Wine poured and snacks at the ready, Andy and Diego open by debating the merits of some gloriously odd Indian inspired snacks, with a quick mention to Andy's new Commodore 64 project, before turning to an 8bit MMO world that somehow links everything from a Commodore 64 to basically anything. They also raise an eyebrow at the revived Commodore brand's new privacy focused phone and gawp at a sealed Super Mario Bros for the NES selling for an incredible sum. On the games, Andy brings Luft Gears for the Game Boy, a moreish spaceship management sim from Game Brewery he proudly backed on Kickstarter. Diego fires back with two, the deceptively tricky block pusher Lock and Toad (Mega Drive) from Safety Stoat Studio, now open source, and Petal Panic (Commodore 64), a neat little demo by Piggy 18 with tunes from the Chiummo Brothers.

Andy is back after a long stretch away, settling into a new house and confessing he might be a hoarder of old consoles, while Wiedo sits this one out and Diego holds the fort. Between pigeon related window mishaps, the pair catch up on the revived Commodore brand, the Commodore 64 Ultimate going back on sale, a new Neo Geo, Lego versions of classic machines, and the close of the MSX Dev 2025 competition, won by the bike racer Neon Horizon. On the games, Andy brings Sherwood for the Commodore 64, a Robin Hood flip screen exploration romp from Griffinsoft. Diego answers with two MSX picks, the time travel platformer Chrono Runner (MSX) from the MSX Italia Association, and Shift (MSX) by Haplo, a tidy black and white puzzler spanning 44 rooms.

In this long-awaited reunion episode, Andy, Diego, and Wiedo catch up after months apart — swapping stories of Hollow Knight Silksong obsessions, an endless Baldur's Gate 3 co-op, tabletop D&D deep dives, and Wiedo's Guardian-featured Quake Brutalist Jam 3 maps. The trio then dives into the GB Compo 2025, each bringing two picks. For the Game Boy, Wiedo tackles climbing platformer Mount Crymore and champions the competition's deserving winner OrmBlok, a fiendishly addictive Tetris-meets-Snake hybrid, while Diego recommends atmospheric noir mystery Abyss and Andy gets hooked on deck-building board game Ningami 2. For the Game Boy Color, Diego embraces the chaotic punishment of survival platformer Dropblox! and Andy explores the eerie point-and-click world of Fun Video Store. The episode wraps with the crew debating their Game of the Year picks and crowning a surprise winner.

In this special episode, Wiedo welcomes guest co-hosts Rob (King Octavius) and Mr. Sparkle to suss out Earthion, Yuzo Koshiro's jaw-dropping 2024 shoot-'em-up that squeezes every last drop of power from the Megadrive. The trio bond over their shmup origin stories—from rental-game rage-quits to recent conversions—before diving into Ancient Corporation's visual spectacular. They're blown away by pseudo-3D ship intros, mind-bending color cycling, and that glorious moment when a giant robot hand rips through your ally's capital ship. Rob gushes about theatrical destruction sequences, Mr. Sparkle drops advanced tactics about weaponizing V-Fire option pods for point-blank carnage, and everyone agrees the adaptation pod upgrade system is brilliantly addictive. Between debating whether you can tank too many bullets, lamenting 50-minute run times, and wishing for a proper practice mode, they land on the perfect verdict: it's a four-star shooter wrapped in five-star presentation that would've melted minds in 1993. All wrapped up with community resource recommendations for aspiring bullet-dodgers.

Back together at last, the crew kicks off this episode with a surprisingly heated debate over what really counts as a sandwich—are crackers allowed, does it have to be square, and can you get away with a “convertible” one-slice version? From there, we catch up on life outside the mic: Wiedo finally unveils his custom-built bike and dives into the long-awaited Silksong, Andy thinks about packing in the CRT and moving on to the RetroTINK 4K, and Diego steps out of his gaming backlog long enough to play his first ever bass gig in front of an audience.

On the games front, Wiedo brings us the colorful Hungry Huey (Gameboy Color), a demo puzzle gem that mixes Bejeweled-style chaining with slime-feeding chaos, Andy straps in for the roguelike chaos of Blind Jump (Gameboy Advance), and Diego spotlights Emu’s Massive Hunt (VIC 20)—a jump-and-collect platformer that proves the little Commodore still has some life in it.

This week, Wiedo and Diego reunite after a five-week Scandinavia road trip—complete with charging stops, supermarket pit-stops, and tales of Finland’s early school starts as summer fades fast. With sore thumbs from too much messaging, Wiedo dives into control hacks (Quake jump on the mouse, keyboard over D-pads) to keep gaming pain-free.

On the games front, Wiedo brings along a free Squid Game demake on the Gameboy, while Diego spotlights Yandex comp standouts Cubix and Kubanoid for the ZX Spectrum—a clever, dice-driven, Columns-style puzzler that squeezes surprising depth out of tiny memory.

We also gush over the C64 Mini Black, packed with 25 modern homebrew hits like Sam’s Journey, before signing off with Andy still away on holiday.

In this heat-soaked pre-holiday episode, Andy and Diego swap tales of water park nostalgia, snack discoveries, and mysterious fizzy drinks before diving into two challenging retro releases. Diego revisits the Commodore 64 with Mike Mech 2 by Luca Carminati, a tightly crafted single-screen platformer where dodging aliens, flipping switches, and navigating teleporters demands both precision and patience. Andy takes on MS-DOS curios game Alien Intruder from Juan José Martínez, a rescue-and-shoot platformer where time pressure is as deadly as the enemies themselves. In the news, the duo chat about the ZX Spectrum Next’s final Kickstarter run, intriguing rumblings from a revived Commodore brand, and upcoming releases like Copper Storm for the Mega Drive, Neo Geo, and SNES. All wrapped up with community shoutouts before both hosts dash off to their summer breaks.

Today Diego and Wiedo talk about four inventive retro games with clever mechanics and classic vibes. Time Wizard (Atari XL) lets you rewind time to dodge traps and collect hourglasses across 70 cleverly designed levels. Petris (Game Gear, Gameboy Color) brings a pet-themed twist to falling-block puzzles, combining animal parts to build cute creatures across five colorful modes. Plyuk (NES, ZX Spectrum) introduces cloning mechanics for inventive platforming, with distinct visuals and level design on each system. And Prisonela MD (Megadrive) delivers lightning-fast, one-screen platforming where every death resets the room instantly—no loading, no mercy. With sharp controls, brutal traps, and an intentionally chaotic level order, it’s a twitchy trial-and-error experience that keeps you hooked.

Today we chat with special guest Juan José Martínez, developer of retro microcomputer games. Discover Juan's journey into game development for vintage systems, his thoughts on game jams as a solution to scope creep, and his experiences creating titles for classic platforms like the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC.

Listen to the intricacies of developing games with hardware limitations, the rise of modern expansions like cartridges with extra RAM and ROM, and why some retro communities thrive more than others. Juan shares insights into the appeal and technical challenges of creating authentic retro experiences and discusses how the right game design can shine regardless of graphical constraints.

Andy, Diego, and Wiedo are joined by special guest Dale Coop, who shares insights about his journey into indie game development and his unique experiences creating games for classic hardware.

The crew then dives into reviews of modern indie games for classic platforms. Diego brings Gravity Boy (Commodore Plus/4), a clever adventure where you control gravity itself to solve spatial puzzle rooms infested by weird-looking aliens. Wiedo presents Kero Kero Cowboy (Gameboy Color), a Western-themed platformer featuring Kirby-like mechanics of swallowing enemies and shooting them out.

Andy shares his experience exploring Deep Dungeon (Gameboy), a surprisingly complex RPG where reading the manual would have greatly helped him navigate intricate combat and inventory mechanics. Dale discusses What Remains (NES), an environmentally-conscious narrative adventure filled with intriguing political messages wrapped in compelling storytelling.

In this year's Game Club Shortlist episode, Andy, Diego, and Wiedo each bring three brand-new games—built for old-school consoles—to the table. Only three will survive the nomination gauntlet and become the next picks for the July Game Club. Along the way, we get updates on sourdough laziness, shattered PCs, chaotic home renovations, and obsessive Quake map tinkering. Expect a mix of roguelikes, puzzle-platformers, sprawling adventures, and at least one game that pushes its retro hardware to the limit. Which new-old classics will make the cut? Join us for the debate and start planning your summer backlog.

In this episode, Andy, Wiedo, and Mark continue the tradition of the yearly shoot’em-up special. Andy kicks things off with Frontier Force for the Sega Master System, an intense fixed-screen shooter reminiscent of Space Invaders but elevated with dynamic weapon cycling and epic battles against waves of aliens and imposing bosses. Mark dives into Red Shift for the ZX Spectrum, spotlighting its accessible mechanics, unique shield regeneration system, and collectible ship parts that boost your capabilities, despite challenges posed by its monochrome visuals and tricky bullet visibility. Finally, Wiedo introduces Changeable Guardian Estique on the NES, an inventive horizontal shooter featuring a mech-transforming spaceship, strategic shield replenishments, and branching paths offering varied environmental challenges. Come shoot up some time with us!

Andy and Wiedo return after a busy break to tackle Hero GP (Gameboy Color), an addictive racing experience reminiscent of Super Hang-On, with its vibrant visuals and simple yet engaging gameplay, and Crater Song (NES), a sci-fi puzzle adventure filled with rich lore, unique cooperative mechanics using two NES controllers simultaneously, and a compelling narrative set on a mysterious musical planet.

The crew also touches on recreating Quake maps purely from memory in the "Quake from Memory" project, the trials and tribulations of the never-ending TV repair, sourdough baking, the upcoming shmups episode, the MiSTer Multisystem2, and much more!

Join Andy and Diego this week as they chat with the legendary Pierre Gilhodes, mastermind behind the quirky and much-loved Gobliiins series. Pierre takes us on a delightful trip down memory lane, from his painstaking pixel-by-pixel beginnings at Coktel Vision to the creative madness behind Gobliiins 5, with an exclusive sneak peek into Gobliiins 6. Discover the challenges and joys of transitioning from traditional pixel art to modern gaming tech, and find out why humor remains Pierre’s ultimate secret weapon.

Join Andy, Diego, and Wiedo as they explore another batch of modern indie games crafted for classic retro hardware. This week, the crew investigates the humorous adventures of Frog Detective -1 (Gameboy), solving very important mysteries involving lost paper clips. Then it's off to navigate the food-filled maze of Hungry in the Dungeon (Gameboy), where survival depends on consuming your culinary foes. Andy faces face-huggers and xenomorphs into the sci-fi action of Alien Neoplasma (ZX Spectrum), battling aliens in a tense, atmospheric platformer.

Diego shares his experience with Tiny Pixel Adventure (Amiga), a jump-and-shoot platformer filled with hidden challenges and collectible items across colorful stages.

In the meantime, Andy samples mysterious basil seed beverages, Diego recounts a smoky fine-dining experience beneath a glass cloche, and Wiedo dreams up next year's elaborate April Fool’s prank.

This week, Andy, Diego, and Wiedo put on their spelunking hats and enter the cave of treasures to uncover forgotten modern games made for classic hardware. We flap through space in Spacegulls (NES), delicately bob through hazards as a vulnerable bubble in Böbl (NES), and navigate the mind-bending, multi-layered chaos of Endless Forms Most Beautiful (Commodore 64). We also puzzle our way through the stylish and retro-styled You Have to Win the Game(Commodore 64), while Diego rounds things out with atmospheric exploration in Knight’n Grail (Commodore 64) and battles against mythical foes in Pains’n Aches (Commodore 64).

Also this episode: Diego experiments with AI co-pilots for endless RPG adventures, using AI as a Game Master; Andy solves his CRT woes with a daring, transcontinental component pickup; and Wiedo grapples with the irresistible pull of addictive gameplay.

Join us as we unearth these modern indie retro gems hidden deep in the caverns of time!

Today Andy and Diego spotlight Steel Legion for the NES from François Brodeur and published by Broke Studio. Join us as we navigate a dystopian 2004 filled with oppressive AI, run-and-gun exploration, and echoes of classic hits like Bionic Commando. We also head to the ZX Spectrum with The Blond, a uniquely challenging puzzle-action game inspired by the classic Western movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, guiding Tuco safely through each frantic level by strategically shooting targets to keep him alive.

We also share exciting news about Atari’s upcoming Jeff Minter-themed game jam and debate the mysterious boundaries of what truly counts as a sandwich. And yes, we promise to get to the bottom of whether a hot dog qualifies! Dust off your Commodore 64, power up that NES, and listen in!

This month, we welcome Pascal Belisle, the mastermind behind The Trial of Kharzoid for the NES! Join Andy and Diego as they chat with Pascal about his journey from musician to indie developer, his love for classic consoles, and the joy (and torment) of coding for the NES. We break down his unique “Arkanoidvania” take—where brick-breaking meets Metroidvania-style exploration—and dive into the gothic, Eerie-infused world of Kharzoid. Along the way, we swap stories of childhood consoles, the magic of limitations in retro game design, and why Pascal sometimes curses his own power-downs. Grab a poutine (or some maple syrup) and tune in!

Join the crew in this chaotic February episode, where we swap stories of Wiedo suddenly turning twelve on Twitter, chuckle over Diego’s echo-laden mic setup that made him sound like he was calling from a phone booth, and marvel at the newest AI wonders popping up everywhere.

This week in games, we charge headfirst into an alien-infested station with Infeztation for Commodore 64, tiptoe through procedurally generated caverns in Cave Dave (Gameboy Color), and struggle to stay afloat in Death Flood: Dungeon of Doom once again for the Commodore 64.

We also keep an eager eye on the next wave of FPGA consoles, celebrate Rocksmith’s triumphant return on Steam, and dream of what else the retro scene has in store.

Ring in the New Year with us as we wrap up 2024 in style! In this episode, the crew looks back on the year’s best games for old-school consoles and microcomputers. After sharing a few fun tales from our Christmas and New Year celebrations, each of us brings five favorite games to the table. From there, it’s a showdown to crown the ultimate Game of the Year for 2024!

We also reflect on how small moments—like spontaneous neighborhood dinners or rethinking holiday traditions—can make the season special in surprising ways. Plus, we reveal some unexpected personal resolutions and plans for the show.