Episodes
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(Note that this episode was recorded back in August 2024)
Marina sits down with Rachel - who’s worked as a producer at game studios and in game publishing - to talk about the games they’re playing, and what they want to play next.
They talk about games of all sizes and genres, including beloved indies, new releases, and AAA classics.
Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(03:00) What Rachel is playing (Cobalt Core, Against the Storm,
(11:40) Marina loves Hades & Rachel is playing Hades II
(12:49) What Marina is playing (Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail)
(18:00) Games that Rachel loves (Disco Elysium, Blue Prince)
(21:44) Games that Marina loves (Nier: Automata, Hollow Knight)
(24:50) What Rachel is playing next (Cataclismo)
(26:43) What Marina is playing next (Outer Wilds, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus)
(33:33) Rachel getting back into Apex Legends? + Kingdom Two Crowns + Marina loves FF7 Rebirth’s Queen Blood and Animal Crossing
(37:21) Industry Talk: SAG-AFTRA Strike, Layoffs, & The Difference between AI and GenAI
(44:08) Outro
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FOLLOW US:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Rachel: https://bsky.app/profile/hlywa.bsky.social
Marina: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
Music by Marina Ryan
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Marina sits down with Myleah - Founder of Lumikha Cosplay Resale - to talk about Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
They chat about the game’s charm, sarcasm, and cheekiness, robots gaining sentience, and why Vivian is so amazing.
Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(10:12) Story Overview
(12:57) Why this is Myleah’s favourite game
(16:40) Cheeky, sarcastic tone of the game
(20:46) Favourite characters
(24:45) Narrative theme of found family
(26:20) Sense of adventure
(20:30) Can machines feel emotions? + Exploring serious themes
(36:10) Bowser and Kammy are Team Rocket
(28:25) The music
(43:50) Spooky Twilight Town
(45:30) Favourite environments
(49:20) Paper mechanics
(53:25) Outro
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FOLLOW US:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Myleah: https://x.com/METTALEAH
Marina Ryan: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
Music by Marina Ryan
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Missing episodes?
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Marina sits down with returning guest Ren to talk about the games they’re currently playing.
They talk about collecting mermaid items in Animal Crossing, how the Elden Ring DLC feels like an entire sequel, Stardew Valley’s similarities to the original Animal Crossing, the cheekiness of Paper Mario, and our love for Final Fantasy XIV.
Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(05:38) Animal Crossing
(12:12) Elden Ring DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree
(20:24) Stardew Valley
(28:14) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
(32:03) Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
(53:38) Outro
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FOLLOW US:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkersRen: https://renraven.carrd.co/ Marina Ryan: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
Music by Marina Ryan
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Marina sits down with Xander from Xander’s Cut to talk about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3.
They talk about the importance of foreshadowing, whether Xenoblade 2’s DLC was better than the base game, their thoughts on Xenoblade 3’s ending, and their favourite musical pieces.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(06:00) Overview of the games
(11:37) Pyra and Mythra’s story
(16:55) Is Xenoblade 2’s DLC better than the base game?
(22:53) Favourite music
(28:25) The ending of Chapter 5 in Xenoblade 3
(33:21) Xenoblade 3’s final act and ending
(38:55) Moebius as characters & a critique of capitalism
(44:03) Favourite characters
(49:22) Final thoughts and outro
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LINKS & SOCIALS:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkersXander: https://www.youtube.com/@xanderscut/featured
Marina Ryan: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
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Marina sits down with Thomas Roland to talk about the second half of the mainline Resident Evil series.
They talk about why it matters to have character-driven stories in the horror genre, their favorite moments and twists, and what game they think is the scariest in the entire series.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(06:17) Overview of the games
(16:09) Why character-driven stories matter in horror games
(22:18) Favourite moments in RE5
(28:04) Favourite moments in RE6
(33:16) Favourite moments in RE7
(38:44) Favourite moments in RE8
(46:31) Playing the sideline games
(47:37) Scariest Resident Evil game?
(50:25) Final thoughts and outro
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LINKS & SOCIALS:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Thomas Roland: https://x.com/itsRhet
Lore Dump: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhgiyBSgi4pVaR7pQK6IIQ
Monty Zander: https://www.youtube.com/c/MontyZander
Marina Ryan: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan -
Marina and Minnie sit down to talk about one of the most beloved games of the last 2 decades: The Sims.
They talk about player-led emergent narratives, the stories they crafted for their Sims, how differently they played the games, the chaos of co-op mode, the first time they saw the Grim Reaper, and their particular fondness of The Sims 2.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(05:05 Game overview
(07:38) What Sims games we’ve played
(09:28) Sims 2 is peak Sims
(11:28) The Sims 4 is still adding content
(13:57) how we played The Sims
(28:28) The Grim Reaper, guinea pigs, fires, swimming pools, and Sunny the clown
(40:15) Would we stream The Sims?
(42:20) Why is The Sims so beloved?
(45:17) Final thoughts and outro
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LINKS & SOCIALS:
The Sims GDC Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjuOSgPdtS0Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Minnie’s socials & Etsy store: https://linktr.ee/leminnie
Marina’s socials: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
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Marina sits down with Zack Parkerson to talk Nier once again, but this time, we’re trading in Replicant for Automata.
We talk about Nier Automata’s masterful narrative design, how it misdirects the player until the very end, our favourite side quests, and why we love this game so much.
Grab some headphones, make a coffee, and let’s talk about one of the greatest games ever made.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Introductions & What We’re Currently Playing
(09:51) Story Summary
(10:37) Is This “Depression, The Game?”
(14:08) A Deeply Human Game
(15:59) The Philosophy Debate
(17:08) Nier Automata’s Narrative Design
(19:39) Nier Reincarnation & Drakengard 3
(20:56) Mastery in Misdirection
(30:37) Favourite Builds
(35:07) The Music
(40:03) Should You Play Automata or Replicant first?
(46:18) Favourite Side Quests
(52:11) Final Thoughts & Wrap Up
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SOCIALS:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Zack’s socials: https://twitter.com/GOcastZack
The Gaming Outsider: https://thegamingoutsider.com/
Marina’s socials: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
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Marina sits down for a solo episode and the first one on our new segment, Side Quest!
She answers some community questions and dives into Elden Ring’s new DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, FFXIV and Dawntrail, FF7 Rebirth’s upcoming release, Baldur’s Gate 3, Bloodborne, and Resident Evil 7. A HUGE thank you to our community for all the support.
Grab some headphones, make a coffee, and let’s talk games.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:49) Elden Ring DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree
(08:53) FFXIV & being caught up on MSQ
(09:59) FF7 Rebirth & reflections on Final Fantasy 7
(13:58) Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 3
(14:51) Bloodborne NG+ fashion run
(17:57) Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
(20:53) Music & more community questions
(24:50) Outro
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SOCIALS:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Marina’s socials: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan -
Marina sits down with professional opera singer-turned-voice actor MarcoMeatball to talk all things video game music.
We talk about how FFXIV and Granblue Fantasy: Relink blend genres, the sadness in Bloodborne’s soundtrack, how vertical music sequencing is used in Nier Automata, how ambient music is used to shape a narrative, and much more. We also talk about the music in the games we’re currently playing, as well as some of our favourites.
Grab some headphones, and let’s dive in.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:51) Meeting Marco
(05:40) Marco’s Recent Games: Granblue Fantasy: Relink, Warframe, Yakuza: Kiwami
(09:54) Bloodborne, its brilliant sounds design choices, & how its music sets its narrative tone
(15:26) Baldur’s Gate 3 takes us back to medieval times
(18:18) Initial thoughts on Nier Music
(19:25) Warframe, using music to displace pain, and whether context matters
(21:21) There’s so much good video game music out there
(22:50) How Enshrouded’s music surprised Marco
(24:05) Nier Automata, Chaos Language, and the game’s use of vertical music sequencing
(32:01) FFXIV and blending genres
(38:02) Music, storytelling, and how the player feels
(43:05) FFXIV and Answers’ narrative misdirect of the century
(46:14) Community question: “How does ambient music help the player understand the tone of the narrative?” (Elden Ring, Bloodborne, World of Warcraft)
(52:07) Final thoughts & outro
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SOCIALS:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Marco’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarcoMeatball
Marco’s socials: https://linktr.ee/marcodmeatball
Marina’s socials: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan -
Marina sits down with games journalist Jack Alex Roberts and game dev Sherveen Uduwana to talk about our Tarnished journeys in the Lands Between.
We talk about our love of Elden Ring’s lore, narrative design, music, how we got into the Soulsborne genre, what builds we played, our favourite moments in the game, how difficulty is used as a lever for intentional storytelling, and much more.
Grab a coffee, and let’s dive into the Lands Between.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Introduction
(03:10) Meeting our guests
(08:06) Story summary
(16:45) Our Tarnished and the builds we played
(26:15) Elden Ring’s narrative design, open world, and experience
(38:50) How we felt exploring the environments in the Lands Between
(45:46) Favourite narrative themes
(54:05) “Marika is Radagon”
(1:03:45) Music chat
(1:11:48) Community questions
(1:42:41) Final thoughts & symbolism
(1:48:08) Outro
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THANK YOU’S:
VaatiVidya: https://www.youtube.com/@VaatiVidya
V-Limit: https://www.youtube.com/@VLimit11
Anyone who’s contributed and annotated the Elden Ring Fandom site: https://eldenring.fandom.com/wiki/Elden_Ring_Wiki
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SOCIALS:
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Sherveen: https://twitter.com/SUduwana
Midautumn Game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1582380/Midautumn/
Jack Alex Roberts: https://twitter.com/jackalexroberts
Marina Ryan: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan -
Marina Ryan sits down to recap Quest Markers’ first year – and the life lessons that video games can teach us.
We talk about community, grief, love, finding meaning in life, overcoming despair, becoming your own saviour, and so much more.
Hope you enjoy!
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(00:00) Introduction
(02:07) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(04:00) Metroid Dread
(05:48) Final Fantasy VII & Final Fantasy 7 Remake
(07:12) Xenoblade Chronicles
(08:31) NieR: Replicant
(09:55) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
(11:26) Pokémon Gold & Silver
(12:36) Hollow Knight
(14:16) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
(15:25) Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
(17:00) NieR: Automata
(18:25) Resident Evil 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 Remakes
(20:34) The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
(22:07) What’s coming next year for Quest Markers
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Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Midautumn Game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1582380/Midautumn/
The Gaming Outsider: https://thegamingoutsider.com/
Ren: https://twitter.com/renraven_
Billy: https://twitter.com/saturn_sounds
Snugboy: https://www.youtube.com/@Snugboy
Zack Parkerson: https://twitter.com/GOcastZack
Jack Alex Roberts: https://twitter.com/jackalexroberts
Sherveen: https://twitter.com/SUduwana
Scott Clark: https://twitter.com/GOcastScott
Thomas Roland: https://linktr.ee/thomasroland
Marina Ryan: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
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Marina Ryan sits down with Kinsey for part 2 of Quest Markers’ anniversary episode! Thank you for 1 year of conversations, coffee, and laughs 🖤
Grab your ocarina and let’s fall into Termina for the sequel to our very first episode with our very first guest. We talk about how Majora’s Mask tells a story of pain and healing through trauma, and we speculate about what the Fierce Deity's mask actually symbolizes.
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(00:00) Introduction
(01:39) Link’s memories, pain, and trauma
(03:10) The symbolism of the Fierce Deity's mask
(08:40) Majora’s Mask is so good at making you FEEL
(10:22) Would this game come out in 2023?
(11:11) Majora’s Mask’s longevity
(14:46) Music is healing
(15:33) You want to save the world because you care about the world and the small moments within it
(21:50) Pieces of heart symbolism
(23:05) Perfectionism and getting it right the first time around
(24:40) Link processing his trauma and finding his place within in
(26:26) Humility and courage
(28:27) Courage can manifest in other ways that aren’t slaying the monster
(31:58) Despite the dread… life is so precious
(32:32) Developed in 1 year and setting an industry standard
(35:30) Wrap up
(38:07) Outro
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FOLLOW US
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Marina Ryan
Socials: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
Website: https://marinamakes.co
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Marina Ryan sits down with Kinsey for Quest Markers’ anniversary episode! Thank you for 1 year of conversations, coffee, and laughs 🖤
Grab your ocarina and let’s fall into Termina for the sequel to our very first episode with our very first guest. We talk about how Majora’s Mask tells a story of pain and healing through the 5 stages of grief – and how it’s up to us to decide how we respond to a terrible fate.
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(00:00) Introduction
(01:57) Meeting Kinsey
(08:08) Story summary
(10:17) The Happy Mask Salesman & Defining Majora’s Mask’s tone
(12:45) Time anxiety & grieving future versions of you
(14:32) Agency, the butterfly effect, & helping the people of Termina heal
(16:18) Termina feels alive
(18:35) Finding joy and healing
(20:50) The 5 stages of grief & why Stone Tower Temple is the final stage of grief
(31:15) “This is truly a good happiness”
(33:00) Link’s trauma from Ocarina of time
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FOLLOW US
Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Marina Ryan
Socials: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
Website: https://marinamakes.co -
Marina Ryan sits down with Thomas Roland for a special Halloween episode covering the Resident Evil series.
This episode covers Resident Evil 0 through 5 Remake.
Grab your green herbs and get ready for a dive into RE’s characters, the themes of fleeting hope and becoming your own saviour, and why the survival horror genre isn’t meant to be difficult.
Welcome to (an accidental) Leon Kennedy Hour.
(00:00) Introduction
(07:33) Story summary for all 5 games
(14:30) Why Resident Evil 4’s change in direction made sense narratively
(21:53) Why is Leon Kennedy a fantastic character?
(26:20) Scariest moments in Resident Evil
(32:24) Jumpscares and RE’s creepy windows
(35:04) Leon’s leather jacket
(35:35) Fleeting hope and becoming your own saviour
(40:29) Multiple endings in RE1
(44:27) Survival horror as a genre isn’t meant to be difficult
(52:03) ‘Saudade’ or ‘The Bullet and the Blade’?
(54:03) Why is the Resident Evil series so popular?
(56:10) Wrapping Up & Question for the Audience
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FOLLOW US
Quest Markers
Listen Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
Thomas Roland
Socials: https://linktr.ee/ThomasRoland
Email: [email protected]
NaNoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/thomas-roland/projects/a-company-of-silver
Marina Ryan
Socials:: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
Website: https://marinamakes.co
SPECIAL THANK YOU
Talking Skull on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKSgmRc-W4Y -
Marina sits down for another solo episode to talk about the game she hadn’t stopped talking about for 2 years straight: NieR: Automata.
This episode goes in-depth on NieR: Automata’s story, how its game elements come together, why its use of narrative design is masterful, how it explores existentialism, free will, and the meaning of being alive, and why YoRHa androids wear blindfolds.
(00:00) Introduction
(03:32) Story summary
(21:20) How the game elements come together
(23:36) Mastery in narrative design
(24:39) How NieR: Automata leans into the element of surprise
(27:15) Existentialism, free will, community, joy, and finding meaning
(34:28) Why YoRHa Androids wear blindfolds
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Our NieR: Replicant episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1bC3GLTQz1lIyW6WodGyy2?si=229f9c2ca4c24475
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0nWUGi0LMI
Follow Us:
• Quest Markers: https://linktr.ee/questmarkers
• Marina: https://linktr.ee/marinaryan
• Music: https://marinamakes.co
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Marina sits down for her first solo episode to celebrate Quest Markers entering our episodic double digits, Dawntrail’s announcement, ARR’s 10th anniversary, and her finally getting caught up in MSQ after 1.5 years of playing FFXIV.
This episode goes in-depth on Shadowbringers and Endwalker lore, why Endwalker’s story hit as deeply as it did, why Emet-Selch is one of the greatest antagonists in all of gaming, and why FFXIV gets the friendship, hope, and villainous nihilism tropes so, so right.
00:00 Introduction
3:48 Recap of Shadowbringers & Endwalker
10:29 Dynamis, Meteion, Zodiark, and the Great Sundering
20:06 Why was it so power that Shadowbringers flipped the WOL's role?
22:13 Why Emet-Selch is one of the best villains in all of Final Fantasy
29:29 Why Endwalker's story hits so hard
42:27 The 2 cutscenes I could rewatch over and over again
46:40 Answers
47:37 Wrapping up
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Special thanks:
• Yoshi-P
• Soken
• G'raha Tia
• My Free Company
• StoutHelm for his lore videos: https://www.youtube.com/@StoutHelm
• Anyone and everyone who has ever documented any FFXIV lore over on Fandom: https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XIV
Follow Us:
• Quest Markers: https://twitter.com/questmarkerspod
• Marina: @marinahascoffee on socials
• Music: https://marinamakes.co
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Marina sits down with Scott from The Gaming Outsider to talk about Scott’s favourite Zelda game: A Link to the Past. We talk about community, trust, secrets, betrayal, why King Zora is the funniest character, and whether the game holds up after all these years. Enjoy, and have a great day!
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Follow Us:
The Gaming Outsider: https://thegamingoutsider.com/
Quest Markers: https://twitter.com/questmarkerspod
Marina on The Gaming Outsider: https://www.patreon.com/posts/desert-island-86435008
Scott: https://twitter.com/GOcastScott
Marina: https://twitter.com/marinahascoffee & https://bsky.app/profile/marinahascoffee.bsky.social
Music: https://marinamakes.co -
Marina sits down with Game Director and Designer Sherveen to talk about the unexpectedly deep lore and narrative of Hollow Knight. We talk about the Hollow Knight’s tragic life, quirky characters we meet in Hallownest, the sad story of the Abyss’ vessels, and willing things into existence. Hope you enjoy!
(00:00) Introduction & Meeting Sherveen
(11:53) Hollow Knight's Story Overview
(17:11) Discussion of Hollow Knight's Narrative
(54:33) Wrapping Up
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Follow Us:
Midautumn Game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1582380/Midautumn/
Quest Markers: https://twitter.com/questmarkerspod
Sherveen: https://twitter.com/SUduwana
Marina: https://twitter.com/marinahascoffee & https://www.instagram.com/marinahascoffee/
Music: https://marinamakes.co
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Jack sits down with Marina to talk about Pokémon Gold & Silver! We talk about the darker themes explored in this story, the controversy of Slowpoke tails, this generation’s lack of fire Pokémon, the glorious pink dog that is Snubbull, why Lavender town is so creepy, and finally being able to evolve Pikachu. Join us for an equally chaotic and funny conversation, and enjoy!
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Follow Us:
Quest Markers: https://twitter.com/questmarkerspod
GGRecon: https://www.ggrecon.com/
The Indiependent: https://www.indiependent.co.uk/
Jack: https://twitter.com/jackalexroberts
Marina: https://twitter.com/marinahascoffee
Music: https://marinamakes.co -
Ren comes back and sits down with Marina to talk about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, just before the release of Tears of the Kingdom. We talk about Zelda’s desire for freedom, Fi’s significance, our favourite emotional moments, and BOTW’s open-world design. We also speculate about Ganondorf and Demise’s appearances in Tears of the Kingdom. Enjoy!
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Follow Us:
Quest Markers: https://twitter.com/questmarkerspod
Ren: https://twitter.com/rensomnia
Marina: https://twitter.com/marinahascoffee
Music: https://marinamakes.co
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