Warning: Twitter content in this article contains profanity. Reader Discretion is advised

We’re all kinda going through it right now, but whether you’re stuck at home or working a dead-end job that makes you miserable, podcasts can always soothe the soul. I listen to a whole bunch of podcasts, so I was thinking that I should spread the remaining joy in my heart and recommend some podcasts to you readers. These are only a few of the things I listen to, but the sheer amount of content will hopefully satisfy.

The Shrieking Shack

I’ve talked up The Shrieking Shack before on this site, but it continues to be an excellent listen. The Shrieking Shack is a Harry Potter podcast by and for lapsed fans, that’s deeply critical of the series. However, it is not critical to the extent of being completely caustic like a lot of internet critics. The hosts Xeecee and Liz have recently finished covering Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, a book that had actually disappointed them when they originally read it, with their modern analysis diving into the concrete reasons for their disappointment.

They have recently started their reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which may be where the podcast ends; assuming that they don’t cover The Cursed Child. That also assumes J.K. Rowling doesn’t come out with new stuff in the meantime. The first episode of this new season alone has them bring up a frequent issue they’ve had with the series. Particularly, the idea that the books typically kill off incredibly minor characters and expect the readers to care. They also appreciate Voldemort’s return to form as a campy cartoon villain after their hatred of his serial killer-esque portrayal in the previous book, though they’re mystified that anyone would willingly work for him.

Humans Who Make Games

The final Humans Who Make Games of the season is also one of the best we've ever done. @HeartMachineZ, creator of Hyper Light Drifter, shares the personal story of how his beautiful game was born of his struggle with chronic illness. Take a listen. https://t.co/STIDuwTDqv pic.twitter.com/1ElMmGtipc

— Adam Conover (@adamconover) May 16, 2020

Are you a fan of Adam Ruins Everything? Do you like video games? Well, look no further. Adam Conover, under Starburns Audio and in association with IGN, hosts the Humans Who Makes Games podcast. Every episode, Adam does a long-form interview with a game developer to talk about their games and experiences; portraying game development with a humanistic approach.

What makes it fascinating is that his interviewees all come from different walks of life. You have indie developers like Edmund McMillen (Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac) and Justin Ma (FTL, Into the Breach) alongside leading figures in bigger games like Kim Swift (Portal) and Anna Megill (Control, Dishonored). Even if you’re not a fan of any of the games made by the show’s subjects; each episode still manages to be a compelling look into the experiences of a game developer. If you have any interest in the people that uphold our game industry, I really recommend listening to this podcast.

Where’s Pod When I’m Scared?

Where’s Pod When I’m Scared? is a podcast under the Audio Entropy podcasting network, a network that I enjoy as a whole and recommend digging into. However, I’m going to focus on this VeggieTales podcast by hosts Ashley and Luke. Where’s Pod When I’m Scared? is a podcast that critiques every episode of VeggieTales, that show about funny talking vegetables that’s actually a vehicle for Christian ideology.

A big part of Where’s Pod When I’m Scared? involves the hosts (Luke particularly) examining the religious beliefs of each episode. The show examines how the show appropriates stories in the Bible and how it reflects off of the American Christian worldview, while also examining the show’s more problematic aspects such as the bad racial caricatures. It’s a show that’s as heavy as it is funny. It’s definitely not for everyone, but I think it’s an interesting podcast to listen to, especially if you watched VeggieTales growing up.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Show

look at how fuckin sad Mario is to get roasted by his boy Toad

he doesnt care if its part of some scheme to distract king koopa

he got betrayed by his boy and nothing can change that pic.twitter.com/kPPCbpUlQQ

— The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Show (@showshowpod) May 5, 2019

You may be familiar with Hard Drive, a subsidiary of the Hard Times that writes Onion-esque articles about video games. However, you may not be as familiar with The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Show, a podcast run by editors Mark Roebuck and Jeremy Kaplowitz that covers the first big Mario cartoon. Initially, the duo are overly enthusiastic about the show, viewing it with a mystified lens.

Yet as the episodes go on, their enthusiasm wanes, considering the show’s seemingly phoned-in live action segments and the increasingly lazy animation segments. However, they still cover the show in good fun; rambling about the show’s weirdness, Mario’s never-ending hunger for being an Italian stereotype and Toad’s weird voice. At the time of writing, they’re almost done with the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, though they discuss covering the other Nintendo Saturday morning cartoons in the future.

Yare Yare Boys/5 Grams of Iron

Podcasters Eddy Collazo and Brooks Oglesby once did a podcast for Game of Thrones called Postgame of Thrones. In an effort to fill in the content void between seasons and to watch something that didn’t increasingly disappoint and infuriate them, they turned to watching anime. Yare Yare Boys is their recap podcast for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, which is currently on hold along with the anime. 5 Grams of Iron shares the same feed, with it being their podcast for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

They discuss these shows in a really goofy manner that is reminiscent of the leftist Twitter joke posters they are; featuring antics like shouting in the voices of the Sex Pistols in Golden Wind/Vento Aureo and constantly roasting Gluttony in Fullmetal Alchemist. It’s a bizarre, fun way of looking back at these shows if you’re unable to watch them yourself. It just works. Though, I recommend listening to it from the start since there’s a lot of in-jokes, like them likening characters being stressed to “sweaty Enyaba.”

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.