This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick trade space marines for medieval mayhem as they dive headfirst into Doom: Dark Ages—the blood-soaked prequel we never knew we needed. Set centuries before the events of the modern Doom series, this brutal reimagining throws the Doom Slayer into a world of stone castles, haunted cathedrals, and hellspawn in chainmail. Armed with a fist forged in demonic fire, a flail that probably violates several Geneva Conventions, and yes, a medieval chainsaw shield, our hosts hack, slash, and shoot their way through a kingdom that desperately needs a hero.

As they unravel the ancient lore behind the Slayer's origins. Expect intense boss fights, heavy metal Gregorian chants, and enough gore to repaint the castle walls several times over. Grab your gauntlets and grit your teeth—because this week, it's not just about ripping and tearing... It’s about doing it with medieval flair.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick grab their retro-futuristic cameras and slip on their skater shoes to explore the neon-lit, decaying world of Umurangi Generation—a first-person photography game where the apocalypse isn’t coming… It’s already here. Set in the last city standing after a slow-motion global collapse, they take on the role of a courier-slash-shutterbug tasked with documenting the final days of humanity through the lens of Gen Z cynicism and lo-fi aesthetic grit.

As Dave frantically searches for the right angle to capture a giant mech looming over a dance party, Nick becomes weirdly obsessed with snapping pictures of pigeons in gas masks and spray-painted slogans that hit a little too close to home. The vibes are immaculate, the worldbuilding is environmental, and the political commentary is sharp enough to cut through a hazmat suit.

Will they unlock every lens, find every hidden photo op, and interpret the unspoken poetry of a dying world? Or will they just take blurry shots of their own feet and call it art? Either way, this week’s episode is a gritty, melancholic love letter to rebellion, expression, and taking one last beautiful picture before the lights go out.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick pack their best magical brushes and step into the hauntingly beautiful, surreal nightmare that is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In a world where death comes not from war or plague, but from a woman with a paintbrush and a god complex, they join the 33rd Expedition—one of humanity’s last desperate hopes to break a deadly cycle. Every year, the Paintress awakens and paints a number onto the monolith. Everyone of that age is instantly erased from existence, memories and all.

As they traverse crumbling cities frozen in time, twisted dreamscapes, and melancholic ruins of civilizations of old, Dave tries to keep up with the fast-paced, reflex-based combat while muttering “this is turn-based?!” every few minutes. Meanwhile, Nick gets distracted mid-battle by the fact that every enemy looks like a tragic French oil painting that just came to life and wants to kill you. With the clock ticking and only one year left before humanity is fully erased, our duo must master the art of dodging, parrying, and emotionally processing existential horror in real time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.