The Iris Archives

On this episode, I’m joined by my friends Maxie and Rexy to talk about DIE , a 20-issue dark-fantasy comic from one of my favorite writers: Kieron Gillen. It’s a story about six kids who get transported to a fantasy world, getting trauma from it, and then getting pulled back in as adults who have to face the consequences of their teenage recklessness. We discuss our favorite characters, Stephanie...

Ashley joins me to gush about our favorite Wes Anderson film. We discuss the use of color and models, unique and inventive camera movement, the benefits of the anthology format within a wider framing story, and the indulgent fantasy of having a boss like Bill Murray. Music Credits: ”Simone, Naked, Cell Block-J Hobby Room” by Alexandre Desplat (from The French Dispatch Original Score) ”Obituary” by...

I’m joined once again by Crystal and Molly to talk about a game I adored: Heaven Will Be Mine! It’s a story of girls piloting mechs to carve a spot in the universe for themselves. Music Credits: ”Cradle’s Graces” by Alec Lambert [Heaven Will Be Mine OST] ”Silly Game” by Alec Lambert [Heaven Will Be Mine OST]

Imagine feeling someone hold your hand whenever you’re scared. Carry you home whenever you’re weary… Imagine waking up from the best dream only to realize it is your life. This is what it was like to love the ALLMOTHER. Crystal and Molly join me to talk about my favorite game released in 2024 (and one of my new favorite games of all time): 1000xRESIST . If you’ve already played this gorgeous tale...

It’s only appropriate that the first episode of The Iris Archives covering a movie has a star-studded cast of guests. Luke, Molly, Ashley and Crystal join me on a deep dive into a film that’s as visually stunning as it is emotionally gutting. Content Warning: Suicidal thoughts and attempts are discussed, both in general and in the context of personal experience.

I know what you’re thinking right now. “But Iris, Delicious in Dungeon isn’t a video game!” Correct. I don’t care. This is the first step in what will eventually become a full rebrand of this podcast into The Iris Archives : a podcast where I’ll get together with a friend and chat about some kind of media we just really need to dig into. For this first foray into the new future of the podcast, I’m...

Luke and I have finished playing through the massive second installment of the FF7 remake trilogy, and by God do we have some things we need to get off our chests. Join us as we dissect the many and varied ways in which this game not only managed to disappoint us, but also shook our faith in the entire FF7 revival project. Intro: “With Heavy Heart - A Seabreeze Stroll” ~ FF VII Rebirth OST Outro:...

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve put one of these episodes out. Not as long as it’s been since the previous Alan Wake game, though! Over the 11 years since American Nightmare, Alan Wake has added a female protagonist and gotten a whole lot prettier (damn, same). Ashley, Molly and Luke join me to talk about the Alan Wake 2 and why we loved it.

This time on the podcast, Luke and Melissa join me to analyze (and gush about) a game hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention as it deserves: 13 Sentinels. The newest game from Vanillaware, it ended up being a sleeper hit with all three of us. If you’d like to learn how this game caused us to set our fears of enduring another Dragon’s Crown aside and give it a chance, give this episode a listen!

On this follow-up episode to Final Fantasy 7, I’m joined by Luke and Zoe to talk about Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the game that a lot of JRPG fans have been waiting decades for. Though…it’s not quite the game that we were waiting for, either. For better or worse, FF7R plays around with both the gameplay and the fiction in an attempt to simultaneously meet and subvert expectations. Join us as we dig i...

Hey, did anyone know that a highly-anticipated Square-Enix game released recently? Yeah, we’re not talking about that one today. Instead, Luke joins me to talk about his experience playing Final Fantasy 7 for the first time. Does the game still hold up? And what the hell is going on with Sephiroth anyway?

This episode is the conclusion to Luke, Ashley and my summary and examination of the entirety of Kentucky Route Zero. If you’ve made it this far, you know what you’re in for. Shownotes: “Everything on That Tape Was Wild” - Luke’s essay about the character Ron

It’s taken just over 7 years, but Kentucky Route Zero is finally complete. As a game that blends point-and-click adventures, community theater, magical realism, modern folk tales, a little bit of Southern Gothic, and a whole lot of horses, it was destined to be a game that I was destined to love. For this episode, I got Luke and Ashley to join me in a far more in-depth exploration than I was initi...

Hi, Luke here. Pathologic 2 is a serious contender for my favorite game of all time. Unfortunately, convincing other people to give it a try is... difficult. It's janky, it's obtuse, it's difficult, and it has an overarching tone of misery to it that is, understandably, offputting. Even so I think it's an *excellent* game, and luckily, so does my friend Melissa! so we're hijacking Dustin's podcast...

On this episode, Luke and Molly join me to talk about the latest game from acclaimed director Hideo Kojima. Now that he and his team are free from their shackles, have they finally created True Art? Well, uh, we have some good news and some bad news. It’s finally time to discuss weird babies, Monster Energy, characters that just won’t shut up, and the simple joys of building a road.

On the second part of our journey through the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Luke and I talk about the rest of the games…and a kinda-sorta related game that also happened to be directed by Tetsuya Nomura. Most importantly, though, we analyze the recently-released Kingdom Hearts 3: what our expectations were for it going in, the constant tug-of-war between Disney and Kingdom Hearts, the ways it disappoi...

After a nearly two-year hiatus, I’m back to talk about a franchise known for similarly long delays: Kingdom Hearts. I’ve been an obsessive fan since the beginning, so I’ve brought along my friend Luke—who played/watched every KH game in just a few months—to offer a different perspective. I initially planned this as an overview of the entire franchise, but I ended up guiding us into a much more in-...

SPOILER WARNING: This episode contains full spoilers for Nier, Nier Automata, and Drakengard 1 & 3. Ashley and Molly join me to talk about Nier Automata, Yoko Taro's latest masterpiece. In addition to admitting which scenes made us cry the most, we analyze the use of music, clever metatextual jokes, player psychology, and the majesty that is Ending E.

On this first proper episode of Skies of Academia, Jules, Melissa and I tackled the subject of avatars, covering a wide range of topics, including: our favorite avatar creation systems, the importance of hair styles, wearing pretty outfits, and avatars as a form of experimentation.

Welcome to the pilot episode of Skies of Academia! This recording was originally intended to be the start of a spinoff series of one of my previous podcasts: Games Witticism. When I stopped making episodes for GW and moved to Audio Entropy, I decided to turn the spinoff idea I had into its own show for Audio Entropy. I'm including this recording not only because it's the genesis for SoA, but also...