We're joined by Daniel Mullins (Inscryption), Tonda Ros (Blue Prince), and Glove (UFO 50 Historian/ska podcaster) to discuss Seaside Drive, the 48th game in the UFO 50 collection.

“Nothing's more relaxing than a nice long drive by the sea... Complete with plenty of gunfire!”

Next week: Campanella 3

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway

Discussed in this episode:

Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Merch

https://cottonbureau.com/people/eggplant-the-secret-lives-of-games-podcast

Downwell

https://downwellgame.com/

Branching Paths

https://branchingpaths.jp/

Cherry Rush (UFO 50 Speedrunning Charity Event — August 29th-31st, 2025)

https://www.cherry-rush.org/

Blue Prince

https://www.blueprincegame.com/

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Jackie Vecchitto (Trombone Champ), and Xalavier Nelson (Strange Scaffold) to discuss Quibble Race, the 47th game in the UFO 50 collection.

“In the seedy world of Quibble racing, sometimes it takes shady tactics to get ahead.”

Next week: Seaside Drive

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:

Unity 6.2 Livestream https://www.youtube.com/live/PmpUlbWD_mI 

Post Games: Big predictions for the future of games https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/big-predictions-for-the-future-of-games/id1815131711?i=1000721543499 Umamusume Pretty Derby https://umamusume.com/ 

Space-Cast! #47. Bun Bangers (interview with Jon Perry) https://spacebiff.com/2025/06/20/sbsc-47/ 

Hot Streak https://www.cmyk.games/products/hot-streak

Gameheads https://gameheadsoakland.org/ 

Gameheads Showcase https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gameheads-11th-annual-student-showcase-tickets-1545651347789?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Draknek New Voices Grant https://grants.draknek.org/ 

Jackie on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/jackiev.bsky.social 

Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/G6GGV5WW6/kaiji 

Strange Scaffold https://www.strangescaffold.com/ 

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) to discuss Combatants, the 46th game in the UFO 50 collection.

“The evil Red Ants have taken your land! Fight Back and defend your queen!”

Next week: Quibble Race

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:

Starcraft: Remastered https://starcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/

Pikmin 1+2 Bundle https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/pikmin-1-plus-2-bundle-switch/

Little King’s Story https://store.steampowered.com/app/390310/Little_Kings_Story/

Tinykin https://www.tinykingame.com/

Patapon https://www.bandainamcoent.com/games/patapon-1-plus-2-replay

Tooth & Tail https://www.toothandtailgame.com/

The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia by Bernard Suits https://broadviewpress.com/product/the-grasshopper-third-edition/#tab-description

Manifesto: The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Games by Eric Zimmerman https://kotaku.com/manifesto-the-21st-century-will-be-defined-by-games-1275355204 

Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World by Jane McGonigal https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reality-is-broken-jane-mcgonigal/1100817884?ean=9780143120612

Game Studies Study Buddies 51 – Suits – The Grasshopper https://rangedtouch.com/2022/09/29/51-suits-the-grasshopper/

EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Mini & Max https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-mini-max

Gio on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gwishin.bsky.social

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're recapping the 2025 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 13). 

In this very special bonus episode, Laura, Jey, Doug, and Melissa sit down with Wouter Verstichel (Director/Showrunner of De Mol) to discuss the experience of working on the show.

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and more.

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Links:

Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series, including live finale interviews: https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow 

122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol): https://eggplant.show/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol 

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Billy Basso (Animal Well), Ben Wilson (Saltsea Chronicles), Kayin (I Wanna Be The Guy), and Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) to discuss Mini & Max, the 45th game in the UFO 50 collection.

“Mini and her dog Max are locked in the storage room. Harness the magic of shrinking to escape!”

Next week: Combatants

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway

Discussed in this episode:

Animal Well Triple Physical Release https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjRxh0v08yo 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-nintendo-switch-2-edition-switch-2/ 

Outer Wilds https://www.mobiusdigitalgames.com/outer-wilds.html Spelunky https://www.spelunkyworld.com/index.html 

Uurnog: Uurnlimited https://rawfury.com/games/uurnog-uurnlimited/

Everything https://www.doublefine.com/games/everything 

Tux and Fanny https://www.gog.com/en/game/tux_and_fanny 

Tinykin https://www.tinykingame.com/ 

Caves of Qud https://www.cavesofqud.com/

Adam Conover Live Tour https://www.adamconover.net/

Zero Fifty One zerofiftyone.net 

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Eileen Hollinger (Capybara Games) to discuss Pilot Quest, the 44th game in the UFO 50 collection.

“The Campanella has crashed! Fix it by harvesting resources and exploring the wild zone.”

Next week: Mini & Max

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:

Collection of Mana  https://mana.square-enix-games.com/en-us/games/collection-of-mana 

Actraiser Renaissance https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/games/actraiser-renaissance

Progress Quest http://progressquest.com/

Candy Box II (Sequel to Candy Box)  https://candybox2.github.io/candybox/ 

Cow Clicker http://cowclicker.com/

A Dark Room https://adarkroom.doublespeakgames.com/

Cookie Clicker https://cookieclicker.com/ 

Clicker Heroes  https://www.clickerheroes.com/

AdVenture Capitalist https://hyperhippo.com/games/adventure-capitalist/

Universal Paperclips https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/

The Barnacle Goose Experiment https://everest-pipkin.com/barnacle-goose/

Banana https://store.steampowered.com/app/2923300/Banana/

Neptune’s Pride https://np.ironhelmet.com/#landing

Game Dev Story https://store.steampowered.com/app/1847240/Game_Dev_Story/

Knytt https://archive.org/details/Knytt/

Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure https://www.gog.com/en/game/cosmos_cosmic_adventure

GameMaker https://gamemaker.io/en

Edinburgh Festival Fringe https://www.edfringe.com/ 

Mel McGlensey is NORMAL https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/mel-mcglensey-normal

Into the Depths: Kentucky Route Zero - Part 1  https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-kentucky-route-zero-part-1 

Into the Depths: Super Mario World - Part 1 https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-super-mario-world-part-1 

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok), and Colin and Sarah Northway (Northway Games) to discuss Elfazar’s Hat, the 43rd game in the UFO 50 collection.

“Elfazar is hailed as a great magician, but his captive animals are ready to strike back!”

Next week: Pilot Quest

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:

Pocky & Rocky Reshrined https://store.steampowered.com/app/2200580/Pocky__Rocky_Reshrined/

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist https://exocolonist.com/ 

Vancouver Game Garden https://vangamegarden.com/

99: Charting the Future with Sarah Northway (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist) https://eggplant.show/99-charting-the-future-with-sarah-northway-i-was-a-teenage-exocolonist

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Star St. Germain (Aconite), Madison Karrh (Birth), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Night Manor, the 42nd game in the UFO 50 collection.

“Trapped in a nightmare where you must use your wits to survive and escape!”

Next week: Elfazar’s Hat

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway

Discussed in this episode:

Into the Depths: Caves of Qud (Sidequests Special)

https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-caves-of-qud-sidequests-special 

Clock Tower: Rewind (remaster of original Clock Tower release)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1921490/Wild_Blue/ 

Déjà Vu: MacVentures Series

https://store.steampowered.com/app/343820/Dj_Vu_MacVenture_Series/ 

The Uninvited: MacVenture Series

https://store.steampowered.com/app/343810/The_Uninvited_MacVenture_Series/

Shadowgate (remake)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/294440/Shadowgate/ 

Moida Mansion

https://dukope.itch.io/moida-mansion 

31 Days of Halloween

https://buttondown.com/31daysofhalloween/archive/31-days-of-halloween-october-1-5731/ 

Maniac Mansion

https://www.gog.com/en/game/maniac_mansion 

King’s Quest

https://www.gog.com/en/game/kings_quest_1_2_3 

The Legend of Kyrandia

https://www.gog.com/en/game/legend_of_kyrandia 

Putt Putt Goes to the Moon

https://store.steampowered.com/app/294650/PuttPutt_Goes_to_the_Moon/ 

Blue Prince

https://www.blueprincegame.com/ 

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

https://annapurnainteractive.com/en/games/lorelei-and-the-laser-eyes 

Inscryption

https://www.inscryption.com/ 

Crow Country

https://crowcountrygame.com/ 

Wild Blue 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1921490/Wild_Blue/ 

Star on bsky

https://bsky.app/profile/thisisstar.bsky.social   

Star on itch

thisisstar.itch.io 

Star’s website

https://www.thisisstar.com/  

Birth 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1889040/Birth/ 

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

In this bonus installment of our current Into the Depths series, we continue diving into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015.

Doug and Rob - joined by special guest host Star St. Germain - chat about sidequests with one of the game’s narrative designers, Caelyn Sandel. This episode we talk about the Servidian Meadow, the Hindren, Bey Lah, the integration of political and cultural commentary into worldbuilding, writing workflows, Mamon Souldrinker, Warden Une, Fraying Favorites, Many Eyes, Caelen Sandshell, _, and the cyclical nature of influence on Qud’s world.

Don't forget to join our Discord and play along with the series! 

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Show Notes:

Buy Caves of Qud on itch.io: https://freeholdgames.itch.io/cavesofqud 

Caves of Qud soundtrack: https://freeholdgames.itch.io/caves-of-qud-soundtrack 

The Qud Survival Guide: https://ectafoole.itch.io/the-qud-survival-guide

Star on bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisisstar.bsky.social 

Star on itch: thisisstar.itch.io

Star’s website: https://www.thisisstar.com/ 

Caelyn on bsky:  https://bsky.app/profile/ectafoole.bsky.social 

Caelyn’s Fiction work ectafoole.itch.io

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Trent Kusters (League of Geeks), John Axon (Capybara Games), and Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok) to discuss Lords of Diskonia, the 41st game in the UFO 50 collection.

“War has come to Land of Disks, and the red and blue armies are on a collision course!”

Next week: Night Manor

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway

Discussed in this episode:

I Tried Cycling the Length of Japan: 3,000km and 27 Days on the Road | Long Way North https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpH8vt5WLV0 

Carrom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrom 

Crokinole https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/521/crokinole 

How Tabletop Design Helped Shape ‘UFO 50’ https://gdcvault.com/play/1035154/How-Tabletop-Design-Helped-Shape 

JTolmar - Disks Rogue https://noisyowl.com/disksrogue/ 

Crossbows and Catapults https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2129/crossbows-and-catapults 

Catacombs (Third Edition) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/195137/catacombs-third-edition 

Beast Breaker https://vodeo.games/bb 

Designing ‘MARVEL SNAP’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjhsY2Zuo-c 

Into the Breach https://subsetgames.com/itb.html 

Air, Land, and Sea https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/247367/air-land-and-sea 

Hot Streak https://www.cmyk.games/products/hot-streak 

BALL X PIT https://www.ballxpit.com/ 

Storytelling through Systems (requires GDC Vault membership) https://gdcvault.com/browse?keyword=storytelling+through+systems# 

https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

http://discord.gg/eggplant

https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow