

Tales from the Backlog
Dave Jackson
A video games podcast where Dave Jackson and guests break down and discuss the games they play. Each episode looks at one game in depth, focusing on mechanics, story, music and other aspects, with no spoilers until a clearly marked spoiler wall in the middle.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 10, 2022 • 2h 10min
12: Florence (with Heather Siddiqui and Nick Greenberg)
In the 3rd edition of the Lazy Sunday series focusing on short indie games, Dave is joined by Heather Siddiqui and Nick Greenberg to discuss the 2018 interactive visual novel by Mountains, Florence. Florence is a very short game that packs a huge emotional punch, brilliantly conveying emotions via color, music and simple gameplay mechanics.
TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Florence 10:50, Spoiler Section 41:50
[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

Jan 3, 2022 • 2h 14min
11: Hollow Knight (with Jim Rodeman)
Dave is joined by anthropomorphic centipede Jim Rodeman to discuss Team Cherry's legendary metroidvania, Hollow Knight. Standing alone at the top of Metroidvania Mountain is a surprise indie hit, one that marries the lonely atmosphere of Dark Souls with best-in-class map design and fun, expressive combat.
TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Hollow Knight 12:23, Spoiler Section 1:33:35
Game Maker's Toolkit- The World Design of Hollow Knight
[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

Dec 31, 2021 • 1h 14min
2021 In Review
Dave discusses his year in gaming, including the top games he played for the first time in 2021, each game he played that was actually released in 2021, and eventually naming his top 3 games from 2021 in the process. Thank you all for listening as the show has gotten off the ground, and I look forward to continuing to grow and improve in 2022.
[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

Dec 27, 2021 • 2h 13min
10: Silent Hill 2 (with Adelaide Lohkamp)
Dave is joined by Adelaide Lohkamp (she/her), who emerged from the endless fog to discuss Konami's pillar of the survival horror genre, Silent Hill 2.
Dave is NOT a horror game fan, and also has trouble playing older games with very outdated gameplay and/or mechanics....so what is it that automatically vaulted Silent Hill 2 onto his "must-play" list? Listen in to find out, and keep that radio handy.
*Note I refer to Adelaide by another name in the episode, but as preferences have changed since the recording date, please use the name Adelaide when referring to them. Thanks!
TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Silent Hill 2 11:51, Spoiler Section 1:01:10
Great story analysis on YouTube by TheGamingBritShow
Check out Jamie's YouTube channel!
[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

Dec 20, 2021 • 1h 53min
9: Gone Home (with Jake Anderson)
[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)! In the second entry in the Lazy Sunday series focusing on short indie games, Dave is joined again by newly typecasted Walking Sim enthusiast Jake Anderson to talk about Fullbright's groundbreaking hit, Gone Home.
Gone Home is one of the OG Walking Sims, and may even be responsible for that genre name. But since the genre has evolved since Gone Home's release, what is it like playing it for the first time after playing some of the more recent hits in the genre? Listen in to find out what Dave and Jake think. And don't forget to turn all the lights on!
TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Gone Home 12:43, Spoiler Section 45:18
[Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon!](patreon.com/realdavejackson)
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

Dec 13, 2021 • 2h 52min
8: Death's Gambit: Afterlife (with Moonborne)
Dave is joined by stylish combat enthusiast Moonborne to discuss White Rabbit's incredible entry into the 2D soulslike genre, Death's Gambit. Death's Gambit, with its Afterlife expansion, is more than worthy of a seat at the table of the best 2D soulslikes, and a fun metroidvania to boot. Throw in a story that takes some interesting turns, and some cool lore ideas, and this is one that's an easy recommendation for fans of soulslikes and/or metroidvanias.
TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Death's Gambit 8:27, Spoiler Secton 1:46:50
Moonborne on Twitter
[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

Dec 6, 2021 • 2h 7min
7: Dragon's Dogma (with Adam Rivera)
Dave is joined by professional griffin rider Adam Rivera to discuss Capcom's uncanny western RPG, Dragon's Dogma. This is a game where the combat shines, and the story goes in some really weird places with some of gaming's strangest pacing. And did you know that wolves hunt in packs?
TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Dragon's Dogma 8:15, 1:29:15
Follow Adam on Twitter! And Twitch!
[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

Dec 3, 2021 • 50min
Happy 20th Smash Melee + GameCube Games Tier List
In a very special bonus episode, Dave talks about good memories playing Smash Melee and then tier ranks 42 other GameCube games. Do the tier list yourself!
[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

Nov 29, 2021 • 2h 2min
6: SOMA (with Ryan Delaney)
Dave is joined by Ryan Delaney to discuss Frictional Games' existential horror classic, SOMA. This is a game with an absolutely top-level story that simply has to be experienced, but does the simplistic gameplay drag down the overall experience? Listen to find out what we think.
TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, SOMA 9:40, Spoiler Section 41:50
[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

Nov 22, 2021 • 1h 43min
5: Firewatch (with Jake Anderson)
In the first in the Lazy Sunday series focusing on short indie games, Dave is joined by climbing safety enthusiast Jake Anderson to discuss Campo Santo's hit walking sim, Firewatch. Firewatch is at the same time critically acclaimed and a bit of a lightning rod for criticism. Find out what Dave and Jake think in the episode.
TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Firewatch 12:15, Spoiler Section 44:47
GDC Talk on making the world of Firewatch
[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