Episode 614: Video Games and the Nuclear Apocalypse (Patreon)

Nadia: "Jesus Christ, they've done it."

This week on Retronauts, Nadia Oxford huddles underground with Jeremy Parish and games journalism sage Jaz Rignall to talk about the best depictions of nuclear devastation in retro video games. The medium came of age through the Cold War, so it's no surprise even the earliest, most primitive games made statements about the plutonium-tipped Sword of Damocles that dangled above us.

We crawl from Missile Command's nightmare-inducing story scenario to the traumatic nuclear attack scene in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. And there are plenty of stops in between where Jaz, Master of the Old Ways, describes what Europe's apocalyptic game scene looked like. Fry up a bloated rat, pop a bottle of low-rad Nuka Cola (keep that cap!), and tune your transistor radio onto this station.

Edits: Greg Leahy; Art: Nick Wanserski

• 11:34 - Frankie Goes to Hollywood: "Two Tribes"

• 20:12 - David Bowie: "When the Wind Blows"

• 32:42 - Jethro Tull: "Protect and Survive"

• 44:29 - Grave of the Fireflies: End Title | Trojan (Arcade): Stage 3

• 55:33 - Missile Defense 3-D: City

• 1:03:46 - Bionic Commando (Arcade): Top Secret (Round 5)

• 1:11:23 - Jefferson Airplane: "Crown of Creation"

• 1:23:57 - Chrono Trigger (SNES): Ruined World

• 1:36:34 - Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl: Fallen Capital

• Closing - Vera Lynn: "We'll Meet Again"