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

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).
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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!

Pour Over

Check out supplementary recs to expand your gameplay experience and understanding!

• Watch: I’m Still Here (Now in Theaters and Streaming). This film is set when Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship, and Eunice Paiva, a mother of five children is forced to reinvent herself after her family suffers a violent and arbitrary act by the government.
• Read: Learn about the Native Residential & Boarding Schools from this summary of a comprehensive report published in July 2024.
• Read: This letter (2023) from Native Alaskan community members opposing the expansion of Oil Drilling.
• Listen. The Arco OST is on Bandcamp and with over 50 tracks, it's a LOT of good music to listen to while working ~ I'm just saying!

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Reflection Question

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!
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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!

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

Jenny -

• Play: Monster Hunter: World, Split Fiction​
• Watch: L​ove is Blind (Season 8)​
• Read: Never Whistle at Night​

Joel -

• Watch: W​heel of Time (Seasons 2 + 3)​
• Read: Never Whistle at Night​

This Weeks' Game Releases

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 ~

​Chrono Trigger | $3.74 USD (75%)​ RPG Time Travel Story Rich While the Steam port generally gets feedback as a non-ideal port of the game, for ease of access (and those who don't have access to a Nintendo DS or Super Nintendo) it's a great way to still enjoy one of the most iconic RPGs of all-time!

​In Other Waters | $3.74 USD (75%)​ Atmospheric Exploration Adventure The UI/UX of this game had me totally immersed in a way I was NOT anticipating! A non-violent sci-fi story, In Other Waters is about unraveling the history and ecology of an unknown planet while you play an AI that guides a xenobiologist.

​Death's Door | $4.99 USD (75%)​ Souls-like Cute 3D Platformer One of the most polished and charming souls-like experiences I've ever played. You play a reaper, a crow, who's assigned soul is stolen. The world is beautifully grim, the combat sharp and snappy, and the story straightforward yet satisfying. One of my favorite Devolver-published titles!

​Pikuniku | $4.994 USD (75%)​ Puzzle Multiplayer Puzzle-Platformer An anti-capitalist puzzle platformer where you help your community and start a little revolution. I've loved this game for ages for it's cheerful 2D art, funny moments, and message about what it takes to fight the good fight. It also has co-op, which makes for extra silly times with friends. I also just realized: it's another Devolver-published title! Good job curating fun games, Devolver!

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