Announcements

They Create Worlds Coming to Midwest Gaming Classic!

Alex and Jeffrey will be going to the Midwest Gaming Classic! We will be wling around, checking out panels, and may end up on a panel! If you see us come say "Hi!".

Episode List

Figured out a way to autimate turning the show notes into web pages. This should make finding an episode, or related episodes easier! You can check out Episodes or the linnk in the menu! This includes search, and tags!

Latest Podcast Episode

Masanobu Endō is one of Japan's most important game designers, yet remains relatively unknown in the West. Starting from an uncertain role at Namco, he first made his mark by turning Dig Dug play notes into an official strategy booklet, then shifted into programming work where he learned from Namco's maze games, including Pac-Man. Assigned as a programmer on Xevious, he stepped into the lead role when the original planner left, pushing for a coherent world where every enemy and structure had a purpose in a larger mythology. The secrets, patterns, and hidden elements he built into Xevious encouraged dedicated players to map routes, chase glitches, and hunt for new techniques in a way that feels very similar to how modern communities approach speedrunning and score optimization today. Endō then expanded these ideas in The Tower of Druaga, fusing Dungeons and Dragons style dungeon crawling with Babylonian and Sumerian myth, cryptic treasure requirements, and a real ending instead of an endless loop. The result helped shape how Japanese designers approached action adventure, including early thinking around what would become "The Legend of Zelda."