Is It Harder for Video Games to Be Funny? (with Doug Lief & Gen Moonen)

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Jesse Guarascia (noclip, noclip_2 and more) as they strengthen their block-pushing muscles for a deep dive into Isles of Sea and Sky (Cicada Games, 2024). They discuss its rich world full of secrets, why Sokoban-style puzzles feel like a great foundation for weird narratives or layers of secrets, whether the open-ended design works well, and much more. As always, no spoilers for a while. Guest info: Jesse Guarascia (he/him) Check out noclip https://www.youtube.com/@NoclipDocs And check out noclip2 https://www.youtube.com/@Noclip2 And Blowback! https://blowback.show/ Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/jesseguarascia.com TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title 0:22 Introductions 6:16 Our Histories with Isles of Sea and Sky 11:26 Top-Level Thoughts 18:38 Game Setup and Open Structure 29:19 Puzzle Design 40:40 Sokoban as a Base Layer for Building Secrets 53:15 Visual Design 1:00:00 Music and Sound 1:03:32 Who Should Play? 1:08:28 Jesse's Work at NoClip and More 1:16:53 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:19:17 Spoiler Section Music used in the episode is credited to Craig Collver. Tracks used: Isles of Sea and Sky, Ancient Island, Stoney Cliffs, Tidal Reef, From Sea to Sky Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Leah Haydu (Cane and Rinse, Character Issues) as they discuss Kingdom Hearts (Square Enix, 2001). Leah is a longtime fan and Dave just played for the first time, and that led to a great conversation about the infamous story, the Disney and Final Fantasy tie-ins, the action-RPG combat, and the simplicity at the "heart" of it all. Listen in for more, and as always, no spoilers for a while. Guest info: Leah Haydu (she/her) Check out Character Issues https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-character-issues-podcast/id1530881747 Check out Cane and Rinse https://caneandrinse.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:29 Introductions 4:02 Our Histories with Kingdom Hearts 9:50 Top-Level Thoughts 19:24 Story Setup and Disney Stuff 33:10 Final Fantasy Stuff 35:16 Understanding Kingdom Hearts 43:25 The "Heart" of the Story 51:11 More Music Talk 58:16 Gummi Ship 1:02:32 Combat 1:23:45 Some Gameplay Criticisms 1:30:26 Who Should Play? 1:34:00 Character Issues & Cane and Rinse Podcasts 1:40:24 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous 1:42:08 Spoilers- Disney Worlds 1:54:58 Spoilers- Let's Talk Plot 2:04:13 Spoilers- Sora, Riku and Ansem 2:16:55 Spoilers- Final Bosses and Ending Music used in the episode is credited to Yoko Shimomura: Dearly Beloved, Destiny Islands, Hollow Bastion, Welcome to Wonderland, Traverse Town, The End of the World, Dearly Beloved -Reprise- Check out Unlockables Podcast for an extensive dive into the story of Kingdom Hearts: https://unlockables.fireside.fm/tags/guiding%20keys Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Rachel Watts (Thinky Games, Indieventure podcast) as they discuss Cairn (The Game Bakers, 2026). Cairn is a meticulous, thoughtful climbing game that takes you into the mind of an elite athlete as she attempts a climb that has never been done before. While it has some (unintentionally) frustrating moments, Cairn is an extremely strong and affecting game- listen in to find out more, and as always, no spoilers for a while! Guest info: Rachel Watts (she/her) Check out Thinky Games https://thinkygames.com Check out Indieventure https://indieventurepodcast.co.uk TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:23 Introductions 5:09 Our Histories with The Game Bakers & Cairn 8:58 Top Level Thoughts 17:32 Story Setup and Characterizing Aava 31:40 Climbing Mechanics 37:36 High Difficulty Meets a Few Shaky Systems 54:53 Visual Design, Sound Design and Music 1:03:12 Survival on Mt. Kami 1:17:58 Who Should Play Cairn? 1:24:32 Thinky Games and Indieventure Podcast 1:28:54 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous 1:30:30 Spoilers- Fun Moments & Tough Challenges 1:54:19 Spoilers- Let's Talk About Aava 2:22:42 Spoilers- Ending Discussion Music used in the episode is credited to Martin Stig Andersen, Gilda and The Toxic Avenger. Tracks used: The Mountain is Calling, Rise, Fatigue Is In Your Head, Only the Mountain, In My Gut, Stars, Part of a Whole Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and returning guest Scott Danielson as they dive into the third and final entry in the Hitman: World of Assassination Trilogy (IO Interactive), as well as its roguelike mode, Freelancer. This whole package is an absolute treat, and this also brings the Tales from the Backlog Hitman Episode Trilogy to a close. Listen in for allllll (most) of our thoughts! Guest info: Scott Danielson (he/him) TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:25 Introductions 8:25 Our Histories with Hitman 12:39 Top-Level Thoughts 17:13 Story Setup 24:43 Levels and Locations 34:16 What's New and Mission Stories 43:26 The Sandbox and Freelancer Mode 1:02:32 Other Bonus Missions 1:09:07 Who Should Play Hitman? 1:17:03 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:18:57 Spoilers- Dubai 1:37:53 Spoilers- Dartmoor 1:50:43 Spoilers- Berlin 2:10:03 Spoilers- Chongqing 2:27:31 Spoilers- Mendoza 2:41:54 Spoilers- Carpathian Mountains 2:53:56 Spoilers- Ending and Ambrose Island Music used in the episode is credited to Niels Bye Nielson. Tracks used: Death Awaits, Best-Laid Plans, Sceptres of Dubai, End of an Era, Planning, Death in the Family, Chongqing Requiem, Mission Accomplished Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Brian Edwards as they dive into one of 2025's most acclaimed games, The Séance of Blake Manor (Spooky Doorway, Raw Fury, 2025). It's a captivating mystery set in an Irish countryside manor-turned-hotel, full of both literal and figurative ghosts, culminating in a grand séance. It's full of memorable characters, fantastic voice performances, Irish folklore and mythology, and always manages to keep you guessing. Check out the podcast for more. Guest info: Brian Edwards (he/him) Check out the Character Issues podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-character-issues-podcast/id1530881747?l=zh-Hant-TW Check out Cane and Rinse https://caneandrinse.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:16 Introductions 4:24 Personal Histories 7:59 Top-Level Thoughts 14:15 Story Setup and Cast of Characters 24:18 Spooky Atmosphere 29:00 Character Schedules and the Passage of Time 41:41 Lack of Deductive Reasoning 48:43 Some Mechanical Frustrations 56:09 Some Puzzly Puzzles 58:44 Irish Folklore & Mythology 1:05:31 Who Should Play? 1:09:40 Character Issues & Cane and Rinse 1:19:04 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:20:57 Spoilers- Favorite Moments and Storylines 1:49:27 Spoilers- What's Going On Here? Music used in the episode is credited to Clement Panchout. Tracks used: The Séance of Blake Manor, Vincent Varley, Blake Manor I, Courtyard, The Ritual, Serenade for Evelyn Deane (End Credits) Check out Dave's guest DJ set on Chillscape: A Chill VGM Podcast: https://superpodnetwork.com/podcast/chillscape-a-chill-vgm-podcast Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Josh Galecki (Pixelated Playgrounds, Moonroof Studios) to take a long walk into the woods of Baby Steps. Developed by Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzillo and Maxi Boch and published by Devolver Digital, Baby Steps is an extremely unique game, one where its story of its failson protagonist meshes with its frustrating-yet-rewarding gameplay for a very rewarding and genuinely funny experience. Check out the podcast for more. Guest info: Josh Galecki (he/him) Check out Pixelated Playgrounds https://www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/ Check out Josh's games on Steam https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Moonroof%20Studios Check out more of Josh's games on itch https://joshuagalecki.itch.io/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:11 Introductions 5:42 Our Histories with Baby Steps 9:42 Top-Level Thoughts 15:11 Characterization of Nate 20:18 Walking Mechanics 26:56 Difficulty and World Design 40:19 Hating On Nate and Comedy 54:27 Visuals, Music and Sound 59:13 Who Should Play Baby Steps? 1:04:16 Pixelated Playgrounds and Moonroof Studios 1:08:40 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous 1:10:17 Spoilers- Jim, The Manbreaker, Other Challenges 1:32:19 Spoilers- Let's Talk About Nate 1:42:28 Spoilers- Nate's Journey and Endings 1:55:43 Accomplishments vs Achievements 2:04:23 Guys...Where Are We? Sound clips in episode were captured in game. The Secret Lives of Games interview with Bennett Foddy & Gabe Cuzillo- https://eggplant.show/152-walking-over-it-with-gabe-cuzzillo-and-bennett-foddy-baby-steps Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Guest info: Doug Lief (he/him) and Gen Moonen (they/them) Listen to Nostalgium Arcanum https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/ Listen to Playing By Ear https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/playing-by-ear/id1815995146 Listen to Still Muppeting https://www.patreon.com/c/stillloadingpod/posts Listen to "Fun" and Games https://funandgames.libsyn.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:10 Introductions and Top-Level Thoughts 7:20 Unpredictability- Problem or Opportunity? 19:48 Failure Can Be Funny 38:35 Jokes In Any Form 50:07 Unique Challenges Facing Game Comedy 1:32:15 More Ways Games are Uniquely Funny 1:44:46 Wrap-Up Thoughts 1:48:56 Gen & Doug's Podcasts Music used in the episode: Secret Hoppin' (Vacation Mix)- ClascyJitto (Pizza Tower OST) Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp- Peter McConnell (Psychonauts OST) Dave's guest appearance on Play Along Podcast- https://linktr.ee/PlayAlongPodcast Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest TroytlePower as they discuss Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, developed by Troika Games and published by Activision in 2004. Any recommendation to play Bloodlines comes with all sorts of disclaimers attached, which makes it nearly irresistable for someone with a brain like mine. And while all of those bad things I had heard about the game turned out to be extremely true, it's still a fascinating game that led to a fun discussion. Check out the podcast for more! Guest info: TroytlePower (he/him) Check out all of Troy's work! https://troytlepower.com/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:17 Introductions 4:30 Our Histories with Bloodlines 8:39 Top-Level Thoughts 13:57 Story Setup and Clan Selection 21:03 The Masquerade and Vampire Society 28:06 Presentation and Game World 36:53 Music and Vibes 44:34 Vampire Lore TM 51:00 Character Building 1:02:04 Combat 1:17:00 If They Only Had More Time... 1:25:52 Who Should Play Bloodlines? 1:31:00 Troy's Podcasts and Writing 1:35:56 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:37:51 Spoilers- Early-Midgame Quests and Stories 2:23:00 Spoilers- The Sewers and Onward Music used in the episode is credited to Rik Schaffer. Tracks used: Main Menu, Downtown, Disturbed and Twisted Combat, Generic Combat, Santa Monica, Crypt Combat Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Dave recaps 13 indie games that he played on the PAX East 2026 show floor. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:25 The Secret of Weepstone 2:05 Throwback! Jai-Alai Heroes 2:59 Canvas City 3:51 DREADMOOR 5:03 Fractured Blooms 6:20 GNAW 7:31 Valor Mortis 8:32 Well Dweller 9:39 Never's End 11:17 ZWAARD 12:15 Project Lexa 13:37 Backyard Baseball 15:20 Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon 16:31 Wrap-Up 17:06 More Indie Game Coverage! 17:52 Outro and How to Support Game links: The Secret of Weepstone- https://store.steampowered.com/app/3702100/The_Secret_of_Weepstone/ Throwback! Jai-Alai Heroes- https://www.astrocrow.com/throwback Canvas City https://store.steampowered.com/app/3226830/Canvas_City/ DREADMOOR https://store.steampowered.com/app/3629430/DREADMOOR/ Fractured Blooms https://store.steampowered.com/app/3730310/Fractured_Blooms/ GNAW https://store.steampowered.com/app/2306490/GNAW/ Valor Mortis https://store.steampowered.com/app/2828710/Valor_Mortis/ Well Dweller https://store.steampowered.com/app/3699590/Well_Dweller/ Never's End https://store.steampowered.com/app/1999930/Nevers_End/ ZWAARD https://store.steampowered.com/app/2251170/ZWAARD/ Project Lexa https://store.steampowered.com/app/3162890/Project_Lexa/ Backyard Baseball https://store.steampowered.com/app/3935020/Backyard_Baseball/ Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon https://store.steampowered.com/app/1466060/Tainted_Grail_The_Fall_of_Avalon/ Music used: High Above the Land (The Flying Machine)- Jake Kaufman (Shovel Knight) Various tracks from The 16-Bit Starter Pack, composed by Bert Cole [bitbybitsound.com](bitbybitsound.com) For more PAX and indie game coverage, check out: https://theindieinformer.com/ https://www.sixoneindie.com/ https://nosmallgames.com/ https://funandgames.libsyn.com/ https://youtube.com/@crossplayconvos https://youtube.com/@danomak https://leftbehindgame.club/ https://youtube.com@NOLAnerdcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/pixelspectrum/ https://www.gamesandwich.com/ https://www.buzzsprout.com/747596 https://kzum.org/podcasts/underplayed/ https://youtube.com@CGDannyB https://youtube.com@Kimchica https://bossrush.net/ https://passthecontroller.io/ https://www.gamerheadspodcast.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@PSTrophyRoom https://datewithuspodcast.podbean.com/ https://epiloguegaming.com/ https://somanygames.co.uk/ https://dotzip.online/ https://skyboxcritics.com/ https://www.quitthebuild.com/1h1d Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and guest Travis Colenutt on their language-learning journey up the tower in Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc, Focus Entertainment, 2023). What do our languages say about our culture, and how can learning another language change the way we see the world? All of this and more in the discussion! Guest info: Travis Colenutt (he/him) Check out Left Behind Game Club https://leftbehindgame.club/ Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/traviscolenutt.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:21 Introductions 4:53 Why Did We Play Chants of Sennaar? 9:50 Top-Level Thoughts About Chants of Sennaar 16:06 Story and Language Learning Setup 28:00 Using Language to Make Progress 33:40 Learning About Culture Via Languages 39:04 Making Connections Via Languages 48:02 Stealth In My Puzzle Game? 53:58 Visuals, Music and Sound 1:08:31 Do We Recommend? 1:11:17 Left Behind Game Club 1:15:10 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous 1:17:34 Spoilers- The Devotees & Warriors 1:40:05 Spoilers- The Bards & Alchemists 1:55:32 Spoilers- The Anchorites & Ending Music used in the episode is credited to Thomas Brunet. Tracks used: The Call, Out of the Cavern and into the Light, Catch Me!, Envers, Bonds Reforged Catch Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum talking about Rocky https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures