Gaming In The Wild - Video Game Reviews – Details, episodes & analysis

This week's pod is a roundup episode featuring Blade Chimera, Midtris, and Death Stranding 2. In the roundup: Tron Catalyst, Tiny Garden, Preserve, Wheel World.

I also talk about moving the podcast's hosting away from Spotify, given the unforgivable actions of the CEO, and discuss removing GITW from Spotify completely. For the record — Pocketcasts does it just as well; and YouTube Music has you covered if you have a YT Premium subscription.

Links mentioned:

My Grapevine cover story: https://grapevine.is/mag/feature/2025/07/04/the-summer-ring-road-around-iceland-in-12-days.

The latest Gaming In The Wild YouTube videos: http://youtube.com/gaminginthewild.

Support me on Patreon for bonus episodes, Discord, blogs, and more: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.

Find the BlueSky, Instagram, Steam curator page, etc: http://gaminginthewild.com.

Thanks for listening!

Hey folks! This week's pod gives some initial thoughts on Kojima's new joint Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, then runs through over 20 demos from the recent Steam Next Fest, including Ball X Pit, Herdling, MIO: Memories In Orbit, Hirogami, Death Howl, Gecko Gods, and more.

Join the Patreon for extra stuff: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild

Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/

Video version of the Next Fest section: https://youtu.be/zdqXD205SIk?si=y9ZZus1JclKr92K1

Death Stranding 1 episode: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gaminginthewild/episodes/62-Death-Stranding-with-special-guest-Ciaran-Daly-e13qrur/a-a61t7f8

Other stuff: http://gaminginthewild.com

Special thanks to boss tier patrons Shy Guy, King Champ and essywoods. And thanks for listening!

London Games Festival 2025 was a packed event this year, with events including New Game+, Now Play This, Good Game Dev Club, Darkfield At The Ditch, the BAFTA Awards, and more. I was in London for the festivities, and this episode is my report on the festival.

Games covered: Herdling, Will: Follow The Light, Passant, Beyond The Board, Battle Suit Aces, Gunboat God, Button Man, Moroi, Henry Halfhead, Time Flies, Wheel World, Lushfoil Photography Sim, All Will Rise, Treeplanter, and Vapourwave Pinball. Check out the Steam demos of some of these here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/LondonGamesFestival2025.

In the roundup: Blue Prince, Promise Mascot Agency.

Thanks to Genny Dixon, Fergus Craig, Kim & Nathan, New Game+, and Ciaran Daly.

Become a patron for bonus episodes and loads of fun perks: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild.

Find me on Bluesky, YouTube, the Steam curator page, etc: http://gaminginthewild.com.

Thanks for listening!

On a little Zelda sabbatical, this week's episode rounds up a few recent indie games. The featured review is Ravenlok – a short, charming fairytale adventure in which we enter a fairytale kingdom through a magic mirror, and take up a quest to liberate the realm from an evil queen. It’s a simple comfort-food video game with plenty of heart and some colourful, fantastical visuals.

In the roundup: After Us, Humanity, The Talos Principle, and a June release roundup with Dordogne, Mask Of The Rose, Harmony: The Fall Of Reverie, Cal of Porcupine, Crime O'Clock, and more.

And many thanks to the show’s latest patrons, Simon, Wayne, John & Mark! If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. Patrons get access to a catalogue of bonus episodes, and an invite to the show’s lovely Discord community. You can also send a one-off tip via Ko-Fi at http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. 

All proceeds go into the podcast, covering things like equipment, games, music, editing apps, and so forth. I really appreciate the support, it helps make the show better.

If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find all the links at http://gaminginthewild.com.

And check out this Steam curator page made by podcast supporter DovetailTrue: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/  

Thanks for listening!

This week's episode picks up where we left off with Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. With special guest Ciaran Daly, we run through the Rito Village quest, and talk about our first steps into The Deep, our hits and misses in device building and puzzle-solving, and more.

In the roundup: The Playstation Showcase, with Alan Wake II, Sword of the Sea, Neva, The Plucky Squire, AC Mirage, Talos Principle II, and more.

And many thanks to the show’s latest patrons, Wayne and John! If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. Patrons get access to a catalogue of bonus episodes, and an invite to the show’s lovely Discord community. You can also send a one-off tip via Ko-Fi at http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. 

All proceeds go into the podcast, covering things like equipment, games, music, editing apps, and so forth. I really appreciate the support, it helps make the show better.

If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find all the links at http://gaminginthewild.com.

And check out this Steam curator page made by podcast supporter DovetailTrue: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/  

Thanks for listening!

Tears Of The Kingdom is Nintendo’s impossible sequel. How do you follow up the best game of all time? Their answer was to expand it in all directions. Tears of the Kingdom uses the miraculous Breath of the Wild as its foundations, soaring high and plunging deep to create an astounding adventure in which the possibilities stretch as far as the horizon. 

Note: this show covers the intro, opening sky island area, and landfall sections of the game. I tried to be sensitive about spoilers, and note in advance if I'm touching on anything I feel it might be nice for players to discover for themselves. There are no story spoilers However, this is based on my own interpretation of what could be considered spoiler material, so listener discretion is advised. I'd say this show is probably most suited to players who have played for 10-15 hours, generally speaking.

And many thanks to this month's new patrons, Julia and Simon! If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. Patrons get access to a catalogue of bonus episodes, and an invite to the show’s lovely Discord community. You can also send a one-off tip via Ko-Fi at http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. 

All proceeds go into the podcast, covering things like equipment, games, music, editing apps, and so forth. I really appreciate the support, it helps make the show better.

If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find all the links at http://gaminginthewild.com.

And check out this Steam curator page made by podcast supporter DovetailTrue: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/  

Thanks for listening!

Jedi: Fallen Order is a game I first talked about on episode ten of this podcast, way back in 2020. I finally rolled credits this week, so with that, Jedi: Survivor's release, and it being May 4th, it seemed like a good time to talk about it again. It's a nostalgic Star Wars action-adventure game that nails the elusive vibe that made the first trilogy great. There are some significant bumps in the road, but it’s an accomplished game that really does make you feel the force as a Padawan runaway relearning your Jedi skills.

In the roundup: The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Strayed Lights, and a May video game releases preview, including Venba, Dordogne, After Us, Planet of Lana, Tin Hearts, Ravenlok, Miasma Chronicles, Humanity, Cassette Beats, and — of course — The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

If you'd like to support this podcast on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. Patrons get access to a catalogue of bonus episodes, and an invite to the show’s lovely Discord community. You can also send a one-off tip via Ko-Fi at http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. All proceeds go into the podcast, covering things like equipment, games, music, editing apps, and so forth. I really appreciate the support — it helps make the show better!

You can also come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find all the links at http://gaminginthewild.com.

And check out this Steam curator page made by podcast supporter DovetailTrue: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/  

Thanks for listening!

Betrayal At Club Low is an oddball point ’n’ click adventure game that melds weird storytelling, retro visuals, a loopy nightclub infiltration scenario, and compelling dice-based skill checks into a contemporary refresh for the genre. It's super fun, and feels like an instant cult classic.

In the roundup: Jedi: Fallen Order, Storyteller, Minabo: A Walk Through Life, The Last Case of Benedict Fox.

And many thanks to the show’s latest patron, Julia! If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. Patrons get access to a catalogue of bonus episodes, and an invite to the show’s lovely Discord community. You can also send a one-off tip via Ko-Fi at http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. All proceeds go into the podcast, covering things like equipment, games, music, editing apps, and so forth. I really appreciate the support, it helps make the show better.

If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find all the links at http://gaminginthewild.com.

And check out this Steam curator page made by podcast supporter DovetailTrue: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/

Thanks for listening!

TRON Identity is an atmospheric detective story set in an intiguing building called The Repository, over the course of a single rainy night. The presentation nails TRON’s singular aesthetic, but the story is over before it has really begun.

In the roundup: Horizon: Burning West, and Nintendo's April Indie World showcase, including Animal Well, Paper Trail, Oxenfree II, Cult of the Lamb, Brotato, Shadows Over Loathing, and more.

And many thanks to the show’s latest patron, Matthew! If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild. Patrons get access to a catalogue of bonus episodes, and an invite to the show’s lovely Discord community. You can also send a one-off tip via Ko-Fi at http://ko-fi.com/gaminginthewild. 

All proceeds go into the podcast, covering things like equipment, games, music, editing apps, and so forth. I really appreciate the support, it helps make the show better.

If you enjoy the show, you can come say hi on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch - find all the links at http://gaminginthewild.com.

And check out this Steam curator page made by podcast supporter DovetailTrue: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43457463-Gaming-in-the-Wild-%2528unofficial%2529/  

Thanks for listening!