Nick is joined by guest co-host Chris Plante (Post Games) for a chat with Kimmo Lahtinen (aka gimbll) about his dynamite new twin-stick shooter, Sektori. They discuss the joy of the genre, pursuing excellence in an oversaturated genre, and how personal limitations shape solo development. Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Sektori https://www.gimblll.com/sektori/ Day Repeat Day https://www.gimblll.com/dayrepeatday/  Barbearian  https://www.gimblll.com/barbearian/  Drift and Drive https://www.gimblll.com/driftndrive/  Resogun https://housemarque.com/games/resogun  Outland https://housemarque.com/games/outland  Dead Nation https://housemarque.com/games/dead-nation   Super Stardust Portable https://housemarque.com/games/ssp   Geometry Wars https://store.steampowered.com/app/8400/Geometry_Wars_Retro_Evolved/   Rez Infinite https://www.rezinfinite.com/  Post Games podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/post-games/id1815131711  Besties podcast https://www.themcelroy.family/podcasts/besties/   Limetown podcast https://twoupproductions.com/limetown/podcast  Quest Tabletop Game

We're proud to present the final installment of our over-a-year-long Into the Depths series on Caves of Qud, as well as our last episode with our recently retired Eggplant branding. Caves of Qud is a massive open-world roguelike RPG that has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015, and we give it an appropriately epic sendoff with nearly four hours of deep discussion. Doug and Rob, joined by special guest host Star St. Germain, dive into the game's finale and overarching themes with narrative designer Caelyn Sandel and co-creators Jason Grinblat and Brian Bucklew. Be warned, major spoilers await: We discuss the aftermath of the Tomb of the Eaters, the Moon Stair, the [Redacted], Reclamation, We Are [Redacted], plus other juicy details about how this legendary game finally came to an end… and what's in store for it next. Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Brian's must-follow bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/unormal.bsky.social Warm static – Official Caves of Qud wiki https://wiki.cavesofqud.com/wiki/Warm_static Independent Games Summit: What Even is 1.0?: Indefinite Early Access and Live Development https://gdcvault.com/play/1035081/Independent-Games-Summit-What-Even End-to-End Procedural Generation in Caves of Qud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV-DZqdKlnE Tile-Based Map Generation using Wave Function Collapse in 'Caves of Qud' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdCgi9E90jw  Caves of Qud Discord https://discord.com/invite/cavesofqud Eris – Girsh Illustration https://www.reddit.com/r/cavesofqud/comments/1n449aw/girsh_qas_and_qon/ A Mythopoetic Interface Reading of Caves of Qud (Roguelike Celebration 2025) https://www.youtube.com/live/UQNfH9pKWd4?si=jFy9VTRZzLPJHn4

We're joined by Frank Lantz (Q-UP) and Mare Sheppard + Raigan Burns of Metanet (N++) for the first episode of All Systems Brough, a year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough. We share our thoughts on why Michael's oeuvre demands a deep dive, add some historical context, and share the plan for the year ahead. We also introduce a (final?) rebrand to the podcast! Next episode: 868-HACK (it's also recommended that you start playing Vesper.5 now to prepare for later)  (Tentative) Episode/play order: 868-HACK Vertex Dispenser Zaga-33 Vesper.5 Corrypt Kompendium (plus digital archiving of O) BECOME A GREAT ARTIST IN JUST 10 SECONDS Helix (plus SMESPORT) Imbroglio Cinco Paus P1 Select (plus Quinzena maybe?) & Broughlike Game Jam Games 868-BACK (caveat: still in development) Audio edited by Dylan Shumway  Discussed in this episode:   Michael Brough's Website https://www.smestorp.com/  Michael O'Blivion's Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@michael_oblivion  Flock https://annapurnaintera

Rob, Sarah, and Doug chat with Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson about Consume Me, an award-winning autobiographical resource-management RPG about the pressure cooker of young adulthood. We discuss the game's ten-year development cycle, balancing dynamic difficulty in a game about overachievement, the complex dynamics of mining your own story, and more! Heads up: This episode includes discussion of disordered eating and religious upbringing. Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Mentioned in this episode: Consume Me https://hexecutable.itch.io/consume-me https://store.steampowered.com/app/2359120/Consume_Me/ Prototyping Personal Experience – Jenny's talk at A MAZE 2017 https://youtu.be/iQ-PaGTr-iI?si=RIAWQMFZfMWCVCsN Papers Please by Lucas Pope https://papersplea.se/ Nina Freeman's games on itch.io https://starmaidgames.itch.io/ Triad by Anna Anthropy https://w.itch.io/triad Reigns by Nerial https://www.reignsgame.com/reigns  Long Live the Queen by Hanako Games https://hanakogames.itch.io/long-live-the-queen  Perfect Tides by Meredith Gran https://granulac.itch.io/perfect-tides Look Back (movie) https://www.amazon.com/Look-Back-Kiyotaka-Oshiyama/dp/B0DH5DMSRW Look Back (manga) https://www.viz.com/look-back Jenny's TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@q_dork AP's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bad_tetris/   https://eggplant.show/  https://discord.gg/eggplant  https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow 

Laura, Rob, and Sarah chat with Adam Robinson-Yu about The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival, a communal and virtual festival experience hosted every ~October for the last six years. We discuss the logistics of running a seasonal multiplayer game, enc...

Laura chats with Jeremy Johnston and Robin Ward about The Roottrees are Dead, their genealogy, murder-mystery, "static deduction" game. We discuss the development process of taking a jam prototype to full release, developing hints and systems that lead...

We're joined by (most of) the developers of UFO 50 - Derek Yu, Jon Perry, Eirik Suhrke, Tyriq Plummer, and Paul Hubans - to close out our series with a project-spanning discussion of their development process, how they're feeling a year out from launch...

Full audio from our epic live series finale, packed with previous series guests, tarot readings, mad libs, touching listener letters, and so much more. Come laugh and cry with us, say goodbye to UFO 50, and hear what's next for Eggplant! Next week: Fin...

We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV) to discuss [REDACTED] hidden within the UFO 50 collection. Massive spoilers ahead! Next week: Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Presents: A Year ...

We're joined by Izzy Kestrel (Gexfeld, A Good Videogame), Shawn Alexander Allen (Treachery in Beatdown City), and the one and only Rand Hall (UFO 50 Voicemailer Extraordinaire) to discuss Cyber Owls, the 50th and final* game in the UFO 50 collection. "...

We're joined by Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), and Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV) to discuss Campanella 3, the 49th game in the UFO 50 collection. "It's time for Pilot to return to what he does best -- fl...

We're joined by Daniel Mullins (Inscryption), Tonda Ros (Blue Prince), and Glove (UFO 50 Historian/ska podcaster) to discuss Seaside Drive, the 48th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Nothing's more relaxing than a nice long drive by the sea... Complete w...

We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Jackie Vecchitto (Trombone Champ), and Xalavier Nelson (Strange Scaffold) to discuss Quibble Race, the 47th game in the UFO 50 collection. "In the seedy world of Quibble racing, sometimes it takes shady tactics t...

We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) to discuss Combatants, the 46th game in the UFO 50 collection. "The evil Red Ants have taken your land! Fight Back and defend your queen!" Next wee...

We're recapping the 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13). In this very special bonus episode, Laura, Jey, Doug, and Melissa sit down with Wouter Verstichel (Director/Showrunner of De Mol) to discuss the experience of working...

We're joined by Billy Basso (Animal Well), Ben Wilson (Saltsea Chronicles), Kayin (I Wanna Be The Guy), and Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) to discuss Mini & Max, the 45th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Mini and her dog Max are locked in the stor...

We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Eileen Hollinger (Capybara Games) to discuss Pilot Quest, the 44th game in the UFO 50 collection. "The Campanella has crashed! Fix it by harvesting resources and exploring the ...

We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok), and Colin and Sarah Northway (Northway Games) to discuss Elfazar's Hat, the 43rd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Elfazar is hailed as a great magician, but his captive ani...

We're joined by Star St. Germain (Aconite), Madison Karrh (Birth), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Night Manor, the 42nd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Trapped in a nightmare where you must use your wits to survive and escape!" Next week: Elf...

In this bonus installment of our current Into the Depths series, we continue diving into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015. Doug and Rob - joined by special guest host Star ...