Tag: games

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Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital): Unarchived, Season 4, Episode 2

Jason

with Jeremy Andriano (Host) and Jason Boyd Broadcast date: 12 December 2025 Writer: Jeremy Andriano Producer: Jeremy Andriano Outer Wilds by Mobius Digital is an exploration-based adventure game set in a cozy, at times confusing, and often dangerous solar system that the player soon discovers only has 22 minutes left to exist. However, the player is stuck in a time loop, which results in their restarting those same 22 minutes over and over again. Will that be enough time for the player to uncover the secrets of a lost civilization and perhaps save the solar system? In many ways, the … Continue reading Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital): Unarchived, Season 4, Episode 2

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Pools: Unarchived, Season 3, Episode 6

Jason

with Chelsea Russell (host), Andrew Bailey, Jason Boyd, Patrick R. Dolan Broadcast Date: 2 June 2025 Writer: Chelsea Russell (with Jason Boyd) Producer: Patrick R. Dolan Bonus Summer Episode! Inspired by liminal space aesthetics, Pools (2024) is a first-person exploration game set in a bewildering, seemingly endless complex of swimming pools. Pools is a minimalist game—there’s no heads-up display or status bar, no dialogue, no clear objectives, no monsters, no NPCs, no dialogue, no text, no soundtrack, no death, no puzzles, no resource gathering, no inventory, no tools, no quests. You can look around, walk (or run), crouch, swim, and … Continue reading Pools: Unarchived, Season 3, Episode 6

Gameful Experiences, Playable Stories ArchiveLeave a comment

Dredge

Jason

https://www.dredge.game/ Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator: Black Salt Games Studio website: https://www.blacksaltgames.com/ Creation technology: Unity Publisher: Team17 Date of original release: March 30, 2023 Platforms: Windows; macOS; PlayStation 4/5; Nintendo Switch; Xbox One; Xbox Series X/S; iOS; Android Peripherals required: Mouse/keyboard, game controller  ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Awards/Distinctions: Version used for entry: PlayStation 5 Version 1.4.0 B. GAME INFORMATION Game/eLit Genre(s): Open world, exploration, role-playing, nautical/fishing, horror Time to complete: Main Story: 9.5 hours; Completionist: 19 hrs (https://howlongtobeat.com/game/94128)  Replay required/useful?: No. All quests conclude in the same way (assuming the player succeeds) and both endings can be … Continue reading Dredge

Gameful Experiences, Higher Education & Scholarship, Unarchived podcastLeave a comment

Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 5)

Jason

with Alexander Hurezeanu (Host), Jason Boyd, Kevin Ghouchandra, Chelsea Russell Broadcast Date: 18 March, 2025 Writer: Alexander Hurezeanu (with Jason Boyd) Producer: Jeremy Andriano Disco Elysium is a unique role-playing game that blends thoughtful storytelling, detective work, and philosophical exploration. Set in a sprawling, crumbling city called Revachol, the player controls a hard-boiled detective who wakes up with amnesia and no memory of who he is. The game’s story revolves around solving a murder mystery, but its true focus is on the player character’s internal struggle and attempts to situate himself in the world of Elysium’s complex political, social, and … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 5)

Gameful Experiences, Higher Education & Scholarship, Playable Stories ArchiveLeave a comment

Unpacking

Jason

https://www.unpackinggame.com Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator: Witch Beam (https://witchbeam.com.au/) Creation Technology: Unity, Wwise (in-game audio), Aseprite (pixel art) Publisher: Humble Bundle Date (of original release): 2 November 2021 (Windows, Switch, Xbox), 10 May 2022 (Play Station 4/5), 24 August 2023 (iOS, Android) ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Platform(s): Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Play Station 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One Peripherals required: Keyboard/mouse (PC); speakers/headphones Awards/Distinctions: Version used for entry: B. GAME INFORMATION Game/eLit Genre(s): visual novel; puzzle Time to complete: Main Story, 3.5 hours (From https://howlongtobeat.com/game/69666)  Replay required/useful?: No. A single attentive playthrough will reveal the full story. … Continue reading Unpacking

Gameful Experiences, Higher Education & Scholarship, Unarchived podcastLeave a comment

Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 2)

Jason

with Chelsea Russell (Host), Jeremy Andriano, and Patrick R. Dolan Broadcast Date: 28 October, 2024 Writer: Chelsea Russell Producer: Patrick R. Dolan A perfect game for a podcast episode during the spooky season, Supermassive Games’ 2022 addition to their Dark Pictures Anthology, The Devil in Me blends historical intrigue with an interactive, choice-based narrative and classic adventure game mechanics that let the player shape the outcome in unsettling ways. The Devil in Me is an emerging style of videogame that focuses on choice-based narratives and builds on traditions that can be traced to the LaserDisc games of the 1980s, like … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 2)

Gameful Experiences, Higher Education & Scholarship, Unarchived podcastLeave a comment

Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 1)

Jason

with Jason Boyd (Host), Patrick R. Dolan, and Tanya Pobuda (special surprise cameo by Elio the Cat) Broadcast date: September 23, 2024 Writer: Jason Boyd Producer: Jeremy Andriano Myst is a first-person, point-and-click graphic exploration/adventure game with mystery and puzzle-solving elements designed by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller. It was originally released for the Macintosh in 1993, and was distributed on CD-ROM. Myst was marketed with the tagline, “The surrealistic adventure that will become your world.” It created a sensation when it was released in 1993, and went on to become the best selling PC game until surpassed by The … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 1)

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Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 6)

Jason

with Kevin Ghouchandra (Host), Patrick R. Dolan, and Alex Hurezeanu Broadcast date: March 19, 2024 Writer: Kevin Ghouchandra Producer: Jeremy Andriano Shadow of the Colossus (2005; remade in 2018) is often cited as a seminal game that has gone on to influence many, many others. The quiet, picturesque landscape of the Forbidden Lands is the backdrop for the cruelty, loneliness, and death that pervades Wander’s journey as they locate and destroy the colossi, sixteen massive beings spread across the land. Join members of the Unarchived podcast team as they explore how a simple game premise provides so much depth.  All … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 6)

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Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 5)

Jason

with Patrick R. Dolan (host), Kevin Ghouchandra, and Alexander Hurezeanu Broadcast Date: February 26, 2024 Writer: Patrick R. Dolan Producer: Jeremy Andriano “In this world, it’s kill or be killed.” So says the first character the player encounters in the Underground in the role-playing game, Undertale. But the player’s options turn out to be not so starkly simple. The Unarchived crew excavates thoughts and theories on narrative, compassion, genre, game mechanics, equity, and fandom that arise from exploring the depths of developer Toby Fox’s breakout title. All audio clips in the podcast quoted from Undertale. Sources and Resources: Continue reading Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 5)

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Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 4)

Jason

Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games) with Jeremy Andriano (host), Jason Boyd, Kevin Ghouchandra, and Chelsea Russell Broadcast Date: January, 23, 2024 Writer: Jeremy Andriano Producer: Patrick R. Dolan Inscryption starts off as a rather creepy deck-building strategy game played in a log cabin, but becomes something much more strange and sinister as it progresses. Ultimately, the goal of playing Inscryption is to figure out what it truly is. Who is the player character? Who exactly is your opponent and why are some of your cards talking to you? Who made the game? What is the game’s real purpose? Sources and Resources: Continue reading Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 4)