1 Hour 1 Decision (1H1D)

A game chosen by our hosts, so it doesn't count! Sometimes a game comes out that both our hosts are itching to try, but the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is far too random to cooperate. Of course, they could play the game and not make an episode about it, but why waste "premium" content? Behold, an unnumbered bonus episode of 1H1D centered on the highly anticipated Sci-Fi Action RPG from Bet...

Was it a good time or more like doing time? Korean developer Pathea Games set out to combine elements of action role-playing games and cute casual sims when it released this title across all current consoles in 2019. Whether or not they were successful in the attempt is the subject of some debate. Fortunately for you, dear listener, the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has decided to have our h...

Called to craft contraptions of chaos! When game selection is left to the whims of our favorite randomizer, it is safe to expect something unexpected. For this episode, the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has selected the strategy sandbox developed by the small indie team at Spiderling Studios. The game was originally built for the PC but it was recently heavily reworked for the Xbox console....

All aboard this crazy train… to Hell! The Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has made its decision and our hosts must now play an hour of the acclaimed roguelike deck-building game developed by Shiny Shoe. As you may already know, Chris is not a fan of roguelikes and Tom is not a fan of card games, so it’s not looking too hopeful for this hybrid of both. Perhaps with their expectations set suffic...

Fighting evil by moonlight, running a shop by daylight. With so many roguelikes in their rearview, our hosts had to make sure they had not already played this one when the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button selected it for this episode. By focusing gameplay on running a shop and having the player both figuratively and literally “moonlighting” as an adventurer, this title developed by Digital Sun...

Exosuits AND Dinosaurs? Sounds like something Tom wrote. Considering the subject matter, this title was on Tom’s radar long before it was requested by The Elder Trolls Gaming Podcast for this episode, which conveniently features them as our special guests. Developed and published by the gaming juggernaut known as Capcom, this title has our hosts strapping into exosuits and battling it out with din...

What happens when you cross Resident Evil with Stanley Kubrick? Sometimes the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button picks a title that one of our hosts was secretly hoping to play. Well, this third-person survival horror game developed by rose-engine and published by Humble Games is a prime example of that! Considering his track record with horror games, you may be surprised to discover that it was...

Be an astronaut and an engineer, simultaneously. The Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has “spoken” and Tom and Chris have once again answered its call. In this sandbox adventure title developed and published by System Era Softworks, the player takes on the role of a space explorer that must dig into the planet to activate an alien gateway. Unlike some similar planet-exploring titles, the design...

If you give a dog a paintbrush… Art Class is on the menu for this episode of 1H1D! The “Surprise Me” button has chosen the indie adventure game developed by Greg Lobanov and published by Finji, and thus our hosts must spend an hour exploring the colorful title. This may not be the first game where Tom and Chris need to bring color back to a desaturated world, but it is the first one starring a dog...

The pun in the name is just the beginning. The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button proves it is aptly named with its selection for this episode. Neither Tom nor Chris had ever heard of this random physics-based action title developed and published by Flashbulb, but now they are honor-bound to give it a fair shake. A quick glance reveals that the gameplay appears very simple and fast-paced, but wil...

The "Surprise Me" Button hears Tom’s prayer. Tom has been quite curious about this role-playing game developed by Bytten Studio and, to his delight, the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” Button has seen fit to choose it as the subject of this episode. Unapologetically inspired by the Pokemon video game series, the gameplay focuses on monster collection and turn-based battles. In the interest of changin...

What's better than an interview? Make it two for one! In this special episode of 1 Hour 1 Decision, Tom and Chris interview Marie Marquet & Romain Claude, Creative Directors and co-founders of Splashteam. If their studio isn't familiar to you, these are the folks that created the innovative puzzle-platformer Tinykin reviewed in episode # 103. Tom and Chris will now take their standard review forma...

It’s French, so it’s only natural that you butcher the pronunciation. Hot off the press, this episode focuses on the new adventure game developed by Umanimation and published by Focus Home Interactive. The narrative centers on the main character’s childhood memories of the titular region of France and is depicted through hand-painted watercolor landscapes. The style evokes the works of whimsical c...

It’s running and falling, but with shadows and dragons. For a change of pace, the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has selected the tactical role-playing game developed by Harebrained Schemes for this episode. If the title did not give it away, this game is set within the Shadowrun universe, which is actually best known as the setting of the long-running cyberpunk tabletop RPG. As a single-play...

How do you hog-tie a slime? When your games are selected randomly, it’s inevitable that you will encounter some interesting picks. For this episode, the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has decided that our hosts will be trying out the first-person vacuum-shooter developed and published by indie studio Monomi Park. The game centers on Beatrix LeBeau as she rolls up her sleeves and gets back to...

Allegedly, you gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket. The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has spoken. Despite its name and the fact that it was developed by Big Ant Studios, this title has nothing to do with insects. If you live outside the United States, you may already be familiar with the sport, but rest assured that our two hosts are completely clueless on the matter. The abso...

Who put all this lore in our sandbox? Developed by Mojang Studios in conjunction with Blackbird Interactive, a hybrid action strategy game set in a familiar voxel world is the subject of this episode. While the concept continues to feel unique, the truth is that both of our hosts have played a few similar hybrid strategy games in their day. How will this game measure up to those fond memories? One...

Wait, aren’t Hibiscus and Butterfly varieties of tea? After a rapid burst of shooters, the Xbox Games Pass “Surprise Me” Button has decided to give our hosts a break, replacing fast paced gunplay with casual conversation and coffee construction. In this visual novel title developed by Toge Productions and published by Chorus Worldwide Games, the action is making drinks for a variety of fantastical...

The 1 must be for the war, ‘cause this is hardly the first Battlefield. The Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button is on a roll and has our hosts playing another first-person shooter this episode. Instead of a fictious depiction of WWII, however, this game developed by DICE focuses on a far more realistic version of the first world war. With a multitude of stories strung together into an anthology of...

Take a spin with this spin-off of the franchise that spawned a genre! The Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has taken the reins once again, and this time it has directed our dynamic duo to tackle a first-person shooter developed by MachineGames and Arkane Studios. It seems only fair for expectations to run a bit high when you consider that the original Wolfenstein effectively created the first-p...

Is mixing Lovecraft together with anything a good idea? Our hosts are back at it with a special request! To make it even MORE special, this one is exclusive to the Xbox Series X/S! That should be enough to intrigue most, but if you are not yet convinced, know that this episode focuses on the “fantastical Lovecraftian Metroidvania” developed by Plot Twist and published by Rogue Games Inc. It promis...

Is it possible to make a single-player MMO? The Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has selected the massive asynchronous multiplayer title developed by Team WIBY and published by Devolver Digital for this episode. Asynchronous multiplayer is a pretty fancy way to say that the game is played solo, but the presence of other players is felt throughout the experience. For reference, think about doing...

We promise to give a final decision [insert game title here]. This episode is about the hexagonal city-builder developed by Balancing Monkey Games. Never heard of the studio? Neither had our hosts… but this New Zealand based team is on a mission to make peaceful, inclusive games and this here is their debut. As you may have noticed, the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has a tendency to task ou...

Whoa-oh, here she comes! For this episode, our usual duo is joined by the trio from Play Along Podcast to discuss a certain shark-centric action game developed and published by Tripwire Interactive. With oh-so-many delicious(?) hosts in the water, this one is sure to be a feeding frenzy of opinions! Tom and Chris are forever hooked to their one-hour time limit, but our three guests have been set f...

Our hosts spend an hour... speaking with a game designer! In this special episode of 1 Hour 1 Decision, Tom and Chris take some time to interview Christopher Chancey, President & CEO of ManaVoid Entertainment. If you are a fan of this show, you will recognize ManaVoid as the company behind Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan, which we covered on episode # 109. Join our hosts as they flip the...