GROGPOD Roguelike Podcast

Rakanishu! We have quite a treasure in the Horadric podcast this week by summoning the remaster of one of the highest rated procedural generation games of all time: Diablo 2 Resurrected! The first action-RPG to feature a permadeath option, Diablo 2 was nothing if not foundational for its particular genre what with selling at least 25 million copies. The remaster brings a fresh new lighting system, controller support, not having to fumble with weird ISOs, and a wildly imbalanced new character class with the Warlock. Stay a while and listen once more as we follow a mysterious wanderer to the east…always to the east. Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 01:44 - Game Stats 03:36 - One Sentence Description 04:12 - Yeah We Know It’s Not A Roguelike…But… 9:43 - Speedruns vs. Casual 20-Hour Experience 13:22 - Class & Build Variety 17:22 - Multiplayer Hardcore Act 1 21:38 - Growing Up With Diablo 2 36:24 - New Warlock Class 40:07 - Named Champion Packs: Color-Coded Elites & Monster Name Generator 44:58 - The Solo Hardcore Experience and Roguey-ness 47:37 - Story and Remastered Cinematics 1:09:22 - Diablo 2’s Diverse Cast 1:18:46 - Rankings & Final Thoughts 1:31:02 - Similar Games & Show Wind Down Next episode: Combolands Contact us at [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 2 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction Main Menu Theme

At PAX West this year I had a great time interviewing Angel Polanco: the solo dev behind the incredibly well-rated bullet hell roguelite The Void Rains Upon Her Heart! An incredibly interesting game from mechanics, boss designs, art, story, I couldn’t wait until our usual end-of-year PAX interview episode to publish. It was a great conversation where we talked in depth about the designs and motivations behind it. Very thankful again to Angel and the support staff handling the booth at PAX for letting me grab some interveiw time at the end of the 2nd of all day showcasing in front of the public! Find The Void Rains Upon Her Heart on Steam here! Soundtrack on Steam here Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 3:06 - Interview Start 4:10 - PAX Weekend Impressions 7:00 - Record-Breaking Steam Reviews 8:14 - Solo Dev Life: Programming, Art, Music & Community Bug-Hunting 9:28 - Development Prioritization: Following Gut Feeling to Avoid Burnout 11:02 - Touhou & Kirby Design Inspirations 13:15 - Difficulty Design & Accessibility 15:56 - Boss Design Philosophy: Start Simple, Combine Mechanics Progressively 27:39 - Undertale Influence: Pacifist-Only Path, Love Bosses Into Acceptance 31:17 - Hades-Like Story Driven Narrative 34:08 - Player Character Designs: Alien Looks & Deeply Human Feelings 45:43 - Success Beyond Expectations, Game as Diary & Future Plans Contact us at [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: TVRUHH OST - Blank Melody Outro music: TVRUHH OST - Heaven Sends Its Love

It’s time to put the BOOM back into boomer shooters as we fire up the hottest graphics of 1996* with Strafe! Another entry in our Devolver Digital review catalogue, the self-described “ worlds bloodiest roguelike first-person shooter” will put our pixel-perfect aim to the test fighting aliens, mutants, and … human experiments? Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 01:02 - Game Stats 02:55 - One Sentence Description 6:25 - Strafe as 2017 Genre Forerunner 9:16 - Roguelike FPS Genre History: Eldritch, Ziggurat, Barony & Strafe 15:18 - Gun Modifiers 17:41 - 1996 Nostalgia Marketing & VHS Camcorder Tutorial 35:10 - Biome 1 Enemy Incoherence: Too Many Types, Generic Asset Look 40:17 - Simplistic Enemy AI: All Rush or Shoot, No Puzzle Strategy 1:03:18 - Mechanics Deep Dive 1:21:09 - Disposable Guns vs. Meaningful Build Choice 1:27:49 - Rankings & Final Thoughts 1:40:40 - Similar Games & Show Wind Down Next episode: Diablo 2: Resurrected Contact us at [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 2 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Strafe OST - Paint It Red

It’s Christmas in August as we unload the sooty petro-rocks from our stockings and crack open the clean-burning Coal LLC! The quick action mining-themed roguelite version of Motherload, you are tasked to fill your quota of coal before time runs out. Hire employees to help dig, collect, and fly your mantle-shattering progress. Fulfill the quests of NPCs like Fiona Frog, Pippa Penguin, and Tabitha the Mermaid. But most importantly, follow the guiding principle of any good coal mining business owner: NUMBER GO UP! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 01:05 - Game Stats 01:50 - One Sentence Description 3:37 - Platforming & Youtubers 5:24 - MS Paint Art Style 7:15 - Core Loop: Mine Coal, Meet Daily Quota or Explode 12:02 - Going Deeper: Colored Coal Layers & Increasingly Valuable Resources 24:18 - Unlocks & NPC Quests 28:01 - Workers & Weapons 52:25 - Whats the Value of a $15 Indie Game These Days? 1:08:34 - Rankings & Final Thoughts (hidden gem new #10!) 1:20:44 - Similar Games & Show Wind Down Next episode: Strafe Contact us at [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 2 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Coal LLC Theme 1

Roguelites belong to the Nords! This week we return to tower defense rogue land with Nordhold: the vaguely Viking-themed tower defense roguelite featuring tower synergy systems, work placement econometrics, and decisions about whether or not to sacrifice them to demonic gods. If careful optimization of numbers and slowly checking off metaprogression boxes is your thing, then Nordhold has got it in spades! We even have towers that shoot ravens at people, what more could you ask for here??? Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 01:13 - Game Stats 02:24 - One Sentence Description 4:53 - Viking Tutorial Walkthrough 8:28 - Resource Economy 10:24 - Meta Progression Treadmill 15:24 - Rogue Tower Comparison: Limited vs. Open Tower Selection Debate 19:23 - Oracle Choices: 5-Wave Passive Modifiers 21:56 - Banner System & Tower Fusions 31:49 - Hero System 54:45 - Cosmetic Glory Shop 1:04:36 - Rankings & Final Thoughts 1:10:52 - Similar Games & Show Wind Down Next episode: Coal LLC Contact us at [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 2 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Nordhold OST - Viking Layers 6