Girl Mode

This week, Robin and Willa have a conversation no one will disagree with about a game everyone is being reasonable about. We talk through why Clair Obscur, the FRPG of the year, didn’t live up to the hype for either of us, and inevitably detour into why criticism is good and cool and doesn’t have to make you a killjoy. Timestamps: (00:30) Setting le tableau (or, don’t yell at us about Clair Obscur...

CW: Brief reference to suicide between (01:05:00) and (01:05:45) This week, Robin and Willa dive into the work of Selkie Harbour , developer of the recent (and excellent) Many Nights a Whisper. We get into the interesting parallels and outliers among the studio’s catalog and come away more excited about ice skating than we ever thought possible. We also completely spoil all of these very short gam...

This week, Robin talks to the delightful hosts of the equally delightful Emmi & Annie Talk Indie podcast. We discuss a whole mess of games, with tangents on sexualizing playing cards, furry-friendly pizza restaurants, the games that taught us to type, and learning the name for a group of butterflies. Timestamps: (00:20) Introducing Emmi and Annie (who talk indie)! (14:30) Making dogs immortal...

Like everyone else, we’re still reeling from the destruction of Polygon and Giant Bomb, but trying to do more than curl up into the fetal position about it. After the most constructive takes on games media we can muster, we talk through a few great games Robin's played recently, put a pin in a not-great one, and check in with Willa’s three favorite things (the Mets, weird New York lore, and gay mu...

This week, critic and essayist Autumn Wright joins Robin to talk about Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, a game about growing up as a queer woman that’s just as messy as the real thing. We discuss how the game still works even when it’s fraying at the edges and wonder whether the mid-budget talky game can survive even if Don’t Nod doesn’t. Timestamps: (00:20) Welcome Autumn! (24:50) Tape 1 ending sp...

This week, we played a bunch of different games and now we’re gonna talk about them. I don’t know what else you want. Timestamps: (01:25) News we don’t care about and jokes we do (03:00) Sunderfolk (21:10) Mandragora (29:30) Shadow of the Colossus (35:50) Metroid Prime (44:30) What have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Season of the Witch, The River Has Roots, Taco Bell Quarterly) Musi...

The worst February of our lives continues with the release of Hogwarts Legacy. We discuss how the media failed to take its significance seriously, why our reactions are about more than just a game, and why, yes, supporting it does make you a bad person.  We cap off this week’s fun-filled episode with a genuinely much cheerier segment recommending some great games by and about trans people tha...

Since we’re sure you’re not sick of hearing about the Switch 2, we’re covering the Direct from a couple weeks ago before moving on to the Triple-i Initiative (featuring indie publisher Ubisoft) and a remake of The Talos Principle. Then, of course, Mets updates and baseball players who are “just roommates.” Timestamps (02:20) Switch 2 hardware (16:40) Switch 2 games (37:50) Triple-i Initiative (48:...

While we take the week off, we’re re-airing a 2023 interview with Rue Dickey, who’s currently organizing the TTRPGs for Trans Right Ohio charity bundle on Itch.io. In the episode, Willa and Robin speak to Rue about a similar, very successful bundle they organized for trans charities in Florida two years ago. Listen in as we discuss the realities of fundraising, why tabletop games are so darn gay,...

This week, Nintendo sends off the Switch with one of the weirdest Directs ever and we’re here to talk through the 30 percent of it that was actually interesting to us. Then, after a brainstorming session about Sabrina Carpenter and Xenoblade Chronicles, we half-heartedly predict what’s coming at the Switch 2 Direct that you probably just watched. Timestamps (00:20) All of our beautiful boys are ba...

This week, Willa and Robin are playing the game everyone is playing for the first and maybe last time this year. Then, a game where you kill God, and an awards show that doesn't make you want to kill the concept of video games. Timestamps (00:20) Assassin’s Creed Shadows is pretty good for a AAA game (49:20) Light spoilers for one Assassin’s Creed Shadows quest (51:30) Attacking and dethroning God...

This week, Willa and Robin have each played a big, anime-ass RPG, but only one turned out to be the right kind of boring. Timestamps (2:00) Atelier Yumia and the Bad Video Game Title (15:40) What does it mean to remake a game? (19:40) Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (43:05) Reignbreaker, briefly (45:20) Itch wildfire relief bundle roundup (51:25) What else have Willa and Robin been up t...

This week, certified Girl Mode Fave ™ Emily Price joins Robin to talk about a few more Next Fest demos, 15th century Catholicism, playing soccer as a child, falling off mountains, what words to use to describe music, and why you should make a website. Check the links below for where to follow Emily! Timestamps (0:20) OMG it’s Emily Price! (02:15) Next Fest chat (5:20) Unpacking yourself from capit...

After a brief but important look into the state of milfs in Pokémon, we dive into our favorite demos from this year’s quarter’s Steam Next Fest. Timestamps (1:15) Talking about not talking bout Pokemon (04:00) Next Fest  (05:20) Skulker (08:35) Neo Junk City (12:20) Moves of the Diamond Hand (13:50) Robin’s roguelike corner ( As We Descend , Shuffle Tactics , Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3...

CW: Mentions of alcoholism in the Cabernet discussion (specifically from around 34:45 to 38:20) This week we’re discussing Cabernet, a game with a lot to say about the social construction of vampires, the cyclical nature of authoritarianism, and blood play. Editor’s note: I cut out us deciding not to discuss a game because we haven't played enough but left a few vague mentions of it in. It’s Cage...

We’ve watched the State of Play and played a bunch of games this week, so naturally we start off with an update on the 2005 Fantastic Four movie before getting to any of that. Timestamps (01:05) We’re a Fantastic Four podcast now (04:00) State of Play (08:20) The ones we’re kind of excited about (26:05) The State of Play(ing Overwatch) (34:40) Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog (39:50) Of the Devil (44...

This week, we spend an unbelievable amount of time talking about the Fantastic Four before remembering we’re supposed to be a video game podcast and pivoting to World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV. Then, Sony said we’re not allowed to play Elden Ring, so we talk about some indies we’ve played instead. Timestamps (00:20) An incredibly long tangent on the Fantastic Four (13:35) A shorter tangent...

BioWare is 30 years old and collapsing (relatable amirite) so we’re talking about the legacy, decline, and doubtful future of a studio whose work we’ve both really enjoyed this week. Then, Willa has brainworms for a new anime movie and Robin has two certified sicko games to share with the class. Timestamps (01:45) Complaining/reminiscing about BioWare (33:50) Two quick, less depressing shoutouts f...

This week, we played the sequel to one of our mutual favorite RPGs, and one of our most anticipated games of the year. Listen in to hear how that went, and be wary of spoilers! Check the timestamps! Take care, love you, bye. Timestamps (02:00) Non-spoiler Citizen Sleeper 2 thoughts (46:00) Citizen Sleeper 2 spoilers start here!!! (1:26:45) Citizen Sleeper 2 spoilers end here!!! (1:32:00) What else...

Since there’s no big news from Nintendo or anything this week, we take this episode to go over last year’s gaming predictions and try to correctly guess more than one thing that will happen in 2025. Then, as you could have predicted, Robin has no memory of the past week and Willa talks about yuri. Timestamps (01:15) Our great 2024 gaming predictions (19:00) Our hopefully better 2025 gaming predict...

A new year is upon us, and everyone’s decided to keep making video games. This week, we ease into 2025 by running down some of the games we’re most excited about playing in the coming year. Timestamps (01:30) The Worst Garbage game jam announcement!! (05:30) Our 2025 most anticipated games (56:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? Mentioned this week The Worst Game Jam 2025 Metr...

It’s time once again for the most important and sincere awards show in all of gaming: The Girlies! Listen in as we hand out awards new and old, from Best Game That’s Just Mid to Best Inanimate Object.  Thanks to everyone who started listening or stuck with us in 2024! Happy New Year!!! Timestamps (00:30) What are we doing here? (02:40) The awards begin (1:39:45) GOTY discussion Mentioned this...

There’s no way most of you little freaks ended up on the nice list this year, but we’re bringing you a gift anyway. For this edition of our annual game swap, we’re talking about 1000xResist and Lovely Lady RPG, two games with so little in common I can’t even write a cute little quip comparing them here.  Timestamps (02:30) 1000xResist (1:34:30) Fixer’s Song by Alex Mah & A Sum (1:35:10) L...

The Game Awards found some exciting new ways to be disappointing this year, but Fumito Ueda also announced a game so who can really be that mad? We talk through this year’s “awards show” then catch up with our mutual obsession, a game about fishing and wearing dresses. Timestamps (00:30) You do not have to hand it to Geoff (1:01:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Infinity Nikki,...

We watched the PC Gaming Show as an amuse-bouche for The Game Awards, and found a few games to pique our interest plus one to pique our anger. Then we talk through a handful of games we’re either having fun with or anticipate doing so, and end by announcing our plans for the rest of the year, including what games we'll be discussing at length in the final episode of 2024! Timestamps (01:00) The up...