Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind
A panel style discussion between artists and the art they love. Each week hosts Kyle and Jorge tackle an essay-style topic to help them ascend to the status of Brain Lord and discover the answer to the ultimate question: ARE VIDEO GAMES ART?! (yeah.)
Episodes
The summer may be over but Kyle and Jorge are just beginning their Natsuyasumi! Join them in this three part special on the gameplay, story, and legacy of the Hilltop Works translation of Boku no Natsuyasumi 2. As the sun rises each day in Fumi, Japan in 1975 we join the Akane house playing one day in-game every day in real life. As they live out Boku's past they discover a yearning for a nostalgia they never had
This week on Brain Lords aren’t some movies more fun to describe as video games than as movies? John McClane gains the ability to travel through vents while unlocking shortcuts through the elevator. He gets new weapons like a machine gun to take on a boss at the top of a tower. Action? No no no this is a Metroidvania. Returning guest bansheebeat unleashes her letterboxd so we might decorate the criterion closet with a few Ami...
This week on Brain Lords we discuss all the vile and wicked things we love to do (in Minecraft). After all, aren't you just following the rules if a game is allowing you to be evil? Returning guest Shannon Strucci joins us in reconciling if the morally ambiguous things we can only safely do in games are meant to stick with us after the game turns off. You wouldn't whack a Whacka would you, Mario?
This week on Brain Lords we solve the equation for what makes a game worth it. That it has to cost you $1 for every hour of fun, right? Special guest Keifer from the Select & Start Podcast helps us in this crossover episode where we break down what people actually mean when they say a game is "Worth It"?
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
...This week on Brain Lords all the games are a stage and all the avatars are merely players! Ever dramatically look backwards, slowly walk along a vista, or equip suboptimal gear because it made for a cooler experience? It turns out with a little imagination any game can be a role playing game. Jorge and Kyle discuss the ways in which we can add a little extra to any kind of game, as well as the ways the “intended experience&rd...
This week on Brain Lords shuffle up and let's duel, we’re talking card games! Why play a digital version of a game that is designed around its physical limitations? We discuss all the unique things that only digital card games can do. From Gameboy adaptations like Pokémon TCG, to 2000s genre bending spinoffs like Mega Man Battle Network, to the modern age of Slay the Spire inspired Rogue Like deck builders and more, It’...
On this episode of Brain Lords we have a special treat for everyone, we take a break from being a panel-style discussion podcast about video games to become and actual panel about video games. Cursed Switch eShop Games to be exact! Join us as we remember our journey into the dark depths of the Nintendo Switch eShop! How can a game stand out in a sea of AI fueled sexy puzzle games? What is Italian Brainrot? Is it true that there are...
This week on Brain Lords special guest MinovskyArticle helps us explore the lost art of the video game manual, the paper portal to the rules, themes, and stories of worlds beyond. Aka that thing you used to read on the way home from Blockbuster. Why did the manual die out and what is the future of guides? In this jam packed episode we spend over an hour alone gushing about some of the most breathtaking manuals described in detail f...
Times are hard right now so stop the doomscrolling and lets get COMFY! Grab your blanket and pull up a cozy game like Dark Souls and Silent Hill 2. Are we really turning our brain off when we play relaxing games like PowerWash Simulator, or is there more to it? We discuss everything from the games that helped us escape despite reminding us of what we were trying to avoid in the first place, to the times we got a little too comforta...
Spring is here and it’s time for Ani-May. For a once-a-year special, we crossover into the world of animation. So many middling games are adaptations of anime but what about the other way around? We explore the obvious and not so obvious anime inspirations behind our favorite games. Musical guest bansheebeat helps us spot all the robot cyborgs that are just like our Japanese anime.
Tired of the constant marketing, brand management, and style guides for the Square X Disney project, the Brain Lords decide they could do better making their own Kingdom Hearts levels! Special Guest Andrew Bluett helps us each design a world based on three categories, Disney Proper, Squaresoft, and anything-goes sicko mode picks. It’s Always Sunny, Pretty Woman, Ellen's Energy Adventure, The Bouncer, the only limit is the pat...
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
This week we have had it with everything from Schmoovement and Soulsborne games. No longer wanting to differentiate the “-likes” from the “-lites” we’ve taken it upon ourselves to rename the most troublesome game genres names. No more smashing -vania at the end of other words, w...
We had just finished recording our Brain Lord playthrough, when an unexpected guest arrived...
This week on Brain Lords we seek an audience with non other than The BRAIN LORD. Y'know, He Who Sits On The Brain Throne. The ancient, interstellar extradimensional being that gives us all our cool takes on video games, and life advice. The Father and final form of our Podcast. Not the game, the guy. That Brain Lord.
Find out where ...
There sure are a bunch of furry mascot characters in video games. Returning guest Oceanity helps us cover everything from platformer icons like Sonic and Sly Cooper, to modern day indies gems like Atlyss and Pseudoregalia. Are these characters just syndical cash grabs or do they appeal more to classic folklore than we often give them credit fur... err, for, excuse me.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspo...
This week on Brainlords we attempt to solve the origins of the khaki cargo shorts/green Zelda tee combo. Special guest Jiikae helps us dive into the clash between personal aesthetic and what marketers tell us our vibe should be. Would my life actually be better if I got the Kim Kitsuragi replica jacket? Terrible example, yes actually, it would.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
As the N64 nearly turns 30, it’s fully moved on from a nostalgic console to a secondhand nostalgia console. What better way to celebrate it than a list of its top games with special guest Paper Dawn! But aren’t you tired of seeing the same handful of Nintendo and Rareware titles? We’ve selected our best games with some extra challenging restrictions.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspo...
Happy one year anniversary Brainlords! On this very special episode, we actually PLAYED Brainlords. What does a scrappy little Zelda-like by Enix say in 2026 and what have we learned from the past year of podcasting? We discuss our favorite episodes and our biggest mistakes as we reflect on the state of video games criticism in 2026. Thanks for sticking with us or even just being a part of our first year!
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
Depending on who or when you ask, indie seems to be a genre, a scene, a vibe and a controversy generator for the game awards. Why can't we seem to find any common ground on a term that seemingly just means independently produced? In today's episode, we discuss the different qualifiers (and disqualifiers) for...
This week on Brain Lords, sequels, remakes, and spiritual successors sure love to add more, but then why do we keep playing the original? We discuss the all too common additions that make their ways into flashy new games and when features like crafting, open worlds, and skill trees took an already perfect game and made it a little worse.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com
Here it is, our 2025 games of the year…..oh crap we forgot to play any video games! This year join Kyle, Jorge, and special guest Esper Quinn (wahoo!) as your esteemed judges presenting their picks for Backlog games of the year. With so many good games, why did these must-plays just barely miss the mark for us? Enjoy such awards as “Best Game That Got Overhyped for Me and Now I’m Pushing Back on Principal”....
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