Episode 204: GIGASWORD

Often, when you're given a sword in video games, the only solutions it provides are violent. But what if was also how you opened doors, solved puzzles, and traversed a wide map? You'd need a pretty big sword to do all that.  Matt & Geoff are joined by Jack Breen, solo dev behind Studio Hybrid's first title, The Zelda-influenced metroidvania GIGASWORD, to discuss bringing influences and old ideas into new projects, the pitfalls of genre pigeonholing, and the importance of how a game feels  Check out GIGASWORD on Steam You can find this episode's guest on Bluesky and Youtube We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen  

Side Quests is back and so is host Louard! He is an indie game developer, artist, writer, and young soldier in the army of Cypress! The game he is talking about today is Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya by Sonic! Software Planning and SEGA! You can also check out his work here! We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen

Side Quests is back and so is host Chris Osborne! He is a podcaster and puzzle punching eternal warrior! The game he is talking about today is Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo by Capcom. You can also listen to his podcasts, Play Comics, and Sugar, Spite, and Everything is Fine. We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen

Side Quests is back and this episode's host is podcaster and criminal planning a heist, Ben Robinson! The game he is talking about today is Sunday Gold by BKOM Studios and Team17! You can also find his podcast here! We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen

Another year, another mountain of games. There may never land on a definition of "Indie". One can only shake thier fists at studio closures. But there will always more games to find and play. Matt & Geoff share their Top Ten games of the year, what they're excited to see in 2026, and where they hope the conversation in games can go in the new year. We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen  

Side Quests is back and this episode's host is writer, podcaster and mech pilot, Jay Krieger! The game he is talking about today is Into the Breach by Subset Games. You can also find his work here! We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen

Side Quests is back and so is host Wesley LeBlanc! He is an editor, writer, podcaster, and Pokémon League Champion! The game he is talking about today is Pokémon Emerald by Game Freak and Nintendo! You can also find his work here! We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen

Side Quests is back and so is host Dave Proctor! He is a game director, writer, and aspiring pirate! The game he is talking about today is The Secret of Monkey Island by Lucasfilm Games! You can also check out all of Mighty Yell's work here! We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen

The Sega Saturn holds a strange place in gaming history. It sold fewer units in the US than both the Genesis and the Dreamcast. It's mostly remembered for all the "obvious" ways it failed. Yet, it's the best-selling Sega home console in Japan, with a library of games that rivals the entire Genesis ecosystem (including CD and 32X)! Matt & Geoff are joined by Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover (and the Patreon-exlclusive Saturn retrospective podcast, Io Saturnalia) to discuss the Sega Saturn's complicated legacy, the ups and downs of the console's construction, and many of the great titles that are still only on the Sega Saturn. You can find Retro Hangover on Bluesky and their Linktree Enjoyed this console retrospective? Click here to vote on our next one! We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen

Side Quests is back and this episode's host is podcaster, writer, video essayist and caravan shopkeep, John from Gaming In The Wild! The game he is talking about today is Signs of the Sojourner by Echodog Games. You can also find his work here! You can listen to John's full interview with Dyala Kattan here! John is also currently doing a Patreon drive! New patrons get a free game code for 1000xRESIST, Citizen Sleeper, Ultros, or In Other Waters. We have a Patreon! Gain access to episode shout outs, bonus content, early downloads of regular episodes, an exclusive rss feed and more! Click here! You can find the show on Bluesky, Instagram and YouTube! Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! Rate us on Pocket Casts! Wanna join the Certain POV Discord? Click here! Episode Art by Case Aiken Episode Music by Geoff Moonen