Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by Jared Moss from Play Along Podcast to discuss Game Freak's 2022 hit, Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Representing a major shakeup to the established Pokemon formula, Legends makes changes to nearly every core mechanic that we've all come to know as "how Pokemon works". Was it really the game that fans have been asking for for decades? Listen in to find out what Dave and Jared thought. TIMESTAMPS: Personal histories 8:42 Story, gameplay, catching Pokemon 34:13 Battles 1:19:00 Final thoughts 1:40:58 Spoiler Wall 1:50:42 Find everything Play Along Podcast HERE! [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by the author of the Book of Love, Aaron Angle, to discuss Hazelight Studio's 2021 Game of the Year winner, It Takes Two. This game has garnered a lot of attention, and Dave and Aaron agree that some parts of the game really deserve all of the accolades. The other parts, on the other hand? Listen in to find out. Timestamps: Personal histories, story and gameplay 7:45 Sound design, music and final thoughts 59:50 Spoiler wall: 1:18:35 [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by Ryan Delaney to talk about Housemarque's 2021 action roguelike hit, Returnal. Returnal brings bullet hell to 3D and adds an intriguing sci-fi story on the roguelike structure. Did this work for us on all fronts? Find out in the episode. *The Returnal: Ascension DLC was announced and release after this episode was recorded. I added a small section at the end about my story theories, but Ryan and I did not discuss it. It's fun though, you should try it! [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by Keith from the wonderful The Main Quest podcast to talk about 1994's cult classic JRPG, Earthbound. Find everything Main Quest HERE! [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by Andrew Kimball and Dylan Wren from Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamers to tier rank the Bloodborne bosses. This episode contains full spoilers for Bloodborne! Find Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamers on your podcast platform of choice, YouTube, Twitch or their website and follow them on Twitter and Instagram. [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by Moonborne and Jake Anderson to take on FromSoftware's incredible gothic/Lovecraftian horror classic, Bloodborne. FromSoftware took a big swing with Bloodborne, a game marketed as a werewolf slaying game but with a decidedly cosmic twist. Did that big swing connect? Check out the episode to find out. Follow Moonborne on Twitter and on Youtube! [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by the wonderful Eric Gess to discuss Nintendo & MercurySteam's long-awaited entry in the beloved Metroid franchise, Metroid Dread. After a long wait, Metroid Dread released with smooth and snappy controls, upgraded combat, and a new gameplay challenge with the EMMI zones. Listen in to hear what we thought of everything! TIMESTAMPS OF NOTE: Spoiler Wall 1:48:30 For all things Eric and Unlockables, click here! [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by Aaron Angle and Ryan Arrington to discuss both Persona 5 and its expansion, Persona 5 Royal, the latest in the long-running series by Atlus. Hailed as a modern JRPG classic, Persona 5 brings addictive life sim mechanics, snappy turn-based combat, stylish visual design and one hell of a soundtrack. Is there anything it can't do? Listen in to find out! TIMESTAMPS: Persona 5 11:52, Spoiler wall 2:10:33 [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by Brian Edwards from Cane & Rinse to discuss GoodbyeWorld Games' wonderful experiment with interactivity, Before Your Eyes. TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Before Your Eyes 10:55, Spoiler Wall and Content Warning, 1:00:41 Find Brian on Twitter, at his blog, and on his Twitch channel. Listen to Cane and Rinse on Apple, Spotify or wherever else you podcast, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and please consider supporting them on Patreon. You can also join their forums at their website. [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog

Dave is joined by mysticreferee to discuss part of FromSoftware's past, King's Field IV aka King's Field: The Ancient City. For everybody who has jumped on the FromSoftware train in recent years, whether it was back on the PS3 with Demon's Souls or even Elden Ring, here is a game from an older version of FromSoftware, but it still shows a lot of the world building, atmosphere and even early versions of some of the mechanics that we now strongly associate with From. [Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! Social Media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)! Support Tales from the Backlog