Episodes

Nick talks to Francesco Bacchelli, the creative mind behind Game Boy developer Studio Loading. They discuss his inspirations, his approach to retro game development, and the positive aspects of working with a limited platform like the Game Boy. Hot on the heels of his first game Flying Arrows, Francesco is already moving forward with its sequel, Flying Arrows 2, and this time for a good cause: A portion of the funds raised for this game will go to help save Bologna Nerd, a retro gaming community...

Grab your tweeter and channel your inner pirate radio broadcaster as the gang covers What Remains, a walkie-talkie* adventure game for the NES. Conor digs the 1980s vibes, Bart gets duped by a false ending, and Nick brings back the beeps... or, at least, one big one. *Copyright 2023, Homebrew Game Club (yes we are owning this) Still need to play the game? Get it here: https://iodinedynamics.itch.io/whatremains Our next game will be The Cursed Knight for Mega Drive / Genesis. Get the Steam vers...

Conor seizes control of the host mic to send the Game Club on a long, rambling, lightly edited conversation about several titles we played in 2022 that deserve more attention. Old games, new games, indie games, mobile games, AAA games – everything is up for discussion. (We even throw some homebrew games in there.) Other topics include game preservation, preorders, a debate about Patreon, online gaming with kids, and... lots of other stuff we'd usually cut. Mentioned in this episode: Elden Ring...

Bart, Conor, and Nick head to 13th Century France in this deceptively compact tribute to ZX Spectrum platformers. We check out the original PC game as well as ports to the Spectrum, Mega Drive, NES, and Commodore 64. Sorry, Amiga and Ouya fans -- we tried. Still need to play the game? Find the original (free) PC version and links to all ports here: https://locomalito.com/abbaye_des_morts.php Our next game is What Remains for the NES. Get it here: https://iodinedynamics.itch.io/whatremains Hom...

It’s a NES demo extravaganza as Nick, Conor, and Bart check out all sixty-seven 2022 NESDev and NESmaker Byte Off III competition entries. Assuming they were able to figure out the spreadsheet first. NESDev Competition results (with links to demos): https://itch.io/jam/nesdev-2022/results NESmaker Byte-Off III competition main page: https://www.thenew8bitheroes.com/byte-off-iii Byte-Off III game demos: https://theretroverse.com/special-events/byte-off-2022/ Music break #1: Stage 1 theme from Ta...

Does Elon Musk have entrepreneurial brain worms? Tech industry veterans Conor and Nick discuss.

The Game Club gets spooky with two GB Studio titles for Game Boy: bite-size dungeon-crawler Traumatarium and glitchtastic platformer Phobos Dere. Still need to play the games? Get Traumatarium here: https://horatiunyc.itch.io/traumatarium And here’s Phobos Dere: https://appsir.itch.io/phobos-dere-gb Our next Game Club pick is L’Abbaye des Morts for ZX Spectrum and other platforms. Find out more about the game here: https://locomalito.com/abbaye_des_morts.php Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and t...

Happy birthday to us!

Nick and Bart crush some undead 8-bit skulls in Dungeons & DoomKnights, a "Zeldavania" action adventure for the NES. There's also a conversation about barbecue on the menu, and Nick finally reveals the origins of his cryptic internet handle, Dvertov. Still need to play the game? Grab it here: https://www.heromart.com/collections/dungeons-doomknights-collection Our next games are Traumatarium and Phobos Dere.gb for Game Boy. Get 'em here: Traumatarium: https://horatiunyc.itch.io/traumatarium Ph...

Nick and Bart talk with Jordan Davis about adapting his NES game Space Raft for an arcade setting, and what it’s like to get a homebrew game published on the Nintendo Switch. This interview was recorded live at the Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 1, 2022. Raftronaut on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0000jordan Get Space Raft for NES: https://raftronaut.itch.io/space-raft-nes Or play it for free in your browser here: http://nes.dustymedical.com Keep an eye out for that Premi...

Bart, Conor, and Nick head to the tundra with Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure, a puzzle platformer for the NES. There’s also a lengthy debate about the ethics of using save states on emulated games, and an even longer, highly skippable (but hopefully entertaining) examination of the regional cuisine of Saint Louis, Missouri and its notoriously divisive pizza. Haven’t played the game yet? Get it here: https://www.spoonybard.ca/nes-games/alfonzos-arctic-adventure Our next game is Dungeons and Doomkni...

Conor and Nick discuss Ruby & Rusty Save the Crows, a charming platformer for the Game Boy Color that may or may not concern workplace discrimination and chronically traumatized birds (it doesn’t). Get the full game here: https://www.bitmapsoft.co.uk/product/ruby-rusty-save-the-crows/ Play the demo here: https://maxoakland.itch.io/ruby-rusty-save-the-crows Max Oakland on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WinkWinkerson The next game club pick is Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure. Get it here: https://www...

The Homebrew Game Club takes on Xeno Crisis, a twin-stick shooter for the Sega Mega Drive. And loses, spectacularly. Get the game here, or on your platform of choice: https://shop.bitmapbureau.com/ The next game club pick is Alfonzo's Arctic Adventure for the NES. Get it here: https://www.spoonybard.ca/nes-games/alfonzos-arctic-adventure Music break: "Nest (Area 4)" by Savaged Regime. Free Xeno Crisis OST download available via Bitmap Bureau here: https://twitter.com/BitmapBureau/status/13324...

Conor returns to the podcast as the gang takes a look at Diamond Thieves, a new game for the Mega Drive and Genesis. Developed by Mangangá Team, Diamond Thieves is available through a joint collaboration between Mega Cat Studios and Video Game Sage. View the Diamond Thieves Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sks9sfC5atQ Order your copy of the game here: https://megacatstudios.com/collections/16-bit/products/diamond-thieves Here's a deep dive on the game by Scrobins on VGS, with...

Nick and Bart discuss Space Raft for NES and its remixed semi-sequel, Space Raft Arcade. Bart has no regrets about taking over the Discord with Atari 7800 talk, and Nick builds a badass flight simulator. Also: Hey, did those Beanie Baby collectors ever make money?? Still need to play Space Raft? Get it here: https://raftronaut.itch.io/space-raft-nes The next game club pick is Xeno Crisis for the Sega Mega Drive. Get it here, among other places: https://shop.bitmapbureau.com/ Music break: "Tom...

The 2022 Midwest Gaming Classic is over, and Nick and Bart are tired. For more on the Midwest Gaming Classic: https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/ Hair of the Dogcast: https://hairofthedogcast.libsyn.com/ Warren Davis' Q*Bert Book: https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Bert-Other-Classic-Arcade/dp/1595801057 Premium Edition Games Series 4 Direct (NES homebrew 10-in-1 announcement): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlA6m5zEDmg Video Game Sage: https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/ Space Raft, the...

The Game Club talks NEScape!, an escape room game for the NES. Conor makes the point-and-click connection, Bart is happy he finally figured out Morse Code, and Nick's just glad to have had help on this one. View the HBGC full livestream playthrough on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/xnHryQBMcyE Still need to play NEScape? Get it here: https://khangames.itch.io/nescape Music break: "Final Escape (Scene 4)" by Travis Nelson: https://famitrackerbits.bandcamp.com/album/nescape-original-soun...

The Game Club talks with Matt Hughson, developer of NES homebrew games Witch n' Wiz and From Below, as well as the upcoming From Below Pocket for Game Boy. While the discussion focuses on previous Game Club pick Witch n' Wiz, this is a great conversation for anyone interested in creating and marketing homebrew games, regardless of console. Matt Hughson's website: https://www.matthughson.com/ Matt Hughson's games: https://mhughson.itch.io/ Blog Post: How to Start Making NES Games: https://www....

The gang talks about Witch n' Wiz, a puzzle platformer for the NES. Nick tries in vain not to swear, Conor confesses to a terrible mistake, and Bart has a particular room in mind where he'd like to play this one. There's also a bit about Reddit movies. Finally, Nick has a cautionary tale about giving your childhood stuffed animals away to high school filmmakers. Still need to play Witch n' Wiz? Get the full game here: https://mhughson.itch.io/witch-n-wiz Or play it for free on Piepacker: https...

Nick has a story about losing his car keys. It's long, sorry. Eventually, Nick and Conor talk about some of their favorite retro-inspired indie games. Let us know which ones we missed by yelling at us on social media or emailing homebrewgameclub@gmail.com. Games mentioned in this episode: Streets of Rage 4 Fight'n Rage River City Girls Cave Story VVVVVV Super Hexagon Celeste Bionic Commando Rearmed Undertale GG Aleste 3 (Aleste Collection) Super Meat Boy Binding of Issac Shovel Kn...

The Game Club takes on handheld homebrew horror with Deadeus for the Game Boy, a great Halloween title we're talking about in January for some reason. Warning: Spoilers abound. The guys wrap up with a discussion of their favorite non-homebrew games of 2021. Got a different take? Share your experience with us at homebrewgameclub (at) gmail.com. Play Deadeus here if you haven't already: https://izma.itch.io/deadeus Break music: Day 2 Overworld Theme by Stoo Busby: https://stoobusby.bandcamp.com/...

In this totally bonus, eminently skippable episode, Nick and Conor address a couple of wild days in the NES homebrew scene. Do you devour internet drama like it's hot popcorn? This episode is for you. Seth Abramson's Top 100 NES Homebrews (archived version): https://archive.is/QCi8s Response to the list from Sole Goose (Beau Holland): https://www.solegooseproductions.com/?page_id=816

The Game Club kicks off with enigmatic platformer Lizard for the NES, and contentious takes abound. Conor is perplexed by the soundtrack, Bart is scared and confused, and Nick wonders if his favorite homebrew game is an existential crisis simulator in disguise. Got a different take? Share your experience with us at homebrewgameclub (at) gmail.com. The next game club pick is Deadeus for Game Boy. Check it out here: https://izma.itch.io/deadeus 2A03 Puritans on Bandcamp: https://bitpuritans.bandc...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S., and the Game Club's own Bart Elfrink made a movie about it! Here's a short, totally-extra bonus segment featuring Bart and Nick talking about Drinksgiving, a film Bart co-directed back in 2016, now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+. IMDB page for Drinksgiving (with poster art): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4773854/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 Drinksgiving on Prime Video: https://tinyurl.com/3rkjz3pv