Video games: can you dig it? Yes, and you can also dig IN them—which is the point of this week's podcast. What started as one man's dream to bury aliens alive has remained a viable concept in video games to this very day; Donkey Kong Bananza, we're looking at you. But how has this simple concept evolved over the years, allowing us to safely simulate tunneling underground without getting our fingernails dirty? On this latest installment of Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Diamond Feit, and Jeremy Parish as the crew assembles in a Portland hotel room and imagines a new life underground.

The clones attack, as Kevin Bunch, Diamond Feit, Meredith Rose, and Mollie Patterson discuss the history of court cases around cloning video games like Pac-Man and Street Fighter II.

Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

You're listening to a free preview of Retronauts 727: Klonoa. To hear the rest, and get two exclusive extra episodes every month, access to our previous Patreon-exclusive episodes, and early access to ad-free podcasts, please visit the official Retronauts Patreon at patreon.com/retronauts.

Jeremy Parish, Kaye Ross, John Learned, and cover artist Greg Melo swear fealty to Lord Matsuno and return to the fray to revisit the isometric battlefields of Final Fantasy Tactics in light of its recent remake as well as [gestures expansively]

Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

Greetings, you rancid retro revenants! We're knee-deep in the spookiest of seasons, which means it's time once again to crack open the crypt and gaze in fright at a selection of horror games that tried their best to scare our pants off oh so many decades ago. In the past few years, we've covered NES and 16-bit games, so now it's time to move onto the world of multimedia: where pre-rended ghouls and washed up actors alike did their best to make horror thrive in an era beyond floppies. On this week's episode, join Bob Mackey, Kaye Ross (of Duckfeed.tv) and Michael Sawyer as the crew attempts to appreciate the art of fake blood and FMV.

Cover art by Nick Daniel.

Diamond Feit reports from the largest Tokyo Game Show ever and interviews Hamster CEO Satoshi Hamada about the Arcade Archives series of classic game rereleases.

Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

Nadia Oxford, Kevin Bunch, and Victor Hunter talk about trains. Trains in retro video games! Game trains! (But maybe not train games?)

Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

WHAT: Our "The Best and Worst of Retro Game Horror" panel, live at PRGE 2025

WHERE: Blue Auditorium (E145 - 146) at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo

WHEN: Saturday, October 18th at 1:15pm

WHO: Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Gary Butterfield, Kaye Ross

Additionally, you can catch Jeremy's solo panel "Not the NES: 40 Years of Also-Rans" on Saturday, October 18th at 10:15am in the Blue Auditorium, and you can see Bob and Jeremy together on the Watch Out for Fireballs panel "The Best and Worst 7/10 Games of All Time" on Sunday, October 19th at 2:00pm in the Red Auditorium. 

Please check out the official PRGE 2025 schedule for more information!

Inspired by the host's recent deep-dive into TurboGrafx-16 and a chance encounter at Retro World Expo, this episode sees Jeremy Parish, Kurt Kalata, John Andersen, and guest Jimmy Cooney recount the wild early days of former gaming powerhouse Hudson.

Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/retronauts 

No, you're not still in a dream: Metal Gear Solid 3 is now over two decades old. Despite its age, the peak of Hideo Kojima's tactical espionage action series remains more relevant than ever thanks to a shiny, new remake released this year. But is Delta's faithfulness its fatal flaw? On this episode, join Bob Mackey, Maddie Copp, and Brendan James (of the Blowback podcast and Chapo Trap House's new MGS miniseries) as the crew decides if feeding on a tree frog in stunning 4K is truly worthwhile.

Cover art by Nick Daniel.