184: Ultros (with John Rogers - Gaming in the Wild)

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson It's been a real joy working my way through the Silent Hill series alongside doing this show, starting all the way back in episode 10(!) with Silent Hill 2. Today, I'm playing the sequel to Silent Hill 1, which is NOT Silent Hill 2...it's Silent Hill 3, and I've brought on the perfect guest to discuss what many fans to agree to be the last truly good Silent Hill game for many years. Guest info: Kaye Ross (she/her) * Check out all of the wonderful Duckfeed podcasts https://duckfeed.tv/ * Check out Kaye's horror game streams https://www.twitch.tv/duckfeedtv TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:28 Intros * 4:56 Our Histories with Silent Hill 3 * 10:35 Opening Thoughts About Silent Hill 3 * 14:51 Story Setup * 21:53 Aesthetics and Horror * 30:25 Sound Design and Music * 37:14 Heather As a Protagonist * 43:37 Puzzles and Riddles * 50:32 Tank Controls and Combat * 1:03:49 Final Thoughts and Recommendations * 1:06:36 The Many Podcasts at Duckfeed.tv * 1:11:09 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-You's * 1:13:11 Spoiler Section- Heather & The Cult * 1:36:39 Spoiler Section- Heather & Harry Music used in the episode is credited to Akira Yamaoka. Tracks used: You're Not Here, End of Small Sanctuary, Breeze- In Monochrome Night, Something Long Forgotten, Sickness Unto Foolish Death, Hometown Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson This year, we're kicking off horror month with a first- a visual novel! It's the first one I've covered on the show, though I enjoy them from time to time, and Slay the Princess (Black Tabby Games, 2023) is certainly an interesting one. It's a choose your adventure visual novel with memorable visuals and a very interesting opening choice- you were sent here to slay the princess, so...do you? Listen in to find out how we felt about it! Guest info: Matt aka Stormageddon (they/them) * Check out "Fun" and Games and Reignite podcasts https://linktr.ee/dj_stormagedddon * Follow Matt on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/djstormageddon.com TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:22 Intros * 4:33 Personal Histories with Slay the Princess and Visual Novels * 8:21 Opening Thoughts About Slay the Princess * 12:56 Story Setup and Choose Your Adventure Structure * 27:53 Presentation * 37:07 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations * 41:40 "Fun" and Games, Reignite Podcasts * 46:59 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous * 48:39 Spoiler Section- Our Many Diverse Playthroughs * 1:18:45 Spoiler Section- The Shifting Mound and Endings Music used in the episode is credited to Brandon Boone. Tracks used: The Princess, The World-Ender, Fragmentation, Reality Unwound, The Shifting Mound Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Sometimes, all it takes to grab your attention is a single screenshot, and Ultros (Hadoque, Kepler Interactive, 2024) is definitely one of those games. Every screenshot drips with color and is so rich with detail, it beckons you to come see what's going on. And once you're in, a beautiful soundtrack, lush soundscape and layered story grabs hold, but that's not all that's waiting for you. Ultros is a singular type of game, the type of game that I'm always thrilled to discuss on the podcast. Guest info: John Rogers (he/they) * Check out everything Gaming in the Wild https://gaminginthewild.carrd.co/ * Check out Lost in Cult's Ultros: Design Works, written by John! https://www.lostincult.co.uk/ultros TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:34 Intros * 6:05 Our Histories with Ultros & Metroidvanias * 9:06 Opening Thoughts About Ultros * 13:55 Story/Setting Setup * 15:01 Art and Visual Design * 26:02 Music and Sound Design * 38:00 Emergent Story * 46:51 Gameplay- Combat and Plant Care * 1:03:55 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations * 1:06:51 Gaming in the Wild and Lost in Cult's Design Works- Ultros * 1:13:49 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-You's * 1:15:57 Spoiler Section- Business As Usual * 1:32:11 Spoiler Section- A Change * 1:45:13 Spoiler Section- A New Course of Action Music used in the episode is credited to Ratvader. Tracks used: Ouji Saint, Dark Sleep, Gärdner’s Pilgrimage, Dream Lament, But This Time It's Something Different, Ultros Ahimsa Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson There are more than enough sports games to go around out there, but the culture of sports does not begin and end on the field of play. There is an entire culture surrounding sports, and I've never played a game that tackles that culture quite like Despelote (Julián Cordero and Sebastián Valbuena, 2025) does. It also takes you back to a slice of childhood in a way that no other game can really claim- it's really something else. Tune in for the discussion! Guest info: Moises Taveras (he/him) * Check out the Despelote review that Moises wrote https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/despelote-review-miraculous-slice-of-life-soccer-game-pulls-a-hat-trick/ * Check out other writing by Moises on Endless Mode https://www.endlessmode.com/author/moises-taveras * Follow Moises on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/platanoranger.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:16 Intros * 4:11 Personal Histories with Despelote and Sports * 15:21 Opening Thoughts About Despelote * 20:01 Story Setup and Community Around Sports * 38:14 Childhood and Visual Presentation * 46:52 Taking You to a Time and Place and Sound Design * 53:26 Gameplay * 1:07:11 Final Thoughts and Recommendations * 1:12:32 Moises' Writing and Where You Can Find It * 1:15:06 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous * 1:16:27 Spoiler Section Music and game ambiance used in the episode is credited to Sebastián Valbuena Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Sometimes a game you'd never heard of will break out with a 90+ on the review aggregator websites and immediately turn heads, and that's exactly what happened to me with Bionic Bay (Mureena Oy, Psychoflow Studio, 2025). One screenshot was all it took to make me want to check it out, and then a patron vote sealed the deal. Bionic Bay- cool game! Guest info: Harry Loizides (he/him) * Check out everything Six One Indie does https://www.sixoneindie.com/ * Get ready for the upcoming Six One Indie Showcase https://www.sixoneindie.com/showcase * Check out Harry's writing for Geek Therapeutics https://geektherapeutics.com/ TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:32 Intros * 4:36 Our Histories With Bionic Bay * 7:33 Opening Thoughts About Bionic Bay * 10:13 Story/Game Setup * 15:57 Visual Presentation * 22:20 Music * 27:32 Platforming Abilities and Structure * 40:33 Floaty Jumps, Ragdoll Physics and Comedy * 49:17 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations * 53:45 Six One Indie and Geek Therapeutics * 1:02:18 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous * 1:04:03 Spoiler Section- Favorite Levels, Gimmicks, and Theorycrafting Music used in the episode is credited to Francisco Javier Pérez. Tracks used: Polarity, The Grand Egg, Swap, Polarity (Reprise), Bionic Bay Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Everybody has that game they played a hundred times as a kid and therefore can't be objective about anymore, and for us, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is NOT one of those! Both my guest Ty and I both tried the game at various points, but never quite got on with it. The podcast has now given us a chance to revisit Nintendo's landmark title and give it the deep dive treatment- so listen in to find out how we felt this time! Guest info: Ty Schalter (he/him) * Check out FunFactor podcast http://www.funfactorpod.com!/ * Follow Ty on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/tyschalter.com TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:15 Intros * 6:03 Our Histories with Zelda and A Link to the Past * 10:59 Opening Thoughts About A Link to the Past * 18:11 Story Setup * 27:58 Visuals * 31:59 World/Map Design * 35:44 Music * 47:13 Combat * 58:41 Difficulty Curve, Exploration and Secrets * 1:10:00 "The Zelda Formula" * 1:18:41 Dungeons * 1:23:23 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations * 1:38:37 FunFactor Podcast and Ty's Work Online * 1:45:24 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-You's * 1:47:49 Spoiler Section Music used in the episode: Title, File Select, Opening Demo, Hyrule Castle, Dark World, Kakariko Village, Ending Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/V3ZHz3vYQR Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (Don't Nod, 2023) represents a different type of game that Don't Nod has been making alongside their popular choice-based narrative games like Life is Strange and Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. With 2018's Vampyr, Don't Nod took a swing a narrative, decisions-matter action RPG, and while I liked Vampyr a lot, the decisions-matter part of it left a lot to be desired. Five years later, they took another swing at that type of game with Banishers, and really righted that specific area. Decisions matter in Banishers in a way they don't matter in most games, and it led to one of the most effective stories I've played in a while. Guest info: Erik (he/him) * Listen to Pages of Play podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pages-of-play/id1755937349 * Check out Erik's written work on So Many Games https://somanygames.co.uk/ TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:32 Intros * 5:03 Histories with Don't Nod and Banishers * 8:29 Opening Thoughts * 16:22 Story/World Setup and Characters * 28:43 Inciting Plot Event and Choice/Morality System * 37:51 Tough Choices * 48:02 Presentation and Side Quest Writing * 59:00 Combat * 1:13:37 World Design and Vibes * 1:22:50 Boss Fights * 1:27:20 Recommendations * 1:30:20 Pages of Play Podcast * 1:36:38 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous * 1:38:06 Spoiler Section- Side Stories Tying Into the Main Story * 2:17:10 Spoiler Section- The Nightmare * 2:32:08 Spoiler Section- Endings Music used in the episode is credited to Trevor Morris. Tracks used: Main Menu, The Harrows, Intimate Moment- Harmony Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson You know a game is good when it kicks off a new round of discourse about genre names, right? Regardless, Blue Prince (Dogubomb, 2025) is the latest hit in a type of knowledge-is-power game that is really appealing to certain types of gamers. The only difference is that we seem to fully know the full depths of previous games like Animal Well, Outer Wilds, Fez, Tunic, etc....but nobody knows how deep Blue Prince goes. It's also rich with interesting design choices and contradictions, more story than meets the eye, a lowkey amazingly good soundtrack and more. Tune in for the discussion! Guest info: Jenny Windom * Check out the Geeks & Grounds game club podcast https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/ * Check out Wholesome Games https://wholesomegames.com/ * Check out Wanderstop https://store.steampowered.com/app/1299460/Wanderstop/ * Check out Jenny on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/kimchica * Check out Jenny on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/kimchica TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:28 Intros * 5:23 Personal Histories with Blue Prince * 8:50 Opening Thoughts About Blue Prince * 15:40 Story Setup and Top Level Thoughts * 17:59 Note-taking and Organization * 25:44 Drafting Mechanic, Goal Setting and Randomness * 42:55 Getting Better at Blue Prince * 47:52 "This Game Doesn't Respect My Time" * 53:28 You Said This Was a Puzzle Game * 1:03:59 Art and Music * 1:15:04 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations * 1:18:49 Geeks & Grounds, Wholesome Games * 1:25:50 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-You's * 1:28:00 Spoiler Section- Discoveries and the Quest for Room 46! * 2:16:00 Spoiler Section- How Deep Does This Go? and The Story, As We Know It Music used in the episode is credited to Trigg & Gusset Tracks used: Stories of All Manor, Vanitas, Bequest, Westwardly Winds, Visions of Emerald, Departure, The Baron of Mount Holly. Purchase the soundtrack here: https://triggandgusset.bandcamp.com/album/blue-prince-the-original-soundtrack Check out Dave's guest appearance on Flashback 64: https://flashback64.com/ Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson A good friend of mine likes to say "every game is somebody's favorite game", but I'm always intrigued when some oddball picks enter those conversations, and DoubleFine's Psychonauts is mentioned often enough that I felt like I had to play it someday. And my show patrons (thank you!) made it a point to vote it onto the show, so away we go for a discussion about a fascinating game! Guest info: Marc aka Try of My Life in Gaming * Check out My Life in Gaming on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@mylifeingaming * Check out The Backloggery https://backloggery.com/ TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:18 Intros * 4:46 Personal Histories with Psychonauts * 10:34 Opening Thoughts * 16:20 Story Setup, Comedic Tone * 23:48 Visual Aesthetic * 32:25 Music * 35:37 Voice Acting * 40:49 A Fun Story with Odd Pacing * 55:43 Platforming and Combat * 1:13:15 Cool But Unintuitive * 1:27:11 Wrap-Up Thoughts/Recommendations * 1:33:57 My Life In Gaming/The Backloggery/King of Games * 1:42:32 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous * 1:44:33 Spoiler Section Music used in the episode is credited to Peter McConnell. Tracks used: Title and Credits Montage, Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, The Meat Circus, Fighting for the Cause in Lungfishopolis, Agent Cruller's Sacred Hall, The Milkman Conspiracy Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2 Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson Hazelight Studios were already on the map before their Game of the Year winner It Takes Two, but that game was so much fun that everyone, including me, was waiting to see what their next offering would be like. And it turns out, 2025's Split Fiction is very similar- a ton of fun to play, gorgeous graphics, bad story, and great gaming memories made with a friend. Tune in to find out more. Guest info: Aaron Angle * Check out A Top 3 Podcast https://atop3podcast.fireside.fm/ TIMESTAMPS * 0:00 Title Card * 0:32 Intros * 4:49 Our Histories with Hazelight and Split Fiction * 6:46 Opening Thoughts About Split Fiction * 11:30 Story Setup * 26:55 Loudly Bad vs Quietly Bad * 34:10 Gameplay and Difficulty * 40:17 Changing Up Gameplay * 47:57 Visuals/Music * 58:41 Truly a Cooperative Game * 1:03:46 Recommendations/Closing Thoughts * 1:10:12 A Top 3 Podcast * 1:12:51 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous * 1:14:47 Spoiler Section Music used in the episode is credited to Gustaf Grefberg and Jonatan Järpehag. Tracks used: * Gravity Bike (Gustaf Grefberg) * Split Fiction Main Theme (Jonatan Järpehag) * The Legend of the Sandfish (Gustaf Grefberg) * The Monkey King (Jonatan Järpehag) * In Memory of Blake Hudson (Jonatan Järpehag) Social Media: BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/) Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures