Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! We have another week of geek news. This week saw plenty of new releases for board games and video games, and we’ll get to them in a minute. But first, we have a little news from the MCU.
MCU Updates
First, Avengers: Doomsday completed filming this past week. Future reshoots could occur, but principal photography has been completed, and that’s great news, considering Avengers: Doomsday experienced a lot of issues while filming.
According to industry insider Alex Perez (via The Cosmic Circus), with a good track record for getting MCU rumors correct, we should receive a Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) variant in Avengers: Doomsday. Magneto will be established as the ruler of Genosha, and there should be a mutant royal family (of sorts), which will include Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris. This idea has been in the works since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The main story the MCU would like to explore is Scarlet Witch and Magneto’s relationship as father and daughter.
There are a few potential issues with this news. How is the MCU going to be able to explore a dynamic like this in a movie with a massive cast? Will Sir Ian McKellen portray a Magneto who’s also Elizabeth Olsen’s father? The MCU must be casting younger actors for these upcoming X-Men roles. But everything we’ve heard over the past several months leans toward McKellen (Magneto) and Olsen (Scarlet Witch). We’ve seen images of Avengers: Doomsday filming at a castle. At the time, we thought the castle was meant to represent Castle Doomstadt (Dr. Doom’s castle). Combining the rumor of a mutant first family, the castle may be meant for Magneto and his family.
As evidenced in The Marvels’ closing scene (with established MCU characters and Kelsey Grammer’s Beast), the MCU has shown that it will mix and match characters from multiple timelines as if they’d known each other for decades, so a father and daughter reunion in Avengers: Doomsday isn’t out of the question. Even though I love the story, I doubt we’ll get a storyline as dense and layered as House of M. The MCU won’t have enough time to do that story justice. Avengers: Doomsday will be packed.
The Sheep Stalks KickStarter
The Sheep may be the funniest horror board game I’ve heard of yet. Sheep are the apex predators, and shepherds (each player chooses from one of six unique shepherds) must guide their flock during the day, while avoiding the Sheep, who transform into apex predators at night.
I love The Sheep’s premise. Using their equipment, traits, and curses players work together to stop the Sheep before they can reach the caravans. The Sheep sounds like a baaad aaaass game. It plays 2-4 players with 40 minute playtime for each player in the game. Pledges range from $35-$240, and there is an option to just purchase The Sheep’s adorable Eldritch Sheep Plushie with posable tentacles. Season may need one of those. If you’re interested in The Sheep, check out its KickStarter page.
Making Monsters Shambles onto KickStarter
Players take the role of mad scientists in Making Monsters. Featuring a unique push-your-luck bag-building mechanism, Making Monsters has player simultaneously draw (from the bag) and assemble monster parts. You try to complete powerful creatures. If you play things too safe, you’ll fall behind. If you try to build too fast, you’ll watch your monsters crumble.
Making Monsters is another goofy horror board game. This one is designed by board game veteran Jonathan Gilmour-Long (Dead of Winter, Dinosaur Island, and Wasteland Express Delivery Service). Unlike many other board games on crowdfunding sites, Making Monsters has a quick turnaround. The files are complete, and game production is underway, so backers can expect the game in about six months (typically, wait times are at least a year). If you’re interested in Making Monsters, check out its KickStarter page.
SandCastle Launches on GameFound
Build the most beautiful sandcastle by managing your time between construction, fishing, collecting seashells, and handling whims. Use your equipment strategically and defend yourself against the waves by reinforcing your walls. Whoever builds the most impressive SandCastle, wins.
I love the concept of this cozy game. SandCastle. Bro Games Edition is a relatively new company, but they feature several eco-friendly production practices and employ people with disabilities. SandCastle tries its best to cause minimal ecological impact and may show the way to a more ethical way to produce board games. If you’re interested in SandCastle, check out its GameFound page.
A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws Chugs onto GameFound
In A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws, players navigate a shifting clockwork maze, control hidden characters, and outwit your opponents. On your turn, move, reveal, and rotate your way through a city on the brink–but your true allegiance remains secret…for now. A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws features a solo mode, but you can also play semi-cooperatively or fully competitive with others. Players don’t know who belongs to which faction. Trust no one.
I love A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws options. I’m unsure how a game could support semi-cooperative and fully competitive game modes, but I’m here for it. The theme is fun. I like how you may choose to reveal characters and/or rotate tiles so they match your goals. A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws may have one of the longest names, and I’m hoping its replay value is just as long. If you’re interested in A-Mazing Game of Gears’N Guffaws, check out its GameFound page.
Pink Soup Game Cooks on GameFound
Steeped in Lithuanian heritage (and culinary arts), Pink Soup Game has players hunt for ingredients and cook up the strangest–and most iconic-Lithuanian recipes to become the ultimate Chef Champion. But beware, your opponents are waiting for the perfect moment to sneak a hot chili pepper into your pot, and ruin your dish.
There’s a lot to like about Pink Soup Game. While I don’t know exactly how the game is played (GameFound isn’t always as forthcoming with gameplay as KickStarter), Pink Soup Game features language-independent play, which is always a plus. I love the theme. Cooking themes are always a plus, and the fact that Pink Soup Game showcases Lithuanian cuisine (a culture I’m less familiar with) puts this game on my radar. I even love the idea that followers can pick which Lithuanian dessert enters the final game. If you’re interested in Pink Soup Game, check out its GameFound page.
Stranger Antiquities Releases
I’ve been on a shop management game kick lately, and Strange Antiquities scratches that itch. Strange Antiquities puts the player in the role of a store dealing in occult antiquities. Similar to Tiny Bookshop, Strange Antiquities has players explore a quaint town, but Strange Antiquities amps up the mystery to a thousand. Find and identify arcane artifacts and use your collection to aid the townsfolk with their unusual problems.
I love the puzzle Strange Antiquities presents. Strange Antiquities is the continuation of Strange Horticulture. If you love that puzzle, you’ll love Strange Antiquities. I haven’t yet dived into Strange Antiquities, but something tells me it’ll be a great ride. I’ve added it to my wishlist on Steam, and after I purchase the game, I’ll most likely write a review. Strange Antiquities is available on the Nintendo Switch and PC. If you’re interested in Strange Antiquities, check out its Steam store page.
Dying Light: The Beast Releases
After years of brutal experiments, you want revenge. Dying Light: The Beast features a unique blend of open world and survival horror as you hunt down the man who transformed you into half man, half beast. Dying Light: The Beast makes for a great spooky season video game, and the critics hold Dying Light in high regard.
Dying Light: The Beast continues the Dying Light series’ story. In fact, Dying Light: The Beast puts players in the role of Kyle Crane, who was the protagonist of the first Dying Light game. I have yet to play Dying Light: The Beast, but the premise sounds interesting–taking the Dying Light series to an open-world map. You had me at survival horror and open-world. The game supports a 4-player cooperative multiplayer mode. We’re unsure if Dying Light: The Beast is cross-platform yet. It’s available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Wander Stars Releases
In Wander Stars, unleash custom attacks by combining words in this Super! Anime! Turn-Based! RPG! Collect all 200 words, earn Pep Ups from honorable victories, and become a Kiai master. Befriend your rivals, uncover dark mysteries, and seek out the pieces of the Wanderstar map in a wild race across the universe.
Young martial artist Ringo searches for her brother, and Wolfe, a mysterious scoundrel running from his past, as they join forces in an unlikely partnership to collect the pieces of the fabled Wanderstar Map. Wander Stars follows a 10-episode anime-inspired adventure. Ringo and Wolfe must work together to find answers, make up for past mistakes, and travel across the universe in search of their goal. Wander Stars is available on Nintendo Switch and PC.
That’s all the Geek News we have for this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
We’ve discussed many Marvel United expansions from the game’s initial set; it’s time to talk about Marvel United: X-Men. This version of Marvel United adds team play and a one versus many option, where one player controls the villain while the others play the heroes. This increases gameplay options and allows for a fifth player to join in on the fun.
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. In Marvel United: X-Men, players act as iconic X-Men heroes who work together to stop the master plan of a powerful villain controlled by the game and in some cases another player. Each villain has a unique master plan, cards that trigger various effects, and threats that make clearing locations difficult. Heroes clear missions, making the villain vulnerable, and finally take on the big bad villain before they complete their master plan. Can you save the day in time? Marvel United: X-Men adds Marvel’s merry mutants to the fray.
Before we get any further, we’ll take a side quest and discuss Marvel United: X-Men’s less heroic details.
The Fiddly Bits
Designer: Andrea Chiarvesio, Eric M. Lang, and Francesco Rugerfred Sedda Publisher: CMON Global Limited and Spin Master Ltd. Date Released: 2021 Number of Players: 1-5 Age Range: 8 and up Setup Time: 5-10 minutes Play Time: 30-40 minutes
We already covered the Game Setup and Game Flow in our original Marvel United review (here’s a link to that review), so we’ll go over the basics in the following two sections. Let’s cover an abbreviated review of the game setup and rules.
Marvel United: X-Men’s setup can change depending on which Villain(s) and Heroes you choose to play. Each game consists of six locations. Eight locations are included because Marvel United: X-Men is a core set. You may choose your locations or shuffle them and choose six at random. Each Location card has spaces at the top for civilians and thugs and a rectangle with a block of text that will state “End of Turn” at the top of the box.
Place civilian/thug tokens on their matching spaces. Shuffle the Villain’s Threat deck and deal out each Threat face-up so that it covers the rectangle at the bottom of each location. You must clear this threat before gaining the “End of Turn” effect printed on a Location. Place health tokens where signified on threat cards and on the Villain dashboard. Place the three mission cards (Defeat Thugs, Rescue Civilians, and Clear Threats) face up under the villain dashboard where the text reads “Unlocked.”
Each player shuffles their hero decks and then draws three cards to form their hands. Shuffle the Villain’s Master Plan deck. Leave the Master Plan deck face down. This will be the villain’s draw pile.
Players place their miniatures on one of the six location cards, usually the centralmost location for each player (easy access). Then, they place the villain on the location card opposing the heroes. If one player chooses to play as the villain, hand the Super Villain cards to them, and the Heroes gain access to Super Hero cards. These new card times can be played if the game state triggers their use (for example, “You play a Master Plan card” or “Any Hero has 4 or more cards in their hand at the end of the Hero Turn.” Timing is key.
Game Flow
The villain(s) play first. Draw the top card of their master plan deck. The villain moves the number of spaces indicated. Resolve any BAM! Effects and these effects will be printed on a space within the villain’s dashboard. Then, place the civilian/thug tokens (if any) indicated at the bottom of the card. If a player has taken the role of the villain, they get a hand of cards and can choose which card they play. The heroes get their turn after all the villain’s effects are resolved.
Heroes pick who goes first, and hero turns will continue around the table clockwise. At the beginning of each game, Heroes will get three turns before the villain receives another turn. During their turn, heroes play one card from their hand.
Resolve actions and the symbols printed at the bottom of the hero’s card in any order. The symbols at the bottom of a hero’s card will be shared with the next player, but any printed action will not be shared. Heroes will use these actions to complete missions. The game begins with three missions in play: Defeat Thugs, Rescue Civilians, and Clear Threats. Each mission card will have spaces for the tokens they require to complete. As soon as these spaces are filled, the card is discarded, and the mission is considered complete. Mission cards can be completed in any order.
After the heroes complete the first mission, the villain panics and will act (play a card) every two hero cards instead of every three hero cards. After the heroes complete the second mission, the villain becomes vulnerable to damage. The heroes can complete the third mission, but it isn’t necessary. If the heroes do complete the third mission, each hero immediately draws 1 card, increasing each player’s hand size by one.
Play continues back and forth until either the villain wins (by completing their unique master plan or anyone, heroes or villains, runs out of cards) or the heroes win by dealing enough damage to the villain after the villain becomes vulnerable to damage.
Review
Marvel United: X-Men features many new game concepts for the United game system. Having one player take on the role of the villain is the most obvious. I like that Spin Master and CMON games include a chart that allows gamers to play villains from the previous set. Since X-Men characters have a knack for flip-flopping their allegiance, it makes sense that Marvel United: X-Men began the trend of purple miniatures (anti-heroes who can be played as heroes or villains). This feature is crucial to the game design, as I forgot it began with Marvel United’s second wave (X-Men). Marvel United: X-Men also adds a team element with its Blue and Gold Team expansions. That doesn’t factor in too much with the core set. We’ll talk more about the X-Men Blue and Gold Teams in the future.
Power creep is a real thing in Marvel United: X-Men. In the original set, players were lucky if they had three unique abilities and anything more than three cards in their deck with special abilities. Marvel United: X-Men heroes have a minimum of four cards in their deck with special abilities and at least two unique special effects, but there are plenty of heroes with way more than four special ability cards. Marvel United: X-Men also includes plenty of powers that deal with crisis tokens. The original set had a few ways to deal with crisis tokens; most of the methods came in the form of Location “End of Turn” abilities. I like the inclusion of heroes with crisis token abilities. The heroes in Marvel United’s second way had plenty of new ways to affect the game state.
Beginning with the anti-heroes (the purple miniatures who can be heroes or villains), let’s get into specific heroes you can find in the Marvel United: X-Men Core Set. Mystique features few Heroics but plenty of Move and Attack. Her two special abilities (two copies of each card) allow her to prevent new tokens (Thugs or Civilians) from being added by the next Master Plan card, and she can redirect damage from herself to Henchmen or Thugs. This plays into Mystique’s ability as an infiltrator. Typically, Marvel United: X-Men does a good job of showing each anti-hero as their heroic and villainous selves. Magneto is the other anti-hero included in the Core Set. Like Mystique, he has little Heroics but can zoom around the board and deal copious amounts of damage. I like Magneto’s ability to convert symbols into Wild symbols. This makes him versatile.
Perhaps because of the increased number of powers within hero decks, Marvel United: X-Men does an even better job of capturing its heroes. Wolverine begins the game with a healing factor. Cyclops uses Leadership, while Beast also has a regenerating factor (not as persistent as Wolverines) and he specializes in heroics and movement. So far, far thematic, but I really like Storm, Jean Grey, and Professor X. Storm can reposition the entire team, Jean Grey can manipulate the Storyline with Telekinesis, and Professor X may be the most powerful hero in the X-Men Core Set. He’s surprisingly mobile with a penchant for heroics. He can also use Telepathy to manipulate the Storyline, give tokens with Leadership, turn symbols into Wilds, and even turn Thugs into Civilians.
In short, the heroes of Marvel United: X-Men have more personality than the previous set. Professor X may be overly powerful. Half of the cards in his deck possess special abilities, and two of the other six cards feature wild symbols. The villains in the X-Men Core Set provide plenty of twists for gameplay, but that’s to be expected from Marvel United villains. The villains have always represented this game’s most intriguing design space. Sabretooth hunts heroes, while Juggernaut charges from one location to the next, damaging everyone in his way. Magneto is especially difficult to stop. He can nullify all Hero effects and hand out crisis tokens to heroes, damaging them for each crisis token the hero possesses. But Mystique may be the most interesting villain from this lot. She targets Senator Kelly, and the heroes lose if she carries out her assassination.
Marvel United: X-Men’s Locations have varied “End of Turn” abilities. Token draw, healing, moving to another location, rescuing a Civilian, and dealing damage to a Thug/Henchman are standard fare by this point, but Marvel United: X-Men’s Locations gives these mechanisms a few twists. But my favorite “End of Turn” ability may be Sentinel Space Station’s. You may discard 1 card from your hand to the bottom of your deck to swap a card from your hand with one of your face-up cards in the Storyline. This ability is a hint of what one can expect in other Marvel United: X-Men expansions.The Marvel United: X-Men Core Set does enough to show what the second United wave of games offers. It does a great job of building on a solid foundation.
Too Long; Didn’t Read
Marvel United: X-Men adds numerous wrinkles to the United Series’ gameplay. A player can take the role of the villain, team play is possible, and antihero characters can be either heroes or villains. The heroes within Marvel United’s second wave have more personality, while the villains remain stellar. Mystique’s mission of assassinating Senator Kelly is fantastic.
Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another Whatcha post. Today, our Geekly writers share which television shows and movies they’ve watched over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching. We’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get us started.
Kyra’s Shows
Yes! It’s a Whatcha Wednesday, and I’m mentioning the show, Wednesday. I watched Wednesday for the first time this month, so I’m late to the party. I enjoyed the first season. I may even need to do a deep dive for the Wednesday Addams character as she’s had an intriguing transformation through the decades (I even have some of the original comic strips). So good. I liked the nods Tim Burton makes to the original Addams Family television show throughout Wednesday while allowing the show to forge its own path.
Wednesday isn’t just a retelling of the Addams Family. It’s a reimagining. And I appreciate how Wednesday has created this new boarding school environment. With Joanne Rowling showing her colors as a transphobe, Wednesday offers a great alternative for an LGBT community left disenchanted with Hogwarts. Of course, Enid and Wednesday’s budding friendship drives Wednesday’s first season. While a little predictable, the first season’s murder mystery was fun.
Wednesday’s second season may have a more complex mystery, but it suffers from bloat. The first season weaved in small callbacks to the original series; the second season pumps in more callbacks to the original series, the Nineties movies, and Wednesday’s first season. This season also pivots away from Enid and Wednesday’s relationship, which makes sense for the story (I won’t spoil it here), but the lack of this pair’s chemistry hurts.
This may be an unfair assessment for season two. I’m trying to stay ahead of weekly Geekly posts so I’ll have more time to work on my novel (something I’m sure Wednesday would approve of), and I’m writing this entry a week before the second half of Wednesday’s second season releases. I’m sure there will be some great payoff during Wednesday’s second half. You may get a second post for Wednesday next month.
I’m enjoying Wednesday’s second season and can’t wait for this season’s conclusion.
I also binged Netflix’s Trainwreck series. This series (of about hour-long mini documentaries) varies in its watchability. Each episode of Trainwreck has excellent production, don’t get me wrong. It’s the subject matter for each Trainwreck episode that makes or breaks the show’s watchability. I couldn’t stand the Storm Area 51 documentary. I wanted to reach through my screen a slap the kid who started that trend. But I felt for the Balloon Boy’s parents. It seemed like an honest mistake, and it was clear Balloon Boy Falcon’s mother wasn’t fluent in English. P.I. Moms was eye-opening. While I don’t care for reality TV, it’s a shame this show fell apart. And the Poop Cruise made me second-guess going on a cruise ship. Yikes!
That’s all I have for Whatcha Watching this month. Let’s check in with Season and Skye.
Season’s Shows
I got nostalgic last month, Geekly Gang. I remember watching the original Fruits Basket anime (2001) on my CRT TV from a folding chair in the basement, using my Nintendo Wii, while taking notes for my ninth-grade physical science class. Good times. I was upset that the 2001 anime never finished the Fruits Basket manga, which continued way after the anime ended. Being stunned when the 2019 anime came out, a few years after I graduated from high school, doesn’t begin to describe what I felt at the time.
Nostalgia aside, there are aspects of the story that haven’t aged well. The premise is goofy enough on its own–people turning into animals of the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by a member of a different gender (male and female in this story). Many of the characters in Fruits Basket adhere to ideas of masculinity and femininity. The men suck at housework while the women are expected to do it. At least, as far as Tohru Honda (the female lead) goes. There is a character in the show who enjoys wearing women’s kimonos because he feels more at ease wearing them, but gets made fun of for it by some of the characters. If you’re willing to look past these things, Fruits Basket (2019) is an enjoyable watch that lets you turn off your brain.
Fruits Basket (2019) doesn’t take itself seriously in the beginning. Things ramp up toward the end, but there are still many comedic moments. Most of the characters have a lot of depth. Even the side characters who were around for, like, two episodes.
Fun fact: The original English cast of Fruits Basket (2001) reprised their roles for Fruits Basket (2019). I’m not sure about the Japanese cast.
That’s all from me. What have you been watching this week, Skye?
Skye’s Movies
I’ve never been a huge fan of The Conjuring franchise. While I enjoyed the first film when I saw it 5 years ago, it didn’t make me eager to watch the rest. Only after the recent release of The Conjuring: The Last Rites did I think, “It might be time to watch The Conjuring movies.” Over the past month, I watched 9 Conjuring movies. This includes the Annabelle spinoff trilogy, the 2 Nun films, and The Curse of La Llorona. What did I learn? Hollywood loves doing the same thing.
Are all the Conjuring movies the same? No, but they have striking similarities. Typically, there’s a cursed object, haunted house, or tormented family. Spooky stuff happens, experts show up, the spirits freak out, and the power of Christ compels them. I must admit, of The Conjuring films I watched, the ones bearing the “Conjuring” title were my favorites. These movies owe their watchability to the star power of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Every time they were on screen, they shared an unrivaled chemistry that made their relationship much more real and adorable.
Do I recommend The Conjuring series? It depends on what you’re into, but if you like spooky films involving ghosts, demon possessions, and haunted dolls, I’m sure you’ll like the Conjuring franchise. Also, I gotta admit that I have a soft spot for Annabelle Comes Home. It’s just a fun romp through a carnival of horrors.
Skye’s Show
Watching the Netflix Ranma ½ remake came as an accident last month. I hadn’t intended to watch it anytime soon, until I woke up one day and decided to binge the whole first season. Overall, I feel like Ranma ½ (2024) did the original series justice while reintroducing it to a new generation. As a fan of the original, the main thing I noticed was a lack of alterations. The Ranma 1/2 (2024) team made changes like modernizing the animation, changing voice actors, and adjusting the pacing of the story. The show’s story remains untouched.
Because of that, I can’t help but ask, “Then why remake it at all?” I have 4 seasons of the original series on DVD box set, so why wouldn’t I just watch that? I know modern film and TV culture has shifted media consumption to online streaming, but Netflix could’ve just as easily put the original series in their library. I still enjoyed Ranma ½ (2024), but that’s essentially the same thing as saying I enjoyed Ranma ½ (1989). Take that as you will, and feel free to watch Ranma ½ (2024) if you don’t have access to the original. Otherwise, just watch the original.
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle again. Those are all the shows and movies our writers watched over the past month. What’ve you been watching, Geekly Gang? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. As promised, this post is the companion piece to our Dead End: Paranormal Park Autism Representation post earlier today. Dead End: Paranormal Park is unique in that it has two main characters, one an autistic Pakistani-American girl, and the other a transgender Jewish-American boy, so we’re writing two posts about the same Netflix show. This is great news for me. If you didn’t catch our previous post, I’m a late-diagnosed autistic person and ADHDer, but I’m also trans and gender queer. Let’s dig into both sides of Dead End: Paranormal Park’s representation.
Since Netflix cancelled Dead End: Paranormal Park after 20 episodes, this post will break down each pertinent 20-minute episode regarding Barney Guttman, a 17-year-old gay and transgender Jewish-American boy who runs away to the theme park because of his complicated relationship with his family. Barney is another great example of intersectionality. Dead End: Paranormal Park is off to a great start. We’ll begin with the first episode, “The Job.”
Season 1, Episode 1, “The Job”
Dead End: Paranormal Park drops some subtle hints about Barney’s identity. We’re first introduced to him when he colors his hair light blue with a pink hair dye spray can. Members of the community see this as an obvious nod to the transgender flag, which features light blue, pink, and white stripes. Great nod. After he’s ready for the day, Barney heads downstairs from his bedroom, and this is when we get an exchange that hints at Barney’s troubled family life. First, his mother doesn’t know that he has a job interview that day. Second, Grammy-Gram (Barney’s grandmother) doesn’t approve of his trans identity.
Again, Dead End: Paranormal Park subtly conveys this. Barney’s mother asks if he’ll be back (from his job interview at the titular park) for dinner, and Barney asks who will be at dinner. When Barney’s mother lists Grammy-Gram as a participant, Barney asks his mother if Grammy-Gram knows he’ll be there. After his mother says yes, Barney clarifies if Grammy-Gram knows “Barney” will be there, suggesting that Grammy-Gram dead names Barney. Dead End: Paranormal Park does a great job of showing this family tension while not beating non-community members over the head with it, and the show also respects the viewer’s intelligence.
So far, so good. Dead End: Paranormal Park has more subtle hints about Barney’s identity. When he and Norma (the autistic Pakistani-American co-main character) meet in the bus, she doesn’t recognize him at first and claims that she’s bad at names. By the end of “The Job,” she calls him Barney. During the duo’s exploits, Barney insists that he won’t leave his dog (Pugsley) behind. Pugsley’s family. He’s the only family member who accepts him. Pets are great because they don’t care what your gender identity or sexual orientation is. They love unconditionally. Barney needs this, and he isn’t receiving it at home, so he runs away to live at Phoenix Park (Paranormal Park).
Unfortunately, trans kids running away from home happens far too often, especially when their family doesn’t accept them for who they are. At this point, we don’t know how Barney’s family, outside of Grammy-Gram, feels about his identity. Dead End: Paranormal Park is just getting started. And it’s a great start.
Random point one: I love that Pauline Phoenix, the purveyor of Phoenix (Paranormal) Park, is a drag queen. I would totally visit a drag queen amusement park.
Random point two: Courtney (the demon) is non-binary/gender queer in the comics and uses they/them pronouns, but Netflix insisted on the show using she/her pronouns instead. I still claim Courtney as part of the gender queer tribe. I’ll teach them the secret handshake. Thanks for the erasure, Netflix.
Season 1, Episode 2, “The Tunnel”
Most of “The Tunnel’s” opening minutes revolve around Norma, her obsession with Pauline Phoenix, and that Pugsley can talk. Pugsley even tells Norma what she had for breakfast two days ago (eggs with avocado and chili flakes). Yuck! That yuck was directed at a dog sniffing people’s behinds and then telling them what they ate; those eggs sound pretty good.
Anyway, Barney’s first big moment in “The Tunnel” comes when Logan Nguyen (the park’s health and safety officer) enters the staff meeting. Barney falls for Logan at first sight. I love Dead End: Paranormal Park’s decision here. Gender identity and sexual orientation are separate things. Groups like the LGB Alliance (they erase the T for transgender on purpose) often promote ideas that the world is losing its lesbians because they’re transitioning to men, especially when those trans men are attracted to women. Barney is a gay, trans boy. He’s transitioning and is still attracted to men. Representation like this debunks ideas that gender identity and sexual orientation are linked. They aren’t. Kudos to Dead End: Paranormal Park.
But the crux of “The Tunnel’s” narrative is Barney trying to hide the talking Pugsley from the world to protect him. Toward the end of this episode, Norma questions Barney’s “protecting” Pugsley by locking him away. The scene (picture above) where Barney and Pugsley call each other “bad” ends with Barney asking why Pugsley can’t go back to being his old self, and Pugsley saying that Barney is just as bad as Grammy-Gram. This is another lovely scene by Dead End: Paranormal Park. Most trans people have heard the “Why can’t you be like you were?” question before. We get another glimpse into Barney’s home life before the show, and I love how Barney is allowed to internalize Grammy-Gram’s refusal to see the real him by giving Barney and Pugsley this moment.
“The Tunnel” ends with Barney saying he’s trans. The park gives him the space to be himself. Everyone outside the park has the Barney he was before he started transitioning. This is a genuine occurrence for trans people. It’s easier to be around people who didn’t know you before you transitioned because they’re more likely to accept you as you are now. This scene is true and hits close to home.
Season 1, Episode 3, “Trust Me”
Barney’s story takes a backseat to Norma’s during “Trust Me.” We see him flirt with Logan during a team-building exercise. Most of this episode occurs through Norma’s point of view, and she envies Barney’s socialability, but Barney only has this ability because he’s on his own and allowed to live as his true self. The next bit is a spoiler, but we’ve talked about Dead End: Paranormal Park enough at this point that spoilers are to be expected. The team-building guru is a fear demon in disguise. He tricks the park staff into touching a bejeweled skull that forces each person to face their greatest fear.
Barney’s nightmare sequence gives us the first glimpse of his family. Grammy-Gram says horrible, unintelligible things about Barney, while his parents sit at the table and say nothing. This is a common and chilling scene. It drives home the point that remaining silent while others (even other loved ones) berate a trans person is just as bad as being the one who spouts the hate. Barney pleads with his parents to say something, to stand up for him, and they don’t.
Fortunately, Norma slipped into Barney’s nightmare and rescued him. Even though this is a nightmare sequence, it hits home. A 2019 report by The Trevor Project (a trans youth support group) states that one supportive parent can reduce the risk of a trans youth from committing suicide by 40%. Barney’s nightmare sequence serves as a good reminder to be a supportive parent.
Season 1, Episode 4, “Night of the Living Kids”
When Barney left home, he didn’t just leave his parents. His younger brother Patrick, reaches out to Barney by texting. Barney can’t find the words to say and doesn’t text back. But it turns out that Barney doesn’t need to. The Phoenix Parks gang is hosting an overnight kids’ birthday party, and the birthday boy is none other than Barney’s brother Patrick. I like the inclusion of Patrick. He never deadnames Barney. I found it easier for younger people, like my kids, to adapt to name changes. Heck, Patrick even adapts quickly to Pugsley’s ability to talk.
Naturally, Patrick feels abandoned by Barney. He still sleeps with the stuffed animal (a lion named Max) that Barney gave him. Patrick proves that Barney had people in his corner back at home. Patrick understands why Barney left, but he insists that Barney at least let their parents know that he’s okay. A tender moment happens near the end of “Night of the Living Kids.” Barney’s parents stop by to pick up Patrick, but Barney refuses to take off his dinosaur costume. His mother asks if Barney happened to stop by, and Barney says no. Barney’s mom looks crestfallen for a moment and then shrugs it off. She shares with Barney that the family is having issues.
Barney’s mother, claiming that Barney is “doing one of his disappearing acts again,” suggests that this isn’t the first time Barney has run away from home. Perhaps this is true. It could also be Barney’s mother trying not to reveal too much of the family’s personal business to who she thinks is a stranger. All of this adds layers to Barney’s family life. His family has obvious communication problems, and they could find closure as Patrick tells their mother a secret at the end of “Night of the Living Kids.” At this point, we don’t know what Patrick tells his mother, but it’s probably that Barney lives at Phoenix Parks.
Dead End: Paranormal Park is playing the particulars of this storyline close to the vest. We don’t yet know how Barney’s parents feel about his gender identity. We know that Grammy-Gram disapproves, and his parents refuse or somehow feel unable to stand up for him. While we don’t dive too deeply into these waters in this episode, “Night of the Living Kids” is setting up a fantabulous foundation.
Season 1, Episode 5, “The Nightmare Before Christmas in July”
“The Nightmare Before Christmas in July” breaks away from Barney and Norma’s storylines and focuses on their new demon friend, Courtney. Courtney is stuck in the mortal realm, so Barney and Norma go on a devilish game show to snag them (Courtney) a ticket home. We’ll be using Courtney’s preferred pronouns of they/them. I wanted to take another moment and ask why Netflix decided to gender Courtney. They’re a demon. Gender doesn’t make sense for them. If you want to see the original Courtney, check out the show runner, Hamish Steele’s, DeadEndia comic series.
Season 1, Episode 6, “Wait Time: 22 Minutes”
“Wait Time: 22 Minutes” gets its name from the supposed wait time for the Dr. Love Ride, a Phoenix Parks attraction that’s been shut down since before Barney was born. The park reopened the line, and a crowd gathered to hop on the ride. Barney has no interest in riding Dr. Love, but changes his mind when he spots his family walking out of the ride’s exit. Barney’s family doesn’t frequent the park often. It’s a fair bet that Patrick told his parents where Barney is, but it’s not confirmed. This keeps the tension simmering, but it doesn’t overpower this episode. Barney rejoins Norma and the gang, unaware that his crush, Logan Nguyen, is in front of them. Logan lets the gang know that he’s riding Dr. Love to make sure the sign’s wait time is correct.
Barney changes his mind, of course, and stays. The group splinters when Norma finds out there’s an employee express lane. Desperate to ride Dr. Love before spoilers flood her timeline, she bolts for the second line, leaving Barney and Logan alone. And here’s where “Wait Time: 22 Minutes” gets juicy. Barney flirts poorly, and an older lesbian couple, who rode Dr. Love when they first got together, try to help Barney. Oh. It’s awkward. Barney is so awkward, and it’s great. Again, I’ll give Dead End: Paranormal Park props for making Barney a gay trans boy. These scenes would play out much differently if he were flirting with a girl.
The remainder of this episode’s runtime, in reality, revolves around Norma, Courtney, and Pugsley possessing Barney to woo Logan. Things get interesting when Norma and Barney enter a spirit realm called the in-between. You’re not dead. You’re not alive. You’re just sort of backstage. While in the in-between, Barney curses that he didn’t say goodbye to his parents. This moves his story along, but it also shows that awkward “in-between” where you, as a trans person, can still love people who don’t accept you, but you keep your distance for your protection, and while you find yourself. Most trans people experience this. Great job, Dead End: Paranormal Park.
But there comes a time after you find yourself and gain your strength that you must stop running, and this can result in tense conversations. Barney’s journey is short. It often takes some of us years to get there. My journey took me a while because I got diagnosed as autistic shortly after coming out, so there were multiple Celtic knots I needed to untangle. While I think this journey happens a little fast for Barney, it does match one that many trans people face. Rewatching Dead End: Paranormal Park has given me a greater appreciation for it. I can see this representation helping someone on their journey.
Season 1, Episode 7, “Norma Khan: Paranormal Detective”
While the “Norma Khan: Paranormal Detective” title suggests that Norma is this episode’s central character, the scene Dead End: Paranormal Park has been building between Barney and his family occurs, and it doesn’t disappoint. Barney and his family put everything on the line. Wires get crossed when they use nacho chips and chili cheese fries as metaphors. Patrick and Pugsley don’t get the metaphor, but I do like Patrick saying we can always order more nachos, which I believe is a subtle hint at the frequently used metaphor for trans that claims rights aren’t pie, and even if they are, there’s enough to go around. But I could be reading too much into this. That last point was conjecture.
What isn’t conjecture is that Pugsley and Patrick find themselves literally and figuratively stuck in the middle of a heated argument. Barney’s parents say that they accept him. Barney claims that they don’t do enough to show that they accept him. Dead End: Paranormal Park frames Barney’s claim as the valid one, and I agree. Acceptance isn’t a passive thing. One needs to show that they accept someone. Barney’s parents had a chance when Grammy-Gram berated Barney and didn’t take the opportunity. Dead End: Paranormal Park lays out this argument in an entertaining and less preachy manner than I do. I love Barney’s response when his parents ask him to come home. You’ve got to make it one first.
This episode ends with the ghost of Pauline Phoenix escaping a television screen. This has more to do with Norma’s side of this episode’s story, but I think we’ll be discussing Pauline in the next episode.
Season 1, Episode 8, “The Pauline Phoenix Experience”
“The Pauline Phoenix Experience” casts the gang in Pauline’s former roles, hence the black and white picture above. This episode doesn’t delve deeper into Barney’s story or expand him as a character, so we’ll keep this one short. Still, “The Pauline Phoenix Experience” is an excellent episode and does a lot to progress Dead End: Paranormal Park’s overarching story. I don’t want to spoil anything here, so I’m keeping things vague.
Season 1, Episode 9, “The Phantom of the Theme Park”
Dead End: Paranormal Park is a queer show that takes place in a drag queen theme park. Of course, there’s going to be a musical episode. “The Phantom of the Theme Park” takes inspiration from several musicals, but its main influence is The Phantom of the Opera. I love this episode. The music is spot on, and the musical does a great job of forwarding the action to season one’s conclusion. But “The Phantoms of the Theme Park” does little to explore Barney’s story, except that demons have swarmed the park, and his parents are turned to stone. Things just got real.
Season 1, Episode 10, “Into the Fire”
Demon lords Zagan and Temeluchus battle it out for the surface world. Demonic mayhem ensues, but all’s well that ends well. The humans are no longer turned to stone. After Phoenix Parks returns to normal (relatively speaking), Barney’s parents commit to having his back. They won’t have him over for Friday night dinners with Grammy-Gram until Grammy-Gram learns to accept him. Instead, Barney’s invited to Saturday night dinners. A simple gesture like this can make all the difference in a trans kid’s life. Barney’s parents have taken an active role in supporting their son.
I love the growth these characters made during the season. Even Courtney learned a thing or two. Dead End: Paranormal Park ends its first season with a cliffhanger. We’ve seen plenty of demons during the first season, but we catch our first glimpse of a citizen from heaven.
Quick Break and Thank You
Thank you for reading up to this point. You’re amazing. Since the Dead End: Paranormal Park’s first season set up its characters well, the second season explores the other planes of existence, specifically heaven, so each individual episode’s write-up should be shorter. Thanks again for reading, and let’s get back to the show.
Season 2, Episode 1, “Take the Angels Bowling”
“Take the Angels Bowling” introduces Fingers, an angel with a face inside its massive hand. When Fingers extends its body (a long arm stretching from heaven), it resembles Gord’s, the red-skinned demon, who looks like a worm. It’s like the two species (angels and demons) aren’t that different. Hmm.
Barney’s story takes a backseat in this episode, but we see some great moments with him and Logan. At the tail end of the last season, Logan and Barney share their first kiss. “Take the Angels Bowling” shows Logan’s patience with Barney. At this stage of Barney’s transition, he’s still unsure of himself, and I like how Logan gives him the space to be awkward. When someone transitions (even socially), it acts as a second puberty. Whether this was Dead End: Paranormal Park’s intention or not, this is great representation.
Season 2, Episode 2, “Evil Twins Are People Too”
“Evil Twins Are People Too” may prove my hunch correct. Barney’s misadventures with demons and evil twins are a metaphor for a trans person’s second puberty. Barney lets it slip that he loves Logan. This is a common television trope. Someone says “I Love You” first, and the other person doesn’t immediately say it afterwards. What makes Dead End: Paranormal Park’s take on this trope different is the added complication of the paranormal (or the fact that Barney is trans). By the end of this episode, Barney lays it out on the line, telling Logan he loves him again and admitting that life with him could get complicated.
Fortunately, Logan doesn’t mind the complication. He entered this relationship knowing that there could be uncommon issues, but Barney is his person. I love this. It proves that there’s someone for everyone, even a trans boy with an evil twin.
Season 2, Episode 3, “The Trials of Barney”
As the episode’s title implies, “The Trials of Barney” has a Barney-centric story. I like how this episode goes back into Barney’s childhood. Dead End: Paranormal Park does a great job of showing that Barney was always a boy. He’s always been into pro wrestling and created the moniker, B-Rex, because he likes dinosaurs. Initially, B-Rex is the wrestling name Barney uses when he joins the Demon Wrestling Federation. During the perfect moment, Barney embraces his inner heel and comes out as a human. He then becomes The Living Human.
Early on, Barney hides his human identity. He finds it easier to be a lizard boy (B-Rex) instead of a human boy. Throughout “The Trials of Barney,” Barney lives as his authentic gender, and when he reveals himself to be a human, he accepts the final part of himself. And the crowd loves him for it. This is another subtle point Dead End: Paranormal Park makes. Many trans people begin by showing parts of themselves to others, and some of those parts are their gender identity, while holding back other aspects of themselves to fit in. Sure, Barney was always treated as a boy in the demonic gym, but he needed to find himself as a human boy.
Transgender people aren’t a monolith. There’s no one way to be trans, and it’s up to each person to find what their gender identity means for them.
Season 2, Episode 4, “Eat the Parents”
“Eat the Parents” features Logan meeting Barney’s parents, so we get plenty of situational comedy sprinkled throughout this episode. Everyone puts on airs, especially Norma, as they try to impress Barney’s parents. The standout scene for Barney is the one where everyone eats the soup Courtney prepared from the mysterious book she found. This soup induces mind-reading, and when Barney takes a sip, he complains (in his head) that no one will be good enough for his parents.
This comment suggests that Barney had suitors before he came out to his parents. Or perhaps not. Either way, the demon behind the cursed soup is none other than the team-building guru from season one. Lovely callback. We find that despite his confident exterior, Logan is just as insecure as Barney, maybe even more so. I like that Barney isn’t the only one worried about this relationship.
Season 2, Episode 5, “The Ride of a Lifetime”
Hurt feelings and a lover’s spat abound in “The Ride of a Lifetime.” Barney misinterprets Logan texting Josh as the two of them dating, when it’s actually about Josh getting an acting role that Logan had also auditioned for. Pugsley spends the entire episode’s runtime trying to avoid calamity of all kinds, physical and emotional harm, but you can’t rewind time to execute the perfect world.
All of this is Fingers grooming Pugsley for Dead End: Paranormal Park’s season two finale. “The Ride of a Lifetime” doesn’t unearth anything new and exciting with Barney’s trans experience, but the show’s done a fantabulous job doing that throughout its run.
Season 2, Episode 6, “My Super Sweet 1600”
Barney doesn’t have much to do in “My Super Sweet 1600.” Fingers sends the gang to bust up a demon’s (Zagan’s) birthday party, but Barney ends up becoming the life of the party. What begins with Zagan trying to kill the humans (or at least maim them) becomes a love fest with the friends Barney made while he wrestled in the Demon Wrestling Federation. Even though this moment doesn’t progress the story, I love how it shows the demons accepting Barney for who he is, for all he is (including a Living Human). Not only do the demons accept Barney, but they also praise his differences. That’s great to see.
Season 2, Episode 7, “All Dolled Up”
Barney doesn’t make an appearance in “All Dolled Up.” Well, technically, he does show up at the very end, teasing the following episode. Even so, we see a lot of Barney through Logan, who encourages Norma to come out as bisexual to her mother. I love the representation of various gender identities and sexual orientations in Dead End: Paranormal Park.
Season 2, Episode 8, “The Other Side”
We find out what Barney and the rest of the gang were doing in the previous episode with “The Other Side.” Barney dies from a falling chandelier. The rest of the gang attempts to join Barney’s soul with his body. I love the Reverso-Romero Spell that naturally turns Barney’s corpse into a zombie. Barney runs into a few “friendly” ghosts. Basically, they’re trying to trick Barney into crossing over to the other side so they can hitch a ride. I like the pink-hued ghost Jules’ inclusion of their pronouns: they/them/and the late. Nice. Why couldn’t Netflix allow this for Courtney?
Speaking of Courtney, they’re involved in the funniest scene during this episode. Barney turns full ghost. No one can see him, so he writes on the wall with charcoal. Here’s a quick recreation:
Courtney: Barney, is that you?
Barney (writing in charcoal on the wall): Yes.
Courtney: You turned yourself into a piece of charcoal?
Barney: No.
Courtney: You turned Pugsley into a piece of charcoal?
Barney writes several paragraphs on the wall. Not one inch is left uncovered by charcoal. Courtney’s eyes widen. She gasps, and then says, “Barney…there’s no way I’m reading all of that.”
This scene had me rolling a year ago when I first watched Dead End: Paranormal Park, and I rewatched it multiple times during this rewatch. It’s so good. It’s official. Courtney is my spirit animal.
Anyway, “The Other Side” ends with Barney about to cross over, succumbing to the ghost “friends” negative self-talk. This is such a great representation of one’s battle with mental health, and according to Pugsley, this isn’t the first time Barney has felt this way. Barney’s found family (Pugsley, Logan, Badyah, and Norma) helps him through this rough patch and saves him from crossing over. I love found families in media. We all have found families. They’re our communities. They can be our significant other. Often, our found families know us better than our birth families.
“The Other Side” ends with Fingers revealing his dastardly plan. Fingers, the angel, was the one who dropped the chandelier on Barney. Since he gives Pugsley the power to save Barney, Pugsley willingly goes to heaven. We’re on our way to heaven, floor 4.
Season 2, Episode 9, “Going Up”
Barney’s story in “Going Up” centers on rescuing Pugsley, so we get little trans representation in this episode. Or do we? We’ll discuss how Courtney’s story plays into Dead End: Paranormal Park’s greater trans narrative in a minute, but first, let’s discuss some quick Barney points. That almost sounds like brownie points. Tee hee! Asmodeus (Barney’s wrestling sparring partner) in any episode offers great acceptance for Barney’s identity. Those two have a wonderful bromance. You love to see it.
Before we get into Courtney’s story, I’ll begin by citing a spoiler warning. There’s little chance for us to discuss “Going Up” and Courtney’s part of the story without major spoilers. You’ve been warned. Courtney learns they’re a fallen angel. Their “horns” are a broken halo, and they’re doomed to prune the universe’s timeline of all “unwanted” branches. While bleak, this storyline profoundly plays into Dead End: Paranormal Park’s main characters. Fallen angels (angels whose halos are broken) no longer fit what it means to be an angel, so Courtney has more in common with Barney than they may have first thought.
As a trans person, Barney doesn’t fit in with cispeople. The same can be said of Norma as well, but we’ll go more into her side with the autism representation post, but Courtney’s subjugation in heaven rings true for a lot of trans people. Courtney isn’t allowed to be Courtney. Their personality–or any personality–runs counter to what the heavenly society accepts. One could rewatch Dead End: Paranormal Park multiple times and find new angles. This is the mark of a great show.
One more major spoiler: Pugsley becomes The Watcher. The Watcher is the all-powerful heavenly sorcerer who serves as watchdog for anyone who steps out of line. There’s so much to unpack here. The onion-head mask Pugsley wears to become The Watcher takes away his identity. It functions similarly to conversion therapy. The Pugsley who wears The Watcher’s mask must conform. Dead End: Paranormal Park may be geared for kids, but it has many layers.
Season 2, Episode 10, “The Watcher’s Test”
“The Watcher’s Test” does for Pugsley what “Going Up” did for Courtney. Barney and Norma’s journey can be seen through Pugsley’s. Since this is our transgender representation post, we’ll focus on how Pugsley’s journey mirrors Barney’s. Again, we’ll be going through some major spoilers, but if you’ve made it this far, spoilers won’t be that big of an issue.
First, Pugsley is Barney’s dog, so a direct link exists between these two characters. Second, Pugsley has been told by heaven (not sure if the character commanding Fingers is God, but they’re certainly from heaven) that he must fight demons at all costs, and that’s what happens. Pugsley, as The Watcher, has destroyed the Earth. Evidently, Earth ceasing to exist is better than a single demon out of place, and a demon’s place is in prison. This extremist, black-and-white thinking has been used against trans people. Someone living outside the gender binary embraces the gray, and ironically, Netflix chose to stick Courtney inside the gender binary. You don’t need the creators to tell you this was not their decision; Courtney’s new pronouns go against the show’s message.
I loved “The Watcher’s Test” callbacks to previous episodes. In fact, Dead End: Paranormal Park did a better job of weaving in these callbacks than the MCU with Avengers: Endgame. Time travel mayhem occurs during this episode, and Dead End: Paranormal Park drops Barney into the perfect scenes where he could’ve attempted to persuade Pugsley not to become The Watcher. Fight heaven’s grooming. But my favorite must be the scene that wasn’t altered. Eagle-eyed viewers may figure that something was different about Barney during an earlier episode. I won’t spoil it here, but if you’ve seen “The Watcher’s Test,” watching this same scene through a new lens is chef’s kiss superb.
Random Thought: The dedication to Leon Fechner (one of the show’s animators) during Dead End: Paranormal Park’s closing credits is touching. We leave season two with Pugsley wandering a plane that isn’t heaven, hell, or Earth. This pays homage to Fechner, who had slipped into a coma and died before the show was completed. Rest in peace, Leon Fechner.
Closing Thoughts
Yowza! This was long. It’s even longer if you read the companion piece, Dead End: Paranormal Park’s Autism Representation. While this show’s geared toward children, Dead End: Paranormal Park does a stellar job with transgender representation. Barney Guttman tops many lists of great trans characters. The show presents Barney as a complicated character. He isn’t always in the right, but his heart is usually in the right place. I love Dead End: Paranormal Park’s intersectionality. Each character is thoughtfully layered.
If you have any other movies or television shows that depict transgender people that you’d like us to cover, let us know in the comments. If you’ve made it this far, you’re amazing. We all know it. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Geekly started a new deep dive series about Autism Representation in media. Our first post in that series was about Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, and it was posted in May. Was it that long ago? Yikes! Well, Geekly’s back with another deep dive about Autism Representation. Today’s piece of media is the short-lived Netflix animated series, Dead End: Paranormal Park.
Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. As I mentioned in our previous Autism Representation post, I’m a late-diagnosed autistic person and ADHDer. Yes, you can have both. Ever since my diagnosis, I’ve been viewing media through a different lens, trying to see if a piece of media has good or not-so-good Autism Representation. I intended this series to be something Geekly released once a quarter. We’re getting this post right under the wire with Dead End: Paranormal Park because this series not only has an Autistic main character, but the other main character is transgender. I also happen to be trans and gender queer and intended to give Transgender Representation in media the same treatment. So today, we’re releasing two posts about Dead End: Paranormal Park.
Since Dead End: Paranormal Park only lasted two seasons (for a total of 20, 20-minute episodes), we’ll go through each pertinent episode in sequential order for both characters. Our subject for this post is Norma Khan, a 17-year-old bisexual and autistic Pakistani-American girl who gets a job at the park because of her adoration of the films made by character Pauline Phoenix. Already, I love Norma’s intersectionality. Let’s get started with Dead End: Paranormal Park’s first episode, “The Job.”
Season 1, Episode 1, “The Job”
We first meet Norma Khan in her room, decked out in Pauline Phoenix (the actress behind Phoenix, “Paranormal,” Park) paraphernalia: Pauline posters, Pauline bedsheets, and even a Pauline lamp. Norma has an episode of Dead End (one of Pauline Phoenix’s television shows) playing as she prepares for a job interview at Phoenix Park. Something tells me Norma listens to this show on repeat often. I’ve done the same. I may have audio taped cartoons (on cassette tapes) so I could play them at night to fall asleep. I’m sure Norma wouldn’t do anything like that. Wink.
Norma’s mother dotes on her. She worries more about Norma’s job interview than Norma does. She hugs and kisses Norma as Norma tries to break away. I can relate. We know little about Norma, but Dead End: Paranormal Park hints that Norma’s mother may want more affection than Norma is comfortable giving. This is in keeping with some autistic kids. This moment also suggests that Norma’s job interview may be her first time alone; it’s certainly her first step as an adult. Autistic people do tend to have a higher unemployment rate than the general population, and often, this is less about capability and more about finding the right work environment. It sounds like Phoenix (Paranormal) Park is Norma’s perfect job environment.
“The Job” sprinkles in some references to Norma’s hyper-fixations. In fact, when she believes she didn’t get the job at first, Norma flat out says, “Looks like I’ll have to find something else to hyper-fixate on for fifteen years.” Norma earns this line because she spews paragraphs of Pauline Phoenix facts while Norma and Barney are trapped in a haunted mansion. Only Norma doesn’t yet realize the two of them are trapped. She’s too busy info-dumping on Barney about her special interest. I watched this episode with one of my daughters, and she chuckled. You’re not like that at all, are you, Mapa? Yep. That happens sometimes. The train needs to reach the station before we can switch tracks.
Season 1, Episode 2, “The Tunnel”
“The Tunnel” begins with a Norma flashback. She’s a child attending Phoenix Parks and in line to visit Buster Scruffs (one of the employees dressed as a mascot). Norma panics. Her feet sink into the concrete. While I’m unsure if this sequence is directly tied to an autistic shutdown (where an autistic person retreats from their surroundings) or if this scene is just a child reacting to too much stimuli (which can cause autistic shutdowns), Dead End: Paranormal Park does a fantastic job of showing Norma’s internal world.
When we shift to the present day, Norma storms into the haunted mansion. She doesn’t care that Pugsley can talk (a side effect of his former demonic possession) and is livid that Barney clocked into work before her. The group brushes past Barney, staying the night at the park, and promptly finds a gold pass. I love how she prefers to go to the park’s staff meeting when presented with the option to do anything in the park. Dead End: Paranormal Park drops another line of Norma obsessed with Pauline Phoenix, before she wishes for the three-hour version of employee orientation. I can attest that I could withstand a three-hour orientation on my special interest. This tracks for an autistic person.
What also tracks for autistic people is Norma’s odd eye contact. When Badyah Hassan (leader of the staff orientation) begins orientation, Norma info dumps and gives Badyah intense eye contact. Norma bores a hole into Badyah. That made me laugh. It’s so accurate. Many people believe that autistic people can’t make eye contact, when it’s just as likely that autistic people will make intense eye contact. In short, autism leads to odd levels of eye contact: none or too much. And of course, Norma takes over the orientation after Badyah sarcastically asks if she wants to do so. Norma puts on a performance voice (another autistic thing to do), and I felt called out. Both of my daughters recounted a similar instance with me at a board game cafe.
Season 1, Episode 3, “Trust Me”
“Trust Me” centers around a team-building exercise at the beach. Norma is reluctant to leave her mother’s car because she believes everyone at work hates her, while Norma’s mother counters with no one knows you. This is a great representation of an autistic side-effect, rejection sensitivity. Rejection sensitivity may occur when an autistic person has experienced so many instances where they said or did the wrong thing, or they just acted like themselves (and not like a neurotypical or person without autism), and got rejected, so the autistic person believes people hate them even when there’s empirical evidence to the contrary. I’ve received a pep talk from a loved one like the one Norma gets so many times, I’ve lost count. I love that Dead End: Paranormal Park touched on this subject.
Before “Trust Me’s” volta (the turn), we get a lot of Norma being literal. The team-building guru speaks in metaphors, and each flies over Norma’s head. Physical things don’t bind us. Yes, they can. The opposite of trust is fear. No, the opposite of trust is mistrust. I agree with Norma on that last one. Autistic people can be very literal. I got diagnosed with autism after my younger daughter was diagnosed (autism is hereditary), and my daughter would always answer with specific times whenever someone asked what time it was. For instance, it’s 4:18, instead of 4:15 or 4:20. We didn’t know when she was younger, but that’s an autistic trait. I still agree with Norma that the opposite of trust is definitely mistrust.
And I like how Dead End: Paranormal Park mixes up Norma’s affect. When she says, the opposite of trust is definitely mistrust, her voice is flat. Other times, she’s very expressive, overly so. Excellent! The montage of Norma screwing up every trust-building exercise is also excellent. Her forward trust fall had me in stitches.
This next bit ventures into spoiler territory, but who are kidding? We’ve already shared some spoilers. The team-building guru is a fear demon in disguise, and he intends to feed on the gang’s fear. While everyone else enters a nightmare realm where their greatest fears come to life, Norma’s fear world is the real world. She worries about every interaction with people. She relives every social misstep. Eventually, Norma’s rejection sensitivity overwhelms the fear demon. I love how the animation style changes when we fully enter Norma’s perspective. It’s another subtle way Dead End: Paranormal Park portrays autism. The Norma we see in the picture above may be closer to how she views the world.
And that’s how autism works. It’s another way of viewing the world. Neurodivergent brains process things differently from neurotypical brains. This is another excellent example of autism representation. This may dovetail into Norma calling her coworkers by the attractions they monitor at the park. I like how most people take offense, but Badyah leans into her nickname death slide. Badyah’s the one who sits beside Norma on the beach and comforts her; Norma may have found a kindred spirit.
Season 1, Episode 4, “Night of the Living Kids”
“Night of the Living Kids” is more of a Barney episode. We get our first look at Patrick, Barney’s younger brother, who’s having an overnight birthday party at the park. Patrick plays Pin the Tail on the Dinosaur, and when Barney recognizes him, he takes cover. After Barney says that Patrick can’t see him, Norma doesn’t get the context and replies that he has the blindfold off now, so he can see Barney. Classic Norma.
And in classic Norma fashion, she finds the one kid at the party who’s as obsessed as she is about Pauline Phoenix. Vince even outbid Norma for Pauline memorabilia on an online auction. Norma finally has someone else she can talk to about her special interest. As Norma says, Finally, an intelligent conversation. The two’s conversation sets up the mystery of Barbora (not Barbera), Pauline’s angry and athletic stunt double. The two’s convo gets interrupted by children who lost all the sleep they ever slept, hence the episode’s name “Night of the Living Kids.”
Season 1, Episode 5, “The Nightmare Before Christmas in July”
“The Nightmare Before Christmas in July” takes a break from Barney and Norma and focuses more on their demon friend, Courtney. Courtney is stuck in the mortal realm, so Barney and Norma go on a devilish game show to snag them (Courtney) a ticket home. Note: I’ll mention this in the transgender representation companion post to this one, but the demon Courtney is non-binary/gender queer in the comics, but Netflix changed their pronouns from they/them to she/her; I’ll use Courtney’s preferred pronouns of they/them.
Even though “The Nightmare Before Christmas in July” is predominantly a Courtney episode, we get a classic Norma moment during the game show. When the demon host says the next leg is a “lightning round,” Norma shouts, Trivia. Nope. Not trivia, Norma. Actual lightning.
Season 1, Episode 6, “Wait Time: 22 Minutes”
“Wait Time: 22 Minutes” gets its title from the line for the newly opened Dr. Love Ride at the park. The Dr. Love Ride has been closed since before Norma was born, and naturally, she wants to experience the ride before spoilers flood her timeline. This is in keeping with everything we’ve learned about Norma. She and Barney get separated in the line because Norma takes the employee express lane, while Barney stays in the main line with Logan, who wants to make sure the wait time sign of 20 minutes is correct. Since Barney has a crush on Logan, he texts Norma incessantly.
In classic Norma fashion, she doesn’t get why Barney is freaking out, but it’s what she says that rings true for an autistic person. Barney’s in a line with Logs, so the danger seems minimal. Lol. Often, autistic people can brave large crowds if they have at least one person they know well. Norma doesn’t get Barney’s dread because she views Logan as a safe person to brave Dr. Love’s long line. Pugsley has to spell out the awkward social implications for Norma. I love this. I wouldn’t have been able to attend Pride if I hadn’t gone with some of my safe people. And I might’ve missed the social cues of Barney’s crush on Logan.
I also love Norma’s line to Barney. I’m the socially awkward one. Stop stealing my thing. The rest of the episode’s runtime, in reality, revolves around Norma, Courtney, and Pugsley possessing Barney and taking turns trying to woo Logan. Norma asks standard questions and gets frustrated when Logan answers them out of order. He needs to answer the questions in the order they were asked. I could see an autistic person getting frustrated by this, and the lesbian couple standing by Barney (possessed by Norma) bemoan that kids these days are too literal. Yeah. That tracks for an autistic person.
Throughout the body-swapping antics, Norma remains on task. What starts as helping Barney with Logan turns into saving Barney from the in-between, a place where possessed souls go. “Wait Time: 22 Minutes” ends with Norma finally getting on the Dr. Love Ride. She begins info-dumping to Logan as the ride begins, only to have the ride shut down as she’s about to enter. Awesome!
Season 1, Episode 7, “Norma Khan: Paranormal Detective”
The title “Norma Khan: Paranormal Detective” is a bit of a misnomer. At first, Norma takes the role too seriously. Norma’s covert scene with Vince (nice call back) is over-the-top, leading Badyah to say that the two of them are more suspicious than if they faced each other. Note: Norma and Vince sit on with their backs to each other, and Vince struggles to give Norma the magazine featuring Barbora that he mentioned during “Night of the Living Kids.”
Norma is blinded by her obsession with Pauline Phoenix that she ignores all the evidence that clearly paints Pauline as the one behind the missing Pauline impersonators. Tunnel vision can occur for autistic people. I’ve been blinded by my special interests. While this tracks for an autistic person, Badyah proves to be the better “paranormal detective.” I love Norma’s detailed evidence board. The picture above is a zoomed-in segment of that board. Trust me, Norma goes into excruciating detail, making her an autistic queen.
Norma refuses to view Pauline as a threat even at the end of “Norma Khan: Paranormal Detective.” It takes Pauline Phoenix’s ghost charging at Norma before she jumps into a haunted television screen. I’m sure this will end well.
Season 1, Episode 8, “The Pauline Phoenix Experience”
“The Pauline Phoenix Experience” casts the gang in Pauline’s former roles. That’s why we get that awesome black and white picture above. Even though this episode does a lot of heavy lifting for the Dead End: Paranormal Park’s main storyline, it does reveal the depths of Norma’s Pauline Phoenix fandom. She figures out they’re in Pauline’s movies/TV shows before Barney, but plays along because it’s her dream come true. She knows the lines. She’s probably heard them millions of times and this is her time to shine.
Norma goes as far as trying to “kill” Barney because her character tries to do so in the films. Talk about commitment. But she breaks when she comes to terms that Pauline was using her and all her fans. Autistic people tend to have strong moral compasses that can be obscured through the lens of fandom. By the end of this episode, Norma breaks down, but after she mourns the loss of her idol, she’s ready to exact change.
Season 1, Episode 9, “The Phantom of the Theme Park”
Dead End: Paranormal Park is a queer version of Scooby Doo. The park is based on a drag queen. It was only a matter of time before we got a musical episode. “The Phantom of the Theme Park” takes inspiration from several musicals, but its main influence, naturally, is The Phantom of the Opera. I love this episode. The music is spot on, and the musical does a great job of forwarding the action to season one’s conclusion. While “The Phantoms of the Theme Park” doesn’t show new aspects of Norma’s for us to discuss at length, it follows through on Norma’s strong moral compass.
She sacrifices herself to be Pauline Phoenix’s new vessel and hatches a plan to end the park’s suffering. Even though the plan doesn’t go as planned, Pauline is banished, but now we have the return of Temeluchus. Uh oh!
Season 1, Episode 10, “Into the Fire”
I’ll level with you. I can’t believe I’ve gone this far without mentioning Norma’s odd speech patterns. I grew up in the South and don’t sound like it. Sure, some of this is due to my moving away from the South, but not entirely. Even while I was living in the South, folks wondered if I had a foreign accent. Norma’s odd speech pattern is spot on.
Norma takes charge during the demon invasion. She reverts to calling park employees by the attractions they monitor. Death Slide and Norma to the rescue. Demon lords Zagan and Temeluchus battle for surface world supremacy. Demonic fun ensues, but everything turns out okay in the end. The demons leave. The humans are no longer turned to stone. After Phoenix Parks returns to normal (relatively speaking), the crew discusses what to do next, unaware of someone watching them. It’s a citizen of heaven.
But that will wait until season two.
Quick Break and Thank You
Thank you for reading up to this point. You’re amazing. Since the Dead End: Paranormal Park’s first season set up its characters well, the second season explores the other planes of existence, specifically heaven, so each individual episode’s write-up should be shorter. Thanks again for reading, and let’s get back to the show.
Season 2, Episode 1, “Take the Angels Bowling”
“Take the Angels Bowling” gives us our first full look at an angel, Fingers, who is a massive hand with a face in its palm. When Fingers extends its body (a long arm stretching from heaven), it resembles Gord’s, the red-skinned demon, who looks like a worm. Coincidence?
Most of “Take the Angels Bowling” sets up the impending denizens of heaven descending on Phoenix Parks, but there are a few wonderful Norma moments. Her friend Badyah knows Norma wouldn’t want to wear used bowling shoes, so she bought her a fresh pair. That’s thoughtful. Judging from the smell and look of the loaner bowler shoes, that’s a good call by Badyah. Norma and Badyah have started a podcast about ghosts and demons. Very on brand. Norma’s more interested in setting up a podcast schedule than bowling. Also on brand. And when Badyah info dumps about the finer points of bowling, Norma asks if that’s what she sounds like to Badyah. Awesome!
Season 2, Episode 2, “Evil Twins Are People Too”
“Evil Twins Are People Too” steers into the television trope of a character having an evil twin. Barney and Norma’s twins are the worst parts of themselves, but this becomes a blessing for Norma. She fears that Badyah isn’t as into their podcast or at least as into demons as her, which is true, but after an unpleasant exchange with evil Norma, Badyah tells Norma that she does the podcast to spend time with her. Norma makes the mistake of tying her relationship (spoiler: Norma is crushing on Badyah) with Badyah’s liking or disliking her special interest. This is fantastic.
Honestly, I’ve done the same at times. Because an autistic person views their special interest as an intimate part of them, they can tie relationships (or a relationship’s depth) to these interests. I even like how long it takes Norma to realize she has feelings for Badyah. There’s a reason I often talk things out to myself. I love this inclusion.
Quick Point: Badyah mentions that Norma does all the demon sounds during their podcast. This is most likely an example of echolalia, the repetition of phrases or noises that autistic people can make. I would guess that Norma makes these noises outside the podcast.
Season 2, Episode 3, “The Trials of Barney”
“The Trials of Barney” puts Norma’s story on the back burner. Secretly, Barney joins a demonic gym and trains to become a pro wrestler in the demon league. Barney proves to be one heck of a heel, earning the respect of most demons at the arena, especially his opponent, Asmodeus. Near the end of the episode, Badyah compliments Barney and then asks if he’ll be on hers and Norma’s podcast, proving that Badyah supports Norma’s special interest (demonology) and finds some enjoyment from it. Personally, I’ve found this to be the case. One’s loved ones can’t go long hearing someone enthuse about a topic without getting invested.
Random Note: The rock song (“Fight Like a Demon Boy”) that plays during Barney’s training montage slaps.
Season 2, Episode 4, “Eat the Parents”
“Eat the Parents” features Logan meeting Barney’s parents. For this reason, Norma doesn’t feature as prominently, but we get another round of her using a hilarious, ornate voice. Maître de Norma is so over-the-top it makes Barney question what’s wrong with her. This is so on point for many autistic people. You either get zero inflection or all the inflection in the world. I also like that Norma’s dream dinner guest is what she thinks is an adorable spider skull demon. To each their own, I guess, but this shows the depths of Norma’s special interest.
And clearly, romantic comedies were an obsession for Norma at some point. She goes full army general while discussing how crucial meeting one’s parents during a Rom-Com plotline is. I love how “Get Married” goes straight to “Buy Matching Coffins” on the timeline. Norma has watched enough Rom-Coms to know that all of them end after the couple gets married.
Season 2, Episode 5, “The Ride of a Lifetime”
Hurt feelings and a lover’s spat abound in “The Ride of a Lifetime.” Norma plans to tell Badyah how she feels about her, and Pugsley sees the conversation is not going well. Pugsley spends the entire episode’s runtime trying to avoid calamity of all kinds, physical and emotional harm, but you can’t rewind time to execute the perfect world. While this episode focuses on Norma’s love life, it still manages a callback to Norma knowing how long the Ferris wheel ride lasts. Excellent!
Badyah thinks Norma wants to cut her from the podcast, so she tries to prevent Norma from talking. Badyah doesn’t know what to think when Norma tells her that she “like-likes her.” I love how Dead End: Paranormal Park handles this scene. Badyah says she thinks she’s straight, but she doesn’t think about it too much. The showrunners have said that Badyah could be queer, but she comes out in a different way. I could also see Badyah as aroace (aromantic and asexual, where you don’t tend to have a lot of romantic feelings or sexual attraction). I would’ve loved to see where Dead End: Paranormal Park chose to take Badyah’s character.
Season 2, Episode 6, “My Super Sweet 1600”
Norma spends most of “My Super Sweet 1600’s” runtime avoiding Badyah, and she doesn’t attempt to hide her Badyah aversion. This tracks for an autistic person. Many of us, including me, have a difficult time masking irritation. I love how even when Norma attempts to “act normal,” her eyes narrow to pinpricks, and it gives away her emotions.
Badyah tries to smooth things over (from her rejecting Norma’s romantic advances) by hooking up Norma and the Gazan, the demon/vampire, celebrating her Super Sweet 1600 birthday. Gazan and Norma strike a friendship, and their heart-to-heart talk helps Norma see what she needs: space. “My Super Sweet 1600” ends with Norma quitting her job at Phoenix Parks. Gasp!
Season 2, Episode 7, “All Dolled Up”
Dead End: Paranormal Park does a great job of showing many ways a person can come out (with their gender identity and/or sexual orientation) and the responses that may occur when one does. More on that in a minute, but we’re talking Norma’s autism representation right now. “All Dolled Up” gives us a window into Norma’s childhood. We spend more time in her childhood home, see that she’s taken down all her Pauline Phoenix paraphernalia, but her mom clings to the Norma she used to know, the Norma whose dream job is Phoenix Parks, and she quit.
Norma’s mom cooks Pauline pancakes. This was one of Norma’s safe foods, as she ate it every morning growing up. This is definitely an autistic thing. Even as an adult, I still have safe foods, foods I know I can turn to for their texture, flavor, or even lack of flavor. My daughter, whose autism diagnosis led to my late diagnosis, ate chicken tenders/nuggets for every meal she could. I chuckled when Norma switched from pancakes to chicken tenders. Excellent.
By this point, Norma’s personality is set. Her status as an autistic queen is secure. “All Dolled Up” gives us the revelation that Norma is bisexual. I’ve said it before, but I love Dead End: Paranormal Park’s intersectionality. Norma’s scene where she comes out to her mom is heartwarming. It differs from Barney’s, and that’s the point. This show does what it can to show the spectrum of outcomes of coming out to one’s parents. We even learn that confident Logan is not yet out to his parents.
Season 2, Episode 8, “The Other Side”
“The Other Side” shows what Barney and the rest were doing during Norma’s doll infestation from the previous episode. Norma shows up at the end, making amends with Badyah. The two are friends, but Norma needs space. Fair.
This episode sets up the main conflict for Dead End: Paranormal Park’s second season. We’re headed to heaven, floor four.
Season 2, Episode 9, “Going Up”
Before we get into spoilers–there’s little chance I can cover “Going Up” without revealing some plot points–let’s discuss some quick Normaisms. Norma already has hers and Badyah’s next four hangouts and topics of conversation scheduled in her diary. While I don’t plan my days in this much detail or that far in advance, I am writing this deep dive in June, and it’s scheduled for mid-September. Yikes! Maybe I do plan that far in advance. Autistic people do like a regimen. I also like Norma’s wonder at heaven when she first arrives. As she says, I’ve spent so much time studying demons; I didn’t think about what was going on up here. Again, tunnel vision. I wouldn’t have Norma any other way.
Now, we get into spoilers for a show that’s been around for three years. You’ve been warned. Courtney learns they’re a fallen angel. Their “horns” are a broken halo, and they’re doomed to prune the universe’s timeline of all “unwanted” branches. While bleak in nature, this plot point metaphorically plays into Dead End: Paranormal Park’s main characters in profound ways. Fallen angels (angels whose halos are broken) no longer fit what it means to be an angel, so Courtney has more in common with Norma than they may have first thought. As an autistic person, Norma doesn’t fit in with neurotypical people. We’ll go more into the Barney side with the trans representation post, but Courtney’s subjugation in heaven rings true for a lot of autistic people.
Courtney isn’t allowed to be Courtney. Their personality–or any personality–runs counter to what the heavenly society can accept. There’s a lot to unpack with heaven’s insistence that everyone must conform and follow preconceived notions. One could rewatch Dead End: Paranormal Park multiple times and find new angles. This is the mark of a great show. One final point: I love how Barney asks if he can hug Norma at the end of this episode. Barney shows Norma respect with this question; Norma doesn’t always like human contact. I’m with you, sister.
One more major spoiler: Pugsley becomes The Watcher. The Watcher is the all-powerful heavenly sorcerer who serves as watchdog for anyone who steps out of line. Pugsley loses himself behind this onion-head mask. I don’t know if this was the intent, but Pugsley is literally masking. Masking for autistic people is when one attempts to look less neurodivergent. Dead End: Paranormal Park may be geared for kids, but it has many layers.
Season 2, Episode 10, “The Watcher’s Test”
“The Watcher’s Test” does for Pugsley what “Going Up” did for Courtney. Barney and Norma’s journey can be seen through Pugsley’s. Since this is our autism representation post, we’ll focus on how Pugsley’s journey mirrors Norma’s. Again, we’ll be going through some major spoilers, but if you’ve made it this far, spoilers won’t be that big of an issue.
Heaven (not sure if the character commanding Fingers is God, but they’re certainly from heaven) commands Pugsley to become The Watcher. Heaven insists there is no other way of thinking. Any other ways of thinking are incorrect, and that’s where Pugsley’s internal battle with Fingers’ programming mirrors autism. Most of the world runs on the neurotypical’s (someone who isn’t autistic) way of thinking, hence the term, neurotypical. Pugsley doesn’t think in the same way as Fingers and their boss (or bosses). Instead of allowing Pugsley’s different way of viewing the world, heaven forcefully changes his mind.
Furthermore, Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, a therapy often used to change autistic people’s behavior, can be compared to animal (or dog) training. I don’t know if a link with Pugsley and his heavenly training (as a metaphor for ABA therapy) was Dead End: Paranormal Park’s intention, but if it was, that’s brilliant. Even if that wasn’t the show’s intent, the world’s a better place when Pugsley’s allowed to be Pugsley, and our world could be better if accommodations were made available for autistic people instead of forcing autistic people into boxes–or onion-shaped masks.
Random Thought: The dedication to Leon Fechner (one of the show’s animators) during Dead End: Paranormal Park’s closing credits is touching. We leave season two with Pugsley wandering a plane that isn’t heaven, hell, or Earth. This pays homage to Fechner, who had slipped into a coma and died before the show was completed. Rest in peace, Leon Fechner.
Closing Thoughts
Phew! This was long. It’s even longer if you read the companion piece, Dead End: Paranormal Park’s Transgender Representation. While this show’s geared toward children, Dead End: Paranormal Park does a stellar job with autism representation. I’m not the first to cite Norma Khan as one of the best autistic characters. The show handles Norma’s autism with grace and style. I love Dead End: Paranormal Park’s intersectionality. Each character is thoughtfully layered.
If you have any other movies or television shows that depict autism that you’d like us to cover, let us know in the comments. If you’ve made it this far, you’re amazing. We all know it. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Get ready to make a cinematic masterpiece by rolling dice and placing them in Roll Camera!. Players work for a struggling film production company. The company’s on the verge of bankruptcy and one successful film can turn around the company’s fortunes. It’s up to you to make the best movie you possibly can before time—and money—run out. We’ll get into Roll Camera! in just a bit, but let’s cover some of Roll Camera!’s details.
The Fiddly Bits
Designer: Malachi Ray Rempen Publisher: Keen Bean Studio Date Released: 2021 Number of Players: 1-6 Age Range: 10 and up Setup Time: 5-10 minutes Play Time: 45-90 minutes
Game Mechanisms
Cooperative Game Dice Placement Events Open Drafting Pattern Building Set Collection Solo/Solitaire Game Variable Player Powers
Game Setup
Roll Camera! doesn’t have the best rulebook; it’s a little cluttered. I’ll mention this again in the review section. Fortunately, the game board is easy to navigate, and the company (Keen Bean Studio) produced How-to-play and Turn-by-Turn Walkthrough videos. These videos help a lot. I’ll do my best to convey the information contained within the rulebook.
1) Place the main game board in the middle of the table.
2) Choose or randomly assign one player board to each player. You may use either side. Give each player the Player Aid card that corresponds to their player board.
3) Shuffle the top and bottom script cards separately, then randomly select five of each to form two Script decks. Place each deck face-up in the corresponding spots on the board. Return the remaining Script cards to the box; they will not be needed.
4) Shuffle the Problem deck and then place it in its space above the board (the space marked with a red triangle and exclamation point).
5) Shuffle the Idea deck and then place it in its space below the board (the space marked with a yellow lightbulb).
6) Shuffle the Scene deck and then place it on the topmost Storyboard space on the board with the “sketch” side up. Draw two Scenes from the top of this deck and place them in the two empty Storyboard slots below the Scene deck.
7) Deal each player three Idea cards. Even though Roll Camera! is a cooperative game, keep these cards hidden. You will always have three Idea cards in your hand.
8) Mix up the Set Piece titles and place them face-up in two even stacks on their designated grey spaces on the main board, above the Set.
9) Adjust the Budget and Schedule dials according to the difficulty setting and number of players. The Difficulty settings are printed on the reverse side of the dials.
10) Place the pink Quality marker on the START space on the Quality track.
11) Place the “Blocked” tokens next to the Problem deck within reach. 12) Choose someone to be the starting player, giving them the six Crew dice and the Budget/Schedule dials.
Game Flow
Player turns in Roll Camera! consists of five simple steps:
1) Draw a Problem Card 2) Roll the Crew dice 3) Assign the Crew dice and take actions 4) Clear the Crew dice 5) Advance the Schedule and pass the dials
1) Draw a Problem Card
Draw one card from the Problem deck and put it in the slot immediately to the right of the Problem deck.
The Problem Queue has three slots. New Problems are added to the leftmost slot. Any existing Problems are pushed to the right. Problems never move back to the left, even if others are resolved to create a gap in the left or middle space.
If the Problem queue is filled with three problems, you don’t need to draw another one at the start of the next turn. However, you also cannot take actions, play Idea cards or gain bonuses that require drawing a Problem card if the queue is full.
2) Roll the Crew dice
Roll the Crew dice, which determine what cast and crew you’ll have available this turn.
Usually, you’ll roll all six Crew dice, but it is possible that some Crew dice have been “locked in” onto a Set Piece during a previous player’s turn. If so, you’ll roll fewer dice. At any point, you may choose to re-roll and reassign dice that were locked in on a previous turn.
Each Crew die has six faces: Camera, Light, Sound, Actors, Art Department, and Visual Effects (or VFX, whose symbols are white to denote that it’s considered a “Wild” die face).
3) Assign the Crew dice and take actions
Take as many actions as you have dice to assign for available spaces. You can use the blue action spaces on the main board, on Set Pieces (tiles), and on your player board. You cannot use the actions on another player’s board, nor can you use an action again if its space(s) are already filled with dice.
Actions will require specific dice. Refer to the following pictures, keeping in mind that the VFX die face is wild and can be used as any die face.
You don’t have to use all the Crew dice on your turn if you can’t or don’t want to; however, the next player will still re-roll any unused dice on their turn.
Locking In Dice) You may also choose to “Lock in” any of the dice you place if you aren’t able to complete an action’s requirements. Another player could then complete those requirements on a future turn.
If you do this, the next player will roll fewer dice.
4) Clear the Crew dice
Once you’ve taken all the actions you want, clear the dice, leaving any locked-in dice on their spaces, and hand the dice to the next player.
5) Advance the Schedule and pass the dials
Turn the Schedule dial to lower your remaining time by one and hand the dials to the player to your left. Your turn is over; it’s now the next player’s turn, and they begin with Step 1).
Ending the Game
Play continues as above until players finish five scenes in the Editing Rooms and the movie is in one of the white sections on the Quality track. It is possible to create a “So Bad, It’s Good” movie. The game can also end if you run out of time on the dial. If this happens, you don’t get to finish your movie. Sad times.
Review
I’ll begin by reiterating that Roll Camera!’s rulebook is—at best—confusing. Thank goodness there are multiple videos explaining how to play the game. I recommend watching the rules video at least before attempting to play the game or even reading the rules as written.
The cluttered rulebook runs counter to Roll Camera!’s game board. One could almost figure out how to play by the symbols on the board. That’s the mark of great graphic design. I’m shocked this didn’t carry over to the rulebook. I get it. Writing a rulebook is my least favorite part of designing and developing a board game, but Roll Camera!’s rulebook is borderline unreadable.
That’s a lot of text for a few images. Yikes!
There are a lot of individual mechanisms contained within Roll Camera!’s gameplay, but they all work together toward a cohesive whole. Player boards (with their unique abilities) make sense for player roles. Production design can improve the movie’s quality by expending an art department die face, the editor can move scenes around after they’re shot to meet requirements set by the script, and the producer can cut corners, generating money and an extra problem. Since the player abilities are tied neatly within Roll Camera!’s theme, it makes the abilities intuitive.
The requirements for placing dice are similar to those used in numerous dice placement games (like Alien Frontiers). That’s a strength. Similar symbols added with me learning how to play Roll Camera!. The Set Pieces made for an interesting puzzle the group must solve. Do we build a Set Piece with more blue, but specific blue spaces (like only actors can be placed on a space), or do we go for limited spaces with which to place dice, but when we do place dice on those spaces, you gain a bonus (like more money or more time)? These may seem like small choices, but these small choices add up to plenty of variables.
Roll Camera! even includes bad die roll mitigation. A player may choose the “Get Intern” action, setting a die to any die face but gaining a problem. Ah! The dangers of hiring interns. Roll Camera! uses its theme with most—if not every—design decision.
The most interesting action a player can choose during a turn may be “Production Meeting.” Players (including the active player) donate one idea card each to the active player. The active player will then choose which idea card to play, which one to save for later (you can replace another saved idea card if needed), and which idea card to discard. This is an interesting way to keep players engaged even when it’s not their turn as the active player. I may have to steal this game mechanism for a future game. Lol. Technically, the active player could play more than one idea card in a single turn. Saved idea cards can be played by placing dice on the spaces above their save space. The concept that you can play one die at a penalty versus playing an idea card for no penalty if you place two dice is brilliant.
Idea and problem cards uphold the theme. I don’t know how many times I chuckled when an editing-specific problem occurred while I played as the Editor or a directing-specific problem happened during the Director’s turn. Roll Camera! does what it sets out to do. It takes the world of cinematography and applies it to a fast-paced dice placement game.
I don’t even mind when my team and I fail, and we make a “So Bad, It’s Good” movie. In fact, those may be the best games of Roll Camera!.
Too Long; Didn’t Read
Dreadful rulebook aside (watch the how-to-play video instead), Roll Camera! takes the world of movies and turns it into a fast-paced dice placement game. Roll Camera! incorporates a lot of mechanisms, but each one works to form a cohesive whole that captures the essence of the game’s theme. Roll Camera! may be one of the few games I don’t mind losing. Heck! I like making a movie that’s “So Bad, It’s Good.”
1997 was another stellar year for tabletop games. There were so many games to choose from that we have an honorable mention for the first time in a couple of yearly lists. Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with another Top 5 Tabletop Games throughout the years; today’s list is the top five board games of 1997. We’ll talk about 1997’s board game list soon, but let’s review the ground rules for which games make these lists before we begin.
1: Cultural relevance plays as much of a factor as overall quality. A game might make a list that doesn’t hold up to others of its type, but you must admit the game is everywhere.
2: Only one game from a franchise makes the list. This will become more of an issue the closer we get to games with expansions.
3: Longevity plays a role, too. A game doesn’t have to fly off the shelves today, but it had to have some widespread appeal for a decent time.
Honorable Mention: Mississippi Queen (1997)
Yep. 1997’s winner of the Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) just misses our list. Mississippi Queen puts gamers in the role of a paddlewheeler captain in a race down the Mississippi River in 1871. Mississippi Queen won numerous awards, not just the Spiel, and it’s a stellar game, but the other games that made this list have had longer staying power. Still, Mississippi Queen is a satisfying racing game.
5: Tigris and Euphrates (1997)
The incomparable Reiner Knizia makes another one of these lists with Tigris and Euphrates. Many gamers may balk at this game being this low. Tigris and Euphrates is often dubbed a “gamer’s game.” It centers on a clash between neighboring dynasties along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Funny, both of the first games we’re talking about are named after famous rivers. Anyway, Tigris and Euphrates offers tactical and strategic objectives, where immediate (tactical) goals are more realistic at larger but smaller player counts allow for long-term planning.
Tigris and Euphrates features drawing tiles from a bag. Players may redraw tiles if they don’t like the ones they drew by spending an action point (players have two action points per turn). After drawing tiles, players will place tiles and leaders onto the board, creating and expanding regions and kingdoms. During the game, players collect points in each of the four tile colors, prompting players to balance the tile types they play. Tigris and Euphrates has a lot more conflict than most German games during this time. It’s a classic.
4: For Sale (1997)
For Sale is a fast-paced auction card game about real estate. It’s played in two phases. During the first phase, players bid for several buildings. After all the properties are purchased, the second phase begins, and players sell their buildings for the highest profit. For Sale is one of those easy-to-teach, easy-to-learn, and difficult-to-master card games.
In short, For Sale may be the opposite of Tigris and Euphrates. Both are stellar games, but I’m giving For Sale the slight nod for its accessibility.
3: GIPF (1997)
GIPF is the first abstract strategy game to make one of these lists in several posts. GIPF was recommended for the Spiel des Jahres in 1998. It has plenty of accolades, but GIPF makes this list because it began a series of abstract strategy board games by designer Kris Burm named the GIPF Project. TZAAR, ZERTZ, DVONN, YINSH, PUNCT, LYNGK, and MATRX GIPF are great games that use various game mechanisms. But we’re talking about GIPF, the game of pushing.
GIPF takes a board that looks like it could belong in Chinese Checkers. Players introduce a new piece (disc) on the hexagonal game board and push their piece in a straight line. GIPF involves no luck. It’s a straight-up brain burner, and it reintroduced the gaming community to abstract strategy games akin to Go or Othello.
2: Bohnanza (1997)
Uwe Rosenberg makes his first appearance on one of these lists with Bohnanza. The game’s title is a pun on the German word Bohne (for bean) and the English word bonanza (for an exceptionally large and rich mineral deposit). Players plant bean cards and then harvest them to earn coins. Each player begins with a random hand of bean cards, and each card has a number on it corresponding to the number of that type of beans in the deck. Modern card game darling, Flip 7, may have borrowed that idea from Bohnanza. Cards with fewer copies in the deck are more difficult to collect, but players don’t need as many copies of the cards to harvest (or make a set).
Bohnanza features trading and can get political. Get ready to make your case. More so than any other game on this list—so far—I’ve seen Bohnanza played in game shops and board game cafés.
1: Twilight Imperium (1997)
Twilight Imperium is a board game space opera. Twilight Imperium is the closest thing to a board game version of Star Wars. Twilight Imperium is a classic 4X board game: explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. You choose how your civilization will settle the cosmos. Twilight Imperium is not for the faint of heart. Games run a minimum of five hours. This is one of the reasons why I’ve only observed games of Twilight Imperium. There’s a lot going on, but if you want to control every move of an intergalactic kingdom, few games do as good a job of capturing that vibe as Twilight Imperium.
You can even dive into Twilight Imperium’s world with its novel series published by Aconyte Books or play the tabletop role-playing game spinoff. Twilight Imperium is a game that some board gamers play exclusively. And there may be a good reason for that. As recently as last year (2024), Nerdist and Polygon dubbed Twilight Imperium as one of the greatest board games ever made. Twilight Imperium easily tops our 1997 list of tabletop games.
Did we get the list mostly correct? Let us know which games you’d add in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! We don’t have much for geek news this week. Hopefully, we’ll have more headlines in the coming weeks. Instead of a bombshell or two, let’s get right into board game and video game new releases.
The Game Makers Returns to KickStarter
What board game fan hasn’t dreamt of making their own games? The Game Makers puts you in the shoes of a board game company, producing the most and best games you possibly can, and it returns to KickStarter this past week. Only this time, The Game Makers ditches the puns on popular board games and includes hundreds of real-world board games for you to create.
The Game Masters’ central action selection system is amazing. Players take snappy simultaneous turns by moving their forklifts along the four available options for production. This feature allows for games of less than 90 minutes, even when a game includes six players.
I’m also a big fan of dual-purpose cards. The Game Makers has these in spades. The Game Makers pledges range between $149-199, so it’s a little on the pricy side, but the game is well worth the cost. If you’re interested in running your own board game company, check out The Game Makers’ KickStarter page.
Endearment Commences on KickStarter
If you’re a huge Jane Austen and board game fan, Endearment is for you. Endearment allows gamers to become one of Austen’s beloved heroines and recreate many of her classic works in this swoonworthy game for one to four romantics.
Endearment is produced by Dux Somnium Games, which had other hits like Botany, La Fleur, and Artistry. Endearment continues the board game company’s flair for the dramatic. Dux Somnium Games has a reputation for high-quality components and easy-to-learn rules. While I don’t know the specifics for Endearment’s ruleset, I’ve ascertained it’s a scenario-based game (with scenarios based on Austen’s work), and that should add some replay ability for Endearment.
I’m intrigued by Endearment. The components look amazing, and Dux Somnium Games has a knack for capturing a theme. That’ll be much needed for Austen fans. Endearment pledges range from $49 to $329, with plenty of options in between those two price points. If you’re wanting to get your romantic gaming on, check out Endearment’s KickStarter page.
Terrorscape 2 Returns to GameFound
Terrorscape 2 channels Dead by Daylight in this team-based asymmetric horror game. Players take on the role of survivors or the killer in this epic game of cat and mouse.
Terrorscape 2 features a 3D mansion, high-quality miniatures, and variable setups for plenty of replays. Since Terrorscape 2 is launching on GameFound, we don’t know much about its pledge levels, but it will launch on September 9, 2025 and if you’re interested in Terrorscape 2, check out its GameFound page.
Lost Games Launches a Four-Game Package on GameFound
Lost Games joins the latest trend of board game companies offering their entire annual catalogue in a single campaign. Wishland has received rave reviews, and it makes up half of the four games on offer in Lost Games’ four-game GameFound package. That’s a great sign. Lost Games’ other three games have also received favorable reviews. I love the idea of a board game company releasing all of its games in a single campaign.
And Lost Games offers a lot of value with its three or four-game bundle. Dreamwood, Medieval Realms, and Wishland: The Card Game are available with a $39 pledge (that’s three games for about $13 apiece), while gamers can include the Wishland Big Box (with all the expansions) for a pledge of $120. Sure, $80 is a lot for one game, but this is a game with at least three expansions, and you still get the previous three games at the same price. If you’re interested in Lost Games’ three or four-game bundle, check out its GameFound page.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Releases
Hollow Knight fans rejoice. The long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong sequel released this past week. Hollow Knight: Silksong won Unity Awards’ “Most Anticipated Game” in 2021 and 2024. So, fans have been waiting for half a decade, and Hollow Knight: Silksong looks like it delivers.
Hollow Knight: Silksong’s protagonist Hornet leaps through the air with ease. Hornet offers more gameplay options than their predecessor. They can flip over huge enemies like a gymnast and pull off insane acrobatic feats, and Hornet will need all of their tricks to make it through Hollow Knight: Silksong’s punishing platforming levels. Fortunately, healing receives an overhaul in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Instead of a slow drip heal like the Knight, Hornet can instantly heal three health nodes and can do so on the move. But beware. Hornet has a silk meter, and healing three nodes of health immediately empties the bar.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is available on multiple platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. There are so many options. Hopefully, one of our writers will get enough hours in-game for an upcoming review.
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots Releases
The long-running golf video game series Everybody’s Golf/Hot Shots received its first new release in almost ten years, combining the game’s original title (Everybody’s Golf) and North American (Hot Shots Golf) title, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots. Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots features over 10 golf courses and 25 golfers who (like in former entries) can be unlocked as playable characters.
Honestly, I haven’t played Everybody’s Golf for more than a session or two since the original PlayStation Portable. The series offers a lot of varied and goofy play. From what I can remember, Everybody’s Golf has plenty of depth in play, too. Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots received some backlash for its use of AI-generated images. But according to a GameRant article, Bandai explained AI-generated images were limited to “leaf and tree textures” on the golf courses. Background tree textures can be tedious to recreate, and using AI-generated images to create tree textures is understandable. Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. I wonder if Switch 2 will get a release date later. Fingers crossed.
That’s all we have for Geek News this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Happy Labor Day for those of you who celebrate and have the day off. For those of you who don’t celebrate Labor Day or have to work in an office environment, you can secretly play plenty of video games at work. Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We will be a little naughty with today’s list in honor of Labor Day and share five great video games you can secretly play at work.
Never mind that the first board games I designed were solo-player games that fit inside school folders and could be played in the middle of class. I would never condone playing video games while at work. Wink, wink.
5: Desktop Tower Defense
We’re kicking this list off old school. The tower defense genre is crazy popular. One of the genre’s first breakout hits was the 2007 Flash game, Desktop Tower Defense. This browser game was my introduction to the tower defense video game genre. Even though I never played Desktop Tower Defense while at work (yeah, right), the game scores extra points for recreating the aesthetics of an office desktop. That’s the trick to games one can play while at work. They need to be easily concealed, like in a school folder.
Like the name implies, players must set up tower defenses to prevent enemies called “Creeps” from reaching portions of the playfield. Desktop Tower Defense further differentiates itself from competitors by using mazes as a game mechanism. Rather than players being at the mercy of the Creeps moving in a predetermined path, players created paths for the enemies to travel. So, while Desktop Tower Defense may have found an early audience by being easy to conceal at work, its unique maze mechanism made it more than just a “game you can play at work.” Desktop Tower Defense is a good game. It even earned a port for the Nintendo DS.
4: GeoGuessr
GeoGuessr uses Google Maps to make an interesting game. GeoGuessr is another browser game, which will be a trend because we’re trying not to get caught playing video games at work. When players load into GeoGuessr, they’ll receive a random street view. The player must use their surroundings to figure out where they are. It’s like Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, only you’re Carmen Sandiego and you don’t know where you are.
Google is ubiquitous in workplaces, so it’s easy to load up a game of GeoGuessr without raising suspicions. The game can be played without time limits, which makes it a casual game, and players can play GeoGuessr in between other tasks. If you want to work, you can. GeoGuessr is also a great way to figure out where you want to take your next vacation or holiday. You’re being productive.
3: Arena XLSM
Arena XLSM may do a better job than Desktop Tower Defense at pretending to be work. In fact, Arena XLSM is a free RPG made in Microsoft Excel. It works in Excel’s 2007, 2010, and 2013 versions, but hasn’t yet been updated for later versions. Like all good RPGs, Arena XLSM is story-driven. The player has been captured after rebelling against an emperor. He’s imprisoned in the titular arena and must fight waves of enemies to survive. Arena XLSM features thousands of enemies and a story told through notes the player receives from their wife, leading to several possible endings.
I was tempted to put Arena XLSM higher on this list, but the game’s availability knocks it down a spot or two. If your company’s PC runs older versions of Windows and the Microsoft Office suite of products, you may be in luck.
2: Paperclips
Oh, ho ho! Paperclips is yet another video game masquerading as work. Except for one other game on this list (our top spot), Paperclips may be the best video game to disguise itself as work. Also known as Universal Paperclips, Paperclips is a clicker game that looks like a calculator program. Clicker games may not be my first choice, but they can have a lot of complexity. After clicking a button to create a paperclip, the player gains the ability to automate, and then they can focus on resource allocation. Resource allocation is what makes clicker games so addictive. Paperclips is a ton of fun and happens to look like something you may have on your computer screen while working. Those numbers aren’t going to click themselves.
1: Leadership
Leadership takes our top spot because it’s the sneakiest.If you couldn’t tell by now, I love it when video games one secretly plays at work are disguised. Leadership looks like a boring line graph, but look closely, and you’ll find a tiny spaceship between the lines. Leadership is a secret lunar lander clone from a group of Danish developers. Leadership must be fun because Danish people tend to be voted the happiest. Just saying. During Leadership, players must guide their spacecraft from point A to point B, and they have a set amount of fuel to reach their goal.
Like other games on this list, Leadership is a browser game, so it’s easy to conceal. But Leadership’s appeal runs deeper than its skin. It’s another fun game. There’s even a leaderboard. You can compete with fellow slackers, I mean, otherwise motivated people from around the world.
That’s our list. I would include more, but I had a lot of other “research” I needed to conduct. Pay no attention to the line graph on my computer. What video games do you like to “not play at work?” Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We have several new releases for video games and board games, but before we get to those, the MCU made a somewhat major announcement: they’ve started work on their version of the X-Men. Okay. The MCU was going to begin work on the X-Men within the next year, so this may not be the biggest of headlines, but this could lead to future headlines.
The MCU Begins Work on X-Men
Thunderbolts* may not have done as well at the box office as the MCU had hoped, but it was a great recent entry for the MCU. The Thunderbolts*’s director, Jake Schreier, proved he could handle the quirky and dysfunctional family dynamics of the New Avengers. He even explored the team’s mutual trauma and had them bond. Marvel agrees with me. Early this year, Marvel Studios gave Jake Schreier the nod as the upcoming X-Men movie’s director, meaning Marvel’s mutants are in good hands. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine (via Deadline), X-Men director Jake Schreier confirmed he’s already working on X-Men.
Schreier doesn’t elaborate on his statement, so we don’t have much to glean from what he said. He literally said work on X-Men has begun. Okay. Looks like we may need to extrapolate. That’s right. Buckle up, because we’re flooring the gas pedal into MCU speculation territory.
Early this month, we mentioned an unnamed MCU movie scheduled between the two upcoming Avengers movies (Doomsday and Secret Wars). I stand by our reasons for the MCU films we thought could be released between Doomsday and Secret Wars: Deadpool 4, Black Panther 3, Blade, and Doctor Strange 3. Schreier mentioned X-Men would begin filming next year. Taking recent MCU production practices into advisement, this could add X-Men to the list of possible movies to fill the “unnamed MCU” film slot. But I’m reluctant to add X-Men.
The X-Men will need more build-up than a standard MCU film production. While I’m excited for an X-Men MCU film, my enthusiasm rises with the thought that X-Men will receive an additional year of filming, ensuring the film is the best it can be. X-Men will have too much going on for a quick year-and-a-half turnaround. That production schedule may work for Thunderbolts*, not X-Men. Asking the MCU to squeeze in an X-Men movie between Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars is a huge ask.
However, we should expect X-Men casting news to heat up in 2026. Until now, we’ve had mostly speculation. Geekly even did our own fan casting for the MCU’s X-Men. But that’s what most “X-Men Casting” has been to this point, fan casting. With Scheier’s announcement, X-Men will begin filming in 2026, and casting rumors will be more than speculation. I’ll be on the lookout for trusted industry insiders (like Daniel RPK, who has a great track record with MCU casting news) to report on potential X-Men cast members. In short, if we see someone consistently cast in a role for months by a trusted industry insider, there’s a great chance the actor has been cast for the role. This is the time for X-Men rumors to boil.
Stay tuned. 😉
Transecopia Emerges on GameFound
Transecopia adds hidden placement to the dice placement mechanism. Turns go quick with simultaneous play, and multiple win conditions keep the game fresh and exciting. I’m unsure of Transecopia’s theme, but I imagine it has to do with underwater exploration, based on the game’s artwork. Since I’m unsure exactly what you’re doing, I’ll be focusing on the gameplay, which looks fantastic. Transecopia has a relatively simple concept. Players simultaneously roll dice so everyone can see. Then, everyone places screens in front of their player boards and begins placing dice.
Player boards are resolved in areas, positioned top to bottom and left to right. Whoever has the highest value of dice located in each area, earns the resources from that area. Like I said, Transecopia has a simple concept, but you’ll need to outthink your opponents. Armed with the knowledge of what everyone rolled during the round, you can take educated guesses to where you think your opponents will place their dice. The big reveal is a blast and bound to yield audible responses.
Harness the unique strengths and skills of your people in the robust kingdom builder, The Gilded Realms. Armed with their own factions, players compete to defend and fortify the crucial region, The Pristine Mountains. The Gilded Realms offers a lot of customization to each game. Faction upgrades come in handy as you try to build the best empire.
The Gilded Realms offers a ton in its box. This second printing, offered on GameFound, features a new expansion for an extra wrinkle. The Gilded Realms has received great reviews. It offers an intriguing hybrid of simultaneous and turn-based gameplay. Again, The Gilded Realms is on GameFound, so we have little information on how much a pledge will cost. My guess would be in the triple figures, over a $100. You’d be getting a lot of game at that price. If you’re interested in The Gilded Realms, check out its GameFound page.
Airport Empire Lands on KickStarter
Who hasn’t wanted to run their own airport? Airport Empire puts you in charge of a small airstrip and tasks you with building it into an airport empire. Events occur to keep you on your toes. You can buy upgrades to expand your tiny airstrip to an airport. The airport pieces look great. But watch out. You must meet your needs to upkeep your growing business.
You score points in three categories: customer satisfaction, profits, and efficiencies. I love Airport Empire’s example of “an air traffic control tower is great to improve efficiency, but does little to improve your bottom line, where as maintenance hangars brings in revenue but go unnoticed by passengers.” I’m wondering if you don’t “need” these structures to run your airport. That’ll be fun. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
I like that Airport Empire keeps each version the same. Too many board game campaigns offer varied game experiences with deluxe versions of the same game. And Airport Empire offers plenty of pledge options, ranging from $49-95. That’s a good range for what appears to be a middle-weight game. If you’re interested in Airport Empire, you can check out its KickStarter page.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Star-Crossed World Expansion and Switch 2 Upgrade Released
Kirby and the Forgotten Land was–and still is–a great three-year-old platformer. Kirby gets his time for a Switch 2 upgrade, but this upgrade comes with an expansion, Star-Crossed World. The 12 new levels add some interesting twists to the fun formula. Hilarious Mouthful Mode transformations and the levels themselves make Star-Crossed World a worthy addition. I am a little worried by the Switch 2 upgrades. Switch 2 upgrades should be free if players already purchased the game for the Nintendo Switch, but this upgrade does come with an expansion. Upgrading Kirby and the Forgotten Land from Switch to Switch 2 does give you the Star-Crossed World expansion. This may be an adequate middle ground.
That’s all the geek news we have for you this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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