Tales from the Backlog

David Jackson

A video games podcast where Dave Jackson and guests go in depth about the games that they've played recently.

  • 2 hours 36 minutes
    200: Dark Souls II (with Ryan Batie - Lightning Strikes Thrice)

    Want more Dark Souls 2 podcasts? Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
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    Every beloved series has its black sheep- Mario has Sunshine, Zelda has the DS games, and Dark Souls has Dark Souls 2. But to me, the things that make Dark Souls 2 divisive are the things that make it interesting. Not every new decision is a home run, but they're all ripe for discussion. And hey, good thing we have this podcast! And it's episode 200!

    Guest info: Ryan Batie (they/them)

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:15 Introductions
    • 7:18 Our Histories with Dark Souls
    • 11:19 Opening Thoughts about Dark Souls 2
    • 18:51 Story and Themes Setup- Memory, Hollowing, World Design
    • 30:26 More Theme Setup
    • 35:51 Vibes, Atmosphere and Music
    • 43:37 Examining Gameplay Changes
    • 1:22:18 DLCs, Multiplayer and Comedy
    • 1:31:42 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
    • 1:34:25 Lightning Strikes Thrice Podcast & Pitch Drop Network
    • 1:39:33 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
    • 1:41:18 Spoiler Section- Trouble Areas
    • 1:52:00 Spoiler Section- Vendrick's Story and Connections to Dark Souls
    • 2:11:59 Spoiler Section- Aldia and The First Sin
    • 2:21:56 Lucatiel and the Giants

    Music used in the episode is credited to Motoi Sakuraba, unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Main Menu, Majula, Ruins Sentinel (Yuka Kitamura), Milfanito, Fire Keepers, Fume Knight, Remains

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    28 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 3 hours 23 minutes
    199: Hollow Knight: Silksong (with Jenny Windom - Geeks & Grounds)

    Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
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    Very few games have ever had the hype cycle that Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry, 2025) had, so the question remained once the game was finally released- did it live up to the hype? Clown masks and Nintendo Direct comment section explosions quickly gave way to Discourse surrounding Silksong's difficulty and sometimes anti-QoL approach. So was the juice worth the squeeze? Listen in to find out.

    Guest info: Jenny Windom (she/her)

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:13 Introductions
    • 9:06 Our Histories with Hollow Knight and Silksong
    • 12:45 Opening Thoughts about Silksong
    • 18:26 Difficulty and Accessibility
    • 23:19 Story Setup and Visuals
    • 27:31 The Pilgrimage, Characters and Voice Acting
    • 36:25 The Pilgrimage and Anti-QoL Design
    • 48:29 Challenge Ramp-Up and Difficulty Curve
    • 57:53 Silksong- A Good Teacher & Overcoming Challenge
    • 1:05:47 Metroidvania Design, Visuals and Music
    • 1:14:18 Boss Fights, Combat Challenges and Runbacks
    • 1:33:42 Crests, Tools, Customization
    • 1:40:40 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
    • 1:45:54 Geeks & Grounds and Jenny's Other Work
    • 1:51:22 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
    • 1:53:13 Spoiler Section- Favorite Boss Fights
    • 2:18:22 Spoiler Section- The Citadel and Faith
    • 2:27:46 Spoiler Section- Hornet's Growth, Sherma and Community
    • 2:45:23 Spoiler Section- Motherhood and Endings

    Music used in the episode is credited to Christopher Larkin. Tracks used: Silksong, Bone Bottom, Trobbio, Cogwork Dancers, Bilewater, Far Fields, Lost Lace, Fleatopia

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    21 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    198: Crazy Taxi (with Darren Hupke - Pixels & Polygons)

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    In the midst of so many games and podcasts with heavy story themes, sometimes it's nice to just play a video game-ass video game. And so here we have Crazy Taxi (Sega, 2000), plowing through a bunch of mailboxes on its way to the podcast schedule. This is a seminal game, especially for Dreamcast owners and arcade-goers, that I had somehow never played before. So what was it like playing for the first time in 2025? Listen in to find out!

    Guest info: Darren Hupke (he/him)

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:11 Introductions
    • 4:05 Our Histories with Crazy Taxi
    • 9:56 Opening Thoughts About Crazy Taxi
    • 13:50 Game Setup
    • 23:34 Crazy Box Mode and Advanced Maneuvers
    • 31:26 Sense of Humor, Future Crazy Taxis and Soundtrack
    • 43:39 Real Life Crazy Taxis and Product Placement
    • 49:40 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
    • 55:00 Darren's Books and Pixels & Polygons
    • 1:00:31 Announcements and Patron Thank-Yous

    Music used in the episode: All I Want (The Offspring), Ten in 2010 (Bad Religion), Change the World (The Offspring)

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    14 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 2 hours 19 minutes
    Backlog Resolutions 2026

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    Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server and make your own resolutions!- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2
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    For the past few years, we've been making "backlog resolutions" each year- choosing a list of games from our libraries that we keep telling ourselves "I'm gonna play that someday" and....playing them! What a concept! Well, we're playing most of them. In what's becoming a yearly tradition, I'm joined by some friends to discuss our experience throughout the year.

    Guest info:

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:11 Introductions
    • 4:45 Stats from 2025's Resolutions
    • 7:11 General Thoughts and Experiences
    • 21:31 Resolutions Success Stories
    • 53:33 Patron Thank-Yous
    • 55:37 Why Didn't We Play Them All?
    • 1:25:57 Lessons & Strategies for 2026
    • 1:40:59 Sneak Peek at Our 2026 Lists
    • 1:59:40 Closing Thoughts
    • 2:10:37 Guest Plugs

    Music used in the episode:

    • Bless My Stars (Akitaka Tohyama - Beautiful Katamari OST)
    • a forty-six story motel (RJ Lake - El Paso, Elsewhere OST)
    • Mortol (Gameplay) (Eirik Suhrke - UFO 50 OST)
    • Bionic Bay (Francisco Javier Pérez - Bionic Bay OST)

    Check out Dave talking about NieR: Automata on Pixel Project Radio https://linktr.ee/pixelprojectradio
    Check out the King of Games 1999 FINALE on Retro Hangover https://linktr.ee/retrohangover

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    7 January 2026, 5:00 am
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    2025 In Review/Games of the Year

    Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
    Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2
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    All paid patrons can listen to a bonus episode about our favorite non-2025 games that we played this year! https://www.patreon.com/posts/our-favorite-non-146887020

    It's that time! End of the year time! Games of the year time! This year I polled Discord and Patreon members on their favorites of the year, tallied them up, and here are the results! Then, I close out the show with my own top 10 and some other thoughts as we bring the 2025th year to a close. Please enjoy!

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card and Introduction
    • 4:50 Community Honorable Mentions
    • 10:10 Community Top 10
    • 28:31 Dave's Honorable Mentions
    • 30:02 Dave's #10
    • 32:14 Dave's #9
    • 35:06 Dave's #8
    • 38:21 Dave's #7
    • 41:43 Dave's #6
    • 46:05 Dave's #5
    • 49:12 Dave's #4
    • 54:18 Dave's #3
    • 57:58 Dave's #2
    • 1:04:27 Dave's #1
    • 1:14:34 Closing Thoughts
    • 1:21:50 Patron Thank-Yous

    Music used in the episode:

    • Your Host for Tonight (Chipzel- Dicey Dungeons OST)
    • Beginner's Luck (Chipzel- Dicey Dungeons OST)
    • Polarity (Francisco Javier Pérez- Bionic Bay OST)
    • Monoco (Lorien Testard- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST)
    • Gestral Beach- Is It a Gestral or a Volleyball (Lorien Testard- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST)
    • Lumiose City (Day) (Shota Kageyama, Carlos Eiene- Pokemon Legends Z-A OST)
    • Story of All Manor (Trigg & Gusset- Blue Prince OST)
    • Manor- Our Painted Home (Lorien Testard- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST)
    • Lumiose City (Night) (Shota Kageyama, Carlos Eiene- Pokemon Legends Z-A OST)
    • The Storm (Olivier Deriviere- South of Midnight OST)
    • Mysterious Swamps (Olivier Deriviere- South of Midnight OST)
    • Enter Sektori (Tommy Baynen- Sektori OST)
    • The Beauty of Nature (Miwako Chinone- Monster Hunter Wilds OST)
    • Many Nights a Whisper (fingerspit- Many Nights a Whisper OST)
    • Ten Years Ago You Were Chosen (fingerspit- Many Nights a Whisper OST)
    • Signalchaser (Amos Roddy- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector OST)
    • Suncatchers (Amos Roddy- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector OST)
    • Introduction (C418- Wanderstop OST)
    • Simon's Theme (Trigg & Gusset- Blue Prince OST)
    • Bilewater (Christopher Larkin- Hollow Knight: Silksong OST)
    • Bellhart (Christopher Larkin- Hollow Knight: Silksong OST)
    • Une vie à t'aimer (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, Victor Borba- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST)
    • Gestral Beach- I'd Rather Play Petanque (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, Victor Borba- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 OST)
    • Battle Theme No. 1 (Toma Otowa- Ghost of Yotei OST)
    • Raise the Sails (Saori Yoshida- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii OST)

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    31 December 2025, 5:00 am
  • 2 hours 21 minutes
    197: Astro Bot (with Josh Covel - Still Loading Podcast)

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    With the world being the way it is, it's a rare treat to play a game that's just pure joy from start to finish, and that is exactly what Astro Bot (Team Asobi, Sony, 2024) brings. From the opening cutscene to the final boss, Astro Bot is both one of the greatest platformers ever made and a joyous celebration of 30 years of Playstation history. I treasure a game like this as a player, and almost even moreso as a critic. I hope you enjoy the discussion!

    Guest info: Josh Covel (he/him)

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:33 Introductions
    • 6:11 Our Histories with Astro Bot
    • 9:42 Opening Thoughts
    • 13:06 Game Setup and Playstation History
    • 23:08 Criticisms of The Playstation Tie-Ins
    • 39:34 Gameplay & Powerups
    • 49:20 Complexity and Difficulty
    • 1:00:19 Collectibles and Secrets
    • 1:08:15 Music and Sound Design
    • 1:23:55 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
    • 1:29:13 Still Loading Podcast
    • 1:34:58 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
    • 1:37:34 Spoiler Section- Playstation Themed Levels
    • 2:01:43 Final Level and Miscellaneous Favorite Things

    Music used in the episode is credited to Kenneth C M Young. Tracks used: I Am Astro Bot (ASTRO BOT Remix), Disco Tree, Big Wave, You Know What You've Got To Do, Drake's BOTtune, Bot of War

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    24 December 2025, 5:00 am
  • 1 hour 52 minutes
    196: Sword of the Sea (with AndresPlays)

    Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
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    There is a certain type of atmospheric (usually) indie game that gets praised for its tone, vibes and emotional impact, but sometimes criticized for underbaked or limited gameplay mechanics. Walking sims used to get the brunt of this, but the same could also be said for games like Sword of the Sea director Matt Nava's most famous works, Journey and Abzu. Sword of the Sea may not be an intentional response to those criticisms, but it does add more "involved" gameplay into the fold, incorporating sand surfing and tricks into your verb set. It then begs the discussion- on paper, adding more involved gameplay is good, right? But is that always the case?

    Guest info: AndresPlays (he/him)

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:19 Introductions
    • 4:50 Our Histories With Matt Nava's Games and Sword of the Sea
    • 7:43 Opening Thoughts About Sword of the Sea
    • 14:35 Game Setup and Visual Presentation
    • 20:00 Speed and Sand Surfing
    • 36:16 Music and Visual Presentation
    • 39:54 Lack of Punch and Impact
    • 56:01 Top-Level Story Thoughts
    • 1:01:05 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
    • 1:06:24 AndresPlays- Writing, Streaming and Little Victories
    • 1:11:37 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous
    • 1:14:28 Spoiler Section- Story Interpretations
    • 1:28:05 Hype Moments and Ending

    Music used in the episode is credited to Austin Wintory. Tracks used: From a drop, a flame, One drop remained, Unpredictable and joyous, Swimming in the sky, Sacred River, A city where none live

    Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds analyzing Final Fantasy X https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
    Check out Dave on Pixel Project Radio analyzing NieR: Automata https://linktr.ee/pixelprojectradio
    Check out Dave on the King of Games 1999 https://linktr.ee/retrohangover

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    17 December 2025, 5:00 am
  • 2 hours 19 minutes
    195: Legend of Grimrock 2 (with Shane Selterre - Retro Hangover)

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    One of the best things about the thriving indie game scene is that dead genres come back to life, and nothing exemplifies that more than the return of the blobber/first-person dungeon crawler with Almost Human's Legend of Grimrock series. Combining the thrill of exploration in those old school games with modern sensibilities, Legend of Grimrock 2 is one of the best RPGs I've ever played, and I couldn't wait to discuss it on the show.

    Guest info: Shane Selterre (he/him)

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:24 Introductions
    • 5:02 Our Histories with Legend of Grimrock 2
    • 13:03 Opening Thoughts about Legend of Grimrock 2
    • 17:04 Story Setup
    • 21:18 Dungeon Crawling...Outside?
    • 25:58 Party Creation and the Combat Dance
    • 37:00 Situational Awareness
    • 45:18 Exploration and Inventory
    • 52:31 Puzzles and Traps
    • 1:03:18 Character Building
    • 1:27:19 Music and Sound Design
    • 1:33:13 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
    • 1:37:49 Retro Hangover Podcast
    • 1:42:54 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
    • 1:45:37 Spoiler Section- Favorite Stuff
    • 2:02:29 Spoiler Section- Final Bosses and Endings

    Music used in the episode is credited to Scoring Helsinki: Main Theme, Prologue (The Isle), Battle Is On Pt. 1, Master and the Apprentice, Credits Theme

    Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
    Check out Dave on Pixel Project Radio https://linktr.ee/pixelprojectradio
    Check out the King of Games 1999 https://retrohangover.captivate.fm/episode/king-of-games-99-round-4-match-1-silent-hill-vs-tony-hawks-pro-skater

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    10 December 2025, 5:00 am
  • 2 hours 28 minutes
    194: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (with Michael Berger - Bits of Time)

    Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
    Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2
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    What could Nintendo possibly do to follow up the game that "saved gaming" for me? Well, they simply iterated on and evolved everything about Breath of the Wild to make one of the most creativity and freedom-focused games ever. It's simple, really- why don't more people think of this? Sarcasm aside, Tears of the Kingdom is an absolute wonder, and we're lucky to have it. Hope you enjoy the discussion!

    Guest info: Michael Berger (he/him)

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:21 Introductions
    • 5:35 Our Histories with Zelda and Tears of the Kingdom
    • 8:49 Opening Thoughts About Tears of the Kingdom
    • 16:39 Story Setup
    • 20:26 Storytelling and Nonlinear Design
    • 25:34 Emergent Story and the Adventure
    • 29:52 Link's New Toys
    • 48:58 Emergent Gameplay and the Magic of Scrounging
    • 57:18 Dungeons and Boss Fights
    • 1:03:15 Enemy and Boss Variety
    • 1:08:07 The Depths and Exploration
    • 1:16:33 Art Design and Music
    • 1:23:20 Final Thoughts and Recommendations
    • 1:31:31 Bits of Time
    • 1:36:11 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
    • 1:38:25 Spoiler Section- Favorite Temples and Backstory
    • 2:03:11 Final Boss and Ending

    Music used in the episode is credited to Hajime Wakai, Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi and Tsukasa Usui. Tracks used: Title, Hyrule Castle - Upheaval, Shrine Battle, Seized Construct Battle, Skydive, Lookout Landing, Ganondorf's Theme, Final Dive

    Check out Dave on Geeks & Grounds https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
    Check out Dave on Pixels & Polygons https://rss.com/podcasts/pixelspolygons/

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    3 December 2025, 5:00 am
  • 2 hours 13 minutes
    193: Asura's Wrath (with Nick & Will - Friday Night Gamecast)

    Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
    Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2
    Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson

    Some games just stand out from the pack, and with its episodic anime structure, QTE-heavy cutscenes and South Asian religious inspirations, there is nothing quite like Asura's Wrath (CyberConnect2, Capcom, 2012). A quintessential flawed game that everyone should try, Asura's Wrath overcomes its bad combat and dated approach to player engagement by just simply being cooler and more hype than basically every other game. Listen in to find out more!

    Guest info: Nick (he/him) and Will (he/him) of Friday Night Gamecast

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:27 Introductions
    • 5:17 Our Histories with Asura's Wrath
    • 11:16 Top-Level Thoughts
    • 19:44 Story Setup and Worldbuilding
    • 28:47 Episodic Anime Structure
    • 37:03 Presentation and Spectacle
    • 43:48 More QTEs Than You Can Shake a Stick At
    • 51:33 Action Gameplay
    • 1:14:00 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
    • 1:17:26 Friday Night Gamecast
    • 1:20:28 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous
    • 1:22:32 Spoiler Section- Hype Moments, The Gohma and the Demigods
    • 1:46:55 Spoiler Section- Asura's Revenge & Epilogue

    Music used in the episode is credited to Chikayo Fukuda. Tracks used: Main Theme, Furious, Orphan Wolf Legend - Fang, One Who Spins Ideas, Option, Asura's Wrath, In Your Belief, Trembling Belief

    Catch Dave on Geeks & Grounds all of November and December for a deep dive into Final Fantasy X: https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

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    26 November 2025, 5:00 am
  • 2 hours 35 minutes
    192: Heaven's Vault (with Rebekah Valentine)

    Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
    Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server- https://discord.gg/kAqSBb6jH2
    Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi- https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson

    Ever have one of those games that sits in your library, untouched for years, until something finally gives you the push to play it...and you end up kicking yourself for waiting so long? That's Heaven's Vault, and without our community Backlog Resolutions challenge, I would have missed out on one of the coolest games I think I've ever played. Listen in to find out why!

    Guest info: Rebekah Valentine (she/her)

    TIMESTAMPS

    • 0:00 Title Card
    • 0:22 Intros
    • 5:05 Our Histories with Heaven's Vault and Language Learning
    • 9:43 Opening Thoughts
    • 14:30 Story Setup and Reactive Storytelling
    • 29:37 Aliyah and Six
    • 35:52 Language Learning
    • 50:22 Visuals and Music
    • 55:40 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
    • 58:13 Reb's Work at IGN
    • 1:01:34 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
    • 1:03:35 Spoiler Section- What Happened in Our Playthroughs?
    • 1:35:53 Spoiler Section- Language Discoveries
    • 1:44:40 Spoiler Section- The Wildest Turn of Events
    • 2:03:54 Spoiler Section- Ending Discussion

    Music used in the episode is credited to Laurence Chapman. Tracks used: An Ancient Language, The Desperate Ways, Before the Fall, The Nebula, Fantasia on One Good Moon, Heaven's Vault, An Ancient Language (Cello & Piano)

    Social Media:
    BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
    Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

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

    Support Tales from the Backlog

    19 November 2025, 5:00 am
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