The Staying In Podcast - four pals talk video games, board games, and movies
Film, TV & Pop Culture
About
Board games, video games, comicbooks, movies, TV and more. Uncovering the hidden indie gems you’ll wonder how you ever lived without; diving deep into the franchises you already know and love.
Episodes
- The Devil Wears Prada 2, Minute Cryptic, and Death Stranding - Ep247
If you’re looking for a great way to train your brain every morning, as well as understand how the devil a classic puzzle - the cryptic crossword - works, then Minute Cryptic should be on your phone. If that’s too much, but you still want…
- Zenith, Dead Beard's Curse, and Butter - Ep246
Quick reviews and impressions of geek-adjacent books is the thrust of this one. There’s My First Adventure: Discovering Atlantis, which is a traditional-feeling choose-your-own-adventure book via Hachette, as well as a closer look at Dead…
- MicroMacro Kids: Crazy City Park, Castel Boom, and Scrubs - Ep245
On the tabletop we’re building up the walls with dexterity and memory game Castel Boom from Kiwizou by way of Hachette, and building up a case with MicroMacro Kids: Crazy City Park from Hard Boiled Games, also via Hachette. Away from the b…
- Project Hail Mary, AireCon 2026, and Red Notice - Le Million ou la Prison - Ep244
A Staying In exclusive? Yep! We’re among the first people in the UK to play Red Notice - Le Million ou la Prison, which is a game about risking what you can on what you think you can get away with, themed on the game of cat and mouse found…
- Eternal Decks, Flip Pick Towers, and Rave Racer - Ep243
We’re getting old, so the only kind of exciting rave we’re interested in on a weekday is Arcade Archives Rave Racer from Bandai Namco, by way of Hamster Corp - a game previously trapped in the arcades of the 90s, re-released for home conso…
- Wonder Man, Predator: Badlands, and Gatsby - Ep242
It’s time to dredge up some painful memories of mid-tier Tom Clancy games with Predator: Badlands, then it’s onto cheerier topics, like a discussion on Marvel’s latest short run TV series Wonder Man and whether it might be the start of a n…
- Whirly Derby, Duel for Cardia, and MCON - Ep241
It’s time to get a grip on mobile gaming, so we go hands-on with MCON from Ohsnap, a dedicated MagSafe controller attachment for your phone that’s perfect for Android and iPhone gaming, as well as emulation and game streaming. We also thro…
- Ghost of Yōtei, Mouthwashing, and Minecraft Builder & Biomes Junior - Ep240
We take a (one-eyed?) look at two weird (outsider art?) horror-adjacent video games from Critical Reflex on this episode, Mouthwashing from Wrong Organ and Arctic Eggs from The Water Museum, cockydoody, abmarnie, and Cameron Ginex. Then on…
- LEGO Voyagers, Agent Avenue, and Tag Team - Ep239
We take a deeper look at two extraordinary MachineGames titles, the adventure straight from the silver screen Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Wolfenstein: The New Order, which features simply some of the best writing in video games…
- Last One Laughing, The Murderbot Diaries, and Hell or High Rollers - Ep238
As we head into 2026, we take a look back at our favourite things from 2025. 00:00 - Auld Lang Syne 02:20 - The Murderbot Diaries 13:50 - Andor, Season 2 20:21 - Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy 21:19 - Department Q 25:18 - Common Side…
- A Pizza Delivery, despelote, and Once Upon A Time In The Woods - Ep237
Our Christmas episode is here, so get your nog on. And why not open an entry in a very special fantasy miniatures advent calendar slash tabletop game from Oakbound Studio - Once Upon A Time In The Woods. And when we’re not unwrapping gifts…
- Gwent: The Legendary Card Game, WWE: Unreal, and skate. - Ep236
After 15 long years of waiting, Skate 4 is here in the guise of Full Circle’s skate. and there are things about it we have to get out in the open. Equally long cooking in the oven is a love of wrasslin’ so of course we were going to chat a…
- Night Soil, Strange Pictures, and Joyride: Survival of the Fastest - Ep235
It’s been board games Christmas of late with this year’s Essen Spiel having just concluded, PLUS we’re joined by friend of the show and board games industry bigwig Rob Trounce, so we use this as a wonderful excuse to talk about lots and lo…
- Magical Athlete, Kelp - Shark vs. Octopus, and Alien: Earth - Ep234
Coming in at the top of our newly-invented genre - mobile games to play while standing in a queue - is CMYK’s Wavelength, a perfectly-pitched adaptation of the tabletop game of the same name. If that weren’t enough, Cuh-Muh-Yuh-Kuh is also…
- Sword of the Sea, BalaDino, and Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ep233
Prepare thy brow, because it is about to be situated much higher than usual (when listening to this podcast at least). While it might not be from THAT game company, Sword of the Sea from Giant Squid continues its genetic lineage and - dare…
- Cyclades Legendary Edition, Herman Miller Mirra 2 Butterfly, and Mario Kart World - Ep232
Feeling old? You might do after this episode. A classic old Nintendo series has had a big new twist, and it’s got us asking “is Mario Kart World made for us?”, plus heading back to the nineties with Humongous Entertainment and Mega Cat Stu…
- Time Flies, Jungo, and Focus Friend - Ep231
It’s all about games, games, games (and apples) on this episode. There’s a review of Jungo by Cocktail Games and thoughts on Agatha Christie's Death on the Cards from Modiphius, both of which got lots of outings in the most appropriate spa…
- Weapons, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and OK Play - Ep230
In the running for the best film of the year is Weapons from Zach Cregger and co., providing truly unsettling horror without the typically gorey schlock. Maybe not podium material, but Marvel’s latest Fantastic Four flick First Steps is fe…
- Donkey Kong Bananza, Arcade Archives 2: Ridge Racer, and Ofrenda - Ep229
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey. Plus a barrel-thumping good Nintendo game, a stupendous release from Hamster Corporation, and Osprey’s brilliant Day of the Dead-inspired competitive card-placement game. All that, and…
- Superman, Gibberers, and Common Side Effects - Ep228
Straight out of Japan - specifically Hobby Japan - comes Gibberers: The Word Game of Language Invention and Civilization Development, and it’s probably one of our favourite games? Like… ever. On the big screen we’re watching a man leap a b…
- 10 Years of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, an interview with Dan Pinchbeck - Bonus Episode
On the anniversary year of The Chinese Room’s BAFTA-winning Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture , Kris sits down with creative visionary Dan Pinchbeck to talk about this ground-breaking walking sim. In an interview that covers a multitude of t…
- Galileo Galilei, Hot Streak, and Judgment - Ep227
We start the episode off with a Summer tradition, and - in a somewhat similar vein - we talk Hot Streak from CMYK. And we get all starry-eyed for Galileo Galilei from Capstone Games, plus take a walk through Kamurochō with SEGA and Ryu Ga…
- Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, The Sandcastles of Burgundy, and the Nintendo Switch 2 - Ep226
Tom Cruise and co are back for another unlikely operation in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and we, of course, have opinions. Over on the tablecloth, we’re letting The Sandcastles of Burgundy from Ravensburger wash over us, “ena…
- Harmonies, The Drops of God, and The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game - Ep225
Thousands and thousands (and thousands) of pages later, we’re ready to share thoughts on Kodansha’s wine and food manga The Drops of God. Over on the tabletop, we take a deep look at The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game from Offic…
- Thunderbolts*, Slay the Spire: The Board Game, and Hidden Cats 3: Steampunk - Ep224
Don’t be a chicken; give our latest a listen. There’s a return to form for the MCU with Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, the lush board game adaptation of the video game which is a card game in Contention Games’ Slay the Spire: The Board Game, and…
- Blue Prince, The Residence, Dune: War for Arrakis - Ep223
Let’s get fancy, shall we? First there’s talk of a lovely trip to Egypt (and talk of the less lovely “Pharaoh’s Revenge”), plus the supremely shmancy Nintendo Switch 2. Then it’s off to a murder mystery in the White House with thoughts on…
- Salute 52, Landmarks, and Escape Arcade - Ep222
It’s all the twos on episode two two two, as two of us chat about… uh… two times two (four) big topics. The chaps talk about football (!!!) and why it’s so neat to go to events you might not normally attend. Back in much more familiar terr…
- Captain Flip, The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide, and EXIT Kids: Riddles in Monsterville - Ep221
Head to the tabletop with us, as we review the piratical Captain Flip from PlayPunk, and the fiendishly family-friendly EXIT Kids: Riddles in Monsterville from Kosmos. Plus a dissection of what makes The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbui…
- AireCon 2025, Daybreak, and Tales from the Loop - Ep220
It’s a bumper episode, so let’s get straight into it: we played so many games and saw so much stuff at AireCon, so Ep220 is all about it. There’s dexterity push-you-luck Strike, Witcher spin-off Gwent: The Legendary Card Game, the gorgeous…
- Captain America: Brave New World, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, and Pacifica - Ep219
On the tabletop, us four oldies take to the battlefield with the deeply strategic and surprisingly accessible Battalion: War of the Ancients from Osprey Games, and dive beneath the waves in Pacifica from Thames & Kosmos. Meanwhile, in the…
- Katmai: The Bears of Brooks River, The Plucky Squire, and Wizards Cup - Ep218
Having your world turned upside down is one thing, but having a whole new dimension added? That's tough! The Plucky Squire from All Possible Futures digs into this idea with approachable puzzles and tricky action. Meanwhile Wizards Cup fro…
- Civilization, The Roottrees are Dead, and The Gang - Ep217
Is Civilization from Avalon Hill and Gibsons Games still able to command 10 hours of your attention more than 40 years after its initial release? Can The Roottrees are Dead outdo Hypnospace Outlaw at Internet nostalgia and Return of the Ob…
- Nosferatu, My First Castle Panic and Civilization - Ep216
We find out why Fireside Games’ co-op boardgame Castle Panic remains a masterpiece and how its wonderfully welcoming all-ages version My First Castle Panic brings in younger players while remaining entertaining for adults. Then a look at w…
- Meta Quest 3S, Samorost, and Stardew Valley v1.6 - Ep215
Logging on to our (impressive!) virtual reality future with Meta Quest 3S , why we’ve head back to Stardew Valley after the embarrassment of riches included in the Stardew Valley v1.6 update from ConcernedApe, and returning to a classic wi…
- Balatro, Duolingo, and Hundreds of Beavers - Ep214
A mega massive wrap up of all our favourite things we discovered in 2024, including: Codenames , Duolingo , The Rise of the Golden Idol , Thank Goodness You're Here! , Thunder Road Vendetta , Hundreds of Beavers , Essen , Balatro , Midnigh…
- My First Gran Turismo, My Favourite Things, and Skyrockets - Ep213
We’re getting ready for a gaming Christmas! From the board game stack we’re setting our timers and taking in the fireworks show spectacle of Skyrockets: Festivals of Fire from Floodgate Games, figuring out if we prefer apples, oranges, or…
- The Rise of The Golden Idol, Crash Pandas, and The Colour Monster - Ep212
We’ve smashed through the single page RPGs Pride and Extreme Prejudice and Crash Pandas from Rowan, Rook and Decard, and also gotten to the tabletop the kid-friendly The Colour Monster from Devir and Kosmos and Stomp the Plank from The Fly…
- Agatha All Along, Ludwig, and Undaunted 2200: Callisto - Ep211
Spookily funny party game Ghosts Can't Draw (Big Potato Games), strategic sci-fi in Undaunted 2200: Callisto (Osprey Games), the frighteningly good Agatha All Along , and a David Mitchell mystery series called Ludwig ; there’s loads of gre…
- Spiel Essen, Final Girl, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 - Ep210
A full report on our trip to the biggest board game show in the world - Spiel Essen - plus our favourite games from the show; Gibberers by Hobby Japan, The Chronicles of Berg by Rybysel Games, and Final Girl by Van Ryder Games. Then back a…
- Codenames, Castle Combo, and Oktoberfest - Ep209
Why the digital edition of Codenames from CGE Digital just might be 2024’s best digital adaptation of a board game, Castle Combo from Catch Up Games and Hachette is a winning combination of tableau-building and card drafting, and the joys…
- Indika, Wilmot's Warehouse, and Faraway - Ep208
Doing it live with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live In Concert , stacking shelves in CMYK’s Wilmot's Warehouse , travelling with Catch Up Games’ Faraway , and being lied to with Odd-Meter’s Indika . All that, and teasing a child, o…
- Thank Goodness You're Here!, Dead Loch, and Expeditions: Around the World - Ep207
Our board game review this episode is Wolfgang Kramer and Hachette’s Expeditions: Around the World , then we go hands-on with Coal Supper’s cheeky British slapformer Thank Goodness You're Here! , plus we’ve been watching the awesome whodun…
- Dungeon Kart, SCHiM, and Quake - Ep206
It’s equal parts video games reviews and board games reviews on this episode of the podcast, with our takes on Extra Nice’s SCHiM and Bethesda’s Quake , as well as Brotherwise Games’ Dungeon Kart and Thames & Kosmos’s My Island . All that,…
- Deadpool & Wolverine, Garden Heist, and Zona Alfa - Ep205
Following in grandma's footsteps with Ravensburger’s Garden Heist , saying goodbye to a whole era of movies with Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine , and stepping into the exclusion zone with Osprey’s Zona Alfa . All that, and snowballs, on Ep2…
- In the Footsteps of Darwin, This Bed We Made, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Ep204
On this episode of our gaming and geek culture podcast, we’ve got video game reviews of mysterious adventure This Bed We Made from Lowbirth Games, as well as character platformer Kirby and the Forgotten Land from Nintendo, plus a board gam…
- Still Wakes the Deep, Jusant, and Courtisans - Ep203
Storytelling-strong, narrative-rich video games are the catch of the day, with reviews of Still Wakes the Deep from The Chinese Room, as well as Don’t Nod’s Jusant , plus we go hands-on with Courtisans by Pandasaurus Games. All that, and w…
- Horrified - Greek Monsters, Mycelia, and The Adventures of Robin Hood - Ep202
It’s a board game extravaganza, with big chat and in-depth reviews of Horrified - Greek Monsters and Mycelia from Ravensburger Games, and The Adventures of Robin Hood from Thames & Kosmos. All that, and a stagless stag, on Ep202. 00:00 - T…
- Godzilla Minus One, Animal Well, and art of rally - Ep201
Funselektor’s deeply authentic top down racer art of rally , taking a trip down Shared Memory’s Animal Well , more thoughts on The Haunting of Hill House , and why you really should watch the monstrous Godzilla Minus One . All that, and a…
- Another Top 10 Things Worth Staying In For - Ep200
In this bumper-length episode, we try to whittle down all of the things we’ve discussed over the last 100 episodes into a top 10 we can all agree on. There are laughs, there are tears, there are celebrations, there are bitter defeats. If y…
- Dropolter, Eight Billion Genies, and Achtung Panzer! Blood & Steel Starter Set - Ep199
With our refined palettes we get our teeth into the spooky dexterity needed for Dropolter (Oink Games), and our stinkin’ paws on After Us (Catch Up Games). Then we make a wish for Eight Billion Genies (Image Comics) and set our sights on A…