Discussion: [Indie Game] (spoilers!)

Rik and Jo’s latest road trip is confined to the city of Paris this week, as our hosts delve into the taxi-based crime caper Night Call. Significant confusion over the name threatens to derail the episode before the spoiler klaxon has even sounded, and the search for an FMV game with a similar title proves sufficiently frustrating for the name to be edited in afterwards following a moment of inspiration. Unsurprisingly, booze is a recurring theme when ferrying around customers on the mean city streets, and there’s discussion of whether a combination of crêpes and ‘hard’ cider or a whisky and Orangina is the late-night combo of choice for French revellers. Rik admits that the management of Night Call’s in-game resources stirs his long-established fear of running out of petrol, while Jo ponders the introduction of a new arrestable offence - ‘crimes against unsolicited long storytelling’. There’s also a brief (spoiler-free) discussion of Neo Cab, with which this game shares several similarities.***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for Night Call.Links:Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/discussionspoilers.bsky.socialWishlist/buy Night Call:Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/680380/Night_Call/GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/night_callMusic for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

It’s the beginning of Series 3, and Rik and Jo start their indie game road trip journey with Open Roads. In an extended episode, the full game is discussed and dissected, as our hosts try to remember the 00s (a long time ago) and being teenagers (even more of a stretch). As various locations are scoured for clues, Rik and Jo ask why there’s never anything interesting in a paint can or detergent box (answer: because they contain, respectively, paint and detergent) and whether they’re too old to sass their virtual Mum.Rik also gets too excited about a (not) smoking gun and a possible detour into CSI-style analysis, while Jo is sidetracked by the kind of beard a 00s ‘ding-dong’ would have, and whether this was most often seen on the bassists of various American ska and nu-metal bands. All that and absolutely no mention of Gary Barlow’s first solo album. Or maybe that bit was (rightly) cut out. ***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for Open Roads.Links:Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersWishlist/buy Open Roads:Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1497360/Open_Roads/Music for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

It’s another new series of Discussion: [Indie Game] (spoilers!)For this run of episodes, Rik and Jo are discussing several indie games featuring some kind of road trip. There are no spoilers in this introduction, although our hosts will reveal the specific games up for discussion, after they chat about what they’ve been up to since the last series and run through an unscientific selection of their favourite films featuring road trips. Also covered: Rik’s surprising substitute for Mario in a console-free household, a very clear statement of our position on Top Gear, and quite a lot of rambling about various old driving games.Plus, which 90s music video featured Kate Moss pushing a bald man’s face into a bowl of cereal? (There could be more than one, come to think of it).Links:Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBuy a book about English cricket in the 90s: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HF264FSJWatch the Kate Moss/cereal video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xBzYsE4y1kMusic for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

It’s the end of term at Discussion: [Indie Game] (spoilers!) and Rik and Jo celebrate with a bumper size chat about Swedish thriller The Samaritan Paradox.PhD student Ord Salamon is aimlessly bored and putting off writing his thesis when his friend Magnus calls him with some positive encouragement to read a book: specifically, the book Magnus lent Ord a little while ago.It’s not a game about reading a book though… Well, it sort of is, actually, but in between reading, Ord is drawn into an increasingly complex tale of danger, intrigue and mystery. Topics under discussion also include having plans for a horse, whether a saw or a snore is louder, and what happens if you try drying wet and dirty clothes with an iron.***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for The Samaritan Paradox.Links:Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/discussionspoilers.bsky.socialWishlist/buy The Samaritan Paradox:Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/283180/The_Samaritan_Paradox/GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_samaritan_paradoxMusic for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

Rik and Jo return to complete Shardlight. Did our hosts leave Amy in some kind of situation last week? Was it a good or bad situation? And does she manage to change her circumstances at all, if indeed she wants to? Trying to avoid specifics is quite tricky when you’re midway through a game. But once this episode is over, Rik and Jo will have reached the end of Shardlight, and given you a brief appraisal of it: that’s the Discussion: [Indie Game] (spoilers!) guarantee. There’s a few grisly details to poke through, and the word ‘pustules’ is even used at one point. Plus, there’s discussion of whether Darth Vader ever told anyone to ‘see HR on Monday’, and if you should drink a liquid that you find under a bench just because the leader of a cult told you to. ***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for Shardlight.Links:Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/discussionspoilers.bsky.socialWishlist/buy Shardlight:Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/336130/Shardlight/GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/shardlightMusic for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

It’s back to the future again for this week’s episode. Do Rik and Jo find themselves in an optimistic utopia, or is it another bleak vision of a broken future? It’s the latter, of course, as today’s game is Shardlight, which begins with protagonist Amy Wellard doing an extremely dangerous job for rich men in silly outfits in exchange for the chance of vaccination against a terminal illness. Our hosts also discuss V for Vendetta, hunky topless butchers, and whether Jagged Alliance 2 really was the reason that Rik didn’t have a girlfriend in the 90s. ***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for Shardlight.Links:Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/discussionspoilers.bsky.socialWishlist/buy Shardlight:Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/336130/Shardlight/GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/shardlightMusic for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

Rik and Jo are back with Alfie Banks this week, just as he takes up a new job, his first task for which involves visiting a bakery. From this point, things rapidly get out of hand for Alfie, although he doesn’t really seem to notice until it’s much too late.In this episode, you can also enjoy an extremely dubious attempt at a generic ‘mob guy’ accent, Rik’s work in progress stand-up comedy routine about how estate agents aren’t that honest, and Jo invoking a family member’s baffled reaction to the film Eat Pray Love. ***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for A Golden Wake. Links:Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/discussionspoilers.bsky.socialWishlist/buy A Golden Wake:Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/307570/A_Golden_Wake/GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/a_golden_wakeMusic for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

It’s time for a real estate romp in 1920s Miami this week, as Rik and Jo tackle A Golden Wake from Grundislav Games. It’s another two-parter, in order to allow the many career twists of protagonist Alfie Banks to be discussed in detail (with spoilers).In this first part, conversation turns to highly topical subjects that include WWF Wrestlemania on the Atari ST and Mr Crisp, the baddie in Kindergarten Cop.Plus, there’s the (inevitable) Will Smith reference in there too, although his thoughts on the Florida coastal city circa 1997 aren’t really all that relevant either.Back in game land, Rik and Jo follow Alfie’s adventures as he deals with hirings and firings, doors being slammed in his face, and everyone making fun of his company car. ***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for A Golden Wake. Links:Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/discussionspoilers.bsky.socialWishlist/buy A Golden Wake:Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/307570/A_Golden_Wake/GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/a_golden_wakeMusic for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

In today's episode, Rik and Jo are in Twin Lakes, joining Detective Francis McQueen and Officer Patrick Dooley of the local police department’s Darkside Division.Due to a number of factors, including our hosts’ refusal to do much research into the games they’ve wishlisted, bought, or even selected to discuss on a podcast, it’s a slightly different change of pace this week.Like the game itself, this discussion goes off at a few different tangents, including whether Rik can remember Day of the Tentacle (not really), and if Jo liked Twin Peaks (yes) and understood it (no). There’s also consideration of one of adventure gaming’s oldest questions: does George Stobbart ever behave like a normal human man with a job?Plus, is it clever to put other people’s stuff in your thing? And, if so, did Rik write a story to rival Ready Player One all the way back in 1988?***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for The Darkside Detective. Links:Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/discussionspoilers.bsky.socialWishlist/buy The Darkside Detective:Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/368390/The_Darkside_Detective/GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_darkside_detectiveItch: https://akuparagames.itch.io/darksidedetectiveMusic for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/

In the second part of their discussion (with spoilers) of Whispers of a Machine, we join Rik and Jo (as well as our hero, Vera Englund) at the start of Day 3. We can’t say what’s happened thus far without sounding the spoiler klaxon, but hopefully you’ll have listened to the first part already. If not, it would kind of make sense to do that first. Other than the major plot beats of the second half of the game, our hosts talk about the health and safety implications of construction work being undertaken in a functioning workspace, creepy characters who we wished had something to do with the bad things that happened (but didn’t), and boyfriends who remind you of Mr Clippy (in behaviour, rather than appearance).Plus, as the final plot dilemmas hit, did Jo choose the bad ending again? ***KLAXON!*** ***SPOILER KLAXON!*** This podcast features spoilers for Whispers of a Machine.Links:Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discussiongamespoilersBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/discussionspoilers.bsky.socialWishlist/buy Whispers of a Machine:GOG: https://www.gog.com/en/game/whispers_of_a_machineSteam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/631570/Whispers_of_a_Machine/Music for this podcast is by VOiD1 Gaming: https://www.void1gaming.com/