Backtracking, Corpse Runs, and Boss Runbacks | Drivers' Discourse Podcast Ep 1

In the debut episode, ‪@kurushiidrive‬, ‪@Prince-Waka‬ , and ‪@retroragexd‬ discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of backtracks, corpse runs, and runbacks in metroidvanias, soulslikes, and various other games, especially in Hollow Knight Silksong and Dark Souls 3. ‪@ZenryokuFGC‬ also shared his thoughts for this episode's topic in advance, approaching from an angle not often considered in arcade games.

If you are a fan of metroidvania games, old-school arcade games, or soulslikes, be sure to subscribe to the channel so that you don't miss out on future episodes of Drivers' Discourse. Let us know your thoughts on whether these contentious game design choices have a place in games of these kinds.

Make sure to wishlist BOOTSIES, an upcoming indie fighting game by ‪@ZenryokuFGC‬ ! -- https://store.steampowered.com/app/34...

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Drivers' Discourse is a new podcast series featuring intense discussions on burning topics in video games, old and new.

Episode 1 was recorded on the 11th of October, 2025.

Drivers' Discourse podcast playlist:    • Drivers' Discourse  

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Introduction
3:03 - What is backtracking?
13:28 - Semantic discussion on "backtrack" vs "runback"
16:22 - More on backtracking
18:29 - redoing sections in arcade games
22:38 - Zenryoku weighs in (prerecording)
29:52 - additional backtracking thoughts
35:28 - Mario 64 COURSE-correction
42:26 - Synthesis
45:55 - Runbacks
48:07 - Types of roadblocks that have a runback in video games
56:08 - Should "environmental" bosses still have a short runback?
58:31 - Team Cherry on runbacks (from a HK AMA) --   / e130uco  
59:59 - Runbacks for immersion
1:08:06 - Runbacks' psychological effect
1:32:28 - Short runbacks and how they alter the emphasis on the roadblock (boss)
1:34:11 - Is the focus on the section leading to the boss, or the boss itself?
1:40:06 - Runbacks to present perceived "difficulty"
1:49:11 - Backtracking in DK64
1:53:30 - What is corpse running?
2:00:54 - Corpse running in metroidvanias
2:12:03 - Skip past enemies or refight the enemies?
2:13:40 - losing valuable items on death
2:14:18 - (tangent) difficulty options
2:15:24 - Corpse running's intentions
2:22:01 - Auxiliary thoughts
2:30:44 - Is the conversation applicable to roguelites/likes?
2:40:04 - Celeste & difficulty sources tangent
2:41:58 - Waka's synthesis
2:46:57 - Retrorage's synthesis
2:54:26 - KD's synthesis
2:57:02 - Conclusion