Flock, Anodyne 2: Return to Dust | Noclip Crewcast #185

Can't tell you how much I love seeing this podcast pop-up when I sit down with my Friday morning coffee.

melos from analgesic here! Glad you enjoyed the game (and our others! hooray Angeline Era) so much. It was also really nice to hear you both unpacking the approach to writing - I like that term "narrative pixel art", which captures the balance we try to strike at times, being just brief enough (but not too loose/abstract) to where people can bring their own experience to the table. And it's interesting to hear discussion about writing process, since we often work from the direction of writing a lot more/overexplaining and then cutting down drastically until the necessary minimum remains. Like with the moletuber line, I could have written that more detailed, but I figured that if someone's going to have those ideas on their mind, it just takes the briefest of pushes from the writing for them to start thinking about it, at which point they can probably think at depth in a way beyond what I could achieve (as I wouldn't know any players personally). This reminds me of Romancing Saga 1 (SNES) which I just played. It's a VERY trying, testing, 'hate it or love it' RPG, but if it sticks with you, the super minimal, chaotic approach to narrative is quite inspiring - despite it being a game very much working within the confines of a pulpy RPG fantasy setting (and not really attempting to go beyond that in terms of thematic complexity).

Frank's Japan obsession is reaching new heights 😂

Awww yeah. Oh Jesse congratulations!

most feel-good podcast on the internet. thanks as always

I started playing this podcast as I was walking to the gym and it ended as I got home under a lovely sunset. Perfect

Congrats Jesse... you called it a crewcast ! Oh, and congrats for being a married man now !

I swear, every time Jeremy suggests a game, I go to the steam page, watch the trailer, and am immediately entranced in this dreamlike state, and then I wishlist the game.

Congrats Jesse!

Congratulations to Jesse and his ex-girlfriend, his current wife.

I did not expect a discussion of Akiba's Trip to lead into a wholesome discussion about genuineness and finding purpose in life but if anyone can have that conversation its Frank Howley

Congratulations on your marriage Jesse! Congratulations on your awesome video and tweet Frank! (Love living vicariously through you at these cool events) Congratulations Jeremy!!! (General awesomeness) (not a perspective gamer tag, but the plane of existence you occupy)

I guess intro item off kinda has to goto Jesse this week (Congrats!!) but Jeremys Berserk T and Franks Marin statue are great I bought Anodyne 2 after hearing Jesse talk about it last week so i'm even more excited to get through that after hearing Jeremys thoughts this week

another fantastic ep in the books! love you guys!

This podcast is the best thing on Fridays! also congrats Jesse on this new road you are!

Picked my question :D Great answers to them! I also have found myself disengaging with the map a lot, especially when games look as good as they do.

We're chirping out here in Eastern Canada too!

Aww Jesse coming in with the newlywed vibes

Had to laugh about Jeremy's Cormac McCarthy/Blood Meridian reference talking about writing, because I so get what he's saying. The masters just have a way of handing the reader the weight of a scene, behind a sparse-seeming description as the facilitating vehicle.

regarding the conversation about lack of definition in characters and things, allowing space for the observer to more easily relate to the subject, because of how humans naturally use their imagination... i think a great example of this is the character Guts in Berserk. he is extremely lightly defined, which i think is perhaps the biggest reason why he's so relatable to so very many people. -- i love your guts shirt jeremy.