The Short Game

Kentucky Route Zero’s fourth act is its longest, most complex structurally, and might be its saddest yet. We continue our discussion of the game as well as the interlude Here & There Along The Echo. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash

As you’ll hear in the intro we initially planned to discuss both Act III and Act IV on this episode, but we had such an interesting talk about Act III that we used up all our time. We start with a chat about the two interludes Limits and Demonstrations and The Entertainment, then go deep on themes and references in Act III. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash (03:28) - First Interlude - Limits And Demonstrations (13:45) - Carrington (18:44) - Second Interlude - The Entertainment (32:56) - Act 3

This week we’re returning to something we used to do semi-frequently: we’re highlighting some of our favorite video game music tracks! We haven’t done one of these in quite a while (years!) so let us know if it’s something you’d like to see more of. For your listening convenience, here’s a link to a Spotify playlist of all of the songs mentioned on this episode! The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankNate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnash (01:45) - Gleeokenspiel Battle - Cadence Of By rule (06:46) - Dancing Mad - Final Fantasy VI (11:30) - Downstream - Braid (16:09) - Reach For The Summit - Celeste (20:39) - Sneaky Driver - Katana Zero (23:45) - Summer (Nature’s Crescendo) - Stardew Valley (27:23) - Outer Wilds - Outer Wilds (32:27) - Abzu - Ichthyosaurus Communis (34:45) - This World Is Not My Home - Kentucky Route Zero (41:04) - Wrap Up (41:45) - What’s Making You Happy This Week? (41:54) - Laura - Watching Star Trek Slowly (44:57) - Raygan - Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (51:00) - Nate - Weather

This week we are re-releasing our 2015 episode covering the Spider series from Tiger Style games. Both Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor and Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon are iOS classics that have recently been re-released in improved versions by GameClub. Since our episode, Shrouded Moon has also been released on Steam, and on Playstation 4 and Vita! If you haven’t played these classics, we highly recommend checking them out! The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - A Short Game Classic (07:10) - Episode Start

Speed Dating for Ghosts seems at first like a riff on the comedic-dating-sim-adventure-game in the vein of Dream Daddy or Monster High, but this short narrative game doesn’t ever do quite what you’d expect. Get to know a cast of 9 ghosts (plus extras!), each of whom has a story to tell. Some funny, some sad, and some just downright strange things happen as you date these spirits. Recently released on iOS and Nintendo Switch, Speed Dating for Ghosts is also available on Steam and itch.io. Expect it to take around 2 hours to complete. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankNate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Speed Dating For Ghosts (38:12) - Spoiler Break

Guildlings is a charming mobile-first adventure RPG set in “a world of wizards and wifi.” We’ll be scribbling bad fan art of the characters in this Apple Arcade adventure for a long time. Guildlings is exclusive to Apple Arcade, and is playable across all Arcade platforms. Expect it to take around 5 hours to complete, with additional chapters coming as soon as summer of 2020. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash (03:34) - Story & World Building (11:49) - Who Is This For (14:35) - Mobile Native Experience (18:50) - 😎 and🔋 (24:21) - ⚔️ (39:38) - Good Bits (44:41) - Cartoon Art (47:14) - Devices And Versions (50:55) - Wrap Up (53:22) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week (53:34) - Shane - What Did Jack Do (57:41) - Raygan - Revenge Of The Gator (59:36) - Laura - Gender Swapped Company (01:04:08) - Outro

This week we’re discussing Wide Ocean Big Jacket, a story-game camping trip, from developer Turnfollow and publisher Tender Claws. Mord and her boyfriend Ben are on their first camping trip together (like, together together) accompanied by Mord’s uncle Brad and aunt Cloanne. From MEAN TEENS to birdwatching, this game was Short Game bait, and clocks in at 60-90 minutes, or as the developers describe it “like watching a good movie with friends or curling up to read a book”. It’s also an IGF Finalist for Excellence in Narrative! Available February 4th on itch.io, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankNate Heininger – @natestlLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Wide Ocean Big Jacket (36:09) - What’s Making Us Happy This Week? (36:21) - Laura - Meet The Breeds (40:02) - Raygan - The Witcher Audiobooks (44:33) - Nate - The Elements Of Pizza (48:30) - Admin (49:49) - Spoiler Break

Shane and Laura take the podcast where it’s never dared to go… up off of the couch! Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch is yet another Nintendo attempt at a fitness game, but it falls much farther on the “game” side of the line than past offerings. Laura and Shane have both been playing the game for a few weeks, and discuss how it’s transformed their approach to exercise. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Shane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Ring Fit Adventure (47:04) - What’s Making Me Happy This Week (47:13) - Shane - Won A Trip To Mexico! (48:02) - Laura - Gourmet Makes (50:17) - Outro

Kentucky Route Zero, both the game and this episode, have been a long time coming. With the 5th act of the long in-development magical realist adventure game finally coming on January 28th, we decided it was time to cover this frequently requested game. We played and discuss the first two acts, with plans to cover the remainder of the game after the release of chapter 5. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash (00:00) - Intro - Why Are We Covering This Now? (05:54) - A Magical Realist Adventure Game (26:53) - Writing (32:23) - Themes (44:44) - Story (Acts 1 & 2) (01:11:59) - Wrap Up

This week we’re breaking from our usual format to discuss the 2010s, and the arc that indie games (and gaming generally) have taken through the decade. The Short Game is supported directly by our listeners on Patreon! Supporters at any level get access to our Discord, where we discuss games, plan episodes, and talk about what we are playing in real time. You can also support us by writing a review on Apple Podcasts! You can follow our show on Twitter at @_shortgame Your hosts this week were: Raygan Kelly – @raygankShane Kelly – @8bitShaneLaura Nash – @laurajnash