Homebrew Game Club

Nick returns from Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2025 with several short interviews featuring some very neat people.Optomon (Chris Lincoln) is a ROM hacker and the developer of the NES homebrew game Rollie. You can find his work at Optovania.com.Clyde Shaffer is the creator of the Game Tank. Find out more about this project at gametank.zone.Ellen Cooper is a board member at Hit Save, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of video games, and the administrator of Keitai Wiki. Check out her work here:​Keitai Wiki​Keitai Archive​Hit Save!Music credits for this episode:​Gameplay (From Below Pocket) by Pegmode (arr.), Tui​Beat 7 by Nikku4211​Minddrug (Layla: The Iris Missions) by Supper​Homebrew Game Club Redux by RaftronautAs always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

The gang reviews Justice Duel, a Joust-inspired arena combat game for the NES from 2017, set in a techno-dystopian America dominated by unhinged AI presidents riding giant eagles. Or something like that. Wait, is this still satire?Physical versions available from Mega Cat Studios.Download the free demo here.As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

The gang interviews Chris Totten, Associate Professor of Game Design at Kent State University and the creator of recent Game Club pick Kudzu. This far-ranging conversation touches on GB Studio development, game design as a field of study, publishing indie games, introducing Gen Z students to retro gaming, a possible Kudzu sequel, and many other topics.This episode has a transcript! You can download the PDF here.Browse some of Chris' other projects at the Pie for Breakfast website.You can also follow him on Bluesky. As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

Nick and Bart discuss their trip to the 2025 Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a convention that's surprisingly become an annual destination event for homebrew fans. After the break, a special guest returns to the podcast (with a slightly deeper voice than last time).Cover image drawing by Nate Ehlers.Music break: Shooting Starlight by Tappy - 8 Bit Music Power Final (RIKI Collection, Famicom, 2017)As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

Bart, Conor, and Nick don their detective hats for Inspector Waffles: Early Days for the Game Boy Color. Tune in as the gang solves the paw-some mystery of just how many cat puns three grown men can handle. Can they make it through with their wits intact, or will it be a cat-astrophe?Still need to play the game? Find it on Steam or GOG, or get the ROM (and a free demo) at itch.io.Physical copies are available from Broke Studio. Our next game is Sam's Journey for Commodore 64 and NES.Get the C64 version here. Get the NES version here. As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

The gang takes on The Storied Sword for NES and Dreamcast, a Princess Bride-inspired tribute to Ninja Gaiden and Sunsoft's Batman. Is "NES hard" too extreme for modern gamers? Inconceivable! Still need to play the game? Get links to all physical and digital versions (including a free demo) at Bitethechili.com. We did a livestream playthrough of this one back in April 2024. Check it out here. Here's the video trailer Bart and Nick made for The Storied Sword's Kickstarter campaign. Our next game is Inspector Waffles: Early Days for the Game Boy Color. You can find the digital on Itch.io or Steam, or get a physical copy from Broke Studio. Recommended by Nick's wife, here's a Pumpkin Old Fashioned cocktail you can impress your friends with over the holidays. As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Thanksgiving In the UK 00:07:30 Holiday Gaming 00:15:15 Intro: The Storied Sword 00:20:19 Describing the Game 00:36:30 How Did We Play This? 00:38:25 More About Difficulty 00:48:16 What Worked for Us 00:59:10 Signposting and Easy Mode 01:11:16 Working as a Tester on a Tough Game 01:15:01 Other Nitpicks 01:21:28 Music Break 01:23:33 Comments from Discord 01:31:51 Final Thoughts On The Storied Sword 01:37:39 Our Next Game Is...

After a long, unscheduled break, the Game Club grabs their gardening hats and Birkenstocks to take on Kudzu, a top-down Game Boy adventure set among the vines. Also: Should Nick get another Switch? Or a Steam Deck? A short discussion with an obvious conclusion. Still need to play the game? Find links to the demo, digital, and physical versions here. For more about Chris Totten and his work, check out his website. And you can wishlist Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends on Steam. Our next game is The Storied Sword for NES and Dreamcast. Get it here. We actually did a livestream playthough of The Storied Sword back in April 2024. You can watch it on Youtube here. As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

Bart and Conor seize the mic to fill dead air with topics suggested by the HBGC Discord audience. Enjoy the ride as our mutinous hosts chat away in the spirit of "We can say whatever we want, because Nick's never going to post this." This episode has chapters, so feel free to skip any of it. Or all of it. Topics include: Generative AI (The forbidden topic) Hot sauces Coffee Irish and / or English Breakfasts Ethnic food in the UK Wagyu beef Favorite movies Favorite animations Collecting physical media The history of the Napoleonic Wars Listener medical advice, or not Bart's famous kimchi fried rice Things to collect besides video games The Zen of pinball machines Questions for Nick (to be added in post) Here's that YouTube clip Conor mentions from Sharpe. The next Game Club pick will be Kudzu for the Nintendo Game Boy. No, really. Episode coming soon, we promise. As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

In this episode of the Game Club, the gang takes on Courier, a cyberpunk adventure for NES by Khan Games. There’s also a half-baked conversation about AI-generated art that should be inconclusive enough to irritate our entire audience. After the end credits, please enjoy Bart’s short and sticky review of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” Still need to play Courier? Get the game here. For more Khan Games, check out Kevin's website. Our next Game Club pick is Kudzu for the Game Boy. Find the Switch version on the Nintendo eShop, or get a physical cartridge from Mega Cat Studios. As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

The Game Club takes on Flea! and Tapeworm Disco Puzzle for NES and Dreamcast, two entertaining games about adorable parasitic vermin. You can find links and information for both at the Lowtek Games website. Our next Game Club pick is Courier for NES. Get it here. Check out Nick's livestream playthrough of Flea! on the HBGC YouTube channel. Here's a shot of that limited edition transparent cartridge (including audio cassette) from the Tapeworm Kickstarter. You can watch Innards, Bart's 16-minute short film about a less friendly type of parasite, right here. GitHub page for Short Stack by loopj (aka the "Wee Wii"). As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

In the first-ever live HBGC show, the gang interviews NES developers John Vanderhoef and Greg Caldwell. John is the Byte Off Award-winning creator of the Orebody series, including Hunt the Wampus, Orebody: Binder's Tale, and Oratorio. Greg Caldwell is a member of Retrotainment Games, developers of classic homebrew titles Full Quiet, Haunted Halloween '85 and '86, and Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum. Find more about the Orebody series at its Twitter / X page. For Retrotainment Games, check out their website. As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

Special guest host Chris (aka Deadeye) joins Conor and Nick for a deep dive into Retrotainment Games’ brilliant but baffling Full Quiet for NES. Conor reveals his new game design concept (the F.A.R.T.W.A.L.K.), Nick dusts off his memories of Russian literature, and Chris… probably isn’t used to this amount of profanity in a homebrew podcast. Still need to play Full Quiet? Find it on Steam, Nintendo e-Shop, or Xbox, or ⁠get the cartridge here. Our next Game Club picks will be Flea! and Tapeworm Disco Puzzle for NES and Dreamcast. Find links to both at Lowtek Games’ website. Check out Chris' Homebrews in Focus on YouTube. You can find the Full Quiet wiki here (expect spoilers). Join the Full Quiet speedrunning Discord server here. Ron Gilbert on “The Monkey Island rubber chicken problem” and designing obscure puzzles in games. Legacy of the Wizard (NES) game map. As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

In this extra special bonus episode, Conor, Bart, and Nick scour the "Ask the Podcast" channel from the HBGC Discord server to catch up on unanswered questions over the last year. Questions like: How long should a homebrew game be? What's your favorite video game movie? Is Atari still Atari? And what's your desert island laundry detergent? The gang even employs artificial intelligence to answer the most pressing question of our day: What is the Frogger frog's job? Nick also offers his extended take on Breath of the Wild. (It's long.) Frogger Club music: "Dark Atmospheres 01" by dave_wheatley via Pixabay Got your own questions for the podcast? Join our Discord server, find us on social media, or buy some merch at homebrewgameclub.com.

The Game Club whets their appetites for cyberpunk cool with the demo for Courier, a hackeriffic new adventure for NES from Khan Games. Courier is available on Kickstarter until January 31, 2024. Grab your copy here.

The gang takes on three very short but action-packed shoot 'em ups: Omega Blast for the Mega Drive, Dangan GB2 for the Game Boy Color, and Flight of Pigarus for the Master System. We also reveal the winners of our 2023 shoot 'em ups high score competition! Still need to play the games? All are available as free downloads here: Omega Blast Dangan GB2 Flight of Pigarus Our next game will be Full Quiet for the NES. Find it on Steam, Nintendo e-Shop, or Xbox, or get the cartridge here. We got interviewed about our Discord channel for Full Quiet! Read about it here. Reddit AMA by toggleswitch about First Press Games ***Please note: the deadline to submit games for the MAGfest Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase was December 15, 2023. You can find out more here. 8-Bit Xmas 2023 Gunhawk by Skyboy Games Bleeper! Get one before they sell out. Ben Jelter's game Talbut. As always, find links to our social media and more at: http://homebrewgameclub.com

The Game Club takes on Doodle World and Kubo 3, two NESmaker games created with contributions from children. But are we the right audience for this type of game? We invite some guest experts on the show to discuss. Still need to play the games? Find Doodle World here. And here’s the link to Kubo 3. Our next Game Club picks will be shoot ‘em ups Flight of Pigarus, Omega Blast, and Dangan GB2. Join the high score tournament on our Disc ord server to win one of two very cool prizes. Entries accepted through December 18, 2023. Discord link and more available at http://www.homebrewgameclub.com. Get free ROMs for all three games at these links: Omega Blast (Mega Drive) Flight of Pigarus (Master System) Dangan GB2 (GB Color) R.I.P. Rani Baker, NES developer. Her itch.io page is here.

The Game Club takes on three iterations of Nathan Tolbert's Zelda-inspired Anguna series on the Game Boy Advance, Atari 2600, and Nintendo Entertainment System. Conor attempts to define the "walkie-pokey" genre, Nick has a question about where those arrows are coming from, and Bart shares a wholesome story about George Clooney and a litter box. Still need to play Anguna? Find links to all versions here: https://www.bitethechili.com/ The next Game Club picks will be Doodle World and Kubo 3 for NES. Get Doodle World here: https://natepeters.itch.io/doodle-world And find Kubo 3 here: https://dale-coop.itch.io/kubo-3-nes-game-by-sj-games AtariAge acquired by... Atari?! https://forums.atariage.com/topic/354609-atariage-atari/ Play all 82 Game Boy Competition 2023 entries here: https://itch.io/jam/gbcompo23/entries As always, find links to our social media and more at: http://homebrewgameclub.com

Twitter, now rebranded "X," has been an important avenue for homebrewers and other indie game developers to connect with each other and promote their work. Tech industry veterans Conor and Nick discuss the decline of the app under Elon Musk, the rise of alternative platforms, and what it might all mean for the homebrew community. This is an update of a similar episode from December 2022. Find that one in our feed, or listen here. You can find links to ALL of our social media accounts (regardless of where they are as you're listening to this) at homebrewgameclub.com.

Game Boy developer Ben Jelter joins the gang for a wide-ranging discussion on… Lots of things. Things like: Game design, GB Studio, his favorite homebrews, how to stay productive as a creative professional, hacker movies, the illusion of choice, Just World Theory, and what retro console he’s interested in developing for next (you won’t guess what it is). Oh, and we also talk about his excellent game The Machine, covered in depth on Episode 13 of our podcast. It’s a good time!Find all of Ben Jelter’s games here: https://benjelter.itch.io/Pocket Pixels on Mastodon: https://pocketpixels.clubJeltron Games on Discord: https://discord.gg/uzZB2WuHY7Still need to play The Machine? (Yeah, you do.) Get it here: https://incube8games.com/collections/boxed-games/products/the-machine-gbcAs always, find links to our social media and more at: http://homebrewgameclub.com

The Game Club takes on The Machine, a dystopian sci-fi dark comedy for the Game Boy Color with surprising depth. Conor theorizes on how to keep hippies from turning into cannibals, Bart clarifies that we’re not watching a completely unrelated movie, and Nick embraces ethically compromised decision making. Still need to play the game? Get it here: https://incube8games.com/collections/the-machine Or check out a free demo here: https://www.themachinegame.com/ Our next game is Anguna for the Game Boy Advance, Atari 2600, and NES. Download the GBA and 2600 versions for free here: https://www.bitethechili.com/ Get the NES version here: https://the6502collective.itch.io/anguna-scourge-of-the-goblin-king Note: This month’s game club pick has nothing to do with The Machine movie starring Bert Kreischer and Mark Hamill, coincidentally releasing on the same day as this podcast episode. Here is a link to that film’s official website, which we include here as a courtesy to our listeners and definitely not in a shameless attempt to improve our search engine results! https://www.themachine.movie/ As always, find links to our social media and more at: http://homebrewgameclub.com