In this atypical episode of Pixelated Playgrounds Josh and Bryan talk through a couple of “Game Poems”. A “Game Poem” (as defined by Josh) is “An experimental/artsy/short game or some combination therein. A game that the player can play once, for five or thirty minutes, and experience a distinct sort of message." Two such games are Every Day the Same Dream, released in 2009 by Molleindustria and Every Day the Same Dream released in 2020 by Cecile Richard. Every Day the Same Dream bills itself as a game about alienation and refusal of labour, while Under A Star Called Sun is described as a sci-fi bitsy game about grieving, holding on to fading memories, and carrying the world on your shoulders. Both are able to be played in 5-10 minutes or less and are readily available online, so if you’ve ever been wary to listen because of our spoiler policy, now is the time to subvert it!

Bryan and Josh also take a tangent into the history of browser games and reminisce a bit on some of their favorites, so boot up your ancient laptop that still has a running version of Flash and listen in to this episode on Game Poems!

Show Notes:

Every Day the Same Dream

Under A Star Called Sun

Molleindustria

The Actor and the Audience by Josh Galecki

I Am Sitting in a Room by Alvin Lucier

Three Word Reviews:

Under A Star Called Sun

Bryan - End Times Vibing

Josh - A Compelling Gravity

Every Day The Same Dream

Bryan - Clicking Through It

Josh - A Harsh Light

Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel Horizon Forbidden West have had an uphill battle to become some of the most successful AAA open world games. The first entry released alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the follow-up came out just ahead of Elden Ring, two games that are not just direct competitors for the Horizon series, but also genre re-defining titles. Yet, much like the series’ protagonist, Aloy, the Horizon games have persisted. They have eventually found their audience and have delivered some of the best Open World gaming the current generation has seen as of 2025.

While the Horizon games on their face are a visual feast focused on hunting down robotic dinosaurs in a stunning post apocalypse, what lies beneath the surface is what kept Bryan and Clint coming back for more. A sweeping sci-fi story with ambitious and surprising writing drives Horizon’s cybernetic heart forward. That and a surprisingly deep combat system that forces you to use all parts of the robotic buffalo.

In this podcast Clint and Bryan discuss the sweeping story told across both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West before focusing in on the finer points of the more recent entry. So grab your bow and spear and tune your focus in to Pixelated Playgrounds as we discuss the Horizon Series!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Defying Human Nature

Clint - Giant Robot Dinosaurs!

The indie game space is full of creative and inspiring projects. Projects that spark joy. Projects that make you feel a sense of awe, or joy, or wonder…. and then there are some that are just plain unhinged. In this episode Bryan and Josh discuss two games that are very different, but equally unhinged: Arctic Eggs and CLICKOLDING.

Arctic Eggs by the Water Museum puts you in the shoes of a nameless, faceless, drone in a post apocalyptic antarctica with but one remit: cook eggs for the people. From there it… goes places….

CLICKOLDING by Strange Scaffold was originally on Josh and Bryan’s list to cover in the Halloween timeframe but instead of being scary it was more just unsettling, so they held off to find an equally oddball game to discuss in tandem. The purpose of the game is simple: The man in the corner of your hotel room wants you to click a tally counter and he wants to watch you click it. Its a surreal and sometimes upsetting experience that takes only 40 minutes or so to complete.

So sit down, have an egg, and start clicking as we talk through the deeply strange experiences of Arctic Eggs and CLICKOLDING!

Three Word Reviews:

Arctic Eggs

Bryan - End Times Vibing

Josh - A Compelling Gravity

CLICKOLDING

Bryan - Clicking Through It

Josh - A Harsh Light