Video Game Book Club has played their final game for 2025, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo! This game is our indie darling of the 2025 season. It has incredibly crisp movement, very responsive and tight combat, lots of exploration, and interesting puzzles. JP could not put this game down and all Ben wanted to do was play more futbol at the Poultry FC stadium.
Make sure to let us know what you think of our Pipistrello conversation!Join the club using the discord link below to stay up to date with Buenale Games and to play and discuss the game of the month alongside us every month, and join us again in a month when we discuss the first 2026 game of the month, chosen by our own community: Lies of P.
(00:00) Intro(03:15) What is Pipistrello?(07:20) Story Premise and Early Game(34:23) Mid Game(49:39) Late Game(1:13:10) Viewer Questions and Questions for Each Other(1:43:50) Final Thoughts and Letter Grades(1:47:19) January Game of the Month(1:49:25) Outro
It's December of 2025 and it's time to Check In on this month's game of the month, everything we've been playing, and the biggest news and drama in the gaming sphere! While Ben is on his last legs crawling towards the end of the year, JP is hot off a vacation and feeling fresh.
On this episode, the boys check in on December's Game of the Month, Pipistrello and the cursed YoYo, JP tells us about his short story, Despelote, and we talk all things The Game Awards!
Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5
#videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #thegameawards #expedition33 #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames #comedy #indiegame
(00:00) Intro
(08:10) PiPi Check-In
(16:20) Short Story: Despelote
(27:40) Deadlock and Dota 2
(29:33) Dragon Quest XI
(32:05) No Skin
(34:40) The Game Awards
(45:45) Trailer Reveals
(55:00) The Buenale Game Awards
(57:56) Outro
2 Video Game 2 Book Club is back with Hades 2! With the November 2025 pick our own Ben "Tizzle" Toups has chosen the sequel to JP's favorite game of all time, Hades, as the game of the month! Hades II gave us everything that Hades did and SO MUCH MORE. But was it too much? Is too much of a good thing good if the good thing is the same good thing you've already had? Ben has opinions on this, but so does JP. Join the club using the discord link below to stay up to date with Buenale Games and to play and discuss the game of the month alongside us every month, and join us again in a month when we discuss November's game of the month: Pipistrello and the Cursed YoyoDiscordTwitchInstagram TikTok
YouTube#videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #hades #hades2 #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames #comedy #indiegame 00:00 Intro11:25 Early game recap55:40 Mid game recap01:21:18 End Game recap01:46:55 Post Game recap02:01:15 Viewer Questions02:28:05 Final Thoughts and Letter Grades02:35:20 December Game of the Month Announcement02:40:00 Outro
It's the middle of November 2025 which means that its time to Check In on all things Buenale Games! We start out talking about gamer injuries sustained while cooking paella, and our progress in November's Game of the Month, Hades II (spoiler alert: we're both done already, for better or for worse). From there, Ben talks about his video game hiatus, and JP takes us through a Short Story on The Dark Queen of Mortholme. We wrap up talking about gaming news, including our predictions for the game awards game of the year nominees as well as valve's surprise hardware drop.
Join the Club by joining our Discord server and following us on all of our socials, and be on the lookout for our full Video Game Book Club episode on Hades II at the end of the month!
Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5
#videogames #gamingpodcast #thegameawards #hades #silksong #gaming
(00:00) Intro and Gamer Injuries
(02:08) Hades II Check-in
(10:12) Burn-out
(14:30) JP's comfort games
(17:07) Short Story - The Dark Queen of Mortholme
(26:41) Game of the Year Predictions
(36:46) Valve's Surprise Hardware Drop
(45:45) BLOPS 7 and AI Slop
(55:20) Outro
Video Game Book Club is BACK with our October spooktacular, and this month we played the winner of our Discord community vote, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. This game is a twisting and winding exploration of art and narcissism that had the boys struggling through puzzles and questioning the very nature of reality. Do NOT mention the word piano to JP.
Join the club using the discord link below to stay up to date with Buenale Games and to play and discuss the game of the month alongside us every month, and join us again in a month when we discuss November's game of the month: Hades II.Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5
#videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #puzzlegames #puzzles #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames #comedy #spookyseason
(00:00) Intro
(11:25) Main Recap
(01:43:15) Viewer Questions
(02:15:45) Final Thoughts and Letter Grades
(02:19:18) November Game of the Month Announcement
(02:22:15) Outro
It's the middle of October 2025 and that means it's time to check in on all things Buenale Games! We start out talking about October's game of the month for Video Game Book Club, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Ben is already done with the game, this dude overachieves left and right! JP has a long way to go as usual... We follow that with a Short Story / MINI VGBC, courtesy of JP, as he describes an incredibly disturbing story from Mouthwashing. Then we discuss our favorite and least favorite video game genres! And finally, we hit up some gaming news surrounding Xbox mostly.
Join the Club by joining our Discord server and following us on all of our socials, and be on the lookout for our full Video Game Book Club episode on Lorelei and the Laser Eyes at the end of the month!
00:00 Intro
05:00 Lorelei Check in
14:39 Short Story: Mouthwashing
29:50 Silksong
33:43 Hades II
41:50 Favorite Genres
51:10 Podcast Lessons Learned
01:01:12 Gaming News
01:09:03 Outro
#gaming #videogames #gamingpodcast #silksong #hades #nintendo #mouthwashing
You’re not going to believe it but Video Game Book Club is BACK in September of 2025. This month was JP’s turn to choose and he picked Cassette Beast, a monster taming and battling game that takes heavy inspiration from others in the genre and attempts to iterate on the classic. Listen to this month’s episode to hear all about JP and Ben’s favorite beasts and bosses (or lack thereof) and their adventures in the goofy, yet eerie world of New Wirral.
Join the Club by joining the VGBC Discord with the link below where you can play each month's game alongside us and interact with our community. Also, follow us on our socials to stay up to date with all things VGBC. Stay tuned for next month's episode where we'll be talking about Lorelai and the Laser Eyes!
Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5#videogamebookclub
#gamingbookclub #cassettebeasts #pokemon #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames #comedy #indiegames
(00:00) Intro
(01:05) What is Cassette Beasts?
(04:45) Main Recap
(01:22:50) Listener Questions
(1:47:17) Final Thoughts and Book Reports
(01:52:54) October Community Vote Recap and Results
(2:00:27) Outro
It's the middle of September 2025 and that means it's time to check in on all things Buenale Games! We start out talking about September's game of the month, Cassette Beasts, including some of our favorite beasts, how the game has been so far, and what we're looking forward to as the game goes on. We follow that with a MINI VGBC, courtesy of JP, as he walks us through his experience playing the short, but sweet, Fly Knight. Finally, we discuss recent news in gaming including lots of new games teased in the recent Nintendo direct, Nintendo's recent patents, and all of the new releases since we last talked.Join the Club by joining our Discord server and following us on all of our socials, and be on the lookout for our full Video Game Book Club episode on Hellblade at the end of the month!Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSTwitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegamesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.gamesSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5(00:00) Intro(02:20) Cassette Beasts Check-In(14:55) Split-Fiction(22:36) Mini-VGBC: Fly Knight(39:53) Nintendo Direct(50:35) Nintendo's Patent Spree(01:00:15) Hades 2 Release Date Announced!(01:03:05) SilkSong has Released!(01:12:36) Outro#gaming #videogames #gamingpodcast #silksong #hades #nintendo
Summer is technically over, but Video Game Book Club is coming in HOT with our latest episode. This past month, the VGBC community played Rain World, a brutally difficult but extremely rewarding 2D metroidvania game. Join JP and Ben as they recap their experiences with this cult classic. We recap our full playthroughs, we talk about the lore of the game, and our favorite moments!
Join the Club by joining the VGBC Discord with the link below where you can play each month's game alongside us and interact with our community. Also, follow us on our socials to stay up to date with all things VGBC. Stay tuned for next month's episode where we'll be talking about Cassette Beasts!
#videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #rainworld #metroidvania #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames #comedy
00:00 What is Rain World?
06:15 Story Recap
1:22:00 Ending Thoughts
1:27:30 Lore Recap
1:36:43 Listener Questions
2:09:15 Final Thoughts/Letter Grades
2:13:40 Announcing Next Month's Game
2:16:11 Outro
The Checkpoint is back! It's August of 2025 and the boys are struggling as JP is toiling away on the nightshift and Ben is delirious from waking up at 5:30am. Nevertheless, we catch up about our progress (or lack thereof) on the game of the month, Rain World, and talk about other games we've been playing, including some unconventional ones....
Join the Club by joining our Discord server and following us on all of our socials, and be on the lookout for our full Video Game Book Club episode on Hellblade at the end of the month!Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSTwitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegamesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.gamesSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5
00:00 Intro, 02:20 Rain World Check In, 15:00 Chained Together, 19:24 Merge Maestro, 24:50 The Crossword, 30:12 JP's Mystery Game, 33:24 Fly Knight, 36:12 Legend of Zelda Live Action, 39:28 Visuals in the Age of UE5, 48:53 Payment Processor Censorship, 56:20 Outro#gaming #videogames #gamingpodcast #videogamebookclub #rainworld
We have never been more back with another episode of Video Game Book Club!! This month, JP and Ben are discussing Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - a journey full of growth, grotesque monsters, scary enemies, and lots of voices in our heads. JP was absolutely focused on getting every single lorestone statue in the game. He couldn't stop checking every single corner of the world for them. Ben was handling every boss like they were chumps with his insane gaming abilities. This month's game was chosen by our community! The best way to join the VGBC community is to be involved in our discord, where we talked in depth about the game of the month, other video games we've been playing, and more! Join the club!00:00 Intro01:30 What is Hellblade?05:45 Story Recap1:18:45 Listener Questions1:55:45 Final Thoughts/Letter Grade2:01:30 New Game Announcement2:11:45 OutroDiscord: discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSOther socials: beacons.ai/buenalegames
The Checkpoint is back! This month for Video Game Book Club we're playing Hellblade: Sennua's Sacrifice, and we start the show checking in on our progress and how we're enjoying the game so far (spoiler alert: JP has definitely played so much of it). We also talk about our experience with Peak, Elden Ring: Nightreign, and Chrono Trigger.
As always, JP hosts a mini VGBC. This month's game was Before Your Eyes. A beautiful and tragic narrative game played with.... your eyes??
Join the Club by joining our Discord server and following us on all of our socials, and be on the lookout for our full Video Game Book Club episode on Hellblade at the end of the month!
00:00 Intro
02:00 Hellblade Check In
06:08 Peak
17:05 Mini VGBC - Before Your Eyes
28:30 Elden Ring: Nightreign
36:30 Chrono Trigger
37:55 Gaming Announcements and News
58:43 Outro
#gaming #videogames #gamingpodcast #videogamebookclub
Video Game Book Club is absolutely back with another episode, and this month we're talking about June's game of the month: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This game has swept the gaming sphere and we would be doing a disservice to us and our community if we didn't play it. And it did not disappoint! Ben and JP absolutely fell in love with this masterpiece and could not stop playing it.Join the Club by joining our discord (link below) where you can chat with us about all things gaming, play each month's game alongside us, and submit viewer question to be featured on the show! Be on the lookout for our mid-July episode of The Checkpoint, and keep a lookout for the next episode of VGBC on July's game of the month: Hellblade: Sennua's Sacrifice!Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.gamesYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuenaleGames#videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #clairobscur #clairobscurexpedition33 #indiegames #gaming #gamingpodcast 00:00 Intro01:14 Expedition33 Love06:21 Story Recap01:41:45 Viewer Questions02:16:30 Final Thoughts and Letter Grades02:19:18 July Game of the Month Announcement!02:21:53 Outro
The Checkpoint is back in June of 2025! This month for Video Game Book Club we're playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and we start the show checking in on our progress and how we're enjoying the game so far (spoiler alert: it's a lot). We also talk about our top 5 games of all time after lot's of discussion around that in the discord this month, talk about other games we've been playing lately, and go over some gaming news!Join the Club by joining our Discord server and following us on all of our socials, and be on the lookout for our full Video Game Book Club episode on Expedition 33 at the end of the month!Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.gamesYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuenaleGames00:00 Intro02:11 Expedition 33 Check In09:54 Our Top 5 Games29:25 A Short Hike36:30 Elden Ring: Nightreign44:43 Drop Duchy48:00 Gaming Announcements and News53:00 Outro#gaming #videogames #gamingpodcast #videogamebookclub
Video Game Book Club is BACK with another episode, and this month we're talking about May's game of the month: Small Saga. After being recommended to us in the VGBC discord for almost a year, we finally played small saga and boy are we glad we did! Small Saga is an indie game that packs an incredibly dense story into a sub-10 hour experience, and it might just have set the record for Quality Gaming Moments Per Minute.Join the Club by joining our discord (link below) where you can chat with us about all things gaming, play each month's game alongside us, and submit viewer question to be featured on the show! Be on the lookout for our mid-June episode of The Checkpoint, and keep a lookout for the next episode of VGBC on June's game of the month: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33!Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.gamesYouTube: #videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #smallsaga #indiegames #gaming #gamingpodcast #cozygames 00:00 Intro02:57 What is Small Saga?06:06 Story Recap01:50:13 Viewer Questions02:12:30 Questions for each other!02:25:15 Final Thoughts and Letter Grades02:29:30 June Game of the Month Announcement!02:33:22 Outro
Welcome to the first episode of The Checkpoint, it's the show between our show. In this first episode, Ben and I discuss our progress of the Video Game Book Club game of the month - Small Saga. We give our first impressions of the game as well as a tragic story from JP. Next, we discuss two different games we've been playing, Blue Prince and Crypt Custodian. One is a hardcore puzzle game with roguelike mechanics, the other a not so hardcore metroidvania that stars a recently deceased cat named Pluto. We hope you enjoy a bit more of our yapping in this inaugural episode of The Checkpoint. If you have any suggestions on what this show should look like / what other topics we should discuss / what games we should play then let us knowwwwww in the comments what are you doing!?And of course, if you want to be part of Video Game Book Club then be sure to join the club!Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.gamesSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d500:00 Intro02:14 Small Saga Teaser07:52 Blue Prince14:48 Crypt Custodian25:45 Metroidvania discussion30:58 Clair Obscur: Expedition 3337:15 Gaming News GTAVI & NS244:02 Video Game Trivia and Outro
Video Game Book Club is BACK with our newest episode on the game we played in April 2025: Spiritfarer. Spiritfarer is a super unique 2D platforming management sim set in a light and cozy world, but it also evokes a lot of emotion as it deals with its central theme of loss and grief. Join us in this month's episode where JP and Ben talk about there experiences with the game including highlights, potential areas of improvement, and lots of goofy moments in the world of Spiritfarer!Join The Club by joining the VGBC Discord with the link below where you can play each month's game alongside us and interact with the VGBC community, and follow us on our socials to stay up to date! Stay tuned for next month's episode where we'll be talking about May's game of the month: Small Saga!Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.gamesSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5#videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #spiritfarergame #spiritfarer #stardewvalley #cozygaming #cozygames #indiegames #gaming #gamingpodcast 00:00 Intro and Announcement!03:10 What is Spiritfarer?10:10 Story Recap01:27:48 Viewer Questions01:54:27 Final Thoughts and Letter Grades01:56:30 Next Game of the Month Announcement02:00:50 Outro
It's March of 2025 and Video Game Book Club is BACK with our newest episode. This past month, the VGBC community played Avowed, a massive new fantasy RPG from video game legend Obsidian Entertainment set in the universe of Pillars of Eternity. Join JP and Ben as they recap their experiences with this huge Triple A undertaking, recap the game's story, and share hilarious stories from their time in the Living Lands.Join The Club by joining the VGBC Discord with the link below where you can play each month's game alongside us and interact with the community, and follow us on our socials to stay up to date! Stay tuned for next month's episode where we'll be talking about April's game of the month: Spiritfarer!Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.gamesYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuenaleGames#videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #avowed #skyrim #fantasyrpg #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames #comedy #falloutnewvegas #thewitcher3 00:00 The Triple A Itch02:17 What Is Avowed?19:27 JP's Gripes33:48 Story Recap1:57:37 Listener Questions2:29:20 Final Thoughts/Letter Grades2:35:05 Announcing Next Month's Game2:38:51 Outro
Another month means another episode of Video Game Book Club!!! In February, JP, Ben, and the rest of the book club played ARCO, an incredible indie game set in a fantasy version of Mesoamerica that blends turn-based and real-time combat elements. Combined with an emotionally charged narrative and incredible pixel-art graphics, ARCO had the boys struggling through fights but always coming back for more.Join the Club by becoming a member of our Video Game Book Club community discord where you can play the game alongside us and participate every month, and follow us on our social medias for more fun and silly content and clips!Discord: discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBSOther socials: beacons.ai/buenalegames#videogamebookclub #gamingpodcast #arco #videogames #indiegames #pixelart #podcast #rts #turnbasedcombat 00:00 Intro and Announcements02:00 What is ARCO?11:45 Story Recap1:19:45 Listener Questions1:47:50 Final Thoughts/Letter Grade1:52:00 New Game Announcement1:56:34 Outro
WE ARE SO BACK with our second episode of 2025!!! This month, JP and Ben are tackling Disco Elysium - a cult classic point and click detective mystery game centered around a twisting and sometimes bizarre case. Tune in to hear about JP's tales of being boisterous, brash, and intimidating cop that isn't afraid to dish out a beat down, and Ben's perspective as a methodical and insightful cop performing mental calculations and considering every possibility! The guys COULD NOT have played this game more differently. Join the Club by becoming a member of our Video Game Book Club community discord where you can play the game alongside us and participate every month, and follow us on our social medias for more fun and silly content and clips! 00:00 Intro
01:10 What is Disco Elysium?
09:00 Dredge Story Recap
1:30:00 ZA/UM Controversy
1:36:11 Listener Questions
2:05:10 Final Thoughts/Letter Grade
2:09:33 New Game Announcement
2:11:45 Outro Discord: discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS Other socials: beacons.ai/buenalegames