TWIG Mid-Season Finale
We’re hitting pause to respec our skill tree
Welcome to TWIG (The Week in Geek)—your weekly geekly, family-friendly news show hosted by Nerd Pastor Nate of Checkpoint Church! This week's episode wasn’t just news—it was a turning point. With a new season on the horizon, Nate announced some bold changes for TWIG, unpacked some major headlines in gaming, and served up one last weekly dose of nerdy goodness before a month-long break.
🎥 What We’re Watching, Playing, and Reading
Nate’s been a little light on TV lately, mostly sticking to YouTube and Let’s Plays. He’s watching Hundred Line with Weeby and Minish Cap via Game Grumps. On the gaming front, he's neck-deep in Judgment from the Yakuza devs, dabbling with Wittle Defender on mobile, and eyeing Persona 5: Phantom X for a future playthrough. Reading-wise, it’s been a theological and literary buffet:
📖 The Bible Says So by Dan McClellan
📖 Man Made of Smoke
📖 The Fullest Possible Love by Paul Chilcote
🔥 Trending Headlines
🛠 Valve Ups the Accessibility Game
Steam’s latest beta adds some huge accessibility features—high contrast mode, screen readers, color filters, and more. Great news for Steam Deck users and a big win for inclusive gaming. As Nate put it: making games more accessible is how we “do good and do no harm,” Checkpoint’s Discord ethos in action.
🧗♂️ Peak Climbs to Success
From a game jam to a viral hit, Peak by Aggro Crab sold 1 million copies in six days, topping Steam charts. But can it sustain momentum? Nate notes the Twitch-driven boom in co-op titles like Fall Guys and Helldivers II, while wondering whether the hype will outlast the trend.
📉 Netflix Retreats from Gaming
Netflix is pulling 20 games in July, including heavy hitters like Hades, Braid, and Monument Valley 3. Their internal game studio shuttered quietly last year, signaling a major pullback from gaming ambitions. Sad? Yes. Surprising? Not really. Even with good intentions and indie support (Oxenfree II, anyone?), Netflix never really found its footing.
📚 Checkpoint Club Picks for July
TWIG isn’t the only thing stacked this summer. Here’s what the Checkpoint fam is diving into:
Book Club: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler — Think Skyrim meets Deadpool, with spicy language and dicey humor.
Game Club: Moon: Remix RPG Adventure — A cult classic anti-RPG that inspired Undertale. You don’t fight monsters—you rescue them.
Anime Club: Aria: The Animation — A serene slice-of-life that’ll convince you to pause and touch grass.
Join in on the fun over at the Discord forums.
🛑 Main Story: TWIG Is Hitting Pause… But It’s Not Game Over
Ever needed to pause during a brutal boss fight, save, and come back stronger? That’s where TWIG is. Nate opened up about the huge time commitment it takes to produce each full episode—from writing and editing to posting and promoting. While the short clips perform incredibly well (and often lead folks to Checkpoint), the long-form content doesn’t get the same love.
But instead of calling it quits, TWIG is evolving.
⚙️ Patch Notes for TWIG 2.0:
💥 Mid-season break in July — no shows, just rest and recalibration
🔄 Biweekly episodes starting in August
🕒 Shorter runtime — aiming for 30–45 minutes
💬 Main segments may align with Checkpoint’s DLC themes like “The Power of Pause”
🎤 Possibly more guests and leadership involvement
🎯 More intentional short content and deeper dives
Don’t worry—Cryptic Critiques is safe. Nate knows what the people want.
🔮 Upcoming Releases
Here are three upcoming releases Nate’s eyeing:
Tamagotchi Plaza – Possibly the next Animal Crossing? Curious vibes.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima’s back, but Nate’s still catching up on the first one. Delivering packages has never felt more existential.
Until Then (Switch) – A TWIG favorite. If you like emotional narrative indies, grab this game. “You will cry,” Nate promises. “It’s a masterpiece.”
😂 Meme of the Week
Courtesy of NailHood: a cursed (or genius?) image of cookies baked directly on a DiGiorno pizza. The community ate it up—visually and metaphorically. Wanna compete next time? Post your best in the Discord meme channel!
🫂 Final Words from Nate
“We are proud of our message. We are proud of the ability that we have to boldly tell people that maybe have never heard it before, that God loves nerds.”
TWIG will be back in August, better than ever. Until then, enjoy the nerdy sermons, get involved in the clubs, and hang out in the Discord. And if you’ve ever wanted to help produce TWIG—now might be your time to shine.
🧡 Three Things We Believe:
God loves you—yes, you.
We love you—and want community with you.
You matter—the world’s better because you’re in it.
⛪ Until next time, see you after the patch.
📅 TWIG returns August 2025.