Tales from the Backlog - Episodes Tagged with “Roguelike”

111: Balatro (with Matt aka Stormageddon & Aaron Klaassen)

Dave Jackson — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

SURPRISE! Balatro comes for us all. Developed by solo developer LocalThunk and published by Playstack, the poker-themed roguelike deckbuilder has singlehandedly caused productivity to drop by 7% worldwide since its 2024 release. Thank you to Playstack and LocalThunk for providing me with a review code so that I could become a statistic! Joining me to talk about the game, its strengths and weaknesses, our favorite strategies and beginner tips are Matt aka Stormageddon ("Fun" and Games, Reignite, Screen Snark podcasts) and Aaron Klaassen (SuperPod Saga). Check their shows out, they are worth your time!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:43
SICKO SHOP TALK WALL 56:01

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52: Prey: Mooncrash (with Adam & Kiaran - The Good, the Bad & the Backlog)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Prey (2017) is one of those widely acclaimed games that not many people seem to have played. Take that same idea, but take that up another level and you've got Prey: Mooncrash, the 2018 roguelike DLC for the aformentioned Prey, by Arkane Studios. Prey: Mooncrash got some increased buzz not when it released, but when Deathloop released and comparisons were drawn. And the verdict is in- for many people, myself included, Prey: Mooncrash is what Deathloop should have been. I was lucky enough to be joined by Adam and Kiaran from The Good, the Bad & the Backlog to discuss it! Pardon my voice in this one, I was beginning to come down with Covid! Fun!

Check out everything that Adam and Kiaran are doing by following this link!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:30
Story/Gameplay Setup 22:17

SPOILER WALL 1:14:53

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39: Deathloop (with Morgan Remington - Intergalactic Pinecone)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

After years of making critically acclaimed games in a genre that doesn't historically sell, Arkane Studios jumped on the roguelike time loop trend with their flashy, stylish Deathloop. It should have been a home run, right? The marriage of Arkane Studios' best-in-class level design and aesthetics with a game concept that would require players to use their tools creatively, lest they need to start over from square one. But was it the harmonious marriage we were waiting for? In this episode, Dave was joined by Morgan Remington, captain of the Intergalactic Pinecone, to discuss.

TIMESTAMPS:
Intros and Personal Histories
Visuals and Sound Design 11:16
Roguelite Design and Gameplay 35:10
Spoiler Wall 1:14:00

Check out Morgan and all things Intergalactic Pinecone on Twitch, on YouTube, on Twitter, and on Instagram.

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

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38: Vampire Survivors (with Chris Rettig)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Vampire Survivors is a special game. There are no complicated mechanics to learn, no story to keep track of, no lore to uncover, no enemy attack patterns to learn, no crafting systems, and no loot tables, and despite this, we can't stop playing it. It is pure video game, and it is a breath of fresh air in an era where video games keep getting bigger and more complex. Dave is joined by good friend and milk resale extraordinaire Chris Rettig to discuss Vampire Survivors. Please note, as this was in **Early Access* at the time of recording, we are talking about the 0.6-0.7 patch range, though I'm confident that while things will be added on the road to 1.0, it will still be the same game at its core.

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27: Returnal (with Ryan Delaney)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Dave is joined by Ryan Delaney to talk about Housemarque's 2021 action roguelike hit, Returnal. Returnal brings bullet hell to 3D and adds an intriguing sci-fi story on the roguelike structure. Did this work for us on all fronts? Find out in the episode.

*The Returnal: Ascension DLC was announced and release after this episode was recorded. I added a small section at the end about my story theories, but Ryan and I did not discuss it. It's fun though, you should try it!

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19: Darkest Dungeon (with Andrew Tavin - TV Nopes and House of House)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Dave is joined by Andrew Tavin, host of the TV Nopes and House of House podcasts to discuss Red Hook Studio's 2016 dungeon crawler, Darkest Dungeon. Darkest Dungeon brings pantheon-level turn-based combat, as well as heavy Lovecraft influence and some interesting mechanical ideas to the dungeon crawler genre. Find out how we feel in this thorough breakdown of the game!

TIMESTAMPS: Intro 0:00, Darkest Dungeon 25:38, Spoiler Section 2:19:50

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4: Hades (with Aaron Angle and Jim Rodeman)

Dave Jackson — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Dave is joined by Aaron "The Minotaur" Angle and nectar enthusiast Jim Rodeman to discuss Supergiant's latest hit, Hades. Hades brings some things to the table that will bring in players who don't normally play roguelites or fall off of them quickly. Listen to find out if it it was enough for us.

TIMESTAMPS: (Intro 0:00, Hades 11:47, Spoiler Section 1:24:28)

NoClip documentary series chronicling the making and release of Hades

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