Gaming In The Wild - Video Game Reviews

Well, it looks like the Elden Ring hype has even managed to invade this gentle indie-game corner of the internet. To comb through the ins and outs of From Software's highly-rated, brutally difficult dark fantasy open-world game, I called in guest host Ciaran Daly for some podcasting co-op. He'd been to a crab museum, was hung over, and did very well. Thanks Ciaran. Note: this is the first From Software game either of us have played, so it's as much about the initial experience of navigating the reputation, systems, and foibles of the From universe as it is Elden Ring itself. If you like, you can to skip the intro and go straight to: 00:15:15 Our histories playing tough games 00:24:35 Elden Ring review Other links: My guest appearance on Sifter's Mainstream podcast: https://pod.link/mainstream/episode/3283c92291b28562be9d8b573890e1ca Miyazaki on difficulty: https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2022/02/28/elden-ring-difficulty-fromsoftware-identity-miyazaki/ Follow Ciaran: http://twitter.com/radartreview and http://twitter.com/facecuddle If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

Finally! Horizon Forbidden West has arrived! 67 hours into my play through, it was fun to spend an hour on this extensive, spoiler-free deep-dive into the exciting new gameplay mechanics, all-time-high visuals, storytelling and characterisation changes, more rich and fully explored tribal cultures, traversal improvements... and, of course, the robotic elephant in the room, the climbing system. Also discussed: Elden Ring, Cloudpunk, Bravely Default, Tunic. If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

A couple of years ago, to the day, episode one of this podcast was published, about the quite amazing sci-fi epic Horizon Zero Dawn. It was a short episode, just ten minutes long. You can find it in the podcast history if you'd like to hear it it – a short, heartfelt review of what it felt like to play one of the best games ever made.  It seems fitting that, two years later, the podcast's birthday present is the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West (thanks, Guerilla!) As the release date drew closer, I found that I'd forgotten some elements of the complicated three-pronged plot of HZD. To reacquiant myself, I played the game on New Game+ mode over the last week. It was a very different playthrough to my first one, which was an 87-hour wonderstruck meander through this game world. This time, I beelined the plot, reading all the text files, listening to all the audio clips, and – for fun – making a timeline of The Great Die-Off, The Clawback, FARO Industries, and the Zero Dawn project. It occurred to me that if I needed this recap, maybe others do to. I hope you enjoy the episode. It's packed with spoilers for Zero Dawn! Just so you know. But I have no idea about Fobidden West, so you're safe there. Links: Gaming In The Wild 01 - Horizon Zero Dawn review: https://anchor.fm/gaminginthewild/episodes/01-Horizon-Zero-Dawn-eb47a6 Incredibly useful Horizon Fandom Wiki: http://horizon.fandom.com Noclip HZD Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9tLcD1r-6w Machine ecosystem concept art: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/AKbEo  If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

Guacamelee is a fresh, bright, Mexico-inspired Metroidvania-brawler by Drinkbox. Originally released in 2014, it preempted the comeback of the Metroidvania genre by a few years, but a 2018 Switch port brought it to a new audience – including me. Also discussed: Halo: Infinite and Nobody Saves The World. See a talk by lead artist Augusto Quijano here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bZDe7cbfmc0. If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

This week marks the podcast’s second birthday, so it begins with some fun listener questions, before moving on to the featured game of the episode: Wytchwood. In this gothic fairytale crafting game, you play as a mysterious bog witch. You'll pick up everything that isn't tied down through several beautifully illustrated biomes, crafting these ingredients into potions, spells and objects to capture a series of wayward souls. It's a relaxing game, if you can get into the collectathon spirit, with an episodic story that mixes fairytale weirdness with wry social commentary.  Also discussed: Halo: Infinite, Dreamscaper, Fire & Ice, Super Lucky’s Tale, Breath of the WIld, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, Red Dead Redemption 2, and more. Some links from the show: Follow Just Werk: https://www.twitch.tv/justwerk. Info on retro game Fire & Ice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_and_Ice_(video_game).  If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

This week features special guest Ciaran Daly, for a wide ranging chat about some huge games including Half Life Alyx, Halo: Infinite, Back 4 Blood, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Metroid Dread, and a little indie called Golf Club Wasteland. If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

Game Pass is the subscription that keeps on giving this week. The featured game is The Pedestrian - a highly original and immaculately designed 2D puzzle game that takes you on a journey through the signage, placards, pages and screens of a beautifully rendered 3D city. Also this episode: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Nobody Saves The World, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and Minute of Islands. Find my full reviews of all of the games mentioned, and developer interviews with the creators of Sable and Signs of the Sojourner: http://anchor.fm/gaminginthewild. If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

Heaven’s Vault is a highly original adventure game by Inkle, ported to Switch in 2021. It allows you to explore the interlunar rivers of a far-flung nebula, translating an ancient language from found artefacts to reveal a hidden history. Also this episode: a preview of five Indies to look out for in 2022: Open Roads, FAR: Changing Tides, Citizen Sleeper, Terra Nil, and Weird West. If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

Beware THE GUNK! This episode looks at a short, cosy sci-fi adventure-platformer that came to Game Pass and won me over during the holiday season. Also discussed: Ender Lilies, Heaven’s Vault, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and more. If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!

After three great special guest GOTY episodes, it’s time for the Gaming In The Wild **super official** top ten games of 2021. So I hope you enjoy this run through my top games of the year, including Cloud Gardens, Death’s Door, Signs of the Sojourner, Sable, Chicory, Inscryption, Resident Evil Village, Griftlands, Forza Horizon 5, and more! Find my full reviews of all of the games mentioned, and developer interviews with the creators of Sable and Signs of the Sojourner: http://anchor.fm/gaminginthewild. If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find the links at http://gaminginthewild.com. If you'd like to support the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month and get exclusive episodes, sale recommendations, and an invite to the show’s Discord community – go to http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild for that. You can also support the show via Ko-Fi if that’s your preferred creator platform: http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. And as always, thanks for listening!