Tales from the Backlog

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Join Dave and special guest IdolismJ as they tackle Drakengard (Cavia, Square Enix, 2003). Drakengard has a reputation for being bad, unplayable, interesting and edgelordy to a certain extent, and we can confirm that some, but not all of those, are correct. Drakengard challenges the player in ways that most games don't, driving you crazy alongside the protagonist. Whether the effect is intentional or accidental, Drakengard certainly left an impression on us. Listen in to find out more, and as always, no spoilers for a while!

Guest info: IdolismJ (he/him)

Check out Jay's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@IdolismJ

Support on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/idolismj

Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/idolismj.yase.world

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:18 Introductions

4:26 Our Histories with Drakengard and Nier

7:28 Top-Level Thoughts about Drakengard

11:53 Story Setup and Caim's Well-Being

21:40 Following the Plot

27:43 Combat- "Is It Bad on Purpose?"

40:28 Music to Go Insane to

50:14 Air Combat

58:00 Auteur Theory, Revisited

1:08:54 Art, Party Members, Voice Acting

1:18:10 Who Should Play Drakengard?

1:21:58 IdolismJ on YouTube

1:27:16 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous

1:29:04 Spoilers- Things Get Worse Until They End

1:39:23 Spoilers- Ending A

1:47:44 Spoilers- Ending B

1:51:55 Spoilers- Ending C

2:00:38 Spoilers- Ending D and Some Hairy Subject Matter

2:16:49 Spoilers- Ending E and Connection to Nier

Music used in the episode is credited to Takayuka Aihara unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Weapon Select, First Chapter - Sky, Fifth Chapter - Ground, Fourth Chapter - Ground (Nobuyoshi Sano), Fifth Chapter - Sky, First Chapter - Castle Interior, Eighth Chapter - Closing (Nobuyoshi Sano), Route C Staff Roll, Mission Clear (Nobuyoshi Sano)

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 Claire as they deep dive Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems, Kou Shibusawa, Nintendo, 2019). They discuss the life sim and battle elements, how they tie together to make you fear permadeath even more, the four playthroughs, and much more. As always, no spoilers for a while!

Guest info: Claire (she/her/any)

Check out Date With Us podcast https://www.datewith.us

Check out Claire on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/claireafterall

Get a sick wrestling belt https://www.trophysmack.com/

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card

0:21 Introductions

5:03 Our Histories with Fire Emblem

7:35 Top-Level Thoughts

14:36 Story Setup and Choosing Your House

23:49 Life Sim Elements and How To Spend Time

30:00 Teaching and Character Building

36:11 Relationship/Support Mechanics

40:25 Relationship and Dating Elements

55:36 Combat and Permadeath

1:05:18 Combat Basics

1:15:00 What's New in the DLC?

1:19:56 Soundtrack

1:26:10 Visual Design and Art

1:31:57 Who Should Play?

1:38:17 Date With Us and Claire's Streaming

1:44:36 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous

1:46:26 Spoilers- Story Discussion

2:29:39 Spoilers- MVPs and Results

Music used in the episode:

The Crest of Flames (Yuka Tsujiyoko)

Fódlan Winds (Takeru Kanazaki)

Life at Garreg Mach Monastery (Takeru Kanazaki)

Tearing Through Heaven (Hiroki Morishita)

Tempest of Seasons (Rei Kondoh)

A Guide for the Future (Takeru Kanazaki)

A New Dawn (Takeru Kanazaki, Rei Kondoh)

The Land Beloved by the Goddess (Takeru Kanazaki)

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 Flora Merigold (Epilogue Gaming, Left Behind Game Club) as they discuss Many Nights a Whisper (Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour, 2025). Many Nights a Whisper puts you in a high-pressure situation and asks you to make tough choices that will have an impact on whether you make the climactic shot or not. We discuss the marriage of narrative and mechanics, our approaches to granting or denying wishes, the shot, and much more. As always, there are no spoilers for a while.

Guest info: Flora Merigold (she/her)

Check out Epilogue Gaming https://epiloguegaming.com/author/flora-merigold/

Check out Left Behind Game Club https://leftbehindgame.club/

Follow Flora on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/floramerigold.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title

0:16 Introductions

3:53 Personal Histories with Many Nights a Whisper

5:44 Top-Level Thoughts

13:09 Story Setup and Wishes

20:29 Wishes, Tension and Thematic Explorations

38:53 Practice Makes Perfect

44:45 Music and Visuals

46:35 Who Should Play?

49:15 Flora's Creative and Artistic Work

53:41 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous

55:56 Spoilers- Pink Cats and Healthy Tobacco

1:06:39 Spoilers- Removing Animal Souls and Making Gender Irrelevant

1:20:46 Spoilers- No More Work and Wanting a Nemesis

1:41:33 Spoilers- Mounting Pressure, No More Sleep, No More Religion

1:56:04 Spoilers- The Last Wish

2:09:53 Spoilers- The Shot and Final Musings

Music used in the episode is credited to fingerspit. Tracks used: Many Nights a Whisper, Ten Years Ago You Were Chosen, Doing My Best Is All I Can Give Them, New Strength, My Heart's Faint Call, The Ceremony, Into the Moonless Night

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 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