Abnormal Mapping Em Marko and Jackson Tyler

We’re joined by Ember to talk about a game at the intersection of those two most contentious genres: soulslikes and Metroidvanias. This intersection itself is now a vibrant sub-genre, and in talking about this entry we talk about the ways these games tell stories, the platformer vs combat tension inherent in them, and why good art can often set up frustrated expectations. Really happy with this cast, I hope people enjoy!
Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!
Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to abnormalmappingpodcast@gmail.com!
If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!
This Month's Game Club: Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
Next Month's Game Club: Resident Evil (PSX mainly, but also REmake)
Things Discussed: Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy 2, Final Fantasy 3, Final Fantasy 4, Space Quest continues with Em and Dia, A Little to the Left, Forspoken, Ender Lilies, Metroidvanias as a term, Metroidvanias as an idea, Metroid, Hollow Knight, Soulslike as an idea, Soulslikes in reality, which RE2 to play, gifting games, Indie Game the Movie 2, navel gazing about genre
Music This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodHarmonius by Yamato Kasai; Cassie WeiCompounding by Yamato Kasai; Cassie WeiThe Sun - Outro by Yamato Kasai; Cassie Wei

We end out the year by going hard on going fast through 3D spaces as we talk more about where 3D Sonic is at, and also about the array of interesting 3D time attack platformers coming out inspired by Sonic’s spotty but beloved reputation in the third dimension. This is a meaty episode covering a lot of cool indie games, hopefully people check them out, most of them can be found very cheaply on various digital stores!
Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!
Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to abnormalmappingpodcast@gmail.com!
If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!
This Month's Game Club: Spark the Electric Jester 2 and 3, Lunistice, Toree 3D and 2
Next Month's Game Club: Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
Things Discussed: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Crisis Core, Plague Tale: Innocence, Sonic Frontiers, Mega Man X4, Karate Champ, Final Fantasy III, Spark the Electric Jester 2, Spark the Electric Jester 3, Lunistice, Toree 3D, Toree 2, Super Kiwi 64, guns and games, air dashes, the tastes of the times
Music This EpisodeHistoria Hysteria by TuddForest (Melancholy) by KnasibasBackstory Cutscene by R3Linework Fight by Paul Berthers

It's nearly Christmas time and thus we settle in for that most famous of Christmas games, Hideo Kojima's sci-fi detective classic SNATCHER! No, really, this is a Christmas ass Christmas game in the same way Die Hard is so I'm claiming it. We finally did a timely Christmas game.
On top of that, we have a huge amount of games to talk about, a lot of rambling about various gaming-related things, Em revealing an embarrassing amount about their buying habits for the past ten years they thought about cutting from this show and didn't, and more. Also, we ask YOU to help us fill in any potential gaps for our next episode.
Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!
Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to abnormalmappingpodcast@gmail.com!
If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!
This Month's Game Club: Snatcher
Next Month's Game Club: Spark the Electric Jester 3, Toree 3D and Toree 2, Lunistice, and who knows what else????
Things Discussed: Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Adventure, Valkyria Chronicles, Butterfly Soup 2, Scorn, Grace's piece on Scorn, Halo 5: Guardians, Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, Em doing capsule reviews on Cohost now, Mega Man's Game Boy quintet, Mega Man The Power Battles & The Power Fighters, Mega Man Battle and Chase, Castlevania Legend, Sonic Heroes, Flywrench, Gridrunner Revolution, Atari 50, Jeff Gerstmann playing Atari 50 if you want to see some of it, Snatcher, Portopia Serial Murder Case, Metal Gear (all of it), J.B. Harold Murder Club, Death Stranding, celebrity video game show hosts, many questions about Kojima and potential projects, funny games, note-taking for podcasts, video game merch, favorite swords
Music This EpisodeSega CD Model 2 BIOS by David JavelosaSignature by Konami Kukeiha ClubBio Hazard by Konami Kukeiha ClubPleasure of Tension by Konami Kukeiha ClubInnocent Girl by Konami Kukeiha Club Theme of Ending by Konami Kukeiha Club

We ring in our ninth anniversary with a new-ish game, the dystopian magical realism adventure game Norco! There’s plenty of navel gazing about life, podcasts, gaming, and capitalism to be had, that heady Abnormal Mapping special brew, as we bring you this super-sized episode. Honestly, there isn’t much to say, this game just rips and people should play it. Here’s to many more years of podcasts!
Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to abnormalmappingpodcast@gmail.com!
If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!
Things Discussed: it's our ninth anniversary!, reflections on the time and Em's birthday wish that you rate and review us on your podcast app (not a bit, please do this!), Final Fantasy XVI, Parasite Eve, Steam Deck time, Castlevania Bloodlines, Blaster Master Zero 2, Mega Man X3, 1942, 1941: Counter Attack, Littlewood, Norco, Disco Elysium, Kentucky Route 0, Phantasy Star 3 talk, the worst XBLA games we've ever bought, adventure games and visual novels as forms, 7 Tips for Surviving Dead Rising, celebrity RPG Maker games, video game pets, a visit from the game genie, rogue-like checkin, what to do when people tell you not to look up a thing you're about to play/watch/read
This Month's Game Club:Norco
Next Month's Game Club: Snatcher (Sega CD)
Music This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodDelirious Eyes by Gewgawly IOne Night in New Orleans by Gewgawly IHomunculus by Thou

We have another huge haul of games as we talk about seemingly everything under the sun but also two games for the lengthening nights as we do a sort of horror month talking about two moody classics of the RPG Maker indie games scene: Yume Nikki and Ib! It was great to be able to talk about such a fun genre, get out of our comfort zones a bit, and explore some real gaming history.
Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to abnormalmappingpodcast@gmail.com!
If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!
Things Discussed: Novel Not New has moved to Scanline Media!, please check that out and also listen to Journal Updated and The Safe Room, Em got a MiSTer, for $1 you can get a special VoIP Life where we rated the aesthetics of consoles, Pac-Man, Altered Beast, Mega Man X2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Omori, Mother 3, Deltarune, Phantasy Star III, Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright, R-Type, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Yume Nikki (longplay we recommend here), Moon, Ib (let's play of Ib we recommend here), adventure game design, horror games and horror memes, the best introduction to Kojima, best world building, the act of waiting in stealth games, RPG Maker odds and ends
This Month's Game Club:Yume Nikki and Ib
Next Month's Game Club: Norco
Music This EpisodeDining Room by YASUpochiAbandoned Desert Town by KIKIYAMACorelli La Folia by YASUpochiRooftop Rhythm by KIKIYAMAThe Littel Doll's Dream by YASUpochi

It’s gaming season as we dip into a sequel to one of the most classic games of the 90s and find that maybe lighting truly does strike twice. On top of that, a dozen other games played between us, and a bunch of other fun besides including which PlayStation is canonically the Best Looking. The answer will not surprise you in the slightest.
Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to abnormalmappingpodcast@gmail.com!
If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!
Things Discussed: the PS5 price hike, upcoming game clubs, go listen to Novel Not New on Scanline Media, go listen to the upcoming Journal Updated on Hypnospace Outlaw, Fate Extra, Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation: Code Fairy, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Resident Evil 6, Ghostrunner, Guilty Gear Strive, Phantasy Star II (spoilers start at 29:45 and run to 35:15), The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence, Tsukihime, Phantasy Star II, Pokemon Black, Pokemon Black 2, The Looker, Pokemon Y, Riven, the Riven retrospective we reference this episode, CD Rom games, the ranking of Playstations
This Month's Game Club:Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Next Month's Game Club: Ib (we’re playing the remake, but the original should be fine)
Music This EpisodeMoiety Theme by Robyn MillerVillage Entrance Theme by Robyn MillerAccumula Town by Shota KageyamaRise and Fall by Tokuhiko Uwabo