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Tales from the BacklogA video games podcast where Dave Jackson and guests take a game out of the backlog, play it and discuss their experiences in depth, with no spoilers until they warn you. Author: Dave Jackson
A video games podcast where Dave Jackson and guests break down and discuss the games they play. Each episode looks at one game in depth, focusing on mechanics, story, music and other aspects, with no spoilers until a clearly marked spoiler wall in the middle. Language: en-us Genres: Games, Leisure, Video Games Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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227: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (with Gen Moonen - "Fun" and Games)
Tuesday, 18 August, 2026
Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Join Dave and special guest Gen Moonen ("Fun" and Games) as they discuss Konami's 2006 entry in the Castlevania franchise, Portrait of Ruin. By this point, the series had largely moved past dual-screen and touchscreen gimmicks, settling on putting the menus and map on the bottom screen with the action on top. Add in a dual-protagonist setup and you've got a recipe for a good metroidvania experience. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's likely got what you're looking for, and there's value in that. Check out the discussion for more, and as always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy! Guest info: Gen Moonen (they/she) Check out "Fun" and Games https://funandgamespod.com/ Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gnoisegenerator.bsky.social TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:22 Introductions 6:56 Our Histories with Castlevania 12:40 Top-Level Thoughts 19:51 Story Setup and Dual Protagonists 24:52 Castlevania Stories and Humor 31:19 Character Swapping Gameplay 44:52 Metroid vs Vania 50:13 Boss Fights, Painted Worlds and The Castle 1:03:52 Metroidvania Upgrades 1:08:41 Visual Design 1:16:40 Who Should Play? 1:25:50 "Fun" and Games Podcast 1:30:31 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:32:44 Spoilers- Painted Worlds and The Vampire Killer 1:53:38 Spoilers- More Story & Boss Fights Music used in the episode is credited to Michiru Yamane unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Gallery of Labyrinth, Invitation of a Crazed Moon (Yuzo Koshiro), Chaotic Playground, Victorian Fear, Name Entry, Crucifix Held Close, The Night Flows Check out Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum talking about Final Fantasy X: https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
