Nick returns from Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2025 with several short interviews featuring some very neat people.

Optomon (Chris Lincoln) is a ROM hacker and the developer of the NES homebrew game Rollie. You can find his work at Optovania.com.

Clyde Shaffer is the creator of the Game Tank. Find out more about this project at gametank.zone.

Ellen Cooper is a board member at Hit Save, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of video games, and the administrator of Keitai Wiki. Check out her work here:

• ​Keitai Wiki
• ​Keitai Archive
• ​Hit Save!

Music credits for this episode:

• ​Gameplay (From Below Pocket) by Pegmode (arr.), Tui
• ​Beat 7 by Nikku4211
• ​Minddrug (Layla: The Iris Missions) by Supper
• ​Homebrew Game Club Redux by Raftronaut

As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

The gang reviews Justice Duel, a Joust-inspired arena combat game for the NES from 2017, set in a techno-dystopian America dominated by unhinged AI presidents riding giant eagles. Or something like that. Wait, is this still satire?

Physical versions available from Mega Cat Studios.

Download the free demo here.

As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com

The gang interviews Chris Totten, Associate Professor of Game Design at Kent State University and the creator of recent Game Club pick Kudzu. This far-ranging conversation touches on GB Studio development, game design as a field of study, publishing indie games, introducing Gen Z students to retro gaming, a possible Kudzu sequel, and many other topics.

This episode has a transcript! You can download the PDF here.

Browse some of Chris' other projects at the Pie for Breakfast website.

You can also follow him on Bluesky.

As always, find links to our social media and more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://homebrewgameclub.com