Low Five Gaming

Jusant

• Studio Low Five • Episode 30

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Luke and Alex Talk Jusant.

Step into the enigmatic world of Jusant, a game that blends action and puzzle elements with a serene yet challenging climbing adventure. Developed by Don't Nod, Jusant offers gamers a unique, meditative journey to the top of a mysterious tower, filled with flora, fauna, and a peaceful soundtrack. Released in 2024, it stands out for its innovative climbing mechanics, breathtaking biomes, and the presence of a guiding creature made of water, Ballast.

Jusant had a Metacritic score of 85 at the time of this recording. According to howlongtobeat.com, completing the main storyline takes about five hours, but with its explorative design and alternative paths, players can delve deeper into the game's mysteries.

Both hosts played on the Xbox Series X via Game Pass. Alex also played some on the Steam Deck.

This episode is unofficially brought to you in part by the three point line.

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Theme music is by AJ Norman. Design assets were created by Studio Day Job.

Low Five Gaming is a Studio Low Five Production.

Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, welcome to low five gaming. I am your favorite host, luke, and here is my cohost and brother, alex. Hello, sir, introduce yourself.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, what up everybody. I am the superior low five host and I said first Thank you for joining us. It's important to the low five experience.

Speaker 1:

We are nothing without each other, says our mother. Anyway, thank you for joining us once again on whatever, the fuck day that you have decided to listen to. Regardless, we are happy to have you. This is our backlog book club and we're happy to have you, man. What's up, we are indeed.

Speaker 2:

you know just, my fingers hurt, my biceps are throbbing. Oh, my climbing gear is dirty. Oh, I was like what. Yeah, I could not.

Speaker 1:

Somebody that fucking towered in, no doubt. So our game is just all our French little climbing game, which is, you know, you make the climber joke. It's funny that you know video games are this window into different worlds. I hate climbing and I hate climbing Specific. I have never liked that gym class Rope not a fan like cool, I get to be fat today. Like basketball complete kickball. Good time, the teacher got that rope out and I was like oh, you're a piece of shit today, dude cool.

Speaker 2:

I'll dox him. Mr Swack was like climbing this rope and I was like you, climb this rope.

Speaker 1:

Mr Swack, he would not climb that rope you once a year once a year a kid got detention or a slap on the wrist for telling because he would like mock kids for not being able to climb this rope. But he had a robust belly, so once you get a kid would be the legend of their class and tell them to get his fat ass upon the rope. But I digress.

Speaker 2:

I like that dude, but I like that, oh shit was not not the kid, because probably to talk about this is all right yeah.

Speaker 1:

So climbing dude not a huge fan Even in games, I find oftentimes is the lame part of the game. So when you make the whole game about said mechanic, is it going to be any good Not to spoil the pod? But yeah, yeah, it's really good.

Speaker 2:

I like that Dude, just to just to get thrown another like some more personal background flavor in this. We were adventuring in Costa Rica. This is my adult life. You were there too, bro, yeah that's true, and venturing venturing in the sense that that's what they call it. When you go out in a little outing and you know the locals bring you around in different places, you do silly stuff, like do it.

Speaker 1:

Zip line was dope.

Speaker 2:

The horses. The horse didn't like me so they didn't bring me another horse. But that's the end of this thing that you would ever do that. They thought I'm a big dude. I'm pretty sure that horse was like what's up with this thick boy?

Speaker 1:

I didn't sign up for this. On the substance, you'd be like dude. I'm two days from retirement.

Speaker 2:

I'm not doing this Dude for real.

Speaker 2:

But the lady to the zip line, all that stuff like this, like I don't know, like the kayaking stuff, money. And then they finished this thing off with a rock climb. And boy, I am not. That is not what I signed up for. I was like I don't. I hate climbing, I'm not afraid of heights, but I'm not like in the heights in my adult life. I'm not going to do without ends. We're climbing this thing. I don't have a lot of experience rock climbing. And good for you If you're a rock climber. You go do that rock climbing shit like power to you.

Speaker 1:

No not for me, not for me. It's a great workout, I'm sure, but I'm not about it, and you will not get us to join your rock climbing cult Intense forearms, like good for you, like that's awesome.

Speaker 2:

But here's the deal, dude, so I'm climbing. I don't really know what I'm doing. I get about. Oh, very key important part of this story is we got lit the night before, dude. Like we woke up early for this thing. I was probably still drunk, had way too much drink prior to and I'm way over exerting myself on the side of this cliff.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it was an all inclusive stay thing for our old brothers wedding. So like, did I get as lit? No, but was I probably in the best condition at any point in time? No, but continue. I'm about to go this way up this thing just dying.

Speaker 2:

I'm like you know what, I'll just fall off the sound care. And then I realized, then I realized I just went limp, kind of like I'm I'm probably you know fourth. I'm almost there, dude, just a little bit away left, and I just didn't have it. I just didn't have it in me and it's like I was there. I was just like you're up, it's there, I'm like nah, dude, I'm done. And then it's like I think then was that a choice.

Speaker 1:

It was a choice wasn't it, Dude it was a choice and I wasn't going to go, cause I just know I wouldn't like it. So Ellie made me do it and she she sprang up that wall like a spider monkey, like it was insulting.

Speaker 2:

She killed it. I mean never heard. No, she flew up that thing.

Speaker 1:

She's like that was fun and like the dudes, they have you on a harness cause they don't want us to fucking die. And they, they help you out a little bit. So they're helping me out a little bit, and then I'm not moving anymore and I was like, hey, a little help. They're like, no, we are. I was like, bro, I'm cooked. Yeah, pull me up. That happened to me too.

Speaker 2:

The last time I was in the car I was like I'm not moving anymore. The last, the last, like fifth of that thing that is, that has hoisted me up there. And you know what I did? I went straight to the bathroom and threw up everywhere I couldn't. I just over excited myself. Not everywhere. I was clean about it, I was very good, but I did do it.

Speaker 1:

I got sick.

Speaker 2:

I was like I couldn't believe it, man.

Speaker 1:

So, now that we have our athletic prowess and prowess out of the way, we are indoor types, we are outdoorsy types, but I just feel like he's not going to catch me climbing anything, dude.

Speaker 2:

That's for Alex. I'm not a good lo-fi, bro. Yeah, sure.

Speaker 1:

That's just. That's just a different level of shit, and God bless you, but I don't have that upper body strength. But you saw, you saw most time. The French word for the receiving tide, I believe.

Speaker 2:

Oh, there you go, good job.

Speaker 1:

They tell you that the first reading it in the game. It's just whether or not you remember it is yeah, okay, okay. But you know the French, the Frenchiness, it is a French slash Canadian studio, don't not? I think they're officially out of France, but I think they're split into Montreal as well.

Speaker 2:

It is a Canadian shout out to our Canadian fans.

Speaker 1:

Hell yeah dude, hell yeah dude. We did this for you guys. All right, it is a climbing adventure explorer simulator and I say that because, like they all drop what they say it is in a second. It's very much a climbing sim. No, not about that. Like, the main mechanic of the game is climbing and the climbing feels and just plays really great it is, it's cool game. It's really that. Explore exploration in the game is really really cool. So I think that was a huge highlight from them. They have a very simple little two sentence deal. They first just say to Sante is a brand new action puzzle climbing game and a meditative journey to the top of a tall tower. Keeping it brief shots out Apparently they're not doing a pot on their own game and then challenge at your own pace, explore different paths and unravel the secrets from a bygone civilization. I didn't know there was different paths and now that I think about it, there's times where I'm supposed to be going over there or over here, and I was like it doesn't matter.

Speaker 1:

And the puzzle is kind of just how are you're interacting with the rock face and yeah, so like if you're thinking I'm not into puzzle games, it's not. It's just a really chill vibey fun, climbing, exploring game.

Speaker 2:

I would say more of a brain teaser than a puzzler. You know, because there are definitely points where you look at the side of the cliff or whatever at the tower that's what they refer to it in the, in the game. You look at the side of this thing. You're like, well, how am I going to get up there? And you got to jump around and try some stuff.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to get over this fight. You don't call a game a fight puzzler, it's just you're fighting a cliff with your rocking equipment. Okay All right, I'm just saying like I just kind of scoffed at the puzzleness but I, like I, love the game, so that's not really I'm just getting into the weeds about my description of what it is.

Speaker 2:

There's some silly stuff that I would say you could. I mean I wouldn't. I wouldn't say it's not a puzzle game. There's some silly things you do, you flip certain switches and we'll get into it later, but you hate the.

Speaker 1:

Tomaster more or the windmill more now. I think, the Tomaster will go down in lo-fi lore as the worst enemy of all enemies. But that windmill had you pretty heated.

Speaker 2:

It did, dude. I almost dropped this game because of the windmill. More on that later you see that fucking tease.

Speaker 1:

We shouldn't be a podcast, we should be a radio show. But anyway, more about don't not? The French studio that came out with this game. They are an independent video game developer and publisher based in Paris and Montreal, creating a powerful and immersive narrative experiences, and they've been around since 2008. So other titles that you may have known this isn't even the most famous game at the life of strange one and two are pretty big cultural games, so that would definitely be the biggest right.

Speaker 1:

Looking at the little like screenshots of the different games, it appears as if they're working in the same engine for a lot of these and the engine is very pretty. They're kind of famous for like the walking sim narrative type game. Is that fair? It is indeed. You know, looking through the website, it's a nice little website here and it's just like they're very much about like gaming impact and like telling emotional stories, and this game delivers on that, although far more subtly so, I guess, to lead us off, why'd you song? You were giving me a lot of hype. It dropped on the game pass. It's probably, you know, the last game I'll play on game pass for a while because I'm dropping it. But game pass. You know we've talked a lot played gris on there. Grease, gris, whatever, I'll still call it gris, grease. Thank a lot of really good like indie games and this is just another one where I just love that they threw this one on there and you were really hype about it. You're really excited.

Speaker 1:

I remember seeing it in the Nintendo Direct or was that in the agnose in the Xbox's little showcase a while ago and I was like that looks like breath of the wild type, shit, I'm into that and I was excited to play it. Since them Came out later. A lot of encouragement for you. And then other media I won't name all the different podcasts I heard it on, but it was at least like three separate Podcasts were like I love this game. So I was like gotta give it a shot, instantly loved it and then, instead of getting caught up in all the other different games I was playing, I was like if I make this the pot of the month, I'm gonna beat it. I'm gonna really be happy about that. And then it's definitely what came true. What drew you, sir, to just salt, other than the fact I made you finish it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I had forgotten about that. But you're right, it was part of that Xbox showcase. So I think that's where I first saw. You know, it was the first time that it was introduced to me and I thought it looked pretty cool then. But it wasn't really on my radar.

Speaker 2:

But the way I kind of approached game pass as often if there's a game that drops that looks kind of interesting, I will stream it like just, you know I won't download it but I'll check it out real quick to see what's going on with it and this one was really charming, dude, it was. It's chill, dude. There's parts that can be frustrating, but the whole climbing thing was it they, they really it really did feel the way that they. They're short explanation, you know that's kind of meditative, you're kind of just making your way through. It was a nice for me. It was a nice back burner game.

Speaker 2:

You know, it was a nice game to have going on with the other stuff I was doing at the time, just play little spurts of it, and I was like, dude, you got check this out. This is I did not think. You know, we just told our stories about how shitty climbing is. So I didn't think that that you know I'd be super into a climbing sim, but this one's just done in such a way that it had just enough going on with it where I was. Like you know, this game is pretty tight, like you got to check this out. I'm glad that we did.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's like the landscapes are incredibly pretty and the environment is pretty, incredibly pretty and, like the, the world building is really cool. Like this a bit. You're like you're in this tower in the desert and you're slowly climbing up this tower and it's like pretty clear that the tower has been Abandoned and as you go up, like people lived on different Levels of it and the whole Jusant is like a receding tide, as previously briefly mentioned. But People would live in different areas of the tower up and down depending on how high the tide was, so like you're seeing different parts of a civilization. So all that was just like really cool.

Speaker 1:

And that's kind of what I meant by exploring. Like as I played it, I was like this game is really cool and just like walking around it and that's the meditative part. But it's also like it really scratches an itch that Breath of the Wild did and it's a completely different game other than the climbing, but like the mechanics of climbing, we can get into that. Briefly, you have the right trigger and the left trigger and it's just your left hand and your right hand and you can swing off of your little harness like you. You anchor, I don't know, the, the pinions or whatever the.

Speaker 2:

I think term is a piston.

Speaker 1:

It's just a piston yeah, that's something I should have been able to pronounce moving forward and yeah, like Uncharted has like climbing, but it's kind of obvious and it's kind of just a cool down from point A to point B and it also just gets you to stop and look around and pretty. So the comparisons are kind of fair death stranding, just like what I did like about a very goofy game. That that was what I really did. Like is sometimes that is Love, the challenge of getting to point A to point B and like interacting with the terrain. This game did that really cool and just like going up a wall, felt very much Exploring these environments and like this abandoned, like little, not even a town because there's little outposts, almost it was just really cool. How would? What would?

Speaker 2:

you say on any of that. You know it's interesting. You bring up Breath of the Wild, because climbing and Breath of the Wild and, in turn, tears of the kingdom is it's fun, right. But what's interesting, if you juxtapose the two games against each other, is that Even though I wouldn't say climbing in Zelda is difficult, like climbing in Juson is easier. Like it's, it's made very approachable, like you do have a stamina bar but like they make it, you're set up for success, like there's definitely challenge, right. So you can't fall, you can't die in this game.

Speaker 2:

It's not damage no enemies and if you run out, if you run out of stamina, you basically just go back to wherever you you know place your piston or wherever the you know the climb, that that little piece of the climb started, just to you know, and then you just try a different, you try a different route and I think that part of it was really cool too.

Speaker 2:

Like I, you know, I love lots of different types of games and you know we're just coming off of Greece, which is another interesting one where you can't die. But like this, this genre of games that's kind of pushing you to explore and pushing into interaction to the game that you know. Obviously there's a ton of games out there that that don't Punish the player for for doing things. But, like you know, if you look at a traditional like, if you were to ask someone who's not maybe involved with video games you know what they think of video games they might think of a 2d side scroll, like Mario, where you can easily die and you have to start over. So it's really interesting to have a game like this where you're kind of pushed you to make it to the summit, uh, over the course of the time, and I thought that part of it was really cool, man. I thought it was like an interesting experience.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's very much like an evolved walking sim, which is right is like a derivative term almost by some, but then eventually just became an endearing acceptance of no, this is game and they're cool and it's just the way. It's really just about moving around. Sounds so simple, but like the environment, so pretty and cool to explore and like I've I don't know a lot of episodes. I talk about whether or not a game, I'm just gonna listen to a podcast or not, and if I'm just gonna be in a more vegetative state when I play the game. In this game I was kind of like I wouldn't listen to a podcast but I Wouldn't like have the volume up really loud. I just kind of like soaked it in and that's where that Meditative really comes in.

Speaker 1:

Is like you just kind of walking around, like these ruined areas or these really cool like artifacts that you're stumbling into. You piece together little things. It's a narrative. Like the storytelling is done passively through these journal logs which you know if you've been listening. This isn't the brainiest pod. We weren't reading those very good, if at all, but we definitely read an explainer afterwards.

Speaker 2:

Right, those are cool little bits. I just that's not what I was looking for in this particular experience flavor and people who are into it, are super into it, and they should be.

Speaker 1:

It's just you and I I'll speak to me more directly like it felt says a really great cool down, like I'd play something stupid before this game and then, like the last half an hour or hour before I'd go to bed, I'd play this and it'd feel really relaxed and like Just in a different mode before I went to bed.

Speaker 2:

Again.

Speaker 1:

And or something else. Yeah, okay okay. Like you know, I said the same thing about grist, who I believe, though, or like I liked to finish a gaming session with that when it's not an addictive gameplay it's not like Combat or anything like that. There's no tension, I think, is the word I'd use, for it was. This was just like a very nice low tension, beautiful, experienced yeah, it was definitely immersive, man.

Speaker 2:

I think that it was interesting because it's one of those games where it's I'm, the graphics is 3d, you know Third-person, and it has this, you know, kind of cel-shaded they go now not even cel-shaded. Yeah, no, I guess it would be, but anyways, you, you're climbing and you know we've mentioned this, they caught the tower in the game, but this thing it's it's not even fair to call it a tower, dude it's like a massive, like huge, like it goes so far into the sky that you can't see the top. That type of deal Like it's huge getting mountain.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, right, yeah, totally so it is.

Speaker 2:

It is a tower but that almost belittles, like the, the size of this thing and you're climbing up but you don't, you have no idea how far it is. There's six chapters in total and, like each stretch of the climb, there's different environments in each of these chapters and, you know, as you progress you enter a different part of this tower, which is really cool because the environment shifts quite a bit. But I think in like that first three chapters, you, you're, you're moving up and you're looking over and we didn't mention him quite yet, but it's. It's definitely like a post-apocalyptic feel like you mentioned the, was it you say Jusson's rising tide or a receding tide? What did you say was the receding time?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so there's a waters, a big part of this game and the story part of this game, right? So you look around and it's like this desert area and I found myself quite often in the first feet you know those first three chapters just stopping and look like gazing out over the barren wasteland and looking at the abandoned ships and like that was just like a cool. Like you know, you spoke to the world, building a little bit and it doesn't force feed it to you. It's something that I think it really like seeps in and like I think that part of it was really cool, right, and you can really feed into that if you're reading those stories that were left behind by like what's her name?

Speaker 1:

I don't know what we got here. I only know from reading the after-end. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So, bianca, like I read some of those, I didn't get nice skim most of them. So, basically, it's the people that came before you, right? So, bianca was the one that was leading a lot of the are leaving a lot of these letters and that gave you an idea of this. You know, that really fed into this idea of the water. Like there, from what I gather, these people like there was no water, so people started going up the the tower and then, I don't know man, at some point, like people started going down the tower but there's no people, dude, there's no you doing this thing all by yourself.

Speaker 1:

They used to go up and down with the tide receding. Okay, sure that makes sense.

Speaker 1:

No, and then one thing that kind of plays into what you're mentioning. Mentioning is just like kind of the vibe he's storytelling is, like you pick up. So some of the weird little mechanics is like so you find the little letters, you read those. Sometimes there's just like a pile of rocks. There's got to be like an official term for like those little like kind of isle of rocks where it's just like almost like a sculpture and you just add another rock to it and that's just like a fun little like. Hey, you found this.

Speaker 2:

Right, it's not a rock here.

Speaker 1:

There we go, look at this dude in his research. But lastly, there's like the nice, like the large seashells or conscious, that you pick up and you listen to and it kind of like it. Essentially, instead of you hearing the ocean, it holds the memory of a time past and you just kind of see like this little vignette almost of what was going on in that area that the conscious left behind and I thought that was like Cool, moody and artsy.

Speaker 2:

It was cool. It was in a loop, which I thought was weird because I would sit there a few times yeah, okay, so it's done.

Speaker 1:

Yep, and that's the brain moment from us.

Speaker 2:

I think it was like you know we were talking on the graphic. We were talking on the graphics a little bit. It's a beautiful game, but I don't think it would be as successful without the ambience of the music. You know the music in this game. It's like there's not, it's not like something I would listen to, though as tea I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to soundtrack. Not that it's bad, it's not like a major score or anything right, but it's but, it works right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it works super well with what you're doing, which is cool. I think it this game wouldn't. It wouldn't be as good as it is without the music.

Speaker 1:

No, not at all. The music and the sound design are both pretty cool and you definitely get that when you go into the different Chapters, like I remember bemoaning to you when you first get into the. So you're, you're outside of the tower for the first three chapters and then chapter four you're like inside the tower.

Speaker 1:

So it's like these kind of like these glowy cave vibes and it was like it was jarring at first, because I kind of liked being outside and the big bright sunniness and some of the game mechanics were actually cool, like if you were in the blistering sun, you guys I don't actually know if there's a gender there your person's Stamina meter would deplete more rapidly and like you do these little kind of how do you even how do you even describe those inputs where it kind of like has like an environmental response. So you like press up on your d-pad and there's almost like a pulse and like different things in the environment will respond. Do you like a vine will grow or a plant will do something for you to grab as a whole?

Speaker 2:

Because this game is not heavy-handed like. It's kind of hard To explain, but you end up finding this little companion along the way. Right, you don't have a whole bunch of at least I didn't pick up what the story was behind it but you end up pretty early on meeting this little companion that you throw on your back With your little time perhaps it's a while ago.

Speaker 2:

I'm excited with you if it was always with you. That's dope too it's. I know it's a right at the beginning, but it gives you a couple extra powers. You press the directional button on the d-pad to see it shows different colored circles to give you a little cue on like what areas to hear something interact with. Here's where you're supposed to be headed. But then the other thing is it's almost like a this aura like boost thing that shoots out, and that's what I bring it up, because when you do that that will interact with different environment things. It almost gives life to things on the mountain right, or the tower rather, and so they're like almost like flowers or plants where you hit that little magical little burst and they, they show up. And when it's not in direct sunlight they'll stay, but in the direct sunlight areas they, they start to wither away. So it's a time thing, kind of interesting little things like that going on with the environment.

Speaker 1:

So then you're in the cave and I love the glowy vibes, after initially feeling stifled by it. I think the the cave civilization was just like really beautiful type of looks, and the little floating jellyfish. Don't know what that means as far as how you have air floating jellyfish, but it looked cool. It's a video game, all right. And then, lastly, your second to last chapter. When you get out of the cave, you're like whoa, it's very different up here. Right Before you get to the final chapter, which I won't necessarily yeah, we'll take a little.

Speaker 2:

We'll let people know we'll talk about the final chapter, but we'll let folks know when this happens, so they can, because it is that that's a spoiliest part. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

So to dive into that more, that exploratory feeling, as these abandoned buildings and things within the tower, or, like you also have these giant murals that you're kind of uncovering, did you like find?

Speaker 2:

maybe you were One. They show your stats at the end of the game and I only did one, something I totally miss, except for the one.

Speaker 1:

Did you never just hit the pulse near them, or did you literally never run into them? I?

Speaker 2:

hit one dude. I just like I just didn't hit the pulse near them, and then towards the end I was like I wonder if I hit the pulse next to this. And then I got it saw them right. Yeah, yeah, whether or not you activated them.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I thought you never even found them. I was like dude, what game are you?

Speaker 2:

I would look at them. I just didn't, I just didn't take the time to interact with them, which I'm, you know, is one of those things. But I will say that, you know, at the end of the game it's cool because it allows you, even though, if you miss things, if you're a completionist, they, they let you go back to each chapter to to collect whatever you want to collect.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, there's like this spinny temple thing that was really cool to activate. Did like at least two of those maybe more.

Speaker 1:

Those are cool and it's just that Exploratoryness, like some of my favorite games, like not just Breath of the Wild, but like any Zelda game. I'm like the environment and going through it and just adventuring and palling around, like that's been around since the 2d for other people but for me as a kid like since Ocarina of Time, so like I thought of that game a lot, oddly enough, when I was playing this game, because it's like one of the only other games I can really think of where I was so happy to be In an environment if that makes sense, like I guess the essence.

Speaker 1:

Greed taps into that for a different reason, but like just Exploring and working your way through and climbing up these different structures and swinging on your little uh, what do you even call that rope? Just your rope. Your rope swinging under open. It just felt really good. It was a really cool game.

Speaker 2:

Anything you didn't like about it and had a double jump, bro.

Speaker 1:

That's how you know it's a good game, kind of had the double jump Is that when you use the environmental thing he used to carry you up.

Speaker 2:

No well, I mean, it's not like a double jump, in a sense of like a hollow night or something, where you jump on random air and you get higher, but you, you can jump and you tap, you you probably did a bunch without realizing it, but you, you jump and then you jump again. Your character like, does another burst optically. If it helps, you get a little further.

Speaker 1:

Hmm, but something that makes you kind of tell that this isn't from like a massive studio is like did you ever get a situation where your person was kind of caught up in the environment and like literally couldn't move or you're briefly stuck or almost like frozen or like stuck on an asset?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, 100 percent man, you jump on to something and it wouldn't actually let you get off of it and you're like literally kind of frozen there for a bit, usually just when I was poking around in caves trying to figure out where I was going and stuff, because I would try jumping on areas that wouldn't let me through with that kind of thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because that that jank was not exactly my favorite. And then, other than that, the floor is yours for the windmill, my guy.

Speaker 2:

Doug, I was enjoying this game. It is such nice flow. When you're hitting that climbing flow you feel like Alex Arnold, did you like just scaling up a mountain like a beast it's, it's dope. And then I spent a solid probably an hour of my life, not and not one sitting. It's the only part of the game where I got so frustrated that I like had to take a break and I would come back to it. And I had to come back, maybe three, maybe on the fourth time. I was like, screw it, I'm just going to figure out what's going on with the walkthrough and what to do in this spot. There's a spot in maybe chapter three or four where you encounter this windmill. Three, yeah, and it do it. It was probably halfway through our play, through halfway through the month, and I didn't even want to continue. I was like this game was great, now it sucks, can't, can't even do it.

Speaker 1:

Crazy is like right before, like in that whole thing, like you're crying, you're climbing up this really cool set piece and you're working your way up on the side of the cliff and it's really cool. And then, like you look over and you're like, am I supposed to land on that? And then you try to do it as you swing over to it and it's like no, that's not it. But you were, but you're like that's not it.

Speaker 1:

And then you try to do this ginormous swing like all the way across and you're like this spacing isn't right, like this isn't working and like you, I spent way too long doing it. And then in this game you can't exactly, like I don't. I'm a weirdo. I don't like watching video game guides. When I'm stuck on something, I'd rather quickly read what the solution is. But sure, with the modern content creation it definitely skews heavier towards the video. But in this game, like good luck reading about what to do next, that make any sense.

Speaker 2:

Well, I was seeing a video and I was like that fucking windmill.

Speaker 1:

I knew I should have fucking grabbed it, and I'm not.

Speaker 2:

I'm not above a guide dude. You know certain guests and it just kind of depends on what vibe I'm going forward and this game is so approachable that I was enjoying not needing a guide, not using guide and, like you say, it doesn't really present itself to a guide. There are chapter breaks, but it's you'd have to get pretty like granular about this was. I was able to find it because I just looked up. I was like you know what this is so ridiculous? I'm sure there's a bunch of other people having the same problem.

Speaker 2:

So I googled just on windmill and, sure enough, like there was some videos that I scroll, you was able to scrub through and find out what was going on. And it was just one of those dumb little things because, like you're kind of saying, I had tried a whole bunch of different stuff and it's just frustrating in the sense that this game did such a good job of having multiple different ways to approach you know, multiple different solutions for whatever you know climbing problem you've been given for this one to be so ridiculous and, like I don't know, I just feel like that was a misstep. I feel like there could have been a couple other ways to get around that windmill. I didn't make you do the pod.

Speaker 1:

You never would have finished. I do this is true.

Speaker 2:

If we weren't doing this for the pod, I probably would have been like you know what I'm good on this game. I think I got what I needed out of it, but I'm very glad that I did Figure that out, because chapters five and six are very strong. The caves were cool, but five and six I thought were short but super cool. Well, six is like five minutes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but it's dope, it looks beautiful yeah. It's very cutscene of you. Well, I think with that, why don't we, why don't?

Speaker 2:

we, for the folks that want to play this game and want to to have those final chapters unspoiled, come back at the. Alex will insert a time here. Mark 33, 36. That's 33. 36, that's 33.

Speaker 1:

It's a soft spoiler wall because really I read about it and I kind of get what was going on. I read about what I was supposed to read in those notes, sure. The water was gone, as we knew. And these big old whale creatures that you start seeing in the murals? It turns out your little homie on your back is a baby version of one of those.

Speaker 2:

Right and they're called ballast.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I did read a note about how people were arguing whether or not they should hunt them or not and how that's going to be helpful or not, and interesting to be like God, like creatures. But you get up and like, when you get out of the caves it's like intensely windy and you're like rainy and you're in this like crazy cloud, like atmosphere. And then you keep going up and at the top, like how would you describe the top?

Speaker 2:

Chapter six it's wild, did you go from like everything's really green, rainy, windy, like you said, in five, and then you get to the next point, which is six, and it's almost ethereal. You but here's the big spoiler part, dude, is you run in to one of those, one of those ballasts, and it's a very for those of the folks that have watched, like Star Wars Rebels or some of the different Star Wars cartoons, or even some of the new Star Wars live action, they're basically just big pergoles dude, so those huge flying whales that can jump through hyperspace. It's like basically the same thing, but it's dope. This is big mythical creatures.

Speaker 1:

I forgot about that thing, how that you got to jump and grab onto it.

Speaker 2:

Right, and that was a really cool scene. Dude, can you climb on that? It was wild. This whole game is like kind of chill and then you're flying through the sky on this big whale dude, it was dope.

Speaker 1:

I was like I don't know what I'm playing anymore, but this is fucking dull.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, dude, you climb to like a lands and lands and there's a big crater at the top of the tower Crash lands. That's crash lands, exactly, almost like, it's hard to say, might even die or looks like it dies. But then there's another tower, another big tower, not like a tool, tower thing.

Speaker 1:

So you run down to that yeah, and then that's kind of cool and the different. You know, there's never mentioned but you'd be blowing these horns up the cliff as you go. And it's like the ceremonial thing and like the environment responds to it Doesn't matter. But you do it at the top of there and you got to give it your mightiest little thing. It's not going to go and your little, your little squishy homie is like dying.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, dude, it's sad. I know I was like what, why?

Speaker 1:

And then, though, you blow real good, and then all the whales come out of the dust or something and they're all like what is up? And you're like what is up? And, like you, save the world. I think, whatever, I don't know, it starts raining again, bro.

Speaker 2:

The water comes back, they all come up and yeah, the water's back. And I was like, yeah, all the pergoles go into space and the rain comes.

Speaker 1:

That was fucking cool, kind of like Chris, where I was like I don't know what this is about. That was fucking cool. I like had that like with Chris. I was like I don't know what this is about, but it seems like some drama or something. When this game, I was like I don't know what that was about. I'm like what Cool? Will you usually say, like what would you rate this game? Most of the games that we play, so that it becomes who specifically is this game for? You want to go first or should I lead off? Go?

Speaker 2:

ahead bro.

Speaker 1:

That's the pregnant pause dude. I was like whoa, what does he have cooking here? I would recommend this to everybody who already has Game Pass, without any doubt. I think it's pretty awesome for almost any type of gamer, I would definitely say older gamers as in above 25. And I don't think someone younger shouldn't play. I just think that you would have patience and respect for something like this, more so when you're a little bit, but not too dramatically older. And then, lastly, I think, because of its ease and its lack of tension and all those things, kind of like a new gamer Like I think life is strange pulls in a lot of newer gamers or non-traditional gamers. I think this game is awesome. So, if it goes on sale, do you know what the price point even is? I don't know. I'm going to check that super quick. It shouldn't really matter. But usually with games like I don't love recommending like super expensive games that aren't very long to a lot of people, but like 25 bucks.

Speaker 1:

I'd say that's well worth it for how pretty and awesome it is If it ever goes on. Even like a gentle sale, it's a pretty aggressive full send. What do you think?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I agree. I, like you said, if you're on Game Pass, definitely check it out. It's worth even, honestly, the first 20 minutes to 30 minutes. It's fun, dude. Yeah, there's a teaser running right now that shows that swing to the windmill.

Speaker 1:

I looked up the price. They're like. We've done our best to let you soft brains.

Speaker 2:

No, man, that's something else, dude, it's it. I like kind of what you said. To be honest, it's, I think, even though there's some conflict, there's never even that complicated mechanics, but I think that it teaches you.

Speaker 1:

So it does a good job.

Speaker 2:

It does a good job, though, of telling you how to use the buttons and what your stuff is, and you get into good flow, like of hitting the triggers to climb up. So a lot of games kind of just expect you to know that you're using the triggers to do this, where I think, at the very beginning, they do a good job of explaining how to climb, what you're doing, how to look around. So, yeah, I think, for you know, if you're, if you're, new to gaming, I think it's worth checking out. Like I don't think it's necessarily, I think it's for a little bit for everybody, you know, but I think that I would go into it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think you know I don't. I also think that I'd be really interested to know the completion rate of this game. It's not a long one, it's about 10 hours. I'd say it took me about 10 hours to beat right around there, 10 or 11. But I would love to look at some of the stats on how many people complete it, because I do think it doesn't overstay its welcome, but like it doesn't and maybe it's because I wasn't super invested in the story, but I feel like it didn't, like it doesn't have a super driving force. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's kind of why it's like a side game or like a companion game for me. So if like, maybe, dude, if you're playing Elden Ring or like one of those games or you're really bashing your head against a wall, maybe you should play a little bit.

Speaker 2:

Dude, and I think that's. I think that is what my recommendation would be. Then it would be not it like it's not one that I would say, hey, go out and play this game, you need to play, just like I think it's. I do think that people should check it out. I think it's a really pretty awesome fun, but you know it's a fun hang, but I like having to be a back burner game dude, I think it's like one of those games that, like you do to decompress or if you're just looking to put your into your different mind space, that kind of thing.

Speaker 1:

You have open world fatigue, which is like a gamer, gamer thing.

Speaker 2:

We're like it's true.

Speaker 1:

You'll get into it in your one more thing. But like I don't know, a lot of people are real excited with the same. That's a different body we do side question yeah. The Hogwarts legacy, but like that's like I have a little bit of open world fatigue, so that game just does nothing for me there. So, like a game like this, I'm just like hell. Yeah, dude, give me like, just give me like a nice linear, fucking exploring game. It's fucking sick.

Speaker 2:

That's. I do like that part about it too. Man, I you know I love a good linear game and this one is a good linear game. I love that it's not. I love that it didn't like it didn't punish me for not collecting everything.

Speaker 1:

You're seeing everything, but it was very rewarding to let go of that compulsion to do everything. It was very easy for me to let go, and I like that.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 1:

I appreciated that.

Speaker 2:

So so yeah, I guess that's kind of it. That's like a loose. Like you know it doesn't have a screaming like you need to go out and play juice up, but I think you really might like it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I did not put together a formal list of my top games played this year, but it would be top five.

Speaker 2:

That's dope.

Speaker 1:

But I should say, last year we're on 24.

Speaker 2:

Now, yes, sir, but with that, why don't we take a little break and hear from our unsation sponsor?

Speaker 1:

All right, so what do you got dog? Who's bringing us? Who's bringing us the spot today? Who's paying these metaphorical bills?

Speaker 2:

Yo, you want to know who's not giving us any money at all to put on this podcast, but is making it happen.

Speaker 1:

Because we love it so much and it motivates us and moves us forward.

Speaker 2:

I want you to imagine you're playing basketball. I'm worried. I want you to imagine that you're down by three points, with three seconds left.

Speaker 1:

I was like this is getting weird with three seconds left.

Speaker 2:

Ok, and I want you to put up a shot From 22 feet away from the basket. All right, the three pointer perhaps, but I want you to imagine that the year is 1979. And it is pre-October 12th 1979. Do you win that game?

Speaker 1:

You make the basket, the three point line was reinstated in the NBA.

Speaker 2:

This episode is unofficially brought to you in part by the three point line. You know, you know the three point line. No one's playing basketball without a three point line.

Speaker 1:

Yes, dude it is so dope. Really, what one Watching? Any basketball, or is this just from 2K?

Speaker 2:

I haven't played less 2K, but this is specifically about the three point line and there are things about 2K that we can maybe talk about with three point line, but you play basketball. Do you try to play basketball without a three pointer, without that three point shot? You try to watch basketball without a three point shot. Yeah, actually I kind of miss when people would do some mother and jack up threes I am not cosigning this.

Speaker 1:

I'm not cosigning this. On Sanction Sponsor. I will come up with my own bootleg underground on Sanction Sponsor that will go right after this one because, just like how the shift made baseball really boring, jacking up three pointers made basketball a little harder to watch.

Speaker 2:

You're talking about modern NBA and you're not wrong the game has changed, people's physiques have changed and the three point it's a little. It's a little too overpowered now, because everybody can make a three point. They mathed it up, dude, no, they just mathed it up.

Speaker 1:

It's just three is better than two, so why would you ever shoot two pointers? They mathed it up. I don't like math. That's never good at math. That's why I'm doing a podcast about video games. I'm not going to math. I'm talking about specifically something that happened.

Speaker 2:

This man is so mad, so LeBron James not too long ago.

Speaker 1:

All right, and.

Speaker 2:

I'm talking about the three point line coming through, standing on it. Yeah, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I was like all right, I'm back on, baby, I'm back. No, you can be. You can have your grace at the three point line. That makes sense.

Speaker 2:

But you know what? Watching a good three point contest, but, and you know what, that shipped pretty dope and you bring up 2K. Here's the deal, man, you can play. Speaking of goats, we got Michael Jordan 2K 23. We got the Mamba and 2K 24. But you can do some Jordan stuff and you have some Mamba know, but you can do some. Yes, this was the NBA gets October 12th 1979 or some shit like that.

Speaker 1:

That was when the first that's when the first three point shot was made in the.

Speaker 2:

NBA Got that. The rule changed around that same time. What's that? Who made it? That was Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics. But here's the deal though College didn't have the three point line around the same time, so the NBA brought it first right. So you can play all those like the Jordan stuff in 2K23 and there's a couple of those old games you can play and dude. It is weird playing a game of basketball without the three point line.

Speaker 1:

The college three point line is smaller than the NBA three point line. Totally I as an adult who doesn't work out anymore. I've been during my prep hours. I've been sneaking down to the gym because I'm tight with the gym teacher how was good, and they just kind of have like an open gym hour. So I just be shooting some hoops of some kids. I humbled one this one time, but I usually don't do anything other than shoot around. It was nice, but, man, you really need your legs under you to shoot three pointers.

Speaker 2:

And you need to get that toe off the line, bro.

Speaker 1:

That's an excellent memes about the new LeBron's coming out, and this is shoes with this ridiculous curve going up. And I didn't understand it because I didn't get it like a recap on what happened at the end of that game for a while. And then when I got the recap, I'm like these memes are great. So, yes, let's go. Let's go. Not LeBron, You're a goon dude.

Speaker 2:

Three pointers. Do not tell you what it has led to your right, though it changed the game, it's led to new scoring records of the NBA. You got Ray Allen, stephen Curry Sorry, stephen Curry, shooting chasms. You got Ray Allen, stefan Curry. You got Ray.

Speaker 1:

Allen Stefan Curry.

Speaker 2:

Who.

Speaker 1:

Steph Curry's name is Warnell Stefan Curry. I did not know that.

Speaker 2:

This episode is unofficially brought to you by three point lines and Warnell.

Speaker 1:

And Warnell and LeBron go Timberwolves.

Speaker 2:

Let's go. I love it.

Speaker 1:

I love it. All right, welcome back from the break. I'm going to go first because I'm so excited to tell you about all the time I spend laying in my bed playing with my steamy D.

Speaker 2:

Sniffing it too.

Speaker 1:

Huh, you sniff it too, dude I sniff my steamy D every time I play it and then that article that came out telling me that apparently they told me not to sniff my steamy D.

Speaker 2:

I'm like I'm just validated.

Speaker 1:

Other people be sniffing. They sneak me D's, so get it Everyone. Let's inhale together. I would just like to say that when I play with my steamy D, I lay a boppy for the parents out there. A boppy is, you know, a baby holding pillow. It is a toilet you shaped deal. I put one on my back and then I put one around my big old belly into the front and then I rest my little forearms and I play with my steamy D and I get all nosled in and it's pretty great. You double bop and play with your steamy D, double bop and do. The amount of times that I've almost shirtlessly sent you little videos of my titties busting out is I lay with my double boppy's playing with my steamy D at night laying in bed. It's great.

Speaker 1:

I have been playing Marvel Midnight Sons, which has been fairly acclaimed as being a great game. Lost. It came out at the very end of 2022. Correct, so it was basically a 2023 game. But way more famous games continued to come out in 2023 and Marvel's got a little bit of a rut going on. People got a lot of really big, heavy MCU fatigue, which is fine. This isn't in the MCU and three. I think that it's not a game for too many normies. I don't think it's too crunchy by any means, but it's not like a shooter. It's not like a super simple open world or like a familiar. It's a strategy game. You've played a little bit of it and I love it.

Speaker 1:

Long time fans of the pods would know that I'm a big strategy game guy, so I love the term based shit. It's also a card turn based game and slay the spy or anyone. Let's go, dude. Now I'm getting all steamy deed, so it's a lot of things I like and what is really gripped me, which I thought I would give zero bucks about, is the relationship system and talking to the different superheroes in between missions. That has been way more rewarding and cool and interesting.

Speaker 2:

Oh, that's interesting for you to say, because at one point you told me you had mentioned that that some of that was getting a little. Maybe it's because you had to redo something, but you mentioned that it was a little frustrating.

Speaker 1:

And classic gaming since I was born and I didn't save well enough and I had an older save point.

Speaker 2:

It was some lost, so there's some TDM.

Speaker 1:

I see some TDM for sure. No, I love it, dude. And that's like I am a huge comic book kid, like I read comic books at various phases, like in throughout college and then the MCU. I absolutely loved it at first but I was like one of the first people to get super burnt out by it. And this game has me like looking up seeing if I can find like a good run of like a graphic novel of something or like a blade comics and I've never cared about blade as a character, but like oh yeah, cool in this game and I've never played movies, or tight Dude.

Speaker 1:

I've never seen him. I was super young when I came out and, like I have no allegiance, I never bought a blade comic. I can't think of all the comics I've bought and I bought hundreds. I cannot think of a singular blade reference or appearance. So like the fact that I'm like dude, what's up with? Played like let's see if I can get it. And it turns out he's not like super prolific within like different runs, not the most used character, but anyway, sick game dude, full send a little bit of a hidden gem, which is kind of hard given the nature of anything Marvel these days. It's on sale all the time because it underwhelmed. It's made by Fireaxis, which makes Civ, so I'm already Fireaxis.

Speaker 2:

Okay, interesting.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so I'm perhaps not the best person to talk to about it. I think the combat's good. The mission structure isn't too wild between the different types of missions, so it's really the gameplay loop of doing the missions, interacting with the heroes, building up your relationships. There's all these different upgrade systems which are actually kind of exhausting for a little while, but once you get the hang of it it's pretty great and it's just a full send recommend for me, love it.

Speaker 1:

And then the only other steamy D game I'm playing is cursed to golf. Have you played any of that? I know you bought it. Have you actually played it? It's hard.

Speaker 2:

I went kind of hammer on the steam sales so I've got a pretty. My backlog is bloating right now but I have a little bit, not much. I just wanted to give a little flavor of it and I like I just yeah, I need to give him more time. I can tell that I'm going to like it a lot. I like a good golf, a good golf game. It takes it, takes the four man and does some fun stuff with it. It's not like golf.

Speaker 1:

You know, and it's side to side, yep. So it's, it's really cool. I like it. It's fun, it's a nice change of pace. I like it when I'm like watching football or something passively. Sure, just some quick hitters, because I spent a long time talking about how much I liked Marvel midnight suns.

Speaker 2:

Dude, let me say I'm Marvel midnight suns. Real quick, I played about an hour, hour and a half of it and I am with you 100%. I'm down, dude, but my biggest gripe with it is that it doesn't let you it like. It doesn't let you pause during the cutscenes. Yeah, dude, so like that story stuff, dude. And I can't believe they haven't patched that yet, because that is 100% the reason that I was like I can't play this game because I have a newborn, and it's one thing. If I can pause whatever's going and it's set down because I'm playing on the deck as well, you know you pause it and you come back to it, cool. But, dude, like I was missing story bits and stuff because I would pause it or I would even try and put my steam deck to sleep and when I would take it off of sleep it would have passed whatever cutscene was going on. And it's not like you necessarily need those cutscenes, but I try and play a game like that without being able to see the cutscenes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I would say that there's like I haven't had the same issue and I'm usually the biggest stickler for that.

Speaker 2:

I will say it's still a noise Me, I was trying to play the game when my boy, like he's gotten a nice groove, but when I was trying to play he was a little bit more. You know, labor intensive.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Now, when you get into a nice little routine around his sleep and you get a little bit more, I think it's a surefire pickup. I should have probably made it the game of the month, but I just wanted to get into that juice on and I wanted to get something new. I'm not even close to being done with Midnight Sons. Real quick on the daddy Xbox. The Lumberjacks have moved on from Alaska. We brought the title to Anchorage but we've moved again. We're now in Mexico City and we're the Armadillos. The jerseys are hilarious because it looks like McDonald's colors. It's like yellow and red and just the tone of McDonald's colors. It just looks like I'm the mighty McNuggets or something out there, and it makes me laugh all the time Is this a new franchise, or did you move the team?

Speaker 1:

It's the same. I just moved them again.

Speaker 2:

There's no penalty for it. This year they just kind of let you into the game, those poor Anchorage fans bro.

Speaker 1:

Dude, I brought them a title or two, what else?

Speaker 2:

did they ask for? You know.

Speaker 1:

I don't know. They can take a trip down to sunny Mexico to see their team play down there too. It's still mad and it's still just mindless gaming, and I still enjoy myself, doesn't matter. Lastly, though, before my Xbox Game Pass expires, I am getting some tread on a roller drone. Shouts out to Ace. Hit him with the noise, alex, oh he will. He's got a real big boner for this game. It was in his top 10 that he dropped into the Discord. Nice little right Nace, except for the weird formatting of your numbers. I don't know how you made a list in the numbers.

Speaker 2:

I think Discord automatically formatted his numbers for him and, instead of going backwards, it thought he was. Yeah, it doesn't matter, it was happening there at Discord.

Speaker 1:

But anyway, he had a nice little list that he was gracious enough to drop with us, and he loves roller drone. You really want me to play it. It's cool. I suck at it. I still enjoy it. I like doing a little run or two. It's kind of like Tony Hawk meets roller blade shooting. I don't fucking know, it's weird. It's fucking cool though.

Speaker 2:

So if you have game, pass Some cool tricks and stuff.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and the gameplay loop is just cool. So like just play it. I don't know Whoever you are out there. If you were like what's this about? Just fucking send it for a good few hours. It's fun. It's just like great, it's a cool. Like whoever came up with this game idea and then the execute the mechanic of it like great job. I love the creativity.

Speaker 2:

Solid physics for what they're doing.

Speaker 1:

It's fun physics, it's really cool. And if you grew up playing them Tony Hawk games, not just like the first two famous ones, but like kind of Tony Hawk 3, like I like that era, so I thought it was really cool. Nice, nice, right, man, there's my Rants. What do you got Dude.

Speaker 2:

I've been side-quested. You know I've been side-quested.

Speaker 1:

I've been doing a really good job of side-questing is a lifestyle for you, Doug.

Speaker 2:

Doug.

Speaker 1:

You're the wanderer. I do.

Speaker 2:

I've been doing a good job of wandering, but spending a good chunk of time at each location. This time Sometimes I just, you know, I get a little taste. I move on. This time I've been doing a good job of taking care of business and each of my, each of my locations.

Speaker 1:

We'll sort out that.

Speaker 2:

Well, here's a deal, though. So I'm starting off with some Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Cool game it is, but it's not the coolest. It's a nice. Like you know, we've called a couple different Nintendo joints like babies first, you know, like babies first, whatever, and I feel like this is babies first tactical game. And I think that's fine Actually for it's, but dude for a tactics game it's harder than Marvel Midnight Suns, I promise you think so and no so, but you can, you've gotten, but it's about a halfway through.

Speaker 1:

Of which world the game.

Speaker 2:

Are you sure? Yeah, I've looked at how many how many worlds are, because I played a good chunk of it once.

Speaker 1:

It's longer than I thought it would be to be fair. It's, it's hard.

Speaker 2:

It gets harder, but it is harder for sure. But you know what it's. Two, it's one of those things where it's got built in cheat codes and that's fine. I like that for accessibility. But it's also one of those things that, like, if I'm it's long enough, it's not. I haven't put that many hours into it. It's like I'm probably like 12 in some like that, but that's far enough into the game where I feel like I haven't progressed the story or progress along in it enough.

Speaker 2:

Anyways, it's like I get to a point where I feel like, ok, like I want to keep this moving. I want to like this is fine, this is fun, but I have other things I want to do. So I want to keep on moving and it will let you, at the beginning of any battle, to basically nerf it, to give you extra your health at 100 percent and to give you I think that does at least that. I can't remember the other. It does two things, I think, but it basically makes it so each battle is easier and then maybe even too easy, and I think when games become too easy, they also like for me at least, like they also makes it so it's not fun. And because you can't like straight like, because it's so easy, because it's a question at the beginning. It's like at at the beginning of every tactical fight that you start. It's like whole day to basically do this and I don't remember that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, it's on there since I picked it up.

Speaker 2:

But that's just it. It's like one of those things what's you know about? You're like, oh, this one looks kind of hard, so maybe I'll just do it like because I don't know, because it's so accessible, like I wish it was harder to like choose. I like I almost wish that it was like what made me go to a menu screen to make that choice, and I think that maybe that would put that. Whatever that's, who cares, I just want to bring that one up because I put a chunk of time into it and I think it is really well done. I just like. I'm just not sure how I feel about the mid game and then two, two of the same.

Speaker 2:

I mean the challenge is cool and the apps are cool, but I just it's fun Running around that thing, I think, like the, the rabbits and the Mario Mets up is pretty cool, like the animations and everything. It is a. It is a dope game and I would like to to roll the credits on it eventually, but it's not something I'm trying to plow through because it feels a little grindy almost, and I'm just not here for a grind.

Speaker 1:

The next one's supposed to be really good, but I think it also got lost with other games around it.

Speaker 2:

Right, yeah, for what it's worth, though, those games, like you know, if you are a Texas gamer, like if you like that kind of stuff or if you're just interested in it, like they go on some pretty deep discounts all the time.

Speaker 1:

So check them out and I know, yeah, they let that up.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, yeah, structure win. Other two games that I haven't put a ton of time into, but I've been enjoying both immensely. First, hogwarts legacy this is I know that you're maybe not into it, but you're also a weirdo who never watched the fucking Hogwarts movies or the you've never watched any of the Harry Potter movies, so like you're maybe not invested.

Speaker 1:

I have to do is I was talking trash at work, talking about how, like before I was too cool to finish the MCU, I was too cool to finish the Harry Potter movies. They're like, dude, you're such an annoying hipster I go. I know it's part of the personality Shoot you're on one.

Speaker 2:

This is where it started.

Speaker 1:

I was like this is where it started. To be honest, I got super burnt out on the movies and I was fucking sick of the franchise and I've just been burned out of the blood.

Speaker 2:

The movies dude, the original six, which I think that did seven or something like that.

Speaker 1:

I think I made it to four. I don't even know if I've seen four or three. Might have been the last Dude you're a wild one.

Speaker 2:

You read all the books, didn't you? 100%, all right, well, the movies are actually a good adaptation of the books. And you know what JK Rowling kind of sucks, but like that's what you create with the story Pretty cool. Actually, if you like, picking apart, there's some shit that kind of sucks in there too, but like, whatever I digress, it's great Worldbuilding. It's great Worldbuilding, right, and you know what. So this game it is, you know it's open world, it's fun, it's fun to be running around Hogwarts, it's fun to be doing the magic stuff, like it is fun. And I wanted the one thing I want to play because, like, I put a couple hours in this game and I'm obviously going to, I'm going to like, work my way through this one because it's, I think it's, it's, it's a cool one. But what I want to bring up, dude, is I got sorted right.

Speaker 1:

They sort you in this game, because you dumb as fuck, ain't it, dang you?

Speaker 2:

hate, not a lot of. Here's some love to all the Hufflepuffs out there. Like geez, listen to Luke over here. Love to the Hufflepuffs yeah, the houses got. Love for all the houses.

Speaker 1:

Hufflepuffs are the participation trophy of Hogwarts. They're like the you just made it in.

Speaker 2:

God bless you little one the dumbest house, oh my god, if you're a Hufflepuff, I love you.

Speaker 1:

Drop out of school.

Speaker 2:

if you're a Hufflepuff dude, You're just they're just anybody listening is like they're milking you for tuition brother milking you for tuition Continue. Yeah, this is going to make any sense after that, as I'm like holding it down for the Hufflepuffs, but I got sorted into Slytherin for the first time in my life. Dude, I've done a variety of different sorting head deals throughout the years to sort you.

Speaker 1:

That's a couple questions, just a couple questions.

Speaker 2:

All those sorting things were always set up to give you the answer that you wanted, so of course you were, of course it's like a personality test, so they they ask you questions that like lean towards whatever you know, whatever house, but it's, I think there was like ambition was one of the things I selected for this game, like, and I think that like pushed me towards.

Speaker 1:

So you're going to lose to your little brother in a video game?

Speaker 2:

Do you use his controller?

Speaker 1:

because losing to him is death and you're like yes.

Speaker 2:

No dude, but dude, it's funny. So I'm totally about it, though I'm like you know what? Because every other sorting thing I've ever done I've landed in Gryffindor proud Gryffindor over here. But I tell you what, landing me in Slytherin, I was like you know I can roll with this because they actually give you the option to like you know, I don't like where, that's so to me, so like I'll go wherever Shit, yeah, yeah. So I was like you know what? I'm going to embrace this. So I'm going at the game and I'm role playing like a big, like a morally ambiguous wizard. That will ultimately be good in the end. I don't want to go towards like two, towards like the dark wizard wizarding world, but I want to dabble in it and I want to do some some questionable the choices from time to time.

Speaker 1:

I think it's very snap of me. I think the next game they make is going to be an absolute heater. I think this game was really good.

Speaker 2:

And it's yeah. I've seen some rumblings. I think they might have just announced something.

Speaker 1:

They sold. This game sold like crazy for like two years straight now. So, like I, think this game was similar to and I've mentioned this before but like Assassin's Creed, one was like a good idea and then it just wasn't perfectly exceeded. Then two came out and it was a heater, like Mass Effect, famously. It was really good for one, but everyone's like, oh two. I think this game, the second game, will be way better, so I look forward to it.

Speaker 1:

Maybe I'll jump in there. But if I sort me into Hufflepuff I'm auto sorting into he's like you know what.

Speaker 2:

I started to never playing this game, never watching Hogwarts.

Speaker 1:

Dude, hold my control at my Xbox and not play anymore.

Speaker 2:

Third, third major side quest game called Returnal. So this was a PS exclusive but at recent not even recently it came out to PC not too long ago. I skipped it in the steam sale and I haven't put a ton of time into it, but it is really good and it is pretty much just rogue light Metroid, dude, it's just rogue light Metroid and that's a bull hell, isn't it?

Speaker 2:

No, it's rogue light, metroid dude. So like the, basically it's third person. You go in this, you crashed your ship or whatever, and you're in this alien planet and you go out and you're basically running around. You start to run into, like these bodies that you find out, are you? So it's on a death loop thing, like into the gungeon, almost like into the gungeon. So there's a death loop idea. Yeah, yeah. So basically, when you die, you go back to the ship, everything starts over and she's starting to figure it out. But, dude, it's okay, clearly it is. You know, the controls are really nice. The thing was the like. The shooting is really great, it's all like it's. It's more polished than any Metroid game that's ever been out there. But you look at the map on your, on your screen, and how that is. Do you see a headlight, headlight ship. Well, you can. It's not 2D though, so so it's 3D game. Nice little joke, I get you.

Speaker 1:

But so serious I was like dude, that was a good Metroid joke.

Speaker 2:

But dude, it's just. It's just funny though, because even the way the map it looks like a Metroid map is like very Metroid Prime map. You know, you have, you get suit, upgrades, you're going around, dude, it's like it's pretty because you're a space lady Doesn't mean this metro, dude. I mean that's a, that's a pretty big Metroid flavor. But you're like upgrading your suit, you have these like different doors that open, like the Metroid doors, dude, but it's tight. That doesn't be a little game and that's not actually a knock on it, because I do not love Metroid, so like.

Speaker 1:

I think, any developer would be like cool, I just made another Metroid. That's great, dude.

Speaker 2:

and so I'm looking forward to playing more. And it's but my biggest side quest that I had as I rolled the credits on a game called the Forgotten City, which is a really fun one that was recommended by the homey ace boy. He loves that one forever, dude, I know I can't even remember Like I think he told us a long time ago in the discord to check out this game and I was like, yeah, I got a big backlog, we'll see.

Speaker 1:

And then you did take your time getting there because even I played it. It was like it's cool and you're like I'll get there soon.

Speaker 2:

Well, dude, I've got a big backlog, I know, but I did get there, dude. And then, you know, at first I was like I don't know, the dialogue is a little clunky. It definitely. I played on the steam deck, which is great, and, man, it really grabbed me like the mystery of it all. Really. Quite good, there's not a lot of combat. There is some combat in there, and some of it is actually optional, but I'm going to go back and like uncover more of the stuff.

Speaker 1:

Are you like pretty like? Because that's the thing is like he went back and like dug in and found all these different alternate things and I was just like that's a cool story and he's yeah, so I'm not going to give you, I'm not going to talk too many spoilers for the folks, because it is a super easy to spoil game, but there are alternate endings and I'm going to, which is a spoiler in itself.

Speaker 2:

So sorry about that, folks, but here's the deal.

Speaker 1:

Whatever, that's a fair enough.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'm going to go back and figure him out to you know, to not to not, you know, give too much into it. But I am going to continue a little bit. But I also have a save point. That's like right at a pivotal point, where you can do a couple of different things, and I kind of exhausted a lot of different of the options before deciding how I wanted the end game to roll out. So I'm in a good point where I can go back and pretty much get those final. You know all the different branches tied up pretty quickly I think.

Speaker 1:

Nice. It was a. I'm not always the biggest reader or dialogue guy when I play games, but it was a really fun reading a dialogue game.

Speaker 2:

There's a really good choice tree.

Speaker 1:

It started off as a Skyrim mod. You know that right.

Speaker 2:

I didn't know that and actually it kind of reminded me how smooth and how nice it is to run around in Skyrim and I think that they actually in this like did a really good job of you know, because it's smaller, it's not nearly as big of a map and it's a little newer and polished so like.

Speaker 2:

But it's like, dude, I know we had like Starfield come out, dude, but it's like I'm ready for a new Skyrim. I think like just polish me up some some Skyrim or just like throw me back in that world. But that's what was cool about this dude is I felt like you know it's that you run around in a similar fashion, like even the combat parts felt like you know, with the use of bow and arrow and like some of that felt like a little Skyrim me, but a little bit more polished and and the but it takes a dialogue to the next level, because you're really talking to all these different characters running around and figuring out what's going on with this time loop and and yeah, dude, I really enjoyed that one that was. That was a major like. I'm always side questing you, but I don't always like just knock one off the backlog during a side quest.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and this is the flow of the game is nice. You can play it for five to like 25 hours pretty seamlessly. I feel like so. Yeah, I got like that five to 10 hour window and I liked it a lot.

Speaker 2:

But it takes about 10 hours to beat.

Speaker 1:

OK, then I at least did that.

Speaker 2:

Totally. Well, cool man that does it.

Speaker 1:

Announce our next game Marble man Night Sons dude. Thanks, man, dude, that's awesome. Dude Can't believe.

Speaker 2:

Now we do have a game picked out though. So, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, get ready to go back in time for another time loop game. We are playing Majora's Mask.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we're Zelda boys, so Trotted Territory, but just got to get that funky music, dude, I don't know music white boys, dude, it's like.

Speaker 2:

I'm excited, dude, lippy, I'm excited, I'm manga Do you want to?

Speaker 1:

do you want to read the manga? I do they actually like. I'm not going to get into it here, but maybe next time.

Speaker 2:

Tune in next time. Everybody, Join us it is cool.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, join us in the discord. Go to wwwlow5gamingcom. You can find links to all of our social medias. There's also an invite to our discord there where we'll be talking about Majora's Mask and all those little side quests and other things we got going on. But that is the best place to get at both of us. Luke ain't really participating on any social medias but he is in the discord, so if you want Luke's here, that's a place to get it. Low five gaming on just pretty much all the social handles. You know your true social only kind of bullshit. Yeah, low five gaming Secretively.

Speaker 2:

And hey, we know we know you listen, LeBron.

Speaker 1:

It was a two pointer. Get over it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I see the tape. Your toe was on the line, man, I would thanks everybody If you got this far. We appreciate you. We love you. If you've already given us a five star rating on a platform that has ratings, man, I love you even more. Big old fucking internet hug. But yeah, in this case, your next side quest is to tell one of your friends about us so they can give us a five star rating. It helps with the algo, helps us get out to more people and played our egos. You know those numbers. Hey bro, till next time.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, see ya.

People on this episode

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Alex

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Luke

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