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I somehow missed Alan Wake along the way. I remember playing the AWE DLC in Control, watching Alan's face superimposed on the screen, thinking "who the hell is this guyOHH Yeah okay they did those games too". I knew I'd need to play Alan Wake at some point, and here we are. This game is not good, but it's a hell of a lot of fun to talk about. Hope you enjoy the discussion! As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Nick Coffman (he/him)

• Check out GG Tribune https://ggtribune.com/
• Check out Hollywood Time$ https://www.hwoodtimes.com/
• Listen to Stand N' Watch https://www.hwoodtimes.com/podcasts
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/nickcoffman.com

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Podcast Start
• 0:18 Introductions
• 4:30 Our Histories with Alan Wake and Remedy
• 7:58 Top-Level Thoughts About Alan Wake
• 12:57 Story Setup and Alan the Writer
• 21:01 Stephen King and Art Come to Life
• 29:24 Twin Peaks and Presentation
• 38:58 Gameplay and Combat
• 58:49 Metanarrative Fiction and the Creative Process
• 1:03:16 Sound and Music
• 1:08:28 Miscellaneous Thoughts
• 1:12:46 Who Should Play Alan Wake?
• 1:21:34 Nick's Writing and Podcasts
• 1:27:50 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:30:05 Spoilers- What Happens
• 1:43:46 Spoilers- Art, Artists and Creativity
• 2:01:17 Spoilers- The Signal & The Writer
• 2:09:51 Spoilers- More Noteworthy Stuff

Music used in the episode is credited to Petri Alanko unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Main Menu, Welcome to Bright Falls, Generic Battle 15, Children of the Elder Gods (Poets of the Fall), Manuscript, War (Poets of the Fall), Tom the Diver

Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds discussing Look Outside: https://geeksandgrounds.com
Check out Dave on Date With Us discussing Doki Doki Literature Club: https://datewith.us

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Longtime listeners of the show will agree with me here when I say- I never thought this day would come. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom, 2017) always seemed like it would be too scary for me, and I would never play it as a result. But, I said the same thing about Resident Evil 4, so here we are. Not only did I play Resident Evil 7, I had my eyes open enough of the time to remember stuff and bring it to the podcast! I hope you enjoy the discussion I had with Baron Jones of LV1 Gaming. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Baron Jones (he/him)

• Check out LV1 Gaming https://lv1gaming.com/
• Check their YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@LV1Gaming20
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/baronj67

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Episode Start
• 0:19 Intros
• 4:02 Our Histories with Resident Evil
• 9:52 Top-Level Thoughts
• 18:09 Story Setup and Meet the Bakers
• 31:56 Ethan, Disempowerment and Tension
• 43:06 First-Person Perspective and Presentation
• 50:20 A Stressful, Uneven Ride
• 58:27 Boss Fights and Flowers for Level Design
• 1:08:14 Who Should Play?
• 1:10:34 LV1 Gaming
• 1:17:16 Spoiler Walls and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:19:03 Spoilers- Jack's Domain
• 1:35:54 Spoilers- Marguerite's Domain
• 1:44:35 Spoilers- Lucas' Domain
• 1:50:34 Spoilers- The Boat House, The Choice & The Story Shift
• 2:09:28 Spoilers- Ending Sequence

Music used in the episode is credited to Akiyuki Morimoto, Satoshi Hori, Miwako Chinone, Brian D'Olivera and Cris Velasco. Tracks used: Go Tell Aunt Rhody, A Loving Message, Welcome to the Family, Safe Room, Garage, The Choice- Love

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

For some, the halcyon days of PC gaming involved D&D-based RPGs with unwieldy UI and gauntlet-shaped mouse cursors, and that is precisely what SKALD: Against the Black Priory (High North Studios, Raw Fury, 2024) is calling back to with its mix of sword-and-sorcery fantasy and cosmic/Lovecraftian horror. It's well-worth your time if you're nostalgic or even curious about that era of RPGs, while not being nearly as obtuse or and without relying on advance knowledge of early D&D systems. This episode's guest, Phil Morgan, has an extensive history with that bygone era of CRPGs, even appearing on this podcast to discuss the original Baldur's Gate, so we had a great conversation here. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Phil Morgan (he/him)

• Listen to Deleted Saves https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/deleted-saves/
• Check out Phil's art: https://philmorganart.com

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Podcast Start
• 0:18 Introductions
• 6:02 Our Histories with SKALD and Its Inspirations
• 10:11 Top-Level Thoughts about SKALD
• 18:15 Story Setup
• 22:13 Pixel Art and Writing
• 30:43 Subverting D&D Tropes
• 37:29 Role-Playing
• 48:38 Combat
• 56:54 Controller vs Mouse/Keyboard
• 1:04:54 Music and Sound
• 1:09:35 Closing Thoughts and Who Should Play?
• 1:13:48 Deleted Saves and Westland
• 1:18:37 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:23:08 Spoilers- Early Game Quests
• 1:38:27 Spoilers- Horryn
• 1:47:37 Spoilers- Firgol
• 1:57:06 Spoilers- The Story Expands
• 2:07:04 Spoilers- Ending Sequence and Thoughts

Music used in the episode is credited to Surt R. Tracks used: Against the Black Priory, The Curse of Knowledge, Sellsword's Honor, Horryn's Plight, Shores of Idra, Tomes Bound in Skin, Bane of the Starstrider

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Everyone's got that game, book, movie, etc that a longtime friend has been recommending for years, decades or more and you just haven't quite gotten around to it. One of those for me and one of my oldest friends was Telltale's series of games based on The Walking Dead. For many reasons, despite believing that the games would be good, I just waited a wild amount of time to finally give them a shot, and hey- we did it! And I brought that friend back onto the podcast to give season one the deep dive treatment. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Aaron Angle (he/him)

• Check out A Top 3 Podcast https://atop3podcast.fireside.fm/

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:35 Introductions
• 5:19 Our Histories with The Walking Dead
• 9:21 Top-Level Thoughts about The Walking Dead
• 13:57 Story Setup, Characters, Tone
• 27:21 Choices and Consequences
• 46:19 Puzzles and QTEs
• 51:18 Art, Music and Sound
• 1:01:46 Who Should Play?
• 1:04:14 A Top 3 Podcast
• 1:07:23 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:09:06 Spoilers- Episode 1
• 1:25:35 Spoilers- Episode 2
• 1:40:23 Spoilers- Episode 3
• 1:56:01 Spoilers- Episode 4
• 2:11:09 Spoilers- Episode 5

Music used in the episode: Clementine, Twist of Fate, Terror Mysterious, Folk Loop, Mother and Son, The Guantlet, Jewelry Store

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Games gather reputations for a variety of reasons, but one of the most unique among those are the games that are so hard to purchase that above all, they have a reputation for being expensive. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Team Andromeda, Sega, 1998) is one of the top examples of that phenomenon nowadays, after only tens of thousands of English-language copies were pressed, Team Andromeda was shuttered quickly after the game's release and Sega now claims to have lost the source code. All of this may leave you wondering...what is Panzer Dragoon Saga like as a game? I was certainly left wondering that, and Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover was up for the task of discussing the game behind the massive price tag. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Chris Coplien (he/him)

• Check out Retro Hangover https://linktr.ee/retrohangover
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/retrohangover.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Start
• 0:24 Introductions
• 5:13 Our Histories with Panzer Dragoon Saga
• 13:16 Top-Level Thoughts
• 20:41 Story Setup and Worldbuilding
• 28:16 Pacing and Storytelling
• 33:41 Visual Presentation
• 39:04 Music
• 43:05 Combat
• 1:07:41 Exploration and Side Quests
• 1:16:37 Who Should Play?
• 1:20:12 Retro Hangover Podcast
• 1:24:40 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:26:37 Spoilers- Setting the Stage
• 1:42:26 Spoilers- Some Big Themes
• 1:51:53 Spoilers- A Philosophical Dilemma
• 1:59:16 Spoilers- Uncovering a Very Familiar Trope
• 2:17:28 Spoilers- Revisiting the Dilemma and Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Saori Kobayashi and Mariko Nanba. Tracks used: Behold the Precious Wings, A Premonition of War, Metamorphosis 1, Atolm Dragon, Rest, Area 3 Background, Wandering, Breath of Life

Panzer Dragoon Story and Lore Walkthrough https://youtu.be/BVc7QxiAO1k
Max Derrat's Development History Video: https://youtu.be/sIqM80qEY8s

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

One of these days it was bound to happen, the remake announcement solidified it- it's time to give The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, 1998) the Tales from the Backlog treatment. This was Dave's favorite game for decades and is still by far one of the most influential games in his life, but this was the first time in a while that he had played all the way through it. Join Dave and special guests Gooey and McKenna of Flashback 64 for the deep dive. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Gooey (they/he) and McKenna (she/her)

• Check out Flashback 64 https://flashback64.com/
• Follow on Bluesky http://bsky.app/profile/flashback64.com

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Podcast Start
• 0:16 Introductions
• 7:48 Our Histories with Ocarina of Time
• 12:10 Top-Level Thoughts
• 18:50 Story Setup, Storytelling and Cinematography
• 31:57 Navi and Handholding
• 36:26 Combat
• 42:16 The N64 Controller
• 46:41 "The Zelda Formula" and Exploration
• 57:50 Dungeons and Complexity
• 1:12:56 Visual Flourishes and Art Design
• 1:25:41 Our Hopes for the Remake
• 1:35:33 Soundtrack
• 1:45:50 Re-Evaluating Childhood Favorites and Who Should Play?
• 1:57:48 Flashback 64
• 2:05:29 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 2:07:06 Spoilers- The Water Temple Is Good
• 2:30:08 Spoilers- Favorite Temples and Ganon's Castle
• 2:35:12 Spoilers- Sheik and More Temple Talk
• 2:47:48 Spoilers- A Theory for the Remake

Music used in the episode is credited to Koji Kondo. Tracks used: Title Theme, Kokiri Forest, Saria's Song, Forest Temple, Kakariko Village, Hyrule Field, Gerudo Valley, Zora's Domain, Zelda's Theme

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

When we talk about older games, we often use phrases like "this holds up!" or "this hasn't aged well!", but what do we mean when we say stuff like that? What do they hold up against? What aspects age well or poorly? Are there better ways to convey our thoughts? To help me dig into this, I've brought Patrick and James from the Retro Spectives Podcast back to the show. Hope you enjoy the discussion!

Guest info: Patrick Arthur (he/him) and James Tuerlings (he/him)

• Check out Retro Spectives podcast https://rspodcast.net

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Episode Start
• 0:22 Introductions
• 2:50 Topic Introduction
• 10:00 Why Do We Say Things Have Aged Poorly?
• 54:36 Patron Thank-Yous
• 56:29 Does This Hold Up?
• 1:39:07 Conclusions and Wrap-Up
• 1:57:59 Retro Spectives Podcast

Music used in the episode:

• Bloody Tears (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest)- Kenichi Matsubara, Satoe Terashima
• Save Theme (Resident Evil (2002))- Shisaku Uchiyama, Makoto Tomozawa, Misao Senbogi
• Ending Theme (Dragon Warrior)- Koichi Sugiyama

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

What's the worst game you've ever played? That's the question of the day, and a fairly common answer to that question for a long time has been Quest 64 (Imagineer, 1998). But does Quest deserve to be in that conversation? What is it actually like as a game, outside of the memes and reputation? That's what we're exploring in this episode, and to do so, I brought on the man doing his part to heal the conversation around Quest, "bad" games, and the Nintendo 64 in general, Mike aka Quest64Official. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Mike aka Quest64Official

• Follow Mike on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/quest64official.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Beginning
• 0:16 Introductions
• 4:50 Our Histories with Quest 64
• 14:44 Top-Level Thoughts
• 22:35 Story Setup and the Adventure as Story
• 28:32 The Solo RPG Experience
• 40:24 Big Dungeons
• 44:39 Character Building
• 49:19 Combat
• 1:06:25 Visuals and Music
• 1:15:59 Who Should Play Quest 64?
• 1:24:34 Quest64Official and the Power of Memes
• 1:32:50 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:34:34 Spoilers- Favorite Sections and Story
• 1:50:20 Spoilers- Challenge Runs and Different Play Styles

Music used in the episode is credited to Masamichi Amano. Tracks used: Holy Magic Century, Holy Plains, Highlands, Battle, Dondoran, Final Battle, Staff Roll

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Update 10/1/2026 Several references were made in this podcast to YouTuber and critic Jacob Geller and his work. This podcast was released before his sexual assualt on another person was brought to light. Matt and I condemn these actions, and our hearts go out to the victim and everybody else who had traumatic memories brought up to the surface by the news. -Dave

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

After the breakout success of The Stanley Parable, Davey Wreden's next game is a bit darker and a lot more personal. The Beginner's Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd, 2015) examines a lot of things, but at the forefront is the relationships we have with others and some complex and slippery situations that can arise. To say more would be to start spoiling things, but luckily we have a discussion longer than the game itself. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Matt aka Stormageddon (they/them)

• Listen to "Fun" and Games https://funandgamespod.com/
• Listen to Reignite https://reignitepod.libsyn.com/
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/djstormageddon.com

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:16 Introductions
• 4:38 Our Histories with Davey Wreden's Games
• 9:49 Top-Level Thoughts
• 13:38 Story and Game Setup
• 19:53 Narration and Thematic Overview
• 24:42 Who Should Play?
• 31:53 "Fun" and Games and Reignite
• 37:36 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 39:51 Spoilers- Davey & Coda
• 58:53 Spoilers- Thematic Exploration
• 1:31:24 Spoilers- More Thematic Exploration
• 1:52:51 Spoilers- Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Ryan Roth. Tracks used: Vertibrae, The Whisper Machine, Stars, D.S. Al Coda, Escape from This Place

Check out Dave on Super Pod Saga talking about some great games you can get for under $5 full price- https://superpodsaga.com/episodes/5-buck-bangers-downwell

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

It's not every day you revisit a favorite game from your teenage years, but today is that day as special guest Rebekah Valentine (Kotaku) joins me to discuss Golden Sun, one of the most beloved Game Boy Advance games. Camelot and Nintendo ended up splitting the game into two, and in this episode we focus on the first game, though we do discuss The Lost Age quite a bit as well. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Rebekah Valentine (she/her)

• Check out her work at Kotaku https://kotaku.com/author/rvalentine
• Check out Reb's look back at Golden Sun https://kotaku.com/25-years-ago-golden-sun-video-game-adventure-2000721340
• Check out Reb writing as if it were 2002 again https://kotaku.com/golden-sun-the-lost-age-sequel-warp-week-2000723015
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/duckvalentine.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:18 Introductions
• 5:30 Our Histories with Golden Sun
• 12:47 Top Level Thoughts
• 17:42 Acknowledging The Lost Age
• 25:31 Story Setup
• 33:50 Golden Sins and Silent Protagonists
• 44:29 Story Thoughts
• 52:25 Combat and Djinn System
• 1:09:18 Equipment, Resource Conservation, Puzzles
• 1:28:25 Soundtrack
• 1:38:22 Wrap-Up Thoughts and Who Should Play?
• 1:45:15 Reb's Work at Kotaku
• 1:50:06 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:52:27 Spoilers- Golden Sun's Story and The Lost Age Setup
• 2:12:42 Spoilers- Dave Might Play The Lost Age?

Music used in the episode is credited to Motoi Sakuraba. Tracks used: Main Theme, World Map, Enemy Battle, Lighthouse Theme, Sol Sanctum, Main Menu, Battle With Saturos, Vale and Vault

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Join Dave and special guest Gen Moonen ("Fun" and Games) as they discuss Konami's 2006 entry in the Castlevania franchise, Portrait of Ruin. By this point, the series had largely moved past dual-screen and touchscreen gimmicks, settling on putting the menus and map on the bottom screen with the action on top. Add in a dual-protagonist setup and you've got a recipe for a good metroidvania experience. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's likely got what you're looking for, and there's value in that. Check out the discussion for more, and as always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Gen Moonen (they/she)

• Check out "Fun" and Games https://funandgamespod.com/
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gnoisegenerator.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:22 Introductions
• 6:56 Our Histories with Castlevania
• 12:40 Top-Level Thoughts
• 19:51 Story Setup and Dual Protagonists
• 24:52 Castlevania Stories and Humor
• 31:19 Character Swapping Gameplay
• 44:52 Metroid vs Vania
• 50:13 Boss Fights, Painted Worlds and The Castle
• 1:03:52 Metroidvania Upgrades
• 1:08:41 Visual Design
• 1:16:40 Who Should Play?
• 1:25:50 "Fun" and Games Podcast
• 1:30:31 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:32:44 Spoilers- Painted Worlds and The Vampire Killer
• 1:53:38 Spoilers- More Story & Boss Fights

Music used in the episode is credited to Michiru Yamane unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Gallery of Labyrinth, Invitation of a Crazed Moon (Yuzo Koshiro), Chaotic Playground, Victorian Fear, Name Entry, Crucifix Held Close, The Night Flows

Check out Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum talking about Final Fantasy X: https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support Tales from the Backlog