this week's brew 🎧
​what we discussed in this week's episode!

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

• 2026 Geeks & Grounds Game Voting has closed! I'll be tallying up the scores and prepping initial materials for us to kick off next year. Games to be revealed by Dec 16th! (aligning with the Steam Winter Sale so you can snag the ones you're excited to play - hopefully - at a nice discount)
• GOTY Lists are solidifying. Both Dave and I selected Blue Prince, Silksong, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as our top contenders, but we also include titles like Citizen Sleeper 2, Keep Driving, Many Nights A Whisper, and Look Outside. Listen to find out the rest!
• What we're excited about:
  • Jenny:
    • Playing: The Séance of Blake Manor, The Rootrees are Dead​
    • Watching: Grey's Anatomy (and cross-stitching while watching! I'm finishing this pattern here)
    • Reading: The Butcher's Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl Series #05)
  • Dave:
    • Playing: Ghost of Yotei, Pokemon Legends ZA, Sektori​
    • Reading: Gardens of the Moon​
    • Listen: Nostalgium Arcanum (especially the LOTR episodes)

Listen to the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!

✨ December (mostly) Indie Games Highlighted ✨

​Simogo Legacy Collection | Dec 2​ Puzzle Adventure Rhythm Simogo made lots of games before Sayonara Wild Hearts and Lorelei & the Laser Eyes. If you’re interested in 7(!) games of all sorts of genres, check this out. ​(PC)

​Scrabdackle | Dec 2​ Early Access Souls-Like Open-World The magical misadventure of a novice wizard thrown (literally) into the unfamiliar world outside. Go on a sprawling hand-drawn adventure with spells to study, bosses to best, and a huge handcrafted world to traverse on the long journey home. ​(PC)

​Octopath Traveler 0 | Dec 4​ Turn-Based Town Building 2.5D Experience a story of restoration and retribution over the divine rings—an epic saga that unfolds across the realm of Orsterra. ​(PC, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch)

​Angeline Era | Dec 8​ Bump-Slash Non-linear Exploration Every level is hidden in plain sight in this nonlinear 3D Action-Adventure game! Travel a vast country's unmarked overworld in search of the next challenging fight, humorous encounter, or mysterious landscape. YOU decide what you discover next in this world of Fae, Humans and Angels! ​(PC)

​Skate Story | Dec 8​ Skateboarding Action Adventure Play as a demon made of glass on a quest to eat the moon and buy your freedom. Ollie, kickflip and grind your way through the smoke of the underworld as you take on this seemingly impossible quest. ​(PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch)

​Unbeatable | Dec 9​ Rhythm Anime Story-Rich Music is illegal and you do crimes! Follow the story of Beat and her band on the run, in a narrative experience full of big emotions powered by arcade-flawless rhythm gameplay. ​(PC)

brewing for next time... ☕
​we finally arrive to the end... to Zanarkand!

What happens when your worldviews aren't just challenged, but fully shattered? Dave and I discuss how the game shifts in its second half, focusing more on Yuna's journey and evolution now that, like Tidus, we've acclimated to Spira. Real world analogues to the ruling class emerge as we get to know the power structures of Spira, and we will explore how faith and hope weave with power, corruption, and the idea of "acceptable losses". And, as I begin, the game moves from how faith

We'll go from deserts, fields, and mountaintops all the way to the end of our pilgrimage: Zanarkand. I hope you have a great time finishing this journey, and if you'd like other folks to chat with while you play, don't forget to share your thoughts in the Final Fantasy X thread in Discord!
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The deep dive podcast releases on December 16th ~ and we'll have our community hangout to discuss the conclusion (and a year of gaming together) on December 20th in Discord. Can't wait to see you all there!
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Find all the details and schedule for this month in the playthrough guide:

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Reflection

Share your thoughts, questions, and reactions with the wider community! You can do that by writing back to this email, submitting a voice recording to be included in the next episode, sharing experiences in the community Discord, or simply pondering as you play. Here's a question to get you started:

• Have you had a moment where your views or beliefs have been shaken (large or small)? How did you react? How did it change you?

Pour Over

As we're winding down our time with the game, here's a summary of resources shared earlier this month (plus a couple new ones) to help expand your experience with the game ~

• ​Read this personal reflection on the institutions of faith, queerness, and finding ways to move forward (from Uppercut Crit).
• The question of immortality -- or at least the ability to experience eternal cycles -- is brought up in this section of the game. Which got me pondering a more tangential question ~ would I choose immortality if given the choice? Here's a TEDEd video helping you think through that same question!
• Listen to the Final Fantasy X OST (and download it for free!)
• ​Take a look at some of the (VERY) early concepts for Final Fantasy X when it was known as 17 SEVEN TEEN
• Wondering what they're saying in Al Bhed? Here's a handy doc with all the dialogue translated, no spheres needed!
• Hear from the developers and voice actors themselves in this interview where they share favorite scenes, what they hoped to capture in their performances, and how they visualized the world and cultures of Spira.
• What characters wear is hugely important in their characterization, and there's a lot of great details to consider in this Part 1 and Part 2 analysis of fashion in Final Fantasy X.
• If you're just hopping in, a reminder that here's a mod to prevent bugs in the PC version of the game (thanks again to WeGoGiant for sharing!)

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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Thanks for joining our digital café this week -- talk soon!

Jenny