In this heat-soaked pre-holiday episode, Andy and Diego swap tales of water park nostalgia, snack discoveries, and mysterious fizzy drinks before diving into two challenging retro releases. Diego revisits the Commodore 64 with Mike Mech 2 by Luca Carminati, a tightly crafted single-screen platformer where dodging aliens, flipping switches, and navigating teleporters demands both precision and patience. Andy takes on MS-DOS curios game Alien Intruder from Juan José Martínez, a rescue-and-shoot platformer where time pressure is as deadly as the enemies themselves. In the news, the duo chat about the ZX Spectrum Next’s final Kickstarter run, intriguing rumblings from a revived Commodore brand, and upcoming releases like Copper Storm for the Mega Drive, Neo Geo, and SNES. All wrapped up with community shoutouts before both hosts dash off to their summer breaks.

Today Diego and Wiedo talk about four inventive retro games with clever mechanics and classic vibes. Time Wizard (Atari XL) lets you rewind time to dodge traps and collect hourglasses across 70 cleverly designed levels. Petris (Game Gear, Gameboy Color) brings a pet-themed twist to falling-block puzzles, combining animal parts to build cute creatures across five colorful modes. Plyuk (NES, ZX Spectrum) introduces cloning mechanics for inventive platforming, with distinct visuals and level design on each system. And Prisonela MD (Megadrive) delivers lightning-fast, one-screen platforming where every death resets the room instantly—no loading, no mercy. With sharp controls, brutal traps, and an intentionally chaotic level order, it’s a twitchy trial-and-error experience that keeps you hooked.

Today we chat with special guest Juan José Martínez, developer of retro microcomputer games. Discover Juan's journey into game development for vintage systems, his thoughts on game jams as a solution to scope creep, and his experiences creating titles for classic platforms like the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC.

Listen to the intricacies of developing games with hardware limitations, the rise of modern expansions like cartridges with extra RAM and ROM, and why some retro communities thrive more than others. Juan shares insights into the appeal and technical challenges of creating authentic retro experiences and discusses how the right game design can shine regardless of graphical constraints.