Orb-Maxxing - The Checkpoint - March 2026

Rolling the Dice - Esoteric Ebb - Video Game Book Club May 2026

Video Game Book Club is back with another month episode! Thank you to our community and listeners for playing Esoteric Ebb alongside us and sending us questions and discussion prompts! In this episode Ben and JP discuss the ins and outs of Esoteric Ebb. This game has so much depth, so many secrets to discover, and so many interesting conversations. Ben gave us a very thoughtful answer on whether sacrifices have any meaning for our greatest purpose in life while JP interestingly gave his best version of an Esoteric Slogdog. Join the club using the discord link below to stay up to date with Buenale Games and to play and discuss the game of the month alongside us every month, and join us again in a month when we discuss the June game of the month, chosen by our own JP: Mina The Hallower. Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS Twitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuenaleGames #videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #esotericebb #discoelysium #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames (00:00) Intro (03:45) What is Esoteric Ebb? (13:52) Early Game (52:43) Mid Game (01:10:20) Late Game (01:53:10) Viewer Questions (02:46:40) June GotM Announcement (02:49:25) Outro

Vibe Gardening - The Checkpoint - May 2026

We are so back with another episode of The Checkpoint: where we check in on this month's Game of the Month! We begin by checking in on this month's game: Esoteric Ebb, an eclectic and chaotic Disco-Like. Regular viewers will be SHOCKED to learn that JP has hardly started the game yet. From there, we discuss this month's Short Story: Celeste! JP spent WAY more time with this game than most mini-VGBC games, and Ben chimes in with his experience with the game as well. From there, we discuss all things from counter strike to gardening, and we wrap up by touching on some recent news from the games industry. Join the club using the discord link below to stay up to date with Buenale Games and to play and discuss the game of the month alongside us! Join us again at the end of May for our full length discussion on this month's game: Esoteric Ebb. Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS Twitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5 (0:00) Cold Open (03:47) Intro and Special Announcement! (08:08) Esoteric Ebb Check-In (21:13) Short Story: Celeste (54:25) Counter Strike and Gardening (01:06:30) Gaming News (50:15) Gaming News (01:16:51) Outro #videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames #esotericebb #celeste #indiegames #mixtape

Mystery in the Mundane - Control - Video Game Book Club Apr. 2026

Video Game Book Club is back baby! This episode, we're talking about the April Game of the Month: Control, which was chosen by our community. Control is a mind-bending game full of action and subterfuge where our protagonist, Jesse, infiltrates the Federal Bureau of Control, a shadowy government agency who seeks to research all things paranormal. Listen in as we share our experiences with the game, our overall thoughts, and answer questions submitted by our community. Join the club using the discord link below to stay up to date with Buenale Games and to play and discuss the game of the month alongside us every month. Join us again in two weeks when we check in on our progress on May's game of the month: Esoteric Ebb. Discord [https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS] Twitch [https://twitch.tv/buenalegames] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@BuenaleGames/videos] #videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #controlgame #alanwake #alanwake2 #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames (00:00) Intro (02:30) What is Control? (06:00) Early Game (30:35) Mid Game (01:17:10) Late Game (01:48:35) Viewer Questions (02:21:55) Final Thoughts and Letter Grades (02:29:09) May GOTM Announcement (02:32:50) Outro

Leveling Up Our Pizza Skill Tree - The Checkpoint - April 2026

We are so back with another episode of The Checkpoint: where we check in on this month's Game of the Month! We start off by becoming the casting directors of our new movie Neon White: The Movie. From there Ben and I chat about the game of the month for April: Control. This month's Short Story was: There is No Game: Wrong Dimension. JP has a lot of thoughts on this game so be sure to tune in for that. Finally we discuss pizzas and play station prices! Join the club using the discord link below to stay up to date with Buenale Games and to play and discuss the game of the month alongside us! Join us again at the end of April for our full length discussion on this month's game: Control. Discord [https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS] Twitch [https://twitch.tv/buenalegames] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games] Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@BuenaleGames] (0:00) Cold Open (02:04) Intro (03:09) Control Check-In (20:20) Short Story: TING:WD (36:50) Celeste (41:50) Books and Pizza (50:15) Gaming News (01:00:40) Outro #videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames #control

The Price of Obsession - Cairn - Video Game Book Club Mar. 2026

It's March of 2026 and Buenale Games is BACK with another episode of Video Game Book Club! This month we played Cairn, a climbing centric video game where the task is simple: summit Mt. Kami. Along the way to accomplish this goal, we meet funny characters, climb some insane walls, and have our fair share introspective moments on the mountain. Listen in as we recap our full experience playing this game and we answer question submitted to us by our community! Join the club using the discord link below to stay up to date with Buenale Games and to play and discuss the game of the month alongside us every month. Join us again mid-way through April when we check in on our progress on the community's choice for April's game of the month: Control. Discord: https://discord.gg/P9aRB5wEBS Twitch: https://twitch.tv/buenalegames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buenale.games/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buenale.games Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gfZQ8jttLntPF6dARadVa?si=7da802979ec749d5 #videogamebookclub #gamingbookclub #cairn #climbing #gamingpodcast #gaming #videogames (00:00) Intro (01:35) What is Cairn? (07:25) Early Game (33:23) Mid Game (01:09:05) Late Game (01:36:25) Viewer Questions (02:17:58) Final Thoughts and Book Reports (02:23:27) April GOTM Announcement (02:26:52) Outro