This week, mechanics and plot and everything begins weaving a tapestry with the party fully assembled, and the cattiest queer in Final Fantasy not named "Kefka" takes the stage. Plus: MILFs, orbs, dress-up, and The Difficulty Problem Is Solved. Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

It is new season time again, and we're taking a short detour into the absolutely fantastic Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, the answer to a question nobody asked: "what if the mechanical geniuses behind Nioh remade Final Fantasy 1 as a tragedy, and one of the strongest games in the entire franchise ensued?" Plus, in the over a year since this was recorded, your humble editress can confirm: yes, that stage IS the not-quite-first dungeon in FFXIV. Who knew? (Half of the hosts in the room.) Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

The story of Werdna comes to an end, or several ends, as we discuss the metaphysics and metapuzzles of Wizardry IV's final floors. Above, below, and more - we're all here and we're going to look at how we got there. Plus: an interjection from future Sibyl! The document I mention in the cut-in is behind this link, and I highly recommend clicking and reading through. It's a delight. We'll be back next month with the debut of our Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger of Paradise season. Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

Folks: it's here, the final boss of Wizardry IV: a three-floor megachallenge known as the Cosmic Cube. We also include some host backtracking for items which are needed to find your way out of this three-dimensional disaster, and movie reviews with a side of musical critique! Get ready for an extravaganza. Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded during November 2024. Don't @ us about how weird some of it reads in hindsight. This week gives us what your humble editrix describes as "the worst dungeon crawler map in the history of the genre". You wanna hear what that's like, right? 'Course you do. Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded during November 2024. Don't @ us about how weird some of it reads in hindsight. This week is... actually probably the nicest episode we're going to have for a while. Learn about pleasant nerds from yesteryear and have a laugh at some of the funniest "why did I do that" item tricks the game throws at you. Don't worry, soon it'll get vicious again. I promise. Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded before November 2024. Don't @ us about how weird some of it reads in hindsight. KNIVES OUT KNIVES OUT KNIVES OUT Alright, here we go, it's what the sickos have been waiting for, the second nastiest floor in the game. See how different ports make this a different challenge for everyone, and watch procrastination bite people in the whole ass. Also, Sibyl does a terrible Brenda Romero. Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded in November 2024. Don't @ us about how weird some of it reads in hindsight. The first stage that gets some "okay, this concept rocks" out of everyone, and also inspires more rants than any other so far. You know you're in for a good time when the hosts begin to turn on each other, and we haven't even made it halfway through the game. Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded in November 2024. Don't @ us about how weird some of it reads in hindsight. You have hired a contractor to create ten different mad traps for the immortal wizard in your basement. A few suggested mazes. Some went to real Halaster Blackcloak territory with their suggestions for "paths through Hell" and "time upon space" and the ilk. In the end, one of the pitches you heard sounded incredibly plausible and pretty final: "What about land mines? Just all the land mines in the world. A big, unmarked field of 99% land mines." The contractor was awarded a duchy and many, many soon-to-be-gibbed servants got to work... Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice

Editor's note: This podcast was recorded in November 2024. Don't @ us about how weird some of it reads in hindsight. Did you know that they buried Werdna about half a mile under a portal to Hell? And somehow this is also where they bury a lot of the honored dead of the castle town? You can't think about this dungeon too long, it'll drive you mad in a "how does any of this come together" sense. Roe Adams III was a king for this, though. Support Us On Patreon to hear Chris and Ryan's FF14 podcast and the Boku No Stop Premium anime podcast! Listen to Ryan's band at Cannon & DeVaron and their solo work as Catastrophizer Read Matt's yuri reviews on Okazu Support Lightning Strikes Thrice