Into the Aether - A Low Key Video Game Podcast

Everyone loves Fit Kisto, the most exciting racer in the galaxy. He's suave, he's funny, and he's just SO famous. Everyone wants a photo with him, so make sure you line up bright and early! You do want a photo with Fit Kisto, right? Right??

Discussed: Star Wars Name Generator, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Biddy Blas, Sovereign Tower, GOTY contenders, Dragon’s Dogma 2 (on Switch 2), Resident Evil 3 & RE3 Remake, JaVert, Shez, Scribdoon

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Sometimes the moment hits when you least expect it. That's right, it's October 7th and it's time for Game of the Year 2026.

Discussed: Dicevaders, why StarVaders rocks, Balatro-likes, Belmont’s Curse demo, Dead Cells & Castlevania, Emio — The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, Resident Evil Village, Dietrich’s path in the Weave, Fit Kisto

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I'm gonna be so for real with you: Throughout the entirety of Cai's route, I kept seeing a person named Creek just hanging around Dagsion and at no point did I think "I'm going to recruit that guy." Just didn't find him remotely interesting. I truly know nothing about him whatsoever except that his name is Creek. And even then, I kept thinking "oh, that's the teal guy." He might be the most interesting character in Fortune's Weave, and I'd have absolutely no idea. Point being: I usually come into writing these episode descriptions with some kind of thought...

In our doomed future where Balor's destructive forces remain unmatched, there is but one who can save us...

Um...
(double checks notes)
...him?

Discussed: Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave

Interview with the Fortune's Weave team
Stephen's Fortune's Weave stream

Go listen to Eye of the Duck!

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Use code AETHER20 at checkout for 20% off your first year of Pika!

Sometimes dinner is just whatever you can fit in a pot. Sometimes an episode of a video game podcast is whatever you can fit into an mp3 file. 

Discussed: heartfelt gratitude, future plans, the potential return of Breath of Fire, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Capcom’s year, big RPGs on the horizon, Star Fox (2026), the many different approaches to a remake, Soulcalibur II, F1 Manager 2024, Ridge Racer 2 on many different devices, Blood Dungeon

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It's finally time for the NINTH season of Into the Aether, a low key video game podcast! To kick this one off, we played and discussed 40+ of the most important games from Sony's first home console: The PlayStation.

Thank you all so much for listening to and supporting the show throughout the years, and especially for your patience while we work on episodes like these.

Discussed: The Sony Playstation

The full PS1 Playlist

The games that won the community poll

Our episode with Chris Plante about Dreamcast history

Philanthropists... pAssemble.

Discussed: Upcoming break, past trips to London, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Marvel vs. Capcom, Big Walk, ziti pizza, Big Guess, Agent 64: Spies Never Die, FFXIV, Fields of Mistria 

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Ben Hanson tried to fool us.

Discussed: Fortune’s Weave Direct, Gun Nun, the hero we’re choosing first, our upcoming break, Fields of Mistria, Neighborvania, Penn & Teller VR: Frankly Unfair, Unkind, Unnecessary, & Underhanded, the Cai Crew, more games on the horizon

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It costs one hundred thousand United States Dollars.

MinnMax Trivia Tower

Stephen's Splatoon Raiders stream

Discussed: MinnMax Trivia Tower, the price we pay for losing trivia, Beast of Reincarnation, Game Freak’s games that aren’t Pokémon, Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Endless Ragnarok, the post game of Splatoon Raiders, Woe of the Year, Slay the Spire 2, squishy amiibos, August games we’re excited about

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Ay! (I'm Big Man!) And I'm Poopies, and this is the Spicy Raid.

Discussed: Cursed impressions, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”, Splatoon Raiders, Gooigi, MinnMax Trivia Tower, The Deltarune Patreon bonus episode, RuneScape: Dragonwilds 

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Thank you Celtreos for sponsoring this episode! - https://www.kevingrant.name/apps/celtreos/ita/

What if you only needed one single password? Imagine what life would be like.

*Quick correction! The Satellaview was exclusive to the Super Famicom. It was not released in the US for the SNES.

Stephen is open for commissions!
Tamoor Hussain's video about The Duskbloods
 
Discussed: Friday recordings, FFXIV, Zoe Bahamut & Johnny Anime, One Password, Denshattack!, Dreamcast big bang, excitement for Splatoon Raiders and The Duskbloods, multiplayer FromSoft games, Lost Kingdom, Wabisabi SushiDerby, Pokémon...

Big thanks to Murray for joining us on this one!

Follow Murray on Bluesky! And play Wax Heads!

"Making games for work and making games for fun. In a sense, it was heaven" - Yoshio Nishimura on Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle by Mikhail Madnani on RPG Site

Discussed: Wax Heads with Murray Somerwolff, the making of Wax Heads, games about music, Brendon and Stephen’s barista days, the release and reception of Wax Heads, composing music with repetition in mind, modern state of music and games, the importance of following yo...

Near, far, wherever you are, I believe the airship soars on.

"A Link between hairstyles" by Angelica Frey

Discussed: Three Houses at SGDQ, Rhythm Heaven Groove, the last Switch 1 game, potential future of Rhythm Heaven, Nintendo’s surprise updates, an exciting announcement, FFIX, the horrors of Tetra Master, daydreaming about FFXIV on Switch, if JaVert was funny, Shovel Knight Dig, various eras of roguelikes, No Man’s Sky, multiplayer in NMS, survival games, Big Bang Betty, Fields of Mistrial 1.0 on the horizon 

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Somewhere up there, Todd is wondering where he can find the most ferrite dust. He doesn't even realize, ferrite is all around us.

Discussed: Secaucus Junction, Overworld Weekly and Overworld dot vg, Star Fox (2026) and Star Fox 64, No Man's Sky, Crimson Desert, Deltarune: Chatper 5

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How in Philabieldia could you have possibly known those four magical words?

"The Adventures Of Elliot Devs Were ‘Surprised’ That Fans Think The Game’s Fairy Companion Talks Too Much" by Rebekah Valentine

"The Adventures Of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Makes A Strong Argument For Silent Protagonists" by Steve Watts

Discussed: Elliot Summer, The Adventures of Elliot, Team Asano games, open Zelda design. Spawn era, Wax Heads, past creative endeavors, work life balance, Mina the Hollower, Mina 64, Seasick Steve

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If Slippy is just "Wet Krillin," then who are you, dear listener?

Discussed: Elliot tomorrow, first year of the Switch 2, the demo for Star Fox (2026), Dragon Ball in space, what makes an interesting remake, concerns about the Ocarina of Time remake, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Switch 2 Edition, what makes the first Xenoblade so special 

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Just going to pat myself on the back for the restraint shown in not including Joey in the episode art this week.

"The Making Of Mina The Hollower" Game Informer Documentary

Discussed: Sleepy BB, Sick Steve, Overworld, Summer Game Fest, post-leakage, direct predictions, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, revisiting Rebirth, Roche redemption, Resident Evil Veronica, the return of Claire, Guild Wars 3, Alien Isolation 2, Gen Atlas, Guild Wars 3, Tifa in Street Fighter, Vincent in Guilty Gear, Spyro: A Realm Beyond, Persona 6, Persona 4 Revival, Teddie’s new voice, Mina the Hollower 

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What if Nintendo genetically modified a Direct in a lab just for us?
Well, the answer is "we talk about it for an hour."

Hello! Wanted to share a clip of our conversation with Chris Plante over on Post Games where we discussed what makes and how to achieve the perfect Persona Summer. So lovely of Chris to have us on, and you can go listen to the rest — for free!! — on Post Games!

Check it out here: https://pod.link/1815131711

Bond, we need you to stand in front of this wall and show off the latest styles from Old Navy. 

Check out Neon Crown by Jenny Reed on Kindle! - https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Crown-Jenny-Reed-ebook/dp/B0H1FBBTHB

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Sometimes I have dreams about a fruit you have to peel before you eat. It's this bright yellow color, it almost looks unnatural.

Use code AETHER20 at checkout for 20% off your first year of Pika!

Discussed: Summer Game Fest on the horizon, GTA 6 on the horizon, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, the ambition of the Lego games, different eras of Batman, video game comedies, Rugrats, Mario, Xenogears, the haunted ice cream truck

<...

Octodaaaad, really loves his RPGs.

Teachers Lounge's new EP Home Entertainment is available now on Bandcamp! - https://teacherslounge.bandcamp.com/album/home-entertainment

The PS1 Playlist

Polygon interview with Tomoya Asano and Naofumi Matsushita

Discussed: Malört, show predictions, PS1 playlist update, PS1 sampler platter, Bust A Groove, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, Crash Team Racing, Final Fantasy VII, FFIX & Howl’s Moving Castle, Spyro vs Crash, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Prologue Demo), Square Enix’s take on Mario, Resident Evil Requiem, Leon Must Die Forever, Residen...

Dinosorry to hear you expected Fox McCloud instead of Conker!

Discussed: Star Fox and its upcoming remake, the various eras of Star Fox, the return of the 3DS, Alabaster Dawn (Early Access), Ultra Nintendo, Cross Code, Pragmata, Project Hail Mary, Saros, telling a story through a roguelike 

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Joey's head pierces the veil of the chained apartment door as blinding sunlight pours in behind him. His eyes are wrong — they're the color of jewels, reds and blues all mixed up and coating every millimeter. His expression is contorted, almost beyond recognition. "THE CEASELESS FEAST OF WANT," he yells into the room, "A GLEAMING BEACON SHIMMERING ON THE HORIZON." He tries to force his way into the room again, but the chain holds. "WE ARE WANTED. WE ARE HERE TO SERVE AND REST OUR BONES UPON A GOLDEN THRONE. THE SUN IS FOREVER, AND SO TOO SHALL WE BE...

Name one hundred grandfathers. Fastest to name one hundred grandfathers wins. You will be disqualified if you name someone who is not a grandfather or if you remove your headphones which will be naming one hundred grandmothers at a high volume. Your time starts when you put your headphones on.

Discussed: Taskmaster, huge thanks to our patrons, the Vita episode is out, handheld games, revisiting Rogue Legacy 2 on a smaller screen, future consoles, daydreaming about UFO 50, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the joys of character creation, video game musicals, Vampire Crawlers, Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse, what games...

It's Henry's court now.

Discussed: Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, the joy of making OCs, Vampire Crawlers, Titanium Court, Hatsworthy games, hits that didn’t click 

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Season 8 cover art by...

The AI running this moonbase hasn't responded for a few days, which is weird. I'm being sent up there on a mission to investigate the possible cause, but before I go I have one last thing on my agenda: Play a kickass rock song with the crew.

Discussed: the p4g episode and the vita episode, Pragmata, the street sweeper, fighting games, Guilty Gear Strive 2.0, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the Persona spin-offs, Pokémon Champions

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Stephen and Brendon discuss the entirety of Persona 4 Golden and answer questions about friendship, social psychology, and what it's like to be a maligned cartoon bear in the human world.

Discussed: Persona 4 Golden

ITA's PS1 Playlist

Matt Horton's video essay on P4G for Flow State

"It's Time to Talk About it: Atlus, Naoto, and Transphobia" by Mattie Brice
"Atlus, We Haven't Forgotten Your Mishandling of LGBTQ Characters" by Carol Grant
"Persona 4's Identity Crisis Invalidates its Themes" by Lucas White
"Denial of the Self: Queer Characters in...

Surgeon General's Warning: Consuming Daruni-O's in any capacity can cause multiple health problems including chipped or broken teeth, stomach pain, or death. Do not consume Daruni-O's if human or Hylian. Daruni-O's are meant for goron consumption only.

Discussed: spring, upcoming Vita episode, FFX on Vita, the potential Ocarina of Time remake, perception of remakes, different eras of Zelda, Advance Wars, Cairn, photo mode in RE9

GMTK video about where Zelda can go next as a series
Climber plays Cairn

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When the calendar is bare, and a game can fit in there?
That's Fire Emblem: Three Houses!
When you don't know what to play, but you gotta kill the day?
That's Fire Emblem: Three Houses!

Discussed: PAX East, C2E2, new patreon episodes, the 2010 era of roguelikes, Spelunky, FTL, different styles of motivation, Fire Emblem Three Houses, the beauty of barks, Mega Man Star Force, the worst dressage music 

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Oh god, Wally's up on stage at the open mic again. Get ready for ten more minutes of "Oh! Susanna" unless he finally learned how to play something new this month…

Discussed: Upcoming P4G bonus, Persona 5 Royal, the loop of Persona, our expectations for Persona 6, Resident Evil Requiem, the hunk of gaming, the history and the future of Resident Evil, Soul Calibur III, Marathon

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Travel outside of any major metropolitan area. Escape the light pollution. Hike out to the middle of the woods. Climb the highest peak you can. On exceptionally clear nights, surrounded by your friends, look into the sky and you just might see him peering back.

Discussed: Our hero with a pizza, an impromptu Square Enix discussion, the strength of Team Asano, the future of Final Fantasy, Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse, final puzzles and true endings, the future of Paranormasight, the importance of niche appeal and modest success, Teddie, Slay the Spire II, the March "forever" games, Po...

"Yo, Ditto, I gotta admit -- splitting the rent is almost as fun as gathering lumber!"

If anyone else said this to me, I would assume they were being passive aggressive. But not Scyther, my roommate. He's the coolest guy in all of Pokopia.

Discussed: Pokémon Pokopia, the DQ Builders 2 influence, Pokémon personalities, roommate Scyther, the future of Animal Crossing, the latter half of Resident Evil Requiem, the Jekyll and Hyde restaurant, why Claire Redfield should be in more games, Slay the Spire 2 Early Access, the unique challenge of making a sequel to a...

If I do this squat, it'll be the most squats I've ever done outside of The Shire.

Discussed: Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom’s modern hits, Off-Broadway Skyrim, our experience with Resident Evil, Leon and Grace, camp, Ys X: Proud Nordics, modern Ys gameplay, Buff Sam, Trails of Cold Steel, Falcom Corner, Marathon Server Slam, battle royales and Destiny-likes, BB’s time with Destiny, extraction shooters, Super Monsanto, Big Defect

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Sakurai steps up to the podium, looking troubled. He's not his confident self this time around — and it's doubly weird that he's making this announcement live and in person instead of through some kind of Nintendo Direct. There's even regular press here, not just games media people. "We are removing Matthew McConaughey as Mud from Super Smash Bros. We are aware of rumors circulating regarding a licensing agreement lapsing or some kind of issue with having a real person present in the video game, but this is all just speculation. The truth is that we are removing Mud because he...

Sometimes life leads you down a certain path where you know exactly where, when, how, and why things should fall into their natural order. Other times, you need to dice of fate to give you a helping hand. And that's what life is all about.

Discussed: rolling a d10, Windblown, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, the vibe of the Vita library, BB’s P4G update, rolling a 4, Culdcept, Smash Bros. for 3DS, Tabuu, Under the Island, the influence of Zelda, Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, the tragedy of Fatal Labyrinth

Fi...

Linguists are baffled. “There seems to be a new subcommunity in a niche online video game developing a totally new manner of speech by fusing what’s known as the ‘Valorant accent’ with idioms from medieval English,” writes a joint statement from The Linguistic Society of East and West.

Discussed: BB realizes he’s offline, Highguard, early impressions of Deadlock, Yoda in Soul Calibur, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, the pros and cons of remakes, the history of DQVII, Nioh 3, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Demo, new games on the horizon 

"A History of Dragon Quest (and Wh...

The makings of a Joeylike are pretty simple, all things considered: The player character needs to ask "how you doin'?" as often as possible. This generally makes Joeylikes easy to spot from a mile away, but it also means they come off as derivative. Attempts to change the Joeylike catchphrase are often disasterous.  

Discussed: Code Vein II, Nioh 3's demo, Elden Ring: Nightreign, soulslikes, Joey from Friends, Fire Emblem Awakening, CAIRN

Check out Pixels and Polygons! - https://pixelsandpolygons.net/

Jareth skulks through the castle and out the front gates while listening to their favorite podcast, hair somehow bopping to and fro while also locked into its gravity-defying shape. As he makes his way towards the lillies, a new song idea slams its way into his frontal lobe. It's a riff on another song he sang long ago. He croaks it into existence.

Discussed: strange recording arrangements, Persona 4 Golden, the final bosses of Persona, Tokyo Xanadu Ex+, the potential of a sequel, DnD with Brendon, 428: Shibuya Scramble, Code Vein II Demo, dreams of Tomodachi Life, and a...

I don't mean to hy my own tale about this, but I have some theories about Persona 6 that I'm feeling pretty confident about.

Discussed: Malort, steam heat radiators responding to negative temperature weather, Tekken 3, informed button mashing, Vital Shell, Cannon Spike-Likes, a reminder about the ps1 poll and goty giveaway, Escape From Ever After, next bonus ep, Persona 6 theories, Hytale

Cameron’s piece on Hytale

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