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Recommending Blackwell
123 Plays1 month ago
In the first of a presumptive series, Ben explains to Jess why he should play the Blackwell games.
Quest Quest podcast is Ben Vigeant and Jess Morrissette.
Editing by Ben Vigeant
Show art by Kevin "WilcoWeb" Wallace
Watch us on Twitch!
Ben: https://www.twitch.tv/ps_garak
Jess: https://www.twitch.tv/decafjedi
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Transcript
Reflections on Podcasting Predictability
00:00:22
Speaker
I, I noticed like, uh, you know, as the person, uh, like I re listened to all, I mean, we both re listened to all of these, uh, daily. Yeah. And then, and I'm always like, wow, great point. Great point. Good job. I'm the same way. like I can't stand myself. but I'm always saying what great points you're making.
00:00:48
Speaker
It is funny. Like, i have I said this on here before? It's like, when I'm re-listening to the the podcast, I'll be listening and I'll hear you say something. And then in my head, I'll go like, Oh, you know, what a funny thing to say here would be is, and then I say it on the podcast, which makes me realize I'm way more predictable.
00:01:11
Speaker
than I think I am. No, no, I know the exact feeling like I'll be listening and think the same thing. It's like, this would be a great place for me to say this clever thing. But actually, I've just said, I don't. And it's always such a disappointment. It's like, oh, man, if I had that one back, I could have I could have really got that zinger in there.
Global Audience Greetings and Public Speaking Anxiety
00:01:30
Speaker
But, ah yeah, i was I was like, I. I open all these podcasts and the streams.
00:01:40
Speaker
PS underscore, Eric, uh, uh, uh, in the same way, it's like, hello. Hi, hi, hi, hi. Hey, ho ho. Uh, do you ever get in your head with that stuff? Like I always open up my streams because they usually stream at night by saying good evening, but that's what I think. It's like, you know, all those millions of YouTube viewers, they're watching this. It may not be evening for them.
00:02:04
Speaker
So I never get in my head about that. No, I'm not. No, I'm way in my head about everything. I'm deep in there. and Watch it at a different time. And yeah, then get mad. Well, all right. Now, I'll, I'll, and this is Jess. This is quest quest podcast. The venture game podcast for adventure games. Yeah. Yeah. The adventure game podcast for adventure games. Okay. But back to, I don't want to talk about adventure games. I want to talk about this for a moment.
00:02:29
Speaker
ah This is unprecedented. Yeah, I can't believe that this is happening. ah I think that that is also like, you know, that ah part of that is, is that we're, you know, I don't want to presume, like, I've i've known you, I'd say about five years now, I would say, we've yeah, friends for about five years. I, but, um,
00:02:57
Speaker
Oh, I think it would be safe to say, uh, we're, we're both kind of anxious nerd boys. Would that be a good way to classify ourselves?
Social Media Pressures and Nerdy Anxieties
00:03:07
Speaker
And then so we're already, and this has always been true. I've always been an anxious nerd boy. You didn't need to, to to that that that's been the case since like as, as far back as I can remember, I've, you know, uh, much like the beginning of good fellas, he wanted to be a gangster as far back as I can remember. I've been an anxious nerd boy.
00:03:28
Speaker
and ah But it doesn't help to be on like ah ah social media networks where people are hopelessly pedantic i and will read a statement and then try to drive a bus through but something that you assume is being said. Ah, the social media experience, yes.
00:03:54
Speaker
And so then, so yeah, so that, but but that's what I'm saying is it's like, you're, you're like, well, what if, you know, if somebody watches it at a six o'clock in the morning, they're like, Ooh, Jess has uploaded a brand new thing to his YouTube. He said, good evening. Skip that. Yeah. That's, that's money out of my pocket. Uh, when that happens, I mean, that's a, no, I mean, and that's the thing with like recording a podcast, creating,
00:04:21
Speaker
you know, twitch content, even posting on social media, if I stopped to reflect on any of it for a moment, I'm done. I'm cooked. I have like, the minute I start to think about what I'm doing, I'm gone. I'm just Oh, can I can I tell you something? of ah I had this realization recently, I was talking with a friend who ah ah pointed pointed this out that I i said once,
00:04:48
Speaker
Uh, to, uh, like I was, I was talking to someone and said, I'm sorry to bring this up. Like, but
Fear of Past Comments and Need for Validation
00:04:54
Speaker
two years ago, you said. And my, my friend recollecting this goes, then that was really funny for you to apologize for remembering something that someone said two years ago. But I, I live by that, even though I'm someone that has ah like this podcast and then, uh, another podcast, the last best Babylon five podcast, which is still online.
00:05:18
Speaker
i I don't want anyone to remember anything. The idea of someone coming up to me and saying, I remember what you said two years ago is frankly terrifying. I can only get up out of bed with the thought of, oh, no one remembers anything I said because I, it's hard to get me to shut up. So I say a lot of shit. Oh, I'm just constantly talking. Yeah. And if if anyone ever threw of that back in my face. Yeah, I mean, it's tough because like,
00:05:49
Speaker
I think about these things, like I go to bed thinking about all the stupid things I said during the day, you know, to like, lull myself to sleep. And I wake up the next morning, and I just talk all day long until I go to bed again. Yeah, but you know, it's sort of like on the one hand, I'm very self conscious about that. But I'm also a lot like Tinkerbell, in that I will die if people aren't paying attention and clapping for me. See, that's a problem. Same. Yeah, same. That's one of the many ways you're like Tinkerbell. That's one of the many ways. Yes, absolutely.
00:06:20
Speaker
My gossamer wings are probably the most obvious way, ah but. All right, so this is Quest Quest, the adventure game podcast, where sometimes we start out with some light therapy, just like we always.
00:06:33
Speaker
You know, like, uh, uh, we're working on being, uh, the, the Joe Rogan of the left by talking about our feelings. Um,
Humor, Therapy, and Podcast Aspirations
00:06:41
Speaker
and, uh, that is, that was our mission statement. it's like That was our mission statement. Oh no. When we started and we started recording these in the middle of the summer, 2024. Uh, so like even before that whole discourse started, I remember Jess and I, we both said simultaneously.
00:07:01
Speaker
We should be the Joe Rogan of the left and we'll do that with our adventure game podcast. And then we start taking supplements and here we are. Yeah. Uh, we're supple now, Jess, I've got a question for you. What have you been playing? Oh man. Well, that's so confrontational. Um, I'm sorry. Jess, what have you been
Game Review: Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes
00:07:20
Speaker
playing? Oh, thanks Ben for asking. Um, I've been playing, uh, and I recently streamed this as well. Uh, stream heads will know this one already. I've been playing the 1992 point and click adventure game, the lost files of Sherlock Holmes, the case of the serrated scalpel. And, uh, you know what, Ben?
00:07:40
Speaker
It's pretty good. It's not bad. It's not great. I mean, it's a gorgeous digital and antiquarian loved that game. That's yeah know knowledge. Yes. That game is that like his his his articles on the digital antiquarian. We're all like ah Jimmy Mayer. We're all like this is incredible. I mean, it's a gorgeous looking game. And honestly, just in terms of The pros like just the writing, say, if you click on a lamppost and that game describes a lamppost for you, maybe some of the best writing I've seen in an adventure game ever. Now, it's overarching story is kind of an whatever, but just like the pros that exists within this game, the dialogue with other characters, the descriptions of items in the environment, really literary in a way that very few
00:08:35
Speaker
adventure games. I was what he was crazy about. What are the cons of the game? You know, like, like a lot of because when I'm editing this later, I'm going to hear you say like, because you said the pros of the game. And my brain was like, you have to say the cons, you have to say the cons, you have to say the cons.
00:08:59
Speaker
No, it's good that you got it out. no i know Otherwise, I'd be furious at myself when I'm editing this. Yeah, you see, when I do something like that, though then I flub the line. Like, if I've said it over and over again in my head like 400 times when I finally get to it, I'm just like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Just can't get it. But no, the cons of the game, it's...
00:09:19
Speaker
ah I mean, it's like a lot of mystery games where you maybe aren't always so much solving a mystery as you are doing things just to move forward a plot, which is tough. All mystery games are difficult to do. There's a lot of that sort of what I think of is Gabriel Knight style design where you can't move forward until you've clicked on some very specific things, not all of which will always be completely obvious.
00:09:48
Speaker
That's it something I Richard was talking about. Yeah, yeah. It does the weird thing where and sometimes it's gonna be good. Sometimes it could be bad but like you won't be able to pick up an item that's clearly an inventory item or interact with something the and in the environment that clearly is there to be interacted with until your character, Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective. Oh, interesting. interesting Yeah. Yeah. no You play a character they made for you. Is that like King Graham? He's like a King Graham, but he's like a King Graham and a deer stalker. If you can imagine. Oh yeah. I love that movie. The deer stalker. Yeah, that's right.
00:10:24
Speaker
But he like, yeah, you can't pick up stuff or interact with the environment until the character knows they need to pick it up or interact with. We were complaining about that with look locomotive. Yeah, no. Absolutely. Again, we won't spoil this, ah but you see that thing. Yeah, it was like obvious. Like you got to get it. You pick up so many other fucking things right off the bat. But like that thing, ah the the the guy's like, I don't know that does like that doesn't seem useful.
00:10:53
Speaker
There's a whole lot of that. And then there's also a weird mechanic like Watson's there. um The chess playing computer. um so That's a shout out played Jeopardy. That's true. That's true. um Watson's there. And like in a lot of games, he kind of semi functions as someone to bounce ideas off of.
00:11:14
Speaker
but really never has anything to say. Like you'll ask him, it's like, Watson, what do you make of this scene? And Watson will say, it's like, I would never dream of, uh, of trying to engage in acts of deduction with you, the world's greatest detective here. Why don't you tell me what you see? It's like, thanks Watson. You know, and there's no you serve no purpose. Yeah, but except just there like because you have to be there.
00:11:35
Speaker
Yeah, except for like two points in the game, where you have to talk to him to move something forward. And the game doesn't really tell you it's like now's the time that Watson's useful, you just have to guess that this will be a good time. So I mean, I'm complaining too much. It's a fine game, but I prefer two points hospital.
00:11:54
Speaker
yeah i was i I just did an improv show. So I've got bad news. Like this is just where my head's at. man It's a good thing we script these. Yeah, no yeah but it's fun.
00:12:09
Speaker
It's fine. What have you been playing Ben? All right. You know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna do something unprecedented.
Game Recommendation: Thousand Times Resist
00:12:16
Speaker
I'm gonna give you I'm gonna give you two because I've been playing to alter man pretty So I started a couple days ago and I'm about like I've played it for about an hour now a thousand times a thousand X resist and Uh, and I get it. I get why everyone, uh, who has played it is like, Oh, this game is very, very good. I also get why like, uh, either people like who haven't played it are like, what they know is that's either they'll, they'll be like, Oh, I hear that's a good game and nothing else, or they haven't heard about it at all. And I understand why, like, because the knowledge I had going into this is.
00:13:05
Speaker
It's a good game. I don't know anything about it. Um, and I think, uh, there's a couple of reasons why that is. Number one is, uh, to my understanding, I'm only an hour into it. It's a game, uh, with twists and turns. Uh, so people who have played it probably don't want to, you know, uh, uh, give up a twist and, or a turn.
00:13:29
Speaker
Uh, and also it's like, it, it takes place in a complicated, like not a terribly complicated, but in like a, a total like sci-fi thing that is like gets boring to explain. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like, like, yeah you know, you'll, you'll be like, this would just sound too embarrassing for me to explain it. Just trust me. It's good. Uh,
00:13:55
Speaker
ah Ben, is it bad that I've seen this game mentioned several times on social media and at no point realized it was a game and not just like maybe like political commentary or So like, it was like, it's time to resist 1000 times. That's all. Yeah, I gotcha. I just like totally breeze past this, having seen like 40 people talking about it and not realize it was a game until now. But now I'm looking at pictures of it. It's definitely a game. It looks, it I think as ah a good style, it is. i' The voice work in it is is very good. um The
00:14:36
Speaker
It is a, it is an adventure game. Uh, like in that it's so far, it's mostly dialogue with light puzzling, ah so i like walking around dialogue with very, very light puzzling so far. Uh, I don't believe, but you know, I, in an attempt not to spoil myself, I haven't read too, too much about it. I know about some of the themes in the game. Uh, but, uh, uh, like.
00:15:05
Speaker
i I don't think you know we get any ah like interface puzzles, as Richard ah said a couple of episodes ago, or or anything like that. ah There's also some very, very super light like kind of platform type elements. Not like a platformer, just like these little movement pieces that aren't at all like that, that complicated or hard, but they're in there so far anyway. Uh, but yeah, like I, I, I started playing it. I'm like, Oh, this is an entertaining, uh, uh, science fiction, uh, uh, story with like a strong, like
00:15:46
Speaker
social commentary metaphor right at the center, which is exactly, you know, for me in the good place. I love like an obvious, uh, like using sci-fi to discuss things, uh, a thing at the heart of a story. Like, you know, I'm a Star Trek fan.
00:16:03
Speaker
Yeah, I'm looking at screenshots of this. It looks like everyone is a ding dang Tron. ah Yeah, it has a very as a very ding dang Tron type aesthetic. I think it looks great. I did screenshots when I saw them. I was like, I don't know about the look of this. But in motion, it's great. And now I'm going to swap over to the other game I've been playing who's which was recommended ah pretty heavily ah by like i saw them playing it our friend mike i ah
00:16:36
Speaker
the The game 3d don't die. Mr. Robot.
Arcade Challenge: 3D Don't Die, Mr. Robot
00:16:39
Speaker
Wow. And it is not an adventure game. It's just a straightforward little, uh, a cute arcade game, like arcade style game, uh, where you have like a little Mr. Robot and he's walking around on a ah grid and he has no attacks and there's just all sorts of things that will one touch kill him. His only attack is picking up fruit.
00:17:05
Speaker
ah which explodes and explodes everything around them. Oh, no. And you could change stuff. And so I wanted to bring this up because I want to I want to give a challenge. Number one, I want you know this game came out about a month ago when we're recording. i And there need to be more players. And this is why.
00:17:28
Speaker
ah I have gotten myself, as of this moment, we're recording January 5th to put a date on this. As of this recording, I've put myself in the global rankings at number four. Ben, how'd you not lead with this? ah But it's not, it doesn't have a huge player base right now. So this is my challenge to all of you listening at home, especially if you're an arcade head like me.
00:17:59
Speaker
You're somebody that that enjoys an arcade style game. This is my my challenge to you. Get out there. Get this game maybe wait to fill a sale or get it now. It's not that expensive. Get it. Challenge me. I want I let's let's let's make this this leaderboard ah pretty crazy because ah and you know, I'll probably eat these words ah when I'm I I'm not happy staying at four.
00:18:26
Speaker
Wow, to be clear, I'm not happy staying at four. And I have a ah very solid scoring strategy, figured it out last night when I was playing it. And I rocketed up from wherever I was towards the bottom, ah all the way up to fourth as of this record. So this is my challenge to you out there outlet 3d don't die. Mr. Robot. It's a very fun arcade game. It, it is It both has the look, but it does have the feel of like a British style arcade game, which is to say there. It definitely gives me some Jeff Minter vibes in it, like ah a little bit of grid runner in there.
00:19:11
Speaker
um But yeah, this is my challenge to you, the listener. Uh, uh, let's, let's, let's light this, this online leaderboard up. Let's, let's all, let's all fight. You want to come for me, uh, steam name, Rutherford, Ben Hayes. Can you knock me from my spot?
00:19:30
Speaker
And I'm sure other people because you know, there's probably not like I the the that that top five up there right now. They might be they might notice there's a there's a new sheriff and down by sheriff I mean guy in fourth place. ah But This which is traditionally where the sheriff ranks. Yeah. Yeah. This shooter is waiting for noon to get number one. So, uh, but I, I want even more people in there. It's a great game. It's a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying myself. And now, Ben, you're recommending the leaders check this out. At no point did you encourage me to, are you afraid that I will zoom past you immediately? Are you worried? Just get on it, but I've seen you play arcade games. That's terrible. i no i mean i am There's no chance.
00:20:14
Speaker
why about of it. I was I was playing it and I entered an arcade flow state and where like I and then like I entered the flow state and then I i understood how to build a ah big score. And once once that happened. I was like, OK, now I have a project and the arcade flow state is so good. You know, I think maybe that's something that it never occurred to me.
00:20:44
Speaker
that's very hard to achieve in the adventure game genre. like Things never happen, I think, quickly enough. to like get into a flow. It's like a different kind of pleasure you drive from it, but like a good arcade game, a fighting game, ah even platformers, like you can get into that sort of that, that vibe where it just feels like the game's playing on automatic almost. It's like flowing through you. Um, you know, where people might get that in adventure games, but neither of us are this type of adventure. Okay.
00:21:18
Speaker
is I wonder if you're like a big time like mist type. like Okay. Because I could see entering like maybe now when you figure it out
Adventure vs Arcade: Differing Player Experiences
00:21:30
Speaker
like a flow state but like kind of when you enter those spaces and you're like seeing all this stuff that's clues and you're taking notes and you're putting those things together like Like, you know, in the same way that like, if you're playing like, you know, kind of a, like a puzzle game, like, like a crossword or something like that. Like you, you start to put that together. Maybe that has an adventure game style. I feel like you almost trade off, like you trade off flow state for aha moment, which is its own very satisfying. You know, gameplay experience, right? Like the, the adventure game lives on the aha moment. You're a good arcade game lives, lives in the flow.
00:22:09
Speaker
Yeah, I think that now I'm interested in this concept. Like I'm trying to think, yeah, like, you know, maybe it's that moment where Especially again, like in a mist, like where you're working some sort of multi-step puzzle, maybe that requires a fair bit of logic to work through when it suddenly makes sense to you and you're able to just bang it out, like in, you know, making all those correct moves in a row now that you know what you needed to do. Maybe there's a little bit of it that gets going there, but yeah, no, that's interesting. You know, but then does an adventure game need to have
00:22:46
Speaker
a flow state? No, I don't think so. Because yeah, I think, you know, the, the, the joy of an adventure game comes from, uh, a, like from, like from a completely different part of your brain, yeah they not understanding how brains work. I have an English degree from the left side. Uh, like it, you know, playing an adventure game, uh, like, uh, like I derive a completely different type of pleasure, uh, from it. Whereas like, uh, there's the, the, the thrill of playing the arcade mode of a 3d don't die. Mr. Robot.
00:23:31
Speaker
or a pinball game, which I've, I've talked about or like any of the arcade games I love. Gallia for me is all about the flow state. Yeah. The, the, the thrill is like the one more quarter or the one more try. Yes. ah Of it. And, uh, like, you know, adventure games have a very definitive beginning, middle and end. Like they're, they're a very kind of linear, even if it's like, you know, kind of open like a monkey Island or something like that.
00:24:01
Speaker
Um, uh, but, uh, yeah, like a adventure. Like, yeah, I, I, I, when you really zoned in on driving in a police quest game and he really liked police quest one VGA, you just really locked into it. Uh, yeah, you're just flowing right through the streets of letting, you know,
00:24:25
Speaker
Uh, so speaking of interesting cities in games, yes, let's get you know, we didn't even tease. I didn't even tease what, what, what, what this whole episode's about. But I mean, you know, the, the person listening to this probably read the description. Uh, don't you, isn't that annoying when you're listening to a podcast and they're being coy about what it's about and you're like, yeah, but I read the description.
00:24:51
Speaker
Yeah, no, I mean, it's like yeah to introduce what we're talking about. It's like I read the description. I know that you're you're talking about ah the the saw series. um That's exactly because that's the only kind of podcasts I listen to. Yeah. I just break down to the saw series. Yeah. ah jigs ah Jigsaw and Jigsaw. um Now,
00:25:13
Speaker
Uh, so, but what we're talking about today is, uh, we're, we're, we're kicking off, you know, what what might become a series, something that we'll, we'll probably swap back and forth, uh, which is, uh, uh, pitching each other on, uh, a game or games that we've
Adventure Game Pitch: The Blackwell Series
00:25:29
Speaker
played.
00:25:30
Speaker
ah And ah the the end result will be that if the other one wants to to play it, they'll play it. He'll play it on his respective stream. Now, I am going to say right here at the top, this is a predetermined outcome. That's right. I've already lost this argument.
00:25:49
Speaker
Yeah. Uh, uh, Jess is going to stream these games. Yeah. I'm going to finish streaming these games, but Jess is going to to stream these games. Uh, uh, and he'll enjoy them. I'm going to, uh, uh, pitch Jess on this game series. This is adventure game series. He's never played. You've already seen the description, so you know what I'm talking about. I'm going to pitch Jess on playing, uh, the Blackwell series, uh, by Wajidet, uh, Wajidet.
00:26:19
Speaker
budget. Why? Why J tie? Uh, uh, as for it would say, for it more as more it would say, uh,
00:26:31
Speaker
sir i that's how Borat would say, Borat, or it. I developed by Dave Gilbert the Blackwell series five games beginning with legacy ending with epiphany and then there's a couple other games in there which for whatever reason I do have notes in front of me but I didn't write down all of their names you know them whatever here's the thing I don't know anything about these games. I know almost nothing. And not only really do that is that, is that, is that actually true? You don't know anything other than like theyre their, their wide Jedi. Let me tell you like, what do you know? Yeah. like I think this is a good starting off point. I can like easily sum up what I mean, other than knowing that these are games about watch it out of it. Dave Gilbert made them that there are several of them and I know their titles.
00:27:24
Speaker
I feel like there's a ring a ding ding ghost and a woman who smokes cigarettes. That's the second game. Okay. oh they got no the ringain goes ah yeah Well, well, we'll say that the the ring a ding ding ghost ah is in all of the games. Okay. Lauren is Joey. This is named Joey. That's right. and Oh man. Okay. This is osmosis just through being an adventure gamer. Like, yeah.
00:27:54
Speaker
Joey is the name of the ghost. ah Lauren is the protagonist of the second ah ah Blackwell. And then Rosa is the protagonist of the other four. I don't think that's a spoiler.
00:28:10
Speaker
I think you you see or just in the art or like any given screenshot. All right. What else do you know? Do you, what what else do you know? Ding ghost and a character that smokes. is Is there a generational element to it? Like we're telling like a generational story or if have I ah imagined that part of it? Kind of. Okay. Kind of.
00:28:32
Speaker
Okay, let's see. Is there it's a mystery, you're right? It's a mystery thing or is there just a guy in a hat? kind I'm mistaken a guy in a hat for a mystery to hat. You think there's a mystery. That's true. Yeah. When you see a guy in a hat, you're just like, is there a mystery afoot?
00:28:46
Speaker
Yeah. Sometimes a hat's just a hat. Yeah. Um, but no i need yeah it is kind of, I would say it is kind of mystery adjacent. Um, like it's mystery ish. Uh, all right. And I should probably note before we go on, I didn't avoid these games or anything. It wasn't like I was trying to stay away from them.
00:29:09
Speaker
I'm trying to get you in trouble. ah but yeah yeah Trying to get me get me in. yeah Now, I didn't avoid these games so much as they started coming out. Like when did the original Blackwell come out? Would that be like a great question? 2008 I should have been prepared with. Let's see. But the Blackwell legacy came out in 2006. Oh, that's interesting. Isn't that crazy?
00:29:35
Speaker
I will say kind of like the mid-2000s were a period in general where I just was not playing a lot of adventure games in general. And the last one comes out 14, by the way. Sorry to interrupt. Okay. Yeah, I just wasn't playing a lot of adventure games during that period. And I think that they were like a thing when I was away from the genre for a little while. That's honestly crazy to me to think about the Blackwell Legacy coming out in 2006. That's wild.
00:29:59
Speaker
That's like four to five years earlier than I would have guessed. I also would have thought yeah it was definitely among like I mean so they they released he released ah the you know i his first commercial game I believe it is the Shiva um which Google is also telling me he came out in 2006. Maybe that's true. Uh, most games did come out in 2006. Maybe they all came out in 2006. Maybe I came out in 2006. Um, uh, but, uh, anyway, Uh, I think it's wild to me that the first one came out in 2006. I, you know, I think that, and I wonder if I know speaking for myself,
00:30:45
Speaker
I probably, if I was aware of it in 2006, which I don't think I was, I probably would have looked at it and said, I'm not going to buy that. That's a game that came out. It was made in adventure game studio. And why would I buy a game that comes out made in adventure game studio? Those are free games.
00:31:07
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Like I think that might have been like, I didn't think that because I wasn't aware of the game. I don't think I was aware ah of them until ive I read about them and rock paper shotgun gun some years later. Um,
00:31:23
Speaker
But, uh, like, I think maybe even at the time I would have just been like they yeah i something from adventure game studio being sold. That's ridiculous. And now like, you know, so, so so many adventure games, uh, like virtual adventure games have come out from that. And, uh,
00:31:41
Speaker
But anyway, I don't know I'm not enough of AGS adventure game studio scholar to know if the Shiva and ah legacy are the first but they're certainly pretty early ah for commercial games coming out of there. um So these are universally beloved. I mean, like, these are yeah I mean, people love Blackwell. Yeah, then why should I play it? Yeah.
00:32:07
Speaker
Cause I actually hate things people like. Here's why you should like the, the Blackwell series. Maybe, maybe it should be called, you know, you should like, you know, the series, maybe we're, we're workshopping it. But first off, so you have this series that comes out over ah the course of eight years. Um, so 2006 to 2014. one of my favorite things, they're all very solid, uh, uh, games. Um,
00:32:37
Speaker
But one of my favorite things about it as a series is that because they're all written ah by this this one guy,
00:32:54
Speaker
uh, who is, you know, uh, developing them and, you know, writing the puzzles and writing the dial and so and so and so you could see him, you can kind of map it as he kind of grows as a ah writer and a designer and like a developer.
00:33:16
Speaker
And so, uh, that isn't to say that Blackwell legacy is a bad game and epiphany is like an A plus plus game. It's, but you do see. Like over the course of these games, uh, kind of like, uh, uh, him build and flesh out this world and, uh, like kinda build out this, this franchise.
00:33:43
Speaker
And, uh, like it becomes kind of richer with each game. And it's, ah it's very exciting when it's coming from like this tiny, you know, independent, like, you know, tiny independent studio and developer that there is like this, this kind of auteur.
00:34:06
Speaker
sense of it, like that i i you're seeing all of all of this kind of grow ah and and mature. um Because like you know it's it's kind of it's it's fun in the same way that like sometimes you might read a bunch of books by the same author or see a bunch of films by the same director and you're like, oh, oh i see it oh that's really interesting.
00:34:33
Speaker
you know yeah I was thinking back, you know, you mentioned that, and I think even like, you could draw parallels, I think, to a degree with LucasArts, but especially at Sierra, where you had these designers who were front and center, you know, as a creative force in creating a lot of those series. And, you know, by the time you get through,
00:34:56
Speaker
four or five space quests, seeing the sort of growth out of those folks are, you know, by the time you get to, you know, through a few Larry's or King's quests or, or, either you know, I mean, the, the person who designs King's quest three, uh, has shown quite a bit of growth over the person who designed King's quest one. I mean, Roberta Williams was a much more accomplished, much more ambitious yeah designer by that point. Yeah. There is.
00:35:21
Speaker
something nice to see like a game that has someone's fingerprints all over it and how a series like that can grow over time. I get that. That's that's a compelling argument. And it's also like You know, you, you mentioned Sierra and Lucas arts, but then it's, it's like, uh, even more unmediated, uh, experience because it's not coming out of a large studio. Like those, you know, like it's like, you know, I'm, I'm going to, to mention, uh, uh, like all obviously, uh, give a lot of credit to Dave Gilbert, but also it's like there are, uh, he worked with a couple different artists, uh, over the course of, uh, the series, uh, you know, the music, voice casts, and so on. So, you know, it's obviously it's not just him, you know, no, like, you know, so many projects require like a village, but it is still a much smaller and tighter team.
00:36:21
Speaker
And, you know, I'm sure his own commercial judgment, you know, will, will make decisions. But, you know, I'm, I'm sure, uh, like at, at Sierra, there was a lot more of it's like, eh, Ken or Bill or whoever, like has a very strong feeling that this game has to come out in this way, you know? Right. Yes. And, and that's a really exciting thing. And I say, like, I know that there are some listeners who,
00:36:50
Speaker
Uh, you know, they'll, they'll listen. And I, I mean, I know this from looking at our download numbers. Some, some listeners are, are, are just interested in just kind of hearing about games. They've played a million times, uh, like, or, you know, hearing about King's quest five again, and that's, and that's fine. And that's great. And, and, you know, for all the like fun that people have had with King's quest five and whatever designs it commits.
00:37:16
Speaker
It's a really interesting and compelling, uh, uh, uh, like game. Um, but you know, a really thrilling thing about so many, uh, of these, like of this century's, uh, uh, independent or small studio adventure games is that there, there is so much less.
00:37:44
Speaker
stuff between the writers and the designers and the player. And, uh, that, that means that you get to, to kind of it get a much greater sense of what their ambitions are, uh, and what they find interesting. And hopefully you also find that very interesting. Um, and so that's, that's one, you know, like, so that's, that's part of the grand yeah kind of in a grand view.
Gameplay Mechanics of the Blackwell Series
00:38:14
Speaker
of the Blackwell series ah like as a piece of five games. If we can get more granular, yeah ah what are these games about? So the the Blackwell series, i the the but general pitch of of all of the games is that you are a spirit medium, uh, uh, unwillingly for, for the two different protagonists that the series contains. Uh, your family has been ah for, I think three generations, uh, been haunted, uh, by this ghost that cannot leave you. This ghost is with you at all times.
00:38:59
Speaker
And, uh, much like, uh, uh, salmon in quantum leap, uh, you, uh, work with Joey, the ghost to solve. Like, uh, to, to resolve hauntings. So you go to, uh, like a place where people say that there's a, uh, like a ghost haunting you go and you find that the the ghost you kind of.
00:39:25
Speaker
Uh, no, there's no busting though. no This also does take place in New York city, which which is on my list is one of ah the interesting pluses, but I'll get to that later. Um, one of the great cities. Yeah, you know, uh, uh, so the, the, the core gameplay.
00:39:46
Speaker
of the Blackwell games is that you and, and, uh, Joey, uh, find these ghosts and these, these ghosts all have like some sort of unresolved thing from their, from their death. That is why they are a ghost.
00:40:07
Speaker
And you have to, to resolve it. There are specific rules about like what you have to do, but essentially that that's what it is. Like you have to, you know, go to these goes and figure out what they're all about and then kind of track down, uh, every like, you know, what will resolve their, their ghostliness. And, uh, then you see them off into you you create a power palette and you devour them. Yeah. And, and so.
00:40:37
Speaker
that is like there is an overall arc to these five games, but it also works in a very episodic way. ah Like each of these has kind of like a ah center part of the game where you are uh resolving just these ghost problems and while there might be like overall plot hooks in them it's it's just kind of like you're focused on resolving
00:41:09
Speaker
What this a ghost mystery is, as I said, it's kind of, it's got kind of miss because you're doing like some discovery stuff and, and, and solving the mystery of these ghosts. Yeah. And there' yeah, there's a guy in the hat, which makes it.
00:41:26
Speaker
Which makes it a ah mystery. Also in the games, ah you have a ah notebook mechanic. It slightly changes game to game, but largely in the notebook, ah you you take notes and sometimes you can combine the notes to ah to have.
00:41:41
Speaker
rosa ah make conclusions. We love a notebook here at Quest Quest. We do love a notebook. We love a notebook. As long as the game keeps it and not us. Yeah, I'm not going to pick up a pencil. No, we have the games. Keep that notebook for me, especially if it allows me to like drag and drop solutions in a notebook, you know, combining clues and stuff. Absolutely. Give me that notebook all day long.
00:42:04
Speaker
So here's another plus for you, Jess. Do you feel like I've sufficiently explained ah the plot before I move on? I think so. I think we now know what Blackwell is. Great. ah Next.
00:42:16
Speaker
Uh, it is, uh, I would say it's, it's not too hard. There's not a lot of bullshit in it. Now you're talking about language. There, there are a couple, there are a couple of puzzles in it here and there, which, uh, like that, that kind of weren't, uh, that, that didn't connect for me, but The majority of them, I was able to, like most of the games I, I solved for myself, maybe with one or two ah hints or, or looking up. They're not, I wouldn't call them like easy, easy, but they're not, you know, they, they don't have a lot of, they're made by a adventure developer that wants you to finish this game.
00:43:00
Speaker
Mm hmm. Would you say they're a pleasant hang because of that? Like, one thing I usually like about easier games is it just sort of gives me that chance to like, chill out with a game. Yeah, they're a pleasant hang, especially because there's a very nice relationship between Joey and Rosa or Lauren. They're like, which automatically makes it a pleasant paying like gotcha that.
00:43:27
Speaker
You especially, you know, we, we love recurring, like seeing characters recur and grow and change. And, uh, the, the series really has it, uh, the, the characters, uh, grow and change and their relationship changes over the games and like their respect and friendship.
00:43:49
Speaker
grows as the, the, the games go on. And, uh, that's a really like fun and compelling part of it is that it's like, Oh, you know, like these are, uh, like two characters that are fun to spend a lot of time with, uh, which is obviously important. Uh, so here's a, here's another thing. Uh, and this ties back to when I said, I'll get back to, to New York city is that it has a marvelous sense of place.
New York City Setting in the Blackwell Series
00:44:16
Speaker
Ooh, I like this it is. um ah So ah these are urban fantasy games. I believe ah ah ah he said that he was very heavily inspired by ah Jim Butcher, the the the Dresden Files. butcher Did you ever read those? dress No, I'm familiar with them, but and I never read those. I tried to read the the first one and I hear that they get much better.
00:44:49
Speaker
I they those take place I believe in Chicago and like ah my understanding is is like the first book doesn't quite have a good under it was just kind of a yeah put it all play in Chicago whatever and then put like later it gets much more Chicago II but there was like a part like the first time I was reading the first book I was like that's not where that is which is what authors love is pedantic nerds ah correcting them i ah Someone has to. Yeah. wait if If someone says something incorrect, and that's inconsequential, and it's in and and no one lets that person know that an incorrect thing was said, then they'll go through the rest of their life with that incorrect thing in their head. And that's just unacceptable. Anyway, no, you can't let that happen. You have a responsibility at some point. Everyone has a strong responsibility.
00:45:43
Speaker
and Especially if you can call them out publicly in some way. Yeah. Yeah. It's actually a moral failing to ever be wrong about anything. Um, now, especially on the internet. Now, boy, oh boy, you and I are salty today. We are a little salty. We are. and What's what's wrong, Ben? I've got a tummy ache, but that's fine. Oh, I'm sorry. It's fine. I, I, am I, I used to, I was, I was talking about this earlier. I used to, uh, like have an iron stomach.
00:46:13
Speaker
And by that, then I like cultivated a taste that would allow me to just like, you know, I taste for like spicy things and like heavy things and stuff like that. And then somewhere as I, you know, I'm entering middle age, uh, my stomach decided, uh, that it was not interested in that anymore. But the thing is, is that my taste is still for spicy things. And.
00:46:39
Speaker
as well only eat creamed corn, nothing but cans of creamed corn. And and so it's it's kind of a tragedy because there's just part of me that's like, well, I'm not going to stop eating.
00:46:50
Speaker
like all this stuff, but that should have to. That also means I'm just going to have heartburn constantly. Anyway, uh, pop that proud of sec. You'll be fine. Never go off of it. Uh, I, I have gotten close to that. Um, uh, uh, this is a medical advice podcast. You can take that as advice legally.
00:47:14
Speaker
ah Anyway, it has an urban fantasy. I love and I think this is also part of the intention of this choice is it's like I love playing an adventure game that takes place ah in contemporary times because it feels like the majority of them ah don't.
00:47:32
Speaker
right like place in contemporary or like some kind of contemporary time. And so it's like, you know, i the the like grand franchise, I could think of that's most like in this, ah like kind of flavor would have to be Gabriel Knight. Yeah, because that those all take place in real places. And it's like, there's, you know, a werewolf in Europe.
00:47:56
Speaker
I believe that was a great song too. Werewolf of Europe. that's a lot yeah There's a vampire in in New Orleans, a thing that Jane Jensen was the first to do. and that way but you know i I'm not trying to slam James Jensen. Yeah. Sounds like you really are. No, I mean, I will say, um, I think that's what made me fall in love with Gabriel. Not one yeah first, like long before I didn't get very far in Gabriel, not one, the first time I played it and really don't know if I appreciated.
00:48:31
Speaker
how great the riding was and all the other sort of stuff. It was really just New Orleans that I fell in love with in that game. i was and I mean, to the point that I planned a trip to New Orleans so I could go see some of the sets from the game. I mean, it was yeah was the setting that really did it for me. So yeah, a strong sense of place can really you know serve a game like this well. And it has a strong sense of place, so it takes place in in New York City, and it has an enormous amount of affection.
00:49:00
Speaker
Uh, uh, for New York city, greatest city in the world. Uh, Hamilton, but, uh, but it also, had manuel miranda oh, that guy, uh, I, who liked one of Sarah's tweets once, uh,
00:49:20
Speaker
ah but
00:49:23
Speaker
i relentlessly tease our our friend who's on my stream, Sarah for bringing that up. Uh, Uh, uh, but, um, it also, but it's it's written with an enormous amount of affection for New York, but it's also written with an enormous amount of affection for New York written by a guy from New York, like a local, uh, which is that that gives you a different perspective on New York because you get to like, I believe he's, I think he said this, but if not, I apologize.
00:49:59
Speaker
um I think like he's explicitly said like, ah you know, he tried to to pick locations that aren't ones that that you normally see. Again, if I'm wrong, I'm so sorry.
00:50:10
Speaker
ah But, but, but it's true. Like you do, like you go, it gives you a very strong New York flavor and it's not like, ah, Central park. I think you do go to central park though. Uh, time, what method? go ahead Ah, time square. Like, I dunno, like the statue of Liberty, um, you know, all of these, uh, like it, it, it tries to.
00:50:40
Speaker
give you ah like a different type of look and feel and ah of New York and like Rosa and Lauren both live like they they live in New York and so you kind of uh, like see the, the city from the eyes of these characters that, that live in it. And that is also written by someone who is a New Yorker. And that, I don't know, you feel it, you feel it. There's a real, like, I think a strong sense of place is a, is a great underrated thing, uh, in, in games it, like it.
00:51:24
Speaker
gives a lot of additional value to the experience that, uh, like it, it makes it feel a lot more, uh, special. And it's also that like or weaved into some of the games is also like some, like, you know, old New York, New York mythology, uh,
00:51:44
Speaker
And like, I, I love that sort of stuff. I also, I mean, I did, I grew up outside of New York, uh, uh, as a kid. So I went to New York all the time. And so it also, it, it fills me with a little bit of warmth, uh, playing it because it, you know, it's not home, but it is. A place that I'm very familiar with that I have like, that I've spent a lot of time with and that like family members have lived in.
00:52:10
Speaker
And ah so it's like when I play it, it does give me a little bit of a sense of of home, or at least, you know, the Northeast. ah and And so that's a ah really great thing about it too, is ah not only like the contemporary urban fantasy aspect, but like this authentic New York-y-ness. Rosa says, at least five times per game I'm walking here. And that's when I know it was written by a real New Yorker.
00:52:43
Speaker
And then there's a scene where like she spits a bagel out because it was toasted. Then there's a scene where she folds ah a ah ah folds a pizza. And then there's a scene where she gets a dirty water hot dog. And then she goes to Broadway.
00:52:59
Speaker
ah Does she ice skate at 30 Rock at any point he ice skates at 30 Rock? Oh, she steps on the the the ice at 30 Rock and all the ice ah Cracks and then and now I have to ah Try to remember the opening of the critic Does she dance on the big piano from big she dances on the big piano for big ah she um
00:53:24
Speaker
Katz's Deli. Yeah, Katz's Deli. Jess, I'm going to say something. Mastrami. I'm going to say probably the most controversial thing I'm ever going to say on any podcast ever. Uh-oh. People are going to light me up for this if they care. If this is something they care about. Maybe I went on an off day. Oh, no. ba that's That's how I felt about going to Katz's Deli. I've been to incredible New York delis. I love a New York deli.
00:53:54
Speaker
What'd you order? and I got the Reuben, of course. Uh, but, uh, I, I, I wasn't going to fuck around. Of course I was going to get the Reuben. Um, okay. But I don't know. Like, and I, and the thing is, is I know like New Yorkers who are serious about delis and deli culture and like could give you a list of like a dozen Reuben sandwiches and they would put the one at Cass's at like one or two. Uh, so it's like, I must, I, this is one of those things where I'm like, I must've, it must've been like, or, or maybe I, you know, maybe I had a cold and I wasn't tasting everything right, but I don't know. It just didn't hit for me. Uh, uh, and, and so, and so I apologize, uh, to, to everybody, but I don't know.
00:54:43
Speaker
I don't know. Cats is a deli. You know, I thought it was fine. The the best ah best sandwich. Here we go. Okay, let's lean in on this. Let's hear it. Let's hear it. The the best sandwich I've had in New York City. It's a hot dog. was I'm not even... that's No, that we can get lots of content from that. We can argue about that. I'm not doing that. and Okay. Okay. is ah ah In this neighborhood, i called ah Red Hook, which is in Brooklyn. Yeah. ah ah It's in the the Red Hook neighborhood of ah Brooklyn. It is Defonti's. This Italian ah ah ah sandwich shop.
00:55:32
Speaker
And let me, let me look up. Where's, see the full menu here. What is it? That's the one that I always get. And I haven't been there in a long time because I don't have, uh, you know, I don't have family in New York city anymore, unfortunately. So I have less excuses together. there Um, and, uh, I always get looking through and it's just the same handful of screenshots of the front is the prosciutto special.
00:56:01
Speaker
Okay. Because here's the thing. ah Play it on me. I love I love pursuit. Oh, yeah, that's correct. prosciutto is maybe my favorite. It's it's one of the best deli meats. And I love it's it's it's velvety texture, and they get you with that the the But the prosciutto, the mood, uh, wheat, Sorela, I'm not going to put any mozzarella, uh, that's a mustard on that. Uh, uh, uh, peppers and fried eggplant, uh, like a hard roll and it's fried eggplant. The fried eggplant is the curve ball. They have that on like everything at Defont, not, not everything, but they have it on a lot of stuff at Defonti's. If I recall correctly,
00:56:51
Speaker
Now you take my curiosity because Friday plant it's like I'm there for eggplant in any form like give me eggplant oh here's the crazy thing. I hate eggplant. I'm not an eggplant. I'm not and I'm laughing. This is an extra thing. iu I don't know. I I've I've had a couple Baba gnushes that I enjoy, but it Baba gnush is not if I'm if I'm going for a Middle Eastern dip, I'm getting hummus. I'm not going for Baba gnush. Come on. It's so fun to say, though. it's It's it's it's very fun to say. Is it the best word? I mean, Ben, you're, you're a comedy pro. Uh huh. And I know that, like, you know, you hear things like the comedy K sound and some things like that. Yeah.
00:57:30
Speaker
I mean, how like on the comedy meter, how far up is just the word baba ganoush? It sounds amazing. I love it. It's it's fun to say. yeah It's just amazing. Yeah. It's delicious. Anyway, you're wrong about this, Ben. They have a sandwich there. That's called the health sandwich, which I love. I love that I do health. It's called the health sandwich. It's a turkey, Swiss cheese, cucumber salad, lettuce, tomato oil and vinegar on wheat.
00:57:58
Speaker
Sounds pretty good. It's probably less, uh, bad for you than like, you know, the, uh, uh, 10 days worth of sodium that you get from like, you know, uh, prosciutto or pastrami. Anyway, this is my favorite, uh, uh, sandwich I've had in New York, but I haven't been, uh, you know, I haven't done a ah full sandwich adventure in New York in many years. So maybe I'm, I'm, this is out of date, uh, knowledge.
00:58:29
Speaker
Uh, so Blackwell or, but did you have anything else to to add ah to this tangent?
00:58:36
Speaker
No, I think I'm good. Uh, no, I mean this this, this really, I think more than any of your other points so far draws me in though. Like the, I mean, a I like games with a sense of place B I have a love affection for New York yeah as well. So that has some real appeal to me.
00:58:58
Speaker
and i And it confirms my suspicion that most of New York is haunted also. Yeah. It's also that like. um Even if you're New York out, as I said. ah It isn't. ah it it It isn't all the normal New York shit, you know, like it hits a bunch of ah other New York stuff.
00:59:26
Speaker
uh that that uh you know if you're like all right i'm sick of all this like new york stuff no no no it it it has its own new yorkiness uh which is uh very enjoyable uh let's see where what what else i'm i'm coming towards the the end of my list i feel like some of these points that i had have now merged with uh some of the other things that we've done and then i'll have my rebuttal yeah and then your rebuttal um ah All the reasons I think I shouldn't play this. um You know, I gotta go back to cats.
01:00:02
Speaker
You gotta go back to cats. Here's the thing is because also, uh, uh, Chicago is not really a sandwich city, you know, like there are sand obviously there are sandwiches here, but it's not a the deli culture is nowhere near the quality of, of New York where like it just is. There's a lot of wonderful food here, but, uh, you're just not going to find it. Uh, there are, there are great delis here.
01:00:30
Speaker
Uh, uh, and you can get, but it's just like the, the depth and the breadth of ah a New York sandwich situation. Yeah. You're complaining about this man, but like our best deli here is a Jersey mics. So don't mind the Jersey mics too much lettuce.
01:00:49
Speaker
Have you tried telling them go light on the lettuce? They don't know how. You can't. do I mean, first of all, yeah, no. I've got a i got a question for you, Jess. This is something I'm really curious about because a New Jersey mic's opened up near me and I'll go there from time to time ah because I think Jersey mics is okay. Yeah, that's fine. And I'd rather get a Jersey mic than ah a subway.
01:01:15
Speaker
um Uh, but, uh, anyway, uh, so the, the new Jersey mics. I go in there and every, all the people that work there are so enthusiastic about it. Wow. Very happy to like, they, you know, might be a put on, but they're, they act like they're very happy to be there and they're really excited about their, uh, the order. And at first I thought it was just one guy that was just.
01:01:45
Speaker
being intense. Like I walk in there. And ah I'm like, you know, I'll have the mic special because that one's so good. Good choice. Oh, wow. And then I and then I say, ah and I'll have it on we he's like, Oh, that's, that's great. Oh, I love to make sandwiches on we Like I'm not even kidding. Like it was like mean already the best failure in the world is having anyone in the food services tell you great choice after you've chosen something like right away. I'm just like, Yeah, and then did it and then at the end he wraps it up. He gives it to me. I pay for any guys. That's a really good sandwich. I just made. Wow. Yeah.
01:02:25
Speaker
I want to meet this guy. You know, there's not, I've got back and other people there have been similarly enthusiastic. So because it just been him. I would have assumed this is Jersey Mike. This is like, yeah, he's, he's got a new store that just opened in Chicago. He's working the floor for a few days. Yeah. Yeah. yeah alexander know yeah Like how, uh, uh, uh, the, the Kentucky Colonel would sometimes drop in. Right.
01:02:48
Speaker
Well, Papa John would just swing by and be racist for a little while. Yeah. And then he would sweat onto the pizzas. of i
01:03:01
Speaker
say robert isn't listening right So faced.
01:03:08
Speaker
Hold on. Let me hold on. Hold on. Yes. Hold on. I got a I got to check something. I got it. This is important. Hey, this is actually more important. Anything? Yeah. ah and We haven't even talked about Jimmy John's yet. That's coming. You know, Jimmy John's, which came out of Illinois. Yes, famously. And I like them. Okay. But uh you know uh i just and it's not i don't even think it's owned by them any uh by him anymore so the the jimmy john i don't care for jimmy john like the person
01:03:42
Speaker
that photo of him in all the restaurants like with all the hanging baloney's and things I think he's a like a big game hunter or something I believe so like a like a real and it's like I understand all these all these people I don't know all these places they're none of them none of them generally not nice people I understand But I don't know. I was just like, you know, I found out about that that big game thing. And I was just like, I'm done with. Ben, do you think this will make the edit? Oh, it's if this is all going on. And if you're if you're at home and you're thinking, when are they going to get back to to Blackwell? This is what I have to say to you. Stay tuned. The day of reckoning will come. And if you're not familiar, that's ah Papa John ah saying that he'll come back to Papa John's.
01:04:30
Speaker
i And you're like, Ben, how did you have that ready and loaded on your, your soundboard? Uh, you don't have to ask any further questions. I just do. So Blackwell, uh,
01:04:46
Speaker
sorry yeah. So there's this a series of adventure games. Uh,
01:04:54
Speaker
Are there last sandwiches with games? I don't think there's a single sandwich. You see, that's a strike again. That's the first thing you said said so far that makes me wonder. I mean, like you were that great sandwich from down here in Vamanra. You get a sandwich like right off the bat. Who said, who said enjoy every sandwich? You've heard that, right? Enjoy every sandwich. I don't think so. which it's ah war I talk about werewolves of London.
01:05:21
Speaker
or in Zevon. Wow, said and and does that enjoy every sandwich.
Writing and Storytelling in the Blackwell Series
01:05:29
Speaker
we should Yeah, I you know what, I think that's a great way to live. You know what else will will give you a more compelling and full life is one of the great things about the Blackwell series. oh Uh, it's got fun characters. I kind of already said that, but yeah, like i the the the central dynamic between like the two main characters.
01:05:54
Speaker
is is great as I said they they grow and develop. There's some other characters that you see appear in in ah like in some of the games they might show up for one or two. i And I also I just think ah that ah ah Dave Gilbert is a great writer like i and ah There, there is a part in Blackwell legacy, where you have to read, I think like five pages of diary entries, which if you listen to his game commentary for it, he's not really happy about that because it's like, this kind of kills the the pacing of the game.
01:06:32
Speaker
i um And yeah, like, you know, I don't, uh, I kind of hate that in an adventure game, but you know what? I don't actually hate it in that game because it's all really entertaining reading. Um, like it's, he's, he's, he's a good ghost storyteller and that's what these are, uh, is that it is.
01:06:54
Speaker
a series of of ghost stories set in New York ah with some very compelling characters ah that also lets you map a i ah developer's ah ah growth ah over the the course of eight years. So I highly recommend it. um And Jess, that's why I think you should play the Blackwell series and also come to my Jersey mics, which means when I say that, that means that that's staying in the edit. Oh, man. You got me. You got me.
01:07:34
Speaker
Oh man. Yeah. that's I mean, I wouldn't mind. It makes it so hard to to like, it's so irritating when like I'm cutting out things and then like, there's a reference like later in it. You and I both love a callback way too much. Like, yeah, we're not going to let something like that sit. So no, no, no, no, no, no. But no, I mean, this.
01:07:55
Speaker
has convinced me. I mean, hey, we said I was going to be convinced regardless, I could be lying right now. But I'll just tell you, I'm not ah quite honestly, you sold me on this. I mean, I think that I think You know, I knew some of this coming in, but especially again, the New York story element of it. I mean, that's what got us off on this sandwich tangent, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that no, I think that for me, that's maybe the most compelling argument that you brought to the table. I like this. I mean,
01:08:28
Speaker
It's not like, you know, here in West Virginia, where I'm located, and we never get media about us ever. It's like, yeah, there are other stories in New York City. But I like this idea of, ah you know, lived in off the beaten path approach to New York City, which sounds, you know, a little bit more compelling to me than, like you said, it's like, let's check out this haunting at the Statue of Liberty.
01:08:51
Speaker
you get you learn a little bit about ah the city and how ah people from their view it, which I think is always very interesting. It's great city in the world. That's that's what I've been told. ae but Do you have ah any other questions or any thought any other thoughts about blackball? Then I think you've answered all of my questions and listeners can look forward to seeing me stream this sometime in the near future. That's great.
01:09:20
Speaker
Cool. I've been convinced. You did it. Wow. You win. Folks. This has been Quest Quest, ah the adventure game and sandwich and a podcast that is the Joe Rogan of the left. And I ah am on Twitch. It's PS underscore Garrick. G-A-R-A-K. You can also just see the link in the description. And Jess. I am on Twitch at Decaf Jedi.
01:09:51
Speaker
You can also find both of us on YouTube under those respective handles as well, uh, to view our archives. You can send us an email at quest, quest podcast at gmail dot.com.
01:10:04
Speaker
And, uh, please leave us rate and review, uh, leave us a ah five star review. It really helps, uh, new people find, uh, this podcast. And, uh, uh, we love, uh, when new people find it, it, it, uh, our self-esteem is pinned to the number of downloads we get. Um, but.
01:10:26
Speaker
Join us next week where we will have ah another recommendation podcast and this time it's Jess trying to convince me to play less manly. Meet me then and meet you there.