Hero's Hour

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 [email protected]! 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: brain in exoskeleton 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! 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 [email protected]! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Charles Mingus - Mood Indigo Outro music: Spiritfall OST - The Frigid Veil