The Besties – "What Even Is a Video Game?! (Grab Bag!)" – November 7, 2025

Podcast Hosts: Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Russ Frushtick

Episode Overview

The Besties crew reunites for a sprawling grab bag episode: no single headline release, but a rich spread of the latest and most intriguing games and gaming-adjacent experiences. From deep-dive detective narratives and soothing simulators to innovative jigsaw puzzle twists, courtly FMV drama, and a discussion about both the history and current state of Pokémon, the episode explores not just what games they’re playing, but what makes a video game satisfying, memorable, and sometimes, a little incomplete.

The group’s signature humor, camaraderie, and blunt honesty are front and center as they debate, critique, and celebrate the genre-defying state of games in late 2025.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Seance of Blake Manor [04:10–17:15]

The episode’s first big spotlight is on Seance of Blake Manor, a narrative deduction game set in a sprawling Irish manor.

Overview and Appeal

• Griffin: Immersed and completed the game, declaring it “a banger of a game.” He appreciates the massive, interconnected web of mysteries and the vibrant cast.
• Chris: Frames it as akin to Golden Idol, but with added mobility—walking around and collecting clues within timed, hour-long in-game segments.

Time Mechanics and Player Pressure

• Griffin: At first, the hour-based time management felt stressful and off-putting; later, its design purpose (to prevent aimless wandering and focus your efforts) became clear and even appreciated.
• Chris: The system creates early tension but later becomes a manageable and even generous guardrail. “You’re hitting these fail states...It wants you early on to feel the pressure of this timetable in a way that it doesn’t, I find, later.” [11:17]
• Justin: The overwhelming number of systems and the massive character web led to initial frustration and information overload: “It’s just a laundry list of everybody there, and it’s so overwhelming. And it’s panic-inducing.” [10:06]

Deduction and Over-Scaffolding

• Some team members felt the mystery-solving became a bit mechanical: the game offers a lot of hints and trial-and-error is easy, reducing true "a-ha!" moments versus Obra Dinn or Golden Idol.
  • Griffin: “If you blow a few minutes here and there, inspecting some towels, it feels bad...But honestly, there are a lot of guardrails…a lot of breadcrumbs.” [15:07]
  • Justin: “If your game is about detection, it’s weird to penalize for being thorough in your investigation.” [13:40]

Atmosphere and Praise

• Voice performances, setting, and Irish folklore flavor are big pluses—an evocative world, if sometimes handhold-y.

2. PowerWash Simulator 2 [17:27–22:25]

A lighter, yet heated, debate ensues over the seemingly mundane but beloved PowerWash Simulator 2.

What's New?

• Russ: Hub world added, upgraded water effects, and improved soap mechanics (now universal and cooldown-based instead of consumable per material).
  • “It is just like, dopamine hit to the direct dome in ways…not necessarily the most healthy, just because it’s so simple. But I do find it very personally rewarding.” [18:56]
• Co-op experience is highlighted as the ultimate casual hang-out.

Simulators as Escapism

• The group riffs on the appeal: is simulated cleaning cathartic or simply a substitute for real-world productivity?
  • Russ: “People use it as a wind down tool. And you could accuse this claim of all video games. Like, Griffin solved a crime in a mansion and he felt good about himself.” [21:15]
  • Justin: “You sprayed water to pretend house, Russ.” [21:27]

Memorable Exchange

• Russ: “Probably better to power wash some shit.” [22:10]
• Justin: “This is the only two options. One of our sit by yourself and drink in silence.” [22:27]
• Griffin: “Truly, truly. One of our most unhinged discussions.” [22:32]

3. Strange Jigsaws [25:33–28:53]

Russ introduces a genre-breaking jigsaw puzzle game.

• Pieces from different puzzles are used interchangeably, with logic-based objectives (like painting them to fit, hamburger-construction puzzles, and puzzles with simulated gravity).
• Russ: “If you like problem-solving games, there’s a ton of really interesting approaches.” [26:49]
• Colorblind-friendly features praised over Blueprints.

4. Road to Empress (FMV/Visual Novel) [29:41–36:27]

Justin shares his experience with Road to Empress, an FMV narrative set in a historical Chinese court.

Core Gameplay

• Choices affect branching narrative paths, many of which rapidly lead to a “game over” (social disgrace or literal death), but checkpoints and seamless time rewinding reduce friction.
• “You’re trying to navigate an extremely life or death social situation.” [33:50]

Presentation

• Not deeply interactive (“visual novel is overstating it, but it’s an interactive film”), but culturally interesting and richly produced.
• Impressive map system for tracking branches and instant reloading of failed outcomes.

5. Mortal Kombat Collection: The History Lesson [36:46–41:10]

Chris explores the new Mortal Kombat collection:

Historical Treasure Trove

• “As a historical document, it is fantastic...” – Features all versions of the early games, rare unreleased content, scanned design docs, commercials, and documentary material.
• “It is such a great time warp to this moment where Mortal Kombat truly felt like the biggest thing on the planet.” [38:38]
• Notable guests: Friend of the show Mike Drucker, Jeff Gerstmann, and more.

Gameplay Gripe

• Input lag controversy echoed online; Chris and company downplay its impact for casual or nostalgia-driven play.
• “If you are a hyper, hyper competitive player, sure, you should avoid it. If you are literally anybody else…you will be very happy with it.” [40:56]

6. Necesse [41:27–48:17]

Griffin breaks down Necesse, a game fusing Terraria-style crafting/exploration with RimWorld-inspired colony management.

• “When you start up Necesse, it presents a lot more of those [settlement] mechanics at the front…But once you get into the more familiar Terraria level stuff, it…it all starts to come together really nicely.” [42:58]
• Versatile settlement tasks: automation, animal husbandry, and more, with robust quality-of-life UI.
• Controller integration is solid, but, compared to Terraria, the world feels a little less dense.
• Played 14 hours so far; multiplayer with shared settlements sounds promising.

7. Pokémon Disillusionment—A Mini State of the Franchise [48:19–56:31]

Listener Mail: Griffin’s Thoughts Post-Absence

• Griffin: New Pokémon games (“unambitious”) lack critical polish, have promising ideas, but don’t deliver on the “big, game-changing” moments that Mario, Zelda, or even Kirby achieve.
  • “How many times can they get away with like, putting out this kind of unambitious, I guess is the word I would use, game where clearly parts…are just not there?” [49:11]
• Russ: “They have mathematically figured out the exact dollar amount to invest in these games where they still sell really fucking well. And no more than that.” [51:55]
• Justin draws a Doctor Who comparison: franchises delivering just enough to keep the base engaged, but rarely more.

What’s Next for Pokémon?

• The group is skeptical that The Pokémon Company will ever risk drastic reinvention: “What they want is they want something proven. They want no risk, but they want everybody to be happy. It’s sitting right there. Every three years, just release another Game Boy advance game.” [56:04]

8. Honorable Mentions and Off-Topic Picks [56:42–71:40]

Masquerade (Immersive Theater Experience) [56:44–61:39]

• Russ & Justin both attended Masquerade in NYC—a reimagined interactive Phantom of the Opera that surpasses all immersive theater expectations post-Sleep No More.
• “I left like fucking kind of a little bit obsessed about Phantom of the Opera.” – Russ [57:57]
• Variation in experience—different groups witness different plot beats, keeping the narrative linear but personalized.

Outer Worlds 2 – Critical Impressions [62:02–63:53]

• Griffin: Enjoyed but found the latter half repetitive and filler-laden; craves a tighter RPG than the sprawling style Obsidian delivers.

Books

• Shadow of the Leviathan Series (Robert Jackson Bennett) [65:25–69:37]

  • Justin (and Griffin) praise these fantasy-mystery novels about two investigators in a unique empire built to fight sea monsters, with a refreshing depiction of institutions worth protecting.

• King Sorrow by Joe Hill [69:40–71:49]

  • Chris: “Joe Hill doing ‘It.’” (Spans decades; instead of a clown, a conjured dragon torments college friends.) Audiobook lauded for immersive audio production and Stephen King meta-layer.

TV

• Physical: Asia [63:53–65:25]
  • Griffin: Loved seeing international teams (including Netflix reality crossovers), ingenious competition format, and high production value.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "If your game is about detection, it’s weird to penalize for being thorough in your investigation."
  – Justin (re: Seance of Blake Manor) [13:40]

• "It is just like, dopamine hit to the direct dome in ways that…I do find it very personally rewarding."
  – Russ (PowerWash Simulator 2) [18:56]

• "Truly, truly, one of our most unhinged discussions."
  – Griffin (PowerWash Simulator debate) [22:32]

• "As a historical document, it is fantastic…It is such a great time warp to this moment where Mortal Kombat truly felt like the biggest thing on the planet."
  – Chris (Mortal Kombat Collection) [38:38]

• "How many times can they get away with like, putting out this kind of unambitious…I think Scarlet and Violet got really good with the DLC…but I don’t know that there’s a salvageable thing here."
  – Griffin (on Pokémon’s rut) [49:11]

• "They have mathematically figured out the exact dollar amount to invest in these games where they still sell really fucking well. And no more than that."
  – Russ (on Pokémon) [51:55]

• "This does such an excellent job at making you really honestly feel that…relevance, not just be told the relevance."
  – Chris (Mortal Kombat Collection docs) [38:53]

• "I would love a much shorter, much tighter version of this experience that I feel compelled to go back and replay as a different character."
  – Griffin (Outer Worlds 2) [63:41]

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment/Topic | Starts At | |--------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Seance of Blake Manor (Main Discussion) | 04:10 | | PowerWash Simulator 2 | 17:27 | | Strange Jigsaws | 25:33 | | Road to Empress (FMV) | 29:41 | | Mortal Kombat Collection | 36:46 | | Necesse | 41:27 | | Pokémon Discussion & Franchise Malaise | 48:19 | | Masquerade (Theater) | 56:44 | | Honorable Mentions (Games/Books/Shows) | 61:39+ |

Tone & Style

True to form, the Besties mix sharp critique with warm camaraderie, sarcasm, and plenty of one-liners. No topic goes untouched—whether they’re bemoaning time-wasting mechanics or comedy-riffing on the utility of simulated power washing, the tone is conversational, excitable, and honest, with a tangible sense of lifelong friendship and gaming expertise.

Conclusion

This Besties grab bag is a journey through what makes a video game modern, memorable, and sometimes maddening. Whether discussing what makes an investigation game click, how simulators quietly dominate the Steam charts, or why Pokémon never quite delivers on its potential, the group digs into the roots of gaming satisfaction, design, nostalgia, and genre innovation—while still managing to roast each other and themselves.

For the full experience, listen along with this guide—skip the ads, launch a satisfying game, and join four of Earth's best friends as they figure out, again: what even is a video game, anyway?