Emmi & Annie Talk Indie

Welcome to Emmi & Annie's year in review, including our definitive video game crush of 2025, episode stats, and a cocktail or two. Thanks for a great year of talking indie. We're really looking forward to the next one. Girl Mode and the episode we guested on back in May Emmi’s non-EATI recs The Apothecary DiariesMangaLight novelsAnimeCoffee Rush board game Delicious in Dungeon Heated Rivalry Tinto de Verano Annie’s non-EATI recsThe Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin Common Side Effects (animated series on HBO Max) Saturday Edition on Playdate Every single game we talked about in this episode: Aviary Attorney Balatro Blue Prince Carimara - Beneath the forlorn limbs Co-op Kaiju Horror Cooking The Chef’s Shift Dave the Diver Death of the Reprobate Dredge Drova - Forsaken Kin FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time FlyKnight Hades II Hollow Knight: Silksong Infinity Nikki Many Nights a Whisper Mouthwashing Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst Pajama Sam: No Need To Hide When It’s Dark Outside PEAK Saturday Edition Squirreled Away Tiny Garden Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Music:Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Watch Annie and Robin of Girl Mode stream games! https://www.twitch.tv/parallelplayers  Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

Emmi and Annie battle motion sickness to answer a ghost’s questions three. Chapters: (00:30) News (06:45) State of Silksong (10:32) Carimara Discussion (01:08:22) Upcoming Games News Links: Netflix to buy Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion (GamesIndustry.biz, Dec. 5) Netflix sells studio Spry Fox back to original owners (PC Gamer, Dec. 5) Micron announces exit from Crucial consumer business (Dec. 3) 2025 PC Gaming Show highlights (PC Gamer, Dec. 4) Carimara Links: Interview with Carimara Dev Bastinus Rex (Six One Indie, May 22) TRIP demo by Bastinus Rex (Itch.io) Bastinus Rex talking about workflow between art and code (Reddit, August 2025) Blog which provided some folklore reference for Carimara (Benoit Reveur) Upcoming Games Mentioned: Rhyolite, Dec 11 Bearly Brave, Dec 15 Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Watch Annie and Robin of Girl Mode stream games! https://www.twitch.tv/parallelplayers  Listen on our website!https://eati.games 

This week we’re talking Dave the Diver, killer whales, and the Ratatouille of it all in Part 2 of our Fishing Game Duology. Chapters: (01:02) News + State of Silksong(25:23) Dave the Diver(01:11:23) Upcoming Games News Links: NYT on the Saudi Arabia PIF being low on funds Game Developer on the Unity/Fortnite partnership NYT interview with Roblox’s CEO Science Daily on new research on West Coast orcas Lime Kiln Point State Park and the Whale Museum are great places to visit on San Juan Island Infinity Nikki v2.0 promo video Wired on Steam Machine Dave the Diver Links: PC Gamer interview with director of Dave the Diver (July 25, 2023) Disappearance of billions of crabs around Alaska (CNN, August 2024) The problem with nature documentaries (The Atlantic, April 2021) Upcoming Games Mentioned:  Randomice, Nov 25 Knight of the Lions, Nov 27 Effulgence RPG, Dec 2 (early access) Octopath Traveler 0, Dec 4 Death Howl, Dec 9 Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Watch Annie and Robin of Girl Mode stream games! https://www.twitch.tv/parallelplayers  Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

Dredge, the yawning horror of that which we cannot change, and you.Part 1 of our Fishing Game Duology. Look out for Part 2 in a couple weeks. Links: 80 Level interview with Black Salt Games (November 16, 2023) The Game Awards' Future Class program remains on ice (November 6, 2025) How poor leadership slows down game development (November 4, 2025) Chapters: (00:37) News + State of Silksong (14:57) Dredge (52:29) Upcoming Games Upcoming Games Mentioned: Morsels, Nov 18 Kingdoms of the Dump, Nov 18 Demonschool, Nov 19 Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, Nov 19 (Early Access) Constance, Nov 24 Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Watch Annie and Robin of Girl Mode stream games! https://www.twitch.tv/parallelplayers  Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

Slay ‘er? I barely know ‘er! Beware: discussions of blood, gore, body horror, cannibalism, the works.Links: Nota Press by Reba Elliott open for submissions for Game Books Arimia Dev - Interview with Black Tabby Games (November 29th, 2024) Gamespot - Review of Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut (November 18th, 2024) Favorite Childhood AMVs: Naruto - Das Omen  Ouran High School Never Ends (Anime North 2008 Best in Show) Mahou Shoujo Requiem AMV Best in Show 2011 Chapters: (00:00:30) Call for submissions for Nota Press (00:03:53) State of Silksong (and Infinity Nikki) (00:08:04) Gaming PCs, mechanical keyboards, and AMVs (00:12:49) Slay the Princess (01:22:01) Upcoming Games Upcoming Games Mentioned: UNBEATABLE, Nov 6  Whiskerwood, Nov 6 Possessor(s), Nov 11  Winter Burrow, Nov 12 Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Watch Annie and Robin of Girl Mode stream games! https://www.twitch.tv/parallelplayers  Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

This one’s for the late game freaks. Links: EA considering private buyout (which has since been confirmed): https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/ea-private-deal-buyout-video-game-maker-808aefec Hades II v1.0 out as of Sep 25: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145350/Hades_II Infinity Nikki Girlcott context from Girl Mode’s Robin Bea: https://www.inverse.com/gaming/infinity-nikki-season-controversy-update-apology-girlcott Blue Prince late-game Steam megathread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1569580/discussions/0/599650845622083710/ Referenced late-game review from Phil Hornshaw: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blue-prince-doesnt-have-a-satisfying-ending-but-thats-the-point/1100-6532795/ Chapters: (00:00:30) News (00:06:49) Blue Prince - The Late Game (02:08:30) State of Silksong (and Infinity Nikki) (02:12:40) Silksong Skull Tyrant Spoilers Begin (02:16:16) Silksong Skull Tyrant Spoilers End(02:19:23) Upcoming Games except they’re all out now Now Available Games Mentioned: Éalú, Oct 2 Carimara, Oct 6 Totally Accurate Kissing Booth Simulator, Oct 7 Absolum, Oct 9 Undusted: Letters from the Past, Oct 13 Music:  Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

Sorry it took so long to get back. We got lost in this mansion where the layout changed every day. We've been subsisting on turnips and bananas since June. As always, spoilers abound. Featuring a new recurring segment, the State of Silksong. News Links: Indie game delays due to Silksong release (Game Developer) A recap of recent Nintendo Direct (Polygon) Hades II v1.0 Coming Soon Trailer Annie & Robin’s Twitch, Parallel Players Robin on Bluesky  Robin and Willa’s podcast, Girl Mode Blue Prince Links: Maze by Christopher Manson on the Internet Archive VICE Interview with Tonda Ros Myster Rogers YouTube interview with Tonda Ros (Myster Rogers also being the lead playtester for the game) Review in the NYT Chapters: (00:25) News  (09:43) Blue Prince (Part 1) (01:23:06) State of Silksong (01:32:37) Upcoming Games Upcoming Games Mentioned:  Henry Half-head, out Sept. 16th Strange Antiquities, out Sept. 17th Goblin Cleanup, out Sept. 18thEasy Delivery Co., out Sept. 18th Demonschool, out Nov 19th Music:  Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky!https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

Annie and Emmi revisit games from their respective childhoods. Annie brings Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst, a game about being friends with your ex, and Emmi brings Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside, a star vehicle for Pamela Adlon. Spoilers for games that are decades old. This episode was deeply cursed with recording issues, roommate noises, and college youths having a party down the street, so apologies for any audio weirdness or abrupt cuts. Our schedules have also been cursed which unfortunately means no news or upcoming games this week. Announcements:  We were invited to guest on Girl Mode and had a blast! Thank you so much to Robin for having us. Check out the episode here and follow Girl Mode on Bluesky. Following the release of this episode, we’ll be taking a temporary break from recording so Emmi and Annie can recover from the end of the school year. We’ll be back soon! In the meantime, you can follow Annie @stellarine.bsky.social and Emmi @not-emmy.bsky.social on Bluesky. Chapters: (00:33) Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst (39:39) Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

Gird your chthonic loins for the Hades II Early Access anniversary. Emmi and Annie talk muscle mommies, lunar lasers, and so many spoilers. No section on upcoming games this week because we simply had too much to say about Hades II. Corrections:  Emmi misspoke when she said Giant Bomb was sold from CBS to Fandom. The 2020 sale of Giant Bomb was from CBS to Red Ventures. Red Ventures then sold Giant Bomb to Fandom in 2022. News links: Polygon sale and subsequent layoffs GoFundMe for those affected by Polygon layoffs Giant Bomb “strategic reset”  Chapters:  (00:32) News (06:12) Hades II Music:  Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

In their first itch.io Snack Mix episode, Emmi and Annie scale fish, believe and forget, and descend into the depths. Snack along at the links below. Games discussed: Scale the Depths Bulbo’s Belief System my father’s long long legs Upcoming/newly released games: Locomoto (Apr 8) Blue Prince (Apr 10) Rusty Rabbit (Apr 17) Beholder: Conductor (Apr 23) News links: US Switch 2 Stockpile as reported by Polygon Chapters: (00:48) News (05:58) Scale the Depths (19:25) Bulbo’s Belief System (27:00) my father’s long long legs (50:02) Upcoming games Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

For April Fools’, Emmi & Annie play a little game called Balatro.Upcoming/newly released games: The Chef's Shift (Mar 30) PEPPERED: an existential platformer (Apr 7) Tiny Garden (Apr 8) Maliki: Poison of the Past (Apr 22) News links: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/nintendo-announces-new-lending-feature-for-digital-games https://www.polygon.com/gaming/547367/time-cops-mission-of-lennon-free-narrat-game https://anime-sickos-podcast.itch.io/time-force-x Chapters: (01:00) News (08:10) Balatro (43:09) Smash or Pass: Joker Edition (59:12) Upcoming games Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

Annie is a know-it-all. Emmi is a know-it-none. No news or upcoming games this week because we spend too long talking about which anthropomorphic animals from Aviary Attorney we would kiss. Vive la France. Links: 2014 Siliconera interview with Darya Noghani and Mandy Lennon Original Kickstarter for Aviary Attorney The Public & Private Life of Animals by J.J. Grandville and P.J. Stahl Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Listen on our website! https://eati.games 

Emmi & Annie played two games with very different styles. Emmi was disturbed by Mouthwashing's body horror; Annie was disturbed by Europa's cuteness. These problems are the same. TW for discussion of sexual assault.Maddie Myers on motion sickness in Indiana JonesMouthwashing playthrough Annie referenced Gene Park interview with writer of Mouthwashing Liz Ryerson, who recommends Decarnation Upcoming games: Knights in Tight Spaces (Feb 28) Split Fiction (Mar 3) Myrmidon (Mar 7) Centum (Mar 11) Mudborne (Mar 20)Mashina (TBD) Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games News sources: gamesindustry.biz article on WB closuresPolygon on WB closuresPC Gamer on Call of Duty gen AIAftermath on Steam Next Fest and AIPC Gamer on Blizzard AI patentChapters: (00:40) News (08:18) Europa (33:45) Mouthwashing (TW: sexual assault) (01:12:04) Upcoming games 

Emmi and Annie played Death of the Reprobate. Content warnings for: Hieronymus Bosch, tomfoolery, bird violence. --- BBC article about 2011 23-day PSN outage Polygon article about PSN outage Emmi wants this Infinity Nikki outfit and she’s stressed about it. This is the pizza box Playdate case that Annie has. Upcoming games: Ale Abbey (Feb 18 - Early access) Unbridled: That Horse Game (Feb 19 - Early access) Cinnabunny (Feb 19) Blood Typers (Feb 20) Die in the Dungeon (Feb 21 - Early access) Tortuga City (Feb 21) Good Coffee, Great Coffee (Feb 27) Card Survival: Fantasy Forest (Feb 28 - Early access) Mycelium Heaven (Feb 28) Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Chapters: (00:35) Annie got a Playdate (03:55) PSN outage (07:55) Death of the Reprobate (56:01) Upcoming games 

Annie has personal news. Emmi makes an inaccurate Nintendo prediction. And they discuss Drova, which Emmi quit after a shift while Annie put in a 40-hour work week. ---An important note about timing/content: we recorded this shortly after the 2024 election and spent some time up top discussing how we were handling it. We hope we don't sound in any way glib about a situation that's obviously gotten way worse since and hope everybody is hanging in there. If you want to skip that conversation, it ends around 3:30. Watch Andrea Love’s needle felted animations here Upcoming games (now out unless specified): Dragon Age: The Veilguard Ale Abbey Lonely Mountains: Snowriders Toads of the Bayou Worshippers of Cthulhu (Early access) Scarlet Deer Inn (TBA release date) SPARROW (TBA release date) Music: Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Follow us on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games Chapters (00:00) The News, Mario Party power dynamics, and Celestial Seasonings (03:30) Skip to here to avoid talk of the 2024 election (14:01) Drova: Forsaken Kin (55:51) Upcoming games 

Emmi and Annie play Potion Permit, and discuss the tradition of bad mayorship in video game towns.Upcoming games mentioned (now out):Totally Spies! - Cyber MissionDragon Age: The VeilguardEuropaDrova: Forsaken KinPrimIntro/Outro music:Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.games

In which Emmi & Annie introduce themselves, and talk about why they like video games so much. Special guest in the subtext: guilt around lack of productivity brought on by the American-Protestant work ethic.Show notes:Here’s a decent overview of explicit vs implicit memoryJoint-media engagement paper Emmi was drawing from:Takeuchi, L., & Stevens, R. (2011). The new coviewing: Designing for learning through joint media engagement. New York: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. https://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/jgc_coviewing_desktop.pdfOther games podcasts hosted by women!Fake Gamer GirlsBaddy BreakdownsWhat’s Good GamesUtterly UnqualifiedUpcoming games mentioned (now out):One S’More (9/22/24)Tiny Glade (9/22/24)Ninano: Green Ranch (9/22/24)Islands & Trains (9/22/24)Forest Cafe Simulator (9/27/24)Other games mentioned:Pizza PossumIntro/Outro music:Bit Forest Intro music by Bertsz -- https://freesound.org/s/545457/ -- License: Creative Commons 0Follow us on bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/eati.gamesFollow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/eati.games

An intro to the intro.