The first mainline episode of the year returns to where it all began: with my true dear friend Sean Mason to wax poetically about Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling, a Paper Mario homage he holds in such high regard as among his top 10 games of all time.

Mr. Mason provides an academic lecture on its similarities and differences to the Paper Mario franchise. We then discuss the dynamic turn-based-timing combat that allows for a variety of approaches.

On top of that, we analyze the story setup with the trio of deep layered characters and the extensive lore of the surprisingly deep world they're a part of.

Amidst all of this is a plethora of side content (a good portion of which I missed!) filling out a surprisingly layered map.

I'm not from Buenos Aires, and I say play the game!

Show artwork illustrated by Connor McGwire