1 Hour 1 Decision (1H1D)

Put monsters in your pockets. It's our three hundredth episode! Has that milestone impacted the selection of the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button? Well, 300 is double the number of creatures in the initial entry of the world's most popular monster catching franchise. But this is Game Pass, so the button obviously couldn't pick anything in that franchise... but it could pick a similar but legall...

Who dwells in a well under the ground? This bird, Glimmer! It is time to give the "Surprise Me" button another break as we entertain our guest's game selection! Developed by Kyle Thompson and published by Top Hat Studios, this side-scrolling adventure game builds on lessons learned from Crypt Custodian. The developer's self-professed love of metroidvanias is in full display here, as players pilot...

Does he bend or clink? The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has picked another indie title for this episode. Developed and published by Scotland-based Stormcloud Games, this platformer has players building the literal platforms they need to proceed. The protagonist is a retro robot named UM-13 that's definitely not an orange reskin of a similar robot from another animated IP. Suffice to say, To...

It's time to get to work! When it comes to our show, the job of the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is to pick a title, and then our hosts must do their job of playing for an hour and reporting back on the experience. Perhaps our cyber companion was feeling a bit meta, because it has chosen one of those job simulators for this episode, specifically the Japanese convenience store simulation dev...

It's not on Game Pass, so it doesn't count! We haven't done a bonus episode in a while, but for a turn-based tactical Star Wars game, both of our hosts are willing to make an exception. Developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, this title has been on the radar for both Tom and Chris for different reasons. For Tom, the Star Wars license m...

It's the abbreviation for Professional Bowlers Association. The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has indeed surprised our two hosts with an obscure sports title. Ages ago it exposed them to the video game version of cricket and now it has selected this skill-driven bowling simulation developed and published by FarSight Studios. Simulating sports via video games has always felt like a strange ch...

It sounds better than baby boomer babies too. In a surprise twist, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has returned! It will come as no surprise that it seized control of game selection immediately upon its resurrection, so Tom and Chris must either thank or blame their longtime partner in crime for its choice of this sci-fi turn-based deck-building role-player from Cococucumber. Now that's a...

Some of these monsters look very familiar. Tom saw that this Third Person Action RPG was developed by Game Freak and he immediately put his thumb on the scale, forcing Chris along for the ride. Apparently it's published by Fictions, which was formerly known as Private Division, but neither of those names inspire interest like the developer. Monster battles are clearly on the agenda here, but it do...

A superhero story in legendary Persia! While both of our hosts have experience with this prolific franchise, neither has touched this modern 2D platformer from the folks at Ubisoft Montpellier. Tom and Chris have, however, reviewed another of the studio's platformers back in episode 260 of 1H1D. While this is indeed a 2D platformer like Rayman Legends, these levels were built in three dimensions,...

Shouldn't her sister be named Reddy? All things considered, it's surprising that Tom and Chris aren't tasked to play more kiddie content as a result of their random game selection. Well, that certainly gets corrected with this episode covering the licensed Australian Cattle Dog adventure developed by Artax Games and published by Outright Games. Each of our hosts has some exposure to this family of...

The title is a clever double entendre! After a brief sojourn, we are back to random game selection! For this episode, our hosts have played the interactive adventure developed by Supermassive Games and published by Behaviour Interactive. Set in the Dead by Daylight universe, this entry departs from that franchise's formula to tell an immersive single-player story instead. Fortunately, the develope...

Yeah, that's definitely not a real word. Ever want to do a series of high speed stunts with a train? No, that never crossed your mind? Well, that's the premise of this action-adventure platformer developed by Undercoders and published by Fireshine Games! We admit that doing ollies and kickflips with a Japanese locomotive is a peculiar premise, but if you can picture the train as a skateboard and t...

From the monstrous mind of Mullins. For this episode, our duo debates the devious deck-builder developed by Daniel Mullins Games and published by Devolver Digital. Chris has played Pony Island, so he's aware of this fellow's other work, but Tom has come utterly unprepared. Will the alleged roguelike nature of the game send them both running, or will the mix of multiple genres soften that aspect en...

You and me and the deep blue sea! For this episode, we have randomly selected the 1-to-4 player cooperative roguelite FPS developed by DoubleMoose Games and published by The Arcade Crew. Based on their previous titles and their self-description of being "three-dimensional organic meat automatons" we can tell this Sweden-based developer has a sense of humor... but the tone of this shooter about des...

Neither the pokemon nor the python. Tragedy! Our beloved assistant the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has be supplanted by a quiz! Our hosts had to find an alternative means to pick the random game for this episode and the selection was an indie bug collecting game from developer Doot! The game is tiny and so are the critters you must collect and battle if you want to win the summer beetle ba...

Crafted by a composer and a terrible lizard. This episode covers the musically-inspired narrative adventure developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive. At the center of the story is a playlist of songs beloved by the lead singer of a band that took its name from a 1980's cartoon villain. That knowledge should prepare you for the nostalgia fueled coming-of-age tale tol...

Named for the mountain, not the heroine. Developed and published by the indie studio Maddie Makes Games, this 2D platformer chosen by the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is highly regarded by most critics in the industry. That neither Tom nor Chris ever got around to playing it since it was released in 2018 is even extra surprising... but here they are! With sights finally set on climbing this...

Renewable energy mixed with a DIY attitude! Crafted in Germany by two developers dubbing themselves Cyberwave, this first-person sandbox survival game was brought to life through a Kickstarter campaign and has arrived on Xbox Game Pass just in time for our dynamic duo to check it out. Our trusty "Surprise Me" Button has previously selected its fair share of survival and crafting games, and our hos...

Get thee to a nunnery! We return to our regular method of game selection this episode with a random pick from our trusted friend the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button. Speaking of friendship, you'll find it is in short supply in this third person adventure developed by Odd Meter and published by 11 Bit Studios. As it begins, players step into the shoes of the titular character as she does her ve...

We're off to the races, again! Move over Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button, as Chris thumbs the scales once again to accommodate a guest. For this episode our duo is joined by Gobotch to play and discuss the latest entry in the racing game franchise developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. Over the years, many racing game franchises have come and gone, but this one clear...

Not to be confused with the sixth one. If you disqualify retro collections, this must be the oldest individual game our hosts have ever played for the show. Tom and Chris have certainly played newer entries in the famous franchise, but neither lived in Japan in 1990, so they both missed this turn-based pixel-art role-playing game developed and published by Square when it debuted on the Family Comp...

It's back on the menu, boys! The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has selected an entry in a platforming series that has historically only existed in two dimensions. As this game's title suggests, this 2026 platforming game developed by Team Meat and Sluggerfly introduces the third. Our hosts have a cursory knowledge of the franchise, but admittedly have not spent much time, even collectively,...

It's the opposite of a perihelion. For this episode, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has chosen a fresh narrative-focused action-adventure game developed and published by Don't Nod. Set in a possible future where the Earth has become uninhabitable, our hosts don the spacesuits of intrepid explorers looking to find humanity a new home! With roots in films like The Martian and Interstellar a...

Kenji and Kumori deal death to demons! How many games in this franchise will Tom and Chris review? When you leave game selection up to the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button, we suppose the whole franchise could be on the table. Fortunately for our hosts, this retro 2D side-scroller developed by The Game Kitchen and published by Dotemu has a distinctly different style than the past two they playe...

Just how easy will it be? The XBOX Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is back in the driver's seat for this episode! It has fittingly chosen an indie delivery game that was developed by a single person (Sam Cameron). Okay, so he had some help from his brother with the dialogue, but otherwise it's entirely his creation. With a PS1 aesthetic and some obvious inspiration from the another game with anthro...