Two Player Theory

005 - Roguelikes and Roguelites (FTL and Cult of the Lamb)

Or, The Life and Death of Robo Derek
Zach and Derek (and a special guest ??) do a game swap to tackle a favorite genre: roguelikes, roguelites, and everything in between. They focus on FTL: Faster Than Light (Subset Games, 2012) and Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, 2022), but touch on many other games in this genre.
This episode is the first of a mini-series on roguelikes - more coming soon!

004 - All Scrims and Set-Pieces (Kentucky Route Zero)

Has the die already been cast? Are we all just floating along for the ride? What makes a memory, a dream, a ghost, or an echo (un)real? Is there hope for community and life after the flood? Derek and Zach consider it all as they explore their thoughts and feelings about Annapurna Interactive's Kentucky Route Zero (2013- 2020).

Gaming to Know You: Orange Boxes and Meat Flowers (Derek + Zach)

Derek goes back to the very beginning of his interest in first-person shooters with  Team Fortress 2 (Valve, 2007), and Zach tells the tale of his time at summer camp in Psychonauts (Double Fine, 2005).

003 - Live from the Cathedral! (Sid Meier's Civilization V)

Friend Kyle joins Derek and Zach to talk about a really bad tweet thread - but also about Sid Meier's Civilization V, Baldur's Gate 3, and what we want from good criticism.

Gaming To Know You: All The Chrono Crossibilities (Zach)

Zach explores the many pathways of Chrono Cross's story, within the game and across his life growing up.

002 - Isabelle Is a Bell (Animal Crossing: New Horizons)

In this episode, Derek and Zach talk through their experiences with the latest instalment in the Animal Crossing series, New Horizons. Topics include utopia, friction, and the debut of the Fruit Minute with Derek and Zach.
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Links:
Flores, Natalie. “Animal Crossing: New Horizons Is as Anxiety-Inducing as It Is Relaxing” (https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/animal-crossing-new-horizons/animal-crossing-and-anxiety)
Minsky, Yaz. “Animal Crossing and the Ideology of Chill” (https://youtube.com/watch?v=JN8Q0KASClE)
Signor, Jeremy. “Animal Crossing and Queer Agency” (https://unwinnable.com/2020/04/02/animal-crossing-and-queer-agency/)

Gaming to Know You: A Decade of "Isaac" (Derek)

Derek talks about his decade-long relationship with the rogue-like that started it all (for him) - The Binding of Isaac (Nicalis, 2014)

001 - Whose Tears? Whose Kingdom? (Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)

In this first episode, Derek and Zach talk through their experiences with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom