Level With Us

In this bonus episode, Marcus plays “Name That Tune” for some of the biggest games of 2022 - and so can you! Keep track of which music tracks you guess correctly, and see if you scored higher at the end of the episode! For a little cheat sheet as you play, check out the video version of our episode!: https://youtu.be/-jAAftB_ljQ Tell us your score by e-mailing us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [...

We played a LOT of games in 2022 and these are our absolute favorites! Contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com! You can also reach us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LvlWithUs Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:44 - Honorable Mentions 4:52 - Jared’s #5 5:44 - Marcus’s #5 6:13 - Marcus’s #4 8:25 - Jared’s #4 9:59 - Jared’s #3 10:51 - Marcus’s #3 12:00 - Marcus’s #2 13:41 - Jared’s #2 14:42 -...

This week we play with the format a bit as we each cover our own assigned indie game, then report back on it! Lil Gator Game and Soccer Story have a lot going for them, especially since they are heavily inspired by two of our favorite indie games: A Short Hike and Golf Story. But do they live up to those excellent classics? Join us for a cozy discussion, and quite possibly Jared's longest "quick j...

Splenda! This week we are talking about the cutesy Farm-Sim-Meets-Pokemon indie game, Ooblets! Joining Jared today is cozy streamer “Cozy Louise,” who is here to lend her expertise on the game’s farming elements, dance battles, and weird names like “Frunbuns!” You can find Louise’s content HERE: Twitter: twitter.com/cozylouise72 Twitch: twitch.tv/cozylouise Youtube: youtube.com/@cozylouise Instagr...

This week we’re review-discussing 3 MORE indie games!: A Little to the Left, which is a cozy puzzle game (and ASMR?), Somerville, which is a dark, narrative-driven game (and action movie?), and The Knight Witch, which is a bullet-hell metroidvania with deck building elements (and about climate change?). You can purchase A Little to the Left HERE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1629520/A_Little...

Today we celebrate making it to 50 episodes! We’re so grateful to have come this far, and look forward to even more episodes in the future! Join us for a little chat about our lives, our visions for the future of Level With Us, and even some Fake Fan questions! Also, the winner of our free game giveaway will be announced today! Contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com! You can also re...

Bwaaah! Mario & Rabbids are together again in Ubisoft’s new triple-A release, Sparks of Hope! Join us today as we discuss how refreshing it is to have a tactical strategy game with all the simplicity and fun that Mario games usually have to offer. Stick around for a special “Name That Tune” and even an indie game giveaway! Special thanks to Ubisoft for the review code! Instructions on how to enter...

A top down action-platformer, a first-person farm sim, and a satiricle soulslike? What a variety! This week we’re covering three wildly different games: Trifox, Slime Rancher 2, and the Last Hero of Nostalgaia! We got to play a good chunk of each, so here are our thoughts, along with a Star Piece and Quick Jab for each one! Special thanks to the developers for the review codes: -Glowfish Interacti...

This week we’re pleased to have Denise from SeeingStarsGaming on board to chat about recent title “Hokko Life” by Team17! Does it meet the “cozy” qualifications Denise’s channel is known for? Or did the creepy body proportions of its characters mentally disturb us? Listen to find out! Denise’s Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SeeingStarsGaming Denise’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/seeingstargame...

As fans of Andrew Kenady (Nintendrew), we’re ecstatic that he’s released his own indie title called C.A.R.L.! And after playing through this action-platformer, we can indeed confirm that the game is G.R.E.A.T. (a Good, Really Exceptional, Amazing Time!). Listen to hear our full thoughts, and some more acronyms! Special thanks to Andrew for the pre-release review code! C.A.R.L. is available on all...

Fast-paced gameplay! Bullet-time action! Metroidvania! These words describe recent indie release REDSHOT! For this week’s episode, we give our impressions of the game (and listen to some rad NES tunes as we do!). Check out REDSHOT on Steam! Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1745520/REDSHOT/ Contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com! You can also reach us on Twitter: https://twi...

This week we are reviewing “Lost in Play” by Happy Juice Games! This is a point-and-click adventure without any pointing or clicking, and its art style reminds us of our favorite children’s cartoons we grew up with, like Gravity Falls, Hilda, and Over the Garden Wall! Join us as we discuss the game, debate whether fart jokes are tasteful, and make weird celery noises with our mouths! Check out Los...

This week we turn to the more niche and eclectic indie games as we discuss “The Signal State” on Steam! This game is all about solving interesting programming-esque puzzles themed around modular synthesis! What is that, you ask? Listen to find out! And even if you’re not into modular synth, skip towards the end to hear some of Marcus’s synthesizer compositions, created on a Nintendo DS! Check out...

Fore! This week we talk about Cursed to Golf, a recent indie release about putting and driving your way out of Golf Purgatory! Did we find the core roguelike gameplay compelling, or was the sheer difficulty enough to make us quit and go do mini putt-putt instead? Listen to find out! Check out Cursed to Golf on the Nintendo shop: https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/cursed-to-golf-switch/ Contac...

Check out the video HERE: https://youtu.be/RWGzuw0WcUA This week Marcus and I got together in-person to take a look at The Room Two on Switch! Marcus here is a resident escape room expert, so let's see what he thinks as he tries out the first couple levels blind! Special thanks to Fireproof Games for the review code! Purchase The Room Two HERE: https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/the-room-two-...

In this episode, we'll be chatting about Sonic Origins with Ray Hargreaves from 2P START! As a long-time Sonic the Hedgehog fan, Ray has some interesting opinions and trivia about this most recent re-release of the original games. And as long-time 2P START fans, we were thrilled to get the chance to record with Ray as well. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recordin...

*Special thanks to Playtonic Friends for the review code!* This week we are review-discussing Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince on Nintendo Switch! This action-adventure indie title brings back nostalgic memories for us of classic 2D Zelda titles, but does it do enough on its own to stand out? Take a listen, and stick around to the end to hear about Marcus’s adventures in Seoul! Purchase Bloss...

After finally finishing Horizon: Forbidden West, I find myself feeling just a bit torn on it. Join me, Jared, this week for my general thoughts on the game, as well as the existential crisis I now find myself in. MUSIC: Horizon Forbidden West - Official Soundtrack Purchase or listen to it here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1tFZ7JRXgQpyT1Rgl1JGrD If you want your comments read on the show, you...

Today we’re delighted to have Joseph (AKA GamerWhoShoe) filling in as a co-host to discuss “Stray! This is the new sort-of-indie sort-of-AAA game where you play as a cute little cat. Together we’ll discuss how it plays, its approach to storytelling, and whether or not it turned us into cat people. You can follow Joseph on twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/gamerwhoshoe MUSIC: Softy x Lucid Green...

We're taking a break this week, but Jared was recently on another really excellent podcast - the First Player Token! It's a great short-form podcast about board games to play with family and friends, hosted by Derek Bruff. Jared was on the most recent episode all about Takenoko, which we share a sample today, but you can check out the full episode HERE: https://derekbruff.org/blogs/firstplayertoke...

Neon White is a new indie game with a focus on speedrunning and a story that exudes teen edginess… and it works! This is Jared's review of this blast of a title on Steam and Nintendo Switch. If you want your comments read on the show, you can message us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com! You can also reach us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LvlWithUs -- Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:47 - The...

While Marcus is out and abroad, Jared is here to share his thoughts on an early press demo for "The Outbound Ghost," an indie RPG coming out later this year! With some Paper Mario inspirations here and there, this game looks to be a more classic RPG than one might first expect. Special thanks to Conradical Games for sending us the demo code. You can wishlist the Outbound Ghost HERE: https://store....

COWABUNGA! Jared’s been a lifelong TMNT fan, so after hearing the heaps of praise “Shredder’s Revenge” has been getting, we decided to cover it on the show! Does this old-school beat-em-up freshen the formula enough to win our hearts? Or is it just a bit too archaic to appeal to us? Also included this episode: Marcus writes turtle-themed rap lyrics! Send us questions and comments that you want rea...

After years of avoiding PC gaming, we've finally compromised and invested in a Steam Deck! Join us for a casual review discussion all about what we think of the system, including our favorite games on it, and of course some quick jabs as well! Send us questions and comments that you want read on the show at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com! You can also reach us on Twitter: https://twitter....

Grab some shades and a fruity drink because it's summertime! This week It's Jared's turn to be stumped as Marcus quizzes him on various tropical video game locations! How many can you guess correctly? Send us questions and comments that you want read on the show at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com! You can also reach us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LvlWithUs Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro / Th...