Tales from the Backlog

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