The way you describe wanderstop reminds me of the Monk and Robot books by Becky chambers. The first one is named A Psalm for the Wild Built and they’re pretty short novellas. They’re about a tea monk and they’re wild robot friend with motivations similar to wanderstops mc. The books were relaxing and refreshing to read. Highly recommend!
This is exactly what I came here to say 😄. The Monk and Robot books are beautiful and I think about them all the time, years after having read them. They’re quick little novella length reads too. I would describe all of Becky Chambers writing with similar adjectives you used for Wanderstop: warm, humane, curious, and accepting. A Long Way to a small Angry Planet is also great.
100 percent! I am leaving my first comment here to mention these books! Those books are amazing and did very similar things that they were talking about. In an adjacent theme of the resting adventurer is Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
It worries me that essentially any narrative or conceptual flaw can be forgiven if a game has fun "gameplay". I found It Takes Two kind of despicable in the way it handled a toxic relationship and strongly implied child neglect so remain blown away by the acclaim these games receive. I have zero interest in playing Split Fiction so appreciate you all taking a stance and sticking with it! But, because this is the internet, I'll emphasize that I don't think people who enjoy these games are bad people I just truly don't understand how you can separate out the genuinely toxic components of a game from the "fun".
Hi Besties! I’m a mental health counselor (and long-time fan of the show :)) and had to say that your conversation on Wanderstop definitely had me intrigued to try it out. I’m always curious about games that tackle themes relating to mental health - any wide-reaching and accessible messages about these topics, no matter the medium, are so important in starting important discussions that can easily get pushed under the rug, like burnout. I agree with your point that even if you don’t agree with the exact philosophy, the fact that it’s approaching the burnout discussion in a new way (and getting people talking about it) is worthwhile. Are there any other games that you feel also tackle topics in mental health with a well-executed approach that you’d recommend?
Vampire therapist basically teaches CBT techniques and was designed with the input of real therapists. It’s a great review for those of us trained in it, and I have heard from a couple players that have never encountered these ideas before that it was fairly life changing for them to learn about them from this game.
Hey fellow therapist here as well! Have you checked out Celeste? In addition to great platforming, it approaches anxiety in a really nuanced and thoughtful way. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the game was influenced by Internal Family Systems Therapy & parts work in general.
Griffin mentioned the Wanderstop soundtrack going immediately on his “listen to at work” list. I’m always looking for good ambient video game music to throw on at work. What are the besties’ top tracks?
I'm always a sucker for just listening to the various Animal Crossing soundtracks. If I want something more dramatic and orchestral I'll listen to the soundtrack for either Nier games
It's not necessarily a video games soundtrack, but Mac Demarcos "One Wayne G" album definitely gives me indie game vibes. I usually put it on at work and pretend I'm an NPC lol
Really great episode, I love when you have such different reactions to a game.
I have a book recommendation for y'all! Remember You Will Die by Eden Robins is a book about how we are perceived, AI, identity, art, Jewish mysticism, queerness, journalism, and death.
It's all told through obituaries over hundreds of years and it feels so much like playing a puzzle game like Her Story or The Roottrees Are Dead. You'll read one obituary that mentions someone the person knew and then move to that person's obituary, then to the obituary of an artist that person was inspired by etc etc. It's not nearly as depressing as it sounds, I found it affirming and often very funny.
What a fantastic episode. I love listening to yall because we get the serious and deep conversations like this about Wanderstop, but we also get the chaotic and silly vibes in the second half and bonus bracket eps. The strength of your relationships with each other really shows in the quality of your conversations, and I'm SO glad you choose to share that with us
What are your favorite/recommended one handed games? I’m a new dad and I’m looking for games to play while holding the kid. Thanks and keep up the great work on the podcasts!
hey Besties! Just wanted to shout out a new game that I think has gone a bit under the radar! It's called Expelled, and it's the spiritual follow up to Inkle's 2021 reverse murder mystery Overboard. This time Instead of pushing your husband off a boat, you're a young girl in boarding school and one of your rivals has "mysteriously" fallen out of a window, and you need to navigate your way to the end of the day without getting Expelled! I also loved the game they made in between these two, the Scottish poetry-rhythm-platformer A Highland Song - nobody else is doing narrative games quite like Inkle.
Hey everyone! so I'm really craving a game like Hades, but I'm having trouble finding something that scratches that itch. I'm waiting for full release to play Hades 2, so any suggestions for me? The main thing I'm looking for is the versatile build variety and similar meta progression as Hades.
These are actually notes from last week's episode but wanted to make sure they get seen.
First given Justin's current movie trajectory (Nightbitch, The Substance) he should check out "The Last Showgirl" (2024). I didn't love it, but it fits the theme and it is worth watching.
Chris, as someone who manages a technical community online, I strongly recommend NOT reading random links from commenters on the air unless you are 100% sure you know what you are sponsoring. Maybe those links are A-OK but the spammers will come.
You guys absolutely HAVE to check out Withering Rooms. It’s like Dark Souls, Resident Evil, search/action, some rogue lite elements with a TON of exploration, story, and insane atmosphere. Plenty of puzzles, too! It appears a bit jank, and combat can feel rigid, but it’s so worth looking over.
Computer, show me a picture of Juice with the Republic of Gamers Chastity Case
I would pay a concerning amount of money to see Justin atop an Irish castle wielding his Republic of Gamers Chastity Case proudly in hand.
The way you describe wanderstop reminds me of the Monk and Robot books by Becky chambers. The first one is named A Psalm for the Wild Built and they’re pretty short novellas. They’re about a tea monk and they’re wild robot friend with motivations similar to wanderstops mc. The books were relaxing and refreshing to read. Highly recommend!
This is exactly what I came here to say 😄. The Monk and Robot books are beautiful and I think about them all the time, years after having read them. They’re quick little novella length reads too. I would describe all of Becky Chambers writing with similar adjectives you used for Wanderstop: warm, humane, curious, and accepting. A Long Way to a small Angry Planet is also great.
Damn, you beat me to it 🤣
Great duology of books. Maybe I'll read them again this weekend.
All of you beat me to it! This sounds like it's creating the exact vibe and message that Psalm has. Definite recommend!
100 percent! I am leaving my first comment here to mention these books! Those books are amazing and did very similar things that they were talking about. In an adjacent theme of the resting adventurer is Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Justin's Split Fiction crashout had me dying 🤣
It worries me that essentially any narrative or conceptual flaw can be forgiven if a game has fun "gameplay". I found It Takes Two kind of despicable in the way it handled a toxic relationship and strongly implied child neglect so remain blown away by the acclaim these games receive. I have zero interest in playing Split Fiction so appreciate you all taking a stance and sticking with it! But, because this is the internet, I'll emphasize that I don't think people who enjoy these games are bad people I just truly don't understand how you can separate out the genuinely toxic components of a game from the "fun".
I will from now on only refer to it as a Republic of Gamers Ally X
who called it "wanderstop" and not "burnout paradise"
Wooooooooooow!!!
Hi Besties! I’m a mental health counselor (and long-time fan of the show :)) and had to say that your conversation on Wanderstop definitely had me intrigued to try it out. I’m always curious about games that tackle themes relating to mental health - any wide-reaching and accessible messages about these topics, no matter the medium, are so important in starting important discussions that can easily get pushed under the rug, like burnout. I agree with your point that even if you don’t agree with the exact philosophy, the fact that it’s approaching the burnout discussion in a new way (and getting people talking about it) is worthwhile. Are there any other games that you feel also tackle topics in mental health with a well-executed approach that you’d recommend?
Vampire therapist basically teaches CBT techniques and was designed with the input of real therapists. It’s a great review for those of us trained in it, and I have heard from a couple players that have never encountered these ideas before that it was fairly life changing for them to learn about them from this game.
Hey fellow therapist here as well! Have you checked out Celeste? In addition to great platforming, it approaches anxiety in a really nuanced and thoughtful way. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the game was influenced by Internal Family Systems Therapy & parts work in general.
Griffin mentioned the Wanderstop soundtrack going immediately on his “listen to at work” list. I’m always looking for good ambient video game music to throw on at work. What are the besties’ top tracks?
I love the Celeste (Lena Raine) or the Donut County soundtrack (Daniel Koestner)!
I'm always a sucker for just listening to the various Animal Crossing soundtracks. If I want something more dramatic and orchestral I'll listen to the soundtrack for either Nier games
It's not necessarily a video games soundtrack, but Mac Demarcos "One Wayne G" album definitely gives me indie game vibes. I usually put it on at work and pretend I'm an NPC lol
“One Wayne G” is such a good pick. I love that album.
I highly recommend the “Final Fantasy Relax” playlist created by Lau Mandal on Spotify!
Is Promise Mascot Agency on any of yalls radars? From the same studio that did Paradise Killer and the demo was great!
definitely hoping we get a whole episode about this one, the demo REALLY hooked me
Really great episode, I love when you have such different reactions to a game.
I have a book recommendation for y'all! Remember You Will Die by Eden Robins is a book about how we are perceived, AI, identity, art, Jewish mysticism, queerness, journalism, and death.
It's all told through obituaries over hundreds of years and it feels so much like playing a puzzle game like Her Story or The Roottrees Are Dead. You'll read one obituary that mentions someone the person knew and then move to that person's obituary, then to the obituary of an artist that person was inspired by etc etc. It's not nearly as depressing as it sounds, I found it affirming and often very funny.
What a fantastic episode. I love listening to yall because we get the serious and deep conversations like this about Wanderstop, but we also get the chaotic and silly vibes in the second half and bonus bracket eps. The strength of your relationships with each other really shows in the quality of your conversations, and I'm SO glad you choose to share that with us
What are your favorite/recommended one handed games? I’m a new dad and I’m looking for games to play while holding the kid. Thanks and keep up the great work on the podcasts!
hey Besties! Just wanted to shout out a new game that I think has gone a bit under the radar! It's called Expelled, and it's the spiritual follow up to Inkle's 2021 reverse murder mystery Overboard. This time Instead of pushing your husband off a boat, you're a young girl in boarding school and one of your rivals has "mysteriously" fallen out of a window, and you need to navigate your way to the end of the day without getting Expelled! I also loved the game they made in between these two, the Scottish poetry-rhythm-platformer A Highland Song - nobody else is doing narrative games quite like Inkle.
Hey everyone! so I'm really craving a game like Hades, but I'm having trouble finding something that scratches that itch. I'm waiting for full release to play Hades 2, so any suggestions for me? The main thing I'm looking for is the versatile build variety and similar meta progression as Hades.
How much of what you liked from Hades was the narrative and art, vs just its pure mechanics (combat & progression)?
These are actually notes from last week's episode but wanted to make sure they get seen.
First given Justin's current movie trajectory (Nightbitch, The Substance) he should check out "The Last Showgirl" (2024). I didn't love it, but it fits the theme and it is worth watching.
Chris, as someone who manages a technical community online, I strongly recommend NOT reading random links from commenters on the air unless you are 100% sure you know what you are sponsoring. Maybe those links are A-OK but the spammers will come.
You guys absolutely HAVE to check out Withering Rooms. It’s like Dark Souls, Resident Evil, search/action, some rogue lite elements with a TON of exploration, story, and insane atmosphere. Plenty of puzzles, too! It appears a bit jank, and combat can feel rigid, but it’s so worth looking over.