Into the Aether - A Low Key Video Game Podcast · Stephen Hilger + Brendon Bigley

Sniffly (feat. Silksong, Easy Delivery Co, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, and more!)

·1 hr 47 min·5 clips

Brendan says he finished the original Trails in the Sky First Chapter after chipping away at it for years.

Brendan opens the show sounding under the weather after New York Fashion Week and two weddings, and Stephen immediately turns it into part of the bit. They joke about a mean review that zeroes in only on Brendan sounding nasally. The opener stays loose and warm, which fits the whole mood. Brendan and Stephen then riff on the idea that Into the Aether guest spots may secretly raise the odds of marriage, since a couple of friends connected through the show have now tied the knot. The tone stays playful throughout. A bonus episode is coming up, and the conversation starts drifting toward games and what the rest of the year might look like. One forthcoming release is on their minds, and they note how strangely funny it is that it and Silksong are arriving in the same month. The release slate starts to feel much bigger than it did earlier in the year, and a lot more indie-heavy too. Stephen says the first half of the year had one kind of mood, while the current stretch is starting to feel more like a busier, stranger 2023-style run of games. Brendan agrees the shift has been real. They talk about how triple-A seems to need time to reload, and Brendan jokes that even a game he does not especially care about can still land in the precious number ten slot on a top-ten list. The show breaks and returns with the kind of deadpan energy that makes the pause feel like part of the conversation instead of a clean segment break. They joke that they sound like Trails NPCs. A sponsor read for Pika follows, and Brendan says he has been using it for his blog, Wavelengths Online, because it is a fast, easy way to get a blog going. He likes the recent updates. The chat keeps moving with the same informal rhythm. Stephen and Brendan start teasing each other about laughs and reaction timing, which becomes its own mini bit. Brendan says one of his worst traits as a co-host and friend is that the laugh you get from him is basically a roll of the dice. Stephen pushes back with affection. Brendan admits he has trouble paying attention to too many things at once. That leads to more back-and-forth about how the Toy Story joke landed. Brendan says he made it out of spite because it was actually good, which is exactly the sort of petty little escalation the show enjoys. The episode ends the way it began, with two people sounding like they are actually talking to each other rather than performing. It stays grounded while still drifting through game news, personal updates, and jokes that only have to work for the people in the room. It is relaxed in the best sense. It knows when to let a thought breathe. And even when it wanders, it keeps circling back to the simple pleasure of talking about games with someone who gets your reference and your timing.

As heard by us

A sniffly, affectionate hangout that turns game chatter into a running joke about matchmaking.

Brendan Bigley comes off sniffly after New York Fashion Week and two weddings, and the episode does not try to smooth that over. A small update turns into a running bit about the show acting like a matchmaker, with Brendan Klinkenberg and Alana Okun folded into the joke.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want a low-key, indie-heavy hangout with a very nasal Brendan, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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