Fire Escape Cast #118

Date: October 20, 2025
Hosts: Dan Ryckert, Mary Kish, Mike Mahardy

Episode Overview

This episode of Fire Escape Cast brings together Dan, Mary, and Mike for their trademark blend of video game deep-dives, personal anecdotes, and irreverent banter. The trio discusses two of 2025’s hottest games—Hades 2 and Ghost of Tsushima: Yote—delving into their mechanics, story, and aesthetics. They also recount travels (including Mary’s Japan trip and Dan’s near-miss house explosion), dig into the best “bonus” multiplayer modes, critique fan communities, and try out recent indies, from Clover Pit to Consume Me. Along the way, expect candid personal stories and plenty of offbeat humor.

Highlights and Key Discussion Points

1. Mary’s Japan Trip: Kyoto Cringe and Tokyo Game Show

• [00:32–12:57]
• Mary shares stories from her trip to Japan:
  • Visited Tokyo Game Show (“TGS”) for Twitch.
  • Explored the Nintendo Museum and the original Nintendo house/hotel in Kyoto, with fascinating history from the late 1800s.
  • Embarrassing moment: Accidentally wore another guest’s ‘indoor-only’ wooden sandals through a historic home, causing a scandal.
    • Quote [07:00, Mary]: “Like, the audacity of myself looking at her and being like, no, ma’am, I believe I put on the shoes that you asked me.”
  • Dressed in kimono, ousted for shoe mishap, and subsequently avoided using that bathroom again out of shame.
  • Reports on unfiltered "booth babe" spectacle at TGS and the cultural differences compared to Western gaming conventions.
  • Recommends getting lost in Japan to discover great food and hidden gems; details a memorable night out in Osaka.

2. Dan’s Near-Explosion Story

• [17:41–27:05]
• Dan recounts the chaos when construction severed his home’s main gas line, forcing an emergency evacuation.
  • The urgent scramble to save his cat under threat of explosion.
  • Quote [21:38, Dan]: “All I was thinking about was the cat… anything else—the house could explode… stuff is replaceable.”
  • Contrasts instinctive reactions in emergencies; “you can’t manufacture these kinds of situations.”
  • Fireman identifies Dan as “my hero”—not for the rescue, but because of his Metal Gear Solid statue.

3. Castle Times, Revolutionary Wars, and Sidebanter

• [27:05–33:13]
• Hilarious, meandering debate about historical eras, muskets, and “castle times.”
• Jokes about the Marquis de Sade and misremembered historical facts.
• Spirals into the concept of “hanging dong” in both mythology and history.

Featured Game Discussions

4. Hades 2 – Deep Dive

• [34:23–49:27]
• Mary and Dan share their evolving experiences with Hades 2:
  • Praises Supergiant’s nuanced upgrades to both combat and narrative style.
  • The cast system is called out as a significant mechanical evolution.
  • Quote [41:07, Mary]: "They knew where to put the extra elements in this game to let you feel its soul."
  • Discussion of community's strange body image debates regarding Aphrodite (“Anthrodite is hot, period. End of story.” – [36:30])
  • Good variety in weapon choices and favorite builds—no single 'best' weapon.
  • Mike finds that Melanoe’s gameplay demands more strategic positioning than Zagreus.
  • Dan admits to skipping much of the story for the “boons,” while Mary and Mike note the increased narrative stakes.

5. Ghost of Tsushima: Yote (“Yote”)

• [49:27–67:12]
• All three hosts praise the sequel for its gorgeous visuals and cinematic storytelling.
  • Mary: “This is the most beautiful game I've ever played.” [57:38]
  • Robust open world with rewarding side quests and organic discovery (“just go get lost”).
  • Some critique of its forced weapon-switching mid-combat (rock-paper-scissors mechanic):
    • Mary: “I wish I could just master the weapon I want to master.” [60:36]
  • Standout “training” sequence for off-hand sword, which cleverly mimics the player’s learning curve on the controller itself.
  • Fast travel lauded as a standout quality-of-life feature.
  • Comparison with Red Dead 2’s slowness—Yote lets you opt in or out of logistics and “just be a video game when you want”.
  • Quote [66:09, Mary]: “It knows it’s a video game... you can fast travel, pick up stuff quickly, craft super fast. But if you want to sit and enjoy it, you can do that too.”

New and Noteworthy Games

6. Ninja Gaiden 4

• [72:12–82:09]
• Dan’s glowing review: “One of the best Ninja Gaiden games ever.”
  • Stays true to the over-the-top, skill-heavy, stylish action of earlier series.
  • Rewards mastery, not a FromSoftware derivative.
  • Quote [75:42, Dan]: “If we just went from Ninja Gaiden 2004 and then cryogenically froze everyone… and then they make another one now—it’s like that.”
  • Packed with classic moves, memorable bosses, and intense challenge.

7. Indies & Under-the-Radar

• Clover Pit ([106:28–114:31])
  • Roguelike gambling game—enjoyable as a “half-brain-dead” distraction, but with limited strategy and high variance. Compared to Balatro and Inscryption, not as deep.
    • Mary: “It’s perfect for like, half gaming, half watching TV.”
• Consume Me ([93:35–106:22])
  • Semi-autobiographical game tackling eating disorders, praised for empathetic systems and effective, non-triggering storytelling.
    • Dan: “It’s a really, really well done... gamifying a message and empathy for a situation we might not all have.”
    • Mary recommends I’m Glad My Mom Died for further reading.
• Baby Steps ([84:01–92:49])
  • Both Dan and Mary bounce off it; punishing, intentionally frustrating progression with little sense of improvement.
    • Mary: “It is miserable to walk in that game. They made the basic mechanics not fun for me to play.”
• Lego Party ([115:15–122:00])
  • Dan says it's "better than Mario Party in every way as a video game"—skill-based, less random, and more enjoyable for both core and casual players.
• Battlefield 6 ([122:25–123:55])
  • Dan: “It’s fun, but I’m just not the multiplayer shooter guy anymore.” Mike notes DICE’s success in righting the “ship” after 2042.

Hardware Check-In

• Rog Ally Xbox Handheld ([124:32–131:17])
  • Dan describes its power and form factor as superior for portable AAA gaming (like Elden Ring), but much more expensive and less user-friendly than a Steam Deck for most indie titles.
  • Admits he would never spend $1,000 on it personally, but it has its niche for demanding portable play.

Community & Cultural Banter

Fandoms: Love, Hate, and Stereotypes

• [133:53–159:03]
  • Prompted by a listener email:
    • What’s something actually good, but the fanbase ruins?
    • Mary: Rick and Morty (good show, “ruined” in public perception by toxic meme culture)
    • Mike: Wine (the stuffy/superior stereotype, even though many in wine are welcoming)
    • Dan: Wrestling and gaming (online discourse constantly embarrassing, despite plenty of great folks in both fandoms)
    • Runner-up: Adult Disney fans, Kingdom Hearts diehards, Japanophiles—often get prejudged for being obsessed.
  • And what fandom do you trust to be cool?
    • Mary: The Simpsons (“If you love the Simpsons, I have a commonality with you.”)
    • Dan: Norm Macdonald fans, but with a caveat.
    • Mike: Fans of The Thing movie, McGruber.

Listeners’ Questions

1. Underrated Multiplayer Modes
   • [162:00–169:30]
   • Highlighted: Ghost of Tsushima’s Legends co-op mode, Gears of War 3 competitive MP, Resistance 2 class-based co-op, Mass Effect 3 horde mode, Perfect Dark's Counter-Op.
2. Missouri Is Trash (Listener's Request)
   • [171:54–173:10]
   • Dan delivers a roast on Missouri for hometown pride (“Bad people, bad cities, bad food, make fun of their food…”).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [07:00, Mary, on Kyoto shoe mishap]: “The audacity of myself looking at her being like, no, ma’am, I believe I put on the shoes that you asked me...”
• [21:38, Dan, on saving his cat from gas leak]: “All I was thinking about was the cat... the house could explode… stuff is replaceable.”
• [36:30, Mary, on Hades 2]: “Androgyny is also hot. I think it's kind of like… look at Bowie, subjective. But... she's hot, period. End of story."
• [57:38, Mary, on Ghost of Yote]: “This is the most beautiful game I've ever played. I think it's stunningly gorgeous.”
• [66:09, Mary, on Yote's design]: “It knows it's a video game... you can fast travel, pick up stuff quickly, craft super fast. But if you just want to sit and enjoy it, you can do that too.”
• [82:09, Dan, on Ninja Gaiden 4]: “You can just kind of go with the thing that kind of speaks to you more than you can in Yote.”
• [115:27, Dan, on LEGO Party]: "I cannot sit here and say... that LEGO Party isn't better than Mario Party because it is in every fucking way as a video game."
• [136:59, Dan, on wine culture]: “A lot of people who are very into wine don’t have that same sense of humor about themselves that you do."

Episode Timestamps (Selective)

• 00:32 – Mary’s Japan trip & Kyoto embarrassment
• 08:04 – Mary on TGS, Japanese food, and travel tips
• 17:41 – Dan’s house almost explodes (cat rescue)
• 34:23 – Hades 2 in-depth discussion
• 49:27 – Ghost of Tsushima: Yote analysis
• 72:12 – Ninja Gaiden 4 impressions
• 84:01 – Baby Steps critiques
• 93:35 – Consume Me (indie empathy game)
• 106:28 – Clover Pit (slot machine roguelike)
• 115:15 – LEGO Party vs. Mario Party
• 124:32 – ROG Ally Xbox impressions
• 133:53 – Listener’s question: what fanbase ruins a good thing?
• 162:00 – Best underrated multiplayer modes

Episode Structure & Tone

• Signature blend of humor, honesty, and genuine critical thought.
• Banter often segues into wild, free-association — e.g., jokes about “castle times” or Marquis de Sade as a Revolutionary War hero.
• Personal stories seamlessly interspersed with in-depth game critique.
• Critical but fair-minded, especially around contentious games and hardware.

Wrap-Up and Announcements

• New merch incoming; Game of the Year episode set for December 6, 2025 (livestreamed from Minneapolis).
• Dan: 24hr Giant Bomb marathon Oct 27
• Mike: Fire Escape x Nextlander co-op Warhammer
• Mary: Monday Twitch streams (when not traveling)

For Next Time:

• Write in with questions/comments: firescapecastmail.com
• Follow on YouTube for Game of the Year and VODs

Closing Note: This episode cements Fire Escape's place as a haven for both serious game critique and unfiltered, hilarious podcast storytelling—a must-listen for anyone invested in games culture, or just in need of a laugh.