this week's brew 🎧
​what we played this week + supplementary materials to help you dig deeper.

This week, we basically dive directly into Return of the Obra Dinn discussion because WHEW. The three chapters we're focusing on? They are absolute DOOZIES. Seriously, the creatures in Chapter VI are haunting meeee. This week's focus includes:

• Chapter IX: Escape
• Chapter III: Murder
• Chapter VI: Soldiers of the Sea

And we assume knowledge of Chapter X (The End) and Chapter VII (The Doom).

Listen to the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!
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Obra Dinn admittedly took a bit longer than I anticipated for me to settle into. I had a strong first impression, put it down for a couple of days (and yes, played Expedition 33 and Blue Prince) and then when I picked it back up? It felt like I had lost all momentum! I put it down after about 20 minutes because I couldn't really figure out what I wanted to do next. Y'all. I was worried this would be my first G&G game I couldn't finish.

Fortunately, I pushed through ("we continue", amirite?) and once I was able to solve a couple of fates, felt like I was really in the swing of things, playing until I couldn't keep my eyes open.

What fascinates me the most right now is how I ended up feeling so invested. We play an insurance collector. Our job is not to find out why these deaths happened. All we're there to find out are the facts: who died and how.

At the risk of getting to academic and splitting hairs: this game intentionally seems to put us in a place to focus on the narrative -- the structure and perspective of the events -- rather than the story -- the motives, backstory, and intention behind the actions.

As players, we naturally attempt to fill in the gaps (especially as some of those assumptions and the stories we create can help with deducing what happened), but I would argue that while Obra Dinn has one of the strongest narratives and plot I've experienced in a game...we actually don't have much in the way of story. What happened that caused the rift between the captain and his first mate, for example? It's not relevant to the moment of death, so we actually don't know (at least, not that I can tell! If you do, please send a message my way!) ​
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And this leads me to the reflection question for the week....

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Reflection Question

Share your response by writing back to this message, submit a voice recording to be included in next week's episode, share in the community Discord, or simply ponder as you play. Of course, if you have other thoughts on the game you'd like to share not related to the question, please do so!

• As we're winding down the game, what are your final thoughts? How did you feel as you concluded your time with the Return of the Obra Dinn? Who would you recommend this game to?
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Pour Over

Supplementary recs to expand on what we're playing ~

• What was Formosa? This republic was located on the island we now recognize as Taiwan! Here's a bit about it's history (I had never heard of this, so I found it super interesting!)
• Note-Taking Assistance: I've found my normal note-taking isn't quite working for this title, and while the in-game book is helpful, there's something about writing things down that really help my brain connect the dots. Cue this fan-made Inspector's Notebook, custom-made for the game! Thanks to Valace in the community discord for sharing this document ~ I'm starting to use it for the final half of my playthrough!

the pastry case 🥐
​our grab-bag of topics related to the industry and other media we've engaged with.

Play/Watch/Listen/Read

Jenny -

• Play: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Twinkleby (Demo)
• Watch: Malcolm in the Middle​

Joel -

• Play: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Watch: Lazarus​
• Read: The Antidote by Karen Russell​
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This Weeks' Game Releases

Two titles that I'm keeping an eye on, and that may be worth picking up if you'd like something new to enjoy!

​Desktop Survivors 98 | May 20​ Action Bullet Hell Casual Desktop Survivors 98 is a chaotic roguelite dungeon crawler that unfolds right on your Desktop. Your cursor becomes the hero as you explore new rooms, battle relentless waves of enemies, and collect powerful new weapons.

​Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping | May 22​ Detective Investigation Wholesome You are the one and only Duck Detective, a depressed and recently divorced duck who must quack the case. Inspect evidence, make de-duck-tions, and solve this no-murder mystery!

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