this week's brew 🎧
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I am normally not a fan of Westerns. Cowboys, gunslingers, and lots of dust and sand? It just rarely appeals to me. And yet, playing Arco has provided me with a rare occasion to appreciate the genre.
We have all the tropes that you may envision when you think of the genre: lone wanderers seeking retribution and justice in a harsh environment, a sense of isolation in a expansive world, and a growing recognition that laws are, perhaps, more what you make of them rather than hard and fast rules. Yet this game doesn't place us in the perspective of a white man claiming 'manifest destiny' for his actions. Instead, we are fighting those very men, placed in the shoes of people faced with the invasion of their homeland.
Arco takes this perspective shift and expands upon it even further. We're introduced to three stories, each presenting a different response to dealing with this new threat of the Red Company. As we play, we're forced to examine what each character deems necessary as a next course of action. Some pursue revenge, driven by the ghosts of their past, seeking to punish those doing the oppressing. Others aim for liberation, striving to free their people and reclaim their land. Others still seem more focused on their individual plights, and making it to the next day, the next job.
This week, we talked about the final of the three character perspectives: Act IV - Two Halves. What I found most interesting during our discussion was the way that our feelings on this chapter shifted as we discussed it! Make sure to have a listen (and if you haven't yet, catch up on the other Arco episodes on Spotify and YouTube).
As always, check out the playthrough guide for pacing, and feel free to respond to this email, leave a voicemail, or post your thoughts in Discord about this game. And if you have a question for the developers, be sure to email me before Friday (March 21st) so I can try to ensure its included in our conversation with them!
Check out supplementary recs to expand your gameplay experience and understanding!
As you play this week, take a moment and reflect on this question:
Have a response to the reflection question? Want to share other thoughts on the game? Share thoughts in the Discord to chat with the community or leave a 60-second voice message and you’ll have the chance to be featured on a future podcast episode!
Next Week’s Brew: It'll be time to finish up Arco with our Act V episode releasing on the 25th! And, remember, we have a special conversation with Fáyer -- one of the devs -- releasing on April 1st!
Finally: our April title is the community-selected, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage! We'll be releasing the first discussion episode (covering Tape One) on April 15th, so feel free to pick it up and begin playing now if you'd like to get a jump start!
Jenny -
Joel -
The Steam Spring Sale is happening right now! Here are four titles under $5 that I wanted to shout out as fun experiences with a hefty discount ~
Stay in the loop -- listen to the weekly podcast on Spotify and Apple, hang with the community in Discord, and find us on Instagram!
Thanks for joining our digital café this week -- talk soon!
Jenny
Geeks & Grounds is an asynchronous, monthly game club where we play video games and brew good conversation, together! ☕ Each week, receive a newsletter with a reflection question and curated materials meant to help you thoughtfully connect with the games we play.
this week's brew 🎧what we played this week + supplementary materials to help you dig deeper. Listen to the latest episode on Spotify and YouTube! The 90s are alive and well this month for Geeks & Grounds ~ we're playing Lost Records: Bloom & Rage! This game oscillates between memories of summer for high schooler, Swann, and her present day reunion with those friends. Of course, this isn't a simple reunion: there seems to be a mystery surrounding the events of that fateful summer of 1995, and...
this week's brew 🎧what we played this week + supplementary materials to help you dig deeper. Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube. We're taking next week off (and I'm technically out of office already visiting family in Korea!) but before we touch some grass and eat some snacks, I wanted to be sure to close out our official time with Arco. Joel and I had a blast chatting with Fáyer, the one of the writers and programmers for Arco. His influence was a primary factor in the game moving from...
this week's brew 🎧what we played this week + supplementary materials to help you dig deeper. Latest episode out now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube The conclusion of Arco is filled with smoke, blood, oil...but perhaps you were able to find a little hope as well. Our discussion this week digs into the final act of the game, the results we got, and how we felt as concluded this epic tale. While our discussion focuses on the our main characters and the journey they've taken, a surprised character...