Retrovaniacs

Gather round the dinner table, because this year we're bringing you a puzzle game feast!  We're serving up talk on 3 different puzzlers on 3 different consoles - arguably 4!  First up, we're going to visit the Game Boy to take on Kwirk (he's A-MAZE-ing), then the Game Boy Advance for Egg Mania, and finally we finish off our meal with some NES/SNES action with Yoshi's Cookie! And as any good meal s...

It's a Patron request for our final episode of Retroween2023, as we take on Illbleed for the Sega Dreamcast! We steel our nerves, and venture into an amusement park that is designed to kill you, and perhaps Billy had one too many Hassy's beforehand. Want to jump right into the game?  Start at the 9:00 mark! Join us over on our Discord to discuss games, food, or really anything over at  https://dis...

For our first #retroween2023 episode on the main feed, we're taking a look at Eternal Darkness!  This horror game on the GameCube has never come out for another console, but is also highly regarded.  We're playing it again this year and giving our thoughts on how it holds up today! Also we take on some of your questions including how we get ready for Halloween! Want to jump right into the game?  S...

We're digging into the sequel to Legacy of Kain, which takes the top-down evil Zelda style Playstation gane and turns it into a 3d evil Zelda style Playstation game - but is that transition a successful one?  Does it still have that Legacy of Kain feel, even though you aren't playing as Kain? This was a patron request, and at least one of us hadn't really played it before, so we did - and we're he...

For the first time, we're reviewing a game that never made it out to North America!  Thanks to patron "The 16-Bit Big Boss", we're taking a look at Terranigma! It's an action-RPG from the people behind Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia, but this third game in this thematic trilogy never made it to our shores. It's often referenced on people's top 10 SNES games,  but what did we think?  Listen to fi...

I think we're gonna need a bigger boat for this episode, because it's the summer, Jeremy P is at the beach, and that means he's thinking about sharks.  So, we're talking about Jaws for the NES! Want to jump right to the game?  Start around the 11:00 mark! Join us over on our Discord to discuss games, food, or really anything over at  https://discord.gg/pb76x32uWY __________________________ If you...

Last year we brought you Oops! All Mail! and we cleared out a ton of mail.  Since then, you've all been busy sending us questions that we usually answer at the end of each show, and we've got way more than we can handle in short bursts, so for the second time we're doing an entire show to answer the questions you've sent!  It's the Retrovaniacs All Mail Revue! Want to jump right in?  Rip open that...

Oh hey - it's a Turbografx game, but wait!  It wasn't picked by Jeremy P-- this one is a patron pick! Kevin asked us to cover Cratermaze, an early action puzzler for the console! And it's one Jeremy P even hadn't played before! Also covered, jerks from video games, food that only a hobo would eat, and probably some more talk of Stardew Valley. Want to jump right in?  Dig to the 10 minute mark! Joi...

We didn't plan on covering two graphic adventures in a row, but both were patron requests, and this time Drew on Patreon has requested we play the Sega CD game, Rise of the Dragon!  This cyberpunk detective game places you as Blade Hunter, sent to find out how and why the mayor's daughter was killed, and we found out - but should you?  Listen to hear our thoughts. Also discussed, maybe we all star...

Aye, matey! We're gathered here at the SCUMM Bar in Melee Island to talk about a graphic adventure requested by one of you Patrons - The Secret of Monkey Island! Ported to Sega CD, this was originally a PC game that put you in the shoes of unlikely pirate, Guybrush Threepwood, and follows his quest to become a pirate and in the process defeat the evil ghost pirate LeChuck! If you like classic poin...

As requested by patron Robert C. (find him at https://www.tiktok.com/@robertcarr75 ), we're taking a look at the NES version of Bionic Commando!  A completely different game than the arcade game of the same name, Capcom made this a full adventure with equippable items, minor puzzles, and a much longer mission - but did this game's awkward mechanical arm work well in lieu of jumping?  We're playing...

This time on Retrovaniacs, we're taking on a Patron request to cover Red Earth, Capcom's "lost" arcade fighter that has recently been released on consoles on the Capcom Fighting Collection!  Is this a game that we're lucky to try out finally after over 25 years, or was this better left as a footnote in their arcade catalog? We also talk video game hot takes, Ys games, and Jeremy P gets an interest...

Remember when Squaresoft put out a classic 2d shooter for the Playstation? Well, we're going to play it again and talk about it this time as we discuss Einhander! Does this shooter hold up today, or is this a case where maybe an RPG studio shouldn't have branched this far out? As always we discuss some other games we've been playing, and of course answer listener mail from folks with questionable...

Grab your favorite chaps and cowboy hats - because we're taking on a game requested by Julian over on our Patreon, he's asked us to saddle up and play Red Dead Revolver, the 2004 prequel to Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption series. Does this game hit a bullseye, or is this game better off sent out to pasture? Also this episode, Jeremy G is back and we've got a ton of listener mail about memorable gam...

In excitement for Pikmin 4, Jeremy P takes us on a journey into the world of Pikmin. Is this a game for you?  If you haven't played it, he's going to try and sell you on it, and if you have and didn't care for it, maybe we can convince you to try it again! Join us over on our Discord to discuss games, food, or really anything over at https://discord.gg/pb76x32uWY __________________________ If you...

As requested by Todd from our Patreon, we're taking a look at Black Belt for the Sega Master System.  At first glance, this seems like Sega's take on Kung Fu, but there may be some more here than meets the eye. We also take on your questions regarding our earliest gaming memories, memories with grandpa, and some talk of Royal Farms chicken. Again. Join us over on our Discord to discuss games, food...

This time we're taking on another Patron requested game, as we return to another non-standard Pokemon game, the photography challenge Pokemon Snap! How does this game hold up today, and if you wanted to try it yourself, it's a fairly recent addition to the Switch N64 library, but we'll still give our opinions on it as well. As always we tackle a handful of listener mail, and discuss other games we...

After an unexpected December break, we're back with a Patron requested episode on The Pagemaster - a platformer based on the Macaulay Culkin movie of the same name.  Is this a case where a licensed game holds up regardless of your thoughts on the movie?  We played it with little to no knowledge of the film, and shared our thoughts! We also reached back into our mailbag to discuss what would make t...

In honor of Thanksgiving this year, we're talking all about 4 different games that have (sometimes very loosely tied) food related themes to them for the Atari 2600!  We're talking about Fast Food, Burgertime, Joust, and Plaque Attack!  How does Joust make any sense to add here?  Listen to find out! Join us over on our Discord to discuss games, food, or really anything over at https://discord.gg/p...

As requested by Patron Jeremy S, we're taking a look at Wario's 3rd outing on the NES handheld, Wario Land 3! Additionally, Jeremy G returns to Retrovaniacs, and tells us all about what he's been up to, and we answer some listener mail on pre-buy bonuses, cross-genre games, and more! Want to start collecting treasures? Waaaaah over to that 14:00 mark! Join us over on our Discord to meet Logan or j...

For our second episode of #retroween2022, we cover a game from the other main horror series - we're talking Resident Evil 4!  Originally created for the Nintendo GameCube, this game has been on pretty much every console since, so it's clearly a fan favorite.  But will it be one of ours?  Find out as we revisit this game with the assistance of our pal Logan! Also discussed, the recent Silent Hill a...

As is our tradition, we're revisiting the Silent Hill series again this #retroween2022, and we're taking on Silent Hill 4: The Room, originally released on Xbox and PS2! Want to wake up in your room again?  Jump to the 6:00 mark! Want to avoid spoilers? We talk horror movie recommendations at the 1:12:00 mark! Join us over on our Discord to discuss games, food, or really anything over at https://d...

As requested by patron "Toy", we're looking at the sequel to Tomba!, the Playstation platformer we covered way back in 2016.  Tomba! 2 : The Evil Swine Return was a second chance for Tomba to become a household name, but as we are all aware that didn't quite happen.  Still -- how does this game hold up now? Listen to see what we think. We also take on a batch of listener mail about discontinued fo...

We're back from our unintentional summer vacation to cover a patron request -- Popful Mail: Magical Fantasy Adventure for the Sega CD! This action adventure from Falcom was released in the US by Working Designs, and many consider it to be a "must play" title for the add-on.  But how does it hold up today? Also discussed - a ton of things, in a very aggressive reader mail segment. Want to skip righ...

We've gotten a lot of mail from our listeners, and we are way behind.  So -- we're dedicating this episode to clear some of this out to make room for more current emails! Don't worry-- we won't do these very often, but if you keep writing, we're gonna answer you anyway we can! Join us over on our Discord to discuss games, food, or really anything over at https://discord.gg/pb76x32uWY _____________...