Describing The Skybox

Describing The Skybox
  • 4.4 (13)
  • VIDEO GAMES
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

WELCOME TO DESCRIBING THE SKYBOX! We are a fortnightly, book club-styled podcast in which we attempt to go in-depth on an individual video game and figure out what makes it unique. Episodes are around an hour to an hour and a half long and primarily feature free form discussion on themes and mechanics present in each episode’s titular game. Bear in mind that we are not reviewers, so as far as we critique the games at hand, our intent is not to convince you to play any particular work. SPOILER WARNING: Given the depth at which we intend to cover the games in question, those which feature a story, plot, mechanical surprises, fun moments you may not have heard about or otherwise will be fully discussed, likely at length. Given this, it is advised that you go into each episode with the understanding that these elements will most likely be spoiled. If you are sensitive to that sort of thing, we recommend that you either play the game before listening to the podcast, or skip the episode altogether. (Though the latter option would make us all very sad!)

  1. Episode 10 - Pigs and Other Shapes - Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

    4D AGO

    Episode 10 - Pigs and Other Shapes - Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

    I may leave this world, but we’ll always be a podcast. Welcome back to the podcast, and to the third episode of Fanbruary, in which we play games suggested by you the listener. For this installment, we’re going to be talking about Klonoa 2, a 2-or-2.5D platformer on the Playstation 2. This is a game that thrives on novelty, with the interesting ways it uses its enemies as items and creative foreground and background elements for both traversal and puzzle solving. And of course, being from the early 2000s it has to also feature hoverboard levels which play very differently to the platforming and boss fights. Basically, the variety makes this game novel and with a tight runtime it ends up feeling paced pretty well, even if some of the later levels drag a bit. We’re going to be talking about how the game uses, and in some cases forces, its 3D design elements, our thoughts on mascot character design, and just how many stages can be donuts. Thank you for joining us again this week! Klonoa 2 has been a recurring suggestion so we’re glad to finally play it. Unfortunately it was not suggested to us twenty years ago when we could have experienced in its original context, which I think would have helped us appreciate the unique things the game actually does. Still, it was an interesting look back, and the things that it does well are still genuinely interesting. Were you able to play this game when it came out, or is it new to you as well? Let us know over in the Discord or in the comments below! Given that this is literally the last day of February, we’ll likely bleed a little into Farch, but be sure to stay tuned, because next time we’re talking about Roadwarden!

    48 min
  2. Episode 9 - Hero Bucks - Far Cry 5

    FEB 21

    Episode 9 - Hero Bucks - Far Cry 5

    Every problem cannot be solved with a podcast. Welcome back to the podcast and, of course, to our second episode of Fanbruary this year! Today, we’re talking about Far Cry 5, which is, obviously, an installment in the Far Cry franchise and, obviously, not the fifth one because of all the weird spinoffs. Still the thing that most stands out, or at least the thing that was advertised the most, that separates this from its predecessors is the fact that it is set in the United States. Ultimately, this game doesn’t do much in terms of commentary, which is unfortunate given the opportunity they had here, but it is still a novel setting for a Far Cry game. By far the most impressive element comes from the open world and its lush forests and rural towns. It looks very good. It’s an open world game with a bunch of systems attempting to create that emergent gameplay the genre is known for, and importantly, it wastes very little of your time and nearly everything you do contributes toward progressing the game. Still, it is a part of a series that gets that stuff right more often than not, and it doesn’t compare favorably in most areas to previous installments. This is particularly true in the writing, but I won’t spoil those things here in the description. It’s a good game by and large, but is let down in some key ways that make it more of a mixed bag than it could it have been. We’re going to be talking about “confidence” in games and the overstimulation of players, the progression systems across the open world, and we argue for the use of parachutes less than 10 feet off the ground. Thank you for joining us again this week! As someone who bounced off this game when it released I’m actually really glad to have gone back to finish it because there is a lot of nuance to what this game does right and wrong in my eyes. On the other hand, I can’t advocate for anyone to play it or any other Ubisoft games for that matter thanks to their awful DRM, so just take our word for how the experience is, I guess. How do you feel this game stacks up against other titles in the franchise, if you’ve played them before? And if you haven’t, how do you feel about the fact that the unusable Ubiconnect software ruins the experience of all people who try to interact with the software? Let us know over on our Discord or in the comments below! Next time, for our third Fanbruary episode, we’re going to be talking about Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil, so we hope you’ll join us then!

    1h 34m
  3. Episode 8 - Adult Man Brain - Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor

    FEB 7

    Episode 8 - Adult Man Brain - Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor

    What would motivate someone to turn into a podcast? Welcome to the first episode for Fanbruary this year! We’re starting off with a classic adventure game in Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor, part of an extremely prolific series which we haven’t played before. Given that the character of Nancy Drew is a detective, the object of the game centers around solving a mystery, in this case the mysterious illness of Linda Penvellyn. The game starts off very strong, allowing you to freely roam the mansion and pick up clues and information where you can, giving it a real detective-y feeling to it. It does start to get into more traditional adventure game puzzles as time goes on, but there is still a very worthwhile experience here, both in those early hours, and to some degree the writing and design of the world are compelling as well. Still, know what you’re getting into with these games, there are going to be some obtuse puzzles and other tedious roadblocks to get through, but if you’re carried through it by nostalgia or the storytelling, I’d say it’s worth checking out. We’re going to be talking about the game’s story and characters, the slow descent into adventure game madness, and the least fun minigames of all time. Thank you for joining us, and for submitting game suggestions, for Fanbruary this week! This was a game on our maybe list for last year, and I gotta say, now that the mystique of it is gone and the game is finished, it wasn’t actually what I was expecting. And that’s a little bit bad but a little bit good also. Did you grow up with these games, or point and click adventure games generally? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord! Submissions are closed for Fanbruary this year, but feel free to throw us some suggestions anyway, as we’re always looking for interesting stuff to play. Next time, we’re going pretty far in the opposite direction and talking about Far Cry 5, so we hope you’ll join us then!

    53 min
  4. Episode 7 - That Which Was Well Paced - That Which Gave Chase

    JAN 24

    Episode 7 - That Which Was Well Paced - That Which Gave Chase

    A podcast for the senses we can’t take from them. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, on what is an appropriately wintery day, we’re going to be talking about That Which Gave Chase, a game where you sled through the arctic. Largely a narrative game, That Which Gave Chase takes you through several different points in time in a shaky, disconnected way as you learn about the reason you are where you are. It does also have a sledding mechanic, which requires a surprising amount of concentration during certain times in a way that I’d argue works with the cosmic horror narrative in a way you really would have to play to understand. The game is quite short and saying too much would spoil it, but it is one well worth checking out. We’re going to be talking about how this game compares to similar short narrative based games we’ve played, how the story keeps you engaged while moving along at a fast pace, and why this game is actually a sequel to The Lighthouse. Thank you for joining us again this week! We have come out of our January dormancy like a Lovecraftian entity, so this felt like a moderately appropriate game for a time like this. If you haven’t played this game, which is fairly likely, I really would recommend giving it a chance as it won’t take up too much of your time, and when you’re done you can talk about it with us in the comments or over in our Discord! And speaking of, next time will be our first episode of Fanbruary this year, so while you’re over there please drop any suggestions you might have for games for us to play.

    50 min
  5. The Scribies 2025 - Gremlinsesque

    JAN 17

    The Scribies 2025 - Gremlinsesque

    With time, any game could be the coolest ancient artefact. Welcome to the first ever Scribies, an award show and definitely not an itchy reaction to a species of mite: that would be Scabies. In the Scribies, we choose winners for myriad categories from the pool of games that we have played and talked about for the podcast this year. We’ve brought back some fan favorite categories like Least Likely to be Compared to Dark Souls and The Newlywed Game, as well as introduced some new classics such as “The Dad Award,” so there’s a lot to look forward to and a great variety in the nominations to be made. The best news is that if you have award fatigue after so many years-end celebrations across so many industries, you can rest assured our awards specifically target a sample population that has extremely limited relevance and only has like three qualitative categories! It’s basically meaningless in the grand scheme of things! What isn’t meaningless however, is how much we appreciate everyone who listens to podcast and these year end wrap up episodes. We just entered our first year with the new name, so we do want to shout out everyone who has stuck around. However, we also appreciate+, an extra premium tier of appreciation, anyone who has or will submit game suggestions for Fanbruary, which is rapidly approaching. Next time, we’re going to be talking about That Which Gave Chase, a short but frigidly cold wintertime horror title, and Fanbruary begins immediately after that, so we hope you’ll join us then and hope that we can choose from among some of your favorite games when Fanbruary rolls around!

    1h 4m
  6. Episode 6 - Sweet, Sweet, Sweet Release

    12/24/2025

    Episode 6 - Sweet, Sweet, Sweet Release

    There are no podcast truths. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re talking about Everhood, an indie bullet hell/adventure/rhythm game. Everhood has several notable factors that could be considered a main point of conversation about it. It is surprisingly difficult on its standard difficulty setting and requires some mastery to actually get through it, giving it a similar feel to more arcade style rhythm games. This is notable because one of those other big factors is that this is also an adventure game with a narrative that not-so-subtly calls back to Undertale as an inspiration, with a focus on quirky characters and a heartfelt story centering around choice and violence. There is definitely some demographic overlap for these concepts, but it’s at least a little uncommon to see these facets of a game given equal weight like they are here. These elements don’t clash, in fact they coexist pretty well, but I would argue the storytelling is a better selling point than the mechanical side. The game takes a while to ramp up, and the difficulty getting there is going to cause some friction for some players. We’re going to be talking about how the game feels to play and how it is less “rhythm game-y” than we had anticipated, which characters we liked and which we felt could have used some more development, and we somehow manage to fit in a reference to the Moonlight Great Sword. Thank you for joining us again this week! This is our last episode of the year, which means that we have a couple events coming up soon! First, and what will be our next upload, we’re going to be doing our annual awards show. With the name change, we’ve decided to rename the awards to “The Scribies.” Only time will tell if we stick with that one. After that, we’re going to be approaching Fanbruary, so let us know your suggestions for games you’d like us to play over on our Discord, in the comments on YouTube, or through any other means available to you to contact us. We hope to hear from you and we hope you’ll enjoy the upcoming episodes!

    1h 6m
  7. Episode 5 - A Fresh Island Song - Hades II

    12/07/2025

    Episode 5 - A Fresh Island Song - Hades II

    My podcast’s come alive. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re going to be talking about Hades II, the sequel to one of the most popular roguelikes of all time and the first sequel that Supergiant Games has ever made. And I for one am happy about that because I needed an excuse to play hundreds more hours of Hades. Hades II is very much a game that can be described as “the first game, but more” which could be a good or a bad thing depending on what you’re looking for, but what’s surprising is just how much more it actually includes. With two full routes to take and a suite of new weapons and gods, it has a ton of things to try and do mechanically, but also just enormous volumes of dialogue and numerous NPCs, making it feel like you’ll never run out of new things to see. We’re going to be talking about our favorite weapons and builds, the unique narrative position this game put itself in, and we talk about what kind of menacing grandpa Chronos is. Thank you for joining us again this week! This is one of those episodes that I felt I was slightly overprepared for, so we ended up going deeper into some subjects than we normally do but then also skipping over some stuff that a newer player would probably be thinking about. Let us know if this spoke to literally any part of your experience with the game by leaving a comment or over on our Discord! Next time, we’re going to be talking about Everhood, so we hope you’ll join us then.

    1h 41m
  8. Episode 4 - 20,000 Hot Dogs - Silent Hill f

    11/22/2025

    Episode 4 - 20,000 Hot Dogs - Silent Hill f

    To listen to this podcast is to walk in a world of impurities. Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re going to be talking about Silent Hill f, an action survival horror game and the latest entry in the Silent Hill series. This game takes a more combat-focused approach with stamina management and dodges, making it feel different from the majority of games in its genre. Beyond that, it separates itself from Silent Hill as a physical location as it is usually depicted in other Silent Hill titles, and is instead set in 1960s Japan. This change in context allows it to tell a story that, while it does still focus on the personal demons of its protagonist, takes the setting more into account and can address the societal issues of the time and place more directly. And it does a really good job telling this story, particularly through its cinematics and their impeccable pacing. It gives the story so much room to breathe and emphasizes when things really pop off. Which they do, of course, the game is not entirely comprised of slow, quiet moments. There are moments of the game where the mechanics can clash with the tone, and the combat itself isn’t exceedingly well designed, but it work shockingly well more often than not and I think it’s a game worth checking out, especially during this spooky…Thanksgiving season? We’re going to be talking about enemy designs both visually and mechanically, our favorite and least favorite areas and puzzles, and a joke is made that will really only work for some of the more cultured in the audience. Thank you for joining us this week! It’s been a bit of a hectic time recently so we’re just now finishing up the Halloween games, but I assume that’s expected at this point. I know this game has received ever so slightly mixed reactions online, so which side do you fall on? Do you like the direction the game took compared to previous games or are you disappointed in the sort of mechanical/tonal mismatch? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord! Next time, we’re going to be talking about Hades 2, which just had its full release recently, so I hope you’ll join us then.

    1h 27m
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4.4
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About

WELCOME TO DESCRIBING THE SKYBOX! We are a fortnightly, book club-styled podcast in which we attempt to go in-depth on an individual video game and figure out what makes it unique. Episodes are around an hour to an hour and a half long and primarily feature free form discussion on themes and mechanics present in each episode’s titular game. Bear in mind that we are not reviewers, so as far as we critique the games at hand, our intent is not to convince you to play any particular work. SPOILER WARNING: Given the depth at which we intend to cover the games in question, those which feature a story, plot, mechanical surprises, fun moments you may not have heard about or otherwise will be fully discussed, likely at length. Given this, it is advised that you go into each episode with the understanding that these elements will most likely be spoiled. If you are sensitive to that sort of thing, we recommend that you either play the game before listening to the podcast, or skip the episode altogether. (Though the latter option would make us all very sad!)

Information

  • Creator
    Describing The Skybox
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Describing The Skybox