Level With Us – Details, episodes & analysis

Marcus has been working on a new detective video game with his creative partner Nathan, and today we’re going to dive into what that was like! Join us as we discuss what makes for a good murder mystery scenario, some behind-the-scenes development stories, and find out whether this game truly is the “soulslike” of detective video games.

If you’re interested in winning a free copy of the game, find out at the end of this episode. Then, visit the YouTube version of this interview: https://youtu.be/8mzwqaMtNz0

Purchase the Rise of the Golden Idol: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716400/The_Rise_of_the_Golden_Idol/

(Also available on consoles!)

Check out Marcus and Nathan's Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/30R5REvknCBprrCrlAY

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

3:28 - What is “Rise of the Golden Idol?”

5:04 - How did you get to work on this?

6:00 - “Writer” or “Narrative Designer?

7:23 - Do you feel any pressure or expectations working on the sequel?

9:57 - How do you start writing a murder-mystery scenario?

13:13 - Did the narrative inform the scenarios, or vice versa?

14:43 - Did you design alone, or paired up with other writers?

16:21 - What are your writing strengths?

19:14 - Did you have any ideas considered too “silly” for this game?

20:15 - Did you have to cut any scenarios you were excited about?

23:01 - What are you looking forward to about the launch? Any fun development stories?

25:24 - Who do you think will enjoy this game the most?

26:48 - Free Game Giveaway!

27:55 - Outro

UFO 50 is one of the most ambitious indies we've ever played: 50 games in one, and some of which are all-time classics! Here are our top ten.

If you have upcoming indie game recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com!

We are on all major podcasting platforms: https://anchor.fm/levelwithus

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

0:43 - Why do we love UFO 50?

8:42 - Deviltion

10:48 - Party House

13:45 - Camoflouge

15:30 - Porgy

17:54 - The Big Bell Race

19:02 - Rock On! Island

21:31 - Rail Heist

23:53 - Attactics

26:00 - Hyper Contender

28:25 - Mini & Max

31:49 - Outro

I don’t love Soulslikes…but I quite like No Rest for the Wicked so far. Here are my thoughts on the early access release! 

Check out my other reviews on GG!

https://ggapp.io/jkrgamer

If you have upcoming indie game recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com!

Nintendrew joins this week to play a good old-fashioned game of Name That Tune! As an avid collector of N64 games, how will he fare against some cruelly obscure tracks from that console's library? Let us know how well YOU do in the game as well! And thanks for listening! Nintendrew YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@Nintendrew?si=rKyOxHtOcY62cWJ8 Check out Drew's indie title C.A.R.L. on Switch! https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/c-a-r-l-switch/ (Also available on other platforms!) ...and here's our review of it: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1uqxGEQ4Os55H2ySJFhGsl?si=ufA7favjSlWcyJ92pV2wLw If you have upcoming indie game recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com! We are on all major podcasting platforms: https://anchor.fm/levelwithus Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro / Rules 2:33 - Track #1 3:29 - Track #2 5:22 - Track #3 6:55 - Track #4 9:00 - Track #5 11:11 - Track #6 12:42 - Track #7 14:50 - Track #8 16:41 - Track #9 20:03 - Track #10 22:34 - Track #11 23:34 - Track #12 25:56 - Track #13 28:01 - Track #14 20:41 - Track #15 32:30 - Final Thoughts

We’re back with another "Backlog Brunch!" Today we discuss a whole litter of titles we haven’t had the chance to bring up on the show before, such as Balatro, Sifu, Coral Island, and River City Girls 2, among others!

If you have upcoming indie game recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com!

We are on all major podcasting platforms: https://anchor.fm/levelwithus

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

0:43 - Super Mario RPG

1:39 - Persona 3 Reload

2:26 - Cassette Beasts

7:35 - Coral Island

9:13 - Cocoon

12:16 - Patrick’s Parabox

13:04 - Balatro

18:55 - River City Girls 2

21:00 - Sifu

23:56 - Outro

The Sonic Mania team returns - and so does Ray Hargreaves! Today we discuss Penny’s Big Breakway, a skill-based 3D Platformer (with an emphasis on the skill) by the former developers of Sonic Mania. We hope you enjoy our thoughts, Jared being awarded his very first quick jab, as well as a free game giveaway!

To find out how you can win a free copy of Penny’s Big Breakaway on Nintendo Switch, CLICK HERE: https://sweepwidget.com/c/78364-tonp0jsd

If you have upcoming indie game recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com!

We are on all major podcasting platforms: https://anchor.fm/levelwithus

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

00:47 - Main Discussion

13:24 - ⭒Star Pieces

18:10 - Quick Jabs

23:21 - Who’s the Fake Fan?

28:36 - Free Game Giveaway!

28:53 - Outro

30:08 - Bonus Scene

Today we reminisce about the good ol’ days of subpar Gameboy platformers, candy-themed web games, and driving each other crazy, with a nostalgic trivia battle! One advantage of us co-hosts being brothers is we know exactly what games each other has played, so we hope you enjoy 40+ minutes of us trying to stump each other, and going on plenty of nostalgic tangents along the way!

“Maybe Village” arrangement by Aivi and Surasshu: https://aivisura.bandcamp.com/album/the-black-box

We don’t know when the next episode will be, but if you have upcoming indie game recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com!

We are on all major podcasting platforms: https://anchor.fm/levelwithus

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

1:20 - Marcus Challenge #1

2:40 - Jared Challenge #1

4:07 - Marcus Challenge #2

5:42 - Jared Challenge #2

9:22 - Marcus Challenge #3

13:14 - Jared Challenge #3

16:29 - Marcus Challenge #4

18:32 - Jared Challenge #4

23:13 - Marcus Challenge #5

26:38 - Jared Challenge #5

29:50 - Marcus Challenge #6

34:25 - Jared Challenge #6

36:10 - Marcus Challenge #7

38:56 - Jared Challenge #7

41:32 - Final Tally

43:50 - Bonus Scene

Dallin returns to help us review the newest triple-A Metroidvania: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown! There’s a lot to love about this game: Excellent Combat, a fun water level(?!), and an engaging mechanic new to the genre. Join us as we chat about this and much more, with only a tiiiiny rant about notification settings in this week’s episode of Level With Us!

Special thanks to Ubisoft for the review code!

We don’t know when the next episode will be, but if you have indie recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com!

We are on all major podcasting platforms: https://anchor.fm/levelwithus

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

1:25 - Main Discussion Begins

2:40 - The Story

3:40 - The Combat

7:48 - Exploration & Progression

10:45 - New Metroidvania Mechanic

13:36 - ⭒Star Pieces

17:57 - Quick Jabs

24:38 - Who’s the Fake Fan?

31:16 - Outro & Final Thoughts

32:47 - Bonus Scene

Surprise!! We’re back with one last little episode before the new year starts. It’s become a yearly tradition for Jared to spring a “Name That Tune” challenge on Marcus with absolutely no warning! Will you best him at it? Let us know!

Image Source: https://www.polygon.com/23648669/best-video-games-2023

We’ll be taking a break for a while, but if you have indie recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com!

We are on all major podcasting platforms: https://anchor.fm/levelwithus

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

0:41 - The Rules

1:37 - Song #1

4:10 - Song #2

6:57 - Song #3

8:09 - Song #4

9:19 - Song #5

11:00 - Song #6

11:49 - Song #7

13:37 - Song #8

15:23 - Song #9

17:01 - Song #10

19:55 - Song #11

21:04 - Song #12

21:56 - Song #13

22:50 - Song #14

24:24 - Song #15

26:10 - Song #16

27:27 - Song #16

28:01 - Song #16

32:16 - Final Recap

33:17 - Bonus Scene

It’s that time of year again, where we sit back and reflect on the frankly INSANE amount of games released in the past 12 months. These are each of our top 5 games of 2023 - and Jared’s #2 may SHOCK you! Also, listen for a surprise reveal at the end…

Wishlist Rise of the Golden Idol HERE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716400/The_Rise_of_the_Golden_Idol/

We’ll be taking a break for a while, but if you have indie recommendations, or just want to reach out, feel free to contact us at LevelWithUsPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com!

We are on all major podcasting platforms: https://anchor.fm/levelwithus

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

1:26 - Honorable Mentions

4:36 - Jared’s #5

5:59 - Marcus’s #5

7:22 - Jared & Marcus’s #4

10:43 - Marcus’s #3

12:21 - Jared’s #3

13:46 - Marcus’s #2

16:36 - ...Jared Rant?

18:16 - Jared’s #2

21:09 - Jared’s #1

23:04 - Marcus’s #1

24:33 - THE REVEAL

27:55 - Outro