Into the Aether - A Low Key Video Game Podcast

Latest Episodes:

better-call-edgeworth.mp3 Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

there was a nintendo direct today, so the boys came out of ̶r̶e̶t̶i̶r̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ their summer break to talk about it real quick.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Sweater + Sock Combo w/ Alanna Okun and Chase Allhart | X-Strike Summer #2 Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

This week AJ chats with Alanna Okun and Chase Allhart about their experiences with game design (and game design adjacent) education! They also confront the age old question: what even is a video game, anyway?

Into the Game Jam Links
itch page: https://itch.io/jam/itgj-summer-2024
Find the forum thread on the TWG Discord: Navigate to the "Games Forums" category, select the games-events forum, find "Into The Game Jam (Summer 2024)" forum thread and say hello!

Alanna's Links
Website: https://alannaokun.xyz
Buttonmash newsletter: https://buttonmash.substack.com/
Games made with bitsy: https://itch.io/games/made-with-bitsy

Chase's Links
Video Game Podtimism: https://podtimism.com

Discussed: TWG's Into the Game Jam (Summer 2024), Chase's Gamer Cred, Alanna's journey to game design, Alanna's Majora's Mask piece, what is a game, Journey, idea games, Bitsy, telling stories through mechanics, the search for tighter experiences (again), Outersloth, 1000xRESIST, Unicorn Overlord, Animal Well, sweet and salty games, Elden Ring, an embarrassment of riches, Persona 3 in its various forms, Skald: Against the Black Priory, Slice & Dice, Loop Hero.
---
Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecast
Follow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigley
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto
---
Timecodes:

(00:00) - Intro
(01:02) - TWG's Into the Game Jam! Links in the show notes!!
(02:18) - Gamer Credentials
(02:39) - Chase's journey
(05:14) - Alanna's journey
(13:04) - What is a video game?
(33:46) - The search for tighter experiences
(44:30) - 1000xRESIST | An infomercial for the game by sunset visitor
(51:55) - Unicorn Overlord | A masterful segue
(54:41) - Animal Well | The "five M&Ms" of gaming
(01:01:32) - Elden Ring | The quest to git gud again
(01:03:43) - Persona 3 | A safe space
(01:12:02) - Skald: Against the Black Priory | Chase what is this game!!!!
(01:16:02) - Slice & Dice | Granola-likes
(01:20:13) - Loop Hero | oreH pooL
(01:23:19) - Where to find Alanna and Chase online (check the show notes!)
(01:27:09) - Wrapping up

---
Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:
Grok
Corey Z
Directional Joy
Susan H
Olivia K
Dan S
Isaac S
Will C
Jim W
Evan B
David H
min2
Aaron G
V
Erik M
Brady H
Joshua J
Tony L
Danny K
Seth M
Adam B
Justin K
Andy H
Demo
Parker E
Maxwell L
Spiritofthunder
Jason W
Jason T
Corey T
Minnow Eats Whale
Caleb W
fingerbelly
Jesse W
Mike T
Codes
Wesley
Erik B
mebezac
Sergio L
ninjadeathdog
Rory B
A42PoundMoose
Andrew
Justin M
Peter
Stellar.Bees
Brendan K
Scott R
wreckx
Noah O
Michael G
Arcturus
Chris R
hepahe
Cory F
Chase A
LoveDies
Nick Q
Wes K
Chris M
RB
Michaela W
Adam F
Scott H
Alexander SP
Therese K
jgprinters
Jessica B
Murray
David P
Jason K
Bede R
Kamrin H
Kyle S
Philip N ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Break Glass in Case of Bandicoot w/ Kyle Labriola, Murray Cameron-Smith, and NBZ | X-Strike Summer #1 Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to the first EVER episode of Into the Aether: X-Strike Summer! We kick of the series with games industry pros (and TWG community members) Kyle Labriola, Murray Cameron-Smith and NBZ!

This week's episode is REQUIRED to be listened to at .75 speed to make up for all the times you were listening at 3x, you sickos.
---
Kyle's Links
Blog: https://blueberrylemonade.pika.page/
Indie Games of Cohost: https://cohost.org/IndieGamesOfCohost
Rhythm Doctor: https://store.steampowered.com/app/774181/Rhythm_Doctor/
A Dance of Fire and Ice: https://store.steampowered.com/app/977950/A_Dance_of_Fire_and_Ice/

Murray's Link
A Shell In The Pit: https://ashellinthepit.com/

NBZ's Links
This Nintendo Life: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P4WI8rVRpAMjDIxJLqJUn
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@lordnbz
Playstack Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/Playstack

Discussed: X-Strike Summer!, podcast listening speeds, Adam Sandler’s opus: Click, the competitive value of Shuckle, the slow boil of becoming an indie game dev, watching a game blow up, separating work brain and regular brain, how to work from home, Dadish 3D, Sokpop Collective, short experiences, Toree 3D, Cavern of Dreams, Pseudoregalia, Persona 3 Portable, Beyond the Beyond, Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals, Rhythm Sprout, this Rhythm Heaven tiktok, maimai, searching for tighter experiences.
---
Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecast
Follow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigley
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto
---
Timecodes:

(00:00) - Intro
(00:14) - Welcome to X-Strike Summer!
(02:27) - Histories with ITA and TWG
(06:59) - Getting in to the industry
(18:34) - What it's like to watch a game blow up
(24:12) - Getting brought into the fold
(29:07) - Creative Broken Brain(tm)
(41:27) - A surprise guest! (It's Crash Bandicoot)
(41:54) - Dadish 3D | The latest installment in the Dadish Cinematic Universe
(48:25) - Toree 3D | A lil bird that jumps :-)
(52:41) - Persona 3 Portable | Another condensed game with a 3 in the title
(01:02:09) - Beyond the Beyond | On the Retroid QWERTY123FFXIV Pro
(01:05:34) - Lufia 2 | A game that forces you to use your items
(01:18:02) - Rhythm Sprout | More little guys!
(01:29:08) - Are people looking for more focused experiences?
(01:43:30) - Check the links in the show notes!
(01:45:25) - Wrapping up

The Uncharted Series | Bonus May 31, 2024

Show notes

You've traveled far and faced trials that would demoralize most... or worse.

But here you emerge, into the sun, holding in your hands the thing you've been searching for so long: The Uncharted bonus episode of Into the Aether.
---
Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecast
Follow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigley
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto
---
Timecodes:

(00:00) - It's Uncharted time BABY
(02:18) - NaughtyDog's influence and the state of crunch
(09:06) - Histories with the series
(39:18) - Nate's Theme by Greg Edmonson
(39:44) - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
(01:05:00) - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
(01:20:32) - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
(01:33:23) - Uncharted: Golden Abyss
(01:41:08) - A Thief's End by Henry Jackman
(01:41:39) - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
(02:13:24) - Uncharted: Lost Legacy
(02:28:34) - A Thief's End by Henry Jackman
(02:28:58) - Nathan Drake (said in the cadence of "Donkey Kong")
(02:29:27) - Uncharted losing the supernatural | From Rebecca
(02:34:46) - What if instead of combat... anything else? | From GJ
(02:37:47) - Nathan Drake loves SUBS | From Cameron
(02:40:20) - Uncharted: Drake's CInematic Adaptation | From Matt
(02:43:20) - Drake's Fancast | From Ponk
(02:47:12) - THE Uncharted game | From saiklex
(02:48:56) - The sibling reveal | From Christian Spicer
(02:51:03) - Ludonarrative dissonance | From Lady Borkington's Biggest Fan
(02:52:37) - Twodonarrative dissonance | From Chase
(02:55:33) - Uncharted's influence | From Brittlemoon
(03:02:35) - Wrapping up
(03:05:36) - Nate's Theme

Thumbs Up, And (feat. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Zero Ranger, Void Stranger, Burnout Paradise, and Soma Bringer) May 29, 2024

Show notes

iO, eat your heart out.

See you on July 17th!

Discussed: XStrike Summer, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Myst, Animal Well, Brendon solving the final puzzle of The Witness, Brendon's number 16 Game of the Year, Zero Stranger, Void Ranger, Burnout Paradise, the PSP, Soma Bringer, the Xeno series, Diablo, have a good Summer (to our Northern hemisphere pals)!
---
Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecast
Follow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigley
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto
---
Timecodes:

(00:00) - Intro
(00:46) - Announcing some more stuff!
(05:47) - The cool theme song for when we talk about games
(06:12) - Lorelei and the Laser Eyes | Very clever, Signorina
(24:58) - Zero Stranger and Void Ranger | Two Sky Ballets
(49:41) - Burnout Paradise | Peeling out to senior prom
(01:11:26) - Soma Bringer | Finding the throughline
(01:31:56) - Wrapping up

Stun 'em and Run 'em (feat. Crow Country, Zero Ranger, and the 2024 iPad Pro) May 22, 2024

Show notes

When hope is lost and humanity is on the brink of devastation, there's only one tried and true strategy to snap victory from the jaws of certain evisceration.

Discussed: Out of the Realm, being a regular: revisted, Brendon on The Besties!, Crow Country, Resident Evil, Signalis, Zero Ranger, Void Stranger, NieR: Automata, gaming on the Apple iPad, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, emulation, Monster Hunter Portable Third, PPSSPP, FTL: Faster Than Light, Civilization VI, Shogun: Total War, Rome: Total War, Total War: Medieval 2, Age of Wonder IV, this video from Game Maker's Toolkit, Stardew Valley, Minecraft, 8bitdo SN30 Pro, Apple Arcade, Orion, Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, IQ tests, 90s cartoons, Charted: Found Legacy, something in the future tehe, and dotzip.
---
Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecast
Follow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigley
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto
---
Timecodes:

(00:00) - Intro
(01:02) - Talking about some stuff at the top
(09:43) - Crow Country | You should play it
(27:57) - Zero Ranger | Pulling the thread
(42:19) - An iPad deep dive
(45:55) - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep | An iPad deep dive
(47:02) - Monster Hunter Portable 3rd | An iPad deep dive
(48:47) - FTL: Faster Than Light | An iPad deep dive
(50:19) - Civilization VI | An iPad deep dive
(51:27) - Divinity: Original Sin 2 | An iPad deep dive
(52:55) - Total War | An iPad deep dive
(59:01) - Stardew Valley | An iPad deep dive
(59:09) - Minecraft | An iPad deep dive
(01:00:13) - 8bitdo SN30 Pro | An iPad deep dive
(01:03:50) - Orion | An iPad Deep Dive
(01:07:06) - Surprise Final Fantasy Segment
(01:14:32) - The iPad! | It's actually more Final Fantasy heh
(01:15:23) - Wrapping up

Falafel, Please (feat. Hades II Early Access, Animal Well, Pokémon Unbound) May 15, 2024

Show notes

Ah crap, this guy comes in everyday and orders the same thing: podcasts, puzzle games, double helping of Pokémon, and Supergiant game... hey buddy! The usual? Aha yeah... death to Chronos... that never gets old...

Discussed: Being a regular, Paws and Clause, dotzip, Out of the Realm, Animal Well, Fez, The Witness, being 34, Pokémon Unbound, a Nuzlocke run 👁️, Pokémon Legends Z-A, Hades II Early Access, death to Chronos!
---
Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecast
Follow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigley
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto
---
Timecodes:

(00:00) - Intro
(03:29) - A bunch of announcements!!! | Anyway, newness
(08:36) - Animal Well | A good video game?!
(37:50) - Pokémon Unbound | What if you could make a *harder* Pokémon game?
(01:11:52) - Pokémon Legends Z-A | An addendum
(01:13:13) - Trails from Zero | Big City, Prologue Kitty
(01:34:05) - Hades II Early Access | Maybe an offramp
(02:15:37) - Wrapping up

Out of the Realm: Petals and Ashes | Demo May 14, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to Out of the Realm: Petals and Ashes! An original tabletop roleplaying game adventure written by Stephen Hilger based on the Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition ruleset!

This episode is part one in a three-part Patreon-exclusive series. To hear parts two and three head to https://patreon.com/intothecast and become a monthly supporter!

Our adventure begins in the city of Lakelight Keep, a mysterious mountain city where it is perpetually Spring. Our heroes, Artyk Bygguy (played by AJ), Izhi (played by Kim), Kailani Gladesong (played by Chase), and Mr. Hollos Cheeks (played by Brendon), have come in search of the missing children of the Eudicott family. Their journey begins in Lakelight Keep, but there's no telling where this mystery may take them.
---
Thanks to our patrons for making this episode possible!
Support the show - https://patreon.com/intothecast

Original score by Will LaPorte - https://ghostdown.bandcamp.com/
Additional music by Brendon Bigley - https://boqeh.bandcamp.com/
Art by Scout Wilkinson - https://ko-fi.com/humblegoat
Produced and edited by AJ Fillari - https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Can Window in Paradise (feat. Sonic the Hedgehog, Trails from Zero, and Another Crab's Treasure) May 01, 2024

Show notes

Yeah yeah "Sonic the Hedgehog stole from Dragonball Z," I've heard it all before. The thing people are afraid to say is that Master Roshi stole his entire vibe from Jimmy Buffett. Think about it.

This episode is brought to you by Flight Rising! Register for free at flightrising.com.

Discussed: Life updates, Out of the Aether, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 (the movies), the possibility of a Sonic x Dragonball AMV from early YouTube (something like this, perhaps 😉), Dragonball Z: Kakarot, Dragonball Xenoverse 2, the Trails series, Trails in the Sky, Trails from Zero, Another Crab's Treasure.
---
Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecast
Follow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigley
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto
---
Timecodes:

(00:00) - Intro
(00:50) - Into Chicago
(10:19) - Hard pivot | To batteries
(11:06) - Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 (the movies) | Into Out of the Aether
(42:11) - Break
(42:13) - Trails from Zero | Podding around at the speed of cast
(01:15:03) - Another Crab's Treasure | A game from THIS YEAR???
(01:35:31) - Wrapping up

Post-Jaded (feat. Animal Crossing, Dragonball Z Kakarot, Grandia, and Farcry 2) Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

Sorry, what? You’ve seen the grenade roll downhill before? Haven’t you heard that being jaded is over? We’re past that! The grenade is ROLLING down the HILL!!

Discussed: Gamecube, Star Fox Adventures, Dexter on Showtime, Animal Crossing, Tidings from the Aether, Dragonball Z: Kakarot, the Sega Saturn, Grandia, Farcry 2, Idle Thumbs, Austin Walker's talk at the Different Games Conference 2016, a mysterious project coming sometime in the future hehe.
---
Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.online
Buy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.online
Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast
---
Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecast
Follow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com
---
Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/
Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigley
Produced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social
---
Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/
Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto
---
Timecodes:

(00:00) - Intro
(00:46) - Gamecube Prep update
(05:07) - Animal Crossing | Better foxes
(28:41) - Break
(28:42) - Tidings from wildwookie05 to US
(30:09) - Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot | Year of Second Chances and Zero Moon
(01:11:44) - Break
(01:11:45) - Grandia | 2024's hottest new video game franchise
(01:32:32) - Break
(01:32:33) - Farcry 2 | Emergent Podcasting
(02:10:37) - Warpping up

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Into the Aether – A Low Key Video Game Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected