The Spelunky Showlike

For the 2nd year in a row, we're recapping the new 2025 season of Flemish De Mol. And this time, we're posting the episodes to the main feed here. There's never been a better time to get into De Mol. Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us. Links: Ep 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 Eggplant's De Mol 2024 recap series https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow Eggplant live from the De Mol 2024 finale https://www.patreon.com/posts/eggplant-de-mol-105398809 Discord http://discord.gg/eggplant  

We're joined by guest hosts Billy Basso (Animal Well), Jack Schlesinger (Baby Steps), and Gab Koenig (Tux and Fanny) to discuss Party House, the 25th game in the UFO 50 collection. “Can you throw the best house party of the summer without getting busted?” Next week: Hot Foot Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: The Quacks of Quedlinburg https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/244521/the-quacks-of-quedlinburg Dominion (Temple Gate Games) https://templegatesgames.com/gamepages/dominion.html Quarriors! https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91536/quarriors  Jon Perry’s board games https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/73364/jon-perry  Michael O’Blivion’s UFO 50 YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjLTO0klFN8&list=PL1D9Hwc75ZKp0tryurUbmtRUufIk_j6GD&index=4  Luck be a Landlord https://store.steampowered.com/app/1404850/Luck_be_a_Landlord/  Slice & Dice https://tann.fun/games/dice/  Into the Depths: Slice & Dice – Part 1 https://eggplant.show/into-the-depths-slice-dic

We're joined by guest host Madison Karrh (Birth), Billy Basso (Animal Well), and Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV) to discuss Caramel Caramel, the 24th game in the UFO 50 collection. “Melon got a new camera and is going on a galactic adventure to try it out!” Next week: Party House Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Snapshot Game https://store.steampowered.com/app/204220/Snapshot/  Spelunky by Derek Yu  https://bossfightbooks.com/products/spelunky-by-derek-yu Brick101’s mod for Caramel Caramel  https://github.com/davidmpickett/ufo50-caramel-health  Animal Well https://www.animalwell.net/  Episode 139 – Sticking to Your Systems with Animal Well  https://eggplant.show/139-sticking-to-your-systems-with-animal-well Abnormal Mapping  https://www.abnormalmapping.com/  https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow  http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow  

We're joined by guest host Alfredo Barraza (Riot), plus Farbs (Wild Bastards), Dan Vecchitto (Trombone Champ), and Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) to discuss Onion Delivery, the 23rd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Can you survive the work-week in Zorrg City? Do your best to make deliveries amidst the chaos!" Next week: Caramel Caramel Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.   Discussed in this episode: Retro Racing 2 https://www.mrqwak.com/games/retro-racing-2/   Grand Theft Auto https://www.rockstargames.com/games/gta  Trombone Champ https://www.trombonechamp.com/  ICE CREAM DELIVERY JOB  https://youtu.be/NfnzV0eMdug?si=q3rBfxpj9cI9cPbU  "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein https://tsd.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine.html Adam Conover Tour Dates https://www.adamconover.net/new-tour-dates/   Adam Conover on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/adamconover.net Farbs on Mastodon https://mastodon.social/@Farbs Holy Wow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/holywowstudios.bsky.social   http://discord.gg/eggplant htt

In the 3rd installment of our current Into the Depths series, we dive 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 - talk to one of the game's creators Jason Grinblat about the main quest - from Bethesda Susa, Omonporch, and the quest after that. Don't forget to join our Discord and play along with the series. Show Notes: Buy Caves of Qud on itch.io: https://freeholdgames.itch.io/cavesofqud Jason's reference image for Bethesda Susa: https://imgur.com/a/rH257at Star on bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/thisisstar.bsky.social Jason on bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zflcrtqmb7pcwouiixuf22pq  

We're joined by Trent Kusters (League of Geeks) and Kayin (I Wanna Be The Guy) to discuss Porgy, the 22nd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Strange happenings near the coast! Dive deep and get to the bottom of what's fishy in the sea." Next week: Onion Delivery Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.   Discussed on this episode: Kayin’s Porgy Blog Post – ”On Backtracking” https://kayin.moe/backtracking   Games: Agency as Art – C. Thi Nguyen https://global.oup.com/academic/product/games-9780190052089?cc=us&lang=en&  A Play of Bodies – Brendan Keogh https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262037631/a-play-of-bodies/  Shadow The Past’s Porgy Speedruns (1st World Record run) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoYXGkX2_IA&t=1s  Game Maker’s Notebook – 17 Year Development Journey with Caves of Qud https://interactive.libsyn.com/17-year-development-journey-with-caves-of-qud    Kayin’s website https://kayin.moe/about   Kayin on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/kayin.moe  Trent on bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/trentkusters.bs

We're joined by Liz Ryerson (Sounds from the Abyss) and Ben Esposito (Neon White) to discuss Waldorf’s Journey, the 21st game in the UFO 50 collection. "Waldorf didn't go looking for adventure. He was just trying to enjoy a nice nap..." Next week: Porgy Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Show Notes: Terry’s Other Games – A collection of Terry Cavanagh’s smaller works https://terrycavanagh.itch.io/terrys-other-games Paralect https://igf.com/paralect-0 Waldorf’s Journey Speedrun World Record by MACH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv2IlhR1fQw Neon White https://neonwhite.rip/ Liz Ryerson’s Bandcamp https://bandcamp.com/lizryerson Sounds from the Abyss mixes https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEdRlER1F5rGvaoE-XbV6jz6OymxQw4jx&si=HFcDTYa5DPqD_aD5 Great Art by Liz Ryerson https://www.mostancient.com/shop/great-art GDC Experimental Game Workshop links: 2004–2022 GDC Vault Recordings https://gdcvault.com/browse?keyword=experimental+gameplay+workshop 2023–2024 GDC Vault Recordings https://gdcvault.com/browse?keyword

Doug and Rob chat with mut moochi, Jonny Hopkins, and Gurn Group about their experimental game and emulator hacking practice, which they call "plunderludics". We're also joined by special guest co-host Bennett Foddy. We describe some of their pieces, the comparison against plunderphonics and other related terms, the tools they've developed, and more. Show notes:  plunderludics wiki https://plunderludics.github.io/ Unityhawk https://plunderludics.github.io/tools/unityhawk.html boshi's place https://boshis.place/ mut's Tapestry https://2024.amaze-berlin.de/mentions/tapestry/ mut's Auto Mario https://nes.mut.media/goodluck.html Mario Mario's bro skater 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWHXMURV2vo tetris, but all at once, but all at once https://x.com/jwhopkin/status/1624188079408918528 jonny's Mario x film composites https://x.com/jwhopkin/status/1627367719518576656 https://x.com/jwhopkin/status/1628938203435614208 https://x.com/jwhopkin/status/1630298848479281153 Gurn Group's itch page https://gurnburial.itc

We're joined by Adam Saltsman (Finji), Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), and Bijan Stephen (Compulsion Games) to discuss Warptank, the 20th game in the UFO 50 collection.   "Use your tank to regain control of the station and sever all ties to Capsule World!"   Next week: Waldorf’s Journey   Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.   The Cousin Game is one of the oldest and most underappreciated genres by Patrick Gill (Polygon)   Sounds from the Abyss mixes   South of Midnight   Fun City (Cyberpunk TTRPG podcast)   Adam’s itch.io (adamatonic.itch.io)   Great Art by Liz Ryerson   GDC Experimental Game Workshop links: 2023–2024 GDC Vault Recordings Experimental Game Workshop website GDC 2025 Experimental Games Showcase speaker list Episode 28 – Surviving Overland with Adam Saltsman A Year of UFO 50 Episode 16 – Camouflage http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Big Bell Race, the 19th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Do you have what it takes to become the Big Bell Race Champion?" Our show has been nominated for a 2024 Thinky Award in some great company! Check out the full list here... and if you should be moved to vote for us, that is between you and whatever higher power you recognize. Thanks to Thinky Games for the recognition. Next week: Warptank Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.  Discussed on this episode: Darknet Remastered  Darknet Soundtrack Arco Arco Soundtrack   http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow  

We're joined by John Axon (Capybara Games) and Ben Wilson (Die Gute Fabrik) to discuss Golfaria, the 18th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Deep beneath the fairway, a golf ball awakens. Where did it come from? What is its purpose?" Next week: The Big Bell Race Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.   John Axon on Bluesky Zerofiftyone.net (Ben’s crosswords) Episode 69 – Building a Better Bridge with Ben Wilson Episode 129 – Reinforcing Worldbuilding through Gameplay with Spoils   http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow  

We chat with Mo Cohen (Queermo Games) and Hagen Deloss about Queer Quest, a point-and-click adventure that's best described as "gay Monkey Island meets feminist Leisure Suit Larry".  Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Show notes:  Queer Quest official site (Queermo Games) Mo Cohen Queer Quest on Steam and itch.io Hagen Deloss Eggplant interview with Gilles De Coster (De Mol) Leisure Suit Larry Monkey Island Queer Quest Kickstarter (October 2016) Mar Del Castillo and Miss Honey Skullduggery! mobile game Read Only Memories (ROM) (MidBoss) My Ex-Boyfriend the Space Tyrant (Luke Miller) Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator Sense8 Rise of the Video Game Zinesters by Anna Anthropy Tarotno Kentucky Route Zero Eggplant episode Beak, Feather & Bone

We're joined by Carolyn Petit (Kotaku) and Russ Frushtick (Polygon) to discuss Campanella, the 17th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Fly the Campanella through five challenging worlds! And don't forget to stop for coffee!" Next week: Golfaria Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.   Discussed in this episode: Space Taxi Alfonzo’s Bowling Challenge Carolyn on Bluesky Russ on Bluesky The Besties Podcast   http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow  

We're joined by Adam Saltsman (Finji) and Izzy Kestrel (Funomena, No Goblin) to discuss Camouflage, the 16th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Blend in with your surroundings to evade predators and fulfill your destiny." Next week: Campanella Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.   Discussed on this episode: Celine Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love – A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilson Willy’s Wonderland Adam’s PICO-8 Games (and other itch.io releases!) Izzy’s itch.io page (specific titles mentioned below) Gexfeld Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure Adventure Channel Surfing Oral Gex Podcast Episode 28 – Surviving Overland with Adam Saltsman   Adam Saltsman on Bluesky Izzy Kestrel on Bluesky   http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

The whole crew assembles to share our personal five favorite games of 2024, alongside picks from previous show guests and our listeners. Happy 2025! Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS): Doug: Xenosphere B3313 (Mario 64 mod) Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 Slice & Dice 3.0 Caves of Qud Sarah: Velgress (from UFO 50) Balatro Bridge Command Waxwing Key of Dreams Zach: Astro Bot Astro Bot Astro Bot Astro Bot Astro Bot Laura: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Balloon SMP Interstate 35 Games to play with babies / Zach’s 2023 pick Dress to Impress (Roblox) Nick: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Pseudoregalia Paper Beast Smart Ball The Nest Andy: Hollow Knight Pokemon TCG Pocket Super Mario Galaxy 2 Astro Bot Velgress (of UFO 50) Rob: Balatro Moon Adventure Barbuta (of UFO 50) Slice & Dice 3.0 Caves of Qud   Show Notes: Electron Dance piece/interview about Xenosphere Dominic Tarason action button reviews boku no natsuyasumi (2022) The Boku Diaries Into the Depths: Slice & Dice Into the Depths: Caves

We're joined by Patrick Traynor (Patrick’s Parabox) and Frank Lantz (Universal Paperclips, NYU Game Center) to discuss Block Koala, the 15th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Flamingus has stolen all the water! Solve puzzles to defeat him and save the park!" Next week: Camouflage Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Frank Lantz’s Substack Patrick’s Parabox PuzzleScript Stephen’s Sausage Roll by increpare Corrypt by Michael Brough Hectique’s UFO 50 All Games Speedrun (the Block Koala part)  The Witness by Jonathan Blow Jelly no Puzzle by Qrostar Blockhouse by Kory Heath The Gang by Kory Heath Episode 124 – Thinking Inside the Box with Patrick Traynor (Patrick’s Parabox) Episode 87 – Fighting Words with Everybody House Games (Babble Royale) Episode 31 – Good Times with Bad Robots with Frank Lantz (Hey Robot)   Join our Discord: http://discord.gg/eggplant Leave us a tip: https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Casey Yano (Mega Crit), Trent Kusters (League of Geeks), and Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Bushido Ball, the 14th game in the UFO 50 collection. "It’s the annual Bushido Ball tournament. Choose from 6 fighters and compete to win!" Next week: Block Koala http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

In the 2nd installment of our current Into the Depths series, we dive into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015, and in this episode we celebrate this month's momentous v1.0 release. Doug and Rob talk to one of the game's creators Jason Grinblat about Qud basics and the early game (up to Golgotha). Don't forget to join our Discord and play along with the series. Show Notes Buy Caves of Qud on itch.io Caves of Qud merch qudzoo - "Your one-stop shop for improving in Caves of Qud" Recommended settings for playing Qud on a Steamdeck (credit to Discord user patric!) "The important changes are all in UI portion of the options menu:  UI Scale: 1.25 Play Area Scale: Pixel Perfect Pixel Perfect Tile Graphic Scale: 2 Ability Bar Mode: Compact Mini Map: Off Nearby Objects: Off Message Log Font: -5 Last but not least, use your finger to move the bar between the play area & the message log as far to the right as you can. It’s a little fiddly t

We're joined by Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It), Kenny Sun (Mr. Sun's Hatbox), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Mooncat, the 13th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Jump and dash through forests, caves and mountains, in search of the egg." Next week: Bushido Ball http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by UFO 50 developers Derek Yu, Jon Perry, and Eirik Suhrke to discuss the first 12 (?) games in the collection.  http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow