As has become our podcast tradition, we end the hottest months with a discussion of big gaming news and a waiver wire for our Fantasy Gaming series. This summer news cycle was no different, with, most notably, a release date of September 4, 2025, for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Like, for real. After drafting Silksong for two years in a row with nothing to show for it and finally letting it go this year… I did not handle it well, as you’ll hear in today’s episode.
– Amanda Tien, Editor
The Punished Podcast Episode 20
MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Note: This episode contains swearing and plenty of shouting.
Timestamps
- 0:00 – Introductions and Discussion: Close Combat, Far Combat, or Magic Combat?
- 7:15 – All the Big Gaming News from Summer 2025
- 29:08 – Year in Gaming So Far
- 41:45 – Fantasy Gaming Standings + League Lore
- 1:08:32 – Fantasy Gaming Waiver Wire
- 1:32:24 – What We’re Playing Now
Song Credits
- “Snake Theme” from Donkey Kong Bananza (2025), composed by Naoto Kubo
- “Ancient Sanctuary – Gestral Summer Party” from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025), composed by Lorien Testard
- “Gravity Bike” from Split Fiction (2025), composed by Gustaf Grefberg
- “Lace” from Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025), composed by Christopher Larkin
Fantasy Gaming Standings (Pre-Waiver Wire)
Need a visual guide as you listen to our Fantasy Gaming waiver wire pickups? Here’s a breakdown of the pre-waiver standings:
Fantasy Gaming Standings (Post-Waiver Wire)
Curious how our waiver wire altered the fantasy landscape? We’ve crunched the numbers!
See how the dust settled, below:
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Zack has been hooked on games ever since his older brother taught him where to find the secret warp whistles in Mario Bros. 3. He has never felt more joy than when Yoshi congratulated him on getting 120 stars in Mario 64 or more sadness than when he played Kingdom Hearts 3 after waiting 14 years for it. Zack mails a letter to Nintendo every day asking them to bring back Chibi Robo and will gladly tell you all about why it’s one of the greatest games of all time. He was hoping that writing for the site would help him get through his backlog, but it actually just made it worse now that he’s hearing about so many more great hidden gems. Oops…
Sam has been playing video games since his earliest years and has been writing about them since 2016. He’s a big fan of Nintendo games and complaining about The Last of Us Part II. You either agree wholeheartedly with his opinions or despise them. There is no in between.
A lifelong New Yorker, Sam views gaming as far more than a silly little pastime, and hopes though critical analysis and in-depth reviews to better understand the medium's artistic merit.
Twitter: @sam_martinelli.
Allison has been playing all sorts of games since the late ‘90s. She particularly enjoys life sims, casual games, tactical RPGs, and anything Mario. Her dream jobs are to be a Stardew Valley speed runner and a Mary Tyler Moore historian. As a recent MBA graduate, Allison hopes to use her extra time tackling her backlog and the never-ending list of 2023 releases.
David is the founder of The Punished Backlog. He has a problem finishing games he starts.
Just beat: Donkey Kong Bananza.
Working on: Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Can't wait for: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Follow David on Twitter at @David_Silbert to keep up to date with all things The Punished Backlog.
Amanda Tien (she/her or they) loves video games where she can pet dogs, punch bad guys, make friends, and have a good cry. She started writing for the site in 2020, and became an editor in 2022. She enjoys writing about mystery games, indies, and strong femme protagonists.
Her work has also been published in Unwinnable Monthly (click here to read her cover feature on Nancy Drew games), Salt Hill Journal, Poets.org, Litro Magazine, Public Books, and more. She was the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Columbia University's Culinarian Magazine, and served for two years as the Managing Editor of Aster(ix) Literary Journal.
She recently graduated with a MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Her writing, art, graphic design, and marketing work can be viewed at www.amandatien.com.
She does not post a lot on social, but you can find her on X and on Instagram.
Gary is a jack-of-all-trades video game enthusiast based in Boston, MA. A semi-professional fighting game player, even less professional Apex Legends player, and even less professional adult, he spends most of his time poking at strange indie gems and reading about the need for more diverse voices in gaming criticism. He invites anyone to recommend anything he's missed in the gaming world via Twitter or BlueSky, where he can found under the username @grtnpwrfl. When he isn't spending his time playing games, Gary is an avid New England Patriots fan and frequent hiker.
