this week's brew 🎧
​Deep diving Kentucky Route Zero

​Katie and I had an absolute blast talking about Kentucky Route Zero -- it honestly felt like a slumber party, chock full of giggles, jaw-dropping realizations, and shared stories. I hope you have fun listening to it as much as we had recording.

We begin with how KRZ draws from the tradition of the katabasis: stories that take you through an underworld (in the tradition of Dante's Inferno, The Odyssey, and even Alice in Wonderland). From there, Katie and I go through each act chronologically, delving deeper into the Zero and each person we meet along the way. In addition to expanding on our initial discussion last episode of how KRZ leans into the traditions of Southern Gothic and magical realism -- highlighting tragedy, debt, loneliness, and the ways the past collides with the future -- we add on explorations of religion, automation, and hope.

One of my favorite moments is when we discuss how Kentucky Route Zero utilizes religion in it's story. Katie mentions, "Religion is an opportunity for people to learn how to hope" -- and from that line of thinking, we start to break down how, in the absence of religion (whether by choice or not), the ways people continue to find and facilitate hope and community.

I also appreciated the time we spent discussing Poppy, the sole remaining switch-board operator you meet while in the winding tunnels of the Echo River. Her work, once something she was proud of, is now essentially training her machine replacement. Poppy's question (and stomach-dropping realization) is burned into my memory: "What if I'm cheaper than the machine?" Right now, when AI is being force fed to us in place we interact with technology, I couldn't help of think how human labor is further exploited to push these "advances" along (like in this Verge article revealing how an AI drive-thru company was actually powered by human workers in the Philippines, with people stepping in to fix and complete over 70 percent of orders).

This is a dense, layered game, and while we spent three (!!) hours discussing our reactions and reflections, there's plenty more still to explore. I hope if you're free, you'll join us in Discord for our community hangout on February 28th (even if it's just to listen for a bit or say hi), and please do share with me any of your thoughts on the game as you wind your time with it to a close.
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Listen to the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!

The Pastry Case
​Our grab-bag of media we're engaging with outside of our game of the month.

We actually TOTALLY forgot to do the Pastry Case, we were so excited by the impending discussion of Kentucky Route Zero (and good thing too, as we really utilized that full three hours).

I did want to take a moment to highlight a few of the Steam NextFest demos I've played and would recommend! In case you're newer to Steam, the NextFest is a week-long period where games releasing relatively soon (usually within the next few months) release demos for you to see if you'd like to eventually play the full game.

With nearly 4,000 demos available it can feel simultaneously like a treasure hunt and an avalanche! Some quick tips if you wanted to browse what's available:

• Use the top navigation bar to get you started, especially the "For You" tab, as it draws from your wishlists and what you've been playing recently.
• "Charts" can be a good way to see what others are engaging with, and especially by Day Three of the event (and it also updates daily). This is helpful if you're looking for the "greatest hits" to check out.
• The side filter can help you if you're looking for a specific genre or tag (tags in Steam are "Themes & Moods" like Fantasy, Horror, Emotional, Supernatural, etc).
• Look and see if any of your favorite journalists, creators, or friends have played anything and shared about it.
• Be willing to scroll and just see what art catches your eye!
• Note that many demos will be available for a time after the event, so if you have the computer space, download a batch and then work through them.

With that, here's a handful of demos that've impressed me early on:

Steam NextFest Feb 2026: Recommendations

​Nippets | Release TBA​ ​A delightful hand-crafted hidden-object game. Get clues to find objects around town, and then match them to the person who lost them! Highly interactive, slow-paced, and perfect for people-watchers.

​Beastro | Release TBA​ Not all heroes wield swords...Some prefer the spoon. Blending cooking and restaurant sim mechanics, deck-building, and roguelike runs, you play as Panko, a chef attempting to find his missing mentor while helping heroes fuel up to save the world. There's more depth here than I was anticipating, which was a pleasant surprise!

​Forbidden Solitaire | Q1 2026​ ​Katie put me on this demo last week, and I have to mention this one again because it was so fun. Forbidden Solitaire is a card game-meets-outlandish-90's-horror experience that is incredibly easy to pick-up (you're just counting up or down by one).

​Esoteric Ebb | Q1 2026​ ​For those fans of D&D -- or even Disco Elysium -- I highly recommend taking a look at Esoteric Ebb! Unravel a political conspiracy with your goblin sidekick (and all the voices in your head). Great dialogue, ridiculous scenarios, and beautiful art style!

Next Month's Brew: The Roottrees Are Dead
​Turns out, we're a geneology genie ~

This March, we'll be flexing our deductive muscles as we map out the family tree in a Succession-meets-Obra Dinn indie: The Roottrees Are Dead.

According to "How Long to Beat", you can anticipate taking between 7-15 hours to rustle up the leaves of this family tree, and I'm really looking forward to putting our heads together as we place ourselves into the role of a genealogical detective, and am looking forward to discussing as we set the scene for the game officially on March 10th!

Don't worry if you're not normally a puzzle-fan: if you're intrigued in the story and setting, know that there is a hint button to help push you along in the right direction if you need it. Anticipate cooperate intrigue, family scandals, and (at least for me) an exploration of what it means to be an 'internet sleuth'. Full list of content warnings and where to find the game in the playthrough guide.​

Joining us on March 10th is the incredible Aenne of Stumpt Gamers. They've really leaned into deductive games over the last few years, and as someone who's completed Roottrees once, I feel will add lots of invaluable context to the conversation! Go follow their work at Stumpt on YouTube ~ and when you're ready, feel free to hop into the Discord to start discussing the game.
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We'll have our community hangout (in Discord) to discuss our thoughts on this game on March 28th!

Stay in the loop -- listen to the weekly podcast on Spotify and Apple, hang with the community in Discord, and find us on Instagram!

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Take care, and talk soon!

🌻 Jenny