In this episode Josh and Bryan are talking about Hades II, developed and published by Supergiant Games and released in September 2025 for Windows and Mac, alongside Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions following in April 2026. Picking up after the events of the original Hades, the sequel casts players as Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld, as she trains to take down Chronos, the Titan of Time, and restore her fractured family. Where the first game asked you to escape the Underworld, this one asks you to defend it and the surface world above across two distinct paths, each stacked with new weapons, boons, and a crafting system deep enough to make the Crossroads feel like its own small civilization. With Jen Zee's art, Darren Korb's music, and Greg Kasavin's writing all operating at full strength, Hades II is Supergiant leaning into more of everything that made the original a phenomenon. Join us as we dig into the game's run-based structure, its sprawling cast of gods and companions, the effectiveness of its story, and whether "more" is always the right way to follow up a masterpiece. Death to Chronos!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Compelling, Cluttered Homecoming

Josh - Back for Seconds

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Clint and Bryan are strapping in for their first mission with the world's most famous spy, tackling IO Interactive's origin story reboot, 007: First Light. Developed and published by IO Interactive, the studio best known for the modern Hitman trilogy, First Light rewinds Bond's story to age 26, when he's still a hotheaded Royal Navy recruit, voiced and performed by newcomer Patrick Gibson. We were curious to see how much of the Hitman DNA would carry over, and the answer turned out to be a lot, in the best way: sprawling, densely detailed levels built for multiple approaches, whether players want to talk, sneak, or shoot their way through.

Where the game really won us over was in the smaller character beats between the big set pieces, the training compounds, the casinos, the rooftop chases, all of it stitched together by a Bond who's still learning what kind of spy he wants to become. It's not a flawless espionage thriller, and we get into where the pacing and mechanics stumble a bit, but as a reintroduction of 007 to games after a long absence, First Light earns its number. We also talk about what a sequel could build on if IOI gets another shot at Bond.

Three Word Reviews:

Clint - A New Trick

Bryan - Bond Is Back

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh take the throne in Titanium Court! Developed by New York-based creator AP Thomson and published by Fellow Traveller, Titanium Court is a strategy game that mashes match-3, tower defense, and roguelike mechanics together as you command the eponymous Court in battle against the enemy. Between runs, you retreat home for visual-novel-style story beats, courtier interactions, and a slow unraveling of exactly what this strange, fairy court actually is.

Winner of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and the Excellence in Design award at this year's Independent Games Festival, Titanium Court has earned a reputation for writing that's genuinely funny without leaning on snark, and for a genre mash-up that is singular rather than derivative. Listen in as Bryan and Josh dig into how the match-3 and tower-defense layers actually talk to each other mechanically, whether the randomness undercuts or reinforces the tactics, and whether this IGF winner lives up to the hype. So grab your keys, you're going home! Eventually. Maybe.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - World’s a Stage

Josh - Keeps You Guessing

Show Notes:

Rebecca Valentine’s Interview with AP Thompson for Kotaku