Episodios

  • Halls of Torment
    Dec 3 2025
    The agony and terror of season 3 of the podcast comes to a close with the Survivor-like, Diablo-lite game Halls of Torment! Hear the demonic horns and twisted drums that lay down the epic background music, feast your eyes on the gorgeous low poly, highly pixelated 90’s inspired spritework! Collect those soul stones, find the artifacts and items from the demonic lord’s hallowed halls and see firsthand the horrors of greed! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 1:29 - Game stats 3:07 - One sentence description 1:27:24 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:36:39 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Omegabowl 3 Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Cyrus Chestnut - Precious Lord Outro music: Halls of Torment OST - Chambers of Dissonance
    Más Menos
    Menos de 1 minuto
  • Diablo (with Robert Lippens)
    Nov 19 2025
    Stay a while and listen! The sanctity of this podcast has been fouled as we turn back the clock to cover the 1997 groundbreaking procedural action RPG: Diablo. From humble origins as an Angband clone, to global standardbearer for game design polish, this titan of the horror genre greets us with a few haunting guitar chords and a cathedral of the damned. Join our descent into terror as we encounter vegetable hating butchers, skeleton kings, multiplayer friends running ahead and leaving us behind, sultry winged demons, poorly-aged game mechanics, and many more devlish delights! Perhaps there you will find answers. Or perhaps, salvation! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 2:35 - Game stats 5:44 - One sentence description 07:17 - Original turn-based design & real-time conversion 10:04 - Berlin interpretation & roguelike elements debate 19:48 - Character classes overview (Warrior, Rogue, Sorcerer) 29:35 - Town mechanics & NPC interactions 39:21 - Dungeon structure & difficulty progression 49:08 - Loot system & item identification mechanics 58:54 - Combat feel & clicking gameplay 1:08:40 - Multiplayer experience 1:18:27 - Soundtrack praise & atmosphere creation 1:28:13 - Hellfire expansion & cut content discussion 1:38:32 - Rankings & final thoughts 1:52:02 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Halls of Torment Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Nat Adderley Jr. - Old Devil Moon Outro music: Diablo OST - Tristram
    Más Menos
    Menos de 1 minuto
  • Caves of Qud Part 2: Gameplay and Mechanics (with @BigSimple)
    Nov 5 2025
    O Glorious Shekhinah! To conclude our two-part special on Caves of Qud, we turn our focus from the epic storyline to the deep gameplay mechanics and systems from the Salt Dunes of the west to the Deep Jungle in the east. Join us for a water ritual on how to negotiate with camel merchants before we clone them, managing our reputation with fuedal fungal lords, and how to navigate the differences between mutated humans, psychic warriors, and just straight-up cyborgs. Get those schematics ready as we disassemble one of the densest and deepest “traditional” “roguelike” games out there. You can find the in depth tutorial series we did with BigSimple to learn this massive game here! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 3:44 - Game stats 7:47 - One sentence description 08:09 - Gamma World tabletop RPG comparison 10:08 - Initial bouncing off & polish improvements 14:23 - Tutorial mode & learning curve discussion 19:31 - Character creation & mutation systems 24:48 - Story structure & main quest overview 29:17 - Death mechanics & permadeath options 34:52 - Open world exploration & procedural generation 40:15 - Village generation & faction systems 45:38 - Combat mechanics & weapon variety 51:22 - Skill tree & ability customization 56:47 - Water economy & trade systems 1:02:08 - Equipment & artifact identification 1:07:45 - Mutation system depth & combinations 1:13:31 - Enemy variety & creature encounters 1:19:03 - Interface improvements & accessibility features 1:24:38 - Save system exploits discussion 1:30:15 - Community & modding ecosystem 1:35:52 - Writing quality & atmospheric storytelling 1:41:27 - Endgame content & difficulty scaling 2:07:27 - Rankings & final thoughts 2:25:15 - Similar games & show wind-down Next episode: Diablo Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Caves of Qud OST - Soundscape I Outro music: Caves of Qud OST - Onward Romantique / Live and Drink
    Más Menos
    Menos de 1 minuto
  • Caves of Qud Part 1: Story and Soundtrack (with @BigSimple)
    Oct 29 2025
    Live and Drink! In this extra-special two-part episode, we first examine the deep story, lore, and soundrack to Caves of Qud. Winner of the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Game or Interactive Work, as well as the 2025 Independent Games Festival for Excellence in Narrative, it only made sense for us to break this absolutely massive game out into two parts. We are also joined by special guest and Qud streamer BigSimple! Listen in as we set the stage via the incredible soundtrack brought to us by Craig Hamilton. While there will be heavy spoilers up to a certain point (don’t worry, the ending is safe), simply hearing the story can’t prepare you for experiencing it first hand. Part 2 will be the usual GROGPOD format, focusing more on the gameplay and systems in Caves of Qud, and also back to our closer to 90 minute length. Until then, strap into that ejector seat and get ready to inject some Eater’s nectar! Find the soundtrack on Steam here You can find the in depth tutorial series we did with BigSimple to learn this massive game here! Custom RSS Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Music Transcript 00:00 - Pilgrim’s Path (guest intro, title screen) 11:11 - Mehmet’s Morning (Joppa, Resheph, the gyre plagues, the signal) 26:30 - Overworld (Meeting the Barathrumites) 37:30 - Golgotha (First dungeon) 47:30 - Stoic Porridge (Acceptance into the order, the Baetyl) 56:40 - Lazarus (Bethesda Susa, the trolls, Saad Amus the Sky-Bear, Temple of The Rock) 1:12:30 - Onward (Ezra, Mayor Haddas, Sixshrew, Yla Haj, Zothom the Penitent, Rebekah’s grave, the Earl of Omonporch) 1:26:11 - Imminent II (Ereskigal the sentient computer, the Putus Templar) 1:33:10 - Attack on Grit Gate (Qud tower defense, NPC permadeath) 1:40:40 - Barathrum’s Study (Leader of the order, the mystery of the signal, the Spindle) 1:44:00 - Substrate (Rainbow Wood, scroll bound by a strand of kelp, Pax Klanq, Barathrum’s gamble) 1:59:34 - Among the Tomb of the Eaters (Qud crypts) 2:09:10 - Deeper Eaters (Sultan crypts, Resheph’s sarcophogus, Herododicus, entombment) 2:16:12 - Attenuated Signals, Fractals (Brightsheol, Rainwater Shomer, the Seraph’s dream, the golem) 2:23:20 - Moonstair (Eyn Roj, Ayog-No-Longer) 2:36:10 - Arrival of the Official Party (Final battle with Putus Templar, Girsh Nephilim, ascension) 2:49:10 - Similar stories 2:54:23 - Arrival (Part 1 wind down, preview for part 2) Next episode: Caves of Qud Part 2: Gameplay and Mechanics Contact us at grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Caves of Qud OST - Pilgrim’s Path Outro music: Caves of Qud OST - Arrival
    Más Menos
    Menos de 1 minuto
  • Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap
    Oct 22 2025
    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 grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Marcus Miller - Trip Trap Outro music: Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap OST - Order Wisdom
    Más Menos
    Menos de 1 minuto
  • Deadzone: Rogue
    Oct 8 2025
    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 grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Alexa Tarantino - My Ship Outro music: Deadzone Rogue OST - Luggage Tag
    Más Menos
    Menos de 1 minuto
  • Hero's Hour
    Sep 24 2025
    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 grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Wes Montgomery - A Day In The Life Outro music: Hero’s Hour OST - Decay
    Más Menos
    Menos de 1 minuto
  • The King is Watching
    Sep 10 2025
    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 grogpodzone@gmail.com! https://grogpod.zone Intro music: Gene Ammons - Someone to Watch Over Me Outro music: The King is Watching OST - 002B Village A
    Más Menos
    Menos de 1 minuto