GROGPOD Roguelike Podcast

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

Jammin! Summer jammin, that is. Our mid-year summer break featuring the best of roguelike and roguelite music returns featuring some really old games and some really big budget scores. Featuring artists ranging from Makeup & Vanity Set, Noisestorm, Mili, OC Remixers, and shirtless indie devs weilding spears and axes, you have 2 hours of solid roguelike tunes to blast on the UE4 rendered crab rave beach. We’ll turn the clocks backward (as well as our baseball hats) and revisit some certified classics while also shredding and shedding some light on some lesser known titles. A talking-free version of all the tracks featured today can be found on our youtube playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ShOmyMvd4iiH7UO17MilF87AkzdDG2a Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 00:00 - Azure Dreams GBC - Title Theme 04:08 - Cave Noire - Combat Dungeon 09:49 - Toejam & Earl - Toejam Jammin’ 17:12 - Fatal Labyrinth - Floors 1-9 21:29 - Tangledeep - Mysteries of Time 30:10 - Moonring - Angels 37:33 - UnReal World - Outro Theme 45:45 - Noita - Beat of the Kosmos 51:18 - Diablo - Tristram 1:02:14 - Shogun Showdown - Hibiku Wastelands 1:08:34 - AK-xolotl - Sakura Pink Inferno 1:13:02 - Quasimorph - Storm of the Formorians 1:19:46 - Roboquest - Metal Hero 1:24:48 - Crypt of the Necrodancer - Mausoleum Mash 1:31:46 - Brigador - Solo Nobre Must Fall 1:38:55 - Synthetik - Hypernoma 1:44:37 - Crab Champions - Ace 1:49:33 - Library of Ruina - String Theocracy 1:56:45 - Slay the Spire - Battle with the Champ 2:03:51 - Show wind down and next episode preview mystery track! Next episode: Clues in the final outro song for this! Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone

The pen is mightier than the sword! This week we crack open that new book smell with a first edition copy of Vellum: the third-person literary hack-and-slash game. We navigate the maze-like stacks, pet some colorful wolf friends, and talk about how many puns is TOO many for understanding a game properly. Don’t be quick to judge a book by it’s steam store page! There’s plenty of spells and quills and swords, but remember: A game a lone a last a loved a long the- Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:22 - game stats 2:50 - one sentence description 6:47 - Hub world complexity and literary theming commitment 12:37 - Overly complex terminology and ability descriptions 19:04 - Enemy design and literary theme implementation 25:33 - “One more run” phenomenon and replay motivation 29:17 - Positive aspects including UI and visual effects 33:00 - Inscription system and meta progression mechanics 38:26 - Vignette encounters and their effectiveness debate 42:54 - Tome selection system and special level rules 48:07 - Progression gating and attunement level complaints 55:39 - End game content and endless mode discussion 1:01:29 - Boss strategy discovery and magical lamp exploit 1:14:13 - rankings and final thoughts 1:22:08 - similar games 1:24:50 - listener correspondence: does the GROGPOD need a public discord channel? Next episode: 2025 Summer Music Fest Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: My Little Brown Book - Duke Ellington, John Coltrane Outro music: Vellum OST - Boss Battle

Dat ain’t Falco! This week we wavedash into Spiritfall: the platformer beat-em-up with strong influence from the Super Smash Brothers series as well as Hades. The Blight has taken over the lands and your mysterious animal gods have tasked you, the Omenforged, to beat them back. With an array of weapons ranging from an axe-hammer to a scythe that transforms into a baseball bat, join us as we down-smash, L-cancel, and neutral-air our way across deserts, jungles, frozen wastelands, and all the way up to the source of the Blight itself! No Johns in this episode, we promise. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 2:04 - game stats 3:16 - one sentence description 5:57 Story Overview 8:58 Controls & Tutorial Complexity 12:46 Smash Bros Experience & Wave Dashing 18:10 Combat Mechanics & Arena Types 25:44 Generic Terminology & Art Style 32:38 Comparison to Dead Cells & Boss Fights 39:31 Map Navigation & Decision Making 50:39 Story Completion & Meta Progression 57:28 Hypothetical Smash Bros Crossover 1:22:39 - rankings and final thoughts 1:34:52 - similar games Next episode: Vellum (for real this time) Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Charles Mingus - Mood Indigo Outro music: Spiritfall OST - The Frigid Veil

Day 967… This week we unlock the enigmatic puzzle adventure / drunken architect simulator Blue Prince! Your wealthy great uncle has left you his strange estate for you to claim as your own, only if you can unravel the mysteries that lie within. I see a black cat with a red flag… pawns among bishops… ChatGPT solving wild word puzzles… IQ bending logical mysteries and more! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:04 - game stats 2:33 - one sentence description 4:07 - Spoiler-Free Initial Impressions 9:00 - Multi-Brain Gaming & Spoiler Transition 10:37 - Puzzle Spoilers & Game Mechanics 16:11 - Story Setup & Opening Cinematics 22:13 - Room Drawing Mechanics & RNG 29:05 - Foundation Room & Basement Mechanics 34:13 - Puzzle Solutions & External Help 40:43 - Digital Journal Critique & Comparison to Other Games 50:35 - Board Game vs Video Game Format 55:27 - Specific Gameplay Elements 1:03:02 - Game Design Analysis & Improvements 1:20:26 - listener letter on game pricing 1:29:00 - rankings and final thoughts 1:41:26 - similar games Next episode: Spiritfall (due to last second schedule change after the recording) Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Dave Brubeck Quartet - Someday My Prince Will Come Outro music: Trigg & Gusset - Bequest

Draw! This week we go akimbo with two high-caliber games between the college project wild west themed deckbuilding hit Forty-Five and an Estonian Eurotrance solo dev effort in Buckshot Roulette! We’ll spin the barrel on what makes a free game good, if board games are roguelites (because what isn’t at this rate?) and whether or not we fired six shots, or only five. Are you feeling lucky enough to go double or nothing? Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:38 - Forty-Five game stats 4:46 - Forty-Five in one sentence 5:40 - Forty-Five general discussion 8:22 - Developer Critique & Student Project Context 10:37 - Visual Design & Art Style Discussion 20:20 - Core Cylinder Mechanic Explanation 24:24 - UI Issues & Game Feel Problems 31:01 - Bullet Combinations & Game Potential 34:17 - Western Theme & Story Elements 39:30 - Buckshot Roulette Introduction & Sales Success 47:42 - Buckshot Mechanics & Atmosphere 52:56 - Single Player vs Multiplayer Experience 1:00:11 - Board Game Comparison Discussion 1:08:29 - Game Ratings & Reviews 1:17:56 - Similar Games Recommendations 1:21:38 - Next Episode Teaser & Blueprints Preview Next episode: Blue Prince Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Mark Lewis - Ghost of a Chance Outro music: Mike Klubnika - General Release

O, glorious roguelikes! Listener request week returns with a recent hit in the traditional rogue sphere: Path of Achra. A Bronze-Age, Zoroastrian-inspired synergy simulator of brutal combat and Conan-like mythological flavor, Path of Achra brings us a menagerie of unique themes and playstyles ranging from dancing swordsmen, to telporting dreamer mages, to giant stone tank warriors, and of course: brutal naked apes. Escape the rising tides to The Obelisk and seek the stars, O Pilgrim! Struggler of the trench of slaughter. Praise Humbaba! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:45 - game stats 2:32 - one sentence description from the community 5:08 - Game mechanics explanation: turn-based grid combat system 8:38 - Tab key automation and streamlined controls discussion 14:06 - Spell synergy systems and trigger mechanics comparison 19:02 - Music and atmospheric soundtrack appreciation 23:28 - Developer background and sequel development plans 28:05 - Story fragments and world-building elements 32:14 - Difficulty cycles and progression scaling systems 38:49 - Path selection and arena design mechanics 47:26 - Character creation: cultures, classes, and religions 59:01 - Event log issues and quality of life concerns 1:04:28 - Arena design limitations and movement mechanics 1:13:51 - Slay the Spire comparisons and boss fight critiques 1:17:56 - Final ratings discussion begins 1:27:50 - similar games 1:31:13 - Podcast wrap-up and next episode preview Next episode: Forty-Five Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Theo Croker - Imperishable Star Outro music: Path of Achra OST

Can you imagine a dystopian world where overlords are oppressing you through communication networks? Where your friends skitter in the shadows to sell you trinkets and spikes erupt through the floor to maim you? We’re talking Reignbreaker this week, not your average trip downtown in 2025. The recently released Hades-inspired action game puts you in control of muscle mommy Clef as she seeks to break the reign of the Queen of Keys. An interesting blend of javelin throwing, fist punching mayhem, join us as we each try as strained of a Cockney accent we can muster and free our dear rat friends. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:10 - game stats 3:25 - one sentence description 5:47 - Developer studio closure and unfinished game discussion 8:20 - Voice acting quality critique and comparison issues 15:12 - Game feels unfinished despite potential quality elements 19:08 - Bold aesthetic choices and punk theme discussion 24:21 - Character design and muscle mommy protagonist analysis 29:28 - our story begins 32:16 - Development team size surprise 40:25 - Combat mechanics comparison to Hades gameplay differences 48:43 - Enemy variety limitations and single biome problem 56:25 - Dungeon crawl elements versus arena-based combat design 1:00:45 - Story issues and final boss disappointment 1:08:03 - “So bad it’s good” games discussion 1:10:55 - rankings and final thoughts 1:17:54 - similar games 1:21:23 - Next episode preview: Path of Achra listener request Next episode: Path of Achra Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Pat Metheny - Calvin’s Keys Outro music: Djerv - Reignbreaker

Ordo ab Cubo! It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world out there so what better way to celebrate than with Cube Chaos? The solo-dev effort of thousands of different units, synergies, and mayhem all warring in a hybrid RTS auto-battler filled with arena destruction, lasers, ants, stomach acid, warrior plants, snow knights, and yes repli-crabs. A truly unique experience, come listen to how its maybe was TOO unique for some of us, while the others frantically battle waves of clay anomalies and curious moils! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:23 - game stats 2:14 - one sentence description 5:44 - Cognitive load comparison to previous episode Daisomancer 8:08 - Steam Deck performance and Java runtime discussion 12:18 - Synergy mechanics and verbosity versus cognitive complexity 23:20 - our story begins… actually what IS this game? 28:01 - Different playstyles and time scaling strategies discussion 32:25 - Character classes and species combinations variety 38:32 - Art style critique and charming pixel aesthetics 50:09 - Story absence and lack of thematic elements 55:40 - AI-generated art improvement suggestions and visual discussion 1:07:16 - Boss fights and music quality feedback 1:11:20 - Community feedback and player experiences sharing 1:15:16 - rankings and final thoughts 1:25:32 - similar games 1:28:19 - listener letter and listener request week! Next episode: Reignbreaker Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Dave Brubeck - Autumn in Washington Square Outro music: Cube Chaos OST

The club of overwhelmingly positive roguelike deckbuilders is a small one, but bolstered with Diceomancer! The late 2024 release features a unique mechanic of allowing you to re-roll any number you see on the screen. Just imagine being able to re-roll your podcast subscriber amount from 6 to 14! The possibilities are limitless in this Cozy Vibes(tm) aesthetic where you can finally exact your revenge on all those geese that have hissed at you on the park bench with an infinitely reloading crossbow. Exactly what those noodle neck monsters deserve for delaying your fishing trip! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:49 - game stats 3:30 - one sentence description 7:04 - Art style appreciation and Studio Ghibli comparisons 12:25 - Tutorial walkthrough and cozy fairy tale atmosphere 13:26 - our story and tutorial begins 17:41 - Purple mist storyline and corruption mechanics explanation 23:59 - FTL-style map comparison and purple mist criticism 30:27 - Translation quality and suggestive enemy names discussion 35:18 - Cognitive load comparison to other deck builders 42:04 - One dice mechanic discovery and randomness mitigation 50:32 - Class system critique and color archetype limitations 57:33 - City level enemies and weird creature designs 1:05:39 - Gateway game recommendations for new deck builder players 1:16:23 - Final ratings discussion begins 1:22:36 - similar games Next episode: Cube Chaos Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Sun Ra - Purple Night Blues Outro music: Diceomancer OST - The Woods

You have angered the gods! Listener request week returns with a Holy Mountain of Finnish roguelike games - Noita: the platformer where every pixel is either on fire, radioactive, glowing with mana, or doused in whiskey. Developed by an Avengers-level collection of devs from Crayon Physics Deluxe, The Swapper, Baba Is You, and others, Noita starts with a bang. Be it the bangs from the exploding environment, banging your head against the wand and spell system, or the banging soundtrack, this one is certain to polymorph you into a fan. Or a sheep with devil wings, which is taxonomically the same thing. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:41 - game stats 4:02 - one sentence description 9:14 - Core gameplay mechanics: side-scrolling physics and levitation controls 14:33 - Pixel physics simulation and “every pixel is simulated” tagline 18:26 - Spell descriptions and experimentation philosophy discussion 24:02 - Story elements: Finnish creation myth intro cinematic 31:04 - Learning curve criticism and lack of tutorial guidance 36:57 - Spell crafting system: 422 spells and wand programming 44:22 - Wand building mechanics and shuffle versus non-shuffle wands 51:00 - Biome progression: mines through temple of the art 1:06:52 - End game content and multiple endings spoiler discussion 1:12:26 - Favorite perks discussion: spider legs and unlimited spells 1:20:32 - Modding scene overview: spell lab and accessibility mods 1:24:32 - Final ratings 1:33:04 - similar games 1:38:34 - Next episode preview: Diceomancer Next episode: Diceomancer Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: The Five Corners Quintet - The Devil Kicks Outro music: Noita OST - Daddy Long-Leg’s Surprise

Ah… I can see into your mind… So you like mystery dungeons? You like obscure JRPGs don’t you? Psycho Mantis can see that you enjoy Konami games, which is why we’re talking Azure Dreams! A 1990’s monster collecting game that was maybe too ahead of its time for its own good, we talk town building, relationship drama, the extreme price of eggs, and just what awaits us at the top of a 40-story monster tower. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:52 - game stats 6:42 - one sentence description 7:36 - Nostalgia discussion: would hosts have liked it in 1997? 14:28 - PlayStation One emulation setup and controller experiences 30:45 - Story introduction: monster tower and town of Monsbaya 38:42 - Gameplay tutorial with Kewne and dungeon mechanics 52:18 - Town building and dating simulation elements comparison to Hades 1:06:38 - !!spoiler alert!! top of the monster tower and ending 1:11:55 - Spoiler warning and detailed ending sequence analysis 1:22:18 - Game Boy Color version and active community discussion 1:27:04 - Hypothetical reskinning discussion: cyberpunk aesthetic alternative 1:34:08 - community correspondence 1:42:57 - rankings and final thoughts 1:54:49 - similar games (thumbnail art by dhbs90) Next episode: Noita Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Cannonball Adderley - One Man’s Dream Outro music: Azure Dreams OST - Tower Theme No.1

This week in “wait, that’s not a roguelike!” we tackle the Souls-like shooter Remnant: From the Ashes! A lot of high-budget games that aren’t rogue-first have been coming out with rogue modes and Remnant is no exception with it’s DLC-based mode: Survival. Join us to complain about getting bodied by bosses, watching out for archers, and trying to figure out just how much chocolate you need in a cake before you call it a chocolate cake. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 2:18 - game stats 3:54 - one sentence description 8:28 - Roguelike elements debate and randomization requirements 11:04 - Story mode experience and memorable narrative moments 13:29 - our story begins 19:12 - Hub world design and Ward 13 underground base 24:22 - Solo gameplay experience and earth biome exploration 30:07 - Base game vs roguelike classification discussion 34:14 - Story progression through different biomes and bosses 39:39 - Survival mode introduction and DLC content discussion 42:56 - Solo vs co-op gameplay balance and design 48:21 - Trait system and loot mechanics in survival 1:03:11 - Community feedback and souls-like accessibility discussion 1:07:55 - community correspondence 1:16:04 - rankings and final thoughts 1:25:25 - similar games Next episode: Azure Dreams Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Kenny Dorham - I Had The Craziest Dream Outro music: Remnant OST - Black Wolf and Bloodshed

Welcome back Wizard, to the ruins of the universe! This week we pick up the coffeebreak hit of the traditional roguelike space Rift Wizard: a solo-dev effort by Dylan White, in which we skitter about pondering orbs of memory and battling all sorts of spritely monsters and mages. Armed with a spellbook a mile long and wild passive skills to boot, we will finally exact our revenge on the evil red wizard Mordred for waking us up from our nap. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 2:46 - game stats 3:48 - one sentence description 4:50 - Graphics philosophy and infernal bargain of visuals vs depth 8:35 - Spellbook complexity and 157 individual spells breakdown 12:46 - UI problems and overwhelming spell selection criticism 16:11 - Information management issues and upgrade visibility problems 23:25 - Spell synergies and Python code accessibility discussion 31:14 - our story begins and spoiler alert warning 41:19 - Enemy variety and creative monster design analysis 50:22 - Final boss Mordred fight mechanics and phases 57:03 - Music discussion and dungeon synth soundtrack evaluation 1:05:13 - Rift Wizard 2 improvements and sequel features 1:07:25 - Controls praise and mouse support excellence 1:12:04 - rankings and final thoughts 1:21:09 - similar games Scott’s source code dump of all the Rift Wizard spells and skills google sheet can be found here. Next episode: Remnant from the Ashes Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Jerry Granelli - I Put a Spell on You Outro music: K. Hoops - Rift Wizard main menu theme

Season 3 is here and we’re turning up the heat levels with the infernal hack-n-slash / visual novel / dating sim Hades! The crown jewel of indie darling developer Supergiant Games, we follow Prince Zagreus and his journey to fight out of the Greek Underworld with the aid all your favorite characters from Greek mythos including a wise-cracking skeleton, a timid snake head housekeeper, an ever-happy smiling boulder, a zombie boat man, among many others! Oh and I suppose there are Olympian gods in there too, each one more ripped and romance-worthy than the last. Maybe you can escape the fires of Asphodel, but what about your fiery passions for your co-workers? Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:34 - game stats 3:03 - one sentence description 7:48 - Steam popularity rankings and comparison to other games 10:36 - Replay value discussion after years away from game 16:50 - Heat system and difficulty customization mechanics 23:18 - our story begins and spoiler alert warning 32:26 - Meta progression currencies and door selection system 38:23 - Story pacing and character relationship development 54:47 - Ten-ending sequence and Persephone reunion storyline 1:08:05 - Weapon variety discussion and combat mechanics analysis 1:16:00 - Hammer upgrades and build modification complaints 1:25:49 - End game criticism and pacing issues 1:31:39 - Hades 2 wishlist and improvement suggestions 1:32:28 - rankings and final thoughts 1:42:43 - similar games Next episode: Rift Wizard Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Charles Mingus - When Your Lover Has Gone Outro music: Darren Korb - Out of Tartarus

The winter special episode is here! This week we turn back the clock 3 months to a number of interviews Scott did with developers and panelists at PAX West here in Seattle. A ton of fun, he got to talk to a lot of really cool and fun people who entertained my nonsense questions. With so many great games played and talked about, we’re already penciling out plans for next year’s possibilities! Check the timestamps below for interviews with friends of all sorts and their games and studios. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 4:18 - Live on the streets! 9:11 - Vampire Survivors tournament champion interview with Alan 14:58 - Slay the Spire board game playtest with Nathan and Erin 22:17 - Barony with Josiah Colborn from Turning Wheel Games 33:56 - “What is a rogue-like?” with Jenna Stoeber and Anica Cihla, see their “What Defines A Soulslike?” panel VOD here 41:30 - Rogue Climber with Christian and Eric from Imaginary Game Studios 46:04 - AO: Containment Breach with Jules aka Prismatix- 49:52 - Ultra Mega Cats 54:36 - Let’s Build a Dungeon with James Barnard from Springloaded 1:02:07 - Rogue Waters with Mateusz Pilski from Ice Code Games 1:07:48 - “What is a game publisher?” with Matthew Palacio from Hooded Horse Games 1:14:24 - ctrl.alt.DEAL with Gwen from Only By Midnight Ltd. 1:17:37 - Show wind down Next episode: Season 3 kicks off with Hades! Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro/outro music: Vince Guaraldi Trio - O Tannenbaum