White Knuckle

The Mass…it hungers! This week we’re chalking up our hands to summit White Knuckle: the precision platformer horror roguelite that blends Half-Life, Portal, and SCP into an adrenaline-packed horror hunting you down at every turn. You are a newly recruited maintenance worker arriving on site to service some haunted siloes. Luckily someone had the good sense to install some hand holds to help you escape, as well as leaving rebar rods, pills, fully loaded syringes, and cute gigantic grubs behind. Grip your way out of the substructure, uncover the horrifying experiments left behind, and seek the surface! Scott was able to interview the devs of White Knuckle for our 2025 winter special episode which can be found here! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 01:04 - Game Stats 02:21- One Sentence Description 4:00 - Control Scheme: Left Click & Right Click as Your Two Literal Hands 5:38 - Early Access Status, Difficulty Curve & Stress Factor 11:33 - Permadeath Anxiety 15:00 - Room Memorization, Module Rotation & Variety 22:40 - Item System: Pitons, Rebar, Power-Ups & DNA Altering Perks 25:46 - The Mass 33:02 - Score System 36:13 - Music & Sound Design 38:11 - Biome One: Deep Storage Silos, Giant Fans & Barnacle Enemies 41:47 - Interlude Lockdown: Safe Zone, Save System & Floppy Disc Biological Backup 52:22 - Pipe Works: Drainage System, Waste Heap Strider vs. Pipe Organ 1:21:43 - Rankings & Final Thoughts 1:32:10 - Similar Games & Show Wind Down Next episode: No Man’s Sky Contact us at [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 3 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: White Knuckle OST - Lockdown

Death to Chronos! This week we brew up an incantation to summon the sequel of one of our top 5 roguelites of the podcast: Hades 2! The famed house of the Underworld has been captured by the Titan of Time and it’s up to you: Melinoë, the sister of Zagreus hidden away by the Halloween hat touting goddess of the Crossroads Hecate. The only way to restore your family is to destroy time itself by delving down into the Underworld, but also by summiting Mount Olympus itself. It’s twice the adventure, twice the polycule relationships, and twice the metaprogression resources! So mote it be! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 01:08 - Game Stats & Listener Request Week Returns! 03:00 - One Sentence Description 9:14 - First Impressions 16:57 - Melinoë & Her Motivations 34:30 - Arcana Cards, Omega Attacks, Magick & Selene’s Hex System 40:51 - New Gods: Selene, Hera’s Hitch, Hephaestus, Apollo & Elemental Infusions 50:32 - Erebus & Hecate 57:36 - Oceanus & Scylla ft. the Sirens 1:05:08 - Fields of Mourning & The Infernal Beast 1:09:59 - Tartarus & Chronos 1:20:33 - Mount Olympus Surface Path: Polyphemus, Eris, Prometheus & Beyond 1:38:39 - Rankings & Final Thoughts 1:49:53 - Similar Games & Show Wind Down Next episode: White Knuckle Contact us at [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 3 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Hades 2 OST - Coral Crown

C-c-c-combo maker! This week we hunt through the forests of new roguelite releases and encounter Combolands: the town-building, deck-building, point-building game that takes its inspiration from the greats like Balatro and Luck Be A Landlord. Choose two of seven guilds to harness the power of natural resources, trade goods, sand fighting pits, and bees to clear a point goal every milestone. Grow your town council and make number go up! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 01:13 - Game Stats 03:01 - One Sentence Description 4:16 - Splash Art: Board Game Cover, King & Council Aesthetic Debate 10:29 - Guild System: 7 Guilds, Pick 2 in Monster Train Style 13:03 - Ascension Difficulty System: Additive Modifiers Stacking to Level 10 16:50 - The Meeples: Horrific Shadow People & In-Game Pixel Art Praised 18:34 - Scoring Animations: City Building vs Balatro Flames 23:18 - Building System: Terrain Features & Placed Tiles All One Category 33:31 - Shop Design: Relics, Blueprints & No Elite Monsters? 37:56 - Council Request System 45:17 - Winning Moments 55:05 - Abstraction on Abstraction vs Universal Poker Knowledge 1:03:49 - Wish List For Future Content 1:04:58 - Rankings & Final Thoughts 1:14:02 - Similar Games & Show Wind Down Next episode: Hades 2 Contact us at [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: GROGPOD Theme 3 by Balatro composer LouisF - https://louisfmusic.com/ Outro music: Combolands Town Theme - Meydän

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

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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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