Stay ConnectedGirl Mode is a podcast (mostly) about video games by two trans women and gaming journalists where we talk about the latest news in the industry, our takes, weekly topics, and more about the Mets than you’re probably expecting.
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While the rest of the world is building dick robots with everyone's favorite genderfluid elf, Willa and Robin spend this week gushing over the incredible demos at this year's Ludonarracon. Listen for our uncharacteristically positive takes on this year's upcoming narrative games, many of which still have demos available! To end the episode, Willa recommends her current horny fanfic obsession and Robin rants about capitalism again.
Timestamps
(00:55) Ludonarracon baybeeee!
(02:25) Midautumn
(06:45) Goodbye Volcano High
(13:55) Demonschool
(18:30) Harmony: The Fall of Reverie
(25:40) The Star Named Eos
(31:10) Stray Gods
(39:30) Sucker for Love: Date to Die For
(44:50) Times & Galaxy
(50:10) Slay the Princess
(56:30) Loco Motive
(1:01:30) 1000xResist
(1:05:10) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week?
Mentioned this week
Demonschool dev reveals how Suikoden and cheesy horror shaped the spooky RPG
Slay the Princess serves up a wild horror twist on The Stanley Parable
Future Labors: Citizen Sleeper and Hardspace Shipbreaker in Conversation
Memory, Society, Hope, and Heartbreak by Marginalized Protagonists
‘Hardspace: Shipbreaker’ Understands the Joy and Grace of Good Work
Steam pages for everything we played at Ludonarracon
Sucker for Love: Date to Die For
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
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Willa and Robin are on their best behavior this week on account of a very special guest stopping by. The great Jess Reyes is here to tell us all about Honkai Star Rail, from her favorite team comp to how to pronounce names that we stubbornly refuse to get right. Tune in to hear about our favorite anime girls and maybe you'll even pick up some of Jess' absurd gacha luck.
You can follow Jess on Twitter @jpreyes__ and read her work on Inverse here
Timestamps
(00:50) Hi Jess!
(02:00) All aboard Honkai Star Rail
(43:10) What else have we been up to this week?
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
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Robin kicks off this episode by ambushing Willa with a Pollyannaish take on the collapse of democracy before we move into our less optimistic feelings about the state of games journalism (stop me if you've heard this one before). The news of Waypoint's imminent closure has us in a dour mood that can only be salved by the beautiful murder machines in the new trailer for Armored Core IV, which we watch live. We end with a whirlwind tour of what we've been doing this week, from international travel to clawing our identities back from an uncaring legal system.
Timestamps
(00:35) Oh no Robin wants to talk about Zooey Zephyr again
(05:00) RIP Waypoint
(12:55) Why reviewing games is so fucked up part 10,000
(20:15) Waypoint eulogy continued
(24:45) Wow cool robot corner
(38:50) What have Willa and Robin been up to this week?
Mentioned this week
Patrick Klepek on reviewing AAA games
Austin Walker's Waypoint manifesto
Armored Core VI gameplay trailer
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
You can donate to the Pride Foundation, which supports queer communities across the U.S. Northwest, here.
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We're speedrunning a few new releases and announcements this episode, starting with the most important (read: gay) news of the week. Then we leave WLW corner to talk about another Nintendo indie showcase that has people continuing to be weird about Silksong, and discuss Unrecord, a cop game that promises it has nothing to say but still looks down on you for not respecting it. We end with Willa's lukewarm feelings on Coffee Talk 2.
Timestamps
(00:35) Have you ever cleaned your oven?
(02:00) Aloy has bitches now
(03:55) Nintendo Indie World was pretty good
(24:20) Unrecord looks like fashy trash
(39:55) Coffee Talk is fine
(45:00) What have Willa and Robin been up to this week?
Mentioned this week
The War Economy by Game Assist
The Videogame Industry Does Not Exist by Brendan Keogh
maybe you'll find me by theydevil
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
You can support the Missouri-based LGBTQ advocacy organization PROMO here
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This week, we explore the lives of our ancestors: the various imps, demons, and mutants of the X-Men! Listen in as Willa bravely explains Omega-level mutants, trans allegories, and homosexuals with cool swords while Robin slowly breaks her spirit with incessant questions.
We'll be back to being mean about video games next week; part two of this sporadic series will appear when you least expect it.
Timestamps
(02:15) Willa's School for Inattentive Podcasters
(1:07:25) What have Willa and Robin been up this this week?
Follow along with the images Willa is confusing Robin with here
Apropos of nothing, you can donate to Transinclusive Group to help trans Floridians in need here
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
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It's Episode 25, a fact that Robin refuses to celebrate with Willa for no clear reason. We didn't play any of the same things this week, so we meander through Willa's take on the Mario movie (it's fine), describe some tweets to each other (they're cute), and defend the honor of visual novels from lame-ass jokes (they're annoying). Then Kratos discourse continues to ruin Willa's life but neon computer people swoop in to save it.
Timestamps
(1:10) Mario saw 9/11
(6:10) Cute Twitter rodent corner
(12:30) Visual novels good, April Fool's day bad
(21:40) A very cinematic discussion of God of War Ragnarok
(29:00) Tron is love, Tron is life
Mentioned this week
Did Mario see 9/11? Jess Reyes reports
Kazuma Hashimoto on Ghost of Tsushima
Willa on God of War Ragnarok's black and white mode
Willa's review of Tron: Identity
Everyone is Beautiful and No One is Horny by Raquel S. Benedict
Mouseley corner
https://twitter.com/salomoncallee/status/1638653931235540995
https://twitter.com/Agrimmora/status/1639260271628677121
https://twitter.com/meowwniz/status/1642351328255983623
https://twitter.com/KaatokunArt/status/1642542412022304768
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[Spoilers abound for Life After Magic and Citizen Sleeper!]
This week, Willa and Robin take their final trip to Erlin's Eye, with the last episode of our 2022 GOTY Citizen Sleeper. We chart the very different paths we took to find community in the ruins of capitalism and get predictably choked up about it.
But first, we both played another game we can't stop talking about: the magical girl visual novel Life After Magic! Huh, it's also about searching for community in a world that doesn't want you to have it, imagine that. We cover its deft handling of difficult friendships, brilliant metaphors for angst and burnout, and a boatload of cute lesbians.
Timestamps
(00:45) Super special announcement!
(02:45) Life After Magic!
(27:40) Citizen Sleeper!
(57:45) What have Willa and Robin been up to this week?
Mentioned this week
Willa on Citizen Sleeper: Purge
Robin's interview with Citizen Sleeper dev Gareth Damian Martin
Buy the TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida bundle!
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
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In this special bonus episode, Willa and Robin sit down with the multi-talented and extremely busy Rue Dickey to discuss the TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida bundle. The 500-game bundle has raised $234,000 so far for trans charities and is available until April 7!
Listen in as we discuss the realities of fundraising, why tabletop games are so darn gay, what YOU can do to help queer people around you, and of course our mutual love of tieflings. Plus, Rue shares some of their personal picks from the bundle!
Mentioned this week
TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida
Robin's interview with Rue on TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Texas
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
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Previews for Arkane's capitalism simulator Redfall are out, hinting at a game with lots of good ideas built on a shaky foundation. Tune in to see if a few killer pull quotes are enough to get us on board.
Then we reject the very concept of timeliness to talk about Nier Automata, a game that Robin finally finished despite being a little baby who doesn't like when games are hard. We praise what may be the best ending in gaming, discuss the significance of robot genitals, and absolutely spoil the twist for Zoe.
As always, we end by talking shit on Final Fantasy, a series that we both purport to love.
Timestamps
(1:00) Are they really vampires if they aren't sexy?
(20:30) Do androids dream of deleted save files?
(54:40) What have Willa and Robin been up to this week?
Mentioned this week
Giovanni Colantonio on Redfall
TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
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This week we fought demons, braved network connectivity issues, and thirsted over Lilith in the Diablo IV beta. Tune in for our takes on the good and bad in the beta and the gastronomically inadvisable way we got there.
Then one of the best-reviewed games of 2005 2023 leads us into our own considerably less positive feelings on gaming's ongoing obsession with remakes, and what it might be costing us.
Timestamps
(00:30) - Nier Automata Ver1.1a is back to not being back
(02:30) - Diablo IV, aka Flame Wall the video game
(33:00) - Remake fatigue or: There is no new game under the Sun
(57:10) - Somehow we're talking shit on FFXVI again
(1:00:20) - What have Willa and Robin been up to this week?
Mentioned this week
Kazuma Hashimoto on Resident Evil 4
Music
Street Food by FASSounds
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