We wade into a genuine retro gaming controversy. Two Aladdins enter, one Aladdin leaves! Caitlin is thrown into the deep end for her first roguelike Caves of Qud, and in a sad continuation of recent AMDFAD trends, the tutorial is lacking.

What We're Playing

01:20 Mark: Ruiner (Reikon, 2017)

09:26 Caitlin: Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop (Beard Envy, 2024)

21:30 GOOF: Aladdin (Virgin Interactive, 1993) and Aladdin (Capcom, 1993)

37:53 Feature Game: Caves of Qud (Freehold Games, 2024)

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup: https://crawl.develz.org/

SHOUT

1:01:40 Caitlin: The Witcher 4 (CD Projekt Red)

1:04:07 Mark: Rabbit & Steel DLC (mino_dev)

Heavy questions of metaphysics and cosmology abound. Before Your Eyes is about the afterlife, Goodboy Galaxy questions whether a dog can pet itself, and Wing Commander: Privateer might be one of the circles of Hell.

What We're Playing

03:15 Caitlin: Helldivers II (Arrowhead, 2024)

06:01 Caitlin: Luma Island (Feel Free Games, 2024)

07:58 Mark: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare, 2024)

09:25 Mark: Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within (Ubisoft Montreal, 2004)

11:05 Mark: Shogun Showdown (Roboatino, 2024)

16:37 GOOF: Wing Commander: Privateer (Origin Systems, 1993)

30:51 Feature Game: Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games, 2021)

SHOUT

57:44 Caitlin: Cairn (The Game Bakers)

1:00:01 Mark: Evercade and SNK

Caitlin's Final Fantasy history tour continues! We then turn to Mark's childhood Disney game, The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse. Slander may ensue. We finally test the limits of procedural generation with Wildermyth, a tactical RPG that promises satisfying randomly-generated narrative.

What We're Playing

00:55 Mark: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Ubisoft Montreal, 2003)

10:33 Caitlin: Final Fantasy II (Square, 1988)

15:05 Caitlin: Luma Island (Feel Free Games, 2024)

24:08 GOOF: The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse (Capcom, 1992)

36:15 Feature Game: Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games, 2019)

SHOUT

59:50 Caitlin: Marry a Deep One: Innsmouth Simulator (simulinati)

1:00:59 Mark: Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio)

Shockers abound this week. The World Ends with You is not the title of a Bond movie, it's a great DS game and a mediocre Switch game--and Pentiment is not just a chance to show off your history minor, it's also a murder mystery.

What We're Playing

01:02 Caitlin: Cats Hidden in Germany, Italy, and China (Travellin Cats, 2023-2024

04:28 Caitlin: Luma Island (Feel Free Games, 2024)

04:47 Caitlin: Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games, 2021)

05:35 Mark: Exit the Gungeon (Dodge Roll, 2020)

15:23 GOOF: The World Ends with You (Square Enix, 2007)

28:45 Feature Game: Pentiment (Obsidian, 2022)

Mild spoilers begin: 38:26

Mild spoilers end: 45:20

SHOUT

52:48 Caitlin: Critter Café (Sumo Digital)

53:44 Mark: Dungeon Clawler (Stray Fawn Studio)

We play Sifu, the very daunting beat-em-up game, as well as the beloved Beyond Good and Evil.

Not only did Sifu make Caitlin play a tutorial, it was perhaps the greatest disservice imaginable to a superb game. One could say the same about Beyond Good and Evil with respect to Friedrich Nietzsche, but he doesn't deserve any better.

What We're Playing

00:41 Mark: Karate Survivor (Alawar, 2024)

10:08 Caitlin: A Park Full of Cats (Devcats, 2024)

10:47 Caitlin: Tokyo Jungle (Crispy's!, 2012)

20:41 GOOF: Beyond Good and Evil (Ubisoft, 2003)

34:08 Feature Game: Sifu (Sloclap, 2022)

Excellent Sifu guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeVl3wl1Esg&t=1174s

SHOUT

51:47 Mark: Acts of Blood (Eksil Team)

52:44 Caitlin: Strange Antiquities (Bad Viking)

More Dragon Age! Caitlin and Mark have very different takeaways from The Veilguard. We also stress the difference between dwarves and vikings in The Last Vikings, another pre-WoW Blizzard offering.

What We're Playing

01:10 Caitlin: A Tower Full of Cats, and An Arcade Full of Cats (Devcats, 2022-2024)

05:21 Mark: Persona 5 Tactika (P-Studio, 2023)

10:36 Mark: Metal Slug Tactics (Leikir Studio, 2024)

GOOF: The Lost Vikings (Blizzard, 1993)

30:35 Feature Game: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare, 2024)

SHOUT

1:10:43 Caitlin: Path of Exile 2 (Grinding Gear Games)

1:12:11 Mark: Mass Effect 5 (BioWare)

Thank goodness you're here to join us as we discuss Thank Goodness You're Here! It's all cats and meat pies this week, though thankfully not in combination.

What We're Playing

02:01 Caitlin: A Building Full of Cats, A Tower Full of Cats, and A Castle Full of Cats (Devcats, 2022-2024)

14:53 Mark: Destiny 2 (Bungie, 2017)

27:58 GOOF: Road Rash (Electronic Arts, 1991)

38:05 Feature Game: Thank Goodness You're Here (Coal Supper, 2024)

SHOUT

54:58 Caitlin: A Shelter Full of Cats (Devcats)

55:48 Mark: Retroid Pocket 5 (Retroid)

Caitlin has made her enthusiasm for cats and horses well-known, but let it not be forgotten that she is fond of all manner of other animals as well. It's all kinds of fauna this week, as we revisit The Lion King and look at indie darling Animal Well.

What We're Playing

01:14 Caitlin: Powerwash Simulator (FuturLab, 2022)

11:20 Mark: Inscyption (Daniel Mullins Games, 2021)

13:46 Mark: PortMaster, especially Bleed (Ian Campbell, 2013)

24:20 GOOF: The Lion King (Westwood Studios, 1994)

36:15 Feature Game: Animal Well (Shared Memory, 2024)

SHOUT

53:17 Mark: The Void Rains Upon Her Heart (Veyeral)

55:40 Caitlin: Barkour (VARSAV Game Studios)