RoguePod LiteCast

This week we cover the stylish 2020 turn-based-tactics deck-builder mashup Fights in Tight Spaces and add it to the tier list! How does Danny justify the tier list placement given the 20 hours he put into it before starting the podcast?

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On this episode we kick off with overview of the developer, Ground Shatter games ("Ground Shatter is the feeling of finding a Neo Geno MVS amidst the cranes and pushers of a sea-side arcade. If Ground Shatter was a caring, nurturing parent, it would be your mum. If it iwas an insult it would be 'your mum'...") and then work through the interesting mechanics used in this deck-building tactics game. The deck-building components of FITS feel a bit at odds with the tactics; you need to always make sure that you have some movement abilities, but you have virtually no draw/discard available so you just have to keep adding movement along with any fighting cards you put in there.

Most of the time we don't mind trying to juggle this sort of deck construction in a deck-builder but in FITS it ended up feeling a bit more frustrating than usual since the game is simultaneously a full-on tactics game. The marriage of these two genres felt a bit like it ended up detracting from both rather than leading to something greater than the sum of its parts. We also bumped on the lack of run-to-run variance: the early game especially feels very samey and is a bit of a slog to get through. Totally could see this working for some folks but didn't click with us.

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This week we cover the 2021 Balatro-progenitor Luck be a Landlord! How should we put a super fun but small-scoped game on the tier list?

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On this episode we go through the communist sensibilities of the solo-developer and contrast the ostensibly serious themes with the goofy simple gameplay. We both got fully sucked in to Luck be a Landlord, racing to complete all the ascension-equivalents (apartment floors) and deciding to record this episode on a whim rather than playing video games. Really speaks to how much we were itching to talk about this! Playing LBAL really demonstrated to us that we have a soft-spot for these arcade-adjacent roguelites that are quick to get in and out of. The metagame maybe leaves a bit to be desired, but does a roguelite have to be a 100-hour experience? Can't it just be something short and sweet?

It was really neat seeing the systems that now define a whole genre of Balatro-likes at their inception, and even more neat to realize that the game underpinning these is legitimately fun to play. LBAL does synergies as well as any deck-builder and is impressively well designed in allowing for skill expression while staying true to the conceit of the game being a slot machine you spin. Little did we know at the time of this record that we'd see a wave of slot-machine roguelites in the future (Cloverpit, Slots & Daggers, Cat God Ranch, etc) - I think LBAL still did it best.

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This week we cover the 2021 AAA (or maybe, AA) third-person bullet-heal shooter Returnal and add it to the tier list! Do we know what a metroidvania is enough to not make fools of ourselves? Answer: no.

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Returnal is one of those that you often see at the top of people's lists and recommended as one of the great roguelites. We played it in co-op and had a good time but ultimately it didn't quite land for us. This episode we begin trying to parse the difference between a fun game and a great roguelite: Returnal is clearly a solid third-person shooter, but where's the run to run variance? Where are the build-defining items? Where's the procedural generation? Sure there's a bit, but you start seeing those pre-fab rooms repeating pretty quickly.

The boss patterns are super impressive and were the highlight of the experience for us, but there were a number of nitpicky complaints that started to add up to drive us crazy. Why do I have to back track to get back what should be a menu to open up the lobby to co-op? Really a lot of the friction we experienced comes down to us not really caring about story in roguelites. Foreshadowing for Hades! Returnal probably hits harder for folks who can get more lost in the experience of it and are engaged in the cutscenes rather than being grumpy about being taken out of the game.

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This week we play the "first person roguelike" from 2015 that is the most unique nethack-clone we've seen, Barony! Or is it pronounced, Bare-Oh-Knee? (it's not)

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Despite this being a 3d first person game, this episode is probably the closest to covering Nethack we'll ever get so we do a lot of discussion of traditional roguelikes and our Nethack experience! We both went through a phase of being deep into Nethack (David ascended!) and Barony truly wears its inspiration proudly. We consider how some mechanics translate to the modern sensibility (is hunger fun?) and try to understand what is going on with the minotaur. Is it adding something to the game? Why isn't it on a timer?

While it was definitely fun to revisit Nethack from a new perspective and with co-op, we grapple in this episode with when difficulty is fun and when it is demoralizing. Turns out Danny cannot stay alive in this game and maybe that shaded his more negative experience. This one was another one where we had to reach consensus for tier list placement - we did enjoy playing together but felt there was a little bit of sauce missing from the experience. It was a little slow and the metagame did not feel super well adapted to the modern day.

Interview with the dev: https://indiegraph.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/interview-with-the-creator-of-barony/

LyciantYT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LyciantYT

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This week we cover the 2024 poker-inspired deck-builder Balatro! Just how deep into this will we get?

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What an absolute banger of a game! Balatro is the first deck-builder that has really hit for either of us since Slay the Spire dropped in 2017. We cover the developer background (Luck be a Landlord inspirations!) and our own experience with IRL poker (can David name all the hand types?) plus what we want out of a rogue deckbuilder. On this episode we try to put our fingers on what it is about Balatro that allows for so much skill expression while also being so approachable and easy to pick up and play. It's gotta be the build variety, right?

Balatro comes in as our favorite game we've covered so far on the podcast because it truly embodies what we love about roguelikes and roguelites. The procedural generation ensures that you can't just force the same strategy for every run while also allowing for totally busted overpowered combinations of jokers that you'll be chasing forever after. There's clearly a ton of skill in balance between deck-fixing and economy while maintaining enough score generation to keep the run alive. Unlike most complex games it managers to stay fully approachable to new players - that's the real magic in Balatro.

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On this episode we grapple with the impressive and enigmatic platformer that is 2020's Noita. How much do you have to play this game to get over the hump of it being fun?

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On our most difficult episode of the show yet, we run up against the limitations of our format for such a behemoth of a game. Can you really play Noita enough in two weeks to understand why people love it so much? How are you supposed to rate a game that people say you need 50 hours in to begin to understand? Where's the balance between "there's so much going on here" and "I am not having fun"? We ultimately decided to evaluate this game based solely on how much fun we had playing it though tried to acknowledge how much is going on under the surface.

Noita is maybe the roguelite/roguelike that people report spending the most time on once you really grok how it works. I (Danny) wish that I was able to experience the joy that folks seem to get out of this game, but I just can't get past the slow-paced early game that comes with being a total scrub. It's a skill issue, for sure, but we can't rate the game based on a theoretical experience! Other fun parts of this episode include David making the case that cold countries make more game developers (?) and some reminiscing about the OG falling sand games of yore.

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This week we cover a newer game, the 2023 tactical deck-builder Shogun Showdown. Tune in to discover if David can remember what this one is called.

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On this episode we first discuss the developer "roboatino" and then dive into the mechanics of Shogun Showdown. The game absolutely flows - we were really impressed by how well the deck-building elements were able to create run-to-run variance in what ultimately feels like a series of solvable puzzles. Lots of Into the Breach comparisons here which we'll for sure cover on a future episode. Danny also reveals that he was able to get the speedrun world-record for approximately zero minutes (his time was approved simultaneously to a much better time, still neat though).

Shogun Showdown feels extremely unique and is an excellent addition to the roguelite canon, particularly in how well it works both as a puzzle game and as a speed game. Our only real knock against the game was the metagame ascension system felt a little short and the true ending left a little bit to be desired, but ultimately a strong recommend from both of us. Definitely got to check this one out if you haven't given it a shot!

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On our third episode of the show we tackle the OG of all vertical metaprogression, 2013's Rogue Legacy! Should we put any respect on its name even though the gameplay didn't land with us?

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This episode we go through Cellar Door's previous flash games and their inspiration that led to Rogue Legacy. They originally sought to make a 2D version of dark souls but that scope got out of hand quick and pivoted to the roguelite elements. We really grapple in this episode with how much we dislike the vertical metaprogression instantiated in this game and resent how much it came to define the genre writ-large. We also bump hard on the game itself: the hitboxes feel unreliable, the movement is clunky, and the grind is real.

We also reveal just how ignorant we are about metroidvanias (turns out really not either of our genres) and cringe at the 2013 Newgrounds style humor that is omnipresent in the game. This one really did not land for us as it does not feel like your improving at the game, rather it is just getting easier by playing it. The simple gameplay and heavy metaprogression lends this game to feeling like an idle game more than an active roguelite that you have to master to beat. Our first big contrarian take is where Rogue Legacy ended up on the tier list but we stand by it!

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On our second ever episode we cover the 2022 (early access) gladiator fighter We Who Are About To Die and start working through how to compromise on our tier list placement!

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We Who Are About To Die really connected with Danny but David had a bit harder time getting into it. On this episode we discuss the origins of the game (Mount & Blade mods) and our experience with physics-based fighters. We grapple with the balance between fights being super free and easy to snowball for experienced players vs being impossible for beginners and try to explain all of the different non-combat mechanics without just reading off lists. Overall we felt there was a really strong core gameplay loop but the run to run variance was a bit lacking - despite different win conditions for backgrounds, most runs start to blend together and feel a bit samey. We landed on the game being a great time to play through to get the first win but not quite enough to keep us motivated to keep playing afterwards.

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On this first episode of RoguePod LiteCast we cover the 2015 hit Crypt of the NecroDancer and start off our journey on building the ultimate roguelite tier list! Disclaimer: our audio was a bit rough in this episode - if it bumps on you wrong then just skip this one as we get better over time!

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We had a great time with Crypt of the NecroDancer having only heard before how difficult it was. Turns out it was actually pretty approachable and, as long as you don't play any of the insane challenge characters, made for a super fun and fast-paced gaming experience. In this episode we discuss the roguelike vs roguelite-ness of the game (beside staying on beat this is a traditional roguelike, but that's a pretty big thing!) and find our footing on what this podcast is supposed to be.

Crypt of the NecroDancer took us back to the pseudo-couch co-op of switching off playing Spelunky HD in college when we were roommates. Sure it's hard, but it's not insurmountable by any means. Staying on beat is helpful but not required for the base character. This was a great game to kick off the podcast playing since it really embodies what it is that we love about this genre. Slow progression through building muscle memory and developing game knowledge while tackling unique situations created by procedural generation. What a banger!

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