Critical Arcade

This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick bow respectfully, immediately forget that respect mid-fight, and throw themselves headfirst into the merciless world of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Set in a crumbling, blood-soaked version of Sengoku-era Japan, they take on the role of Wolf, a one-armed shinobi bound by duty, honor, and a prosthetic arm packed with far more gadgets than either host is capable of using correctly.

As Ashina teeters on the brink of collapse, Dave and Nick face off against ruthless samurai, terrifying monsters, and bosses who seem specifically designed to crush confidence and friendships. From perfectly timed deflections to deathblows that feel earned through sheer suffering, Sekiro demands focus, patience, and an acceptance that dying is not failure — it’s education. Very painful education.

Will Dave finally break his Soulsborne habit of rolling when the game clearly wants him to stand his ground? How many times will Nick say “okay, I get it now” moments before being obliterated by a lightning-infused sword? And just how many resurrection nodes are too many before the game starts judging you silently?

Expect heated debates about difficulty, accidental stealth disasters, dramatic grappling hook mishaps, and at least one boss fight that completely breaks the episode’s pacing. This is a journey about mastery, stubbornness, and learning when to stay aggressive — and when to accept that the game has absolutely won. Tune in as Critical Arcade learns that in Sekiro, hesitation really is defeat.
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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick once again wake up thirsty, overdesigned, and deeply unsure of what’s happening in the gothic anime apocalypse of Code Vein 2. Thrown back into a dying world of Revenants, blood codes, and coats with more belts than structural integrity, the pair find themselves navigating the aftermath of humanity’s last stand against extinction. Society has fractured, memories are currency, and everyone they meet is either traumatised, mysterious, or moments away from a tragic sacrifice.

As they carve a path through ruined cities, cathedrals, and blood-soaked wastelands, Dave and Nick experiment with expanded blood code systems, new weapon types, and combat that somehow feels faster, meaner, and more anime than ever before. Along the way, they uncover a story steeped in loss, rebirth, and the question Code Vein loves asking most: how much suffering is too much suffering before it loops back around to being cool again?

But it wouldn’t be Critical Arcade without chaos. Can Dave resist spending hours in the character creator just to make someone emotionally devastating? Will Nick finally accept that dodging is mandatory and not “optional flavour”? And how many boss fights will end with one of them yelling “that move is absolute nonsense” while secretly loving every second of it?

Tune in as they drain ichor, befriend companions who are definitely going to die, and roll their way through a sequel that doubles down on style, melodrama, and very large weapons. It’s Code Vein 2 — sharper, sadder, and somehow even more anime than before. 🩸⚔️
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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave adjust their sensitivity sliders (and immediately regret it) as they dive deep into the stylish, suspicious, and surprisingly prophetic world of Perfect Dark. Set in the far-flung future of 2023, the game casts them as elite Carrington Institute agent Joanna Dark, a super-spy with a cooler name than everyone else in the building and an arsenal that seems designed by a mad scientist with a grudge against balance.

What starts as a routine corporate espionage job against tech giant dataDyne quickly spirals into a full-blown conspiracy involving rogue AIs, secret government agencies, mind-controlled soldiers, and an interstellar war between alien factions who are way too invested in Earth politics. From sneaking through poorly lit offices and secret labs to escaping flying alien temples and stealing hover bikes, Nick and Dave follow Joanna as she uncovers the truth behind dataDyne’s shady experiments and the alien Skedar, who are absolutely not here to make friends.

Along the way, they’ll wrestle with famously aggressive enemy AI, guards who can hear footsteps through concrete walls, and guns that reload themselves because… the future. Can Dave keep track of the plot once Elvis the Grey Alien becomes a main character? Will Nick ever stop complaining about aiming with a controller while simultaneously insisting it’s "part of the charm"?
Join them as they unravel conspiracies, praise the soundtrack, curse the difficulty spikes, and ask the important question: was Perfect Dark ahead of its time… or just deeply committed to ruining your evening?
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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave drift off into the calm, colourful, and deceptively tricky universe of Harmony’s Odyssey. A puzzle game that looks like a bedtime story but thinks like a logic exam, Harmony’s Odyssey sends them hopping between floating constellations inspired by ancient myths, musical patterns, and cosmic folklore. Each world is a handcrafted diorama where perspective is everything, rules are meant to be bent, and the solution is rarely as simple as it first appears.

As they guide the silent protagonist through starry landscapes and rotating puzzle boxes, Nick and Dave must learn to slow down, observe, and rethink how space itself works. Shapes become pathways, background details turn into solutions, and every new constellation introduces a fresh twist on the game’s core ideas. It’s soothing, it’s clever, and it’s constantly asking them to trust their instincts rather than brute-force an answer.

But beneath the cosy visuals and gentle soundtrack lies a puzzle game that can be quietly ruthless. Will Dave’s patience survive when the solutions feel just out of reach? And how long before Nick breaks the zen atmosphere by confidently declaring he’s solved it—only to be very, very wrong? Tune in as they try to restore harmony to the stars, one brain-melting puzzle at a time.
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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave make the deeply questionable decision to wander into the suffocatingly quiet, deeply cursed world of Fatal Frame, a survival horror series that proves the scariest weapon imaginable is a camera. Set across abandoned mansions, forgotten villages, and ritual sites soaked in tragedy, the duo must rely on the mysterious Camera Obscura to confront vengeful spirits who linger between life and death—and who really, really don’t want their photo taken.

As they peel back layers of grim folklore, failed rituals, and generations of sorrow, Nick and Dave discover that every ghost has a story, and none of them end well. Combat means standing your ground, letting spirits drift uncomfortably close, and snapping photos at the exact right moment for maximum damage—an act that feels deeply wrong when your instincts are screaming to run. Exploration is slow, methodical, and filled with notes, whispers, and environmental details that make every empty hallway feel watched.

Will Dave keep his nerve when the game demands he calmly walk toward the ghost instead of fleeing? How many times will Nick shout “WHY IS IT BEHIND ME?” after turning the camera? And just how long before they start checking corners in real life? Join them as they confront jump scares, creeping dread, and the uniquely Japanese horror that makes Fatal Frame one of the most unsettling survival horror experiences ever made—where the closer you get to the danger, the deadlier (and scarier) it becomes.
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