The Safe Room

This episode we cover the 2012 RPG Maker game Ib! We talk about the game’s simplistic-yet-subtle narrative, its playful level design, and its mature tone in comparison to…a certain game we’ve covered on the show previously. We also tackle a mountain of relationship discourse as grapple with the sobering reality of fandom shippers.

This episode, we cover the 8-bit inspired horror hit FAITH: The Unholy Trinity. We talk about the game’s undeniable style, its many unique frights, and the ways in which it improves throughout the course of its three chapters. We also discuss the game’s relationship to religion, especially in comparison to other exorcism tales.

Rose and Grace explore a secret island base in pursuit of Code Veronica! They discuss its melodrama, nineties-style transphobia, and its multitude of annoyances.

We visit the infamous Heavenly Lost Elementary School as we explore Corpse Party and many of its different versions. We talk about the ways in which it (mis)handles sensitive topics, the overbearing edginess of its horrors, and its large-but-mostly-bland ensemble cast of characters. In our Q&A segment, we muse over the process of games criticism, talk about various media that has repelled us i...

In the midst of a fierce winter storm, we hop on the first available flight to Lospass Island and explore Suda51’s infamous surrealist adventure game “Flower, Sun, and Rain”. We talk about the game’s uniquely mundane structure, examine the ways it borrows from Twin Peaks and David Lynch, and recollect the game’s funniest and most memorable moments.

Grace and Rose have returned to Silent Hill, this time summoned by Christophe Gans’ adaptation of Silent Hill 2. What awaits them on the other side of the fog?

Grace and Rose dig into Slay the Princess and discuss its many routes, surprises, and ruminations on narrative storytelling. We also talk about the game’s tone and often grating dialogue between personalities. Lastly, we contemplate perhaps the most important question of all: Why doesn’t anyone talk about how horny this game is?

On this episode of The Safe Room, we tackle the new indie horror action game Silly Polly Beast. We praise the game’s art style and presentation, analyze its kinetic and tense combat, and discuss what constitutes a “Story-driven” video game. Lastly, we react to the Return to Silent Hill trailer and contemplate the death of art.

Rose and Grace discuss the first (good) Silent Hill game since SH4! We talk over its deeply felt depiction of growing up, its introduction of real ensemble dynamics to the franchise, and its exhausting, repetitive, and thrilling combat.

We are back with Dead Space 2! Grace and Rose talk the 2011 sequel’s action focus, its silly attempts at exploring survivors guilt, and edgy marking campaigns.

Rose and Grace enter the very heart of survival horror in Sweet Home. We talk over the genre's (now mostly-absent) RPG roots, the game's campy and self-aware charm, and its systemic adaptation of the source material.

We are joined by Dovewhether cohost AP to talk the sci-fi thriller Parasite Eve! We talk over the thrills and foibles of its retro vibes, how protagonist Arya Brea fits into 90s “strong female protagonists” and its weirdo action RPG combat. Listen to dovewhether: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dovewhether/id1716976125 Follow Dovewhether on bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dovewhether.bsky....

cw: suicide, self-harm, drug use Rose and Grace are joined by Cameron Kunzelman of Ranged Touch to talk over the Sega Saturn game D and its Dreamcast pseudo-sequel D2. We discuss how D2 at once presages the modern "cinematic" game and is something totally different, its wide swings at serious profundity, and how damn long everything takes in both of these video games. Tune in next time for Parasit...

Sorry, We're Closed is a lush and vivid look at relationships, love, and break-ups with shades of Buffy, Silent Hill 3, and Killer 7. Grace and Rose discuss its eroticism, grounded writing, and combat contrivances.

Alisa is both thematically light and aesthetically ornate, a loving, smart throwback that is super annoying. In this episode, Grace and Rose work through how exactly it curates such a clockwork feast and how it manages to grate and delight in equal measure. Next time: Sorry, We’re Closed

We return to the Fatal Frame franchise with its Nintendo debut, this time with a new co-developer Grasshopper Manufacture. Join us as we discuss the game’s various Wii-era “innovations,” the many facets of its bloated story, and whether this moonlit adventure shines as bright as previous entries in the series.

The Safe Room takes a detour into the surreal and absurd with 2024’s Indika. We discuss the game’s commentary on religion, the unique and entertaining formal choices the game makes, and the second hand pain of playing a video game that features a bunch of straight people. Also, this was nominated for The Game Award’s Games for Change?

cw: suicide, death, the plague Grace and Rose enter the plagued town and explore its thematic shades of death and life, roles and personhood, ease and difficulty that permiate its walls and earth. Find some bread and meat and sit down with us!

I wanted to get a Handheld Talk episode out for the holiday but unfortunately, due to my own carelessness, my files for that have been lost. Instead, enjoy this little playlist I threw together featuring songs from games we played this year. Hope you enjoy! See you soon for our Pathologic 2 episode. —Rose Playlist: "Two of Everything" by Tori Beaumont from "Immortality" "Kusabi Love or Die Remix"...

cw: suicide, bullying, animal/pet cruelty, animal/pet death In this episode of The Safe Room, Grace and Rose discuss the cult classic 2006 survival horror game Rule of Rose. We talk about the game’s non-linear narrative, how it handles themes of bullying and abuse, and the legacy it leaves behind as a Silent Hill-inspired work. We also take listener questions and once again rank the games we have...

cw: suicide, sexual assault, domestic abuse, alcoholism It’s time. We delve into the Silent Hill 2 Remake and discuss its handling of the originial game’s themes, the new (and pretty good) combat system, and how it handles (and mishandles) key scenes from the original game. We top it all off with a flurry of listener questions, where we talk game preservation, that damn pizza, and more.

We talk the toy-like and immaculate Crow Country. We discuss the game's elegant take on survival horror, its consideration of childhood, nostalgia, and its characterful writing. After some listener questions, we get into a sprawling convo about Souls games, the Internet Archive, and our individual plans for October aka the season of Rose!

Content warning: general gore and violence, body horror and limb dismemberment, ableism, misogyny. In this episode, we strategically dismember both versions of 2008 classic Dead Space. We talk about differences, downgrades, and improvements across versions, decide just how good the guns feel to fire, and work through the politics, and psychology, of having a dead wife™. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell’s ess...

Content Warnings: general violence, suicide, discussion of abuse and child sexual assault from 59:00 to 1:06:00 Grace and Rose explore the at-once simplified and maximalist survival horror action of Killer7! We talk about the thematic power of its ~vibes~, its surprisingly sharp sense of humor, and how wonderful it feels to shoot an enemy in their weak spot. It’s good to be back.

We talk about the classic detective visual novel The Silver Case! We discuss police procedurals, visual novel aesthetics, mysticism vs. science fiction, and why games should be like television.