Emmi & Annie Talk Indie
Two longtime friends discuss what indie (and sometimes not indie) video games they're playing this week.
Episodes
Annie finally rolled credits on Hades II so we could rant about it. In better news, Emmi enjoyed Magical Delicacy. Spider-Man makes a cameo or two, courtesy of whoever holds the copyright to his podcast appearances.
Chapters
(00:00:30) Hades II (spoilers abound!)
(00:29:38) Hades II spoilers over; Magical Delicacy; Fangirl Down
(00:47:00) Pokemon Fossil Museum
Games Mentioned:
O...
Annie goes Blue Prince mode and breaks out the serial killer notebook. Emmi crashes out over frisbee platforming.
*Clarification on Roblox’s news: Roblox’s shares did not decline 70% in response to their earnings announcement; rather, it declined 70% from their peak share price last year (per IGN). Shares did fall substantially following the announcement, but declined by 27% (per Eurogamer) not the 70% figure cited...
Annie has fallen in love with a bat and Emmi’s jonesing for some Metaphor: ReFantazio. In other news, we belatedly discuss some Summer gaming announcements.
Chapters:
(00:00:56) Sol Cesto
(00:07:07) Astrobot
(00:09:30) Mina the Hollower
(00:33:12) Summer gaming showcases
(00:36:26) Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and Orbitals
(00:38:47) God of War: Laufey
Emmi, Annie, and friend of the pod IAmTheSnuggler talk gothic literature, safe-cracking, and blackmailing for the love of the game.
Chapters:
(00:00:22) News
(00:08:44) The Séance of Blake Manor
(01:33:48) Upcoming Games
Links:
Check out IAmTheSnuggler on YouTube
Sheridan Le Fanu (Wikipedia)
Varney (not Varley!) the Vampire (Wikipedia)
Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the Age ...
We introduce you to friend of the pod IAmTheSnuggler, and IAmTheSnuggler introduces us to The Case of the Golden Idol.
Chapters:
(00:00:31) Interview with IAmTheSnuggler
(00:23:25) Nancy Drew Games in particular
(00:34:11) The Case of the Golden Idol
Links:
Check out IAmTheSnuggler on YouTube
A Rake’s Progress by William Hogarth (Wikipedia)
The Snuggler Saved My Life (Tim and Eric Sketch)
Music:
New episode type alert! Annie and Emmi talk about a grab bag of games, shows, and books they’ve been consuming lately. Contents include Sol Cesto, Titanium Court, and Astrobot.
Chapters:
(00:00:31) New episode type!
(00:02:24) Sol Cesto
(00:10:25) Astro Bot
(00:20:42) Titanium Court
(00:36:11) Ribbit/Puzzmo and Pokopia
(00:40:53) Books and TV and things
Games we’ve been playing:
Sol...
Friend of the pod Robin Bea joins Emmi and Annie in a magical forest adventure where you date girls, wear cool shoes, and sell your soul to the devil.
Timestamps:
(00:00:29) News
(00:11:22) Interview with Robin Bea
(00:32:31) Little Goody Two Shoes
(01:51:03) Upcoming Games
News Links:
Interview with Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two (Gamesindustry.biz, May 21, 2026)
We’ve been hibernating for a while, but now that spring is in full swing, we’re back. And we played a mouse game called Winter Burrow we’d like to tell you about.
Chapters:
(00:00:19) News
(00:03:19) State of Silksong
(00:06:22) Winter Burrow
(01:09:39) Upcoming Games
News:
Nintendo hiking Switch 2 prices (GamesIndustry.biz, May 8th, 2026)
Winter Burrow Links:
Welcome to Emmi & Annie's year in review, including our definitive video game crush of 2025, episode stats, and a cocktail or two. Thanks for a great year of talking indie. We're really looking forward to the next one.
Girl Modeandthe episode we guested on back in May
Emmi’s non-EATI recs
The Apothecary Diaries
Heated Rivalry ...
Emmi and Annie battle motion sickness to answer a ghost’s questions three.
Chapters:
(00:30) News
(06:45) State of Silksong
(10:32) Carimara Discussion
(01:08:22) Upcoming Games
News Links:
Netflix to buy Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion (GamesIndustry.biz, Dec. 5)
Netflix sells studio Spry Fox back to original owners (PC Gamer, Dec. 5)
This week we’re talking Dave the Diver, killer whales, and the Ratatouille of it all in Part 2 of our Fishing Game Duology.
Chapters:
(01:02) News + State of Silksong
(25:23) Dave the Diver
(01:11:23) Upcoming Games
News Links:
NYT on the Saudi Arabia PIF being low on funds
Game Developer on the Unity/Fortnite partnership
Dredge, the yawning horror of that which we cannot change, and you.
Part 1 of our Fishing Game Duology. Look out for Part 2 in a couple weeks.
Links:
80 Level interview with Black Salt Games (November 16, 2023)
The Game Awards' Future Class program remains on ice (November 6, 2025)
How poor leadership slows down game development (November 4, 2025)
Chapters:
(00:37) News + State of Silksong
(14:57) ...
Slay ‘er? I barely know ‘er!
Beware: discussions of blood, gore, body horror, cannibalism, the works.
Links:
Nota Press by Reba Elliott open for submissions for Game Books
Arimia Dev - Interview with Black Tabby Games (November 29th, 2024)
Gamespot - Review of Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut (November 18th, 2024)
Favorite Childhood AMVs:
This one’s for the late game freaks.
Links:
EA considering private buyout (which has since been confirmed): https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/ea-private-deal-buyout-video-game-maker-808aefec
Hades II v1.0 out as of Sep 25: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145350/Hades_II
Infinity Nikki Girlcott context from Girl Mode’s Robin Bea: https://www.inverse.com/gaming/infinity-nikki-season-controversy-up...
Sorry it took so long to get back. We got lost in this mansion where the layout changed every day. We've been subsisting on turnips and bananas since June. As always, spoilers abound.
Featuring a new recurring segment, the State of Silksong.
News Links:
Indie game delays due to Silksong release (Game Developer)
A recap of recent Nintendo Direct (Polygon)
Annie and Emmi revisit games from their respective childhoods. Annie brings Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst, a game about being friends with your ex, and Emmi brings Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside, a star vehicle for Pamela Adlon. Spoilers for games that are decades old.
This episode was deeply cursed with recording issues, roommate noises, and college youths having a party down the street, so...
Gird your chthonic loins for the Hades II Early Access anniversary. Emmi and Annie talk muscle mommies, lunar lasers, and so many spoilers. No section on upcoming games this week because we simply had too much to say about Hades II.
Corrections:
Emmi misspoke when she said Giant Bomb was sold from CBS to Fandom. The 2020 sale of Giant Bomb was from CBS to Red Ventures. Red Ventures then sold Giant Bomb to Fandom i...
In their first itch.io Snack Mix episode, Emmi and Annie scale fish, believe and forget, and descend into the depths. Snack along at the links below.
Games discussed:
Scale the Depths
Bulbo’s Belief System
Upcoming/newly released games:
Locomoto (Apr 8)
Blue Prince (Apr 10)
Rusty Rabbit (Apr 17)
Beholder: Conductor (Apr 23)
News links:
For April Fools’, Emmi & Annie play a little game called Balatro.
Upcoming/newly released games:
The Chef's Shift (Mar 30)
PEPPERED: an existential platformer (Apr 7)
Tiny Garden (Apr 8)
Maliki: Poison of the Past (Apr 22)
News links:
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/nintendo-announces-new-lending-feature-for-digital-games
https://www.polygon.com/gaming/547367/time-cops-mission-of-le...
Annie is a know-it-all. Emmi is a know-it-none. No news or upcoming games this week because we spend too long talking about which anthropomorphic animals from Aviary Attorney we would kiss.
Vive la France.
Links:
2014 Siliconera interview with Darya Noghani and Mandy Lennon
Original Kickstarter for Aviary Attorney
The Public & Private Life of Animals by J.J. Grandville and P.J. Stahl
Music:
Bit...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.