Finally, I can develop parasocial relationships with people who love horror games instead of pestering my actual friends with my weirdo interests (I’m still gonna do that). But just started listening and already hooked. Good podcast, deserves more attention.

But probably the best video game podcast that exists, period. Production and mood is top notch, Ali & Justin are super knowledgeable and passionate, and the deep dives they do are great.

I think this is at times a very intelligent podcast about horror games, however at other times it can feel quite trollish and cruel towards smaller indie games. I think it is enjoyable overall but must be taken with a grain of salt

I never knew this existed. A podcast purely for my favorite type of game. Horror!!! While I might not totally agree with their view some times I absolutely love this podcast and can’t wait to deep dive. Thank you!

Like many people here I started with episode 1 and binged it. I then hit the moment that things changed and initially I nearly gave a bad review. It was very clear for several episodes that host Ali was just not feeling it for a bit. At that point I nearly stopped listening but instead allowed decided to keep going. There is a rough period from I believe episodes 84-97 or so. That’s the rough period, then All gets fully back into the swing of things and the quality of the show greatly improves. I love the early basic horror game review shows but I have also grown to love the more mature and informational shows produced after the big change. Great show and I’m hooked!

I was recommended this podcast as a friend. Started with the newest episode “131: Spoilers aren’t real.” They complained about a website (and made fun of the people who need to know) having warnings that alarms go off. Alarms are a serious trigger for many people dealing with PTSD. It’s truly sad that the hosts can’t see people beyond their own situations.

I’ve been listening to Zero Brightness for about two years now. It has become more dynamic over the years and has grown from a podcast I look to for game reviews into a deep dive into themes across all forms of horror. I have been put on to some of the best movies, games, and music all from this podcast. The level of care that the creator takes when putting out content is so rare in the endless sea of mediocre media podcasts. I highly recommend this podcast to anyone looking to dive deeper into the atmosphere, aesthetic, and history of horror video games. I promise you will leave this podcast with far more than you came with.

This is a great podcast, with high production value and attention to detail.

I’m new to the world of horror games and gaming in general, but I’ve been loving listening to Zero Brightness as I complete games. I’m all done with silent hill and loved all their episodes on the series (though y’all and the world need to be nicer to Silent Hill 4 😤) and now I’m going through Resident Evil and listening as I go! This show makes me feel less like an imposter since I’m just now getting into video games and have seen a lot of gate keep-y stuff online. Can’t recommend Zero Brightness enough!

Please review Condemned and it’s sequel!! Thank you!

It’s good when they’re not spewing chapo tier lukewarm political takes, then it’s unlistenable unless you’re some sort of normie DSA type. That said they are more cultured than most gamers resulting in much more interesting conversation. I’ll give you the fifth star when you name them until then I must assume you are Mossad unfortunately.

Probably my favorite podcast. Although the show has gone through some major changes recently, it’s still great. I can listen to Ali just talk about anything. While I greatly miss the former cohost, the recurring guests always have great input. The politics can be a bit extreme, but if that puts you off, you’re probably a terrible person. While the show may have gotten lighter on horror gaming specifically, it’s always a good listen. I never thought a gaming podcast would reignite my interest in Deftones. (Even if Chino has always been a notorious womanizer and Glassjaw is spoken of very unfairly in context)Lol. There’s a lot going on here and I look forward to every episode.

As far as Podcasts go Zero Brightness is my fav and the only podcast I support their Patreon. Whether talking about Horror video games, music, movies or general pop culture. Ali is always entertaining. Great guests and fun topics. If you are looking for a great gaming podcast that the host doesn’t sound like an annoying Gaming Youtuber that is trying too hard this is the podcast for you.

the show has gone thru some changes recently, but both new and old are loads of fun. listen in for a funny and interesting commentary on gaming, whether it follows the old format or the new format. also, handily a podcast about video games that discusses issues of representation, racism, and sexism and doesn’t actively become part of the problem. and because the host is a musician, there’s lots of cool insights about that and the sound design of the podcast isn’t actively working to drive you insane. loads of fun, cool insights, and cool people!

You have a talent for something, and it’s not what you’re doing here anymore. I hope you grow up and find inner peace someday, man. Until then, I don’t need this naive blamecasting in my life. Good luck, and peace out.

Show really fell off when the second host left. James was a great counter to Ali’s blabbing and tended to keep the show more grounded. The format is just kind of nowhere now. The show used to review specific games, now every episode sounds the same and every episode falls into the same discussion. There’s good content to be heard from the first 100 episodes or so.

It’s a great podcast about discussions of video games, art, and occasionally politics which all three topics pretty much feed themselves into an Ouroboros-like feedback loop if you think about it. As a general footnote the podcast started out with two guys named Ali and James having a discussion of the game off the week. By the end of 2020 however, burn out happen and now Zero Brightness have reorganized themselves to talk less about a video game every week and more like related video game topics every two weeks. Ali has taken the lead on this and guest appearances have been more frequent. I was used to the old set up so it took me a few episodes to get into it, but I came to the conclusion that changing up the format made it more polished and more coherent. If you like video games, this is a good podcast. If you are not a gamer like me but have secondhand knowledge of games, it’s pretty easy to get into the flow of the conversations. Other discussions like art or politics enhances it, really.

My new favorite podcast overall. The hosts are so chill and have such great speaking voices, the bgm (which the hosts make themselves) is on another level for such a production, fantastic audio quality, and an incredibly unique perspective on the semi-niche genre of survival horror. If you’re remotely into this kinda stuff, I stg this pod is for you and you won’t regret giving it a listen.

Chill vibes, good pod, good politics and intelligent discussion. Cheers lads

they gotta play dead space now cool guys cool pod

These guys are hilarious, chill, well informed, and have all kinds of opinions on music and leftist politics. Come for the scary video games, stay for the hosts’ rapport and hot takes.

The best podcasts about games. I want to recommend to play White Day: A Labyrinth Named School. The original is better than the remake but Id love to hear ya’lls opinion on either.

10/10 score on audio, narrators, topics, & knowledgeable opinions. James & Ali have great natural speaking voices, so it makes the editing come off as effortless (even when compared to other “polished” high budget podcasts.) I love the chill background music ambiance. The games they choose to discuss are great choices, & I appreciate the abundance of niche alternative(?) pop culture references, ex: if you like when gaming podcast hosts notice obscure Twin Peaks references in games, you’ll enjoy this one. These quality dudes also make the podcast feel very LGBTQA+ friendly WITHOUT making you feel like they’re doing it because it’s what they’re “supposed” to do, & that’s cool. :)

These guys are very in tune with the horror genre of gaming. Very good discussions and the background music sets the perfect vibe.

Little heavy on the reverb, but otherwise fantastic. Don’t be afraid to branch out into other genres!

I'm always in search of entertaining podcasts to listen too at work. And I found this one at the beginning of the year. I added it to my rotation and have been slowly working my way through the shows. I love how informed the hosts are and it has been a great way to learn about horror games that I've never even heard of.

The hosts of Zero Brightness are very knowledgeable about horror game minutiae compared to a lot of other gaming podcasts and both are very listenable and personable. Episode quality can diverge wildly however. Ali is definitely the driving voice of the podcast and the way things proceed with the episodes are generally set by how he in particular likes it. If he likes the game and James doesn’t , the episode will mostly be about the game’s positives with James occasionally chiming is to complain. If he hates a game and James likes it it can be almost impossible to listen to because how much he hates it will completely dominate their discussion with only the most passive challenging. I will also say the majority of episodes that are more recent feel much more scattershot and less in depth than their old content. Basically when it’s at its best it’s a good game they both really like and they are really fun to listen to, but disagreements really derail this podcast and can make some episodes soul sucking in nature. I definitely recommend giving it a listen, but stick to less controversially rated games

Ali and James do a great podcast about horror games! They have a huge breadth of knowledge about games, and a lot of really intresting and valauble insight into the games they discuss. What I like about it is that the episodes are not only a discussion of the content in the game, but also contextualize the game by discussing its production and other relevant media or references. They've got great chemistry and have also cultivated a really fun community around the podcast. If you like games and art, definitely check it out.

I've been subscribed for a while now and I'm never disappointed; I never thought I'd laugh so hard at a podcast episode discussing Silent Hill 3 (specifically discribing Claudia & Douglas). I highly recommend Zero Brightness for anyone who is a fan of survival horror video games! Side note, I'm eagerly awaiting an episode discussing SH4 as well as Evil Within 2.

Video game podcasts can be so hit or miss but Zero Brightness was exactly what I was looking for. This podcast is an excellent recommendation for fans of horror games, and has made for a great companion to replaying/reminiscing your favorite horror games. Super thoughtful analysis from some good dudes.

This might as well be the only horror gaming podcast the name is clever the hosts are pleasant on the ears and just really great dudes. I will listen to this as long as they make it and if you’re even half interested start downloading episodes now

I've always been a fan of horror games, and more niche small/older games. These guys are hilarious and down to earth, with a unique outlook on the gaming "landscape." They break down a game each week, covering everything from the history of the developers/development to game design, music and story with plenty of juicy/wild tangents. They are also very active in Discord, so it truly feels like a tight knit community. Looking forward to the future!

I was geeking on some beef diva when I stumbled on this glorious podcast. 2 thumbs WAAAAAAY up.

These guys are hilarious, and are basically the type of dudes I'd like to hang out with IRL. They have perspective on the games they talk about that most other gaming podcasts don't have (for example, who the heck else is going to recommend watching Brazil after playing INSIDE). The audio quality is great too, which is sadly lacking in the vast majority of gamer podcasts. Unique perspectives, funny commentary, good music and movie recommendations on the regs, and great audio quality. Highly recommend Zero Brightness!

Was looking for some podcasts episodes about Silent Hill to listen to while at work, and found this one while doing so. I instantly enjoyed the two hosts back-and-forth banter, they’re really fun and cover the game they’re discussing in depth. Now I’ve gone and watched most of the episodes available and am even curious about playing some of the games I hadn’t heard of until now. Thank you guys!

I have been looking for a horror game podcast for awhile to replace one I used to listen to that stopped producing new content. This show exceeded my expectations and is better than the one I used to listen to. Definitely worth a listen if you love horror games

I’m pretty picky about gaming podcasts, but I instantly fell in love with this one. The discussions are very entertaining, & I love the mix of information & laughs. Also, these guys seem very open-minded, funny, & the type of people I’d like to be friends with. Plus, they have great gaming knowledge & opinions. I started with the Silent Hill episodes, since I absolutely love that series, & I came to a new conclusion that 3 is my favorite just by listening to the discussions. I want to go back to the first one even, though that game absolutely terrifies me. Definitely worth a listen, & this is one of my new favorites.

Really enjoyed this podcast. It was entertaining and informative with a clean sound and good hosts. Give it a listen!

Very fun and easy listening to you guys. I know James and I have find these guys' insight on these horror games really refreshing. And not just games I'm learning alot about other movies or art forms that may be connected to these games. Looking forward to more episodes! Parasite eve series maybe?indie side scroller horror games?