Tales from the Backlog - Episodes Tagged with “Soulslike”

208: Death Howl (with Bryan Skursha - Pixelated Playgrounds)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

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Join Dave and guest Bryan Skursha as they deep dive Death Howl (The Outer Zone, 11 Bit Studios, 2025) on their journey through the underworld to find out what the hell a soulslike deckbuilder even is. Brutal turn-based combat, a story about grieving and a mother's love, and all the fucked up guys a gamer could ask for. Listen in to find out more!

Guest info: Bryan Skursha (he/him)

Check out Pixelated Playgrounds https://www.pixelatedplaygrounds.com/
Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/bsushi.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:18 Introductions
5:39 Our Histories with Death Howl
10:50 Top-Level Thoughts
15:42 Story Setup
23:58 Dreamy, Hazy Visuals and Sound
40:01 Combat Basics and Deckbuilding Strategy
54:58 Is It Soulslike?
1:05:00 Open-Ended Structure and Side Quests
1:10:22 Combat Depth
1:16:40 Who Should Play Death Howl?
1:19:00 Pixelated Playgrounds
1:22:55 Spoiler Wall & Patron Thank-Yous
1:24:58 Spoilers- Favorite Areas, Bosses, Decks
1:41:00 Spoilers- Final Area and Final Bosses
1:55:46 Spoilers- Story Discussion

Music used in the episode is credited to Chris Bjørumslet & Malte Burup. Tracks used: Death Howl, Olvi, Shadows of Rot, Cantharsis, Meadows of Delusion, Moon Eel, Ever Since Your Heart Stopped Beating

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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200: Dark Souls II (with Ryan Batie - Lightning Strikes Thrice)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Want more Dark Souls 2 podcasts? Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
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Every beloved series has its black sheep- Mario has Sunshine, Zelda has the DS games, and Dark Souls has Dark Souls 2. But to me, the things that make Dark Souls 2 divisive are the things that make it interesting. Not every new decision is a home run, but they're all ripe for discussion. And hey, good thing we have this podcast! And it's episode 200!

Guest info: Ryan Batie (they/them)

Check out the Pitch Drop Network https://pitchdrop.net/
Get bonus Pitch Drop shows via their Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/pitchdrop

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:15 Introductions
7:18 Our Histories with Dark Souls
11:19 Opening Thoughts about Dark Souls 2
18:51 Story and Themes Setup- Memory, Hollowing, World Design
30:26 More Theme Setup
35:51 Vibes, Atmosphere and Music
43:37 Examining Gameplay Changes
1:22:18 DLCs, Multiplayer and Comedy
1:31:42 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
1:34:25 Lightning Strikes Thrice Podcast & Pitch Drop Network
1:39:33 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
1:41:18 Spoiler Section- Trouble Areas
1:52:00 Spoiler Section- Vendrick's Story and Connections to Dark Souls
2:11:59 Spoiler Section- Aldia and The First Sin
2:21:56 Lucatiel and the Giants

Music used in the episode is credited to Motoi Sakuraba, unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Main Menu, Majula, Ruins Sentinel (Yuka Kitamura), Milfanito, Fire Keepers, Fume Knight, Remains

Social Media:
BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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199: Hollow Knight: Silksong (with Jenny Windom - Geeks & Grounds)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

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Very few games have ever had the hype cycle that Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry, 2025) had, so the question remained once the game was finally released- did it live up to the hype? Clown masks and Nintendo Direct comment section explosions quickly gave way to Discourse surrounding Silksong's difficulty and sometimes anti-QoL approach. So was the juice worth the squeeze? Listen in to find out.

Guest info: Jenny Windom (she/her)

Check out Geeks & Grounds podcast https://www.geeksandgrounds.com/
Check out Jenny's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/kimchica

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:13 Introductions
9:06 Our Histories with Hollow Knight and Silksong
12:45 Opening Thoughts about Silksong
18:26 Difficulty and Accessibility
23:19 Story Setup and Visuals
27:31 The Pilgrimage, Characters and Voice Acting
36:25 The Pilgrimage and Anti-QoL Design
48:29 Challenge Ramp-Up and Difficulty Curve
57:53 Silksong- A Good Teacher & Overcoming Challenge
1:05:47 Metroidvania Design, Visuals and Music
1:14:18 Boss Fights, Combat Challenges and Runbacks
1:33:42 Crests, Tools, Customization
1:40:40 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
1:45:54 Geeks & Grounds and Jenny's Other Work
1:51:22 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
1:53:13 Spoiler Section- Favorite Boss Fights
2:18:22 Spoiler Section- The Citadel and Faith
2:27:46 Spoiler Section- Hornet's Growth, Sherma and Community
2:45:23 Spoiler Section- Motherhood and Endings

Music used in the episode is credited to Christopher Larkin. Tracks used: Silksong, Bone Bottom, Trobbio, Cogwork Dancers, Bilewater, Far Fields, Lost Lace, Fleatopia

Social Media:
BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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189: Lies of P (with Rob & Kelvin - The Gaming Duo)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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Nobody is more skeptical of a new Soulslike on the block than me. Too often, Soulslikes build around the superficial qualities of FromSoftware's hits and neglect the secret sauce (or miss it entirely). Luckily for me and those who feel the same way, Round8 Studio and Neowiz knocked it out of the park with their Pinocchio-inspired Soulslike, Lies of P. I felt right at home playing through this, and it turned into a really fun conversation.

Guest info: Rob Garcia (he/him) and Kelvin Rolon (he/him)

Check out The Gaming Duo https://www.gamingduopod.com/
Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/thegamingduo.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:28 Intros
5:40 Personal Histories with Soulsborne and Lies of P
11:50 Personal Histories with Pinocchio
15:40 Opening Thoughts About Lies of P
19:20 Story Setup and Adapting Pinocchio
34:33 Visual Design
41:14 Music
49:09 Difficulty and How to Succeed
58:56 Weapons and Tools
1:18:17 Level Design and Exploration
1:28:21 Boss Fights
1:33:45 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
1:38:14 The Gaming Duo Podcast
1:41:38 SPOILER WALL and Patron Thank-Yous
1:43:38 Spoiler Section- Top 3 Boss Fights
2:05:26 Story Discussion
2:19:47 Backstory, Comparisons to the Book and Post-Credits Scene

Music used in the episode is from the Lies of P OST. Tracks used:

Main Menu (Round8 Studio Sound Team, YK Music)
Divine Service (Electronic Boutique)
Feel (DJ Mocha, Seo Ja Young)
Dreadful March (Studio LAY-BACK)
Judgement of Mourning (Studio LAY-BACK)
Hotel Krat (Studio LAY-BACK)
Quixotic (bermei.inazawa, foolen)
Eventide Hotel (Silun Lee)

Social Media:
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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170: Lunacid (with Dave Cox)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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I was admittedly very late to the King's Field and Shadow Tower bandwagons, energized by my love for FromSoftware's modern titles and a desire to dig into their history some more. However, I didn't anticipate loving those games so much that I wanted more like them, and that's where Kira LLC's Lunacid (2023) entered the fray. Lunacid is a fantastic game, leaning more on the exploration and vibes of those FromSoftware dungeon crawlers than the opaque RPG mechanics, capturing the spirit in a modern way. A true indie success- listen in to find out why.

Guest info: Dave Cox of Monster Dear Monster

Check out Monster Dear Monster podcast https://www.monsterdear.monster/
Follow Dave on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/senplus.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:27 Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts
11:53 Story/World Setup
28:51 PS2-era Presentation/Controls
40:53 Soundtrack
47:52 Gameplay/RPG Mechanics
1:09:07 World Design/Exploration
1:13:53 "Breaking the Level Design"
1:29:49 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Guest Plugs
1:38:57 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:41:13 Spoiler Section- Discoveries and Easter Eggs
2:04:22 Spoiler Section- Story and Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Kira LLC. Tracks used:

River of Death (Akuma Kira)
The Great Well (Jarren Crist)
Washed Away (Akuma Kira)
Falling To My Death (Jarren Crist)
Serence (Jarren Crist)
The World and You (Akuma Kira)
Serence (Reprise) (Jarren Crist)
Purchase the soundtrack- https://store.steampowered.com/app/2692630/Lunacid_Original_Soundtrack/

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Social Media:
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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36: Elden Ring (with Ryan Juengling- List Off!)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Elden Ring Month has begun on Tales from the Backlog! Up first, Dave is joined by Ryan Juengling from List Off! to discuss FromSoftware's game of the generation candidate, Elden Ring. With the elevator pitch of simply "Open-world Dark Souls" and wild expectations from fans, Elden Ring had a higher bar to clear than many new releases. Did it meet or even exceed expectations, or did it fall short? Listen in to find out!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros, Personal Histories, Opening Thoughts 00:46
First Impressions, Approachability 13:20
Open World, Exploration 51:19
Platforming, Crafting 1:19:12
Story, Boss Fights 1:38:41
Music, Final Thoughts 2:09:44
SPOILER WALL 2:29:29

Check out List Off! for more of Ryan (and his awesome co-host Brian) and some great gaming lists and discussions! Find everything List Off! via this link!

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Social Media:
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Twitter
Facebook
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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30: Dark Souls 3 (with Adam Rivera)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 18 May 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Dave is joined once again by Adam Rivera to discuss the finale (for now) in the Dark Souls series. Dark Souls 3 combined the faster gameplay of Bloodborne with the usual Dark Souls gameplay, but was it a happy marriage? And what's going on with all the fan service? Find out how we feel in this episode!

*Both Adam and I had some technical issues in this recording that affected the audio quality, but the conversation is worth it, I promise! Sorry!

TIMESTAMPS:
Story and gameplay changes pt 1 12:52
Gameplay changes pt 2 42:22
Bosses and final thoughts 1:08:36
Spoiler Wall 1:27:24

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Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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25: Bloodborne (with Moonborne & Jake Anderson)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Dave is joined by Moonborne and Jake Anderson to take on FromSoftware's incredible gothic/Lovecraftian horror classic, Bloodborne. FromSoftware took a big swing with Bloodborne, a game marketed as a werewolf slaying game but with a decidedly cosmic twist. Did that big swing connect? Check out the episode to find out.

Follow Moonborne on Twitter and on Youtube!

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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20: Blasphemous (with Chris Nelson)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Dave is joined by the ultimate penitent one, Chris Nelson, to discuss The Game Kitchen's 2019 metroidvania, Blasphemous. Blasphemous is much more on the "vania" side of the metroidvania genre, and it brings some truly stellar imagery and pixel art, as well as some simple but fun combat to the table. Find out how we feel in detail in the episode!

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Blasphemous 8:14, Spoiler Section 1:31:30

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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17: Dark Souls (with Jack Allen)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Dave is joined by Jack Allen to talk about the perfect Valentine's Day game- Dark Souls. Don't give up, skeleton! Dark Souls is a game that changed the way many people, your host included, look at video games, and specifically the way people look at difficulty in video games. Find out why we think this is truly worthy of that Game of the Decade title.

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Dark Souls 10:50, Spoiler Section 2:21:47

Find Jack and his artwork at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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11: Hollow Knight (with Jim Rodeman)

Dave Jackson — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Dave is joined by anthropomorphic centipede Jim Rodeman to discuss Team Cherry's legendary metroidvania, Hollow Knight. Standing alone at the top of Metroidvania Mountain is a surprise indie hit, one that marries the lonely atmosphere of Dark Souls with best-in-class map design and fun, expressive combat.

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Hollow Knight 12:23, Spoiler Section 1:33:35

Game Maker's Toolkit- The World Design of Hollow Knight

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8: Death's Gambit: Afterlife (with Moonborne)

Dave Jackson — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Dave is joined by stylish combat enthusiast Moonborne to discuss White Rabbit's incredible entry into the 2D soulslike genre, Death's Gambit. Death's Gambit, with its Afterlife expansion, is more than worthy of a seat at the table of the best 2D soulslikes, and a fun metroidvania to boot. Throw in a story that takes some interesting turns, and some cool lore ideas, and this is one that's an easy recommendation for fans of soulslikes and/or metroidvanias.

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Death's Gambit 8:27, Spoiler Secton 1:46:50

Moonborne on Twitter

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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