Retro Titans - the Evercade podcast

Witch n' Wiz is one of my all-time favourite games on Evercade, so I've been chomping at the bit to speak to the game's developer Matt Hughson. It was everything I hoped and more. We discussed how he came up with the idea for Witch n' Wiz and developed it into the game we all love. He explained his process for devising the levels and gets the difficulty level just right, before moving on to tell the story of his involvement with Evercade.  Matt, who is based in Vancouver and works as a developer in his day job too, is also a fierce supporter of the homebrew developer scene and he explains why the community is so supportive, and tells us about some of his own favourite games.  As always, we covered his top choices of a device and carts to take away for the Desert Island Carts feature.  If you enjoyed Witch n' Wiz or have any interest in how games actually get made, this episode is for you.    🔗 Links: Linktr.ee - @matthughson X / Twitter - @matthughson   🎵 Music  Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra Nebs 'n Debs, by kulor (thanks to Chris Cacciatore)        

The Evercade Facebook groups have been lit up in the past few weeks discussing collecting and selling carts. As a non-collector myself, I am intrigued by the desire to own the whole collection and equally curious about the prices some of these carts can command. So, to understand more about the art of collecting on Evercade, I spoke to reviewer, collector and all-round retro gaming fan Connor (aka Connor The Braixen) from Seafoam Gaming.  We also have time to discuss licensing, why some carts go legacy and which ones could be up for deletion next. Connor has an extensive knowledge of Evercade and retro gaming in general, and his enthusiasm is infectious.  As always, we have time to discuss Connor's desert island carts and play out with one of his favourite retro gaming tunes.    🔗 Links: Website - seafoamgaming.com Blue Sky - @seafoamgaming.bsky.social   🎵 Music  Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra Valis III - Nizetti, by Hisao Inoue, Jun Hasebe & Shingo Murakami  

The Mega Cat Studios Collections (I & II) are firm fan favourites amongst the Evercade community, so having the opportunity to talk to the company’s founder James Deighan and cinematic director Andrew Marsh was a real treat. This episode covers a lot of ground, from the origin story of Mega Cat Studios and how they started working with Blaze Entertainment, through to the business of making indie games and defining success in a hit-led industry. If you have any interest in developing your own game or you’d like to peep behind the curtain of a successful game studio, this episode is for you! It also happens to have a banging tune to play out at the end.   🔗 Links: X / Twitter - @megacatstudios Instagram - @megacatstudios Facebook - @megacatstudios Discord - @megacat   🎵 Music  Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra Coffee Crisis theme tune, by Mega Cat Studios

Fresh from a mid-season break, we talk to gaming journalist and YouTuber Andi Hamilton and get his take on the latest Evarcade news, the growth of retro gaming and his love for Duke Nukem, Street Fighter and Sensible Soccer.  As usual we have the Desert Island Carts feature, where Andi tells us his choice of device, carts and music to take away on a desert Island.  Do make sure you subscribe to Retro Titans to never miss an episode and give us a review, if you have a moment to spare.    🔗 Links: X / Twitter - @andihero YouTube - @andihamilton   🎵 Music  Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra Splatterhouse 2 Genesis Music - Bellache Boss Battle, by Eiko Kaneda

We catch up with Nik Tyrrell, a retro gaming YouTuber, Evercade collector and fan of the 8-bit era. As well as providing his thoughts on all things Evercade, Nik gives us his perspectives on the golden era of gaming, what the appeal of collecting cartridges is and his hidden gems in the Evercade library, amongst other things.  We also play an Evercade game, 'Evercade Family Fortunes', which you're welcome to join in at home or on the move. All you need is a pen and paper before you start listening.  Do make sure you subscribe to Retro Titans to never miss an episode and give us a review, if you have a moment to spare.    🔗 Links: YouTube - @NikTyrell Facebook Group - Nik Tyrell on YouTube   🎵 Music  Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra New Zealand Story - arcade in-game music

In our sixth epsiode, we catch up with three of the team behind Evercade Evolution, a fan magazine devoted to the world of Evercade. We find out why the magazine was created and hear some of the highlights so far - from a chance encounter with OutOfTheBit, which led to first Evercade single cart release, to how the magazine runs as a non-profit and raises money for charity.  Liam, Mark and Vaughan also give their thoughts about the world of retro and indie gaming on Evercade, why they'd like to see a Spectrum cart and make their predictions on games and hardward for the year ahead.    🔗 Links: Evercade Info - Evercade Evolution Twitter - @EvercadeMag   🎵 Music: Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra Boomerang Kid, by AceMoon        

So, what happens when you discover Evercade? You want to share your experiences and ask questions of like-minded people, of course. Thankfully there are plenty of options to choose from, including the Evercade Hangout on Facebook. This week, we catch up with Ryan Andrews, head admin of the Evercade Hangout, which promotes itself as 'the only Evercade group that allows all opinions whether they're good or bad.' We find out what goes into running a successful Facebook Group, how the sister channel, the Total Evercade YouTube livestream works, and Ryan's personal take on all things Evercade.    🔗 Links: Facebook - The Evercade Hangout YouTube - Retro Gaming Revival (where Total Evercade lives)   🎵 Music: Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra Goal-scoring Superstar Hero, written by Jon Hare and Richard Joseph, performed by Jackie Reed

In this episode we catch up with three of the team behind the futuristic, dystopian Evercade classic, Full Void. The game's developer Out Of The Bit is a small independent studio based in Wimbledon London and was founded in 2008 by Ali Motisi. Ali and two of his team Tom Cullen and Leo Halwart explain how the pandemic was the inspiration for Full Void and some of the decisions they made, from the choice of music to the style of pixel art.  We also get find out how it got picked up by Evercade to become Blaze Entertainment's first single-game cartridge and how it felt to pick the Debug independent gaming Subscriber's Choice award. If you are interested in indie gaming or the Evercade platform, this is a must-listen episode.    🔗 Links: Website - Out Of The Bit Twitter / X - @outofthebit Facebook - @outofthebit Instagram - @outofthebit   🧑‍💻 Interviewees: Twitter / X -@Ali Motisi Twitter / X - @TCullenDA Twitter / X - @Leoliolao    🎮 Out Of The Bit games on Evercade:   Full Void    🎵 Music: Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra Full Void (Amiga version), by Robyn Powell  

In this episode of Retro Titans, we talk to Ally Low, the founder and owner of game studio Lowtek Games and a prominent figure on dyslexia in gaming. Ally explains the progress around dyslexia, but why it's still coming up short and what he'd like to see happen next. We also discuss his process for creating amazing, addictive games like Flea and Tapeworm Disco Party, and then promoting them with Blaze Entertainment. Ally provides budding games developers with his top tips for getting into gaming and creating the next Evercade classic.   In the final part of the show, Ally also shares the top three carts and device he would take with him to a desert island, as part of our Desert Island Carts feature. Make sure you hang around for his music choice at the end of the show.  Whether you are new to Evercade or a seasoned gamer on the platform, you'll love this deep-dive into all things Evercade. 🔗 Links: Website - https://www.lowtek.games/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/wallmasterr  TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wallmasterr    💾 Gaming-making engines: GB Studio - https://www.gbstudio.dev/  Godot - https://godotengine.org/    🎮 Lowtek Games games on Evercade: Indie Heroes 3 Indie Heroes 2 Indie Heroes 1   📖 Projector Mapping demo: @JohnBlueRiggs on Twitter    🎵 Music: Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra Tapeworm Disco Party - in-game music

For our second episode of Retro Titans, we talk to one of the leading lights in the world of Evercade, Sir_Top_&_Hat. We find out how he discovered Evercade and played a role in the development of the platform, including gaining those early licenses and promoting the Evercade community. He also shares the top three carts and device he would take with him to a desert island, as part of our Desert Island Carts feature.  Whether you are new to Evercade or a seasoned gamer on the platform, you'll love this deep-dive into all things Evercade. 🔗 Links: Twitter - https://twitter.com/sir_top_and_hat 🎵 Music  Neon Gaming, by Dope Stuff Desert Island Disc theme tune, by Eric Coates and his orchestra New Zealand Story - arcade in-game music  

We kick off Retro Titans with an interview with one of the leading retro gaming YouTubers, Crazy Burger. We discuss his accidental success as a YouTuber, the early days of Evercade, the Super Pocket success, predictions for the future, and his Desert Island Carts + much more!  Whether you are new to Evercade or a seasoned gamer on the platform, you'll love this deep-dive into all things Evercade. 🔗 Links: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CrazyBurger Facebook facebook.com/Crazy-Burger-119134488910841 Instagram instagram.com/crazy_burger_youtube