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(00:00:00) When The End Comes, We Won't Disappear | Nine Sols (Ep. 181) (00:01:19) The Fantastic OST (00:18:39) Story Discussion Begins (00:20:24) An Exceptionally Brief Intro to Taoism (00:37:41) In Medias Res (01:00:16) A Rough Timeline (01:20:29) Ending Discussion Thank you all for listening. Relevant Links 8bitmusictheory on Nine Sols TV Obsessive article YouTube Dev Interview "Behind the Music" Into Indie Games article Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! 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! "Every parry is a conversation. What are you trying to tell me, Yi?" This week begins the conversation around Nine Sols, a "Taopunk" 2024 release from Red Candle Games. Part Metroidvania and part Souls-like, Nine Sols challenges players not just mechanically but intellectually, weaving the dichotomy of science and spirituality throughout a tale of revenge quest. Co-host Erik (Pages of Play) joins for both part I and part II; this episode covers our general thoughts, development history, mechanics, and art style. Oh, and of course...can't forget about discussions on difficulty and "getting gud!" Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy! Relevant Links TV Obsessive article YouTube Dev Interview "Behind the Music" Into Indie Games article Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

(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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 (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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!