Low Five Gaming

Welcome to Low Five Gaming, the book club-style podcast where two brothers, Alex and Luke, share their lifelong love for video games through engaging conversations and friendly debates. If you're a passionate gamer, a casual fan, or just have a soft spot for the classics, our laid-back, conversational approach will make you feel right at home.

Each month, we'll explore the game of the moment or revisit a beloved classic, satisfying your gaming cravings with our unique blend of humor, insight, and personal experiences. Whether it's reminiscing about crunchy classics like Prince of Persia (89), getting hyped about the latest Nintendo Direct, or diving into deep discussions on FPGA consoles (much to Luke's chagrin), Low Five Gaming is your go-to podcast for all things gaming.

As brothers with a lifelong bond, Alex and Luke bring a genuine camaraderie and relatable banter to every episode, making it easy for you to connect with fellow gamers who truly understand your love for the virtual world. So, if you're looking to join a gaming community where you can enjoy thought-provoking conversations about your favorite games, look no further than Low Five Gaming. You're also invited to join the conversation in our Discord server!

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Low Five Gaming

The Plucky Squire

August 15, 2025 • Studio Low Five • Episode 45

Alex and Luke Talk The Plucky Squire.

What if a storybook adventure literally jumped off the page? That’s the magic trick The Plucky Squire pulls off. Developed by All Possible Futures and published by Devolver Digital, this imaginative action-adventure launched in July 2024 and instantly stood out for its clever transitions between 2D and 3D gameplay. With a charming visual style, punchy combat, and playful surprises around every corner, it’s a game that wears its heart—and its gimmick—on its sleeve.

At the time of recording, The Plucky Squire held a Metacritic score of 83 on PC and 72 on Nintendo Switch. According to HowLongToBeat, the main story clocks in around 8.5 hours, though that can stretch with exploration (and admiring the delightful art direction). It’s short, sweet, and stylistically sharp—but not without a few rough edges.

Alex played on Nintendo Switch, Luke on Steam Deck. Both made it to the final page and rolled credits. This is one of those rare games where the journey was as fun to talk about as it was to play—especially when it leapt from side-scroller to Zelda-lite to rhythm brawler to full-on tank sequence. You just have to see it to believe it.

This episode is unofficially brought to you in part by summer time ice cream runs.

Audio Credits:

“The Plucky Squire Theme” from The Plucky Squire Original Soundtrack — composed by Madeleine Wood — © Devolver Digital.

Original theme music owned by Low Five Gaming.

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Low Five Gaming is a Studio Low Five Production.

LFG Ep. 045: The Plucky Squire

00:04:49 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. For real? All right. Yo, what up everybody, welcome back to another episode of low five gaming. This is Alex, your host, and my co-host and brother Luke is with me once again for the forty fifth official time.

00:05:06 luke: Whoa! Forty five.

00:05:08 Alex Stahlmann: Forty

00:05:08 luke: Are you

00:05:08 Alex Stahlmann: five

00:05:08 luke: a celebrate

00:05:09 Alex Stahlmann: bro.

00:05:09 luke: forty five guy? I feel like it's just wait till fifty. But you know what? You're excited. That's cool.

00:05:14 Alex Stahlmann: I'm always excited to see you, brother.

00:05:16 luke: There we go.

00:05:17 Alex Stahlmann: What

00:05:17 luke: There

00:05:18 Alex Stahlmann: do

00:05:18 luke: we

00:05:18 Alex Stahlmann: you

00:05:18 luke: go,

00:05:18 Alex Stahlmann: feel?

00:05:18 luke: brother.

00:05:18 Alex Stahlmann: Do you feel like. Can we still say brother, even though that, you know, everybody was reminded that, uh, Hulk Hogan is a douche.

00:05:25 luke: Uh, yes. Uh, it's post-ironic and it's funny.

00:05:29 Alex Stahlmann: So, like, brother has transcended the Hulk, correct?

00:05:33 luke: Yes.

00:05:33 Alex Stahlmann: All right. I'm.

00:05:34 luke: I mean, but

00:05:35 Alex Stahlmann: I'm

00:05:35 luke: also

00:05:35 Alex Stahlmann: here for

00:05:35 luke: a

00:05:35 Alex Stahlmann: it, brother.

00:05:36 luke: a parody of a parody of the Hulkster is not necessarily always endearing. Sometimes it's mocking. It's a little. It's a little bit of all of it. So mine is. Mine's mocking. Dude. I like

00:05:46 Alex Stahlmann: I can

00:05:46 luke: it.

00:05:46 Alex Stahlmann: dig it. I

00:05:47 luke: I

00:05:47 Alex Stahlmann: can

00:05:47 luke: like

00:05:47 Alex Stahlmann: dig

00:05:47 luke: it.

00:05:47 Alex Stahlmann: it.

00:05:48 luke: Yeah.

00:05:48 Alex Stahlmann: But we're not here to talk about Hulk Hogan. We are here to talk about a game called the Plucky Squire.

00:05:54 luke: Yes. A children's tale, sort of.

00:05:57 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:05:57 luke: For adults.

00:05:57 Alex Stahlmann: man. We'll,

00:05:58 luke: Sort

00:05:59 Alex Stahlmann: uh,

00:05:59 luke: of.

00:06:00 Alex Stahlmann: we'll talk more about this. But that's one of the things that I told her. Like I was messaging you about where it was just like, I can't tell if this game is for children or adults or a little bit of both. And I think it's a little bit of both.

00:06:13 luke: It's definitely for adults. Um, and maybe a kid. I wouldn't say it's hard, but I don't know. I don't know what kids playing this. They just want to play Fortnite. So it's for adults. It's to prey on nostalgia and it's just really cool and unique. So I see

00:06:28 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

00:06:28 luke: I see what they're doing.

00:06:29 Alex Stahlmann: I mean, it's a mixture, dude, for sure. I would say it's, uh, you could it has some great accessibility features that make it where if you were to introduce this to a child and you flip some of those on, it makes it so that, uh, it is very it is very kid friendly in that sense. Uh, but it

00:06:45 luke: Yeah.

00:06:46 Alex Stahlmann: has it has a little bit of that adult flair to it. It's like.

00:06:48 luke: It's

00:06:48 Alex Stahlmann: It's

00:06:48 luke: like a

00:06:48 Alex Stahlmann: like,

00:06:48 luke: pure story mode too, right?

00:06:50 Alex Stahlmann: uh, yeah. So the. Story mode makes it so that, uh, I don't know if it skips the minigames or not. In the story mode, but it definitely makes it so that the combat and everything is. Very nerfed,

00:07:01 luke: Sure.

00:07:01 Alex Stahlmann: which is cool. I love it when games do that. I think that's cool. I love accessibility, I don't always use them, but sometimes I do. We'll talk a little. Bit more about that at the towards the end of this maybe, but uh, but this game is another

00:07:12 luke: Probably

00:07:13 Alex Stahlmann: developer.

00:07:13 luke: not.

00:07:14 Alex Stahlmann: Another. What was that.

00:07:15 luke: Probably not. That's

00:07:16 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:07:16 luke: what I'm saying.

00:07:17 Alex Stahlmann: I'll bring it. I'll bring it up.

00:07:19 luke: Yeah.

00:07:19 Alex Stahlmann: But, um, this game is another another Devolver Digital joint. And I chose this game for this month, um, because it was it was announced, I want to say that this came across my radar during a Nintendo Direct. Um, and it's just like the art style behind this game is phenomenal. Like, it's super cool. And even that teaser that they showed, like there was something about it that I was like, I mean, there's a reason it was announced on the Nintendo Direct. It's like it screams like there's something about it that has Nintendo flair, in my opinion, and I don't know exactly what it is other than this feeling I have.

00:07:53 luke: It's, uh. It preys on us, not preys. But it, like, you know, it definitely leans on nostalgia pretty hard of various childhood vibes. And, uh, the art is gorgeous. It's like candy.

00:08:03 Alex Stahlmann: It is, it

00:08:04 luke: It's

00:08:05 Alex Stahlmann: is.

00:08:05 luke: very. It's you're you're drawn to it in a in a very childlike way. I mean, it just looks like the shiny toy you want to pick up. So I feel you. And

00:08:13 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:08:13 luke: then

00:08:13 Alex Stahlmann: Devolver.

00:08:14 luke: anything

00:08:14 Alex Stahlmann: Devolver is

00:08:14 luke: that

00:08:15 Alex Stahlmann: a

00:08:15 luke: Devolver

00:08:15 Alex Stahlmann: publisher that

00:08:15 luke: publishes

00:08:15 Alex Stahlmann: like.

00:08:16 luke: that's

00:08:16 Alex Stahlmann: Exactly.

00:08:16 luke: going to be pretty good. So, yeah, amazing

00:08:19 Alex Stahlmann: Dude.

00:08:19 luke: art combined with a Zelda ish 2D, top down, Zelda ish

00:08:23 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:08:23 luke: style to it. Like

00:08:24 Alex Stahlmann: yeah.

00:08:24 luke: it checks a lot of boxes. I can see why he picked it.

00:08:27 Alex Stahlmann: And this game was released, uh, mid September September seventeenth, twenty twenty four. But the physical copy didn't come out till February twenty first, twenty twenty five. So quite a bit

00:08:39 luke: I

00:08:39 Alex Stahlmann: later.

00:08:39 luke: was unaware it was so new, honestly.

00:08:41 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, well, physical physical copy is pretty new.

00:08:44 luke: Even twenty four. Yeah, that's

00:08:45 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:08:46 luke: a

00:08:46 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:08:46 luke: much

00:08:46 Alex Stahlmann: Fair

00:08:46 luke: newer

00:08:47 Alex Stahlmann: enough.

00:08:47 luke: game than I thought we were playing. That's cool.

00:08:49 Alex Stahlmann: Indeed. Um, but I, I even though it was out digitally, I wanted it like from the day that this game was announced, I was like, I'm gonna buy this physical. I want this to be part of my collection. This looks dope. I love Devolver's like, everything that they put out. And then, like, the teaser and everything is is good. Uh, or was good. It was, like, really enticing. And, uh, and the game itself, it has, it's it shines at points. It has a little it has a little tarnish, I would say.

00:09:14 luke: It looks really cool the whole time.

00:09:17 Alex Stahlmann: It sure does. Uh, I also and like this is not I started digging after the fact after I bought the game and everything because I ran into, uh, my biggest qualm on this game, um, is that it had some frame rate issues on the switch. So I played this on my switch. You play it on the steam D, and you didn't

00:09:38 luke: Correct.

00:09:38 Alex Stahlmann: run into that as much. You were saying?

00:09:40 luke: No, it was really awesome on this DVD, actually. Do

00:09:42 Alex Stahlmann: That's cool.

00:09:42 luke: recommend if anyone were to purchase this game to

00:09:45 Alex Stahlmann: Right

00:09:45 luke: go

00:09:45 Alex Stahlmann: on.

00:09:45 luke: that route. I mean, you got what you got, but

00:09:48 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, I haven't played

00:09:49 luke: if

00:09:49 Alex Stahlmann: that many

00:09:49 luke: you got them both,

00:09:50 Alex Stahlmann: on the

00:09:50 luke: it's

00:09:50 Alex Stahlmann: switch.

00:09:50 luke: definitely. Yeah.

00:09:52 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, I haven't played that many games on the switch that have like, frame rate drops and stuff that like so noticeable that I'm like, this is ruining my experience a bit. And it was to the point on this game where that like happened.

00:10:03 luke: I wonder if this game just has sneaky better graphics than I would imagine, or if it's just poorly

00:10:07 Alex Stahlmann: Dude.

00:10:07 luke: optimized for the switch.

00:10:10 Alex Stahlmann: Well, it's.

00:10:10 luke: Could

00:10:11 Alex Stahlmann: So

00:10:11 luke: be

00:10:11 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:10:11 luke: guilty

00:10:11 Alex Stahlmann: started

00:10:11 luke: of

00:10:11 Alex Stahlmann: digging.

00:10:12 luke: both.

00:10:12 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, I think so. It's like one of those things where because of this animation art style that it's got going on. So you kind of spoke to a little bit ago where you're just briefly ago where you were saying that it's got the 2D top down, Zelda like aspect to it going on. Right. But

00:10:27 luke: Yeah.

00:10:27 Alex Stahlmann: you're actually in this storybook. Okay. So

00:10:29 luke: Mhm.

00:10:29 Alex Stahlmann: we should probably we should probably reel it back in a little bit and talk a little

00:10:33 luke: No.

00:10:33 Alex Stahlmann: bit about how this game works. But you're in a you're you're basically this you're these characters in a storybook. Uh

00:10:39 luke: You are

00:10:39 Alex Stahlmann: Is

00:10:39 luke: the

00:10:40 Alex Stahlmann: it

00:10:40 luke: plucky

00:10:40 Alex Stahlmann: jot?

00:10:40 luke: squire dude who's the hero of a mainline book. And also within the book, an author of another series of his own adventures. That's a

00:10:47 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:10:47 luke: little confusing, but

00:10:49 Alex Stahlmann: Dude,

00:10:49 luke: yes,

00:10:49 Alex Stahlmann: this very meta and some fourth

00:10:51 luke: it's

00:10:51 Alex Stahlmann: wall stuff,

00:10:51 luke: got

00:10:51 Alex Stahlmann: all

00:10:51 luke: lots

00:10:52 Alex Stahlmann: of

00:10:52 luke: of

00:10:52 Alex Stahlmann: which

00:10:52 luke: both

00:10:52 Alex Stahlmann: I appreciate,

00:10:52 luke: of those. Lots

00:10:53 Alex Stahlmann: all

00:10:53 luke: of both

00:10:53 Alex Stahlmann: of

00:10:54 luke: of

00:10:54 Alex Stahlmann: which

00:10:54 luke: those.

00:10:54 Alex Stahlmann: I appreciate. Uh, plucky. Do you know what that means?

00:10:58 luke: The adjective.

00:11:00 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, yeah. That's an adjective. Do you know the definition of plucky?

00:11:04 luke: This

00:11:05 Alex Stahlmann: Just

00:11:05 luke: feels

00:11:05 Alex Stahlmann: curious.

00:11:05 luke: like a bit. So I'm just going to let you read it.

00:11:08 Alex Stahlmann: I mean, it's not a bit in the sense that it's got a, like, a good punchline or anything. I'm just curious. A whole the whole game is called Plucky Square. So I'm like, do people even know what plucky means? Like.

00:11:16 luke: Plucky generally means like scrappy, right? Like it's a

00:11:19 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:11:19 luke: parallel

00:11:19 Alex Stahlmann: more

00:11:19 luke: to

00:11:20 Alex Stahlmann: or

00:11:20 luke: scrappy.

00:11:20 Alex Stahlmann: less.

00:11:20 luke: Like, if you're plucky, you're kind of like skinny or teeth like, uh, creative, uh, adventurer kind of. What,

00:11:29 Alex Stahlmann: Pretty

00:11:29 luke: are you

00:11:29 Alex Stahlmann: good.

00:11:29 luke: going to read me? The definition of plucky. Now you do.

00:11:31 Alex Stahlmann: I'm enjoying this. You scraping

00:11:33 luke: Mr..

00:11:33 Alex Stahlmann: context

00:11:33 luke: Mr..

00:11:33 Alex Stahlmann: clues. It's

00:11:34 luke: Alex.

00:11:34 Alex Stahlmann: great.

00:11:34 luke: Gosh.

00:11:37 Alex Stahlmann: Having or showing determined courage in the face of difficulties.

00:11:40 luke: I'm not wrong. Then I'm gonna take a dub on this one.

00:11:43 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. You know, I give you half, I give you, I give you. I'd let you. You pass the test, buddy. You're good enough. You tried.

00:11:49 luke: I want to, I

00:11:49 Alex Stahlmann: You

00:11:49 luke: want

00:11:50 Alex Stahlmann: tried.

00:11:50 luke: to be. I want to be teach. I

00:11:51 Alex Stahlmann: You

00:11:51 luke: want

00:11:51 Alex Stahlmann: could.

00:11:51 luke: to be.

00:11:53 Alex Stahlmann: I'd say you earned it, bro. You earned

00:11:54 luke: Yeah.

00:11:55 Alex Stahlmann: the B.

00:11:56 luke: Uh, it should

00:11:56 Alex Stahlmann: Uh.

00:11:56 luke: be the cheeky squire, you know what I'm saying? Dude, he's a

00:11:59 Alex Stahlmann: Dude.

00:11:59 luke: cheeky dude.

00:12:01 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:12:01 luke: See what I did there? He's

00:12:02 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:12:02 luke: not caked up for

00:12:03 Alex Stahlmann: do.

00:12:03 luke: our horny listeners. It's more of like a. The game has a very cheeky sense of humor.

00:12:08 Alex Stahlmann: It does. And that's like that comes out through the gameplay itself, some of the dialogue and then the well,

00:12:14 luke: Tons of the dialogue.

00:12:14 Alex Stahlmann: especially the.

00:12:15 luke: Yeah.

00:12:15 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, the the dialogue. The wizard is quite cheeky. I would say. Um,

00:12:19 luke: Yeah. Bordering

00:12:20 Alex Stahlmann: uh, what's

00:12:21 luke: on

00:12:21 Alex Stahlmann: his

00:12:21 luke: corny.

00:12:21 Alex Stahlmann: name? Something. Beard.

00:12:22 luke: Dude. Uh, he's got a silly ass moon beard,

00:12:26 Alex Stahlmann: Moon beard.

00:12:26 luke: cuz

00:12:27 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Moon

00:12:27 luke: then

00:12:27 Alex Stahlmann: beard.

00:12:27 luke: there's.

00:12:27 Alex Stahlmann: Moon is like music track behind him is dope too.

00:12:30 luke: Yeah.

00:12:30 Alex Stahlmann: I'm just

00:12:30 luke: And

00:12:30 Alex Stahlmann: gonna

00:12:30 luke: then

00:12:30 Alex Stahlmann: throw

00:12:30 luke: there's,

00:12:30 Alex Stahlmann: that out

00:12:31 luke: there's

00:12:31 Alex Stahlmann: there.

00:12:31 luke: mini moon beard.

00:12:33 Alex Stahlmann: Indeed.

00:12:33 luke: Kind of as goofy sidekick, so I like it, I

00:12:36 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:12:36 luke: dig it.

00:12:37 Alex Stahlmann: So you've got you've got, uh, jot the plucky squire. That's the main character, the person you play most of the time. And then he's got a couple sidekicks that, uh, join him, uh, a wizard, a troll and a little mouse. Right. They come, they become bigger deals. I would say probably half to three quarters of the way through the game. But the main character, you know, is, is jot. And it's interesting. Like, as far as the story goes, none of this is spoiler territory. But, you know, you're in this storybook, you break the fourth wall, there's I can't remember the name of the kid who is actually creating all of you or whatever the,

00:13:11 luke: Is he named?

00:13:12 Alex Stahlmann: um, he may or may not. I think he might be. I think he's got his signature on some stuff.

00:13:17 luke: Oh, yeah. You're definitely

00:13:18 Alex Stahlmann: Um.

00:13:18 luke: aware of him in his presence

00:13:20 Alex Stahlmann: Right, right,

00:13:20 luke: and

00:13:20 Alex Stahlmann: right.

00:13:20 luke: what you're

00:13:20 Alex Stahlmann: Not

00:13:20 luke: doing.

00:13:21 Alex Stahlmann: not not at first, but it's like, pretty quickly in the game.

00:13:24 luke: Yeah.

00:13:24 Alex Stahlmann: You're like, everybody becomes aware of the fact that the world that they live in is an imaginary book world or whatever, and you have the ability to To transcend out of that book into the real world and a

00:13:38 luke: Because

00:13:38 Alex Stahlmann: lot

00:13:38 luke: if

00:13:38 Alex Stahlmann: of stuff

00:13:38 luke: hump

00:13:38 Alex Stahlmann: of

00:13:38 luke: grandpa

00:13:39 Alex Stahlmann: the story.

00:13:39 luke: is shenanigans. Yeah.

00:13:40 Alex Stahlmann: Yes, yes, yes. So I'm grump is the main bad guy.

00:13:43 luke: Failed

00:13:43 Alex Stahlmann: Um.

00:13:43 luke: poet. Dude. Butterflies.

00:13:47 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

00:13:47 luke: Yes!

00:13:47 Alex Stahlmann: You roll credits, it sounds like. And

00:13:49 luke: Oh,

00:13:49 Alex Stahlmann: he's

00:13:49 luke: yeah.

00:13:49 Alex Stahlmann: also

00:13:50 luke: Oh,

00:13:50 Alex Stahlmann: entering

00:13:50 luke: yeah.

00:13:50 Alex Stahlmann: spoiler territory. Apologies, dear listener.

00:13:53 luke: I mean,

00:13:53 Alex Stahlmann: No,

00:13:53 luke: that's

00:13:53 Alex Stahlmann: no,

00:13:53 luke: pretty

00:13:53 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:13:54 luke: gentle

00:13:54 Alex Stahlmann: don't think any

00:13:54 luke: one.

00:13:54 Alex Stahlmann: of that ruins it, to be honest. Um, it is indeed. But, uh. But so that's like that's like the kind of the premise you're like these storybook characters. Hump, grump, main baddie taking over the world. Very like standard. Like the bad guy wizard wants all the power.

00:14:10 luke: Yeah. Uh, and I would say the storyline and how it interacts with the gameplay is that you have two main components. Um, overall, which is the more 2D ish, like not totally top down, but almost like on a tilt. Um, mostly top down though. And that would be like

00:14:25 Alex Stahlmann: It's like

00:14:25 luke: when

00:14:26 Alex Stahlmann: you're looking

00:14:26 luke: you're.

00:14:26 Alex Stahlmann: down at a book. Almost.

00:14:27 luke: Yeah,

00:14:27 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:14:27 luke: like you're in the book.

00:14:28 Alex Stahlmann: You quite literally are.

00:14:29 luke: Yeah. So you're,

00:14:30 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:14:30 luke: you're quite literally in the book. And then when you pop out, it is like this 3D action platformer type area where you go, you

00:14:38 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:14:38 luke: kind of go back and forth in pretty cool ways for puzzles. Um, but you know what that reminded me of the most? Whenever you went to 3D, you were always 3D out of the book, and then you're like, plopped

00:14:48 Alex Stahlmann: Yep.

00:14:48 luke: out into his room like this super imaginative kid's room,

00:14:51 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:14:51 luke: and you're, like, fighting these stupid bugs, which I hated. And, uh, you're dealing with all the things that are on, like, his very messy, chaotic desk and therefore like forts

00:15:00 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:15:00 luke: and things like that. And it was really cool. But, you know, a game it reminded me of from way, way, way, way back in the day. Dude,

00:15:06 Alex Stahlmann: Toy story two.

00:15:07 luke: dude, I was constantly thinking about Toy Story on the N64 and how awesome

00:15:11 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:15:11 luke: I thought that was as a kid. And obviously

00:15:13 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah for

00:15:13 luke: I

00:15:14 Alex Stahlmann: sure.

00:15:14 luke: grew up with the Toy Story movie, but that game, I don't even know if it's good. I don't even know if I could get past like the first level or two, but God, do I remember the first level or two.

00:15:21 Alex Stahlmann: That game was actually like as far as um you know licensed IP type stuff goes.

00:15:27 luke: Yeah,

00:15:27 Alex Stahlmann: Like that's one of the better ones for sure.

00:15:29 luke: I bet you. Yeah.

00:15:30 Alex Stahlmann: I don't even know what's licensed IP. I don't know how that works, to be honest, but but that's a dope game for the sixty four. It's probably on PlayStation as well. Dope game.

00:15:37 luke: Yeah. So if

00:15:38 Alex Stahlmann: Nice

00:15:38 luke: you're.

00:15:38 Alex Stahlmann: pole bud.

00:15:39 luke: Yeah. And it's like, that's what, like, this game is at its best when you're in interactions both in the book or out of the book because

00:15:46 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:15:46 luke: it's so beautiful in the environment they put you in and the art design and the sound design

00:15:51 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:15:51 luke: and all, that's really cool and how they all go together. That's like when this

00:15:54 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

00:15:54 luke: game is really shining, when they're constantly stopping you to overexplain the dialogue. And what just

00:16:01 Alex Stahlmann: And

00:16:01 luke: happened?

00:16:01 Alex Stahlmann: that's.

00:16:01 luke: I want to smack my fucking screen. I'm like, I don't want

00:16:03 Alex Stahlmann: And that's

00:16:04 luke: to talk

00:16:04 Alex Stahlmann: where,

00:16:04 luke: to that worm again, dude, I know what

00:16:05 Alex Stahlmann: that's

00:16:05 luke: just happened.

00:16:06 Alex Stahlmann: where I'm

00:16:06 luke: Like,

00:16:06 Alex Stahlmann: like

00:16:07 luke: don't

00:16:07 Alex Stahlmann: that's

00:16:07 luke: stop

00:16:07 Alex Stahlmann: where I'm

00:16:07 luke: me

00:16:07 Alex Stahlmann: like

00:16:07 luke: to

00:16:07 Alex Stahlmann: is

00:16:07 luke: talk

00:16:08 Alex Stahlmann: this

00:16:08 luke: to.

00:16:08 Alex Stahlmann: game for adults or adults or children. That's that's where it has that tension there where I'm like come on. Who'd you make this for? Just

00:16:14 luke: It.

00:16:14 Alex Stahlmann: embrace that. This is for fucking nerdy ass adults like me.

00:16:17 luke: Yeah.

00:16:18 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, but, like, it must have. It must have, uh,

00:16:21 luke: But a kid

00:16:21 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:16:21 luke: wouldn't want

00:16:22 Alex Stahlmann: mean.

00:16:22 luke: to read that much, so I'm just like, you're

00:16:24 Alex Stahlmann: Well, yeah,

00:16:25 luke: overexplaining

00:16:25 Alex Stahlmann: there's that too.

00:16:25 luke: it. But a kid would also just be like, oh my God. So so on both ends. I'm really confused as to who they're serving here, but, um.

00:16:33 Alex Stahlmann: I think they were confused about it, man. Like so I did

00:16:35 luke: Beautiful

00:16:35 Alex Stahlmann: just some

00:16:35 luke: game though.

00:16:36 Alex Stahlmann: brief research

00:16:37 luke: Beautiful

00:16:37 Alex Stahlmann: and

00:16:37 luke: game.

00:16:38 Alex Stahlmann: it is. Dude. It is a beautiful game. And part of that is I mean, this that's you know, we had to give that, uh, the so the developers, um, James Turner, an ex game freak art director. So Game Freak, you'll you may recognize from I believe Pokemon.

00:16:54 luke: Yeah.

00:16:54 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:16:54 luke: Yeah.

00:16:56 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. And a bunch of other stuff, but Pokemon for sure. And then this fellow named Jonathan Biddle, uh, who? It's my understanding, uh, had created this concept for a comic book. So they got together, and they're like, let's take this plucky squire concept and translate it into a video game. Okay. And I think that that might be at the root of some of this. Like there's a little too much dialogue or a little too much like Overexplaining text going on, because originally it had this comic book origin story, but who knows? It's a little bit of speculation.

00:17:36 luke: That's cool though. Look at you.

00:17:38 Alex Stahlmann: It is

00:17:38 luke: Searching

00:17:38 Alex Stahlmann: cool

00:17:39 luke: stuff.

00:17:40 Alex Stahlmann: indeed. But, uh, and you know what? It's also so, you know, when I was earlier, when I was introducing this game and saying, like, you know, the whole Nintendo Direct thing, and you mentioned it's a you mentioned it has a 2D Zelda vibes. Also, when you go into the, the, the, you know, the whatever, the real

00:17:56 luke: Whatever's

00:17:56 Alex Stahlmann: dimension,

00:17:57 luke: going on

00:17:57 Alex Stahlmann: the kid's

00:17:57 luke: on the desk.

00:17:57 Alex Stahlmann: room.

00:17:58 luke: Yeah.

00:17:58 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. So that would be, uh, that actually that has very strong 3D Zelda vibes, right? And, you know, I love

00:18:04 luke: Kind

00:18:04 Alex Stahlmann: Zelda.

00:18:04 luke: of.

00:18:05 Alex Stahlmann: You love Zelda. Zelda, boys.

00:18:07 luke: Yeah.

00:18:07 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, so a good Zelda, like, I'm not. You know, it's hard to do a good Zelda like, in my opinion. I was like. But I'm always very intrigued when I see one that looks good. I want to play it, and this is one that I want to play. And, uh, I would say though, like this one just has so many cool ideas that aren't always executed to full potential. So like the Zelda stuff, like the, um, like the different, uh, puzzles and like, Zelda type puzzles you're doing, like at the at the beginning, way too darn easy. And towards the end, like, it's kind of hard, but still not hard enough, you know? Um.

00:18:45 luke: I would say that like I really liked when. So specifically, you can sometimes knock text off of the book being read,

00:18:53 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

00:18:53 luke: and then you can find text elsewhere and it changes things in the environment. That's super cool. That's very

00:19:00 Alex Stahlmann: But I

00:19:00 luke: creative.

00:19:00 Alex Stahlmann: feel under-utilize it is super creative,

00:19:02 luke: Yeah.

00:19:03 Alex Stahlmann: but,

00:19:03 luke: And

00:19:03 Alex Stahlmann: like.

00:19:03 luke: sometimes you can literally flip. You can through all these various powers you get, you can pick up the book, you can flip pages. Um, at the time sometimes it felt tedious, like you're explaining or

00:19:15 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:19:15 luke: oversimple, but like in hindsight, it's all pretty cool now that I'm done

00:19:20 Alex Stahlmann: Dude,

00:19:20 luke: through

00:19:20 Alex Stahlmann: that's

00:19:20 luke: it.

00:19:20 Alex Stahlmann: just it. The

00:19:21 luke: So

00:19:21 Alex Stahlmann: concept

00:19:21 luke: like.

00:19:22 Alex Stahlmann: of it all is fucking dope, dude, but the actual action of it is like a little too clunky.

00:19:27 luke: We joke about this all the time, but like, just all the games that we only beat to say we beat them for the podcast. And then we talked

00:19:34 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:19:34 luke: about how like it was good homework, but it felt like homework to get it done. And I had to, like, set

00:19:37 Alex Stahlmann: That's

00:19:38 luke: an agenda.

00:19:38 Alex Stahlmann: for sure.

00:19:39 luke: I never

00:19:39 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:19:39 luke: would have beat this game. I would have like bounced off it after like two or three hours. But because

00:19:44 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:19:45 luke: I saw everything it had to offer, I find it incredibly charming and very critical

00:19:49 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:19:49 luke: of it. But I find it very charming in hindsight,

00:19:52 Alex Stahlmann: That's.

00:19:52 luke: you know?

00:19:53 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:19:54 luke: So.

00:19:54 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, I dropped a joke about that in the discord. Like I've never I've never played a game. I don't think that I like so much and equally disliked at the same time.

00:20:04 luke: Yeah. This isn't even like control, where the whole time we played control, you're like, I understand why this is so awesome. I just am burnt out

00:20:10 Alex Stahlmann: Right.

00:20:10 luke: already. And I just started. This is

00:20:12 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:20:12 luke: more like, hey, is this chapter done? I'd like to play something more addicting and

00:20:16 Alex Stahlmann: Dude

00:20:16 luke: like, oh, I'm gonna

00:20:17 Alex Stahlmann: for

00:20:18 luke: do another

00:20:18 Alex Stahlmann: sure.

00:20:18 luke: action

00:20:18 Alex Stahlmann: For sure.

00:20:19 luke: scene. Like you just throw your sword at dudes and you just, like, wait. And you just like.

00:20:24 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:20:25 luke: And they'd be done. Or like, did you ever die?

00:20:28 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, yeah. During mini games? Not

00:20:30 luke: Yeah.

00:20:30 Alex Stahlmann: really during actual gameplay.

00:20:32 luke: Yeah. I'm. We could talk about those. You want to do the mini games right now?

00:20:37 Alex Stahlmann: Let's get into it, dude. Because that's the other aspect of this game that I think

00:20:40 luke: Is

00:20:40 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:20:40 luke: both

00:20:40 Alex Stahlmann: actually

00:20:40 luke: amazing

00:20:41 Alex Stahlmann: think

00:20:41 luke: and yet

00:20:41 Alex Stahlmann: is super. Yeah, for

00:20:42 luke: sometimes

00:20:43 Alex Stahlmann: sure.

00:20:43 luke: annoying

00:20:43 Alex Stahlmann: But it's

00:20:44 luke: as hell.

00:20:44 Alex Stahlmann: but it's like the texting that we were just talking about, man, I feel like it's underutilized. Like, I mean, there's definitely a good mix of mini games, but it's just not balanced, man. It's just like, I

00:20:52 luke: If

00:20:52 Alex Stahlmann: don't know.

00:20:52 luke: they would

00:20:53 Alex Stahlmann: And it's.

00:20:53 luke: have thrown any more of those, I would have lost my mind. So you have, like, a rhythm section with your metal

00:20:57 Alex Stahlmann: Okay,

00:20:58 luke: buddy.

00:20:58 Alex Stahlmann: that boss rest was rough for sure.

00:21:00 luke: I loved that stupid metal loving character in people. I thought all those jokes

00:21:05 Alex Stahlmann: Thrash.

00:21:05 luke: were like thrash and like his mountain troll people who love metal music I actually found

00:21:10 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, that

00:21:11 luke: hilarious.

00:21:11 Alex Stahlmann: section was a lot of fun.

00:21:12 luke: And then the art lady, I forget what her name is. Um, the wizard trainee that you're with. the beautiful art town. Did you notice?

00:21:20 Alex Stahlmann: Violet.

00:21:20 luke: Yeah. Did you notice all the cool, hidden little features like

00:21:23 Alex Stahlmann: Of course I did. They're

00:21:24 luke: your

00:21:24 Alex Stahlmann: all

00:21:24 luke: references?

00:21:24 Alex Stahlmann: different. Like, yeah, there's like Van Gogh. Different painters. Different.

00:21:28 luke: All sorts

00:21:29 Alex Stahlmann: Like everything

00:21:29 luke: of stuff.

00:21:29 Alex Stahlmann: like

00:21:29 luke: Like

00:21:29 Alex Stahlmann: that.

00:21:29 luke: Banksy

00:21:30 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:21:30 luke: has his face blurred out.

00:21:31 Alex Stahlmann: Uh huh.

00:21:31 luke: I thought that was cute. Um,

00:21:33 Alex Stahlmann: Yep.

00:21:33 luke: not the point I was making. It's just something I remember,

00:21:35 Alex Stahlmann: That's what

00:21:36 luke: but

00:21:36 Alex Stahlmann: I'm saying.

00:21:36 luke: for those.

00:21:36 Alex Stahlmann: You can tell, like, whoever the art direction around this is phenomenal,

00:21:39 luke: It's insane.

00:21:40 Alex Stahlmann: like I.

00:21:41 luke: They had better visual ideas than they did gameplay and the gameplay. They tried

00:21:44 Alex Stahlmann: Huh?

00:21:44 luke: for you to have fun while carrying you through the story, and they mostly succeeded. But you have like, this rhythm section where you got to like, these things are coming

00:21:51 Alex Stahlmann: Dude.

00:21:51 luke: at you and you got to press bop, bop, bop with jot or not jot, but,

00:21:55 Alex Stahlmann: Huh?

00:21:55 luke: uh, thrash. And that was kind of annoying,

00:21:57 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:21:57 luke: but like, kind of cool. Um, and then

00:21:59 Alex Stahlmann: You

00:21:59 luke: with

00:21:59 Alex Stahlmann: basically

00:21:59 luke: Violet,

00:21:59 Alex Stahlmann: have to

00:22:00 luke: you

00:22:00 Alex Stahlmann: knock

00:22:00 luke: got.

00:22:00 Alex Stahlmann: things back to.

00:22:01 luke: Yeah.

00:22:01 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:22:01 luke: Violet, you have this Candy crush section, and, boy,

00:22:04 Alex Stahlmann: Get out of here with that

00:22:05 luke: I

00:22:05 Alex Stahlmann: Candy

00:22:05 luke: need

00:22:05 Alex Stahlmann: crush

00:22:05 luke: to

00:22:06 Alex Stahlmann: shit.

00:22:06 luke: I need

00:22:06 Alex Stahlmann: Like, just

00:22:06 luke: to hit

00:22:06 Alex Stahlmann: give me

00:22:06 luke: up

00:22:06 Alex Stahlmann: Tetris,

00:22:07 luke: one of

00:22:07 Alex Stahlmann: bro.

00:22:07 luke: my students moms or something, dude, and be like, I need someone to crush this candy crush section, dude. Um.

00:22:14 Alex Stahlmann: Dude. Yeah. So you you're in the game. We already talked about like the being on the the pages of the book. That's your 2D stuff. Traversing around looks really cool. You can come out into the real world, uh, and then when you're in. But when you're back in the book, there's also these sections where it will basically it's it brings you more. It changes the perspective. Again. Uh, it's basically like a whole long different game type. And I think that they do this in

00:22:38 luke: Yeah,

00:22:38 Alex Stahlmann: a few different ways and it's

00:22:39 luke: it's

00:22:39 Alex Stahlmann: like,

00:22:40 luke: kind

00:22:40 Alex Stahlmann: but

00:22:40 luke: of hard

00:22:40 Alex Stahlmann: it's.

00:22:40 luke: to explain when you're looking back on all the different ones that there are. But yes,

00:22:44 Alex Stahlmann: Right, dude.

00:22:45 luke: that third

00:22:46 Alex Stahlmann: But yeah.

00:22:46 luke: one

00:22:46 Alex Stahlmann: So

00:22:46 luke: where

00:22:46 Alex Stahlmann: you

00:22:46 luke: you're shooting

00:22:46 Alex Stahlmann: mentioned

00:22:47 luke: with the

00:22:47 Alex Stahlmann: the

00:22:47 luke: bow. That shit was cool as hell. Dude,

00:22:48 Alex Stahlmann: that

00:22:49 luke: how

00:22:49 Alex Stahlmann: was kind of

00:22:49 luke: hard

00:22:49 Alex Stahlmann: tight.

00:22:49 luke: did

00:22:50 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:22:50 luke: you pick it up for you when you saw that fucking card? With that cool at the top of the fort, you had the little,

00:22:55 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:22:55 luke: little, little card. Were you like, that's such a cool fucking

00:22:57 Alex Stahlmann: It's

00:22:58 luke: car.

00:22:58 Alex Stahlmann: like a magic The Gathering card

00:22:59 luke: Yeah,

00:22:59 Alex Stahlmann: or whatever. Yeah

00:22:59 luke: yeah,

00:22:59 Alex Stahlmann: for sure.

00:23:00 luke: I thought that was cool.

00:23:00 Alex Stahlmann: And you make your, you traverse all the way up there. So there's a lot of like you mentioned it already, but the 3D platforming stuff going on in the real world, uh, a lot of times there's like, you have to work your way up to something or around whatever. Um, and then the, the main baddie that we mentioned, hump grumpy like his minions have. Also like he's like spread out into the real world too. So there are the beetles and the bugs. Which man, that kid's room is dirty.

00:23:23 luke: Yeah, man.

00:23:24 Alex Stahlmann: But. But, uh, you got the. You got the bugs and everything going around, and then you've got, like, some of the baddies out there to fight and everything, and it's cool out there. I that's where I hit a lot of frame drops is in that. But that was like, I

00:23:37 luke: That would

00:23:37 Alex Stahlmann: don't

00:23:37 luke: make

00:23:37 Alex Stahlmann: want

00:23:38 luke: sense.

00:23:38 Alex Stahlmann: to call it I don't want to call it forgivable, but because but when it was in the 2D area and it would happen like on the book pages, I was like, oh, I can't even take that. Like the jumping

00:23:45 luke: Yeah.

00:23:46 Alex Stahlmann: around like that. Um, and it wasn't so bad. Like, clearly they, they cosigned on, like getting it out on switch. So it's not like bad enough where you can't publish it on on switch or whatever. Like, but it was bad enough where I noticed it and it was a gripe of mine. Uh, but these mini games, dude. Fucking dope. It's cool. Like, it's just like. I love how this game has so many games within it, and you're always jumping around and playing these different game types. So we've got the Zelda likes that. We mentioned you mentioned the Candy crush like puzzler with, Violet thrashes got his rhythm game. The little mouse dude. I think his name is Pip.

00:24:17 luke: Yeah.

00:24:18 Alex Stahlmann: Um, so Pip's got another like a rhythm

00:24:21 luke: Rhythm.

00:24:21 Alex Stahlmann: game thing

00:24:21 luke: Stealth.

00:24:21 Alex Stahlmann: too. Rhythm stuff. That thing was like, oh, I hated it, then I liked it, then I hated it, and now I'm okay with it. I'm just, I

00:24:30 luke: Now

00:24:30 Alex Stahlmann: think

00:24:30 luke: that

00:24:30 Alex Stahlmann: because

00:24:30 luke: I'm

00:24:30 Alex Stahlmann: I'm

00:24:31 luke: done with it,

00:24:31 Alex Stahlmann: done

00:24:31 luke: it's

00:24:31 Alex Stahlmann: with it.

00:24:31 luke: charming.

00:24:31 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:24:32 luke: But at the

00:24:33 Alex Stahlmann: For

00:24:33 luke: time,

00:24:33 Alex Stahlmann: sure.

00:24:33 luke: I was like, I swear to fucking God, if I have to do this

00:24:36 Alex Stahlmann: But

00:24:36 luke: again.

00:24:36 Alex Stahlmann: dude,

00:24:37 luke: Uh, and

00:24:38 Alex Stahlmann: not.

00:24:38 luke: don't forget about the Mike Tyson's Fight Night version that you do

00:24:41 Alex Stahlmann: Yes,

00:24:41 luke: twice.

00:24:41 Alex Stahlmann: yes.

00:24:41 luke: That's very interesting. And then one that's like, oh, two things. I think I realized why you picked this game when you like, midway through do like a shoot em up in the middle of it.

00:24:53 Alex Stahlmann: I didn't know that was going to be in there, but I was quite pleased.

00:24:55 luke: Yeah.

00:24:55 Alex Stahlmann: And that the Shmups section stuff is cool during the beginning

00:24:58 luke: Yeah.

00:24:59 Alex Stahlmann: and

00:24:59 luke: The art,

00:24:59 Alex Stahlmann: the end of the

00:24:59 luke: the

00:24:59 Alex Stahlmann: game.

00:25:00 luke: art, the art almost was like, uh, like like the final boss battle is almost like, uh, Star Fox,

00:25:06 Alex Stahlmann: Dude,

00:25:07 luke: you

00:25:07 Alex Stahlmann: yeah,

00:25:07 luke: know? What

00:25:07 Alex Stahlmann: for

00:25:07 luke: the

00:25:07 Alex Stahlmann: sure

00:25:07 luke: fuck I mean? Yeah,

00:25:08 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:25:08 luke: so

00:25:08 Alex Stahlmann: do.

00:25:08 luke: that was crazy. And then there's like this archery one that you do that I found to be

00:25:13 Alex Stahlmann: I forgot about that

00:25:13 luke: dude,

00:25:14 Alex Stahlmann: one, to be

00:25:14 luke: I did

00:25:14 Alex Stahlmann: honest,

00:25:14 luke: too.

00:25:14 Alex Stahlmann: but that was cool.

00:25:15 luke: It's kind of cool in hindsight. That was like one of the moments I had with the game where I was like, that was really cool. This whole section was

00:25:21 Alex Stahlmann: Dude.

00:25:22 luke: really cool.

00:25:22 Alex Stahlmann: So

00:25:22 luke: So.

00:25:23 Alex Stahlmann: many cool ideas. The gameplay is all like. It's all cool ideas. The whole thing. It's like the whole thing is just riddled with cool ideas. The execution of them all, though, is just like, falls flat a little bit.

00:25:35 luke: Yeah. So the game took me about eight and a half to nine hours. Um, I'm assuming you're around the same. The how

00:25:44 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:25:44 luke: long, how long to beat it clocks in at around ten. I would

00:25:47 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:25:47 luke: say that, you know, if you're a dad and you're reading a lot of these books and you got a weekend and you just want to crush a game, this might be it.

00:26:00 Alex Stahlmann: Dude. Or if you're like me and you like, like, it's just the art thing we've been talking about too. Like, as an art piece. This game is. It's dope, dude,

00:26:08 luke: Yeah.

00:26:08 Alex Stahlmann: but as like a pure gameplay, it leaves a little something to be desired.

00:26:13 luke: Yeah. It's it's not going for the gameplay. I feel like the gameplay is just supposed to be, like, fun and quick and get you to the next beat of the story and for you to see more things.

00:26:23 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:26:23 luke: Maybe.

00:26:23 Alex Stahlmann: it's

00:26:24 luke: Maybe

00:26:24 Alex Stahlmann: got

00:26:24 luke: that's

00:26:24 Alex Stahlmann: collectibles

00:26:24 luke: a critique.

00:26:25 Alex Stahlmann: too. Like I said, it's got a little bit

00:26:26 luke: Yeah.

00:26:26 Alex Stahlmann: of everything in it. I'm curious, did you make a point to hit the collectibles? Did you get all the art pieces? Did you get

00:26:32 luke: Definitely

00:26:33 Alex Stahlmann: all the, like,

00:26:33 luke: didn't

00:26:33 Alex Stahlmann: the glitch

00:26:33 luke: get all

00:26:33 Alex Stahlmann: birds?

00:26:34 luke: of them. And now I'm like, how in the hell am like, I thought I was being pretty thorough. Uh,

00:26:38 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:26:39 luke: but

00:26:39 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:26:39 luke: I think there's

00:26:40 Alex Stahlmann: missed some

00:26:40 luke: a

00:26:40 Alex Stahlmann: too.

00:26:40 luke: bunch to find. Uh, it's a bummer that you played on switch because you don't get the achievements, but I got one

00:26:46 Alex Stahlmann: Oh,

00:26:46 luke: right away

00:26:47 Alex Stahlmann: yeah.

00:26:47 luke: for just wandering off the desk to my death, and they're like, had to try

00:26:50 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:26:50 luke: it. So

00:26:52 Alex Stahlmann: Nice

00:26:52 luke: that was pretty

00:26:52 Alex Stahlmann: nice,

00:26:52 luke: great.

00:26:52 Alex Stahlmann: nice.

00:26:53 luke: Yeah.

00:26:54 Alex Stahlmann: That is cool.

00:26:55 luke: No,

00:26:55 Alex Stahlmann: Um.

00:26:55 luke: it's fun to collect the art because, shocker, the art within this game, collectibles are cool once again. Um,

00:27:02 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:27:02 luke: and the saving those little dudes, is there a payoff for that that you know of? Is there like somewhere where sometimes

00:27:07 Alex Stahlmann: There

00:27:07 luke: in

00:27:07 Alex Stahlmann: has

00:27:07 luke: games

00:27:08 Alex Stahlmann: to be.

00:27:08 luke: when you save a bunch of those people you go to, like a communal area and they're like, oh my gosh. And you can like see that the whatever area has grown with them returned, but with them.

00:27:18 Alex Stahlmann: A glitch?

00:27:20 luke: Yeah.

00:27:20 Alex Stahlmann: I would assume that there's some sort of payoff, and I don't know what it is. Uh, I also assume that if you collect all the art pieces to pay off, I don't know what it is because I didn't do it either. Uh, but there is so, like, it's this isn't, uh, it's neither a spoiler nor is it too different from, like, other games like this. But when you beat it, uh, it and you go back to the save file, it it puts you. It's kind of odd because it puts you past the final boss, and it puts you at a point where there's no continued gameplay, like, it just would reloop your conversation that you have at the end of the game and then go in credits, and that's like the final save point. So and you can also, uh, go back in and replay chapters once you've once you've beat it. Right. So my assumption is, is you can go back, replay chapters, do all the collectible stuff, and then go back to that last chapter and your conversation is likely different. But I

00:28:16 luke: I

00:28:16 Alex Stahlmann: don't

00:28:16 luke: guess

00:28:16 Alex Stahlmann: know and I may never know.

00:28:18 luke: I definitely won't unless I stumble into someone explaining it somewhere. But

00:28:24 Alex Stahlmann: Did

00:28:24 luke: yes.

00:28:24 Alex Stahlmann: I hit you up? I hit you up on the discord or whatever. And I was like, dawg, I beat the game. Rolled credits. This thing's going back on the shelf where it belongs, and it will stay there until my child is old enough to be interested by it.

00:28:36 luke: Yeah, it's it's cool. It's gorgeous.

00:28:40 Alex Stahlmann: Dude,

00:28:41 luke: It's creative.

00:28:42 Alex Stahlmann: one hundred

00:28:43 luke: It's

00:28:43 Alex Stahlmann: and

00:28:44 luke: not.

00:28:45 Alex Stahlmann: ten hour rap, though. Like, even though like, I'm half like Hayden. I'm not, like, hating on it, but, you know, I'm. I'm giving it, uh, I'm poking holes in it. Right. And he even said, like, ten hour fucking to roll credits, man. That's my that's my sweet spot. I love it. I love being able to roll credits within ten hours.

00:29:04 luke: Yeah. Uh. Ten hours. I should have been six. What is up?

00:29:10 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, that chapter nine. So there's nine full chapters.

00:29:14 luke: The whole time,

00:29:14 Alex Stahlmann: Possibly

00:29:14 luke: I

00:29:15 Alex Stahlmann: a

00:29:15 luke: thought

00:29:15 Alex Stahlmann: tenth.

00:29:15 luke: I looked it up and it said ten chapters, so I was so.

00:29:18 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, I think that's why I think that's what we're missing. I think that maybe we need to do more collecting, and then

00:29:22 luke: Oh,

00:29:22 Alex Stahlmann: it'll maybe kick us off and do a tenth

00:29:24 luke: yeah.

00:29:24 Alex Stahlmann: chapter.

00:29:24 luke: I was, like, so worried. I was like, this is a long

00:29:28 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, chapter

00:29:28 luke: penultimate

00:29:28 Alex Stahlmann: nine was

00:29:29 luke: chapter.

00:29:29 Alex Stahlmann: long, bro.

00:29:30 luke: I

00:29:30 Alex Stahlmann: And

00:29:30 luke: was

00:29:30 Alex Stahlmann: that's

00:29:30 luke: like.

00:29:31 Alex Stahlmann: that's another pacing issue with this game. It's like, you know, everything is like cool. But then there's just something where it's like, you didn't execute it perfectly.

00:29:38 luke: Yeah, it's pretty funny. Uh, yes.

00:29:42 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, but yes, let's, let's, let's talk a little bit before we've already kind of like, laid our cards on the table, I think. But before we, you know, move into, uh, our next segments and give this thing a grade, I do want to know how you fared in that mini game bit at the end, the boss rush that we that we had.

00:29:58 luke: And what did I tell you? That I wanted to die or that I hated the game. What was my angry ass text? It's just

00:30:04 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:30:04 luke: fuck

00:30:05 Alex Stahlmann: think it

00:30:05 luke: this

00:30:05 Alex Stahlmann: was something

00:30:05 luke: game.

00:30:05 Alex Stahlmann: like, I fucking hate this game.

00:30:06 luke: Yeah. Uh. Thrashes metal. Rhythm game was hard as hell.

00:30:13 Alex Stahlmann: How

00:30:13 luke: And

00:30:13 Alex Stahlmann: many times

00:30:13 luke: then

00:30:13 Alex Stahlmann: did it take you to

00:30:14 luke: to,

00:30:14 Alex Stahlmann: beat that?

00:30:15 luke: uh, four or five? Six, maybe.

00:30:17 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, I was on four or five. Six and I skipped it straight up.

00:30:20 luke: Dude, there's something about my pride. Wouldn't let me skip it. And then I find. Because at least they're merciful. You have to, like, eventually.

00:30:27 Alex Stahlmann: They are. So there's a checkpoint basically.

00:30:29 luke: Yeah.

00:30:29 Alex Stahlmann: Like, right, you

00:30:30 luke: Halfway

00:30:30 Alex Stahlmann: can get

00:30:30 luke: through

00:30:30 Alex Stahlmann: halfway through

00:30:31 luke: it.

00:30:31 Alex Stahlmann: it and then if you die, it will bring you back to the halfway point, which I appreciate that.

00:30:35 luke: Yeah.

00:30:36 Alex Stahlmann: But I kept still dying on the second part of that so many times that I was like, you know what? Screw it. I don't need to see the winning screen. Like, I'm just

00:30:43 luke: Did

00:30:43 Alex Stahlmann: gonna move

00:30:44 luke: you

00:30:44 Alex Stahlmann: on.

00:30:44 luke: did you skip the Candy crush section, too?

00:30:48 Alex Stahlmann: Hell yeah. Dude.

00:30:48 luke: Oh, no.

00:30:50 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, after I lost that Candy crush section, like, I wasn't playing it as hard because it's one once you like, once you break the seal on something like

00:30:57 luke: Yeah.

00:30:57 Alex Stahlmann: that, I was

00:30:57 luke: That's

00:30:57 Alex Stahlmann: like, okay,

00:30:57 luke: why that's

00:30:58 Alex Stahlmann: well.

00:30:58 luke: why I wouldn't do it. I was like, I can't.

00:31:00 Alex Stahlmann: yeah,

00:31:01 luke: I

00:31:01 Alex Stahlmann: I'm

00:31:01 luke: was like, this isn't a long

00:31:02 Alex Stahlmann: not gonna

00:31:02 luke: game.

00:31:02 Alex Stahlmann: lie.

00:31:02 luke: It's not a bad game.

00:31:03 Alex Stahlmann: It hurt.

00:31:03 luke: I was like, I

00:31:04 Alex Stahlmann: It

00:31:04 luke: should

00:31:04 Alex Stahlmann: hurt

00:31:04 luke: be able

00:31:04 Alex Stahlmann: my

00:31:04 luke: to do

00:31:05 Alex Stahlmann: pride

00:31:05 luke: this.

00:31:05 Alex Stahlmann: a little bit.

00:31:05 luke: Yeah,

00:31:05 Alex Stahlmann: It hurt my pride

00:31:06 luke: you

00:31:06 Alex Stahlmann: a little

00:31:06 luke: should

00:31:06 Alex Stahlmann: bit. I'm not

00:31:06 luke: feel

00:31:06 Alex Stahlmann: gonna

00:31:07 luke: bad.

00:31:07 Alex Stahlmann: lie.

00:31:07 luke: I hovered above it. I almost did it. So now I'm really glad I didn't. You can feel like shit.

00:31:11 Alex Stahlmann: I did it, I'll admit. I'll admit to it. It's whatever, dude. Um.

00:31:15 luke: I hope.

00:31:16 Alex Stahlmann: But that's that little asterisk. Little asterisk to my credits.

00:31:19 luke: He might have beaten Diablo, but I truly beat plucky Squire. Dude.

00:31:23 Alex Stahlmann: That's true.

00:31:24 luke: You just weren't

00:31:24 Alex Stahlmann: That

00:31:24 luke: plucky

00:31:24 Alex Stahlmann: is true.

00:31:25 luke: enough, dude.

00:31:26 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:31:26 luke: Let's see how it

00:31:27 Alex Stahlmann: you're

00:31:27 luke: is.

00:31:27 Alex Stahlmann: not wrong, bro.

00:31:27 luke: See what

00:31:28 Alex Stahlmann: You're

00:31:28 luke: I did?

00:31:28 Alex Stahlmann: not wrong.

00:31:28 luke: See what I did there? Do you want me to define

00:31:30 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Nice.

00:31:30 luke: plucky?

00:31:32 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

00:31:33 luke: I forgot

00:31:34 Alex Stahlmann: I'm

00:31:34 luke: it already.

00:31:34 Alex Stahlmann: just kidding.

00:31:35 luke: Being brave in

00:31:36 Alex Stahlmann: Indeed.

00:31:36 luke: the face of adversity.

00:31:37 Alex Stahlmann: Yes, one hundred percent. Oh, man. But the music in this game. Beautiful art. Beautiful. Uh, man, the. I did skip. I did skip the mini games in the end. Uh, but not the not the Punch-Out! One, because those ones are fun, which is also difficult. The second in the boss Rush section towards the end.

00:31:56 luke: Disagree. For some reason, I could hack my way through that one.

00:31:59 Alex Stahlmann: Nice. Well done.

00:32:00 luke: Yeah.

00:32:00 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, I, I mean, basically did the same, but, like, it was, I actually found that that bout to be easier than the first time I did it, but I think it just like I was so caught off guard that they were, like, throwing this mini game in there the first time that I was like, oh shit.

00:32:14 luke: Yeah.

00:32:14 Alex Stahlmann: But but no. So I got through that. Um, there's, uh, as far as the story goes, like I said, it's kind of like, you know, kind of your adventure trope. It's there's

00:32:23 luke: I'd

00:32:23 Alex Stahlmann: nothing

00:32:23 luke: say

00:32:23 Alex Stahlmann: too

00:32:23 luke: it's

00:32:23 Alex Stahlmann: crazy

00:32:23 luke: a good

00:32:24 Alex Stahlmann: about

00:32:24 luke: story.

00:32:24 Alex Stahlmann: it.

00:32:24 luke: I'd go ahead and say that it's a fun story. It's cool. It'd make a cool movie

00:32:27 Alex Stahlmann: Totally.

00:32:28 luke: or like Netflix series.

00:32:31 Alex Stahlmann: I can see that for sure.

00:32:32 luke: It'd

00:32:32 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:32:32 luke: be really cool,

00:32:32 Alex Stahlmann: The,

00:32:32 luke: actually.

00:32:33 Alex Stahlmann: um, I was just I didn't want to give any spoilers story spoilers out there, but I was, you know, it's kind of your standard, like, adventure story, but it is good. Uh, and there's some nice twists in there. I would say there was a couple things that I did not see coming. Not like I blew my mind twist, but I was like, oh, that's nice. I like what they did there. Uh, and that happens a couple times throughout. So pretty cool in that sense as well. Uh, but I told you off, Mike and I stand by it. At the time, I was like, ah, I think I gotta give this game. If I was being incredibly harsh on this game, I would give it two out of five brush strokes,

00:33:10 luke: Dude, you

00:33:11 Alex Stahlmann: right?

00:33:11 luke: put that. You put that can opener down. Dude, what are you threatening me with your fucking can opener?

00:33:16 Alex Stahlmann: I keep I keep a pocket knife on my desk and I fidget with it when I'm on calls. But which is like a dumb thing to do because, like,

00:33:22 luke: I

00:33:22 Alex Stahlmann: if

00:33:22 luke: hope

00:33:22 Alex Stahlmann: I'm on the wrong

00:33:23 luke: you're

00:33:23 Alex Stahlmann: call, I

00:33:23 luke: playing

00:33:23 Alex Stahlmann: just

00:33:24 luke: with

00:33:24 Alex Stahlmann: like,

00:33:24 luke: a knife

00:33:24 Alex Stahlmann: bust

00:33:24 luke: on there.

00:33:24 Alex Stahlmann: out a knife. People are like, what are you doing?

00:33:27 luke: With

00:33:27 Alex Stahlmann: Um.

00:33:27 luke: your dumb ass. Uh, two out of five is crazy.

00:33:30 Alex Stahlmann: But

00:33:30 luke: That's disrespectful.

00:33:31 Alex Stahlmann: no, no, I'm not done.

00:33:33 luke: Yeah.

00:33:33 Alex Stahlmann: I will give it two out of five. But because of how imaginative and how beautiful this game is and like, whimsical and all this other stuff, like, it's gonna go up to three. I gotta give it a three

00:33:43 luke: Okay.

00:33:43 Alex Stahlmann: and I roll credits. It's not like it's broken and two's not like on a two to five scale. Like, yeah, two would be the worst that we've ever done. Uh, but I gotta give it three. Like, I think there's too much shit going on with it that I was like, fucking hey! But there's also so much going on with it that like, it's bumped up to a three for sure.

00:34:00 luke: Dang. Um. Are you ready for some taxonomy?

00:34:03 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

00:34:04 luke: Always a friend of the pod, Tyler, I think. I think I have to give his wife, Ashley, the actual credit for it, but she calls it type two fun. And as

00:34:13 Alex Stahlmann: Okay.

00:34:13 luke: a as a father, you would get this hardcore. Everybody will. But a parent of a young child definitely will. Where sometimes you're having type one fun, which is obvious in the moment, and later on fun that you remember fondly. Type two fun is kind of like not fun in the moment. And then afterwards you have very fond memories of it. So, for example,

00:34:32 Alex Stahlmann: Sure.

00:34:33 luke: let's say you're on a trip with your child and you're just managing your child the whole time. But then, you know, he sees a waterfall and he thinks it's the coolest thing ever. And you have a video of it later, you're like, that might have been type two fun. Maybe it's type one fun, but I think you get my point. Which is type two fun.

00:34:49 Alex Stahlmann: Right,

00:34:49 luke: Is

00:34:49 Alex Stahlmann: right.

00:34:49 luke: this after the fact? You really appreciated it and it was really fun when you look back on it. But if you're really being honest with yourself in the moment, you're kind of stressed the whole time. This game is a three out of five, but I will speak of it glowingly because it's got tons of type two fun. I thought the environments were so cool and the music and

00:35:07 Alex Stahlmann: They

00:35:08 luke: sound

00:35:08 Alex Stahlmann: are.

00:35:08 luke: effects, and I thought some of the puzzles high points are enough, where all I remember is the really cool stuff, and I have forgotten the boredom and the tedium and being stopped too much for dialogue that I didn't care to read. And it

00:35:22 Alex Stahlmann: Do.

00:35:22 luke: made me

00:35:22 Alex Stahlmann: But

00:35:22 luke: laugh.

00:35:22 Alex Stahlmann: that's. Is

00:35:22 luke: Genuinely.

00:35:22 Alex Stahlmann: it the balance, bro?

00:35:24 luke: That made me laugh

00:35:24 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:35:24 luke: genuinely

00:35:24 Alex Stahlmann: They got good

00:35:25 luke: a few

00:35:25 Alex Stahlmann: jokes.

00:35:25 luke: times. So, um, I'll remember this. Great. But I'm not

00:35:30 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:35:30 luke: going to play it again. It's going

00:35:33 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:35:33 luke: to

00:35:33 Alex Stahlmann: can

00:35:33 luke: be it's

00:35:34 Alex Stahlmann: dig

00:35:34 luke: going

00:35:34 Alex Stahlmann: it.

00:35:34 luke: to

00:35:34 Alex Stahlmann: That

00:35:34 luke: be better

00:35:34 Alex Stahlmann: makes

00:35:34 luke: as

00:35:34 Alex Stahlmann: sense.

00:35:34 luke: a memory

00:35:35 Alex Stahlmann: Dude.

00:35:35 luke: than it is as an actuality. So.

00:35:38 Alex Stahlmann: I think his balance is just off, dude. It's like, because it's way too easy. In the end, it doesn't get to a point where it's way too hard, but it's like, it just it doesn't ramp up the way it should.

00:35:46 luke: Well,

00:35:46 Alex Stahlmann: Like,

00:35:46 luke: it's

00:35:46 Alex Stahlmann: by

00:35:46 luke: not

00:35:46 Alex Stahlmann: the

00:35:46 luke: Final

00:35:46 Alex Stahlmann: end, I

00:35:47 luke: Fantasy

00:35:47 Alex Stahlmann: was like, I

00:35:47 luke: seven,

00:35:47 Alex Stahlmann: love the way.

00:35:48 luke: but.

00:35:50 Alex Stahlmann: What's that?

00:35:50 luke: I said it's not Final Fantasy seven.

00:35:53 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. For sure.

00:35:55 luke: It's not linked

00:35:56 Alex Stahlmann: But,

00:35:56 luke: to Alex,

00:35:56 Alex Stahlmann: uh.

00:35:57 luke: so I

00:35:57 Alex Stahlmann: No,

00:35:57 luke: can't.

00:35:58 Alex Stahlmann: no, no.

00:35:58 luke: It's not Baldur's Gate three either. But other than that, I think it was really cool.

00:36:03 Alex Stahlmann: For sure. Uh, I just want to give it props. By the end, like, I think all the, like, brain teaser stuff that it was doing had reached a level where I was like, that was good. Like, that actually made me think that that, like, pushed me to the point where I was like, I could look this up because I'm a slightly stuck, but I'm like, dude, I'm not that stuck. Uh, and I appreciate that. And I feel like at the beginning it was a little too easy. Uh, and I was like, this is for babies. And like, there's just like, the middle ground. Sweet spot didn't last long enough, in my opinion. Uh, but still three, three, three of five brushstrokes. I think it was pretty tight game.

00:36:37 luke: I love it. There we go.

00:36:38 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. With that, let's take a little break. Come back with our unsanctioned sponsor.

00:36:42 luke: I'm gonna try that one again.

00:36:45 Alex Stahlmann: Sure.

00:36:46 luke: I'm

00:36:46 Alex Stahlmann: And

00:36:46 luke: And

00:36:46 Alex Stahlmann: with that.

00:36:47 luke: in sanctions that came out of your mouth. Strange.

00:36:51 Alex Stahlmann: Get out of here, dude. You know how much shit I cut from this podcast used fumbling over your words.

00:36:55 luke: Never, never. I one take dude, I'm NAS legendary.

00:37:01 Alex Stahlmann: One take

00:37:02 luke: Nasty

00:37:02 Alex Stahlmann: Luke over

00:37:03 luke: NAS

00:37:03 Alex Stahlmann: here.

00:37:03 luke: dude. Empire state of

00:37:05 Alex Stahlmann: Fuck

00:37:05 luke: mind.

00:37:05 Alex Stahlmann: it.

00:37:05 luke: Continue.

00:37:06 Alex Stahlmann: One section sponsor. Let's go. We'll be back soon, folks. Geez. I'm broken.

00:37:15 luke: Oh. Got anything? Dude?

00:37:20 Alex Stahlmann: Ah, I do have something. Because I know you never think of them anymore.

00:37:24 luke: Dude, I think of them. And then I slowly forget them and tell myself they're stupid and don't do them.

00:37:30 Alex Stahlmann: They're all stupid, bro.

00:37:32 luke: I

00:37:32 Alex Stahlmann: That's

00:37:32 luke: know,

00:37:32 Alex Stahlmann: the point.

00:37:32 luke: dude, I don't you don't want to see inside this mind. It's a strange, chaotic mess.

00:37:39 Alex Stahlmann: Fair enough. Yeah, I got one that we could riff on that I think you may like. This month we're brought to you in part by. Well, brought to you unofficially, in part by summertime ice cream runs.

00:37:55 luke: Dude, I'm the defender of the ice cream run. If we. We would never not be ice

00:38:00 Alex Stahlmann: Defender.

00:38:00 luke: cream. As in, like, dude, Trisha's always trying to get ice cream and I'm always like, no.

00:38:04 Alex Stahlmann: You gatekeeping the ice cream from your boys and your family, bro.

00:38:08 luke: I should send you the picture to convince them to leave the community night tonight. We bought him some ice cream. Uh, shouts out, got a sonic like ice cream bar popsicle looking ass thing. Uh,

00:38:18 Alex Stahlmann: Hell,

00:38:18 luke: so

00:38:18 Alex Stahlmann: yeah.

00:38:18 luke: my boy's face is still blue. It is stained. Can't get out the blue. Hopefully that comes out for family photos. And

00:38:25 Alex Stahlmann: That's

00:38:26 luke: two,

00:38:26 Alex Stahlmann: amazing.

00:38:26 luke: uh, Louis wanted an ice cream cone, and I just. I got some pictures looking back in the car, and it's just ice cream all over their faces, and I'm like, I might be a grumpy old man who says no to the ice cream. But you gotta love those

00:38:40 Alex Stahlmann: Dawg.

00:38:40 luke: memories, dude.

00:38:42 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, I'm telling you, ice cream is good all the time. But there's something about sunshine. Ice cream. Summertime. It's the best. Man. Like. And then you go. So you're talking about, like, you got some Sonic and some ice cream. That sounds like a that sounds like a truck situation

00:39:00 luke: It's like

00:39:00 Alex Stahlmann: to

00:39:00 luke: a

00:39:00 Alex Stahlmann: me.

00:39:00 luke: high end ice cream truck. I only say high end because

00:39:03 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:39:03 luke: they had a pint of Blue Moon, which is the Wifey's favourite. Um,

00:39:06 Alex Stahlmann: Oh,

00:39:06 luke: it's just

00:39:06 Alex Stahlmann: okay.

00:39:06 luke: pretty, pretty pumped about that.

00:39:09 Alex Stahlmann: See? That's dope. That's dope. Uh, the other day. So we got, we got two ice cream joints that we like to like to go to. I've also my my wife and I have been off the liquor for almost nine months now, uh, which is tight. But you know what comes with that?

00:39:25 luke: I was like, where's this going? No more

00:39:27 Alex Stahlmann: A

00:39:27 luke: grasshoppers,

00:39:28 Alex Stahlmann: sweet tooth, brother,

00:39:28 luke: dude.

00:39:29 Alex Stahlmann: a sweet brother. A sweet tooth brother.

00:39:31 luke: Yeah. No,

00:39:32 Alex Stahlmann: Um.

00:39:32 luke: I feel that.

00:39:33 Alex Stahlmann: So, like ice cream in this house. We're like, we should get some ice cream. And I'm like, you're gatekeeping. I'm like, hell yeah,

00:39:39 luke: Yeah.

00:39:39 Alex Stahlmann: let's go get it. Uh, so they had to do ice cream runs. So, like, I'm not gonna lie, like DQ. I would like, I would be like, no, no, DQ, like, that's like McDonald's territory, but whatever man DQ. That's

00:39:51 luke: Dairy

00:39:51 Alex Stahlmann: a Minnesota company,

00:39:52 luke: Dairy

00:39:52 Alex Stahlmann: bro.

00:39:53 luke: Queens. A cut above when it comes to most of their products, then McDonald's,

00:39:57 Alex Stahlmann: Cuz, you know, they're a Minnesota company.

00:39:59 luke: you know. Yeah. The headquarters are in Bloomington. Yeah. Some shit.

00:40:02 Alex Stahlmann: Yes, sir.

00:40:03 luke: Yeah.

00:40:03 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:40:03 luke: Um,

00:40:04 Alex Stahlmann: So that's

00:40:04 luke: is

00:40:04 Alex Stahlmann: cool.

00:40:05 luke: that

00:40:05 Alex Stahlmann: And

00:40:05 luke: one of your spots

00:40:05 Alex Stahlmann: dude,

00:40:05 luke: in the neighborhood?

00:40:06 Alex Stahlmann: you can't you can't fuck with. Yeah.

00:40:08 luke: Okay.

00:40:08 Alex Stahlmann: There's like two, there's like two Dairy Queens in my area that we could go to and have gone to. Uh, three. They're all over. Over here for

00:40:15 luke: So

00:40:15 Alex Stahlmann: some reason.

00:40:15 luke: many dairy Queens over there. Uh, do you got any local

00:40:18 Alex Stahlmann: Dude.

00:40:18 luke: joints?

00:40:20 Alex Stahlmann: Hell, yes. That's

00:40:20 luke: That's

00:40:21 Alex Stahlmann: what I

00:40:21 luke: what

00:40:21 Alex Stahlmann: was

00:40:21 luke: I'm.

00:40:21 Alex Stahlmann: gonna

00:40:21 luke: That's

00:40:21 Alex Stahlmann: get

00:40:21 luke: what

00:40:21 Alex Stahlmann: to

00:40:21 luke: I'm trying

00:40:21 Alex Stahlmann: the Minnehaha

00:40:22 luke: here.

00:40:22 Alex Stahlmann: Scoop.

00:40:23 luke: Okay.

00:40:23 Alex Stahlmann: The Minnehaha scoop is actually the closest ice cream joint to us. And that is like your. It's just this little building straight up. Got the cooler ice cream

00:40:31 luke: That's

00:40:31 Alex Stahlmann: that

00:40:31 luke: all

00:40:31 Alex Stahlmann: some,

00:40:32 luke: you

00:40:32 Alex Stahlmann: like,

00:40:32 luke: need, brother.

00:40:32 Alex Stahlmann: high school to college age kids, like, are manning the place every time. And this dude as good as ice cream. And it's just like it's a little overpriced. But you know what? You're supporting a small business,

00:40:44 luke: Sure

00:40:44 Alex Stahlmann: so I'm all about

00:40:45 luke: it's

00:40:45 Alex Stahlmann: that.

00:40:46 luke: all about

00:40:46 Alex Stahlmann: They

00:40:46 luke: better

00:40:46 Alex Stahlmann: got a

00:40:46 luke: ice

00:40:46 Alex Stahlmann: punch

00:40:47 luke: cream.

00:40:47 Alex Stahlmann: card, so the tenth one's free.

00:40:48 luke: Chew up a big proponent of so you're off the liquor. But I think you had the liquor long enough for an appreciation for the proper level of dive bar.

00:41:00 Alex Stahlmann: Oh, yeah.

00:41:01 luke: Um, so when I think back in my

00:41:02 Alex Stahlmann: You

00:41:02 luke: college.

00:41:03 Alex Stahlmann: can still go to a dive bar with without drinking, you know.

00:41:05 luke: Uh, no doubt, especially if they got decent dive bar food. But,

00:41:09 Alex Stahlmann: Hell, yeah.

00:41:10 luke: um, it's interesting. Two things that I really miss about the college town I went to school in is that they have really cool dive bars that I miss,

00:41:21 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:41:21 luke: but more importantly to this conversation, they have local like drive in style ice cream joints that

00:41:28 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:41:29 luke: I

00:41:29 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:41:29 luke: fucking

00:41:29 Alex Stahlmann: Okay.

00:41:29 luke: adored at the time. So, um, you got the Penguin Zesto and Lakeview in Winona. And I used to always when I was delivering pizzas. If it was later in the night and it wasn't as busy, I'd bring back something for like me and the manager or whatever, or someone else if they were like helping close down dude. And my favorite

00:41:47 Alex Stahlmann: Nice.

00:41:47 luke: thing to do is you get the slushies mixed with the ice cream, dude, like like grape slushie

00:41:51 Alex Stahlmann: I.

00:41:52 luke: and vanilla ice cream. Then you blend that shit up. Shit, I miss that stuff so

00:41:56 Alex Stahlmann: Did.

00:41:56 luke: fucking hard.

00:41:58 Alex Stahlmann: Make a little lean out of it for.

00:42:01 luke: Just for sure. Uh, also got a huge boner for, um, they had the different flavors of the the ice cream coating. What do you call that? Just like

00:42:13 Alex Stahlmann: The dip.

00:42:14 luke: dip.

00:42:14 Alex Stahlmann: I don't really

00:42:14 luke: Yeah,

00:42:15 Alex Stahlmann: know

00:42:15 luke: it's

00:42:15 Alex Stahlmann: what

00:42:15 luke: just

00:42:15 Alex Stahlmann: to call

00:42:15 luke: the

00:42:15 Alex Stahlmann: it, but

00:42:15 luke: flavored

00:42:15 Alex Stahlmann: the dip.

00:42:16 luke: dips. And they had, like, birthday cake flavored dip that hardens. That

00:42:19 Alex Stahlmann: Oh,

00:42:19 luke: shit goes

00:42:20 Alex Stahlmann: shit.

00:42:20 luke: so hard. And they had, like, blue raspberry. Like, I fucking

00:42:23 Alex Stahlmann: Do.

00:42:23 luke: love that shit. And then you can get, like, greasy little burgers too. So I love a joint like that. So nighttime ice cream, I feel you. I used to drive to one. I used to walk to another one because there was two in town. And like, I miss, I miss stuff like that. I have an okay version out where I live, but it's not. It's not like that.

00:42:41 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:42:41 luke: It's kind

00:42:41 Alex Stahlmann: dude,

00:42:41 luke: of like

00:42:41 Alex Stahlmann: Minnehaha

00:42:41 luke: trendy

00:42:42 Alex Stahlmann: scoop is pretty fire.

00:42:42 luke: stuff

00:42:43 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:42:43 luke: and

00:42:43 Alex Stahlmann: mean,

00:42:43 luke: I don't know.

00:42:44 Alex Stahlmann: there's room, like, you know, they they could do some things like, you know, maybe some fresher waffle cones and shit, but I still fuck with waffle cone. But what are you gonna do? What are you gonna do? You know,

00:42:53 luke: You know.

00:42:54 Alex Stahlmann: you know, here's a here's a touch so that, you know what? If the scoop folks are listening, get some fucking malted milk balls in the bottom of your

00:43:02 luke: Sure.

00:43:02 Alex Stahlmann: in your waffle cone. That's a pro move,

00:43:04 luke: Yeah.

00:43:04 Alex Stahlmann: dude.

00:43:05 luke: That

00:43:05 Alex Stahlmann: It's

00:43:05 luke: is

00:43:05 Alex Stahlmann: such a nice little treat.

00:43:06 luke: as

00:43:06 Alex Stahlmann: And

00:43:06 luke: a kid.

00:43:07 Alex Stahlmann: it's like, dude,

00:43:07 luke: As

00:43:07 Alex Stahlmann: the

00:43:07 luke: a

00:43:07 Alex Stahlmann: overhead

00:43:07 luke: kid that

00:43:08 Alex Stahlmann: on

00:43:08 luke: was

00:43:08 Alex Stahlmann: that,

00:43:08 luke: such

00:43:08 Alex Stahlmann: like,

00:43:08 luke: a

00:43:08 Alex Stahlmann: just fucking

00:43:09 luke: such

00:43:09 Alex Stahlmann: do it.

00:43:09 luke: a bonus as a kid, my mind was blown

00:43:11 Alex Stahlmann: Hell, yeah.

00:43:12 luke: when I was thrown in.

00:43:13 Alex Stahlmann: Hell yeah.

00:43:14 luke: Yeah.

00:43:14 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:43:14 luke: Also a good,

00:43:15 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, you got,

00:43:15 luke: good

00:43:16 Alex Stahlmann: uh,

00:43:16 luke: time

00:43:16 Alex Stahlmann: you

00:43:16 luke: to.

00:43:16 Alex Stahlmann: got any memories of,

00:43:18 luke: Yes.

00:43:18 Alex Stahlmann: uh, being at the lake with the family and going to the ice cream joint? And I don't even know the name of the little town, but

00:43:22 luke: Oh,

00:43:22 Alex Stahlmann: that was like a whole thing

00:43:23 luke: girl.

00:43:23 Alex Stahlmann: that we did.

00:43:24 luke: Like, dude. And, uh,

00:43:25 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:43:25 luke: we went to the town, and that's where I fell in love with Superman. Ice cream. Because I'm a fucking

00:43:29 Alex Stahlmann: Hell,

00:43:29 luke: weirdo.

00:43:30 Alex Stahlmann: yeah.

00:43:30 luke: That's my favorite ice cream flavor. Is still, to this

00:43:33 Alex Stahlmann: Dawg.

00:43:33 luke: day,

00:43:33 Alex Stahlmann: Dog.

00:43:34 luke: Superman. Ice

00:43:35 Alex Stahlmann: So

00:43:35 luke: cream.

00:43:35 Alex Stahlmann: they got

00:43:35 luke: That's the

00:43:36 Alex Stahlmann: they

00:43:36 luke: perfect

00:43:36 Alex Stahlmann: got

00:43:36 luke: summertime.

00:43:36 Alex Stahlmann: Superman. They got Superman at high school. But guess

00:43:40 luke: Shoe.

00:43:40 Alex Stahlmann: what?

00:43:40 luke: What is

00:43:41 Alex Stahlmann: Superhuman.

00:43:41 luke: it? What?

00:43:45 Alex Stahlmann: They changed it to superhuman. Um, it's more inclusive.

00:43:50 luke: Word.

00:43:51 Alex Stahlmann: So let's. You ready? Are you ready to, like, pivot to,

00:43:53 luke: I thought

00:43:53 Alex Stahlmann: uh,

00:43:53 luke: it was just

00:43:53 Alex Stahlmann: what

00:43:53 luke: because

00:43:53 Alex Stahlmann: do they

00:43:54 luke: of

00:43:54 Alex Stahlmann: call

00:43:54 luke: Superman's colors, but. All right.

00:43:56 Alex Stahlmann: it is? Dude, it's like, for sure, but that's like, I was there. Dude, this podcast about to jump jump ship over to like, bro bro town like me. You and Joe Rogan now.

00:44:06 luke: Yes.

00:44:06 Alex Stahlmann: But but

00:44:07 luke: I was definitely

00:44:08 Alex Stahlmann: but.

00:44:08 luke: going to throw some Minneapolis jokes your way, but. All right. Yeah.

00:44:11 Alex Stahlmann: But uh, but like dude, uh, so like

00:44:13 luke: Solved

00:44:14 Alex Stahlmann: the superhuman.

00:44:14 luke: it.

00:44:15 Alex Stahlmann: So I

00:44:15 luke: Solved

00:44:15 Alex Stahlmann: looked at it,

00:44:15 luke: racism.

00:44:15 Alex Stahlmann: I was like, what's up with superhuman?

00:44:16 luke: Did it?

00:44:17 Alex Stahlmann: You guys get like a cease and desist. And he was like, no, I think they're just trying to be more inclusive. I was like, all right, well, that's weird, isn't it? Just like, supposed to be like, because of Superman's colors or whatever. And he's like, yeah, I don't really know. I'm like, I'm not gonna fucking like,

00:44:29 luke: It's like brother.

00:44:30 Alex Stahlmann: go into this much further with like a.

00:44:32 luke: He's like, brother, I'm not paid enough to know or care.

00:44:35 Alex Stahlmann: Year

00:44:35 luke: Just

00:44:36 Alex Stahlmann: for sure.

00:44:36 luke: get your goddamn

00:44:37 Alex Stahlmann: But.

00:44:37 luke: ice cream and get out of here, dude.

00:44:40 Alex Stahlmann: It's. But I remember that too. Dude. Girl like Superman. Ice cream. Uh, superhuman.

00:44:44 luke: Turtle races,

00:44:44 Alex Stahlmann: If you're at the

00:44:45 luke: dude.

00:44:45 Alex Stahlmann: scoop

00:44:45 luke: Probably

00:44:46 Alex Stahlmann: turtle

00:44:46 luke: canceled for our

00:44:46 Alex Stahlmann: races

00:44:47 luke: turtle

00:44:47 Alex Stahlmann: for

00:44:47 luke: races

00:44:47 Alex Stahlmann: sure.

00:44:47 luke: too, but I don't care. That shit was core memories. Do my turtle never won.

00:44:50 Alex Stahlmann: Mm.

00:44:50 luke: No, I cheated, so it did when we were homies. Um, my other

00:44:54 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, I

00:44:55 luke: ice

00:44:55 Alex Stahlmann: remember

00:44:55 luke: cream memory

00:44:55 Alex Stahlmann: those.

00:44:56 luke: is that I had a very not trustworthy older brother who kept trading dipped cone flavors and purposely with his fat ass, ate ahead and then traded me back,

00:45:05 Alex Stahlmann: Dog.

00:45:05 luke: and I was.

00:45:06 Alex Stahlmann: We have different flavors. We were just. We

00:45:09 luke: That

00:45:09 Alex Stahlmann: was

00:45:09 luke: wasn't

00:45:09 Alex Stahlmann: both.

00:45:09 luke: even part

00:45:09 Alex Stahlmann: Same

00:45:10 luke: of

00:45:10 Alex Stahlmann: dip.

00:45:10 luke: it. She. That makes

00:45:11 Alex Stahlmann: Same

00:45:11 luke: me

00:45:12 Alex Stahlmann: dip.

00:45:12 luke: extra dumb.

00:45:12 Alex Stahlmann: You were just stoked. You were just stoked. I was like, you want to trade cones? And you're like, yeah. I mean, you were like, at this. You had to be, what, like six, seven at the

00:45:21 luke: Max.

00:45:21 Alex Stahlmann: time?

00:45:21 luke: Vulnerable? Yep.

00:45:23 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, dog. So you're like stoked, like big bro. He's trying to trade ice cream with me. I'm gonna go for it.

00:45:28 luke: I

00:45:28 Alex Stahlmann: Trade.

00:45:28 luke: mean.

00:45:28 Alex Stahlmann: I work a little bit on the cone. Get down a little bit past where you're at. You want to trade back, buddy? You're like, yeah, dude, I got like a I got like at least a cone in like a quarter out of that deal.

00:45:39 luke: Jeez, man. Yeah. I always thought it's because we had different flavors. Now I feel dumb.

00:45:43 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm. Now

00:45:44 luke: It's

00:45:44 Alex Stahlmann: you're just

00:45:45 luke: no

00:45:45 Alex Stahlmann: down. You're

00:45:45 luke: good,

00:45:45 Alex Stahlmann: just

00:45:45 luke: dude.

00:45:45 Alex Stahlmann: down for trades man. You're like that kid that's just like trading fucking energy cards for charizards.

00:45:52 luke: Oh, God. Podcast going so many weird directions.

00:45:58 Alex Stahlmann: Always does.

00:45:59 luke: Yeah,

00:46:00 Alex Stahlmann: Nah.

00:46:00 luke: but summertime ice cream. Uh, pistachio. Better as a gelato

00:46:04 Alex Stahlmann: Fuck

00:46:04 luke: underlay. Underrated flavor

00:46:05 Alex Stahlmann: him

00:46:05 luke: though. Let's

00:46:06 Alex Stahlmann: dude.

00:46:06 luke: go.

00:46:07 Alex Stahlmann: Salted salted caramel. Big big in

00:46:09 luke: Big,

00:46:09 Alex Stahlmann: my

00:46:10 luke: big,

00:46:10 Alex Stahlmann: my book.

00:46:10 luke: big textures guy. Um, I'm mostly here for nuts in ice cream.

00:46:15 Alex Stahlmann: Oh, yeah.

00:46:15 luke: I'll defend the nuts. Gotta get my nuts, dude. Um,

00:46:19 Alex Stahlmann: Right

00:46:19 luke: I

00:46:19 Alex Stahlmann: on.

00:46:20 luke: the wife. Strong disagreement in the house. She doesn't think nuts belong in ice cream. I don't I don't know what to do about

00:46:24 Alex Stahlmann: Dude,

00:46:25 luke: that.

00:46:25 Alex Stahlmann: they work that saltiness, dude.

00:46:26 luke: Dude. Sweet and salty.

00:46:27 Alex Stahlmann: And the crunch. Crunch

00:46:28 luke: so,

00:46:28 Alex Stahlmann: is fun.

00:46:28 luke: so important. Like an almond in there.

00:46:30 Alex Stahlmann: Now I can dig it.

00:46:31 luke: Dude, what are we

00:46:31 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:46:31 luke: doing?

00:46:32 Alex Stahlmann: can dig it.

00:46:32 luke: All right,

00:46:33 Alex Stahlmann: Shit. Summertime ice cream,

00:46:34 luke: she

00:46:34 Alex Stahlmann: bro. G.

00:46:36 luke: should.

00:46:39 Alex Stahlmann: All right. Dude, you been? Side question.

00:46:41 luke: To know.

00:46:44 Alex Stahlmann: You say you know or no.

00:46:45 luke: No.

00:46:47 Alex Stahlmann: Ice. I feel like I don't have a life.

00:46:49 luke: I just play NCAA.

00:46:50 Alex Stahlmann: I,

00:46:51 luke: Dawg,

00:46:51 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:46:51 luke: it's a

00:46:51 Alex Stahlmann: am,

00:46:51 luke: lifestyle, dude. That ain't

00:46:53 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:46:53 luke: even sequestered.

00:46:53 Alex Stahlmann: am the football. I'm not. I'm not on board this year. I don't even know. I don't even know. You gotta tell me about this game.

00:47:01 luke: You know, um, I'll try to keep it to just this pod, because I'm sure my side quests would actually just be it for the next few months. Um, I like having that nice flow state style game. I think a lot of people like to just play like my brother in law. He plays Marvel Rivals and I make fun of him because I don't know if you follow the discourse on that game, but a lot of the unlockable skins are pretty shamelessly horny. So

00:47:23 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:47:23 luke: I keep telling him he's just trying to play his horny Marvel game. Uh, but like, he's always had a game like Counter-Strike two or whatever. And then this is just filling that niche for him. And I have that with sports for sure, or some sort of management game that I can get like super flow state into. Um, the game is better.

00:47:43 Alex Stahlmann: You say he plays Counter Strike two?

00:47:45 luke: Mm.

00:47:45 Alex Stahlmann: That's like kind of hard core.

00:47:47 luke: Oh yeah. I mean, he's I mean, yeah, he's a child. He's a Gen X'er. So I feel like a PC.

00:47:52 Alex Stahlmann: Oh, I was talking about. I thought you were talking about big bro. That makes more sense.

00:47:57 luke: Oh, yeah. No. Um, but anyway, um, the game has improved in ways that the sickos like myself would definitely appreciate. Um, last year's game was, like, one of the best selling games of all time because people were just so excited for college football. This year, they didn't make any big leaps, to the chagrin of some, but they definitely fine tuned a lot. And I've heard two interesting arguments, which is just, you know, if you want to see one of the more toxic subreddits, um, Madden and then this one is just people bitching and I'm like, all right, cool. But, um, some people are like, why would I pay for this unfinished game that keeps keep patching all these things and updating all these things? And then somebody else pointed out that, like, um, they actually continuously listen to fan feedback and continue to tune, fine tune the game and like, release huge updates like well into its life cycle over the year, which is true for last year as well. And I admire that. I'm just gonna throw that out there. But, um, I'm in the middle of building up. I just want a championship at Oregon State. Um, that's pretty cool. Rains all the time. That's kind of fucking annoying. But welcome to the Pacific Northwest. And,

00:49:09 Alex Stahlmann: That's

00:49:09 luke: uh,

00:49:10 Alex Stahlmann: cool. They worked that in there actually. That's kind

00:49:11 luke: no,

00:49:11 Alex Stahlmann: of interesting.

00:49:12 luke: it was actually a known issue with the game the developers have been working on were it rains too much. But now that I'm in

00:49:17 Alex Stahlmann: Mhm.

00:49:17 luke: Oregon, it at least feels less annoying.

00:49:21 Alex Stahlmann: Oh interesting. So is this always like, no matter where you are, it's a little rainy or whatever sometimes.

00:49:25 luke: More often than it should be. Yes. It's kind of funny, actually.

00:49:27 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, okay.

00:49:28 luke: Like,

00:49:28 Alex Stahlmann: Weird.

00:49:29 luke: yeah. No. So there's goofy stuff like that. Um, but yes, gameplay improvements and system improvements and UI interface stuff improvements. So, um, I recommend it only for the sickos because, I don't know, it's pretty much the same as last year, but just updated stuff.

00:49:50 Alex Stahlmann: Sure. You've been getting it in though, playing in front of the boys, teaching them about football.

00:49:54 luke: This year I am not. Last year they're a little younger, so we couldn't do a whole lot and go a whole lot of places all the time. So like at least you know, a game a day, they'd see me play and I'd give them, uh, unplugged controllers and they would smack away on their controllers. And this year they haven't seen me play. It's just when they nap and when they go to bed, I just, you know, Coach Dukes

00:50:13 Alex Stahlmann: Right

00:50:13 luke: is

00:50:13 Alex Stahlmann: on.

00:50:13 luke: in the building, dude.

00:50:15 Alex Stahlmann: Coach Duke

00:50:16 luke: Coach

00:50:16 Alex Stahlmann: is

00:50:16 luke: Dukes

00:50:16 Alex Stahlmann: very

00:50:17 luke: dude.

00:50:17 Alex Stahlmann: cool.

00:50:17 luke: Yeah. So, I mean, reading books and

00:50:21 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:50:21 luke: playing that, and then plucky Squire was pretty much all I was up to.

00:50:26 Alex Stahlmann: Nice. I can dig it, man.

00:50:28 luke: What about you, dude?

00:50:28 Alex Stahlmann: College football. Uh, not too much in the name of video games. Like. Not like not pouring a bunch of time into any one specific game, but jumping along a lot of. I've been continuing to do my start screen and pocket pick series. Short

00:50:44 luke: Love

00:50:44 Alex Stahlmann: form

00:50:44 luke: those.

00:50:44 Alex Stahlmann: series on the social. Uh. So by by nature of, like, pulling out a different Game Boy game or sixty four game to like showcase, I end up playing, you know, at least a few minutes of each. So it's been fun to dabble in the collection in that way. Uh, one game in particular that I'll, that I've, uh, I mean, I'll be playing Tetris, bro, but but there's a new version of Tetris that came with, uh, with, uh, one of my Game Boy toys or whatever. The mod, the mod mod, retro chromatic, uh, came with a new version of Tetris for Game Boy, but it has. So it's basically just I mean, it's just Tetris, but it's it's new age Tetris in the sense that it has all the quality of life improvements that you get with Tetris. If you were to play on a new system, but it's still on Game Boy, which is like, that's dope to me. Um, so that one gets a lot playtime. There's also a shmup that I've been playing that's a lot of fun called Solar Striker that came out in the early eighties. I want to say, or late eighties, I suppose. Uh, I think maybe early nineties. Don't quote me. Go watch my fucking

00:51:45 luke: Your

00:51:45 Alex Stahlmann: pocket

00:51:45 luke: Warrior

00:51:45 Alex Stahlmann: picks.

00:51:45 luke: Warrior

00:51:45 Alex Stahlmann: I'll

00:51:45 luke: video

00:51:45 Alex Stahlmann: tell you there.

00:51:46 luke: was cool. That game's funky

00:51:47 Alex Stahlmann: That one is

00:51:48 luke: as

00:51:48 Alex Stahlmann: cool.

00:51:48 luke: hell, dude.

00:51:49 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Uh. We're twisted. So that's got a little motion sensor in it. That was for the Game Boy Advance. Uh, and that's like WarioWare. Like it's, uh. I'm not like, I'm. I'm not a WarioWare fan in the sense that, like, some people fucking love those games. I think they're cool. But I've never been, like, all in on, like, I need WarioWare shit.

00:52:07 luke: Who are they

00:52:08 Alex Stahlmann: Uh,

00:52:08 luke: for?

00:52:08 Alex Stahlmann: but I, I don't know many games ever. For

00:52:12 luke: I

00:52:12 Alex Stahlmann: me,

00:52:12 luke: just like.

00:52:13 Alex Stahlmann: I guess I'm here. I am talking about how I'm, like, doing little short spurts of games and then I'm hating on mini games, but like, not really dude. Like it's fun, it's quirky. Uh, and it has that motion sensor in it. So you like, tilt it to do all the games and it's, it's it's always like, I feel like WiiWare is like a really good like what do you call those like hardware like, um, like when it's like a, like a prototype of sorts. You

00:52:34 luke: Yeah,

00:52:34 Alex Stahlmann: know what I mean?

00:52:35 luke: that's probably the word. Some sort of fancy

00:52:37 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:52:37 luke: word than demo. So prototype probably works. Uh, tech

00:52:40 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:52:41 luke: showcase

00:52:42 Alex Stahlmann: Tech demo or whatever.

00:52:43 luke: demo.

00:52:43 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:52:44 luke: I just mean it as, like their full priced games. Like, I think they came out with one for the switch, but I'm like, I'm not going to pay

00:52:48 Alex Stahlmann: Two.

00:52:49 luke: full

00:52:49 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:52:49 luke: price for like, just an assortment of video, like small games, like, would a kid are these for like like

00:52:57 Alex Stahlmann: Maybe

00:52:57 luke: who who's out

00:52:59 Alex Stahlmann: we'll

00:52:59 luke: here

00:52:59 Alex Stahlmann: see.

00:52:59 luke: playing

00:52:59 Alex Stahlmann: Like

00:53:00 luke: them. They're cool.

00:53:01 Alex Stahlmann: their great multiplayer. Like

00:53:02 luke: Are they.

00:53:03 Alex Stahlmann: it's kind of got the well for not not the Game Boy Advance one but like the

00:53:07 luke: Right.

00:53:07 Alex Stahlmann: like the other ones like that were for the, the Wii. Um, and that kind of and like the switch or whatever. I mean, it's kind of like Mario Party has like really fun, quick mini mini games

00:53:19 luke: True.

00:53:19 Alex Stahlmann: like WiiWare, kind of those on crack. So like, it's a good party game. I would say. Um, but yeah, no, it's a weird one. But yeah, that kind of stuff. Solar strikers, a lot of fun, dude. Uh, that's like actually a really good shmup for a Game Boy. Like, uh, for a Game Boy game. Uh, but outside of that, like, I've also played, like, just kind of dabbling a little bit on the PS2. Um, I always kind of fun to fire up an old PS2 game downstairs on the big TV with the with the fancy stuff. I got set up with that. Um, but actually another another fun side quest that we, uh, recently completed was we went to the movies and

00:53:56 luke: Yeah.

00:53:56 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:53:56 luke: Heard.

00:53:56 Alex Stahlmann: saw, yeah, I saw, uh, Fantastic Four, the first steps or first steps.

00:54:02 luke: Uh,

00:54:02 Alex Stahlmann: It's pretty good.

00:54:03 luke: do you remember seeing the original Fantastic Four movie?

00:54:08 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, so I know that I've seen it, but I don't really remember much of it. That was actually, like YouTubing some stuff around it because I was curious, like how much like, I don't know, I was just kind of curious and man, I'm tempted to revisit, but not really.

00:54:23 luke: Um, I bring

00:54:24 Alex Stahlmann: To

00:54:24 luke: it up.

00:54:25 Alex Stahlmann: me and Ugo did

00:54:25 luke: Yeah,

00:54:26 Alex Stahlmann: we did

00:54:26 luke: yeah.

00:54:26 Alex Stahlmann: we go see

00:54:27 luke: You

00:54:27 Alex Stahlmann: it?

00:54:27 luke: did.

00:54:27 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Yeah,

00:54:27 luke: You took

00:54:27 Alex Stahlmann: yeah.

00:54:27 luke: me. You were in, like, high school, and I was a very nerdy young man who collected comic books. Um, and, like, they had Spider-Man. That really worked. But this is definitely the pre current universe era where they kind of got huge mainstream success. So Jessica Alba was in it.

00:54:48 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, dude.

00:54:50 luke: Uh, that's really all I remember. Uh, Chris

00:54:54 Alex Stahlmann: That

00:54:54 luke: Evans,

00:54:54 Alex Stahlmann: was a bit

00:54:54 luke: it's kind

00:54:55 Alex Stahlmann: of

00:54:55 luke: of funny.

00:54:55 Alex Stahlmann: Captain

00:54:55 luke: He's.

00:54:55 Alex Stahlmann: America is in it.

00:54:56 luke: Yeah.

00:54:56 Alex Stahlmann: Only he's Johnny Flame or

00:54:58 luke: Um,

00:54:58 Alex Stahlmann: whatever. Johnny Torch.

00:54:59 luke: and then who they had for Mister Fantastic, and they actually casted all four of them pretty well. Um,

00:55:05 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:55:05 luke: and they just weren't good at the movie, the superhero movies just yet. I would think watching Daredevil to be kind of funny in hindsight too, because I thought that movie was cool. I just remember leaving the movie and being like, that was really cool. And you were like, sure.

00:55:20 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. I'm glad you liked it,

00:55:22 luke: You're

00:55:22 Alex Stahlmann: bro.

00:55:22 luke: like, is all right. But like when you're a kid and you go to a movie, everything's fucking awesome. Uh, and then when

00:55:27 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:55:27 luke: you're old, you're like, that was awful. Why do I sit here? So it'd be kind of funny to revisit, but I'm sure it's dog. Shit's not appropriate, but I'm sure it's not great.

00:55:38 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, who's in the Daredevil movie? Is that Ben Affleck?

00:55:41 luke: It sure is,

00:55:41 Alex Stahlmann: Is

00:55:41 luke: dude.

00:55:41 Alex Stahlmann: he Daredevil?

00:55:42 luke: Jennifer. Garner. Yeah.

00:55:44 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, Jennifer Garner too. Man, I think that was like. Well, granted. Daredevil. Daredevil's marvel. Yeah,

00:55:49 luke: Colin.

00:55:50 Alex Stahlmann: yeah.

00:55:50 luke: Yeah. Colin Farrell is a bullseye.

00:55:53 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Dude, I'm pretty sure back in the day they're like, who's the hottest girl that we can get to, like, sign up for this role? And then that's just. That's just how they did it.

00:56:00 luke: What

00:56:00 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:56:01 luke: did

00:56:01 Alex Stahlmann: mean,

00:56:01 luke: he.

00:56:01 Alex Stahlmann: I mean, they're they're always at whatever. Yeah,

00:56:04 luke: Yeah.

00:56:04 Alex Stahlmann: yeah.

00:56:05 luke: ALS hard to get attractive people to be in movies.

00:56:09 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. Uh, first up is fun, man. It's actually, it's a really great standalone, like, uh, Marvel piece. Uh, I mean, Papa Pedro's in there, dude, and he does a great job,

00:56:19 luke: Daddy.

00:56:19 Alex Stahlmann: so,

00:56:20 luke: Oh. Jesus Christ. I do

00:56:21 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:56:21 luke: like all

00:56:21 Alex Stahlmann: mean, he's

00:56:22 luke: the memes

00:56:22 Alex Stahlmann: in everything,

00:56:22 luke: of, like,

00:56:23 Alex Stahlmann: so.

00:56:23 luke: Pedro seeing an attractive woman while having a panic attack. That's been a pretty funny subculture of memes.

00:56:31 Alex Stahlmann: Uh,

00:56:31 luke: Uh,

00:56:32 Alex Stahlmann: it's

00:56:32 luke: but.

00:56:32 Alex Stahlmann: like a there's a smear campaign going on right now that he's he's gotten too big. There's like, there's a backlash.

00:56:37 luke: He's overtly political, which I align with some of his stuff. So I'm not not criticizing, but there's the inevitable backlash of having an opinion as well.

00:56:47 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:56:47 luke: Uh, that's probably what it

00:56:48 Alex Stahlmann: right.

00:56:48 luke: really is. Um, but he looks awesome as Mr. Fantastic. Uh, looks like they did. Pretty cool. Uh, that's the first movie I've been tempted to see within the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a long time. Uh, and I've famously

00:57:00 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:57:00 luke: never seen endgame. It's a bit of a bit now, but I, uh, I quit a long time ago, but that's one where because of that retro vibe and I always had a sweet spot for the Fantastic Four, so I

00:57:12 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:57:13 luke: was tempted.

00:57:13 Alex Stahlmann: It's fun. They do a really good job with it. I also I'm gonna throw this out there to, uh, watch, uh, more of an art flick. Uh, this one was made in. It's a, it's an animated movie called The Son of the White Mare. And for anybody that is going. I like Alex's taste. I think I'll watch this movie. I'm gonna

00:57:31 luke: Said

00:57:31 Alex Stahlmann: throw a caveat

00:57:31 luke: no one

00:57:32 Alex Stahlmann: out there.

00:57:32 luke: literally ever.

00:57:35 Alex Stahlmann: I'm gonna throw caveat out there that the the story itself, it's not worth watching. It's a Hungarian movie. It's all so it's in Hungarian. Uh, so I watched it with subtitles, but truly,

00:57:45 luke: What the fuck's

00:57:45 Alex Stahlmann: like,

00:57:45 luke: going

00:57:46 Alex Stahlmann: it's

00:57:46 luke: on?

00:57:46 Alex Stahlmann: worth just doing a quick. What's that?

00:57:47 luke: What the fuck is going on? Why?

00:57:50 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, it's

00:57:51 luke: How are

00:57:51 Alex Stahlmann: because

00:57:51 luke: you

00:57:51 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:57:52 luke: aware

00:57:52 Alex Stahlmann: saw a

00:57:52 luke: of

00:57:52 Alex Stahlmann: reel.

00:57:52 luke: okay.

00:57:53 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:57:53 luke: I

00:57:53 Alex Stahlmann: saw

00:57:53 luke: was

00:57:53 Alex Stahlmann: a

00:57:53 luke: like.

00:57:54 Alex Stahlmann: reel that was talking about the art style in this shit. And the art is beautiful, and that's

00:57:57 luke: Look,

00:57:57 Alex Stahlmann: why

00:57:57 luke: I'm

00:57:57 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:57:58 luke: not

00:57:58 Alex Stahlmann: bring

00:57:58 luke: saying

00:57:58 Alex Stahlmann: it up,

00:57:58 luke: that's

00:57:58 Alex Stahlmann: dude.

00:57:58 luke: not

00:57:58 Alex Stahlmann: Because.

00:57:58 luke: cool, but, like, I'm just like, you're like, all right, so there's this Hungarian anime

00:58:02 Alex Stahlmann: This is what I'm gonna

00:58:03 luke: I

00:58:03 Alex Stahlmann: do,

00:58:03 luke: thought you

00:58:03 Alex Stahlmann: dude.

00:58:04 luke: should all see. I was like, what?

00:58:06 Alex Stahlmann: Dude, it's an amazingly it's amazingly drawn. Like the animation in this is really interesting. And it's worth, at the very least, for folks just to do a Google search of son of the White Mare and just see what's going on with the animation style of this. Uh, because it's beautiful. It's like super cool. I really love

00:58:20 luke: What did

00:58:20 Alex Stahlmann: it.

00:58:20 luke: you watch

00:58:20 Alex Stahlmann: It's very

00:58:21 luke: it on?

00:58:21 Alex Stahlmann: psychedelic, um, very psychedelic and everything. But if you're like, I mean, if you're a person like me and you're like, I just want this for the art experience, and I'm willing to devote an hour and a half of my life to this art experience. Then. Then, yes, I cosign one hundred percent. Uh, but like, just a heads up, like, it's it's not like a great movie or anything, but it's a cool art piece and it's gotta throw that out there for folks. Do some googling. Check out son of the White Mare.

00:58:46 luke: Yeah. Mayor. M a r e not mayor.

00:58:49 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah, right. Right, right.

00:58:51 luke: As

00:58:51 Alex Stahlmann: So like

00:58:51 luke: in

00:58:51 Alex Stahlmann: a

00:58:51 luke: a horse.

00:58:51 Alex Stahlmann: like a horse.

00:58:54 luke: Yeah. Wow. Trippy stuff.

00:58:57 Alex Stahlmann: Dude. And that's kind of why I want to do it. A little edible watch. Son of the white mare.

00:59:01 luke: Whoa! Oh hell

00:59:06 Alex Stahlmann: Yes.

00:59:06 luke: yeah. That's wild. Very cool. I didn't mean to make

00:59:09 Alex Stahlmann: Indeed.

00:59:09 luke: fun of you. It looks cool. I was just like we were talking about,

00:59:12 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:59:12 luke: like,

00:59:12 Alex Stahlmann: was a little bit

00:59:13 luke: the

00:59:13 Alex Stahlmann: out of

00:59:13 luke: ultimate

00:59:13 Alex Stahlmann: left field. I

00:59:14 luke: normie

00:59:14 Alex Stahlmann: understand

00:59:14 luke: movie

00:59:14 Alex Stahlmann: that. A

00:59:14 luke: of

00:59:14 Alex Stahlmann: little

00:59:15 luke: all

00:59:15 Alex Stahlmann: bit of

00:59:15 luke: time.

00:59:15 Alex Stahlmann: right field.

00:59:15 luke: And then you're like, here's my take

00:59:18 Alex Stahlmann: I

00:59:18 luke: on this Hungarian

00:59:18 Alex Stahlmann: let I to let the people know that I'm not just out here watching the Marvel

00:59:21 luke: nineteen

00:59:21 Alex Stahlmann: Cinematic Universe

00:59:22 luke: eighty

00:59:22 Alex Stahlmann: like I

00:59:23 luke: one.

00:59:23 Alex Stahlmann: got my art pieces to.

00:59:26 luke: That's too funny. Hell, yeah. Well,

00:59:28 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah,

00:59:28 luke: uh,

00:59:29 Alex Stahlmann: well,

00:59:29 luke: we have

00:59:29 Alex Stahlmann: go

00:59:29 luke: defeated

00:59:29 Alex Stahlmann: Google

00:59:30 luke: Trump,

00:59:30 Alex Stahlmann: some of the white mare.

00:59:31 luke: we have defeated

00:59:32 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah. David.

00:59:32 luke: grump,

00:59:32 Alex Stahlmann: Humdrum.

00:59:33 luke: and we have reedited, rewrote, rerecorded the podcast in our favor. So we are the heroes once

00:59:38 Alex Stahlmann: Yeah.

00:59:38 luke: again.

00:59:39 Alex Stahlmann: After, after after I got all dark. We've we've

00:59:41 luke: Mhm.

00:59:41 Alex Stahlmann: gone back to the light.

00:59:42 luke: Mhm.

00:59:42 Alex Stahlmann: Uh. Go go go. Son of the white mare. Check out some pictures, maybe a couple clips, then Google low five gaming and then click on over. Or just type in low five gaming dot com. Click on over there. There's a little invite to invite. There's a little invite to our discord.

00:59:56 luke: Mhm.

00:59:57 Alex Stahlmann: Feel free to join us in there. That's the best place to catch me and Luke our attention. Chat with us. That's like the only place to catch Luke.

01:00:04 luke: Yeah.

01:00:04 Alex Stahlmann: If he's. If he's checking it.

01:00:05 luke: Even that. Even then.

01:00:07 Alex Stahlmann: Uh, but, yeah, it's fun. Fun to love to have you there. There's also some other fun stuff going on there. Uh, you can buy yourself a fun little t shirt. I'm wearing one today. My basketball, my little nest basketball t shirt I got going.

01:00:17 luke: Hell, yeah.

01:00:18 Alex Stahlmann: And what else, bro? You can support the pod. Throw five bucks at us if you'd like. That helps keep the lights on, cuz they're flickering.

01:00:29 luke: Keeps ice cream in his

01:00:30 Alex Stahlmann: Appreciate

01:00:30 luke: tummy.

01:00:30 Alex Stahlmann: y'all. Keep that support. Dude, that's not even just supporting me. That's supporting fucking mini high school. And you need to be doing that.

01:00:38 luke: And woke.

01:00:42 Alex Stahlmann: All right everybody, much love. Thanks for listening. Till next time.

01:00:45 luke: Pew, pew!

01:00:46 Alex Stahlmann: Peace, brother.

01:00:48 luke: Here we go.

01:00:49 Alex Stahlmann: Word, man. Cool cool cool. And stop coding. There we go. And then stop recording.

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Alex

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Luke

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