Know what I haven't done in a while? I haven't streamed Balatro! I'm still working my way towards the Completionist+ achievement, counting down the wins until I get there, so come join me, I'm live now! twitch.tv/themanapool

@fmruin.bsky.social I AM happy with myself! It is truly an honor to find myself on the same page as you re: Mother Brain’s spot on The List. I’d offer you a guest spot on my show as penance but I think time zones might make that untenable with my cohosts’ schedules, so you get off light 😅

This was my very first run in Fame or Folly, a Balatro-like that feels like blackjack and is presented as a medieval traveling theatre troupe putting on performances. See how I made it to season 11? You win the run at season THREE! I kept running in Endless mode and it was a LOT of fun 😁 #nextfest

There was an issue with one game on the docket last night, so tonight is officially the final Next Fest demo stream! First I'm gonna go back to Dimhaven: The Lost Source to finish it properly (hopefully) then I'll be playing Fame or Folly, a roguelike deckbuilder! Join me, I'm live!

This is it! The last batch of Next Fest demos! Unless something goes extremely long I'm not stopping until I finish The Button Effect, Desolus, Your Forever Friend, and Lily's World XD! Two 1st person puzzle games and two games that take place on a computer (I think). Join me for the end!

I'm ALMOST done with the Next Fest demos I picked out! Today's stream (like right now!) is Swordcery, a Hades-like with all manner of crazy swords, and PRELUDE Dark Pain, a turn-based tactics game with a Darkest Dungeon look to it. Afte that I think I'm down to just 4 left! Come join me, I'm live!

The Next Fest demo streams will continue until morale improves! Or until I run out of games to play! 7 left, I think? First up is Valor Mortis, 1st person soulslike in Napoleonic times, then hopefully Prelude Dark Pain, turn-based tactics game with a Darkest Dungeon vibe to it. Join me, live now!

The Next Fest demo streams continue because I downloaded WAY too many! Come join me for Echoes of Mystralia, an action RPG roguelike sorta in the vein of Hades but with a spell crafting system that I can totally see consuming my life! That's probably the only one I'll do tonight, so check it out!

Thoroughly enjoyed all three of the Mother episodes of @caneandrinse.com. Kudos to @fmruin.bsky.social for the excellent job putting those together. You should all be listening to The Cane and Rinse Podcast by the way, it’s an excellent video game show that’s been going almost as long as us!

As is tradition, the Steam Summer Sale always happens at a point where money is tight for my broke ass. So let me live vicariously through you! What are you picking up and why?

More Next Fest demos! Yes I know it's over, I don't care. Today I'm doing The Edge of Water, a beautiful top-down adventure game, Zozo and the Lost Dreams, a 2D platformer with a cute premise, Deka Duck, a 2D platformer with a robot duck hero, and Swordcery, a roguelike ARPG! Join me, live now!

Another Next Fest demo stream in the same day? YOU KNOW IT! I'm trying out Invokyr with a buddy, which is basically Jumanji as a multiplayer horror game, then when he bounces I'll try Swordcery. If there's time after that I'll do even more! Come join me, link is in the reply!

Rare daytime stream! More Next Fest demos before it officially ends (in like 90 minutes) - Duskfade (3D platformer), One Fenix Down (90s JRPG), T.W.I.R.L. (PS1 horror game), Valor Mortis (1st person soulslike), and maybe even a few more! Come join me!

Tonight's Next Fest stream will be Deer & Boy, a cinematic platformer that looks good, Feed the Scorchpot, which looks like a cross between Catan and Balatro with a big red dragon to eat you, and BoneHold, a first person dungeon crawler ARPG/roguelike thing that just looks fun! I'm live now!

Tonight's Next Fest demo stream: - Poly Fighter, single player roguelike fighting game - Lost In Art, throwback to OG survival horror where you're trapped in an art museum - Five More Minutes, roguelike deckbuilder that uses video game genres as flavor for cards & worlds Join me I'm live!

New #ScreenshotSaturday post (and new update to the Enigma Heart demo!) coming later today! I blogged about it briefly on my personal account (before deleting it for reasons; too much noise not enough signal), but I'm finally adding a much-requested quest log feature. More deets later! ~Clarissa

I am live with more Steam Next Fest demos! First up is Shroom and Gloom, which definitely looks like it could be my next favorite roguelike deckbuilder! After that I'll try out Well Dweller, then even more if there's time! Come join me!

Steam Next Fest stream 2 is live! Tonight I'm gonna try the demos for Heavydelic, an absolutely gorgeous 2D platformer that's a one-man production, Burn-9, where you're the handler for the last surviving spy stuck behind enemy lines, and Rivage, a 1st person puzzle in a time loop in space! Join me!

Tonight is the first Steam Next Fest Demo stream! I'm starting with Enigma Heart (Zelda 2 love letter with a sword lesbian and a cow), Heavydelic (absolutely gorgeous 2D platformer by 1 guy) and Object Impermanence (1st person puzzle game where the name applies)! I'm live, so come join me!

We are LIVE! Come join us and let's get hyped up about VIDYA GAMES! twitch.tv/themanapool

Tonight's stream/recording of the podcast will be us getting excited over all the crazy games announced over the last week or so at Summer Game Fest and by the big 3 gaming platforms! We'll get started around 8pm Eastern on Twitch, so come join us for all the hype!

If there's Hollow Knight and Mina the Hollower, then mathematically there must be a Hollowest 🤔 Now my brain hurts. Time to play more Mina! twitch.tv/themanapool

Right, I'm live! Time to finish up Psychonauts and see how this nonsense ends! Come join me! twitch.tv/themanapool

Hey we're live! This week we're talking about (for lack of a better term) the Inverse Tonberry Effect! That's when an enemy is built up to be tough or looks extra scary and then gets taken out like it's nothing. Think the sword guy that Indy shoots in Raiders. Come join us! twitch.tv/themanapool

I'm live with more Mina the Hollower! Last time I only did what is essentially the "tutorial" area and wandered around the overworld to get to my first "real" region, so let's pick it up there! Come join me to check out the awesome mouse game! twitch.tv/themanapool

I'm live with Mina the Hollower! It's the brand new game from Yacht Club Studios (you know, the Shovel Knight devs!) and I'm getting some first impressions from it! Come join me! twitch.tv/themanapool

The Dorks are LIVE with a new episode of The Mana Pool! Come join us to talk about video game enemies whose appearances and challenge level just don't match. I'm calling it the Tonberry Effect twitch.tv/themanapool

What are your favorite examples of a video game enemy that looks like nothing but is actually terrifying (think Tonberry from Final Fantasy) or an enemy that look big and scary that is actually nothing (think Deadshot from Arkham City)?

The new Dorks Just Chatting is up! Join three out of four Dorks as they talk about recent personal events, reminisce about Nintendo Power comics and old internet nonsense, and discover the original name of a classic Agatha Christie novel 👀 youtu.be/vbxJy4ceBa0

Life has been a bit of a mess lately, but now I'm back to streaming and my beard is purple! Come hang out while I continue along in the complete weirdness that is Psychonauts! twitch.tv/themanapool

Oh yeah, I did a thing! Since we hit the fundraising goal and I said I’d dye my beard purple…I dyed my beard purple! Thanks so much to everyone who chipped in to help me out, you are the best 💜

The dorks are live! Come join us over on Twitch right now! We're short one (1) Brian so we're doing a Dorks Just Chatting to talk about whatever comes to mind! twitch.tv/themanapool

@characterissues.bsky.social Oh! I forgot the most obvious example of a game I played because of your passionate discussion of it! In this case it’s because of you and @itsleah.bsky.social - I played Yakuza 0 (and bought most of the others) and it’s YOUR fault! So thank you both so much 🤘

Fascinating

today I learned that Japanese castles stored emergency rations inside the walls and under the floors and now I understand why Dracula's Castle has hidden meat all over the place

Third fundraiser stream playing Psychonauts is live! Come join me and get a Steam game if you wanna help!

Well there’s something you don’t see every day - a paradox

Second fundraising stream is live, playing more Psychonauts! Come hang out, donate, and get a Steam game! Also, if we hit $500, I'll dye my beard purple! 👀

@characterissues.bsky.social Really enjoyed both appearances by the CI Orchestra, very well done sir! Here is your Noid as requested

I'm fundraising to help dig myself out of this financial hole caused by several sudden/emergency expenditures all in the last month by streaming Psychonauts & giving away Steam games! Come hang out and help a brother out if you can! twitch.tv/themanapool

New episode! The dorks discuss games & shows & stuff that SHOULD, by all accounts, totally be their jam but for some reason they're just...not. We'll try to work out why this is, and amazingly have some success! youtu.be/C7oePdajfig

It's Mother's Day, so I'm playing Absolum! Because Mother is who keeps bringing you back to life after you die in that game, you know? Get it? Oh whatever, just come hang out while I beat stuff up! twitch.tv/themanapool

Tonight on Vampire Crawlers I'm either gonna finish the game or defeat the Reaper! Maybe even both if I can swing it! Come hang out while I give it a shot! twitch.tv/themanapool

YESSSSSSS!

Hey we're live! Come join us! twitch.tv/themanapool

Tonight the dorks will talk about media that, given our interests, should TOTALLY be our jam but just…isn’t, for some reason. Do you have any examples of those for yourself? Tell us! And join us tonight on Twitch around 8pm Eastern

I'm live, playing this strange new roguelike horror game DarkBazaar during its public playtest. It's a tiny indie studio of two Danish people, and it looks just edgy enough to be awesome, so come join me! twitch.tv/themanapool

Time to stream more Balatro! I'm still working my way towards the Completionist+ achievement, and the countdown currently sits at 22 wins left! Come join me and we'll talk about stuff while I try to knock that number down some! twitch.tv/themanapool

15 years ago today, Kate and William killed Osama Bin Laden at their wedding.