Episode #441 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan and Bedroth grab a fresh set of dice, argue over who gets to be the party's healer, and descend into the sprawling, dungeon-crawling, dragon-hoarding world that started it all: Dungeons & Dragons! From the earliest computer RPGs that ever dared to put a spellbook on a screen to modern MMORPG expansions, we're adventuring through a theme that basically wrote the rulebook for fantasy gaming as we know it.

Roll for initiative, because you're gonna need it. We'll haggle in a castle shop, sneak through a hall built for the senses, ride a dragon into the sunset, get ambushed in the dark more than once, crash a vampire's nightclub, and end things with a knock on the door from a certain god of secrets as spooky season creeps ever closer. So grab your character sheet, sharpen your +1 dagger, and try not to split the party, because this one's a long campaign and we're just getting started.

Email the show at bgmaniapodcast@gmail.com with requests for upcoming episodes, questions, feedback, comments, concerns, or any other thoughts you'd like to share! Special thanks to our Executive Producers: Jexak, Xancu, Jeff & Mike.

EPISODE PLAYLIST AND CREDITS

1. Title from Pool of Radiance [Wally Beben, 1990]
2. Who Are You from Baldur's Gate 3 [Borislav Slavov feat. Mariya Anastasova, 2023]
3. Castle Shoppe from Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes [Gary Spinrad, 2003]
4. Spiral Battle from Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara [Masato Kouda, 1996]
5. Ending from DragonStrike [Yoshio Kobayashi & Yasuhiro Kawasaki, 1992]
6. Outdoors 4 from Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager [Ralph Thomas & George Sanger, 1994]
7. Nym Pymplee the Goblin from Iron & Blood: Warriors [Michael Bross & Michael Goodis, 1997]
8. Civic Festhall from Planescape: Torment [Richard Band, 1999]
9. Tavern Sword Coast from Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir [Andrew Barnabas & Paul Arnold, 2008]
10. Dungeon Theme from Eye of the Beholder [Yuzo Koshiro & Motohiro Kawashima, 1994]
11. Murderlin's Temple Challenge from Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep [Raison Varner, 2013]
12. Ambush in the Dark from Solasta: Crown of the Magister [Maxime Hervé, 2021]
13. Come Around from Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines [Rik Schaffer, 2004]
14. Turn the Page from Dungeons & Dragons Online: Vecna Unleashed [Bill Champagne, 2023]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
• Facebook: BGManiaPodcast
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• YouTube: BGManiaPodcast
• Twitch: BGManiaPodcast

PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

Bonus Episode #76 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan reviews Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the long-awaited franchise revival developed and published by Capcom, out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. As the first mainline entry since Dawn of Dreams in 2006, it drops you into a dark fantasy version of Edo-era Kyoto twisted by a corrupting force called Malice, where a young, hot-headed Miyamoto Musashi is killed, dragged back to life, and saddled with the Oni Gauntlet, a demonic artifact that keeps him breathing only as long as he keeps feeding it souls.

Twenty years is a long time to leave a series on the shelf, and this Musical Review is all about whether the wait was worth it. Bryan gets deep into the razor-sharp swordplay built around parries, deflects, and the signature Issen counter, the soul-fueled progression that shapes Musashi around your own playstyle, and the eerie stretch of temples, mountain paths, and hidden laboratories you cut through along the way. He works through Musashi's story and his gauntlet-bound partnership with Shizuka, the memorable cast of allies and villains reimagined from real history and folklore, and the bigger question of whether this actually feels like Onimusha after two decades away. And of course, he spends plenty of time with the score from Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki, and Tomoki Kameyama, breaking down how it fuses traditional Japanese sound with horror and dread.

Email the show at bgmaniapodcast@gmail.com with requests for upcoming episodes, questions, feedback, comments, concerns, or any other thoughts you'd like to share! Special thanks to our Executive Producers: Jexak, Xancu, Jeff, & Mike.

EPISODE PLAYLIST AND CREDITS

1. Main Theme from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
2. Daidara from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
3. Sasaki Ganryu from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
4. Yoshioka Follower from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
5. Rasho-gan from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
6. Ifuu from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
7. Nue from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
8. Hinagiku from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
9. Burai from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
10. The Demon on the Mount from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
11. Oni Awakening from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
12. Dokyo from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
13. Minamoto no Yoshitsune from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Marika Suzuki, Nozomi Ohmoto, Kota Suzuki & Tomoki Kameyama, 2026]
14. Ghost in the Silence from Onimusha: Way of the Sword [Nozomi Ohmoto feat. Cait Foley, 2026]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
• Facebook: BGManiaPodcast
• X: BGManiaPodcast
• Instagram: BGManiaPodcast
• TikTok: BGManiaPodcast
• YouTube: BGManiaPodcast
• Twitch: BGManiaPodcast

PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously

Episode #440 of BGMania: A Video Game Music Podcast. Today on the show, Bryan and Bedroth hop into the nearest questionable-looking mine cart, release the brake, and immediately regret every decision that led them here. From haunted ruins and glowing mushroom caves to muddy swamps, abandoned factories, ancient shipyards, and whatever OSHA nightmare Donkey Kong has waiting underground, we're taking a ride through one of gaming's most beloved traditions: the mine cart.

We'll race canaries, dodge Ganados, help Nancy Drew make an escape, survive a few tracks that probably haven't been inspected since 1995, and somehow even bring a tiny dog along for the ride. So keep your hands and feet inside the cart, lean into the turns, and whatever you do, don't look down!

Email the show at bgmaniapodcast@gmail.com with requests for upcoming episodes, questions, feedback, comments, concerns, or any other thoughts you'd like to share! Special thanks to our Executive Producers: Jexak, Xancu, Jeff & Mike.

EPISODE PLAYLIST AND CREDITS

1. Escape from Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon [Kevin Manthei, 2005]
2. Moodymaze Marsh -Minecart- from Yooka-Laylee [David Wise, 2017]
3. Mine Cart from Shadowgate VR: The Mines of Mythrok [Rich Douglas, 2022]
4. Shipyard Minecart Ride from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword [Hajime Wakai, 2011]
5. Look Out Behind Us! -Factory- from Rail Chase 2 [Maki Morrow & Seiichiro Matsumura, 1995]
6. Moleville Mountain Rail from Super Mario RPG Remake [Yoko Shimomura, 2023]
7. Lost Labyrinth Zone -Act 2- from Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I [Jun Senoue, 2010]
8. Racin’ With Mary from Banjo-Tooie [Grant Kirkhope, 2000]
9. Minecart Escape from The Dog Island [Eriko Chubak, 2007]
10. Thrill Ride! from Resident Evil 4 Remake [Kota Suzuki & Nozomi Ohmoto, 2023]
11. World 3 Minecart from Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries [Vicky Fysika, 2018]
12. JunimoKart -Glowshroom Grotto- from Stardew Valley [Eric Barone, 2016]
13. Balankanche Mine from Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure [Lee Scott, Robert Higgins & David Kneuper, 1995]
14. Mine Kart Madness from Donkey Kong Bananza [David Wise/Naoto Kubo, 2025]

LINKS

• Patreon: https://patreon.com/bgmania
• Website: https://bgmania.podbean.com/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/cC73Heu
• Facebook: BGManiaPodcast
• X: BGManiaPodcast
• Instagram: BGManiaPodcast
• TikTok: BGManiaPodcast
• YouTube: BGManiaPodcast
• Twitch: BGManiaPodcast

PODCAST NETWORK

• Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast
• Listening Religiously