Pages of Play – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Between the Lines (BTL), Erik shares why you should check out the game, Two Falls.

Between the Lines, a branch of Pages of Play podcast, is a an audio footnote to a selection of great gaming narratives. In this show, we discuss hidden gem indie games via concise, critical feedback.

Please check out my written review of Two Falls over at So Many Games: https://thewolfiepod.com/two-falls/

The music featured in the podcast comes from the wonderful Jusant soundtrack, by Guillaume Ferran. You can find the full album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/65gX1rOrAQvcxGEbUGAfvz?si=UbLPDvH3TqatUam8wHSBIw

Off the Shelf is an interview format where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”

This week, I interview Bryan from Pixelated Playgrounds podcast. I highly recommend you check out his full podcast here. Also, here are the Pixelated Playgrounds episodes that cover each game we discuss:

• Red Dead Redemption 2
• Spiritfarer
• Before Your Eyes
• Norco

The discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to these timestamps to avoid those as needed:

(00:00) Introduction

(06:10) Planescape Torment

(20:45) Red Dead Redemption 2

(33:09) Spiritfarer

(48:10) Before Your Eyes

(59:35) Norco

(01:16:48) Closing Comments

David, Caleb, and Erik do some ghost therapy in their discussion on Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, an action RPG developed by DontNod and published by Focus Entertainment. David decrypts the moral code, Caleb digs up terrors in puritanical New England, and Erik steals some linens from a grieving widow.

Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Feel free to submit your book club questions for their next game, Neva, at pagesofplay@gmail.com

The wonderful music in this episode comes form the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out ⁠here⁠.

Contents: (00:00) Intro

(07:37) Q1

(16:52) Q2

(27:35) Spoiler Wall

(28:53) Plot Summary

(32:30) Q3

(40:23) Q4

(56:23) Q5

(01:04:24) Q6

(01:11:01) Q7

(01:20:21) Q8

(01:22:30) Closing

Off the Shelf is an interview format where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”

This week, I interview Dave Jackson from the Tales from the Backlog podcast. I highly recommend you check out his full podcast here. Also, here are the Tales from the Backlog episodes that cover each game we discuss:

Soma

Silent Hill 2

Spec Ops: The Line

Xenogears

Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X-2

The discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to these timestamps to avoid those as needed:

(00:00) Introduction

(11:50) Soma

(33:00) Silent Hill 2

(44:35) Spec Ops: The Line

(55:10) Xenogears

(01:06:20) Final Fantasy X and X-2

(01:17:10) Closing Comments

In this episode of Between the Lines (BTL), Erik does a dramatic reading and interpretation of the script from the game, Arco.

Between the Lines, a branch of Pages of Play podcast, is a an audio footnote to a selection of great gaming narratives.

The music featured in the podcast comes from the wonderful Jusant soundtrack, by Guillaume Ferran. You can find the full album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/65gX1rOrAQvcxGEbUGAfvz

David and Erik are joined by special guest, Caleb, to discuss 1000xResist, a sci-fi adventure game developed by Sunset Visitor and published by Fellow Traveller. David has his work cut out for him recapping the plot, Caleb finds the seams in the game's design, and Erik talks about the backpack theory that unlocks the whole experience.

Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Feel free to submit your book club questions for their next game, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, at pagesofplay@gmail.com

The wonderful music in this episode comes form the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out here.

Thanks for listening!

In this episode of Between the Lines (BTL), we discuss ludonarrative resonance in Before the Green Moon, developed by Turnfollow.

Between the Lines, a branch of Pages of Play podcast, is a condensed examination into the method and magic behind the profound moments in gaming.

The music featured in the podcast comes from the wonderful Jusant soundtrack, by Guillaume Ferran. You can find the full album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/65gX1rOrAQvcxGEbUGAfvz?si=ZrvwZSHMSKmwUwJp30Dlqw

Thanks for listening!

The first ever episode of the podcast is about Open Roads, developed by Open Roads Team and published by Annapurna Interactive. Erik recites poetry, David talks about guns on mantle pieces, and the duo has a great discussion about the impact of this overlooked 2024 gem.

Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions. Feel free to submit your book club questions for their next game, 1000xResist, at pagesofplay@gmail.com.

The wonderful music in this episode comes from the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Go check it out!

Thanks for listening!

David, Caleb, and Erik bust out their paintbrushes in their discussion on Neva, the latest game from Nomada studios. Caleb educates Erik on Studio Ghibli, Erik pays tribute to Monet and Dalí, and David shares a deeply personal story about partenting.

Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Feel free to submit your book club questions for their next game at pagesofplay@gmail.com.

The wonderful music in this episode comes form the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Contents: 

(00:00) Intro

(07:20) Q1

(20:47) Q2

(32:17) Q3

(37:53) Spoiler Wall

(38:50) Plot Summary

(41:58) Q4

(50:16) Q5

(1:01:11) Q6

(01:08:28) Q7

(01:25:45) Closing

Off the Shelf is an interview format where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”

This week, I had the honor of interviewing John from the Gaming in the Wild podcast. Below you will find episodes from Gaming in the Wild that cover the games we discuss on this show:

The Last of Us

A Short Hike

Kentucky Route Zero (Act 1 of the community playthrough)

Citizen Sleeper

1000xResist

The discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to the timestamps below to avoid those as needed. It’s a long episode, so feel free to skip around!

(00:00) Introduction & Spoiler Policy

(06:20) The Last of Us (Part 1)

(24:52) A Short Hike

(37:45) Kentucky Route Zero

(54:25) Citizen Sleeper

(01:12:36) 1000xResist

(01:35:26) Closing Comments

If you enjoy the show please join our discord to stay up to date on the podcast. Thanks for listening!