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.

Andy, Diego, and Wiedo are joined by special guest Dale Coop, who shares insights about his journey into indie game development and his unique experiences creating games for classic hardware.

The crew then dives into reviews of modern indie games for classic platforms. Diego brings Gravity Boy (Commodore Plus/4), a clever adventure where you control gravity itself to solve spatial puzzle rooms infested by weird-looking aliens. Wiedo presents Kero Kero Cowboy (Gameboy Color), a Western-themed platformer featuring Kirby-like mechanics of swallowing enemies and shooting them out.

Andy shares his experience exploring Deep Dungeon (Gameboy), a surprisingly complex RPG where reading the manual would have greatly helped him navigate intricate combat and inventory mechanics. Dale discusses What Remains (NES), an environmentally-conscious narrative adventure filled with intriguing political messages wrapped in compelling storytelling.

In this year's Game Club Shortlist episode, Andy, Diego, and Wiedo each bring three brand-new games—built for old-school consoles—to the table. Only three will survive the nomination gauntlet and become the next picks for the July Game Club. Along the way, we get updates on sourdough laziness, shattered PCs, chaotic home renovations, and obsessive Quake map tinkering. Expect a mix of roguelikes, puzzle-platformers, sprawling adventures, and at least one game that pushes its retro hardware to the limit. Which new-old classics will make the cut? Join us for the debate and start planning your summer backlog.

In this episode, Andy, Wiedo, and Mark continue the tradition of the yearly shoot’em-up special. Andy kicks things off with Frontier Force for the Sega Master System, an intense fixed-screen shooter reminiscent of Space Invaders but elevated with dynamic weapon cycling and epic battles against waves of aliens and imposing bosses. Mark dives into Red Shift for the ZX Spectrum, spotlighting its accessible mechanics, unique shield regeneration system, and collectible ship parts that boost your capabilities, despite challenges posed by its monochrome visuals and tricky bullet visibility. Finally, Wiedo introduces Changeable Guardian Estique on the NES, an inventive horizontal shooter featuring a mech-transforming spaceship, strategic shield replenishments, and branching paths offering varied environmental challenges. Come shoot up some time with us!

Andy and Wiedo return after a busy break to tackle Hero GP (Gameboy Color), an addictive racing experience reminiscent of Super Hang-On, with its vibrant visuals and simple yet engaging gameplay, and Crater Song (NES), a sci-fi puzzle adventure filled with rich lore, unique cooperative mechanics using two NES controllers simultaneously, and a compelling narrative set on a mysterious musical planet.

The crew also touches on recreating Quake maps purely from memory in the "Quake from Memory" project, the trials and tribulations of the never-ending TV repair, sourdough baking, the upcoming shmups episode, the MiSTer Multisystem2, and much more!

Join Andy and Diego this week as they chat with the legendary Pierre Gilhodes, mastermind behind the quirky and much-loved Gobliiins series. Pierre takes us on a delightful trip down memory lane, from his painstaking pixel-by-pixel beginnings at Coktel Vision to the creative madness behind Gobliiins 5, with an exclusive sneak peek into Gobliiins 6. Discover the challenges and joys of transitioning from traditional pixel art to modern gaming tech, and find out why humor remains Pierre’s ultimate secret weapon.