“Luckily, right around the corner, there’s a margarita tree!”
DoggyDog420
Summary – A Comedic Start
I mention in my review of Episode 0 that these folks set the tone and expectation for the franchise, and one of those expectations is personable comedy, sometimes a little cringeworthy even. They do not fail to deliver in Episode 1. The episode is all about what games they would want with them if stranded on a deserted island. The first question asked is, “How did you get stuck on the island?” You end up with a range of hilariously outlandish answers from the cast. They then proceeded to go through their list of four games each that they would want with them on the island, whilst also engaging with their live audience at the time.
Impressions – Some Wild Answers
Their stories for how they got on the island immediately had me laughing. Zelda was first with an outlandish story of how she wound up there by digging a hole of escape, only to emerge underwater a ways from the island, leaving her exit flooded. DoggyDog’s story is no less wild. Apparently he’s exiled there for drinking a whole supply of beer. Luckily, there is a margarita tree. Man loves his drink. Axle of course talks about how he was on a secret mission, except the alien ship he was on mid-mission crash landed on the island (hence their access to power and internet).
Gotta love their creativity there. They made it hilarious from the start. When you’re laughing so hard you can’t even hold your game controls right, you know you’ve found a good show. Some of the games they listed after that goofy opening caught me by surprise though. The very first answer Princess Zelda gave was a Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit. If you don’t know what that is, a surprisingly good summary can be found on the fandom wiki page here. Guess she wants to try and build an escape vehicle, or at least fantasize about doing so.
Other answers fed my curiosity a great deal, fueling a search for some very retro titles. Star Tropics and Panzer Dragoon Saga were both answers given by Doggydog and Axle respectively, wiki links for each I’ve provided here. As a side note, I was sad to learn the latter was never re-released, and copies in English sell for hundreds, making Panzer Dragoon Saga one of the harder titles to acquire. Regardless, my curiosity is piqued, and I’ve found myself looking for videos and articles about this and other previously unknown titles, a journey launched by my listening to this episode.
Conclusion
Overall, this particular episode was an engaging foray into the minds of older video gamers, fueling a journey of discovery that pulled me away from my usual daily activities. The discoveries I’ve made so far will make for some interesting topics of conversation with friends later on. My research will not end with those wiki pages. All the while, in the back of my mind, I found myself wanting a drink from that “margarita tree” DoggyDog talked about. To check out the episode, simply scroll down and have a look.
