We're joined by Derek Lieu (derek-lieu.com) and Colin Northway (Fantastic Contraption) to discuss Velgress, the seventh game in the UFO 50 collection. “The space pirate Alpha is trapped in the deep pit known as Velgress. Help her climb out!” Next week: Planet Zoldath http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Aaron "ix" Kearsley (speedrunner), Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) to discuss Mortol, the sixth game in the UFO 50 collection. “How many people will lay down their lives to save Mortolia?” Next week: Velgress http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Daniel Mullins (Inscryption), Stuffed Wombat (Mosa Lina), and XanaGear (youtube.com/xanagear) to discuss Magic Garden, the fifth game in the UFO 50 collection. “Stop the jealous witch Cloverana from sabotaging your garden!” Next week: Mortol

In the first installment of a new Into the Depths series, we dive into the brilliant Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015, and we're celebrating it as it nears a v1.0 release. Doug and Rob, together with guest host and Qud-head Jack Schlesinger (Puzzmo, Knotwords, Good Sudoku), talk to Caves of Qud creators Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat all about post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, building an emergence-focused game...

We're joined by Frank Lantz (The Beauty of Games) to discuss Paint Chase, the fourth game in the UFO 50 collection. “Rev your engines and color your way to victory in the local paint racing competition!” Next week: Magic Garden

We're joined by Adam Robinson-Yu (A Short Hike) to discuss Ninpek, the third game in the UFO 50 collection. “It’s ninja time! Run and jump to reach the end of the world.” Next week: Paint Chase, with guest co-host Carolyn Petit

We're joined by Frank Lantz, Jack Schlesinger, and John Axon to discuss Bug Hunter, the second game in the UFO 50 collection. “The moon quarry has a bug problem and you’ve been hired to fix it.” Next week: Ninpek

We're joined by Xalavier Nelson Jr., Sylvie, and Gabe Cuzzillo to discuss Barbuta, the first game in the UFO 50 collection. "Explore the castle but watch out for traps!"

We introduce Eggplant Presents: A Year of UFO 50 - our new 1-year weekly show covering every game in the UFO 50 collection. Join us! Next week: Barbuta, with guest co-hosts Xalavier Nelson Jr. and Gabe Cuzzillo.

We’re joined by our own Sarah Elmaleh, who is currently leading the SAG-AFTRA video-game actors’ strike as Chair of the union's Interactive Negotiating Committee. In this rare topical emergency episode, we discuss the urgency of securing basic protections for performers in the age of so-called “generative A.I.,” the power of collective action, and why this fight has existential stakes for video games as a commercial medium. Happy Labor Day! Show Notes Sarah Elmaleh SAG-AFTRA Video Game...

In this 3rd and final installment of our latest deep-dive miniseries, the crew continue to discuss “yahtzee roguelike” Slice & Dice, a host favorite that has made our GOTY list for two years running. We're joined once again by series guest co-host Darius Kazemi. This episode, we ask Slice & Dice developer tann six (6) questions about the game. We also discuss Nightmare mode, as well as the modding system. Show Notes: Slice & Dice on Steam, itch, iOS, and Google Play Into the...

Sorry for the lack of new episodes! We have some big stuff brewing though, tune into this announcement for the details.

Doug and Zach talk to prolific game maker sylvie (love game), together with guest co-host Raigan Burns (Metanet Software). We talk about sylvie's design process, freeware games, subverting traditional orthodoxies around gamefeel, sylvie's influences, and more. Show Notes: sylvie's website Catalog of sylvie's games sylvie's blog posts sylvie's post on playtesting Bennett Foddy on JIGGLY ZONE Eggplant Episode 11 with Raigan Melos Han-Tani on Living in the Relational Playworld ...

We're joined by Laure De Mey and Kitt Byrne of Balloon Studios to chat about their Victorian first-person puzzler Botany Manor. We discuss building a space that feels the right amount of "real," letting history guide your setting, weaving a subtly affecting narrative, and...priest holes. Show Notes: Laura De Mey Kitt Byrne Alba: A Wildlife Adventure Return of the Obra Dinn Pettson O Findus in the Garden Sapphire Tower Monkey Island Over the Garden Wall Little Women MacDowell...

In this 2nd installment of our latest deep-dive miniseries, the crew continue to discuss “yahtzee roguelike” Slice & Dice, a host favorite that has made our GOTY list for two years running.  We're joined once again by series guest co-host Darius Kazemi, as well as very special guest Michael Brough (!), whose own roguelike Cinco Paus is one of the cited inspirations behind Slice & Dice. This episode, we discuss the game's curses and blessings system, as well as its links to some of...

We're joined by Animal Well's sole developer Billy Basso and his business partner Dan Adelman to discuss their genre-defying/defining, steeped-in-secrets hit. Plus special guest co-host Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), as we dig deep into the game's slow-burn development, the iteration of its manifold gameplay (and other) layers, and the delicate balance of stoking the fires of your fanbase. Show Notes: Animal Well Billy Basso Dan Adelman Adam Conover Scary kangaroo video Axiom...

In the first installment of our Slice & Dice deep-dive miniseries, the crew head Into the Depths with the “yahtzee roguelike” that's shown up on our GOTY list for two years running. We're joined by interactive artist/developer Darius Kazemi to help introduce the game and share beginner tips from our (significant) playtime, and get into its unique combination of maximalist design and systems-driven humor. Next episode, we’ll get into some of our favorite game modes: Classic Unfair,...

Left to our own devices without a guest, we get a little goofy - thankfully our listener letters overfloweth, so we dive into a few of them. Thanks, listeners! Show Notes: Jupiter Sunrise Dinner with the Band GeoGuesser World Cup 2023 Knytt Seiklus Daniels: Why We Tell The Stories We Tell Pale Fire

Four of ours hosts went to the 2024 Game Developers Conference, and we lived to share anecdotes, interesting games we saw, and the highlights (and injuries) of our week! Also, Rob chases down a handful of other lovely devs to tell us the best/hardest things about making games right now. Show Notes: Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure Experimental Game Workshop Museum of Mechanics: Lockpicking Once Upon a Jester Misshapen Mediterranea Inferno Kill Lincoln The Crush House

We're joined by LocalThunk, solo creator of the hypnotic deckbuilder Balatro. We discuss flauting the fashion of a genre and going into development blind, the benefits of balacing by feel, and why Balatro shouldn't exist. Show Notes: Balatro LocalThunk Big two Luck Be a Landlord Slice & Dice Slay the Spire Risk of Rain 2

We're joined by renowned designer Eric Chahi (Another World, From Dust) to discuss his singularly surreal VR adventure Paper Beast. We discuss building a living ecosystem born from constraints, how the craft has changed over the decades, and the indecency of technology. Show Notes: Eric Chahi Paper Beast Another World From Dust Heart of Darkness Strandbeest TsuShiMaMiRe Paprika Pale Blue Dot

We're joined by Jon Ingold, co-founder of Inkle Studios (80 Days, Heaven's Vault) to discuss A Highland Song - a wild adventure through the Scottish Highlands. We chat about creating narrative-driven games without a critical path, allowing players to fail forward, and the origins of Inkle's beloved narrative scripting language, ink. Show Notes: Jon Ingold A Highland Song Inkle Studios ink The Forever Labyrinth Rick Dangerous TV Superstars Inform MUDs Uncharted 3's horse-riding section

We (belatedly) celebrate the 5th anniversary of our show with a sprawling, silly, reflective episode with a full house of hosts! Thanks for listening to us for all this time. Show Notes: Bob Mould Heat: Pedal to the Metal Everest Pipkin's The Poppy Grower Learning Moonring with Zach A Link to the Past Redux Paper Beast Late Show 3-Legged Race: Video Game Speedrunner Edition Tharsis Blue Thunder Everyday Shooter PixelJunk Monsters Puzzled Pint Sleep No More Teeny Little Super...

We welcome Rob Dubbin (he/they) as a permanent member of the host pool! We discuss his journey from Late Night into making games, applicable lessons learned in the writers' room, and the importance of making your own shot. Show Notes: Rob Dubbin NYU Game Center Babycastles Wonderville Game Studies Study Buddies I Am America (And So Can You!) Earl Grey ZZT by Anna Anthropy London Jerry: Freelance Mailman Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondants' Dinner Samurai Gunn ...