Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Join Dave and special guest Claire as they deep dive Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems, Kou Shibusawa, Nintendo, 2019). They discuss the life sim and battle elements, how they tie together to make you fear permadeath even more, the four playthroughs, and much more. As always, no spoilers for a while!

Guest info: Claire (she/her/any)

• Check out Date With Us podcast https://www.datewith.us
• Check out Claire on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/claireafterall
• Get a sick wrestling belt https://www.trophysmack.com/

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:21 Introductions
• 5:03 Our Histories with Fire Emblem
• 7:35 Top-Level Thoughts
• 14:36 Story Setup and Choosing Your House
• 23:49 Life Sim Elements and How To Spend Time
• 30:00 Teaching and Character Building
• 36:11 Relationship/Support Mechanics
• 40:25 Relationship and Dating Elements
• 55:36 Combat and Permadeath
• 1:05:18 Combat Basics
• 1:15:00 What's New in the DLC?
• 1:19:56 Soundtrack
• 1:26:10 Visual Design and Art
• 1:31:57 Who Should Play?
• 1:38:17 Date With Us and Claire's Streaming
• 1:44:36 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:46:26 Spoilers- Story Discussion
• 2:29:39 Spoilers- MVPs and Results

Music used in the episode:

• The Crest of Flames (Yuka Tsujiyoko)
• Fódlan Winds (Takeru Kanazaki)
• Life at Garreg Mach Monastery (Takeru Kanazaki)
• Tearing Through Heaven (Hiroki Morishita)
• Tempest of Seasons (Rei Kondoh)
• A Guide for the Future (Takeru Kanazaki)
• A New Dawn (Takeru Kanazaki, Rei Kondoh)
• The Land Beloved by the Goddess (Takeru Kanazaki)

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Join Dave and special guest Flora Merigold (Epilogue Gaming, Left Behind Game Club) as they discuss Many Nights a Whisper (Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour, 2025). Many Nights a Whisper puts you in a high-pressure situation and asks you to make tough choices that will have an impact on whether you make the climactic shot or not. We discuss the marriage of narrative and mechanics, our approaches to granting or denying wishes, the shot, and much more. As always, there are no spoilers for a while.

Guest info: Flora Merigold (she/her)

• Check out Epilogue Gaming https://epiloguegaming.com/author/flora-merigold/
• Check out Left Behind Game Club https://leftbehindgame.club/
• Follow Flora on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/floramerigold.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title
• 0:16 Introductions
• 3:53 Personal Histories with Many Nights a Whisper
• 5:44 Top-Level Thoughts
• 13:09 Story Setup and Wishes
• 20:29 Wishes, Tension and Thematic Explorations
• 38:53 Practice Makes Perfect
• 44:45 Music and Visuals
• 46:35 Who Should Play?
• 49:15 Flora's Creative and Artistic Work
• 53:41 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous
• 55:56 Spoilers- Pink Cats and Healthy Tobacco
• 1:06:39 Spoilers- Removing Animal Souls and Making Gender Irrelevant
• 1:20:46 Spoilers- No More Work and Wanting a Nemesis
• 1:41:33 Spoilers- Mounting Pressure, No More Sleep, No More Religion
• 1:56:04 Spoilers- The Last Wish
• 2:09:53 Spoilers- The Shot and Final Musings

Music used in the episode is credited to fingerspit. Tracks used: Many Nights a Whisper, Ten Years Ago You Were Chosen, Doing My Best Is All I Can Give Them, New Strength, My Heart's Faint Call, The Ceremony, Into the Moonless Night

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Join Dave and special guest Jesse Guarascia (noclip, noclip_2 and more) as they strengthen their block-pushing muscles for a deep dive into Isles of Sea and Sky (Cicada Games, 2024). They discuss its rich world full of secrets, why Sokoban-style puzzles feel like a great foundation for weird narratives or layers of secrets, whether the open-ended design works well, and much more. As always, no spoilers for a while.

Guest info: Jesse Guarascia (he/him)

• Check out noclip https://www.youtube.com/@NoclipDocs
• And check out noclip2 https://www.youtube.com/@Noclip2
• And Blowback! https://blowback.show/
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/jesseguarascia.com

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title
• 0:22 Introductions
• 6:16 Our Histories with Isles of Sea and Sky
• 11:26 Top-Level Thoughts
• 18:38 Game Setup and Open Structure
• 29:19 Puzzle Design
• 40:40 Sokoban as a Base Layer for Building Secrets
• 53:15 Visual Design
• 1:00:00 Music and Sound
• 1:03:32 Who Should Play?
• 1:08:28 Jesse's Work at NoClip and More
• 1:16:53 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:19:17 Spoiler Section

Music used in the episode is credited to Craig Collver. Tracks used: Isles of Sea and Sky, Ancient Island, Stoney Cliffs, Tidal Reef, From Sea to Sky

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures