Retro Spectives

Derek Yu’s Spelunky is, without a doubt, an all time indie classic.  From its humble origins on PC in 2008, it exploded onto the indie scene as an xbox live arcade title, back when indie gaming felt new and exciting.  Underneath its cartoony graphics and cheery music lay a brutal beast of a game, one that wasn’t afraid to grind you to dust with death after death.  Despite this - or because of this - Spelunky was a wild hit, even if the number of players who actually played it through to  completion was shockingly low.There is a lot about Spelunky that feels weirdly unique, even to this day.  Instantaneous death is always lurking, no matter how strong your character becomes with the ludicrously strong equipment you can find in its depths.  There are essentially no RPG systems to speak of, with all progression tied to shortcuts, and most importantly, player skill.  And there is an entire can of worms of secrets and secret endings for only the most dedicated hardcore players.But for all this, is Spelunky still worth playing all these years later?  Instant death sounds like a good way to elevate tension, but is it a cheap way to do so?  And does the lack of meaningful progression make it feel repetitive and boring as you tackle the same levels and enemies over and over again?On this episode, we discuss:PlaystyleMastering Spelunky requires a delicate mixture of three elements - player knowledge, being able to develop and execute a plan, and the mechanical wherewithal to execute that plan.  Which of these is the most important, and is it possible to neglect one and still succeed?Level DesignSpelunky uses randomly generated levels and enemy placements that still conform to some macro logic, like using some predefined templates and allowing a single continuous path from the entrance of a level to the exit.  Does this hit a good balance of randomness that allows for dynamic encounters that feel unique, or does it slide into something a bit too repetitive?Risk v RewardDanger is ever present in Spelunky, with a run-ending mistake only being moments away.  Does this design end up pushing players into a far more conservative and boring playstyle, or is there enough reward to playing aggressively that you get to engage in fun platforming and combat for good reason?We answer these questions and many more on the 142nd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!—Video about PUBG—Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherSpelunky OST: Erik Suhrke—Is Spelunky 2 just as good as the first game?  What other games exist that have carried the spiritual torch of the original?  Is this game just secretly an immersive sim?  Come let us know what you think on our Community Discord Server! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee Page!

Westwood Studios wasn’t always known for the command and conquer series.  While 1992’s Dune 2 laid the foundation for the RTS genre as a whole, they were more famous for their dungeon crawling RPGS, usually associated with Dungeons and Dragons.  So when they decided to develop a new IP with Lands of Lore, they were coming to it as grizzled veterans, and they had no intention of messing around. It was released to near universal acclaim.  Critics praised near everything about it - graphics, combat, puzzles, even the UI.  It was considered to be less cruel than other dungeon crawlers, less punishing and with greater clarity when it came to puzzles and enemies. But this was 1993.  The genre that Lands of Lore belongs to is very nearly dead, with only the indie scene keeping it alive by the skin of its teeth.  As the genre developed, slow and methodical dungeon crawling was trumped by real time demon slaying, something that even the sequels to the game were not immune to.  The friction of delving into a dungeon where death lay at every turn, and confusion reigned is something that we see very rarely today. Is this with good reason?  Have we moved on from what Lands of Lore has to offer?  Or is it still worth playing all these years later? On this episode, we discuss:UI. Lands of Lore has a very unique UI, with heavy use of screen space dedicated to inventory and spells and only a relatively small window showing you the real time action of what your party is doing.  Does this offer excellent functionality, or is it just a bunch of wasted space for no good reason?Combat. Combat is turned based, but movement is real time.  Attacking and spellcasting are tied to cooldowns, but using items is not.  Enemies chase you in pods when aggroed, but you are free to rest and heal to full at any point.  Do the contradictions in the combat systems of Lands of Lore exist for a reason, or does it just become a complete mess?   Level Design. Lands of Lore’s dungeons are elaborate mazes, filled to the brim with traps, treasure and buttons.  Progressing through them is difficult, it's easy to get lost or stuck, and much of the environments look the same.  Is this part of the fundamental experience of playing a dungeon crawler, and part of the fun, or is it simply an exercise in frustration? We answer these questions and many more on the 141st episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! — Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Lands of Lore OST - Frank Klepacki — Is Lands of Lore a good entry point into the blobber genre?  What were your experiences playing this one on release?  If we were to play another one, which one should we tackle next? Come let us know what you think or recommend us a new game on our community discord server! If you would like to support the show monetarily, you can buy us a coffee here!  

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow sits tucked away in the middle of 30 different Castlevania games.  First released for the Gameboy Advance in 2003, it takes strong inspiration from Symphony of the Night - yet is running on far weaker hardware.  It introduced the Soul System - where killing enemies grants you their powers - a mechanic so ingrained into popular games today that it's almost ubiquitous.  You would be forgiven for thinking this is yet another Castlevania game. But it isn’t.  Many cite Aria of Sorrow as the best handheld Castlevania game, and some even have it as their absolute favourite.  Does Aria of Sorrow have some secret sauce that makes it so special, do all of its elements come together beautifully, or are people just remembering playing into the night while hiding their GBA under their bedsheets? On this episode, we discuss:Music. Music is important in most games, but especially so in Castlevania, which started to include music references in their game titles after SOTN.  How good is the music in Aria of Sorrow, and is it a good fit for the GBA hardware?Aesthetics. How well does Aria deliver a beautiful Castlevania game for the gba, from sprite work to animations?  What are the gameplay implications of having cleaner, less busy graphics?Souls. How dark are they?  But actually, how does this system function in terms of giving the player novelty versus usefulness?  Is it frustrating that souls don’t level and scale with the player, or is this an essential part of what makes them work? We answer these questions and many more on the 140th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! — Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Aria of Sorrow OST - Michiro YamaneSymphony of the Night OST - Michiro Yamane — Was Aria of Sorrow one of the best Castlevania games you ever played, or just another one in the pack?  Were there any ridiculous secrets we missed?  What Metroidvania should we play next?    Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! You can support the show monetarily on our buy me a coffee page!

Catherine is a game about relationships, infidelity and the shackles of love. It’s also a game about pushing blocks. Released in 2011 by Atlus, Catherine initially appears to be the odd duck in the Persona developer’s catalogue. Characters in their 30s, real-time gameplay and a sub-hundred hour runtime. But a deeper look reveals many familiar themes such as order, chaos and the great lengths players will go to for their in-game romantic interests.  But can a developer best known for their turn-based RPGs pivot to real-time puzzle action with ease? On this episode, we discuss: Story Catherine’s narrative tackles relationships in a way not often seen in video games. Does it have the writing pedigree to support its promiscuous themes? Or does the cast come across as shallow and two-dimensional? Presentation From sound design to visuals, Catherine oozes style and atmosphere. But does this commitment to symbolism come at the cost of a deeper narrative? Gameplay Does Catherine’s block-pushing gameplay compliment its steamy romantic narrative? Just how much depth can one game squeeze out of two simple rules? Are the game’s developers as clever as they claim in their 4th wall breaking epilogue? We answer these questions and many more on the 139th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! — Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Catherine OST: Shoji Meguro — What did you think of Catherine? Was there a particular ending you thought the best?Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page.

On the Retro Spectives Podcast we adore our survival games.  Every year when we do a cheat episode we find ourselves drawn to the games that force you to live on the edge.  Whether it's Pathologic, Rainworld or Resident Evil, we enjoy the pain and suffering of never having enough and managing those frustrating meters.   So it's no surprise that 11 Bit Studios 2018 smash hit Frostpunk caught our eye.  Combining the grim understated horror of the industrial revolution with a city builder was an inspired choice, and the endless freezing cold as your ultimate adversary feels relentless.  The game forces you to compromise on cold, hunger, sickness and your very morals in service of the city if you want to emerge out the other end. But for all its critical praise, how enjoyable is Frostpunk to actually play?  Are its ethical dilemmas actually as difficult to resolve as they initially appear?  And do its city management elements pale in comparison to its far more complex peers? On this episode, we discuss:Immersion. How well does Frostpunk sell its aesthetic to the player?  Is this a gritty and grounded story of survival, or fantastical mush?  How well does it connect players to the individual citizens in your city? Philosophy. Frostpunk lets you shape your city through its Book of Laws, a set of decisions that determine the degree to which you prioritise your citizen’s happiness versus the needs of the city.  How well does the game present these as complex moral dilemmas? Survival. Mechanically, Frostpunk is all about resource prioritisation.  Does Frostpunk offer meaningful decisions to the player with clear consequences, or do all roads lead to Rome?  How well does the game give you an opportunity to recover from bad decisions? We answer these questions and many more on the 138th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!   If you’ve played Frostpunk and would like to share you stories of survival, or just fancy a good old fashioned chat, Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! You can also support the show monetarily on our buy me a coffee page!

WIth the seventh year of the Retro Spectives Podcast officially done and dusted, it is once again time for our Mailbag Episode!  Every year we take the time to answer questions from our listeners about old games and new, our favourite beverages and the nature of the podcast itself.  Thank you so much to everyone who listens - you’re the reason we keep doing this all these years later.So, as is tradition, grab yourself a mug of hot cocoa and snuggle in to listen to us gasbagging about all kinds of gaming.We answer and discuss questions like:What gaming discussion/analysis content titillated you this year?If you had to execute one video game or fictional character on live tv/stream, who would it be?If you were suddenly made supreme emperor of Earth and could demand any game either be remade or get a sequel, and it would be made to your exact specifications, what game would that be and what would you change in the sequel/remake?We answer these questions and many more on the 137th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!—Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another—Pat's link re horse race tests:www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GesBe0XY-U

Warcraft II is one of the most influential RTS games of all time.  It brought the genre to the mainstream with insane sales, and set the standard for UI and tech trees for years to come.  Blizzard had cracked the code on what made RTS games tick, and it laid the groundwork for the classics that would come in its wake.But for all its influence, how much fun is Warcraft II to actually play today?  Does it suffer from its far more simplistic mechanics and mirrored factions, or is there something elegant and refined about a more stripped back and focused RTS?On this episode, we discuss:PresentationHow well does Warcraft 2 sell its aesthetic and lore?  Do its cartoony graphics hold up well compared to RTS’s of today?  Are the responses of its units annoying or endearing?MacroAre the macro elements of Warcraft II well realised?  How does it balance building up your economy versus developing a standing army to take the battle to the enemy?  Are there diverse objectives or constraints to liven up the experience of building up your base?MicroHow fun is it to micro your units in Warcraft II?  Do the lack of quality of life features like unit queuing, rally points and limited units per control group make the experience miserable?  Are there any units that stand out as affecting the flow of battle?We answer these questions and many more on the 136th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!—Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherWarcraft 2 OST: Glenn Stafford—If you’d like more RTS discussion, Pat guested on the Nostalgia Goggles Podcast for Starcraft 1!  You can listen to that episode here.—Was your experience playing Warcraft 2 back in the day radically different from our own?  Were there any strategies or tactics that we missed?  What other under the radar modern RTS games should we play?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!You can support the show monetarily on our buy me a coffee page!

Yu-Gi-Oh!, along with Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon, is one of the original big 3 trading card games.  Starting its life as a Manga, then a tv series, the story about the card game eventually became a card game.  Since then Yugioh has morphed through many different iterations and is still going strong today, even if its present self doesn’t have much to do with its humble beginnings. Nestled right in between the birth of the card game and the current format is Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s World Championship 2011: Over the Nexus.  It's an interesting middle child of the franchise for many reasons - it builds off previous games in the franchise while still being primarily a single player game.  Its format at full power makes the decks of yesteryear look like a joke, but would get trounced by anything played today.  It boasts a truly absurd card pool of ~4300 cards, and they’re shockingly mostly coded correctly.So, is it worth going back to a different time and place to play some single player Yu-Gi-Oh?  Or is this weird slice of history more of a curio to look back on and never experience?On this episode, we discuss:IdentityWhat exactly is the identity of Yu-Gi-Oh! compared to other trading card games like Magic or Hearthstone?  What does it excel at, and where is it at its weakest?  How does the game actually play out, with its extra deck and high consistency tutors?DeckbuildingHow viable is it for the player to build their own deck from scratch?  How well does the UI facilitate both experimenting with ideas, and finding cards that synergise together?  Do enemy decks give you inspiration and options, or are they generic and copy pasted?Progression SystemsHow do you unlock the cards required to build your decks?  Are unlocks intelligently seeded throughout your playthrough to give you a gradual increase in power?  Is it satisfying to gradually build a deck up from its basic roots, or is it too difficult to acquire key cards?We answer these questions and many more on the 135th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!--Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherYugioh 2001 OST: Miki Murai, Kazuma Jinnouchi, Yasuhita Iso--Is there a better Yugioh video game out there that we somehow missed on?  What other single player card games, retro or modern, are worth our time?  Are you a fan of card games on motorcycles?  Come let us know what you think on our Community Discord Server!You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee Page!

Released towards the end of the Nintendo 64’s lifespan in 2000, Perfect Dark was the culmination of several years of FPS development on consoles.  After Rare released Goldeneye in 1997, they wanted to take another spin at the formula, but this time with an original IP.  Enter Perfect Dark, featuring many of the cornerstones of FPS design that defined Goldeneye, but far more refined.The game featured more varied level design, a ridiculous selection of weapons, improved enemy AI (with a wider range of reactions to damage) and more advanced scripting.  No longer tied down to realism, Rare was free to throw in sci-fi weapons and surreal alien environments.  And this extended to the story as well, which went to some absolutely wild places.But for all its improvements upon Goldeneye, is there a fatal flaw at the heart of N64 FPS design?  Or is it just an awkward middle child, playing in the shadows of both the PC behemoths and the specter of Halo?On this episode, we discuss:Level DesignPerfect Dark retains the mission structure of Goldeneye, with multiple objectives set in short and sharp missions.  Do the improved and better explained mission objectives bring a clarity to the mission design that Goldeneye lacked, or is it still confusing and incoherent?GunsPerfect Dark has an absolute plethora of weapons, from guided rocket launchers to wallhack alien sniper rifles.  Does its wide variety of weapons provide a deep and replayable moment to moment gameplay experience, or is it undone by its identity as a hitscan FPS?EnemiesMost of the enemies you face in Perfect Dark are regular humans, who die in a single headshot.  What does the game do to add challenge and variety to the FPS hitscanning experience of clicking on heads, and is it way too easy with a mouse and keyboard?We answer these questions and many more on the 134th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!—Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherPerfect Dark OST: Grant Kirkhope—What was your favourite level in Perfect Dark?  Are there any indie FPS games coming out (or already out) that are evocative of its design?  Did you find there was anything at all remotely redeeming about the story?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee Page!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is without a doubt one of the most influential video games ever made.  Unlike some titles that struggled with the transition to 3D, Zelda absolutely smashed it, setting the blueprint for what successful open world level design looked like for many years to come.It introduced (or popularised) many mechanics, including lock-on, c-button item selection and even an active day/night cycle.  It somehow took the 2D dungeon design of the earlier Zeldas and transformed them into something that modern games struggle to emulate to this day.  And its legacy is so strong that even people who have never played the games are familiar with “Hey, Listen!”.  But for all its fame and fortune, for all of its innovation and brilliance - it is 27 years later.  What was once revolutionary is now standard or even passe.  Ocarina of Time not only has to compete against all the games that have copied and built on its foundations, but also itself, with many more 3D zelda games launched in its wake.  Has Ocarina of Time truly stood the test of time, or should it go back to kid mode and stay there?On this episode, we discuss:DungeonsOcarina of Time’s major gameplay draw, its deepest mechanics, are all found in its dungeons.  It's a mix of puzzles, combat and exploration, gated by keys and items.  Are the dungeons in OOT well designed with good pacing, or are they frustrating slogs with endless backtracking?ItemsThe longer you play Ocarina of Time, the more tools you have at your disposal.  Nuts, hookshots, hover boots, ocarina songs, spells - the list goes on and on.  Does the game manage to balance this huge array of options, or does each one end up feeling too shallow and specific?CombatOne of the pillars of Ocarina of Time, and all Zelda games, are their combat systems.  OOT introduced the concept of a lock on, with some very aggressive mini boss enemies that feel like prototype Dark Souls skeletons.  Is the combat here fun and engaging, or does the camera control and AI hold it back?We answer these questions and many more on the 133rd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!—Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherZelda OOT OST: Koji Kondo—We played Zelda: Ocarina of Time using Ship of Harkinian, a custom modded port of the game that runs like a dream on modern PCs.  Definitely check it out!—Is our take on the Water Temple spot on, or highly controversial?  DId you ever get stuck while wandering the greater open world, or was that just a feature so you could catch more fish?  Which Zelda game should we play next?  Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee page