Explore every episode of the podcast GROGPOD Roguelike Podcast

A dark presence surrounds you, whispering promises of stolen power! Our episode 100 mega special concludes with a mega special game in the traditional roguelike sphere: Brogue! Developed by a lawyer, Brian Walker sought to rewrite the state of roguelikes in 2009 from bloated checkbox-ticking, weeks-long RPG length games and bring the genre back to its coffee break length roots. Careful streamlining of systems, UI polish, graphical effects, and a much smaller monster pool make Brogue one of the most readily accessible roguelikes of the modern era. My, what a yummy mango! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 01:11 - Game Stats 06:15 - One Sentence Description 10:17 - Brian the Dev’s thoughts on Rogue vs Angband vs Nethack 16:38 - Modernized Design Philosophy 31:58 - Character As Items Design 37:18 - Lumen Stones: Optional Hard Mode & Going Beyond Floor 25 41:30 - Brogue as a First ASCII Game? 51:02 - ASCII Sprites 53:24 - Monster Roster: Dragons, Liches, Jellies & Hover Flavor Text 56:11 - Emergent Narrative 57:37 - Identification Meta-Game, Percentages & Risk 1:10:50 - Magic System: Staffs, Wands, Charges & Enchantment Synergies 1:16:39 - Brogue Fan Community Correspondence 1:31:09 - Rankings & Final Thoughts (new #1 hidden gem game for the podcast!) 1:43:53 - Similar Games & Show Wind Down See also: The Incredible Power of Dijkstra Maps Brian Walker - Procedural level design in Brogue and beyond Brian’s thoughts on Rogue vs Angband and Nethack Next episode: Nordhold Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: The Lord of the Chiptunes: The Return of The Chiptune - Minas Tirith Outro music: Sir Knight Beats - GELATINOUS CUBE (hexcore)

What is this new devilry? Part 2 of the GROGPOD100 extravaganza continues, this time with a focus on the first ever rogue-like games ever made! Following the part 1 format, Scott does a brief historical deep dive of the games with some community correspondence, followed by our in-person live first experiences playing these games. We’ll experience why Gandalf had no memory of dungeon floors in Moria, see the first draft of history with Hack, try to rescue our poisoned daughter in Larn, and try to survive longer than 10 turns in the city of Rampart with Omega! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 00:28 - Part 2 intro 02:23 - 1983 Moria 15:42 - Moria correspondence 27:31 - 1984 Hack 38:23 - Hack correspondence 47:31 - 1986 Larn 54:07 - Larn correspondence 58:13 - 1987 Omega 1:12:11 - Omega correspondence 1:14:11 - GROGPOD live first impressions Mentioned in this episode: Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games Toma’s unedited 15 minute voicemail here Toma’s 130 traditional roguelike reviews Rogue Elements Scott & Dan talking Dwarf Fortress back in 2020 Next episode: EP100 part 3: Brogue CE Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Shiryu - The Lord of the Chiptunes: The Chiptune of the Ring - The Council of Elrond Outro music: Shiryu - The Bridge of Khazad-dûm

The road to Rogue was paved with ascii, teletype, thousand-pound mainframes, and a hacker spirit only highschoolers and college kids and eminate. For our big 100th episode, we have for you a 3-part deep dive into the games that inspired Rogue, the first TRUE roguelikes, and the crown jewel of ascii games: Brogue. This being part 1, we focus on the biggest computer games of the 1970s and how those shaped the design of Rogue. For each game, Scott briefly talks about how its played and a short bit of history, followed by some community correspondence about the game. Finally we have the pod crew doing a first ever live in-person recording about our experiences playing these games for the first time. So use those podcast desription timestamps to jump around! You feel weak with hunger… a hunger that can only be satisifed by hitting that play button! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:00 - Intro to episode 100 parts 1, 2, and 3 05:30 - 1971 Star Trek overview 13:30 - Trek correspondence 20:22 - 1975 pedit5/The Dungeon overview 30:10 - 1976 Colossal Cave Adventure 41:12 - ADVENT correspondence 47:12 - 1980 Rogue 58:52 - Rogue correspondence 1:06:46 - GROGPOD live first impressions Next episode: EP100 part 2: The First Roguelikes (Moria, Hack, Larn, Omega) Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Star Trek 1969 Outro music: Introduction to the PDP-11

Ball don’t lie! This week we’re dropping into the chasm filled with Arkanoid-inspired enemies in BALL x PIT! The fabled city of Ballbylon has fallen and evil monsters have dragged the metropolis into, you guessed it, a pit! Your quest is to rebuild the city by taking a ramshackle elevator down into the depths, huck balls at the rampaging hordes, and escape with resources you can use to restore the town brick by brick. Sure none of the residents have eyes in their sockets, are largely magical warlock outcasts and fallen kings, and in some cases look like haunted versions of an American Gothic painting, but we will rebuild! And upgrade our infrastructure via as many ping-pong mechanics as possible! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:58 - Game stats 3:35 - One sentence description 4:07 - The Fall of Ball-bylon in 46 Seconds 8:46 - Visual Style: Scrolling Enemies, Mobile Game Look & Art 13:49 - Ball System: Build Strategy Synergy 29:06 - Early Game & Metaprogression Treadmill 35:18 - Town Building: RTS Grid Base Builder & Worker Trajectory 43:21 - Character Variety: Turn-Based Mode, Twitch Voting & Unique Gimmicks 52:32 - Narrative Theme: Descending the Pit & Level Progression Arc 55:04 - Town Building x Ball Combat x Sound Design 1:11:22 - How’s it Compare with Vampire Survivors? 1:22:30 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:30:00 - Similar games & show wind down Next episode: Episode 100 part 1 - Rogue and Its Predecessors Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 2 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Liminal x Desert - Amos Roddy

Moon and Sun! Caves of Qud returns for our summer music episode, as I grabbed some time with the composer Craig Hamilton! Since Qud is a dramaturgical triad, we couldn’t NOT do a third episode talking with the creative mind behind the creative sounds of the game. We’re talking Digital Audio Workstations, sci-fi literature, flamethrowers, traditional roguelikes, and so much more! The torsion of an external crank drags a rosin-slathered wheel against a metal cable, whose protestations emerge from the wooden case in a low, melodic groan. Part 1 of our Qud Qoverage focusing on the story and soundtrack can be found here Part 2 focusing on the gameplay and mechanics of Qud can be found here Other topics discussed: https://www.craigoryhamilton.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1247760/Caves_of_Qud_Soundtrack/ https://stumpyfrog.com/sfr24a-caves-of-qud-3lp/ https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-caves-of-qud-finale http://www.decklinsdemise.com/mordor.htm https://store.steampowered.com/app/224500/Gnomoria/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_Ratio_Regum_(video_game) Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 00:00 - Intro Premable 2:17 - Interview Start! 3:14 - Craig’s Musical Origins: Uncle’s Yamaha Keyboard & Early Life 6:22 - Mixtapes, High School Bands & College Hardcore Synth Work 10:10 - Childhood Dream: Astronaut, Video Game Maker or Musician 11:50 - Childhood Gaming: Diablo 1, XCOM & Cinematic Music Influences 17:38 - Film Score Influences: Arrival, Blade Runner & Disney Jungle Book 19:00 - How Craig Got Hired: Dropsy Tracks & Caves of Qud Audition 24:24 - Composition Process: Flavour Text Prompts & Dev Collaboration 26:43 - “Onward”: Multiple Versions, Melancholy Quality & New Keyboard 33:53 - Diegetic Sound Design: Golgotha Flamethrower & Theme Park Composition 38:45 - Craig’s Favorite Track: “Arrival” & Interstellar Inspiration 44:46 - “Bey Lah Heritage II”: Western Aesthetic, Harmonicas & Hindren Influence 47:36 - “Attack on Grit Gate”: Desperate Blown-Out Battle Sound Design 52:34 - Favorite Game Soundtracks: FF7, Nuclear Throne, Katamari Damacy 1:05:31 - Craig’s 40 Hours of Qud: Exploration Style & Mutant Builds 1:10:47 - The Caves Music: Danger, Oppression & Caving YouTube Inspiration 1:15:14 - Cozy Art Lulling Players Into a False Sense of Security 1:18:36 - Gnome Moria, Ultima Ratio Regum & Procedural Generation Discussion 1:25:21 - Show Wind Down Next episode: BALL x PIT Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Caves of Qud OST - 3rd Spore Phase Outro music: Caves of Qud OST - Of Chrome, and How (Sultan’s Song)

“You don’t have the cards!” This week we deep dive the cyberpunk productivity app roguelike deckbuilder hybrid that our very own co-host Will has been developing since 2018! A unique spin on gamification apps, Hard Reset asks the ever-important question of: “what if we made the game part actually fun?” The capitalist oligarchs have taken over and you must stop them by upgrading your cybernetics as provided by a mysterious benefactor. Fight through mutant-filled cyber slums with the help of rocket arms, irradiation blasters, and a helpful hand or two. But don’t skimp on those tasks to practice your cello or take out the garbage! Being consistent rewards gameplay with bonuses, and missing days will add consequences to your deck. Find Will’s app at: https://hardreset.app/ https://discord.com/invite/VdqP5AWBnz https://bsky.app/profile/hardresetapp.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/@HardResetApp Hard Reset has already been getting some coverage by other outlets that you can find below: ParadoxPort - Hard Reset: When To-Do Lists Meet a Dystopian Cyberpunk Game Sam Liberty - Hard Reset Is the Gamified Productivity App I’ve Been Waiting For Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:13 - Game stats 2:28 - One sentence description 5:09 - Origin Story: Behavioral Therapy Work & Contingency Management 9:18 - Hard Reset’s Purpose vs. Previous Therapy App 12:07 - Habitica Comparison & Fun-as-Reward Design Philosophy 15:25 - Vesper-5 & Checklist-Game Symbiosis Discussion 23:52 - Boot Sequence, Node Map & Game Structure Walkthrough 24:34 - Hardware & Wetware System vs. Slay the Spire Relics 35:10 - Card Codex Stats: 71 Cards, 15 Hacks & Unique Mechanics 43:41 - Combat Animations, Eye-Opening Intro & Protagonist Identity 46:01 - Portrait Mode Innovation & One-Handed Mobile Design 59:50 - AI Art Ethics: Solo Dev Cost Reality & Moral Debate 1:09:43 - Story & Theme: Cyberpunk Anti-Oligarch Revolution Narrative 1:33:43 - Player Build Strategies & Community Discoveries 1:53:00 - Rankings & final thoughts 2:01:13 - Fan Write-Ins 2:05:10 - Similar games & show wind down Next episode: Summer music fest interview with Caves of Qud composer Craig Hamilton! Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 2 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Hard Reset trailer theme

It’s a special bonus episode this week! With Rift Wizard 3 launching in June 2026, I sat down with developer Dylan White to talk about the third game’s evolution, how its distinguished itself from Rift Wizard 2, and what it takes to make a traditional roguelike game stand out in the ever evolving morass of games being released on Steam these days. Come for the discussion on PyGame, stay for the discussion on metal music band names as monsters! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:51 - Interview Start 2:49 - Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup as Primary Design Inspiration 6:15 - Original Concept: Not a Wizard Game at First 9:06 - Core Design Goal: Every Encounter High-Pressure & Unique 13:11 - Rift Wizard 2: Items System Added to Fight Forced Builds 16:46 - Dominions 5 Influence & Knowing Your Game’s Identity 20:35 - Why Python/Pygame: Fast Prototyping & Fun to Code 22:38 - ASCII Prototype Origins & Discarded Pac-Man Mana Mechanic 32:22 - AI Coding Agents: Core Logic Hand-Coded, UI Outsourced 41:52 - Crafting System Design: Balancing Planning vs. Improvisation 47:31 - Rift Wizard 3 Art Direction: Ralph Bakshi & 70s Animation 56:36 - Grid Size Changes Across Versions & Rebalancing Challenges 1:02:14 - Sequel Philosophy: 75% Familiarity, 25% Novelty 1:07:17 - Switch & Steam Deck Portability: Mouse-Keyboard Dependency Problem 1:22:50 - Dylan’s Favorite Roguelikes & Final Thoughts on Genre Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Rift Wizard 3 Title Theme Outro music: Rift Wizard 3 Boss Theme

He’s a bad bad kitty! We’re snapping our fingers and fighting through the alleways this week with Mewgenics! The long-awaited game by Binding of Isaac creator and roguelite genre legend Edmund McMillen, fans have been wating something like 15 years to experience the cat breeding tactical combat RPG. You are a crazy cat lady, reanimated from the dead by a mad scientist and your goal is to breed cats to send on harrowing adventures through junkyards, spider caves, the moon, and beyond the reaches of the spacetime continuum. All the while maintaining your most impressive collection of freaks (cats) as they create offspring, poop in your house, and defend you from headless horrors rampaging the neighborhood. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 0:57 - Listener Request Week & Game stats 3:55 - One sentence description 4:30 - Mewgenics dev history 6:28 - Welcome Roguepod Litecast listeners! 10:25 - Art Style & Edmund McMillan Tone 16:51 - NPC Designs 29:02 - Cat Generation, House Overview 31:03 - Typical Run Breakdown: Node Map, Acts & Biomes 33:43 - Boss Music with Lyrics & Soundtrack Discussion 49:57 - Combat Mechanics, Character Classes & Unlocks 57:58 - Cat Breeding Meta Progression System Deep Dive 1:07:16 - Genealogy System 1:21:14 - Guillotina House Defense Battle 1:26:35 - Difficulty Modes, Run Length & Off-Ramp Mechanics 1:39:07 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:50:00 - Similar games & show wind down 1:52:19 - Episode 100 details! 1:53:40 - Next episode - Will’s app/game - https://hardreset.app 2:04:10 - Gigi, Ari, Rakanishu, and Molly (see the youtube episode for videos!) Next episode: Hard Reset (2026) Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 1 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Rediculon - Chumbucket Kitty

Emperor guide thy aim! Roguelikes and -lites span a spectrum, especially when they come as added game modes to big budget titles that aren’t roguey themselves. This week we explore Warhammer 40K Darktide: the action RPG featuring two … sort of … rogue-ish (heavy squinting) game modes: Expeditions and the Mortis Trials. From the moment I understood the weakness of game genre definitions, they disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of roguelikes. I aspired to the purity of the blessed permadeath. Your kind cling to your save files, as if they will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass that you call a gameplay loop will wither, and you will beg my kind to save you. But I am already saved, for roguelikes are immortal. Even in death I serve the GROGnissiah. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 2:35 - Game stats 4:08 - One sentence description, Non-Roguelike Games with Rogue Modes Discussion 7:05 - Lore Overview 17:33 - StarCraft & Warhammer 21:56 - Intro Cinematic & Satire 26:17 - Character Creation, Classes & Hub World Tour 38:32 - Adventure Mode, Main Story & Mission Structure 44:47 - Procedural Generation (Or Lack Thereof) & Roguelike Credentials 51:43 - Expeditions Mode: Node Map, Scrap System & Extraction 56:08 - Mortis Trials: Horde Mode, Wave Perks & Chaos Builds 1:13:20 - Soundtrack & Sound Design 1:17:48 - Servitor Healing Stations & Imperium’s Dark Worldbuilding 1:22:10 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:33:08 - Similar games & show wind down Next episode: Mewgenics Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 1 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Jesper Kyd - Disposal Unit (Imperium Mix)

Play forever! It’s time to climb one of the most ambitious game releases in recent memory by dusting off UFO 50: the collection of games from the fictional LX Systems console of the 1980s. With some titles being very small, and others being very huge, we focus on just 7 that are the most rogue-ish: Bug Hunter, Velgress, Planet Zoldath, Waldorf’s Journey, Party House, Overbold, and Campanella 2! Will we be able to squash the eggs before they hatch? How many times will our hot pink spacecraft be graffito-tagged while hunting for precious treasure? We’ll share stories on our own Wild Buddy experiences as we search for our imprisoned little brother as well. They’re coming for your TEEETH! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:56 - Game stats 6:17 - One sentence description 8:56 - Who is UFO 50’s target audience? 23:15 - UFO 50 intro sequence 26:45 - Variety of the 50 games in general 33:26 - Bug Hunter 46:57 - Velgress 1:03:30 - Planet Zoldath 1:16:43 - Waldorf’s Journey 1:30:10 - Party House 1:50:18 - Overbold 2:03:44 - Campanella 2 2:28:38 - UFO 50 general discussion 2:41:10 - Rankings & final thoughts 2:56:35 - Similar podcast: Eggplant Presents a Year of UFO 50 2:58:21 - Similar games & show wind down Next episode: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 1 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Eirik Surhke - Big Party / Infinity

(Hacker voice) I’m in. We’re pentesting the mainfraime this week with 868-HACK! A small-scope puzzle-y rogue-y game by one Michael Brough: multi award-nominated IGF game designer of other similarly overlooked titles like Imbroglio, Cinco Paus, and Zaga-33. Michael’s games were originally designed for iOS mobile devices back in the hallowed days of the early 2010s, in that bubbling time when roguelites were just getting their foothold. Listen in as we isolate the nodes, jack the creds, warp some viruses and dump them on the other side of the router. Think you got what it takes to hack the big leagues, kid, or are you one siphon short of getting point-attacked in the NCIS firewall? Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:08 - Game stats 6:51 - One sentence description 8:28 - Platform Origins: iOS First, PC Port, No Android 12:21 - Hacking Aesthetic, Art Style & Tutorial Walkthrough 17:24 - Points as Primary Goal Debate 22:27 - Run Scoring Systems 26:24 - Difficulty Escalation 33:23 - Gameplay debates 39:09 - Progs & Ability Combos 45:04 - Sound Design & Aesthetic 47:40 - 868-BACK Sequel 52:50 - Movie Hacking 1:00:34 - Plan B DLC Mechanics & Harder Starting Conditions 1:04:08 - Awards, Critical Acclaim & Eric Dolphy Jazz Analogy 1:10:30 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:24:06 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: UFO 50 Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 1 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: 868-HACK background music and 868-BACK background music

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 Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ 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 Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ 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 coverage focusing on the story and soundtrack can be found here Part 3 of our Qud coverage is an interview with the composer Craig Hamilton which you can find 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! Part 3 of our Qud coverage is an interview with the composer Craig Hamilton which you can find 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 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

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 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

Season 2 has come to an end with an impressive slate of top-tier rogue games! If you’ve never listened to the show before, these recap episodes are a great place to start. This year we see how well our new #1 overall rated game of Slay the Spire will hold off contenders like Vampire Survivors and Balatro. We revisit some oldies and goodies with games spanning releases all the way back to 2003! We have some great listener comments sprinkled throughout, including some of the devs from games that we’ve covered. So go get a corndog (grogdog?), a #1 fan foam finger or two, and strap in for our longest, and therefore best podcast episode to date. Our finalists include: Balatro DoomRL Heat Signature Into the Breach Inscryption Jupiter Hell Risk of Rain 2 Slay the Spire Slice & Dice Star of Providence Vampire Survivors World of Horror Who will take the ultimate prize of the GROGPOD Omegabowl??? ! The full tournament bracket with spoiled results can be found here Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:54 - Tournament plan, categories, and games 7:04 - Wildcard 1: Risk of Rain 2 vs Heat Signature 13:42 - Wildcard 2: Slice & Dice vs Star of Providence 23:48 - Wildcard 3: Balatro vs DoomRL 30:06 - Wildcard 4: Inscryption vs World of Horror 38:57 - Division 1: Slay the Spire vs ??? 44:40 - Division 2: Vampire Survivors vs ??? 56:20 - Division 3: Jupiter Hell vs ??? 1:03:44 - Division 4: Into the Breach vs ??? 1:14:40 - Semi-finals 1 — possibly the REAL omegabowl finals here — 1:35:32 - Semi-finals 2 1:43:10 - Grand finals 1:58:24 - Show wind down Next episode: Roguelike developer interviews from PAX West 2024! Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Scott Schreer - NFL Fox Outro music: Clark Aboud - Battle with the Champ

Risk of Rain returns and in threeeee deeeeee! One of the most popular rogue games ever closes out season 2 of our podcast this year by dropping into a chaotic swarm of low-poly, monster-infested lands backed by screaming synth guitar sounds. From multiplayer near-victories, to solo-play over confidence, Risk of Rain 2 is a Bundle of Fireworks to send us off into the holiday season for some Bison Steaks and Energy Drinks. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:42 - game stats 3:35 - one sentence description 6:32 - Seekers of the Storm DLC problems and negative reviews 9:06 - Gameplay mechanics comparison between Risk of Rain 1 and 2 18:04 - Artifact of Command debate and randomization preferences 24:09 - Co-op multiplayer experience and final boss encounter 26:22 - Map design, scale, and navigation discussion 31:38 - Difficulty scaling and time pressure mechanics 35:39 - Drop pod story and lore explanation 41:22 - DLC content and character unlocks discussion 49:29 - Character variety and playstyle differences 57:49 - Art direction and aesthetic design analysis 1:06:50 - Mod scene popularity and proper save feature 1:14:20 - rankings and final thoughts 1:22:14 - similar games As discussed in the outro, Scott has recorded a bunch of tutorial videos with Caves of Qud youtuber BigSimple which you can find here! Stay tuned for our coverage on it next season! Next episode: Omegabowl 2: The 2024 GROGPOD Roguelike Playoffs Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Seatbelts - Tank! Outro music: Chris Christodoulou - …con lentitud poderosa

Clap! Bow! Clap! Clap! Bow! Not even 6 days of power outage can stop this week’s attempt at exorcising demons of the world, as we visit fictional 198X Japan’s World of Horror. We explore a manga-style 1-bit Shiokawa, where a spooky lighthouse is causing something strage in the neighborhood. Evil Eldritch gods are awakening to turn our shower water into black goo, the townsfolk into bloodthirsty cultists, and even our apartment neighbors against us! Together, we can help solve the mysteries of “Spine-Chilling Story of School Scissors”, “Freaky Feature of Found Footage”, and many other awesomely alliterative manga mystery thrillers. There’s very vew problems a crowbar and kicking can’t solve! Especially when they’re sourced from a happy Shiba Inu dog vendor. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 2:09 - game stats 3:35 - one sentence description 7:07 - Game structure explanation (5 mysteries, bespoke events system) 13:36 - Story setting in 1980s Japan and Old Gods premise 16:42 - Arkham Horror board game comparisons and inspirations 21:05 - UI legibility issues and one-bit art style problems 25:30 - Combat mechanics and enemy health display confusion 31:29 - Game pacing discussion and mystery completion times 33:22 - Save system criticism (losing allies when quitting) 42:53 - Random event system debate (hidden vs revealed outcomes) 56:35 - Combat strategy analysis and dominant stabbing approach 1:04:18 - Combat feedback and visual clarity problems 1:14:18 - rankings and final thoughts 1:25:39 - similar games Next episode: Risk of Rain 2 Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers - Slippin’ Into Darkness Outro music: World of Horror OST - School Combat

Glitch or Treat! On the final day of Space Halloween we dive deep into an acidy nebula of warring factions in dire need of some liberation. The Foundry, The Glitchers, Offworld Security, and Sovereign are vying for control, but they didn’t account for one thing: you. Enter Heat Signature: the tense, tactical, real-time-with-pause puzzle shooter leveraging the use of teleporters, time-slowing devices, bullet-reflecting shields, and rusty pipe wrenches. Join us as we make embark on Mistake-level missions, crash some space ships (for liberation purposes that is) and stand in awe of the real legends exacting their revenge with only 10 minutes to live! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:16 - game stats 3:29 - one sentence description 6:01 - Top-down shooter mechanics and mandatory pause feature discussion 9:25 - Difficulty curve complaints and tutorial vs advanced missions 15:27 - Story setup and nebula liberation campaign structure 24:29 - Mission terminology confusion and character trait system 29:57 - Faction mechanics and nebula map disappointments 38:41 - UI design praise and criticism of system complexity 46:27 - Death mechanics discussion and permissive respawn system 54:11 - Daily challenge mode as game’s crown jewel 1:01:51 - ending spoilers 1:14:52 - rankings and final thoughts 1:21:51 - similar games Next episode: World of Horror Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Horace Silver - Liberated Brother Outro music: John Halpart - Quantum Immortality