Flow State

(00:00) - - The eery quietness of Persona 4 Golden (03:10) - - The Heisei mergers (06:15) - - Persona 4 Golden is biased towards tradition (06:55) - - Yukiko gives in (08:55) - - Kanji's dyes his hair (10:56) - - Rise goes back to showbiz (12:35) - - These aren't real people (13:03) - - Conservatism (14:28) - - Tradition for tradition's sake To watch the member-exclusive video, you can go to my Patreon or Ko-Fi!https://www.patreon.com/c/flowstatecrithttps://ko-fi.com/matthortonThanks to  @FazPersona ,  @shinobuSMT , and  @SphericAlpha for game footageWatch  @LadyVirgilia 's video on the Heisei mergers and Inaba: https://youtu.be/gd2YrXqkchMWatch  @BiggeTwig 's "The Development of Persona 4": https://youtu.be/gd2YrXqkchMThank you to my $5+ members:GJJenn CheungMike TurleyChase AllhartZenoMajesticOstrichKimSilellakResearch Sources:Katsura Hashino blogs from the old Atlus websitehttps://web.archive.org/web/20130831132713/http://www.atlusnet.jp/topic/detail/607https://web.archive.org/web/20140205015317/http://www.atlusnet.jp/topic/detail/650Podcast interview with Persona 4 dev teamhttps://web.archive.org/web/20100908090614/https://game.biglobe.ne.jp/colweb/shoku/2010/100902/100902.htmlSiliconEra translation and summary of the podcast interviewhttps://www.siliconera.com/behind-the-design-of-persona-4/“The Development of Municipal Mergers in Japan” by Kiyotaka Yokomichihttps://clair.or.jp/j/forum/honyaku/hikaku/pdf/up-to-date_en1.pdfInterview on 1UP.com with Yu Namba and Nich Maragoshttps://web.archive.org/web/20130228183558/http://www.1up.com/news/anime-expo-atlus-talks-personaInterview on 1UP.com with Katsura Hashinohttps://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-persona-4-afterthoughts/Shmuplations translation of Persona Club P4 bookhttps://shmuplations.com/persona4/Highlights from the Persona Club P4 book by Tumblr user, adachimoehttps://adachimoe.tumblr.com/post/731417840378347520/random-stuff-from-the-persona-club-p4-bookToru’s blog on their visit to Fuefukihttps://p4toru.jugem.jpToru’s blog visiting the same street as the P4G team did on their tour of towns to base their design of Inaba onhttps://p4toru.jugem.jp/?eid=17Fuefuki on Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuefuki

0:00 - My boring question0:38 - What is Blippo+?1:17 - Why does JJ love 80s TV?5:26 - Her analog video work8:19 - JJ's genius made Blippo+ great11:59 - JJ's reverence for her collaborators 14:23 - Giving "weirdos" the Holly wood treatment15:07 - Following her dreams paid off17:51 - My hope for Blippo+Before I talked to JJ Stratford, I had a really boring question.  Is Blippo+ a video game or a cable service? But she was far more interesting than that question.Full interview with JJ available on Patreon & Ko-Fi:https://www.patreon.com/flowstatecrithttps://ko-fi.com/matthortonBlippo+ is available on Playdate, Steam (PC & Mac), and Nintendo Switch

It was a weird year for video games, but here's my favorite moments among the mess.(00:00) - - It was a weird year... (01:01) - - and Roger (01:48) - - Extra: Persona 4 Golden (03:00) - - Dispatch (05:15) - - The Séance of Blake Manor (06:11) - - Unfair Flips (07:20) - - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (08:54) - - Extra: Octopath Traveler 2 (09:56) - - Fretless (11:13) - - Fighting Games (13:36) - - Q-Up (14:45) - - Known Mysteries (16:47) - - Citizen Sleeper 2 (19:19) - - The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy Support my work at ko-fi.com/matthortondotzip's and Roger episode - https://share.transistor.fm/s/570f6f40Brendon on YouTube - ‪@itswavelengths‬ Stephen on YouTube - ‪@MemoryCardManuscript‬

After 14.5 hours of Demonschool, it’s time to admit that I’m disappointed.(00:00) - - Demonschool is disappointing (01:14) - - Demonschool's original sin (02:45) - - A game that does it better (03:22) - - It's not just expectation Support my work at ko-fi.com/matthortonDemonschool on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/19...

(00:00) - - The Séance of Blake Manor (01:26) - - Irish AF (02:14) - - Deduction in Blake Manor (03:09) - - The art Support my work at ko-fi.com/matthortonThe Séance of Blake Manor on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/13...It's two days before Halloween, and Declan Ward has been invited to Blake Manor to investigate the disappearance of a woman named Evelyn Deane. She and a number of guests are at the manor ahead of the Grand Séance, an attempt to speak directly to a spirit rather than through a medium. As the player, we navigate Ward through Blake Manor to solve the mystery of Miss Deane's disappearance, yes, but also to discover smaller, personal mysteries.

The hottest game mechanic of 2025 is... coin flipping.(00:00) - - Flip a coin with me (02:19) - - Number goes up (12:11) - - The concept of 20% (14:41) - - The "ladder" (17:57) - - "Meme games" (19:27) - - Commenting on humanity with a coin (22:39) - - Committing to the eSports bit (26:21) - - Simultaneous invention To watch the developer interviews, subscribe monthly at https://ko-fi.com/matthortonUnfair Flips on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/39...Q-UP on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/37...Music from the original soundtracks of Q-UP and Cobalt CoreAt this point you’re probably aware of the game, Unfair Flips, where you flip a coin with the single goal of getting 10 heads in a row. Northernlion has played it. I’ve already made a Short about the game. The game has reached a meme status that often leads to financial success for these smaller, simpler games.And in the latest Steam Next Fest, a demo for another coin flipping game has come out. Q-UP is a completely different take on flipping a coin, as impossible as that sounds. Where Unfair Flips is stripped down to only the slightest amount of mechanic on top of the basic probability of a coin flip, Q-UP puts that simple game of chance into the context of eSports. This is a video game that straight up looks like Apex Legends or Overwatch or Marvel Rivals. You have seen a video game UI that looks like this. The design is Fortnite maximalist, including a shop, messages from the developers, a carousel of fake news hits about the game, and even daily challenges. You can actually, really queue up with your friends for coin flipping matches. It is a tongue-in-cheek take on eSports that actually does have an interesting game within it, even if the coin flips themselves are completely random.These games are wildly different takes on a goofy idea, and the distance between those takes leads to thematic differences that I find really interesting. Yes. The two games where you flip coins both have things they’re trying to say. I promise.

Consume Me is an auto-biographical story of a young girl and the untenable pressures she feels to be a success, whatever that means. It is serious, but it is goofy. The game has sad moments, but it’s not somber. Far more often, it’s really funny, chronicling Jenny’s young adulthood through a series of WarioWare-style mini-games. They are chaotic and funny and messed up in all the ways that real life can often be.(00:00) - - A goofy game about real stuff (02:19) - - Consume Me's big mechanic (04:22) - - What even is this game? (06:03) - - It starts out fun... (08:42) - - The breaking point (12:46) - - The broken ways we seek control (16:08) - - Consume Me is extremely well-made Consume Me releases Sep 25, 2025: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2359120/Consume_Me/Music in the video is by Ken "coda" Snyder, including some music from Consume MeSupport my work at https://ko-fi.com/matthortonRead more at https://matthorton.live

Subscribe to Flow State: https://youtube.com/@flowstatecrit(00:00) - - Fretless has a magic (01:41) - - What is Fretless? (02:42) - - Getting QTEs just right (09:15) - - The musical theme of Fretless (16:27) - - The game is great! And that's it. (19:32) - - Fretless almost didn't get made There’s a magic in the game feel of Fretless, and it’s immediately noticeable. Quick-time events in battle form the foundation of this game's incredible game feel. The wild thing, is that despite being a musical RPG from the very beginning of development about 8 years ago, these quick time events weren’t present until about a year before its release. This is a game that had so many chances to fail or be something much lesser. But the team at Ritual Studios were relentless, and they’ve made something special.Fretless on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2429050/Fretless__The_Wrath_of_Riffson/Support my work at ko-fi.com/MattHortonRead more of my writing at https://MattHorton.live

Hoard's LLC: Limited Labyrinth Corporation is a block puzzle game about a minotaur who wants to unionize his workplace, a corporate dungeon. I sat down with Cephalopod Ink, the developer of Hoard's LLC, to learn just what kind of team makes a game like that.(00:00) - - NO BENEFITS (02:09) - - Meet Cephalopod Ink (06:10) - - A corporate dungeon??? (07:47) - - The inspiration for the game (08:59) - - The games industry is a nightmare for workers (11:23) - - Cephalopod's experience with unions (15:43) - - Scoping down to find success (19:13) - - Keeping it light (21:56) - - The art is great! (23:23) - - How do you market a game like Hoard's LLC? (25:54) - - Can games actually make change? (27:28) - - How will Cephalopod Ink be better? (31:21) - - They said the name of the show Support my work at ko-fi.com/MattHortonRead more of my writing at https://MattHorton.liveListen to my podcast at https://cantletitgo.gayListen to Lex's podcast - The Legend of Podcast: Trails Through Trails - https://trailspod.transistor.fm/

Expedition 33 is just one of many great turn-based RPGs released in the last 10 years. Here's a bunch of RPGs that you should play when you're finished with Clair Obscur.0:00 - JRPGs never died2:12 - Turn-based RPGs are killing it4:25 - High-fidelity 3D graphics6:11 - Art Direction7:21 - World Maps8:23 - Combat11:02 - Characters & Social Sim13:11 - A Message14:56 - Turn-based RPGs aren't ancient historyFind me elswhere:Support my work at ko-fi.com/MattHortonRead more of my writing at https://MattHorton.liveListen to my podcast at https://cantletitgo.gayMy video on the end of Expedition 33 https://youtu.be/J_gfIx5VIqY?si=bv2Uvhpjpp_uK5tCLex's podcast!!! The Legend of Podcast: Trails Through Trails - https://trailspod.transistor.fm/Credits-----https://youtu.be/p00EF6_b5pI?si=rl5eCMgy3MqMHQihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i87Bk7OqAUkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8azSzG-Flshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkm1I7ngQb0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCuaejfDvR0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-6Aa3_86Lohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVLEPdSX8DYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6daXBKYT6N4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asf4DmuukZAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz0g9hxq7L8https://www.youtube.com/watch?index=2&v=j_-dPgRy4LIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEo9rB4WmCMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV5rIW1Qumshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsdxLwqUH6ghttps://youtu.be/LUNL-Pey7BU?si=00AE5Gf1r6vtchsQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raWYLdIqy5Ahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Wj5bpID80https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgtBM23ltuwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPcwMFWZksQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=off7_MX4eZkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-v6DRmerschttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgKMcrpvQNQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P7obXHM3EQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxhzR5SzvRshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF96tpchinkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB4WyHe-HRMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T85-Obx9iE8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWWy7V9rCrAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKpSpvFCZRwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsMvSZeiKmwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIIPXA2A6cMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXi0yQD9F1Yhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tavPnYeFrV4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T22wNvoNiUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plwpzrXQoUwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQPk4cVrU_whttps://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1s&v=f5IWiqGKcQghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd9j_NWZGG8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XTozylrz-Qhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJL0-lDuJn8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMtDNA_kiZ4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdkyi7Myg-chttps://youtu.be/ADaRsEhTB70?si=p_GKjqgqUDcswLwfhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dwFNq06bQkhttps://youtu.be/pKRvc2HADUw?si=lR_ymsDfzwlrup0Jhttps://youtu.be/lgmLN1NHXyE?si=Xlk-u4Gbyxlmn-C1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmi8KrntszIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVbqM_O2kcIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7trBUIkyO1Ahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhqbNaxO82ghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWXAxOKdQ6chttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTOAd2fq740https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeZ_Z1diuighttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7zjsM5nQAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Goj8hyy_L0Mhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KES40VdEtQghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVP_nCK0tXUhttps://youtu.be/jjiyzoII06I?si=8bS0E2shLrS7O9zfhttps://youtu.be/7lM8fVR_oZw?si=l45fTQsf7eXp78Tyhttps://youtu.be/srvV0riIgXU?si=Qe-DWMTlZRlsb3Qihttps://youtu.be/iNwMvTVPq2E?si=HlZ1fYaCdRzxmiF4https://youtu.be/Vofkw9-O18c?si=gzQ_ZGqawbwgIbcLhttps://youtu.be/iEGniXc7Xtc?si=eh_t4hodQFix3UtZhttps://youtu.be/-1LDIPBWjtU?si=pp_KiOifoEejX2VJhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORpKwkq5z-4https://youtu.be/qFs8-qGaoHU?si=Vj3TRiyLFQmkOFgYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyprCbJwWsEhttps://youtu.be/Woz3mS9Ao5k?si=sJGQru1pFn8iMg7zhttps://youtu.be/yvSWRg_oPyw?si=nAKsR0Voifbny0JB

We've GOT to talk about the ending of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and why it's the worst part of an incredible video game0:00 - Spoilers ahead0:09 - The speech0:52 - Expedition 33 is beautiful1:18 - The endings2:45 - We just need consistencyThat sick edit by   @monners5910 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bd3Zgf964kThanks to my writing partner, Lex, and to my friend Jason for coming up with this video's punch line in our Discord DMs.

I don't recommend Wanderstop.Find the video of this episode at https://youtu.be/MXGSgWCv90YFind the written version of this episode at https://MattHorton.live0:00 - How you make tea in Wanderstop1:37 - Not just another "cozy" game4:02 - I'm reminded of Indika4:54 - Why tea?

Play Known Mysteries: https://www.solarserver.games/onnow.htmlReferences:More about Solar Server: https://karastonesite.com/2022/11/03/solar-server/The Bluesky post: https://bsky.app/profile/raantuva.fyi/post/3liahynaoyx2vMore of me:More writing at https://matthorton.liveSupport my work at https://ko-fi.com/matthorton0:00 - I'm tired of pretending things are normal0:52 - What is Known Mysteries?

I couldn't decide which game was the best this year. So I didn't. There's a universe where every one of these is the game of the year.Thanks to Cosmosis and AJ Fillari for being in this one!Thanks to phloup_ for the cover of "I Will Protect You"Find the written version of this video at https://MattHorton.live Sudden Death on itch - https://dominoclub.itch.io/sudden-death0:00 - The best game of 20240:16 - Mystery game2:36 - Fishing game5:25 - Fantasy game9:16 - Spooky puzzle game11:22 - The remake (w/ AJ)11:30 - Tactics game14:47 - Gay romance game16:47 - Game from 202018:48 - Survival car game (w/  @Cosmosis )20:11 - Card game21:16 - Game about death23:09 - Narrative game

We crave failure, or at least the chance of it. Why?00:00 - You crave failure01:39 - Citizen Sleeper’s ideas of failure06:46 - We fear failure09:29 - The Paradox of Failure12:19 - The queer art of failure14:48 - CW: Homophobia17:22 - How Citizen Sleeper 2 uses failure22:15 - Who gets to fail?25:33 - The risk of making games30:29 - Failing the contract in Citizen Sleeper 234:18 - Why we crave failureFind links to everything I do online at MattHorton.liveSupport the channel at ko-fi.com/matthorton and get access to the full interview with Gareth Damian Martin!Wishlist Citizen Sleeper 2 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2442460/Citizen_Sleeper_2_Starward_Vector/Subscribe to the Jump Over the Age substack - https://jumpovertheage.substack.com/Research sources:The Art of Failure, Juul - https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262529952/the-art-of-failure/The Queer Art of Failure, Halberstam - https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-queer-art-of-failureQueer Games Studies, Ruberg and Shaw - https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517900373/queer-game-studies/No Fun: The Queer Potential of Video Games that Annoy, Anger, Disappoint, Sadden, and Hurt, Ruberg - https://ourglasslake.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Ruberg-No-Fun-QED.pdfMusic:Signalchaser, Citizen Sleeper 2, Amos Roddy - https://youtu.be/M4BhsWWy4F0?si=D-djTl2B_-WJWk0PSuncatchers, Citizen Sleeper 2, Amos Roddy - https://youtu.be/YL5LWm5Nk84?si=0vEwUiNKMRWV5HDIMedia sources:Why do God of War's Characters Keep Spoiling Puzzles?, Game Maker's Toolkit - https://youtu.be/cZgjRcYGkY8?si=ynaXk8O8RP3eHzUbIn Defense of Dark Souls 2, hbomberguy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRTfcMeqhigInto the Aether's Pokémon Emerald Nuzlocke - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bYvqnTvUCgAnimal Crossing (Gamecube) with Stephen - https://youtu.be/_8e7wd6x9Ow?si=nS0VrrMR8xmnkP4PJesper Juul - Who cares if it's a Game? The uses and misuses of a dangerous word - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1RUiMY2MEsThe Cult of Microsoft by Ed Zitron - https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-cult-of-microsoft/I made the worst ever 1-1 remake in Mario Maker 2 by YTSunny - https://youtu.be/eb60pnjABGg?si=ijyLAhsOxSFHGpcxWhat is Super Mario Bros? by Into the Aether - https://youtu.be/ydoGs2Sflw4?si=cZPLJ3pXDw8rBOOcBo Ruberg: The Queer Games Avant-Garde - https://youtu.be/pc1az37mEvo?si=nUuxI9hQAmigJIE0Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Balloon Battle Gameplay - https://youtu.be/4xZ3TnVk9bQ?si=2hWRrtZfyhLhW9rsMicrosoft Closes Studios Behind Redfall, Hi-Fi Rush, And More To Prioritize 'High-Impact' Games, Kotaku - https://kotaku.com/xbox-closing-arkane-austin-tango-gameworks-1851460685Ubisoft to Shut Down ‘XDefiant,’ Nearly 300 Employees Laid Off as San Francisco and Osaka Game Studios Close, Variety - https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/xdefiant-canceled-ubisoft-layoffs-1236235023/Aaron Greenberg's tweet praising how well Hi-Fi Rush did across their measurements - https://x.com/aarongreenberg/status/1649431572137779203

What this on YouTube at https://youtu.be/wGwtEtuuChMRead more from Matt at matthorton.liveSupport Flow State at ko-fi.com/matthorton“Is Persona Gay?” by GarfieldKermit - https://youtu.be/37LacI2erq8?si=rEMKHsbLvATmSGRkGameplay footage provided by FazRead Brendon Bigley's review at Wavelengths - https://wavelengths.online/posts/persona-3-reload-a-review"Katsura Hashino, directing Persona 5" by Archipel - https://youtu.be/jGb3BNgU7SE?si=O3V4WbM4nu7AchMu"You should play 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim" by me! - https://youtu.be/O7EhtgGg4pc?si=_ng5V8GvgBWX_Tcw0:00 - Persona has a problem0:50 - Love things and critique them2:05 - Persona 3 Reload is a masterpiece5:27 - What is Persona 3 Reload?7:46 - The best parts of Persona 3 Reload15:02 - Critiquing what I love24:45 - I want a Persona 6 without problems28:54 - I recommend Persona 3 Reload (with caveats)Listen to Flow State on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get podcasts

Support my work at Ko-Fi.com/matthortonMy writing - MattHorton.liveMy podcast - cantletitgo.gayKim's video game podcast - dotzip.onlineKim's frod podcast - frogpod.online1000xRESIST by Sunset Visitor - sunsetvisitor.studioGameplay footage by @samussonic-playsCheck out the dotzip 1000xRESIST spoilercast at https://share.transistor.fm/s/9180106a1000xRESIST is not only a game about remembering. It is a game about we carry forward and what we must choose to forget. Holding onto every memory from every person on the entire planet is both impossible and dangerous. Some things just don't fit in the backpack.Chapters0:00 - Spoiler Warning0:29 - Sometimes you just don’t fit in the backpack3:07 - Making 1000xRESIST5:02 - Watcher8:03 - Iris19:35 - Youngest23:09 - The Occupants27:47 - Blue38:51 - Watcher42:31 - Iris & Clara48:20 - Principal52:39 - Secretary59:49 - What do we carry forward?

It turns out that it's easier and more enjoyable to get things done when you're nicer to yourself.Text version at https://MattHorton.liveListen to our podcast, Can't Let It Go, at https://cantletitgo.gayThe IGN review of Animal Well - https://www.ign.com/articles/animal-well-reviewMy short blog about Animal Well - https://matthorton.live/2024/05/11/animal-well-isnt-tunic/0:00 - Something is wrong with me3:50 - Lorelei and the Laser Eyes7:55 - Tearing down the Wall of Awful8:31 - Animal Well14:45 - Making things easier15:45 - Elden Ring

Citizen Sleeper changed my life. Did it make it any better?Citizen Sleeper: How to Escape Dystopia - https://youtu.be/Eiyf-4FhdFs0:00 - Citizen Sleeper changed my life1:17 - Did it help?Get Balatro running on iOS - https://old.reddit.com/r/iosgaming/comments/1bnf0zy/tutorial_run_balatro_on_your_ios_device/

Read more at https://MattHorton.live0:00 - X-Men '97 rules (no spoilers)1:10 - It's not just X-MenI swear you don't need to watch all of X-Men the Animated Series to start X-Men '97. And you don't need to catch up. I swear.Stop doing homework just to have fun. Just enjoy things!

0:00 - Yakuza: Like A Dragon is good1:06 - Why I played it1:33 - Why I enjoyed itMore writing at https://MattHorton.liveI'll spoil the point up front for you. Yakuza: Like A Dragon rules. It's a great game, and I regret not playing a game in this series until now.You know what I usually hate? Long, overly complex games, over the top, macho violence, and turn based combat. So why did I start Like A Dragon? Because Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth features a famous Hawaiian t-shirt shop that was also featured in the now defunct reality Netflix show Terrace House.That's truly it. Just imagining the vibe of watching Terrace House Aloha State and playing Infinite Wealth at the same time sounded so fun.

This video and more writing at https://MattHorton.liveMy podcast https://cantletitgo.gay0:00 - Marvel's Midnight Suns4:12 - What is Midnight Suns?4:38 - Hero and Ability Management7:14 - Combat12:25 - Superhero Social Sim17:19 - Abbey Grounds Exploration18:37 - The Loop that keeps me playing20:17 - The Problems with Midnight Suns31:31 - This game deserves a sequel

0:00 - The Game Awards1:25 - A sequel that outdid its predecessor3:26 - A beautiful, smart puzzler5:12 - The indie that surprised me6:33 - Rethinking an earlier video8:07 - A game DEMO?!More writing at https://MattHorton.live

0:00 - I love broken games0:41 - The game I can't quit playing3:00 - The game that taught me imbalance is good6:30 - Making games FEEL great9:32 - Balance feels bad

0:00 - Cassette Beasts really works for me1:04 - The vibe3:58 - Cassette Beasts is Pokémon for adults6:42 - It's not that deep10:40 - Great battles13:06 - Killer music14:14 - Well-written characters17:12 - Letting go🔗 All my links @ https://matthorton.liveKyle Labriola's Sea of Stars Review - https://cohost.org/kylelabriola/post/2762235-thoughts-on-sea-of-sThe Pre-Order Bonus podcast episode with Jay Baylis - https://www.buzzsprout.com/747596/episodes/12421340The Back Page podcast episode with Jay Baylis - https://shows.acast.com/the-back-page-a-video-games-podcast/episodes/episode-126-how-to-make-a-video-game-with-jay-baylis

0:00 - A great game1:50 - The expert2:59 - What games work on Steam4:21 - Where Season did well6:01 - Why talk about Steam?7:38 - Marketing doesn't mean success8:20 - DATA8:44 - A secret formula9:32 - What games don't work10:53 - What about Steam Deck?12:11 - A buzzy game you might know14:48 - Ways to make a game work15:36 - What about cozy games?17:16 - Sports games do bad on Steam18:22 - Pokémon-likes, on the other hand...19:38 - Something doesn't add up...22:11 - This is like software design23:24 - Twitter is not real life24:25 - NBZ helps me26:04 - What people read on a Steam page28:01 - The false door testAt the end of January, a game released that changed how I think of games completely. Season A Letter to the Future had been building hype through multiple trailers during PlayStation events. Season, at its simplest, is a game about riding a bike, taking pictures, and recording audio. Call it wholesome or cozy, but Season fits nicely into this extremely popular niche of games whose goals are not to best an opponent or kill an enemy. In Season, Estelle's goal is simply to document her world and its culture before that culture comes to an end. Season's first trailer drew a lot of interest. It looked beautiful and contemplative and like a game I was going to devour. It was rather big news when word came out that the game's director and Scavenger Studios co-founder Simon Darvaux had harassed staff working on the game and had a toxic management style. It was a little quieter news when an investigation found that Scavenger Studios had dealt with Darveau's toxicity appropriately and that he would return to the studio in a more isolated role working on a different game. But perhaps the most shocking news came months after Season's release in June, when Scavenger Studios laid off half of their staff due to the game's extremely poor performance. After a strong indie game hype cycle and being featured in multiple PlayStation events, Season only sold around 60,000 copies across PS5 and Steam. The game underperformed what was expected in sales, and very likely, I think, underperformed what was necessary to make up the costs of development. When this news came out, I put a link to the gamesindustry.biz story in a Discord server that I frequent. The series of responses that I got from today's guest are what completely changed how I think about games, or at least how those games are marketed. In this video, NBZ walks me through the ways that indie games are marketed and why some great games fail when others don't.MY LINKSFind MY Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

🔗 ALL of my links - https://MattHorton.live Welcome to Terra Nil, the unique city-builder game that challenges you to restore a barren planet rather than exploit it for resources. In this game, you're not the typical city-builder where you bulldoze forests, pollute rivers and strip-mine mountains to build your metropolis. Instead, you must work with nature to heal the planet and create a thriving ecosystem.And it's the first game this year to truly blow me away.0:00 - What is Terra Nil1:03 - This is Devolver game?1:24 - How Free Lives make games2:08 - How I found the game2:56 - Playing Terra Nil3:54 - It's a power fantasy4:47 - Recycling difficulty5:16 - The first game to grip me this year

🔗 ALL of my links - https://MattHorton.live In Papers, Please, you take the role of a citizen of the fictional nation Arstotzka, modeled after Cold War totalitarian Eastern European nations. The government of Arstotzka has just ended a war with the neighboring country of Kolechia, and the player character has been appointed as an immigration inspector as the tensions from that recent war continue.Papers, Please is also a game that reminded me too much of my real life.0:00 - This makes me uncomfortable0:03 - Papers, Please1:28 - When I finally played it1:53 - Too close to home2:55 - No wrong way to be an immigrant3:46 - I'l never finish this game

While Elden Ring has generated a lot of buzz and excitement, there are other games that interested me more in terms of gameplay, storytelling, and overall enjoyment. I'll be sharing my top picks for the best games of 2022 and explaining why I think they're the ones you should play. If you're a fan of Elden Ring or just want to know what other games to catch up on from this year, you'll find something great to play here.These are my favorite games of 2022.0:00 - What games meant to me this year1:21 - It's a Pokémon game!4:01 - A puzzle game for mystery lovers5:12 - This game feels like being a kid again8:08 - You love superheroes and cards?13:22 - They made 3 MOVIES for this game16:43 - The best, ugliest game17:49 - You still love superheroes and cards?19:25 - Such a cute little fox21:08 - The game that made my yearMY LINKSFind MY Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

Credits:Marvel SNAP OST - Chris Alan (https://thechrisalan.com/2022/06/02/who-wrote-the-soundtrack-to-marvel-snap/)Hero - Martin Garrix and JVKE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5spiMVI9U8)Hero (Piano Cover) - Jarel Gomes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWNBmTIGtY)Links to everything @ https://MattHorton.live0:00 - I shouldn't love this game1:20 - What SNAP does right1:46 - Cards RULE2:15 - The Marvel of it all3:01 - Why do the mechanics work?4:12 - The Snap4:58 - Is it pay to win?6:45 - What Marvel SNAP gets wrong6:56 - Cyber Holiday changed my mind8:37 - What did it cost?9:03 - I'd rather buy the physical copy9:46 - You have to do better, Marvel10:57 - We've done this before11:59 - Players want credits13:12 - You're supposed to enjoy video games14:01 - Marvel SNAP is great despite everything14:47 - A silly thing I'm doingMarvel SNAP is a card battler mobile game featuring a wide array of Marvel Comics characters. Players collect and build decks of cards featuring their favorite heroes and villains, and then engage in simple, strategic matches against other players (and occasionally bots). Each card has its own unique abilities and powers that often map directly to the character's super powers, and players must use those abilities wisely to outmaneuver their opponents and emerge victorious. Marvel SNAP's deckbuilding is approachable. It's game play is simple to understand, and it's characters are loved. But it's a genre known for predatory monetization practices, and I personally hate online competitive multiplayer games. But I love Marvel SNAP.So what does Marvel SNAP get right?

0:00 - Content Warnings0:45 - Is escape possible?3:34 - Why Citizen Sleeper hit me this hard6:55 - Who does YOUR body belong to?9:26 - Citizen Sleeper's characters16:12 - The body is not the self20:42 - Content Warning: Body feelings22:34 - Who do YOU belong to?27:00 - Lem & Mina: An uncertain future40:27 - Content Warning: Death and grief42:01 - Where do you BELONG?44:02 - Getting to know EmphisCitizen Sleeper asks you to decide if escape is possible.It took several minutes of impasse and tears and not touching my controller, for fear of making a decision before I was ready, for me to know what I thought about that question. Citizen Sleeper gives you several potential answers and in the ones that resonated with me was the kind of deep personal freedom you only find, sure enough, through community. Citizen Sleeper is about disability and body dysmorphia and the inevitability of corruption, and it is about the things the grow among and around those things. The antidotes and the byproducts.  Citizen Sleeper is about collections of people: families, gangs, unions, neighborhoods, corporations, and communes. It is about the individuals that make them up and how their individual needs strengthen or threaten the collective. But for our purposes today, it is about place. Yes the whole of its corporate, colonized space, but also...the aging space station its story takes place on: Erlin's Eye.The Eye is not exactly a welcoming home, but for a sleeper it is, in many ways, better than what they've come from. In the world of Citizen Sleeper, AI has been outlawed. So as a way of getting around that, the company Essen-Arp pays regular people to emulate their consciousness. It's a way to skirt the rules, but it also relies on there being people desperate enough to participate. These people are asleep in some kind of corporate facility, and their emulated consciousness is downloaded into a constructed body called a Frame. This new person is called a Sleeper, though many in this world would take issue with my calling them a "person." These Sleepers are forced to do some sort of labor for some period of time and when that time is up, the Frame is deactivated, the person whose consciousness they were made from wakes up, and that person gets paid for the work their Sleeper did.As you might imagine, the Sleeper, an emulated human personality living inside a constructed body and being forced to work their entire life only to benefit another person, might have feelings about this arrangement. So Essen-Arp makes sure that if the Sleeper ever escapes, their Frame, their body, will begin to destabilize. It will break down at an accelerated rate. Death will always come for the Sleeper, either through violence or planned obsolescence.And this is where the game places you at the start. You are an escaped Sleeper, nearly frozen in a cargo container, just trying to survive long enough to make it to Erlin's Eye. You're not sure where you'll go after that, but you know... well you hope there will be options when you get there.MY LINKSFind MY Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

Andrew Shouldice, creator and lead developer of Tunic, was actually heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda, a game known for having many secrets that, depending on your perspective, are either genius or obtuse. But Tunic is heavily inspired also by games like Fez, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring. These are all games I have never played.Tunic got me to love a Soulslike.0:00 - The conundrum1:24 - What people actually mean when they compare Tunic to Elden Ring2:05 - How Tunic gripped me4:09 - How Tunic makes difficulty fun6:49 - Tunic is GORGEOUSMY LINKSFind MY Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

13 Sentinels pumps out huge reveals, twists and turns that are actually meaningful to its characters rather than being empty fan service, and just super fun story beats every few minutes. And it wears its many sci-fi inspirations on its sleeve. 13 Sentinels is ostensibly a game about teenagers with secret powers that let them call down giant mechs to protect their city from kaiju attacks. But there's also an alien invasion plot line, a time travel element, and even an 80s high school drama. This game is referential, but its characters love the source material so fervently that reference quickly becomes reverence. It is unapologetic about its love for genre fiction and aims to be the epitome of those kinds of stories in a way only a video game can be.0:00 - You should play 13 Sentinels2:05 - This game is the best sci-fi tv show ever4:48 - A few gripes about 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim6:59 - Who 13 Sentinels is forMY LINKSFind MY Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

The Forgotten City has a VERY corny ending, and I LOVE it. I love it so much that I played The Forgotten City for a second time just to tell you why.This isn't a review, and it's not a video about The Forgotten City Skyrim mod. Instead, it's me trying to figure out why the ending to the 2021 worked for me and sharing that with you. I love making these kinds of videos, so please settle in and let me know in the comments if you liked it. @JacobGeller's video about The Forgotten City - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGBP0E4zEs0:00 - The White Hallway...1:04 - What is The Forgotten City?4:31 - This city's single mysterious law6:40 - Yes. Another loop game7:46 - How the game EARNS its ending11:19 - The trope lands15:01 - This could have been cringe city16:47 - The horror that necessitates the cheese

I haven't played Animal Crossing in a while. I bet you haven't either. The game does a lot to shame you when you log back in after a long time, and I have my own guilt attached to my abandoned island. I also have a lot of parallel guilt and shame attached to my body and how I treated food when I was originally playing Animal Crossing New Horizons. That connection is what this video is about.Obvious CONTENT WARNING for body image talk, food talk, and honestly just talk about pandemic grief. I have a lot to unpack, and I hope it's helpful for some people.0:00 - A content warning0:29 - Grasping for control2:32 - Bingeing on control4:02 - This pattern in my real life5:09 - My body image in light of all of this6:09 - Shame in the game7:34 - Guilt in the game8:12 - What I'm doing about itMY LINKSFind MY Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

Hironobu Sakaguchi, Final Fantasy creator, has released a new game EXCLUSIVE to Apple Arcade called Fantasian. It's a throwback to the Square Enix FF7 era, but its setting is entirely made of PHYSICAL DIORAMAS. This is how I feel about the game including the issues with iCloud saves that I encountered trying to play an Apple Arcade game on Mac, iPhone, AND iPad (but not Apple TV).0:00 - PHYSICAL SETS0:30 - The Good4:18 - The BadMY LINKSFind MY Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

In this video, I talk to two trans people about the news that the video game Hogwarts Legacy could have trans options in its character creator. This Hogwarts Legacy news paired with J. K. Rowling's notorious transphobia had my brain flying around, but I didn't want to share my own opinions on Hogwarts Legacy, JK Rowling, and the news surrounding them. I wanted to ask trans folks what they thought. AC's website - https://acfacci.comHope's links - https://linktr.ee/ohthereshope0:00 - Why we're here0:30 - The controversy3:19 - A conversation with AC & Hope3:33 - Tell me about your HP fandom...6:21 - What is your fandom like in 2021?10:39 - On death of the author14:03 - What do you think about the character creator?21:57 - Troy Leavitt23:48 - Will you play Hogwarts Legacy?26:29 - My decisionMY LINKSFind my Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, and Discord at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

An Internet acquaintance recently showed off his custom Gameboy Advance collection, and I immediately fell down the rabbit hole of retro modding and custom gameboy builds. When my husband asked what I wanted for my birthday, parts for my own build was the only answer. I bought a Gameboy Advance in 2021 and built it exactly the way that I wanted it. This is that custom GBA build.Kyle Starr's IG: https://www.instagram.com/_kylestarr0:00 - A man of many hobbies0:22 - Modded Game Boy Advances?!1:17 - The mods I did3:32 - Work left to do4:52 - What did it cost? Everything...9:03 - My next project(s)MY LINKSFind my Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, and Discord at https://matthorton.liveMB01XIRFX2S97ZD

Games That Got Me Through 2020These are my top 5 games of 2020. These are the games that, looking back at 2020, stick with me the most, built the most important memories, and were the most fun. And with everything that went wrong in 2020, these are the games that kept me going.0:00 - Looking back on 20200:40 - #5 - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim3:02 - #4 - Spider-Man: Miles Morales4:59 - #3 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons6:17 - BONUS - Good Sudoku6:53 - #2 - Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition 8:27 - #1 - HadesMY LINKSFind my Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, and Discord at https://matthorton.live

This is a love letter to Kentucky Route Zero.Kentucky Route Zero is a game you can't win. It tells you it's a tragedy.0:00 - The most important moment of the game0:14 - Spoiler warning0:27 - What is Kentucky Route Zero1:23 - Kentucky Route Zero on capitalism4:14 - 1st Technique - Magical Realism12:06 - 2nd Technique - Choice22:46 - 3rd Technique - Community28:25 - The game's final actKentucky Route Zero is one of the best games I played this year, and this video is why.Actually, it is a game, but it's really a point and click game, adventure game, visual novel combo. There's a LOT of reading, but it's also one of my favorite Nintendo Switch games of 2020. Magical realism, anti-capitalism, and some serious David Lynch vibes make this one of the best games of 2020 for me. A game ostensibly based in rural Kentucky, you play Conway, on a search for 5 Dogwood Drive. This sends you on a route down the Zero, a mysterious highway in the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky. The game tells you it's a tragedy and that your strategies are useless. It's not the kind of game you win. You can't min-max your way to a good ending. This is my Kentucky Route Zero review. I played the Nintendo Switch version, so all the of the Kentucky Route Zero gameplay you're seeing is from the TV Edition.Included in this video is my cover of a hymn that is included on the Kentucky Route Zero soundtrack. If you'd like to download that yourself, watch all the way to the end for instructions. MY LINKShttps://MattHorton.liveThanks to the Kentucky Route Zero unofficial Discord for the assistance.Love Letter icon by Vectors Market and Noun Project.