About the show

A video games podcast where Dave Jackson and guests break down and discuss the games they play. Each episode looks at one game in depth, focusing on mechanics, story, music and other aspects, with no spoilers until a clearly marked spoiler wall at the end.

Tales from the Backlog on social media

Episodes and Blog Entries

  • It Takes Two

    Article  |  May 5th, 2022
    By Dave Jackson
    hazelight studios, indie games, it takes two, podcast episode

    Dave is joined by Aaron Angle to talk about It Takes Two, the 2021 Game of the Year award winning co-op platformer from Hazelight Studios.

  • 28: It Takes Two (with Aaron Angle)

    Episode  |  May 4th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 3 mins
    games, it takes two, video games

    Dave is joined by the author of the Book of Love, Aaron Angle, to discuss Hazelight Studio's 2021 Game of the Year winner, It Takes Two.

  • 27: Returnal (with Ryan Delaney)

    Episode  |  April 27th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 19 mins
    games, returnal, roguelike, video games

    Dave is joined by Ryan Delaney to talk about Housemarque's 2021 action roguelike hit, Returnal.

  • 26: Earthbound (with Keith from The Main Quest)

    Episode  |  April 20th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  3 hrs 17 mins
    earthbound, games, jrpg, nintendo, video games

    Dave is joined by Keith from the wonderful The Main Quest podcast to talk about 1994's cult classic JRPG, Earthbound.

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    Break from the Backlog: Bloodborne Bosses Tier List (FULL SPOILERS) (with Andrew & Dylan from Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamers)

    Episode  |  April 13th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 51 mins
    bloodborne, break from the backlog, fromsoftware, games, tier list, video games

    Dave is joined by Andrew Kimball and Dylan Wren from Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamers to tier rank the Bloodborne bosses.

  • 25: Bloodborne (with Moonborne & Jake Anderson)

    Episode  |  April 6th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  3 hrs 26 mins
    bloodborne, fromsoftware, games, video games

    Dave is joined by Moonborne and Jake Anderson to take on FromSoftware's incredible gothic/Lovecraftian horror classic, Bloodborne.

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    24: Metroid Dread (with Eric Gess from The Unlockables & Sidequesting Podcast)

    Episode  |  March 30th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 13 mins
    games, metroid, metroid dread, metroidvania, video games

    Dave is joined by the wonderful Eric Gess to discuss Nintendo & MercurySteam's long-awaited entry in the beloved Metroid franchise, Metroid Dread.

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    23: Persona 5 (with Aaron Angle and Ryan Arrington)

    Episode  |  March 23rd, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 39 mins
    atlus, games, jrpg, persona 5, video games

    Dave is joined by Aaron Angle and Ryan Arrington to discuss both Persona 5 and its expansion, Persona 5 Royal, the latest in the long-running series by Atlus.

  • 22: Before Your Eyes (with Brian Edwards from Cane & Rinse)

    Episode  |  March 16th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 8 mins
    before your eyes, games, indie, video games

    Dave is joined by Brian Edwards from Cane & Rinse to discuss GoodbyeWorld Games' wonderful experiment with interactivity, Before Your Eyes.

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    21: King's Field: The Ancient City (with mysticreferee)

    Episode  |  March 9th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 59 mins
    fromsoftware, games, king's field iv, video games

    Dave is joined by mysticreferee to discuss part of FromSoftware's past, King's Field IV aka King's Field: The Ancient City.

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    We're on Discord! Come join us!

    Episode  |  March 7th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  1 min 24 secs
    games, video games

    Announcing the Tales from the Backlog and A Top 3 Podcast Discord server!

  • 20: Blasphemous (with Chris Nelson)

    Episode  |  March 2nd, 2022  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 7 mins
    blasphemous, games, metroidvania, video games

    Dave is joined by the ultimate penitent one, Chris Nelson, to discuss The Game Kitchen's 2019 metroidvania, Blasphemous

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    19: Darkest Dungeon (with Andrew Tavin from TV Nopes and House of House)

    Episode  |  February 23rd, 2022  |  Season 1  |  3 hrs 36 secs
    darkest dungeon, games, video games

    Dave is joined by Andrew Tavin, host of the TV Nopes and House of House podcasts to discuss Red Hook Studio's 2016 dungeon crawler, Darkest Dungeon.

  • 18: Death's Door (with Brian and Ryan from List Off!)

    Episode  |  February 16th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 52 mins
    death's door, games, video games

    Dave is joined by both of the hosts of the List Off! podcast to discuss Acid Nerve's 2021 indie darling, Death's Door.

  • Break from the Backlog: Dark Souls Bosses Tier Rankings (with Jack Allen)

    Episode  |  February 14th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 36 mins
    dark souls, games, tier list, video games

    The Furtive Pygmy Jack Allen returns, as we put every boss in Dark Souls into a tier list.

  • 17: Dark Souls (with Jack Allen)

    Episode  |  February 9th, 2022  |  Season 1  |  3 hrs 11 mins
    dark souls, games, video games

    Dave is joined by Jack Allen to talk about the perfect Valentine's Day game- Dark Souls. Don't give up, skeleton!