GROGPOD Roguelike Podcast

It’s not a bug, its a feature! This week we crack open the most meme-filled game of 2025 with Megabonk: the first game by (very likely) youtuber game developer Danidev in over 4 years. Is your Megachad’s aura farming going to crash out or is your drip fire enough to hit different? Just how long can a skateboarding skeleton with sunglasses last against Anubruh or … sigh … Scorpionussy? We can always return to Monke, fellow kids! 😱↪️⭕ Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:23 - Game stats 4:38 - One sentence description 5:21 - How do you do, fellow memers? 13:34 - Danidev deep dive 17:01 - Initial Impressions: Vampire Survivors Meets Risk of Rain 2 19:28 - Shrines Mechanic 23:28 - Weapon Upgrade System 26:13 - Characters 36:39 - Items & Weapons 40:54 - Skeleton Skateboarding 51:13 - Maps, Stage Tiers & Boss Variety Complaints 1:14:00 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:27:20 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: 868-HACK Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 1 by LouisF Outro music: Miguelangell960 - She Mega On My Bonk (All Night Long)

Rise… champion… again! The Spire returns to be slain once more, in the biggest roguelike launch of all time! Our top rated game of the podcast now has a sequel, but how will its early access evaluation period hold up? How sly will our ratings of the new characters be? Will we DEMAND to visit a more exciting planet? Will our souls be eternally bound to a tooth-filled grimoire? What about Osty? Is he safe? Is he alright? Who is this mysterious Architect who sits atop the new Spire with a bunch of deflated hearts and bronze automotons?? Finally it arrives! We also finally welcome a new theme for the podcast after 4 years! Developed as part of a suite of multiple recordings, it’s a tune that will evolve over time, so keep an ear out and don’t immediately skip that first 30 seconds of random jazz music I’ve been posting previously! You can find more about Louis’ work on his website here Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:02 - New intro theme by Balatro composer LouisF! 2:41 - Game stats 4:40 - One sentence description 5:37 - Early Access Disclaimer & Future Revisit Discussion 7:50 - Comparing Sequels 10:42 - Major New Features 12:23 - Art, Animation & Dynamic Music Integration 14:06 - New NPCs, Story Beats & Lore Progression 21:04 - Unlock Systems & Achievement Design Discussion 30:25 - Infinite Builds, Balance Patches & Review Bombs 32:45 - 4-Player Co-op Mechanics & Board Game Origins 45:30 - The Regent & Necrobinder 1:09:02 - Card Enchantment System 1:19:01 - Art & Animation Improvements 1:29:30 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:44:49 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Megabonk Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 1 by LouisF Outro music: Clark Aboud - Ceremonial Beast

This Is Part Of! … the roguelike pantheon of short games! A beloved mobile game classic, we hop in to Hoplite this week: the Greek underworld dungeon crawling chess tactics inspired puzzle game of spear-chucking, shield-bashing, and hoppin! Featuring at seemingly simple 16-floor dungeon that can go on infinitely should you so desire, the game also boasts a seemingly bottomless pit of bespoke puzzles. So get swipin and swipe on that play button either for the pod or the game, they’re both good! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:39 - Game stats 4:55 - One sentence description 8:19 - Mobile gaming on the go 9:45 - Tutorial & Mechanics 19:26 - Quest for the Golden Fleece 21:30 - Enemy Types & Elegance of Game Design 22:05 - Filler Games vs. Epic Games: Scope & Value Discussion 31:31 - Altar of Apollo Upgrades & Upgrade System 37:44 - Challenge Modes, Daily Puzzles & Bonus Dungeons 41:51 - Sound & Music 1:01:15 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:09:15 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Slay the Spire 2 Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Stolen Momens - Orballo Jazz Cuartet Outro music: Hoplite Main Theme

Brains! Brains! This week in “yes we know it’s not a roguelike”, we venture into the heart of Kentucky for some country-fried human flesh with Project Zomboid. The zeds have spread and you have one goal: survive as long as possible. Do you loot the local school for backpacks and safety scissors, or the police station for pistols and shotguns? Do you dare risk alerting the manic hordes with your car as you break windows in your desperate search for prescription painkillers? …in the game, I mean… allegedly, Your Honor… Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:34 - Game stats 4:16 - One sentence description 5:50 - Roguelike arugments from the Zomboid community 12:00 - Actual gameplay 14:22 - Zombies as Environmental Hazard vs. Villain 27:47 - Tutorial Design & Quality Praise 30:43 - Character Creation, Occupations & Traits 32:30 - Map Size, Starting Location & Open World Scope 36:00 - Lack of Win Condition & Sandbox Design 49:19 - Combat Mechanics, Difficulty & Stealth 1:00:01 - Defining a Winning Run & End-Game Goals 1:20:00 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:38:32 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Hoplite Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Jimmy Greene - Last Summer Outro music: Project Zomboid OST - Maybe We Can Win This

Muscle up your game buddy! This week we dust off the 500 year old robot action FPS Roboquest: something like a “Doom Eternal for kids”, the electrobeats of synthwave send you hungering for more and more of those delicious green health orbs. Infiltrate a gigantic city of bad robots, rescuing good robots along the way, and unlock all sorts of wacky movement gadgets, character classes, and more hidden secrets than you can shake a pogo stick at. Always check behind those waterfalls! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:42 - Game stats 4:04 - One sentence description 07:21 - Opening comic book sequence & story setup 12:08 - Movement mechanics & speed discussion 17:45 - Weapon variety & upgrade systems 24:32 - Biome diversity & level design quality 31:18 - Co-op gameplay & multiplayer features 38:05 - Enemy design & AI behavior patterns 44:52 - Difficulty scaling & progression balance 51:39 - Boss fights & challenge variety 58:26 - Audio design & soundtrack 1:08:30 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:16:57 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Project Zomboid Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Lady Iris B. - Dexter Gordon Outro music: Final Metal Hero - Noisecream

Angels and demons all over the world, join hands and start a Monster Train sequel! One of our highest rated deckbuilder rogues arrives at GROGPOD station once again, featuring some interesting twists on the established formula. As we’ll explore more in this season, we’ll be looking closely at what makes for a good sequel while trying to make as many obnoxious monster moaning sounds at turbo speed as hum- … as monster-ly possible. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 2:00 - Game stats 5:30 - One sentence description 07:36 - Good sequel mechanics & previous coverage comparison 11:23 - First impressions & visual improvements discussion 17:45 - Clan mechanics & faction system changes 24:31 - Card synergies & build complexity analysis 31:18 - Champions system & upgrade mechanics 38:05 - Boss battles & difficulty scaling discussion 44:52 - Art style evolution & presentation quality 58:35 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:06:03 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Roboquest Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Blue Mitchell Quintet - March on Selma Outro music: Monster Train 2 OST - Stryx & Hallow

Yoom-taah! To kick off season 4 of the podcast, we choose you: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team! Joined again by our expert guest on the sub-genre with Helen, we revisit nostalgia and fresh experiences for a 20+ year old spinoff roguelike…lite…game? Hopefully the listeners don’t also brand us as fugitives, focing us to traverse the Great Canyon of JRPG menu systems to the high peaks of Friendship Mountain, while eating jelly bean-based IQ boosters we find on the dirty ground. Can we overcome Team Meanies’ quest for world domination? Can we find our lost sense of gratitude in the depths of murky caverns? Were we the true meanies after all? Time to take charge of our destiny and find out! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 3:03 - Game stats 5:59 - One sentence description 6:56 - Is PMD a roguelike? 12:20 - Our experiences with Pokemon growing up 23:00 - Gameplay mechanics 36:40 - The personality quiz 44:30 - Saving Caterpie, Thunderwave Cave, Mt Steel 49:00 - Friend areas 52:00 - Team ACT, the dream, Team Meanies, Silent Chasm, Mt Thunder 1:11:15 - The Ninetales legend, Gengar’s muckraking, the hunt begins! 1:16:58 - Mt Blaze, Frosty Forest, Mt Freeze 1:24:00 - Return to town 1:27:50 - Magma Cavern, Sky Tower 1:41:50 - Postgame content 1:55:55 - Rankings & final thoughts 2:07:37 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Monster Train 2 Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Pokemon Theme Saxy Style - The 8-Bit Big Band featuring Grace Kelly and Leo P Outro music: Blue Rescue Team OST - Sky Tower

If the weather outside is frightful, then curl up in front of the fireplace with your favorite roguelike gaming podcast! That’s how the song goes, right? Well in order to find those new favorite permadeath games, Scott travelled back in time to August for the Penny Arcade Expo in downtown Seattle. With only one day’s worth of ticket time this year, we had to cram as much into one recording as possible before familial duties took precedence. Check the timestamps below for interviews with friends of all sorts and their games and studios! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 3:09 - Live on the streets! 6:10 - Jacob from Better Publishing showcasing Don’t Wake the Beast, Void Dungeon, and Order Automatica 11:07 - Holly, Jack, and Quinn showcasing White Knuckle 16:58 - Hasban showcasing Rogue Eclipse 21:28 - Andrea and Bob showcasing Arcane Eats 30:12 - Shiv showcasing Pax Autocratica 35:12 - Special message from the Roguepod Litecast! and a note about Master of Piece 42:04 - Pax Panel Q&A with the folks from Being and Older Content Creator Doesn’t Have to Suck 47:24 - Risk of Rain 2 Tournament, Swap Meat 49:56 - Show wind down Next episode: Season 4 kicks off with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Recue Team! Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Barbara Dennerlein - Let It Snow Outro music: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team OST - Title Theme

Season 3 concludes with some of the heaveist hitter games we’ve ever covered for the podcast! From titans of tradtitional roguelikes like Path of Achra and Caves of Qud, to titans of real-time explosiveness like Noita and Hades, this is sure to be an Omegabowl for the ages. We have a great array of listener letters, co-host bickering, and wacky coin flips to make sure everyone is as equally mad as possible. So fire up those spacetime vortices and pray you don’t run out of footsteps before reaching Room 46 of the end of year recap tournament! Our finalists include: Blue Prince Caves of Qud Deadzone: Rogue Elden Ring Nightreign Hades Halls of Torment Hero’s Hour Noita Path of Achra Rift Wizard Spiritfall The King is Watching There can be only ONE to hoist the Trophy of Yendor! ! The full tournament bracket with spoiled results can be found here Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 0:50 - Intro 3:04 - Tournament plan, categories, and games 10:02 - Wildcard 1: Halls of Torment vs Rift Wizard 20:21 - Wildcard 2: Elden Ring Nightreign vs Hero’s Hour 33:44 - Wildcard 3: Spiritfall vs Deadzone: Rogue 46:14 - Wildcard 4: The King is Watching vs Path of Achra 53:10 - Division 1: Caves of Qud vs ??? 1:02:58 - Division 2: Blue Prince vs ??? 1:13:19 - Division 3: Hades vs ??? 1:15:50 - Division 4: Noita vs ??? 1:21:36 - Semi-finals 1 1:28:58 - Semi-finals 2 1:39:08 - Grand finals 1:59:56 - Show wind down Next episode: Roguelike developer interviews from PAX West 2025! Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: John Williams - Wide Reciever Outro music: Craig Hamilton - Onward (Kitfox recording)

The agony and terror of season 3 of the podcast comes to a close with the Survivor-like, Diablo-lite game Halls of Torment! Hear the demonic horns and twisted drums that lay down the epic background music, feast your eyes on the gorgeous low poly, highly pixelated 90’s inspired spritework! Collect those soul stones, find the artifacts and items from the demonic lord’s hallowed halls and see firsthand the horrors of greed! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:29 - Game stats 3:07 - One sentence description 06:48 - Comparison to Vampire Survivors 10:05 - Difficulty progression & enemy density 15:42 - Character classes & abilities overview 22:18 - Quest system & progression mechanics 29:03 - Item system & build variety 35:47 - Boss fights & challenge mechanics 42:31 - Movement mechanics & gameplay strategy 49:15 - Accessibility & difficulty options debate 55:58 - Art style praise & technical performance 1:02:44 - Endgame content & replayability 1:27:24 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:36:39 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Omegabowl 3 Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Cyrus Chestnut - Precious Lord Outro music: Halls of Torment OST - Chambers of Dissonance

Stay a while and listen! The sanctity of this podcast has been fouled as we turn back the clock to cover the 1997 groundbreaking procedural action RPG: Diablo. From humble origins as an Angband clone, to global standardbearer for game design polish, this titan of the horror genre greets us with a few haunting guitar chords and a cathedral of the damned. Join our descent into terror as we encounter vegetable hating butchers, skeleton kings, multiplayer friends running ahead and leaving us behind, sultry winged demons, poorly-aged game mechanics, and many more devlish delights! Perhaps there you will find answers. Or perhaps, salvation! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 2:35 - Game stats 5:44 - One sentence description 07:17 - Original turn-based design & real-time conversion 10:04 - Berlin interpretation & roguelike elements debate 19:48 - Character classes overview (Warrior, Rogue, Sorcerer) 29:35 - Town mechanics & NPC interactions 39:21 - Dungeon structure & difficulty progression 49:08 - Loot system & item identification mechanics 58:54 - Combat feel & clicking gameplay 1:08:40 - Multiplayer experience 1:18:27 - Soundtrack praise & atmosphere creation 1:28:13 - Hellfire expansion & cut content discussion 1:38:32 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:52:02 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Halls of Torment Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Nat Adderley Jr. - Old Devil Moon Outro music: Diablo OST - Tristram

O Glorious Shekhinah! To conclude our two-part special on Caves of Qud, we turn our focus from the epic storyline to the deep gameplay mechanics and systems from the Salt Dunes of the west to the Deep Jungle in the east. Join us for a water ritual on how to negotiate with camel merchants before we clone them, managing our reputation with fuedal fungal lords, and how to navigate the differences between mutated humans, psychic warriors, and just straight-up cyborgs. Get those schematics ready as we disassemble one of the densest and deepest “traditional” “roguelike” games out there. Part 1 of our Qud Qoverage focusing on the story and soundtrack can be found here You can find the in depth tutorial series we did with BigSimple to learn this massive game here! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 3:44 - Game stats 7:47 - One sentence description 08:09 - Gamma World tabletop RPG comparison 10:08 - Initial bouncing off & polish improvements 14:23 - Tutorial mode & learning curve discussion 19:31 - Character creation & mutation systems 24:48 - Story structure & main quest overview 29:17 - Death mechanics & permadeath options 34:52 - Open world exploration & procedural generation 40:15 - Village generation & faction systems 45:38 - Combat mechanics & weapon variety 51:22 - Skill tree & ability customization 56:47 - Water economy & trade systems 1:02:08 - Equipment & artifact identification 1:07:45 - Mutation system depth & combinations 1:13:31 - Enemy variety & creature encounters 1:19:03 - Interface improvements & accessibility features 1:24:38 - Save system exploits discussion 1:30:15 - Community & modding ecosystem 1:35:52 - Writing quality & atmospheric storytelling 1:41:27 - Endgame content & difficulty scaling 2:07:27 - Rankings & final thoughts 2:25:15 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Diablo Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Caves of Qud OST - Soundscape I Outro music: Caves of Qud OST - Onward Romantique / Live and Drink

Live and Drink! In this extra-special two-part episode, we first examine the deep story, lore, and soundrack to Caves of Qud. Winner of the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Game or Interactive Work, as well as the 2025 Independent Games Festival for Excellence in Narrative, it only made sense for us to break this absolutely massive game out into two parts. We are also joined by special guest and Qud streamer BigSimple! Listen in as we set the stage via the incredible soundtrack brought to us by Craig Hamilton. While there will be heavy spoilers up to a certain point (don’t worry, the ending is safe), simply hearing the story can’t prepare you for experiencing it first hand. Part 2 will be the usual GROGPOD format, focusing more on the gameplay and systems in Caves of Qud, and also back to our closer to 90 minute length. Until then, strap into that ejector seat and get ready to inject some Eater’s nectar! Find the soundtrack on Steam here Part 2 focusing on the gameplay mechanics and systems can be found here! You can find the in depth tutorial series we did with BigSimple to learn this massive game here! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 00:00 - Pilgrim’s Path (guest intro, title screen) 11:11 - Mehmet’s Morning (Joppa, Resheph, the gyre plagues, the signal) 26:30 - Overworld (Meeting the Barathrumites) 37:30 - Golgotha (First dungeon) 47:30 - Stoic Porridge (Acceptance into the order, the Baetyl) 56:40 - Lazarus (Bethesda Susa, the trolls, Saad Amus the Sky-Bear, Temple of The Rock) 1:12:30 - Onward (Ezra, Mayor Haddas, Sixshrew, Yla Haj, Zothom the Penitent, Rebekah’s grave, the Earl of Omonporch) 1:26:11 - Imminent II (Ereskigal the sentient computer, the Putus Templar) 1:33:10 - Attack on Grit Gate (Qud tower defense, NPC permadeath) 1:40:40 - Barathrum’s Study (Leader of the order, the mystery of the signal, the Spindle) 1:44:00 - Substrate (Rainbow Wood, scroll bound by a strand of kelp, Pax Klanq, Barathrum’s gamble) 1:59:34 - Among the Tomb of the Eaters (Qud crypts) 2:09:10 - Deeper Eaters (Sultan crypts, Resheph’s sarcophogus, Herododicus, entombment) 2:16:12 - Attenuated Signals, Fractals (Brightsheol, Rainwater Shomer, the Seraph’s dream, the golem) 2:23:20 - Moonstair (Eyn Roj, Ayog-No-Longer) 2:36:10 - Arrival of the Official Party (Final battle with Putus Templar, Girsh Nephilim, ascension) 2:49:10 - Similar stories 2:54:23 - Arrival (Part 1 wind down, preview for part 2) Next episode: Caves of Qud Part 2: Gameplay and Mechanics Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Caves of Qud OST - Pilgrim’s Path Outro music: Caves of Qud OST - Arrival

The Age of Men is over. The Time of the Orc has come! The long-lived and highly rated franchise of Orcs Must Die! comes to the rogue world for the first time with its 2025 release of Deathtrap. A game OMD players have waited 4 years to see a sequel finally arrives featuring 4-player co-op maze-building character-quipping action. Join the team of sassy teen #1, wrench arm boy, sassy teen #2, murderous cat, and big lovable bear man to stop the Orcs from getting into those precious portal for… reasons… Look, the special brownies are right over there, just one more mission and they’ll finally kick in, okay? Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:42 - Game stats 2:43 - One sentence description 4:08 - Game release history & series background discussion 9:27 - Tower defense meets action gameplay hybrid explanation 15:42 - Tutorial experience & new player onboarding critique 22:18 - Trap variety & strategic placement mechanics 28:35 - Hero abilities & character progression systems 35:47 - Multiplayer coordination & Co-op gameplay experiences 42:13 - Map design quality & replayability concerns 49:26 - Difficulty scaling & enemy variety analysis 1:03:18 - Comparison to previous Orcs Must Die games 1:09:36 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:24:40 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Caves of Qud part 1: soundtrack and story Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Marcus Miller - Trip Trap Outro music: Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap OST - Order Wisdom

Get in the zone! This week is a game with one wild journey from starting out as Starsiege: Tribes-themed extraction shooter to an original roguelite experience - it’s Deadzone: Rogue, of course! Awaken on a ship to shoot through piles of robots and uncover the mysteries that an unhinged space program influencer billionaire promises folks who sign up for a Mars cruise. What dangers might we face? Or NOT face? Maybe we are all just brains in a vat, if you think about it. Actually… you don’t want to think about it. You’d rather try to find some matcha on this ship instead. What you do you mean there’s no matcha on board? Oh that’s a big drill you have there… Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:21 - Game stats 2:55 - One sentence description 4:47 - Tribes universe connection & extraction shooter origins 13:05 - Pivot from Star Siege to roguelike format 18:55 - First impressions & new player experience criticism 21:16 - Weapon choices, perks, & augment systems discussion 28:12 - Meta progression concerns & upgrade system critique 34:29 - Difficulty options & enemy health scaling problems 38:56 - Enemy AI behavior complaints & tactical shooter debate 53:10 - Protagonist voice acting & narrative setup 56:42 - Act One story reveal: brain in exoskeleton 1:08:01 - Act Three body horror & final boss fight 1:14:50 - Ending choice: self-destruct or escape decision 1:26:42 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:38:40 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Alexa Tarantino - My Ship Outro music: Deadzone Rogue OST - Luggage Tag

Zyzz up! This week we eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate all sorts of fantasy monsters in huge army blobs with Hero’s Hour! A hobby project by a Danish psychologist, we look deep into the psyche of tutorialization, 4X games as roguelikes, battles rivaling the Pelennor Fields, and cute horsies. Spears shall be shaken! Shields shall be splintered! And your capital will be taken over in 5 turns by a wizard on a pony! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:28 - Game stats 3:35 - One sentence description 8:09 - Roguelike classification debate & 4X game genre discussion 15:08 - Tutorial experience criticism & new player onboarding 22:17 - Combat mechanics & auto-battler system explanation 25:22 - Dominant strategies & bodyguard champion meta 33:27 - Puzzle solving nature & replayability concerns 40:44 - Hero recruitment & army management strategies 48:14 - Faction variety & DLC content discussion 53:35 - Developer interview about missing campaign mode 58:12 - Art style & music quality appreciation 1:01:50 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:10:04 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Deadzone: Rogue Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Wes Montgomery - A Day In The Life Outro music: Hero’s Hour OST - Decay

Eye see you! This week we gaze upon the wonder of The King is Watching: the kingdom management and goblin horde bashing simulator with a twist - your workers are only productive when you’re watching them. Kind of like being in the office and having your boss fly by your desk twice a day… An artistic feast with a deep level of meta-progression, try to survive wave after wave of horrid beasts and giant horrors from attacking your peaceful castle through the use of magic spells, special king-based powers, and however many magic unicorns you can summon to your defense. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:43 - Game stats 3:33 - One sentence description 7:55 - First impressions & tutorial system discussion 11:52 - Advisor Gustav & art design appreciation 17:13 - Prophecy system & wave difficulty selection mechanics 22:29 - Meta progression & strategy optimization criticism 26:59 - Unit types & army composition limitations 33:31 - King vision patterns & strategic differences 39:10 - Building upgrade systems & RNG concerns 45:35 - Battlefield mechanics & spell interactions 55:14 - Spell system effectiveness & boss strategies 58:29 - Meta progression pacing & king unlock issues 1:05:54 - UI problems & upgrade tree navigation confusion 1:15:45 - Music quality & overall game polish 1:14:54 - Rankings and final thoughts 1:20:49 - Similar games and show wind-down Next episode: Hero’s Hour Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Gene Ammons - Someone to Watch Over Me Outro music: The King is Watching OST - 002B Village A

Praise the Sun! The Nightlords have invaded the world of Elden Ring and it’s up to you and your trusty co-op Nightfarers to stop them. The biggest roguelike game of 2025 so far, lauded developer FromSoftware’s latest entry takes a stark departure from previous games in the Dark Souls series at a blistering pace. Featuring gigantic bird-man, big-hat sorceress, acrobatic bow boy, yelling drunken pirate, angry Sekiro dog-man, sassy child, French fencer, and John Nightreign himself toting a grappling hook and arm cannon, Elden Ring Nightreign drops you into a wild hybrid of Soulsbourne combat with bosses and enemies drawn from across the series. Listen in as we drop into Limveld from our bird-based battle busses. “Don’t give up, skeleton!” “At last, Fort…Night!” Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:40 - Game stats 4:44 - One sentence description 6:22 - Hosts’ backgrounds with Dark Souls games 11:13 - Nightreign as departure from traditional Souls formula 21:21 - Game announcement reactions & initial confusion 25:26 - Launch reception & Steam review progression 31:59 - Tutorial walkthrough & first boss encounter 39:26 - Multiverse concept & boss selection choices 43:10 - Round Table Hold hub world navigation 44:16 - Character classes & special abilities overview 54:50 - Remembrance quest system mechanics & issues 1:05:44 - Relic system & meta progression discussion 1:18:45 - Map exploration & routing strategies 1:28:49 - Castle exploration & difficulty scaling 1:41:17 - Boss fights & Nightlord encounters 1:56:01 - Upcoming “Deep of the Night” DLC details 2:06:46 - Rankings and final thoughts 2:22:55 - Similar games and show wind-down Next episode: The King Is Watching Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: In the Still of the Night - Oscar Peterson Outro music: Caligo, Miasma of Night - Nightreign OST

It belongs in a museum! For our listener request week and the landmark 75th episode, we cover one of the foundational early roguelikes with Spelunky! Released in 2012 on the Xbox Live Arcade as a full-scale HD remaster of the 2008 freeware hit, Spelunky marked the watershed moment of stealing fire from the Berlin Roguelike gods and applying it to platformers. It’s undeniable legacy looms large, but does the nostalgia factor still stand strong? Will the hosts go hollow trying to make THIS one THE run? I mean, even the great Liz Mutton had to fall on a spike or two, right? Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:10 - game stats 4:35 - one sentence description 6:14 - Thesis about Spelunky as definitive video game 8:14 - Historical context of roguelike games pre-Spelunky 11:20 - Game difficulty and bounce-off rates discussion 16:14 - Comparing Spelunky difficulty to Dark Souls games 19:35 - Standard run walkthrough and tutorial explanation 28:47 - Controls mastery and engagement requirements 36:25 - Biome progression and level design philosophy 43:07 - Shopkeeper mechanics and vindictive AI behavior 54:02 - Olmec boss fight and final temple challenges 1:06:53 - Hell runs and eggplant challenge explanation 1:28:57 - Spelunky 2 comparison and sequel discussion 1:31:30 - Community feedback and player perspectives 1:41:11 - rankings and final thoughts 1:53:06 - similar games Next episode: Elden Ring Nightreign Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Herbie Hancock - Thieves in the Temple Outro music: Eirik Suhrke - Temple A

My kingdom for a horse! This week we play the minimalist, yet deceptively deep tower defense strategy roguelite Kingdom: New Lands. This one-dimensional game is anything but as we dive deep into advanced peasant managing strategy not seen since Warcraft. You have crash landed on an island and must lead it to survival against greedy forest dwelling goblins. Your royal rule by hurling coins at downtrodden beggars is the only thing that stands between you and sailing off into the sunset with your pet wolf and whatever knights you may have paid handsomely to protect you. What else awaits your majesty on the wavey shores to come? Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:20 - game stats 3:02 - one sentence description 5:17 - Basic gameplay mechanics and controls explanation 8:40 - Game’s origins as Flash project for horse animations 11:25 - Tutorial experience and early game confusion 17:27 - Death mechanics and learning curve discussion 24:56 - Attack patterns and timing strategies 29:25 - Frustration with long run times and restarts 36:29 - Wiki usage debate and game inscrutability 44:10 - Blood moon mechanics and visual/audio cues 54:27 - Farming mechanics and builder management confusion 59:03 - Game’s difficulty scaling and strategic depth 1:07:48 - Portal mechanics and teleportation discovery 1:15:20 - rankings and final thoughts 1:25:03 - similar games Next episode: Spelunky Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Harold Land - Lands End Outro music: Amos Roddy - Meadow