Pixel Project Radio is a video game podcast dedicated to analyzing the games we love. Each week, we play through a videogame and talk about it in a book club format. We summarize the plot beats while also analyzing the themes, discussing the mechanics, and generally talking about what worked and what didn't for us. It's a celebration of all things gaming, and whether you're playing every day or liked games as a kid, we've got something for you.
(00:00:00) Intro and Background (00:25:06) A (Very) Brief Introduction to Mitsuda's Sound (00:48:32) Selected Works: Chrono Trigger (01:22:23) Selected Works: Chrono Cross (01:49:35) Selected Works: Shadow Hearts 2 (02:00:56) Selected Works: Sea of Stars (Brief) (02:02:54) Selected Works: Mario Party (Brief) (02:08:49) Non-Game Music (02:18:54) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! Yasunori Mitsuda is a name that hardly needs an introduction to those steeped in JRPGs—but both his catalogue and his tastes are broader than you might expect. Nick (Friday Night Gamecast) co-hosts as we give an introduction (an admittedly very broad introduction) to his works and style. Although many of our favorites were left out, there is discussion aplenty. We talk two major works, a few lesser-known titles, non-game music, music theory analysis, and much more. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy! Referenced Links 2000 Interview, Shmuplations 2003 Interview, Shmuplations Square Enix Music interview, 20005 Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Intro and Overview (00:12:55) Development (00:21:26) Art: Pixar by Any Other Name (00:43:31) Mechanics: Platforming, Rot Fellers, and More (00:55:33) Combat: Dark Souls? (01:14:31) Gamelan and Kena's Musical Inspirations (01:26:03) A Brief Narrative Discussion Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! This week, co-host Jake (Pre-Order Bonus Podcast) joins to discuss Kena: Bridge of Spirits ! Kena made waves as a Souls-like with a deceptive face—"Disney meets Dark Souls," it's been called. A journey through the lands sees the titular Kena rounding up the almost-actionably-Pixar Rot to aid her in guiding wayward spirits home. But is Kena more than a series of homages and influences? Join us as we discuss the narrative, character writing, composition process, combat philosophy, and much more. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy! Relevant Links: Dev interview 2020, Gameinformer Gamelan from the Center for World Music Live Gamelan performance The short film "Terrible Fate" Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! It's a bonus episode all about some of my favorites in the gaming realm! I like these sorts of episodes from time to time and thought this would be a nice breather. Please enjoy! Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Preliminary/Recap Discussion (00:15:35) Searching for the Trifor- I mean, the Dragon Gods (00:34:22) Return to Fort Dragonia (Chrono Trigger Intensifies) (00:46:11) Chronopolis and FATE (01:01:47) Cool Lore that Rick Overlooked (01:06:31) FATE Falls, Dragons Rise (01:13:09) One of Cross's Most Touching—and Hidden—Scenes (01:26:23) Spaceships? Sure. Why Not. (01:30:56) Belthasar, Ho-Ho-Ho Guy, Explains (01:41:27) Dragon God (01:50:26) The Most Important Character in the Series (02:13:21) Final Battle and Ending Discussion Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! Until we meet again... The final episode on Chrono Cross is here! Though, in truth, another ten more would have been perfectly fine. All of the threads—of fate, of FATE, of the narrative—come together here, neatly or no. Co-host Chris (Retrograde Amnesia podcast) joins to wrap it up and discuss potential plot holes, essential lore that is completely missable, and, of course, the ending. There is SO much to talk about with Chrono Cross. It's a very special game, and we hope that you feel the same...at least about these episodes. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy! Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
This week: a special bonus episode into your feeds! Thank you for all of your patience as I work through scheduling stuff. Please enjoy all of the cheesy goodness of the hit (in my eyes) 1995 movie, MORTAL KOMBAT ! Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) The PS1 Wildchild | Tomba! / Tombi! (Ep. 176) (00:04:15) Personal Histories (00:10:56) Community Forum (00:16:00) Development (00:27:07) Art Style (and a Digression on Difficulty) (01:03:19) Mechanics: An Action Game? (01:17:36) Tomba's Event System (01:33:22) Music and Sound (01:51:28) Boss Fights and Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! I usually put a game quote up top...but just imagine Tomba yelling and making Tomba noises, instead. This week, first-time co-host Georgie (Press Pause Radio) joins to take a step into the halcyon days of the Playstation 1—because we're talking Tomba! , the sole series created by Whoppee Camp. Tomba is pure "early video game" in more ways than one; join Rick and George as they discuss the signature "Events" system, the surprising amount of freedom (and frustration) throughout, good-time music, and beatin' up pigs. Who doesn't love that? What I DO hope you love...is the show today. Please enjoy! Referenced Links 1997 Developer Interview 2024 Developer Interview A full list of in-game Events Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! (Note: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault.) "I'm so sorry I failed you, Buddy. I miss you so much." The Lisa series returns to Pixel Project Radio as we discuss Lisa the Joyful , the Kickstarter goal-turned-sequel to Austin Jorgen's cult hit Lisa the Painful. Joyful picks up as Buddy, Olathe's last living woman/girl. After the wake of Brad's self-satisfying redemptive warpath, she finally knows autonomy. Aaron (Super Pod Network) joins to discuss whether Joyful is able to ask the uncomfortable, meaningful questions that Painful asked of the players...or whether it lives meekly in the shadow of its older sibling. This, a brief look at the insane music, discussions on character depiction, and more. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy! Referenced Links Original Kickstarter eeeeeYUHH HUH "'Sup, Holmes?" with Austin Jorgensen Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Choices and Divergences | Chrono Cross Analysis (Ep. 174) (00:07:08) Viper Manor (00:33:06) Escape to Guldove (00:48:09) Saving Kid and the Hunt for the Frozen Flame (01:11:41) Confrontation (01:16:48) The Utility of the Silent Protagonist (01:35:05) The Search for Self (02:01:00) Parting the Dead Sea (02:07:55) The Nature of Time (02:39:16) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! " “We…No..Everyone worked to save the planet’s future for nothing…It’s all because of you! You killed it! You…! So many lives were supposed to be saved…how could you do such a thing?! It’s all your fault that the world is going to end up like this, Serge! Murderer!" The analysis of Chrono Cross continues! Co-host Chris (Retrograde Amnesia podcast) joins once more as the game begins to show contrasts—contrasts with its established tone, and contrasts to the ideals established by its predecessor, Chrono Trigger. Why struggle against fate? Is the universe fixed? Musings on determinism, a Zelbess mini-musical analysis, Fargo smokin' stogies, and much more. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy! Referenced Links: Chrono Cross's beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds How the greatest Japanese RPGs of the ‘90s came to the West The Chrono Compendium Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Intro (00:08:52) Development (00:21:36) Visuals: Those Beautiful Backgrounds (00:38:05) A Battle System Refresh (01:04:00) Mitsuda: Still Great, Maybe Greater? (01:15:16) Story Discussion: Return to the Sea (01:28:13) Another World (01:49:24) Termina (01:52:52) 3 Weirdos and Viper Manor (01:59:00) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! " Nobody can take anything away from him. Nor can anyone give anything to him." This week begins a look at Chrono Cross, the Playstation 1 follow-up to the critically acclaimed and fan-beloved Chrono Trigger . While sharing a namesake and a creative team, there is far more about Chrono Cross that differs from its older sibling than there is that makes them alike. Co-host Chris (Retrograde Amnesia podcast) joins the show to mull over what works—and more importantly why. Chrono Cross takes a lot of risks in its battle system, its cast of colorful weirdos, and, especially, its narrative identity...and that is where this conversation begins. Join us for the first of three episodes exploring this wonderful and weird JRPG gem. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy! Referenced Links: Chrono Cross's beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds How the greatest Japanese RPGs of the ‘90s came to the West Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! "Legend tells of an ancient artifact that can grant a woman's wish..." Fighting Game February comes to a close with Skullgirls , the indie fighter—excuse me, the handdrawn indie fighter, put some respect where it's due—that takes inspiration from fighting games, comics, and old-school movies alike. Mikey Tabletop (0-2 Heroes Podcast) joins as co-host to talk about why this game deserves more love than it gets. Between the gorgeous animation, the attention paid to competitive mechanics, and a soundtrack that's closer to "good jazz" than most games get (you too, New Vegas, sorry), it's easy to gush over Skullgirls. It's not all pleasantries though, as this game has been in the spotlight many a time for reasons less than admirable. All of this and more, to bring February to a close. Hope you love the show today. Enjoy! Skullgirls Origins story mode Skullgirls canonical(ish) timeline Insaneintherain YouTube channel Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Introduction (00:09:12) Development History (00:21:01) Visuals and Art Style (00:37:21) Mechanics (01:03:12) Music and Sound (01:21:50) Story, TV Ads, and Stuck on the PS3 (01:36:15) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! Hey, all! Pixel Project Radio here! To break up Fighting Game February, Rick and Bill (Gaming and Collecting; 3DO Experience; Geek Addicts) jump into the 3D Kingdom of Dotnia in 3D Dot Game Heroes! This game—with credits from Fromsoft and Atlus!—was released to general favorability in 2009 but never made a notable impression. Perhaps this is why it's marooned on the PS3 and the PS3 only to this day! This is a very special game, and in this episode Rick and Bill break down why it deserves far more love than it gets: the infectious music, the self-referential and -parodic writing, the gorgeous marriage of 2D and 3D, and more. 3D Dot Game Heroes does so much right. It deserves more recognition—and we're gonna tell you about it! Hope you love the show today. Enjoy! Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Fighters, Vipers, and Cars. Oh My! | Fighters Megamix (Ep. 170) (00:11:24) Development (00:23:10) Game Modes and Characters (00:44:33) Visuals: VF3 > FV (00:55:13) Burnin' Music (01:05:22) Gameplay (01:18:47) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! "Fighting Festival" is a worse name...but not inaccurate. This week is all about the Sega crossover bringing together Virtua Fighter and Fighting Vipers (as well as a few other surprises): Fighters Megamix ! Co-host Chris (Retro Hangover podcast) joins to PKG throughout this mashup that's either a marketing ploy or a good time, depending on who you ask. It brought the Virtua Fighter engine, it brought some (at the time) not-yet-released moves from VF 3, it brought the armor and stage destruction mechanics of Fighting Vipers...and it brought Sonic the Fighters and Daytona USA into the ring, too. This is a game that means so much to me (Rick) and immediately takes me back to being a wee lad playing the first console I ever owned. We hope you love the show today. Enjoy! Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Intro/What This Podcast Is (00:10:13) Story and Lore (00:19:37) Development (00:26:26) Music (00:38:20) Visuals and Art Style (00:47:27) Mechanics (01:19:28) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram! "Fighting February" has begun! We're trying something a little different this year and doing three fighting games this month. This episode features Under Night Inbirth , an anime fighter with combo-heavy gameplay and a supernatural-esque lore. Co-host and fighting game aficionado Raging Demon (Kommand List podcast) joins to parse out what makes this fighter so unique—and so criminally underrated. The insane story, the GRD system, the absolutely killer soundtrack...all this and more on this week's episode. Hope you love the show today. Enjoy! Rooflemonger's Beginner Guide (Under Night II) Nihongogamer's 10 Under Night Tips Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Introduction to the Podcast (00:04:07) Personal Histories and Community Forum (00:12:42) Development and Design Philosophy (00:30:51) Mechanics (01:01:41) Music and Sound (01:17:27) Lore and Story (01:58:32) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click the following to join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok! "No cost too great. No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering. Born of God and Void." We're finally doing it: might be pretty late to the party, but today we're talking all about Hollow Knight , the metroidvania that had — and arguably still has — the gaming world rapt since 2017. Co-host Doug (Nostalgium Arcanum, Playing by Ear ) joins the show to look into just what makes this game work...and what makes it work so impeccably well. Hollow Knight is rich with thematic strands, lurid visuals, affecting music, and enough lore to make even the most dedicated Wiki editor blush. Hope you love the show today. Enjoy! Kotaku interview w/ Kirk Hamilton Team Cherry AMA Larkin Interview Full game script c/o mossbag Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok! Hey folks! Please enjoy this bonus episode from the Patreon vaults. This episode was recorded and released in January of 2025. Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for a fantastic year. Creating this podcast and bringing fiction off of the page/screen brings me a lot of meaning. Here's to 2026! Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok! Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click the following to join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok! "A future is not given to you. It is something you must take for yourself." The NieR Automata analysis concludes! Joined by Dave (Tales from the Backlog) , we talk through the final three endings of the game in detail. One of the game's main themes — that of a Will to live, a meaning to life to stave off what has been variously called "The Absurd," "Nihilism," and more — is on full display as we see more characters than not grapple with it. Between what the game presents and the supplemental lore canon, there's loads to talk about. Hope you love the show today. Enjoy! Smash Interview with Yoko Taro Interview with Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Intro Discussion (00:15:26) Adam and Eve (00:26:17) The Forest Kingdom (00:35:44) Mecha-Kaiju (00:40:38) The Copied City (00:53:03) Become as Gods (01:04:44) flowers for m[a]chines (01:34:34) Route B (02:07:28) Adam Captures 9S (02:25:08) Revelations (Replicant Spoilers) (02:43:28) or not to [b]e Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok! "And we need a God worth dying for." The NieR Automata analysis continues! Joined by Dave (Tales from the Backlog) once again, we proceed through the ending of route A and through the entirety of route B. The view from 9S's perspective unearths new information not yet known to 2B...or to most of the YoRHa troops. How will 9S temper the friction between his loyalty — indeed, his "essence" — with an earth-shattering revelation? Further conversations on existentialism, Simone de Beauvoir, the importance of perspective, and more. Hope you love the show today. Enjoy! Smash Interview with Yoko Taro Interview with Yoko Taro and Yosuke Saito Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Intro/What This Podcast Is (00:02:25) Personal Histories (00:13:08) Development (00:31:59) Visual Design (00:38:37) Mechanics (00:51:48) Music and Sound (01:00:28) Story Analysis: Let's Kill God (01:26:18) Resistance Camp (01:39:07) This Cannot Continue (02:03:16) Pascal's Village (02:24:23) Aliens' Return Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok! "Stop calling me ma'am." The analysis on NieR Automata begins! Rick is joined by Dave (Tales from the Backlog) to take an in-depth look at this marriage of Platinum Games's circumfluent battle style and Yoko Taro's philosophically-tinged narratives. NieR Automata is a game with two ideas at its core: existentialism (existence precedes essence); and the all-too-human penchant for "othering" those who are not in our in-group, often due to unwillingness to shift perspective. This episode covers up to learning the fate of the makers of the machines. Hope you love the show today. Enjoy! Interview with Yoko Taro Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
(00:00:00) Intro/What This Podcast Is (00:02:06) Personal Histories and Initial Thoughts (00:12:10) Development (00:16:02) Visuals (00:26:58) Sound Design (00:40:40) Narrative Discussion (01:30:22) Ending Discussion Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also join our free Discord server, or connect with us on Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok! An oppressive system breeds a need to break free. Rick is joined by Kate and Emily (No Small Games) to take a deeper look into Playdead's INSIDE, a horror-tinged puzzle-platformer released in 2016. Draped in an opaque narrative, INSIDE demands discussion from players—with the game and with each other—to parse out intent and impact. Between the three hosts themes of control, systemic oppression, free will vs determinism, and autonomy are explored, both in terms of gameplay and a suggested narrative. Hope you love the show today. Enjoy! LINK: INSIDE's Audio in a Human Skull Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!
