This is Miyamoto. It's actually happening. A live action Legend of Zelda is on the way. How much faith do we have in the team behind it? What is our dream casting? And how can we talk about Love Actually instead? All these questions and more will be answered by Kat, Nadia, and special guest Alex Stedman! For what it's worth I think they missed their chance when Jonathan Taylor Thomas aged out of playing Link in the 90s but no one bothered to ask me. I also think every live action adaptation...

Did you know Tri-Ace was founded when the members of Wolf Team developing Tales of Phantasia grew tired of Namco's involvement and split off to create their own studio in the middle of development? And then in 2019 the mobile game Star Ocean: Anamnesis featured a crossover event with Tales, bridging the two series after nearly a quarter-century? Anyway this episode is all about the new remake of Star Ocean 2 with special guest Jada Griffen! George Yang is also supposed to be here but the best...

"Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand." Uhhhh Persona vibes much?! The history of RPGs is inextricably tied to horror and it's the perfect time of year talk about the scariest parts of our favourite games, as well as the RPGs that are straight up capital "H" Horror. Bloodborne, Undertale, Vampire: The Masquerade and more on this hair-raisingly scary episode with your terrifying hosts Bat Scale-y, Blah!-dia Axeford, and BEWARE-ic Vamp Hell-en. Also in this...

It's Letter Tiiiiime! It's Letter Tiiiime! It's a very special Mailbag episode this week as Kat, Nadia, and Eric answer questions about everything from cheesecake and boss fights to the very future of this podcast! If you want to take part in future mailbag episode,s and get a chance to have your questions answered, check out the Axe of The Blood God Discord by subscribing at patreon.com/bloodgodpod. Also in this Episode: - Long Gone Days, Super Mario Wonder, and even more from Baldur's Gate...

More like Acquisition Blizzard, heh. If you want a guest who can explain the ins-and-outs of the business side of this colossal consolidation of industry titans while also explaining why it's relevant to the culture and future of RPGs, you can't find anyone better than the one and only Reb Valentine. Listen as Kat, Nadia, and Reb discuss exactly what this means and how it will effect us all going forward, for better or worse. And maybe Kat is sort of kinda starting to enjoy some parts of...

Everything has been leading to this. Through the battles, the story beats, and the very very attractive party members, it's time to wrap up the conversation on what may end up being the biggest "game", let alone RPG, of 2023, Baldur's Gate III. Kat has wrapped up her 100+ hour journey and the gang has plenty to say about their personal experiences. Spoiler Warning: Mango(?) Also in this Episode: - Nadia has myriad difficulties with animals - To save-scum or not to save-scum - River Dancing...

Before NieR's depressing side quests, Quintet was giving kids lessons about the uncaring neutrality of the universe back in the 90s! Journey through the morally-grey, bleak worlds of Quintet and its adorable 16-bit veneer with host Nadia Oxford and special guests Anthony John Agnello and Scott White! Terranigma, Illusion of Gaia, ActRaiser, Soul Blazer and more in this retrospective deep dive! Also in this Episode: - Sad goats - The only podcast that has ever talked about Robotrek -...

We're back in Night City jacking into the firewalls of cyber-brains and scrapping digi-cops or whatever with the new Phantom Liberty expansion! Is this Cyberpunk 2077's redemption arc or would you be better off watching a holo-prog in your cogni-puter? I have no idea what terms they use for things in Cyberpunk but I feel like I must be pretty close. I'm sure there's a drug called like, FRAG or something. Anyway, special guest Michael Higham returns to talk with Eric and Nadia about all that...

The past week's one-two punch from Nintendo and Sony have us floored by a panoply of RPG announcements and reveals. How will we recover? As we lay there in a stupor all we can do is reflect on the choices that got us here. Someday we'll redouble our efforts and re-enter the fray. But for now, in the interim, we can do naught but ice our wounds and talk for an hour-and-a-half about the incredible games on the horizon. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Unicorn Overlord, SaGa Emerald Beyond, and Eiyuden...

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bloodgod and get on your way to being your best self. Finally, a throwback RPG inspired by classics like Chrono Trigger! But perhaps Sea of Stars is hiding something truly special? No spoilers this episode but prepare to have your interest piqued by this very special little homage to the JRPG golden age full of twists and turns. Kat, Nadia, and Eric are joined by special guest Brenden Groom of the Pass the...

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bloodgod and get on your way to being your best self. It's time to party with special guest Michael Higham as the crew talks about hotly anticipated sci-fi epic Starfield. What works, what doesn't, and do either of those things matter if you're having a nice time in Todd Howardland? Also in this Episode: -Get lost in a Sea of Stars -Maybe Ashoka is good! -Hey you, reading this. Play Ghost Trick. -How do you...

Did you know Baldur's Gate is actually based off of a really obscure game called Dungeons and Dragons? And you play it in your head! And it makes you worship the devil! Here to discuss the dungeon mastery of Baldur's Gate 3 with Kat and Eric is special guest Mikel Reparaz of Vidjagame Apocalypse. Also in this Episode: -The Art of Save Scumming -Short King smooching -More deeply frustrating layoffs -Kat's EA Rant™ -The end of The Summer of Korra Timestamps: 41:40 - Random Encounters 44:00 -...

Plan ahead for the fall and pick up a new scarf because it's Nadia's time to shine with an episode all about Mega Man's OTHER foray into the world of RPGs, Mega Man X: Command Mission. Timelines get twisted, fan-favourite characters show up and then are never heard from again, and poor X and friends get Randam Hajile'd! Also in this Episode: - Nadia and David discuss writing the official Maverick Hunter Field Guide - Everyone agrees Absolute Zero and Iron Maiden are great designs - Nadia...

You don't have to go home but you CAN stay here and listen to this pretty fly panel from the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo all about the landmark year for RPGs that was 1998! Pokemon, Baldur's Gate, Ocarina of Time, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Parasite Eve and more! You'll believe in life after love once you listen to the hosts of Axe of the Blood God and Retronauts (the Armageddon and Deep Impact of video game podcasts) tell you all about the important games released that year, the cultural shifts...

Hot (like, heat dome hot) off the heels of the wildly successful charity livestream and Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest it’s time to talk Baldur’s Gate 3. Eric and special guest Kenneth Shepard are here to spill some preliminary beans. Plus, summer movie talk; two titans of merchandising join forces this summer with heartfelt stories touching on powerful themes to briefly take your mind off the monstrous greed of the people at the top of the industry food chain! Also in this Episode: -“We HAVE to...

In this week's episode we're joined by Larian Studios director Swen Vincke... very briefly. Unfortunately technical difficulties kept us from going in deep on this particular interview, but we'll have him back soon! In the meantime, special guest Len Hafer has plenty to say about her experience with Baldur's Gate 3 and more. Final Fantasy XIV has a new expansion! Kat and Eric talk about their Armored Core VI experiences Legend of Korra sure has some politics, huh? This episode was part...

Welcome back to Axe of the Blood God. Kat is not here for this week's episode because she headed out for San Diego Comic Con, a known slaughtering ground where Harry Potter cosplayers will take out your eye with their wands before you can even say "something something Patronus." No fear: Our good friends Ash Parrish and Kenneth Shepard are here to fill in the gap. We're talking all about character creators, from the basic three-choice templates to Baldur Gate 3's dong-and-dumplings slider....

It's summertime, playing Zelda in your car, heading to a LAN party, and the night air is filled with wildfire smoke. Welcome to a laid back episode of Axe of the Blood God, where we just chill out and talk about associations between summer and RPGs. That means everything from the RPGs we played during our summer break to the best tropical environments in RPGs past and present. Just remember: The secret to better RPGs is more giant centipede monsters. Also in this Episode: The...

We've got some fellow old people listening to this show (may your tubes of Voltaren be ever on sale), and I think we can all take a little comfort in the fact many of Falcom's RPGs, including the epic The Legend of Heroes saga, are about as old as us. Heroes has had a lot of time to pump out some good storytelling, including the still-celebrated Trails sub-series. But even mighty things come to an end eventually. In this episode we invite Trails fanatic Cam Hawkins to talk about the game...

It's summer! That means it's time to grab a burger off the grill, fish a cold one out of the cooler, lie back on a Muskoka chair (ask your local Canadian), and talk about the year in RPGs so far. 2023's been disgustingly busy with huge releases like Final Fantasy XVI, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo IV, and so much more. Your time on this planet is finite, so listen and decide which of these billion hour games are worth playing, and which should be punted onto the backlog...

After what seems like forever and a day, Final Fantasy XVI has finally arrived on the PlayStation 5. Except, it hasn't really been forever, has it? Game director Naoki Yoshida runs a tight ship, to be sure--but will a timely release be enough to make Final Fantasy fans fall in love with the series' first serious attempt at telling a story with Witcher levels of grit and grime? Friend of the show and VG247 writer Alex Donaldson is here to talk to us about this much-anticipated game of thrones...

I, Nadia, take over hosting duties on Axe of the Blood God this week, which is apropos for an episode that's about Satan. That's right, we review the long-awaited Diablo IV with our very good friend and frequent Blood God guest, Len. There's a lot riding on Diablo IV, as Activision Blizzard is currently weighed down by troubled times that are largely of their own making. How does it play? How's the story? How does Act-Bliz's fascination with "always online!" sit with Diablo IV's dark, gothic...

On a very special episode of Axe of the Blood God ("special" meaning "very off schedule"), Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk about everything they saw at Prince Geoffry's Summer Game Fest 2023. Kat and Eric actually attended the show, so they have amazing insight about the games on display--especially the RPGs. And oh, were there ever a lot of RPGs. That Xbox deluge is late, sure, but rest assured it's on its way. And it's bringing Starfield with it. Also in this episode: Oh my God Final Fantasy 7...

The summer is getting started, and we've got no shortage of games ahead. But before we look at all the games waiting to steal our time, we've got speedrunner Moonblazewolf, fresh off their run of Chained Echoes at SGDQ 2023! We talk all that plus the news of the day and the start of Book 2 in our Summer of Korra. Also in this episode: Street Fighter 6 has all of us in its clutches Big, beefy ships Mindflayer worms! In your mind! Tenzin's GOAT status in Korra Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro /...

Howdy, friends! We've got a treat that'll make y'all happier than a fox in a henhouse! This week, we have an in-depth discussion about Octopath Traveler II, an excellent choice from our $100 Patron and special guest, The Black Stones! The talk avoids major story spoilers, but there's still tons to go over because Octopath Traveler II is a pretty special game. Its battle system is unique and highly engaging, its music is to die for, and its story is masterfully written and seamlessly...