell if you've been somewhere or not.
Speaker 1:So I have a little icons left behind, really like don't know what this right to get past this.
Speaker 2:But I know something and that's something I love about metrovanias is I will a metrovanias that does as well. For me Is like when you can look at the map and I think met dread did the pretty good job of this too but when you can look at the map and you can see, okay, I haven't been there yet I'm gonna go poke around that area and see what's up.
Speaker 2:Yeah even though I know that I'm supposed to be headed somewhere else, I'm like but I kind of want to see what's going on over here right now.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, and the maps interconnectivity works in your favor. There's definitely times where I like did this huge section and then all of a sudden I like beat this little mini boss thing and I'm like this is where I'm supposed to be. And then, like some prize shows up, I'm like, oh, that was for fun. See, that's tight.
Speaker 2:It's fun too and the you know that in the discord you were like I thought that we were kind of neck and neck, but you're a little ahead of me. Because then I realized and this is, I think, another element of it being a good metroidvania I take a shot, but is that you can kind of choose, you know you don't have to, even though that I think you said earlier like and I think I've seen this on the internet there one Drawback that some folks have, or one qualm that that folks have, is that it pushes you through the like it's a little too linear. But that wasn't our experience, dude, because I thought, you know, you're in an area that I was like, oh yeah, dude, we're like pretty much neck and neck, but then I realized that you did like something out of order than from me and I was like, oh shit.
Speaker 1:That's when you have to get the two feathers right. And you were getting your first feathers was my second. So I suppose, yeah, they have moments like that where you can go in a few directions. So it's still relatively linear, but in a good there's enough.
Speaker 2:I think there's enough.
Speaker 1:Exploration design, silent and the war points are pretty generous between. I'm glad you brought those up to sections. So those are convenient, do you?
Speaker 2:think I thought that was another thing that I think early on some folks are like Complaining a little bit about how there's not enough war points, but I think they're like I think there's enough.
Speaker 1:Well, you want to. You want to get good at mastering the world and like the little obstacles right, breezing through them, so like when you're lost, I can see the frustration of like Sometimes I'm pulling up my map or like I'm trying to get to this point on the map and I have to go from left all the way to the right and I'm like, okay, so if I go through that entrance, it actually leads me in this other area. So I'm pulling up the map like every 10 seconds. That actually is frustrating. So I can get that. But you also want people to go through. Like getting around and moving is a huge part of the platforming Experience of this game. So like that's how you're supposed to do it, man, sure, and the environments are really cool. So like just take a moment and look at how cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, was it with the, the catacombs or something I was like legitimately creeped out?
Speaker 1:I hate those dude, that one guy that, like you, the old man or whatever which one you talk about a few ones. Dude, there's one that like sucks your soul.
Speaker 2:Oh, that meant the gate key, dude or whatever. He's got the big staff.
Speaker 1:You can beat him.
Speaker 2:He's like one of mini bosses you get like a cool key from. Oh, you beat him nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you have to. You have to switch dimensions, so I thought you could beat him beforehand and then when he yeah, I've tried it on a knee and you're like what's going on? You gotta switch the other dimension and beat his ass over there and that's how you end up actually beating him finally.
Speaker 2:Okay, you have a confrontation.
Speaker 1:It's designed, yeah. No, it's like this other guy where he does this swipe attack at you. It's kind of like a ghost thing in those little sewer disease archives area. It goes down your throat or something and then most of your health, all of your health except for one bar, is taken away until you heal at a tree.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like you can't regenerate it. Oh, that's rough, so I'm surprised you haven't run into him. He fucking sucks. I might have ran away from him, because it's solid, because you can beat him and it's not like a huge reward for it. It's just he has this one move that you can't block. So if you're preparing to block or you dodged the wrong direction, like he gets you and then you're kind of stuck with him because he basically has a parasite on you.
Speaker 2:Interesting.
Speaker 1:So, going back to the enemies and the bosses being cool, fun designs, things that they saw in other games like Metroid, dread, I'd say the bosses are very theatrical.
Speaker 2:They are man Not as grinding as?
Speaker 1:like Hollow Knight bosses, where you really like mastering yeah, I have no reference there. Well, it's like the same thing with Metroid bosses, where you kind of have to master their flow and know when their attacks are coming and how to dodge. This game is similar to that too, although there's some liberalness as far as like when you get your attacks in the windows.
Speaker 2:We've been dropping the word metrobania a lot dude. So get ready, you ready for this? Souls like yeah, so the souls like.
Speaker 1:Metroidvania thing is like a Hollow Knight.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly so I do think that that's you know they toned it down, though, for sure. And that's what's interesting, dude too, because as I've kind of been reading about this game and like just kind of getting a flavor for what other people are saying about it, that is another thing that some folks are like, oh, the bosses are too easy. Well, good for you, because I don't think any of the boxes that I bought were too easy.
Speaker 1:There's one or two. I got on the first or second try, but there's some others where I was.
Speaker 2:I had a fist bump, I'd be the first boss like, yeah, I didn't die, but like dude, I'm not trying to fucking get game overs on like, or you know, to die like on all my bosses. Like there's something like a couple of times Sure Dread, I think like walk that line really good, Whereas like there were some that were infuriating and I think this one's close on that.
Speaker 1:This one's more accessible. Like all the other things, like Dread, some of the ones, towards the end I was like, oh, they're pretty hard yeah pretty good when you beat them though.
Speaker 2:And I think they saw the likes. So, like lovers, like I get it, like I understand that that's a, that's a vibe, that's what you're going for, and you do feel fucking like a beast when you take down a boss like that.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and some of us just aren't good at parrying and we just spam dodge, so we end up losing a lot of battles, some downsides, some things that weren't the greatest. There's just always the moments where you want to quit and play something easier, because you're tired of being lost and not knowing what to do. And I see you, I actually saw this this morning and I was mildly annoyed, so it's funny it got in the update or not the, but the outline is that that Ubisoft price system.
Speaker 1:It was 50 bucks on release, which was a nice price point. Probably should have been like 40 or what it is now 30 for a little bit. They're the worst man. So people get mad at Nintendo for never dropping their prices, but they're like no, this is a premium product, you pay a price. Ubisoft is the biggest slut in the game. I almost never buy one of their new games, because it's like it's like waiting till Thanksgiving to buy mad and I'm like still plenty of plenty of season time.
Speaker 2:but shout out to the homie Ryan and the list off pod. But he made this comment, I think, in his discord or something, but about this game he was like, or maybe he said it on his podcast, but basically he was like I'm super interested in this game but I'm not going to buy it out the gate because it's Ubisoft and it will be 50% off within like X amount of months.
Speaker 1:I haven't bought the newest success and screen. I mean it's already 40% off. I'm waiting for it to get a slightly higher because I have other games to play. But I was interested in Mirage, but I will wait.
Speaker 2:I want to fuck with Mirage too, and so that one I want to do now, want to fuck with a little less so, because I'm not. I don't want like the full on, like open world, but the avatar game looks it's supposed to be pretty cool too. That's also like they're doing an Ubisoft sale right now, dude. So this game, those games, are like 40% off, which is dope. I typically will take like a 50% off threshold, like once something is 50 or more. I'm like all right, send it. But you can almost guarantee that a Ubisoft game is going to go 40 to like 80% off within the first year of being released. And this game is two months old and like here's the deal. I know sales weren't great, but it's like just release your game for fucking $30 at the beginning.
Speaker 1:I mean, they got us so jokes on you.
Speaker 2:Well, that's. I mean maybe, maybe.
Speaker 1:It's interesting because when I you know who would I recommend this game to. When I talked to people about it, they're like generally they hear Ubisoft, they might hear the IP of Prince of Persia, and they're generally not super interested, which I find frustrating because I want to share this game, because it's fun, cool, so at least when it's 30 months it's like much easier to be like dude, I promise you. It's like 20 to 30 hours long, so like although maybe that's a hang up, maybe people don't want it to be that long, but it's like it's a long game. It's like it's a meaty game. I shouldn't say it's a long game, it's a meaty, it's appropriately length.
Speaker 2:And you could probably streamline it if you put on those checkpoints.
Speaker 1:So like right now at 30, I would say a lot of. If you like any Metroid game or if you like Tallow Knight, it's such an easy recommendation. If the whole 2D thing and you're just an open world boy, that's okay. You ready for this hot take what's up.
Speaker 2:Top 5 Metroidvania.
Speaker 1:I'd have to do a lot of research One of my top 5 Metroidvanias because I haven't played a ton you do realize that all my ratings are based off my personal experience and everything's in your top five.
Speaker 2:That's an old joke for sure.
Speaker 1:Anybody else, that any other downsides or any other recommendations.
Speaker 2:Dude, not just truly the price system that Ubisoft rolls out. Ubisoft's got some ill will in the gaming community and I think it's like somewhat deserved, you know it's like they're too corporate.
Speaker 1:I think you're right. It's like all the big corporations generally have a bad rep.
Speaker 2:Right, they make a money hand over fist, that's just it. So you know you do you Ubisoft, but fuck man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm glad that they I wanted to play this, like, similar to a lot of people felt the pressure to play Dread because they're like we need to show Nintendo that Dread is a pro or Metroid is a profitable franchise. It feels the same for me for this. So I just think that Metroidvania is a little bit more niche, but it's like kind of a critic darling versus like you know most people playing like Call of Duty and like you know your different fortnites and things like that.
Speaker 1:So the part of the market share pie that ends up with this style of game is unfortunately slim. So I just like that they made a really cool, polished game. I don't need another one from them particularly soon because this one is really cool, but I like that they took a stab in like an old genre that's kind of harkens back to its roots. I just think that it was a great idea to make and I think the execution was sick.
Speaker 2:I agree 100%, man. I'm glad they did it. My hope like for the cartoon, by the way, it would you're right, the story is cool, the art's cool.
Speaker 1:I think it'd make a good like little cartoon series on Netflix.
Speaker 2:You know, just don't cast what's his name is the as the lead Jack Jones bring?
Speaker 1:him back, brother, bring him back.
Speaker 2:I can dig it. No, man, I would recommend this to anybody that likes Metro Benias platformers. I think this is a super silky platformer. I mentioned earlier the fight system like reminds me of fighting game. So if you're like, if you like fighting games and are you know like, I think that that's that's another plus for this game. So like, if any of those things sound sexy to you, like send it. Send it for 30 bucks, wait another year and send it for probably 20.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 20 bucks. I'll probably actually send out some texts, but right now, if this sounded cool to you, we recommend it for sure. A lot of solid parts went into it. There's not like a huge glaring week issue, it's just like overall, like really solid, right on.
Speaker 2:Well, with that man, you want to take a little break here from our unsanctioned sponsor and then come back with some side question.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir.
Speaker 2:My dude unsanctioned sponsor, memoriam, memoriam. This one's hard for me. I'm probably going to have to add out a bunch of tears and crying. Uh, how many of you may know. I don't know if I can do this, but I want to. I lost my boy, murphy, and I just want to shout him out. He's my dog, like my actual, real dog, and I know we got some listeners that the chicken on Murphy from from time to time. Oh, this is pretty vulnerable. I'm not like not sure about putting this on the internet.
Speaker 1:You could also come back later when it's less.
Speaker 2:That's true, but I'm just going to try again.
Speaker 1:I just think of boobs, I'm sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dude, this isn't a, this isn't a fun and sanctioned sponsor for me. But you know, I just said Memoriam, like you said, and I just want to shout out my boy, murph. You know a lot of listeners know about Murph and know that he means a lot to me and we lost Murph to cancer, bro, and uh, yeah, don't mean to be crying on the internet and stuff, but you know I just want to uh, to shout him out and let him know that I love him and I know he knows that. But you know, just let all you guys know that you know guys and girls and shit and whatever the fuck. If you got pets, give him some love. You know, if you got a dog, oh, sniff its butt for Murph.
Speaker 2:I don't fully sanction that, but I don't just play, but uh, it's hard man, cancer sucks, cancer got Murph and uh you know, sorry for not making this one a fun and sanctioned sponsor for you guys, but, like I said, I just wanted to, uh, just want to let people know that we lost Murph and uh, time is precious, pets are precious and uh, yeah, man, uh he was, he was always there, he's, he's there for a lot of my editing sessions, a lot of my gaming sessions.
Speaker 1:He was barking at us, our first ever recorded attempted up.
Speaker 2:So that's true, man On the loose, it's true, and uh, you know, I just wanted to have this opportunity to. Yeah, just, I love Murph, he was there. He was there unofficially helping me bring you all low five gaming.
Speaker 1:So to the goodest of boys to the goodest of boys.
Speaker 2:We'll keep this one short, unless you put you on a spot.
Speaker 1:You want to say something about Murph with Murph and turf was a was a good boy. It's good. It's good to my homie, winston. You know it was fun watching them grow up and rattle around and do the most. So, uh, you do. You do very much love your dog so I know it was tough for you, buddy.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, but you know, he's good as a boy.
Speaker 1:He was the, the goodest of boys man.
Speaker 2:But uh, yeah, yeah much loved you all and, like I said, a lot of you do check in on me on how Murph's doing and shit, and I just want to put out there that we did lose Murph and I haven't really talked about his struggles in the last few months but he had nasal cancer and cancer is tough. So here's to all I love, to all of you all, to the pets out there and uh, you know, and fuck cancer.
Speaker 1:Fuck cancer forever, dude. All right to the goodest of boys sidequesting. I was just starting, dave the diver.
Speaker 2:Hold on, you got some sidequests bro, so many sidequests.
Speaker 1:I haven't cashed them in yet, though I've left a lot of them banked, that's all right, not finishing the sidequests.
Speaker 2:We didn't even talk about sidequests in person, but they got sidequests.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they do and they're cool. I forget about them because the way you play that game is just kind of flowing around. So, sometimes I meet the objectives and other times I'm like.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I need to collect those moon pieces with that psychopath, dave, the diver dude, on my little trip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, was just starting to play. It was the steamy D on the plane was sick dude and in the hotel room bad.
Speaker 2:Did you plug it in? Or how'd you do on the?
Speaker 1:dude, no outlets on Sky West, was you know, was the Sky West? Or as a song country, whoever it was, I was like meh, like they had a USB to even charge my phone. So I was like oh, man, I couldn't even charge my phone, but anyway, it was sick to play on the plane. I was immediately grabbed. I can see why some people get burnt out 10 to 15 hours in. That's kind of where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2:I'm Dave the diver.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's introducing a lot of these different small concepts and like there's like a good news throughout. There's, like I'm pretty far in dude and they're like and this is the farm system, so they do a good job of like bringing you in Um, but it was crazy and I've, you know, had some sidebar conversations with folk like my favorite part of the game is like getting the fish to return up to your restaurant and then doing the little restaurant sim.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And pretty quickly the restaurant sim becomes pretty easy and not as big of a focus as I would like. So like if they ever make a second one or if they can. Someone makes a game like that and it's just more fleshed out of the way that you like run the restaurant. I actually found that in grossing and I liked finding the different like specialty sushi's and dishes to prepare for specific clients or parties. I always get a big thrill out of those money bonuses and like seeing your, your, uh, your book sheet or whatever you fancy economic terms for your uh, your, your, being niche. I like that game a lot. So, dave the diver, um one of last year's darlings, we're not. Um, one of those pods that gets through tons of games throughout the year. Helps that we're not ever used to.
Speaker 1:This is true. This is true, probably definitely more than the average gamer. But like, not like we're staying. You know we're not working out like an official site, so we're not playing every game as it comes out before like award season. Even so, like this was like last year's huge um, controversially indie, darling, um. So I just think this game is really cool. I very much enjoyed it. The humor, the animation, it's a, it's an absolute delight and it goes on sale a lot. And they've done like DLC themed packs with a Godzilla and I'm super excited for the cool crossover DLC.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I'm going to have to buy or figure out the dredge thing when I'm far enough in this game, cause dredge was probably my favorite game of last year. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So the fact that they're holding hands, doing a little high five thing here would be really cool. Small update on Majora's mask Me being lost in that temple, in my opinion, was not my fault and I'm really annoyed by it. I finally, after way too much poking around, looked it up on line and then what I had to do was something that like there's this room, yeah, you flip the temple over and there's like these two flowers and you use a flower to jump across and use your Diku, deku, whatever. And then there's just two like door window sill things and like I tried to float up into one and then I walked in. The animation cut so clearly I wasn't supposed to go over there, so I never did the one across the room.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And that's where I was supposed to go next to like unlock the whatever next piece of the map and like blah blah. And that was really triggering for me because I was like I had the idea it's just it wouldn't let me go anywhere over there. So I just assumed it was cosmetic over there too and I was like that's stupid. Um, and as always I didn't write it on the outline, but I'm now doing the Vikings in Madden. Oh, weird word and charting our future.
Speaker 2:You finished with George Mastow. No still plugging away.
Speaker 1:I was going to like bully you and doing it some more and, uh, I know I got the big boss fight ahead of me.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I always get a little bit of a pre big boss fight anxiety. Sure. Uh not wanting to finish things. It's also like this might be harder than I want it to be.
Speaker 2:Think you know it's probably not. So you're right up then to the I think.
Speaker 1:So I've finished the last uh temple, so I think what you do from there is you just confront him on the third day.
Speaker 2:For right now. Yeah, uh, that's cool man, yeah, so I haven't plugged a, I haven't like gone super far. Like early on in the month I played a little bit more off the uh, off the pod crunch and that was nice. It was like I think that with the Zelda thing, dude, like it's just one of those games similar we're saying about metrophanias is just like. I love this. This is kind of more relaxed, like traversing the map and trying to figure things out and not trying to rush through it.
Speaker 2:Uh, so I also have not beat it, but I'm going to keep plugging at it.
Speaker 1:How about your games?
Speaker 2:You still suck at 2k. Dude, we could I don't know, I would show you what's up. I probably ball all over you in 2k. I'm just going to say spend some years by still die.
Speaker 1:That muscle memory probably comes back way too fast for me.
Speaker 2:Doug, I got my season going with the tea pups. They are unstoppable. I actually did lose a couple of games, though my undefeated streak is over, but I'm past the all star break.
Speaker 1:Uh well, I did a shortened season, so I mean it's like the first time in life that, like virtual timbre was doing good, and it's not like a lie.
Speaker 2:I know it's great, it's so great.
Speaker 1:That's an interesting sensation.
Speaker 2:It's been a lot of fun. Man cause I don't have any channels to look, I don't have the access to watch tea pups games. So I like I watch all the highlights on social media and I like follow the box stores and I check in to see if they want or not. Sometimes I'll be walking around. When I'd walk Murphy around, dude, I'd walk past a little restaurant by my house that has big windows, just press your face against the glad bar. I mean, I've been given my score updates by there and shit.
Speaker 1:Howl motherfuckers.
Speaker 2:But yeah, man, I haven't uh. Early on in the month I didn't play a bunch of 2k, I was uh, but then I kind of just needed that. I needed that soul food, man.
Speaker 1:I needed just to do some bed job and play a little 2k and sports simulations are too comfortable to sleep Totally.
Speaker 2:Totally, and CAA is coming out in the fall and, like bro, we might have to do our first like official sports podcast. Yeah, Uh, that'd be fun, man, that's uh, there's some controversy around that. What are they offering players like 600 bucks and a copy of the game Dude?
Speaker 1:that's fine for me, dude In college, if you were like hey Luke you're $600 and a copy of this game you're going to buy anyway. I would have been like dude and I'm in the game, let's go, fucking cool dude. So like yeah, there's some players, that's a ripoff too. But like, yeah, for the golden gophers. I had a student that we taught at my school. That's actually on the gophers and I kind of want to see if he's in the game because there's no way he wouldn't opt in.
Speaker 1:So I want to see how far that there's like one person I know of that didn't opt in, and it's like Peyton Manning's right.
Speaker 2:They made the main headlines.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but 2k, 2k dude.
Speaker 2:I've been playing some 2k. I'm just one game away from the playoffs. The world's definitely made the playoffs. I'm excited to do that. I'll probably do three game series, so I'll keep plugging away. Give me, give me that championship, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Just like in real life.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, the other game that I've been falling into. His risk of rain too, so it's a game I had on switch, but I never put too much time into risk of game. I used to like, really like risk of I make you buy that. No, it was this one that I got on a cheap sale on for physical and I was like I'll scooped it. I think you maybe recommended it.
Speaker 1:I like had my buddy Tyler be to play it and then like a weekend went by and he was better than me at it. He was trying to play out like do not fucking stuff, all right, dude.
Speaker 2:So him and my buddy Carter got like super good at it.
Speaker 1:And dude, if you're down, I was like basically playing like the little brother with an unplugged controller. He's dying all the time.
Speaker 2:Oh, dude, it's tough man, but it's fun.
Speaker 1:It's a good game. It's a really good loop.
Speaker 2:I used to like the. I used to like risk of rain, one better and I'd play. I played a decent chunk of that, but now I homie, hook this one up. So shout out to Donnie Thanks, donnie. So I've been playing.
Speaker 1:I've been playing dude because I had it on.
Speaker 2:But I had it on switch dude. I never got super into it and but he looked it up on steam and this is one of those games that's easy. I'm like I don't know, I'm just like play a little risk of rain right now. Risk rain too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you suck it's like 10 to 15 minutes. The problem is, when you're good, you're just like an hour long.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fair enough, and I do kind of suck. I've gotten, like you know, I've probably put in maybe five ish hours to it, maybe a little less than that actually, to be honest, and I can like get about three levels deep, but I haven't unlocked any good characters yet, like in that kind of shit and that's uh, and I'm playing solo dude. I think it'd be super fun to like link up and play with some folks.
Speaker 1:It is, unless they're way better than you like, tyler fair enough.
Speaker 2:Well, we should link up, bro, those nerds Speaking of like fucking Service games or whatever or whatever you want to call these like games you play with folks. I did end up getting hell divers to and I've dabbled in a little bit but I've got a. I gotta like do some of my computer. My computer's a beast but there's. I've got some settings like f'd up with it. Where it's it's not playing as the gameplay itself isn't being as smooth as it Should be. So that has deterred me from putting any more time into it. But it's cool, man. It's not the type of game like. I don't do a lot of multiplayer gaming, but, uh, you know I want to.
Speaker 1:I want to do some more of this game because you could drop as randoms and it's still your baby Is young too, so like it'd be easier for me and I still struggle with these styles of games, but like a mission's like half an hour, right, right, right.
Speaker 2:You gotta like you gotta like sync up the time with your homies to, unless you're doing random folks. Yeah, so it's like you know. So that's, I've run into that, which I but I know it's cool, man.
Speaker 1:It's cool to be able to taste it and I saw Teeners Resolution to do a game night. Each week and I have not initiated one once.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, let's get it go, let's try it, but, as you know, it'll be, it'll be, we'll get it happening to this is the best of intentions from this lonely game.
Speaker 2:Those are the two, the two games I've been playing the most of outside of Pritzvah Persia. And then another little note for the folks, for the real nerds out there, the the handheld lovers. If you know about the play date, it's this quirky little handheld system that I've maybe talked about before and it's a it's, it's, it's a niche novelty item. Just gonna throw that out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no hesitation with that, like it's fun gear but like dude, totally.
Speaker 2:But it's made by panic and it is. It's cool man, it's it's fun and they have. I recently was like you know what I'm gonna? They about a year ago almost a year ago today they rolled out their catalog. So when it was first released it was on a season pass and every week on that first season they would unveil a new game to you and I thought that was a cool system and, honestly, if they did a season 2 I would sign up because I like how that worked. But what they decided to do and it makes sense is they created their own store. So they have a catalog or whatever, and you can go in there and you can buy their games and they're like, they're not cheap, dude, they're like between two and twelve bucks, which isn't expensive, expensive, but you know it adds up for like quirky little games.
Speaker 1:Yeah, our at the plate most right, so that you know.
Speaker 2:So it's one of those things, and for, like it being a niche little product, I I recommend it to handheld lovers, but like I can't recommend it to like the the normal gamer, you know. But for me it's like an okay. So what I'm driving at, though, is I finally I was like fuck it, I'm gonna buy a couple of these games five bucks a piece or whatever Because they have a shmup section, dude, and you know.
Speaker 1:I move my shmups like I'm not good at them, but I love them.
Speaker 2:I think they're dope. So Space Master and gun trails of Space Master is a horizontal side scrolling shmup and this play date has a shoot them up. Shoot them up, yeah, shoot them up. It's got a crank right, so this play date has a crank and that's kind of its quirky, like weird little thing about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:In this particular game, space Master. It's fun because you have a shield in the shield. When you get hit by bullets goes down, but you can, if you like, take your hand off of the buttons and you crank it up. It recharges your shield, which is like an awkward thing to do in the middle of shmup, because shmups are pretty like there's a lot of shit going on and like to try and like still move your plane around or your spaceship and then hit that crank. It's like. You know, I'm not very good at it, but it's like a fun little thing to do.
Speaker 1:I like to see you just Hunched over this little cute yellow thing and it's freaking out, is yellow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, yeah, yeah. And then a gun trails is the other one, and that's a vertical or a taht or tate, depending on who you speak to, which basically is. You know, I explained the. The first one, space Master, was horizontal. So if you play Nemesis or what I don't know I'm trying to use to you, it's like for the folks that are listening.
Speaker 2:You know, horizontal scrolling, whereas gun trails, is your vertical or taht a mode, and I really like that's my favorite conish mup, is the taht a mode one, but the screen for this is a horizontal screen, and they haven't. I mean, in theory, you could have developed it, so you just like move the thing and, like you know, hold it differently. That doesn't really matter, but the reason I bring it up, though, is because there's a lot going on and, for a small real estate and horizontal, like it's pretty chaotic, but it's also like surprisingly fun. So like I cannot get very far at all, but it's the type of system that you won't. For me, anyways, the way I approach the system, like I only play it for like 15 minutes Pop or whatever, so like if I do maybe like three, four or five runs of that, I'm like that was fun. I suck, I'm not gonna get any further, but it's like you know it was worth my five bucks.
Speaker 1:Well cool man there's a small team behind it too, so fun time but those are the side quests.
Speaker 2:Thanks everybody for joining us for another episode of low five gaming. You can find us on low five gamingcom there's. There's little links for our socials. Join the discord man. Thanks for listening. Y'all so dope. You made it this far big old virtual hug for you. Appreciate it and if this is your first time listening and you thought it was dope, give us a five-star review on your pod catcher of choice. If they give you that ability and if you were like that was garbage, keep it to yourself keep it to yourself, bro, respectfully, respectfully, keep it yourself.
Speaker 1:If you don't like it listen to our first pencil, persian, be like did they get better? Or?
Speaker 2:worse. Indeed, that would be fun. Holoradus, let us know how we did and you can shoot us an email. Everything is on the website. Low five gaming comm. Much love you all pure pure peace bro, peace, peace y Committee.