MHG Podcast · Mental Health Gaming

291 : Glass Statue

·50 min·1 clip

Matt Beard was a magical person who seemed to have something special for everyone he met.

This episode of the MHG Podcast features hosts Bradley and Stu discussing recent video game releases, recorded separately due to scheduling. The episode begins with a heartfelt tribute to the late football manager Matt Beard, who recently passed away. Bradley shares a personal story about how Beard encouraged his daughter, Edith, in her football aspirations, highlighting his positive impact. The hosts then transition to a rapid-fire review of several games Bradley has been playing while recovering from an eye issue. He starts with *Baby Steps*, a physics-based walking simulator from Bennett Foddy, creator of *Getting Over It*. Next is *Clover Pit*, a horror-themed slot machine deck-builder that released alongside major titles like *Hades 2*. Bradley also covers *Consume Me*, an RPG life-sim focused on food, high school, and relationships. He reviews *Formula Legends*, an arcade-style F1 racing game spanning decades with fictional teams and tracks. *Ratatan* is discussed as a spiritual successor to *Patapon*, modernizing the rhythm-strategy gameplay. Bradley concludes with high praise for *Puzzle Quest: Immortal*, a remastered version of the classic match-three RPG. Stu then offers his own reviews, starting with *Hotel Barcelona*, a beat-'em-up roguelite from Suda 51 and Swery, which he criticizes for imprecise controls and poor balance. Stu describes the player character in *Hotel Barcelona* as feeling like a "glass statue" due to weak combat and sluggish inputs. He contrasts this with his final game, *P-47 2*, a recovered 1991 horizontal shooter for the Sega Mega Drive released as a limited physical cartridge. Stu received copy number 1,901 out of only 3,775 produced, praising its authentic presentation and solid, if unspectacular, classic shooter gameplay. A surprising insight is how a major football figure's quiet encouragement of a young fan became a cherished family memory. Bradley notes that *Ratatan* improves upon *Patapon* by being more forgiving with its rhythm inputs, allowing players to recover their timing. He argues that the original *Puzzle Quest* remains the unmatched king of match-three RPGs even after 20 years, criticizing its later free-to-play iterations. Stu finds the bizarre narrative and Suda 51 weirdness of *Hotel Barcelona* compelling, but feels the flawed gameplay undermines it entirely. He values the historical novelty of owning a physically reproduced "lost" game like *P-47 2*, complete with individually numbered packaging. The episode's tone is primarily conversational and enthusiastic, blending sincere personal reflection with passionate, informal game criticism. The hosts employ descriptive, opinionated language and use editing to seamlessly weave their separately recorded segments together. This episode will greatly appeal to listeners who enjoy detailed, passionate indie game recommendations and discoveries off the mainstream path. Fans of classic game design and physical collector's items will find Stu's segment on *P-47 2* particularly interesting. Listeners seeking only tightly structured, debate-focused criticism or who are sensitive to discussions of suicide might choose to skip the opening segment.

As heard by us

A sombre opener gives way to brisk talk on Formula One racing, Ratatan, and a neatly packaged Mega Drive shooter.

The episode starts on a sombre note, with Bradley and Stu talking through Matt Beard and the encouragement he gave Edith. From there it moves into the week's games: a Formula One title that delivers the expected racing thrill, then Ratatan, treated as a spiritual successor to…

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Why you'd press play

If you want Formula One game talk, Ratatan praise, and a collector-curio ending, this one moves.

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