The year is coming to a close, and so we're looking back on all the role-playing games 2022 delivered. Kat, Nadia, and Eric are joined by the Sharlayan Dropouts Mike and Victor to help break down all the happenings in the RPG world this year, including:
All this and more, including one last holiday Nostalgia Nook/Pit. We hope all our listeners and backers are having a wonderful holiday time, and we'll see you soon in the new year for a fresh batch of RPG goodness.
Kat has returned to the Axe of the Blood God, and all she got was a nasty cough. Well, that and memories that'll last a lifetime, or something like that. She's come back home just in time to enjoy a very chill episode of the show, which delves into reader mail. In other words…it's letter tiiime, it's letter tiiime! Kick back and listen as Kat, Nadia, and Eric answer questions about games they initially loved, then cooled down on (and vice versa), which games they regret not playing in 2022, what they're looking forward to in 2023, and lots more.
Also in this episode:
In the Post Show
The gang continues to chill as they discuss the movies Kat watched on the plane on her way home from Amsterdam. The discussion quickly slides into all-out movie discourse, which means a hot takes about Pixar movies and Christopher Nolan. God bless us, everyone.
Fans of Ivalice, the history of visual novels, and the works of Jean-Luc Godard might just find something to sink their teeth into this episode. Victor explores the many twists and turns in the surprisingly robust history behind Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn’s Summoner weapon, The Veil of Wiyu in this first episode of a recurring series that aims to shed light on the real-world inspirations behind the weaponry of Final Fantasy XIV. If you want to see more dedicated episodes like this be sure to let us know at @SharlayanPod or @BloodGodPod on Twitter or on the official Axe of the Blood God Discord server available to $1 subscribers at patreon.com/bloodgodpod.
SPOILER LEVEL GREEN: Not a spoiler to be seen. A few references to some contextless plot details for various games in the series but nothing to keep you from enjoying this episode regardless of where you are in your journey.
Music:
Sources:
This week on Axe of the Blood God, friend of the pod Len joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric as they talk about one of this year's most popular RPG sub-genres: The strategy game. From turn-based to real time, from revision to brand-new IP, there was a lot going on with the strategy genre this year. And, uh, there still is! The year's not quite over! How does one find the time and money to love them all?
Also in this episode:
POST SHOW
Len joins the Axe of the Blood God's weekly ride into hell via the post show. There's a hodgepodge of discourse this week, including "Hangovers suck," and how each of us would fix the Game Awards. Half the awards are currently belted out in the thirty seconds a nominated developer might theoretically get up to use the can, so maybe putting a stop to that kind of thing is a first step.
For the June 2021 edition of Pantheon of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric take a deep dive into the first game of the Mass Effect series! They trace its origins as the follow-up to Knights of the Old Republic, delve into its soundtrack, and pick its five best moments. Then comes the big conversation: Is Mass Effect worthy of inclusion in the Pantheon of the Blood God?
Pantheon of the Blood God is a series devoted to diving into the very best RPGs of all time. You can find full catalog on our Patreon at https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod or on our website at https://bloodgodpod.com/series/pantheon-of-the-blood-god/!
Hop on the airship back to your hometown and listen to your favourite Final Fantasy XIV podcast, now on the free feed! The Dropouts bring a very special guest to family dinner, author of Fight, Magic, Items, Aidan Moher, to discuss the impact FFXIV has had on the JRPG and MMO genres over the years. Plus it’s the first annual Holiday Gift Guide; our hosts give you the perfect gift ideas at any budget for the FFXIV fan in your life. And stick around for a very special segment that will no doubt be a recurring fan-favourite for years to come…
SPOILER LEVEL GREEN: Rest easy, slowpokes, there’s not a spoiler to be found for malms. A perfect episode to jump into regardless of where you’re at in your journey!
This week on Axe of the Blood God, IGN's Rebekah Valentine joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric as they step into Pokemon Heaven courtesy of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Wait a second. Maybe it's more like Pokemon Hell, since Scarlet and Violet are, uh, really buggy. Do the glitches, bugs, and body horror put a damper on what's otherwise the most ambitious and compelling Pokemon game to date? Well, no, but also yes.
Also in this episode:
POST SHOW
Kat is forced to bail early on this week's post show. This is a good thing, as Nadia, Eric, and Reb immediately load up a random Pokemon generator and declare which Pokemon are good eating, and which are best not consumed. That means Kat's soul still has a chance to ascend to heaven, whereas the rest of the crew already has reserved seating in the pits of Gehenna. Available to the Stars of Destiny tier and above!
This week on Axe of the Blood God, Digital Foundry's John Linneman joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric for a detailed discussion about Star Ocean: The Divine Force. It's been a Canis Major's age since Square Enix did anything with Star Ocean, and the Blood God crew is ashamedly not up-to-date on the series. That's why John is here. (Also, it's because he's cool). Is the new game everything Star Ocean fans have been waiting for? Find out.
Also in this episode:
This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric lose themselves to chaos. The smash launch of Marvel Snap dang near caused something to snap in their brains, it seems. Or maybe they're just jumpy because Twitter—a major source of networking and promotion for countless writers and pocasters (ahem)—is now Satan's own toilet. It's a great show, regardless. Sometimes it's healthy to just sit back and see where the toboggan ride takes you.
Also in this episode:
This week on the Axe of the Blood God RPG podcast, Kat and Nadia have both gone out for cigarettes, which means that Eric is in charge. Our boy keeps his head on his shoulders and invites Mike Williams of Sharlayan Dropouts to talk about our next Class Conscious entry: Monks! You know, those fellows what pummel things with their fists and suplex trains. They're joined by martial artist Danielle Riendeau, who has good advice for all you baby monks who're just starting your training: The pavement always wins.
Also in this episode:
POST SHOW
Eric, Mike, and the Stars of Destiny throw down in the chat over a brand-new tier list: The Top Halloween Candies of All Time. It gets hot, folks. Hotter than a tamale. But only Canadian kids know the pain of getting Molasses Kisses by the handful. Who even likes those? They keep coming back. Smells like witchcraft.
To honor the legacy of Rieko Kodama, who passed earlier this year, we are releasing this episode for free to all listeners.
For the August 2021 edition of Pantheon of the Blood God, Kat and Nadia are joined by Shane Bettenhausen for an exploration of one of Sega's seminal RPGs -- Phantasy Star! The trio discuss the rough early days of the Sega Master System, how the team with Sega greats Rieko Kodama and Yuji Naka came together, and how it differed from other RPGs in the 1980s. They also delve into its five best moments, from the lavish opening to the battle with Dark Falz. Then the verdict: Is Phantasy Star worthy of inclusion in the Pantheon of the Blood God? Listen and find out!
As always, a sincere thanks to our $10 and above Patrons for your support! Every month we pick a new RPG for the Pantheon, which is voted on by the community. Join the Discord and jump into our Monthly Game Club conversation!
The weather is truly colorful and crisp — provided you live in the northern hemisphere and aren't currently in the grip of a climate change-fueled heatwave. Either way, it's a good time to stay indoors and play the piles of RPGs that are currently available, including DioField Chronicles, Mario + Rabbids, Valkyrie Elysium, Persona 5 Royal, Nier Automata, and Trails from Zero. You could also go outside, but you might, like, see a bug or something. Ew.
This week, Kat, Nadia, and Eric are joined by a very special writer friend, Scott White. Scott helps fill in the gang on some of the more important RPGs that have recently landed, including the excellent Trails from Zero, and the reasons why it's a great entry point for the Trails series.
Also in this episode:
In the Post Show
Blood God pal Scott White sticks around for this week's Axe of the Blood God post-show, which is piled with morsels of great RPG talk. For starters, can anyone out there think of a Christmas-themed RPG? Anyone? Bueller? Also, Eric talks Texas. Yee haw, and etcetera! Available exclusively to members on the Stars of Destiny tier!
Following the release of Action Button's new review of Boku no Natsuyasumi, we welcome Tim Rogers to talk about this PS1 classic, which has plenty of connections to modern RPGs like Persona 5. Naturally, the conversation spreads out to hit many different topics within the realm of RPGs, including:
This episode is currently available exclusively to our Patrons! You can find conversation timestamps below.
Timestamps
0:00: Intro
11:00: Boku no Natsuyasumi and Taco Tico
23:55: The connections between Boku no Natsuyasumi and Earthbound
28:30: Rats, racoons and possums
38:50: Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Kingdom Hearts, and old developers
1:00:00: The PS1 is the best console ever
1:10:00: Sony's quest to make its own Dragon Quest
1:17:00: Reminiscing about Japan and Saizeriya
1:25:25: Dragon Quest and Mad Catz
1:34:50: Cyberpunk and Mighty Ducks
1:39:10: Who is the successor to Yuji Horii?
148:55: LA Noire and why games should be structured like a TV show
1:59:00: Outro
War is hell. Unless you're talking about Valkyria Chronicles, the much-celebrated tactics RPG by Sega. See, war is still hell in Valkyria Chronicles, but it's also very pretty and fun to play. This week, very special guest and valued Blood God Patreon contributor Vivicomplex joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric to talk about World War Anime. Protip: Just send your scouts to the front line. Ain't nbodoy getting through those rifle-toting maniacs.
Also in this episode:
In the Post Show
Vivi sticks around after a spirited episode of Axe of the Blood God (aren't they all) to talk a bit more about what made her fall in love with Valkyria Chronicles in the first place. The gang also talks about how their Pokemon Black and White Pantheon playthroughs are going, and there's even a bit of talk about the band PUP. Wooo oooo ooooo, ooo oooo! Available exclusively to subscribers in our Stars of Destiny tier!
This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk about CD Projekt Red's (overly?) optimistic road map for the future of Cyberpunk 2077 and the Witcher series. Looks like CD Projekt is working hard to repair Cyberpunk's tarnished reputation in addition to making new games set in worlds that lack indoor plumbing. It's a long and winding road that's sure to be full of challenges, and we salute CD Projekt for assuming we're still going to be here in a decade. Always look on the bright side of life!
Also in this episode:
POST SHOW
Hey, Paisanos! Nadia and Eric talk about the new Super Mario Bros. movie trailer. Seems this movie might be fun and charming after all, even if Chris Pratt's flat-tire voice still isn't a great choice for everyone's favorite feisty plumber. Eh, I think we're all in agreement that Jack Black's Bowser is going to carry the movie, anyway. Available exclusively to subscribers in our Stars of Destiny tier!
CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 is currently experiencing something of a redemption arc. Does the (hugely) troubled RPG necessarily deserve said arc, though? Well…yes, but also no. This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric invite Normandy FM's Kenneth Shepard for a chat about the state of Cyberpunk 2077, as well as what the future holds for the game—and for CD Projekt Red.
Also in this episode:
Forget Cyberpunk. It is all about Cybertwunk now.
POST SHOW
Cyberpunk 2077's recent renaissance is owed to Cyberpunk Edgerunners, a Netflix series based on CD Projekt's RPG. Eric and special guest Kenneth Shepard talk about what makes the series good enough to bolster its troubled source material. Predictably, all semblance of civilized discussion unravels about midway through the discussion and everyone just yells at each other about Star Wars for the rest of the post show's run time. Available to listeners in the Stars of Destiny tier!
For this week's episode we're joined by the very talented folks behind 99 Potions, Fantbyte's dedicated RPG podcast that was unfairly cut short by the site's recent layoffs. In solidarity with our fellow creators, we invited Nere, Michael Higham, Andrea Shearon, John Warren, and Natalie Flores on the show to pour one out for a great website, talk about what they've been playing, and delve into some of their problematic favorite characters.
Also in this episode:
Time Stamps
0:00 - 07:00: Intros and housekeeping
7:00 - 1:00:00: What we've been playing
1:00:00: Random Encounters
1:03:00: Problematic Faves
1:35:00: Autumn of Avatar, Book 1 Finale
1:50:00 - Pouring one for Fanbyte + Outro
In the Post Show
Nere, Michael, and Andrea stick around with Eric to talk about their favorite alcohol, discuss the reaction to unfinished assets from the GTA Mega Leak, and much more. This segment is available exclusively to our Stars of Destiny Patrons!
This week on the Axe of the Blood God RPG podcast, Kat is out and Nadia learns one more time that it's really just that easy to take an inherently chaotic podcast and make it twice as dizzying. Friend of the show (and Nadia's former employer in the long ago and far away) Anthony John Agnello stops by for a visit and talks all about the huge RPG news deluge that occurred with last week's Nintendo Direct. A new Final Fantasy Theatrhythm game! A new Fire Emblem game! A name for the Breath of the Wild sequel! Farming! Farming! Farming!
Also in this episode:
This week, Axe of the Blood God tackles the 2022 fall RPG preview—which feels like a nutty thing to say, since summer only started yesterday. Right? Right…?
Oh.
Thankfully, RPGs help take away the sting of passing time for a little while. And it so happens the last quarter of 2022 is loaded with some bangers. Persona 5 for Nintendo Switch! Tactics Ogre Reborn! Valkyrie Elysium! Not to mention a couple of small indie games called Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. What a way to end the year that gave us Elden Ring and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Also in this episode:
Handy-dandy timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
5:08 - What we're playing
40:04 - Random encounters
44:56 - Main topic: The fall RPG preview
1:12:17 - Autumn of Avatar
1:35:15 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook
The fall season is upon us, and more fantasy shows than you can shake a wizard's staff at are popping up! Since RPGs and fantasy have a fair bit to do with one another, we brought on IGN's Alex Stedman to chat about House of the Dragon, The Rings of Power, how RPGs and fantasy tales intersect, and kick off our Autumn of the Avatar!
All that, plus:
It's a slim week at the Blood God, so we dipped into our rainy day bucket of topics to discuss Sony's first-party games. Does it need more first-party offerings, or should it stick to its third-party deals? We discuss all that and more, including:
This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric have a (digital) devil of a time talking about Soul Hackers 2. They're joined by Fanbyte.com superstars Michael Higham and Diego Argüello, who both have plenty to say about this strange game. It appears Soul Hackers 2 strives to land somewhere between the dark, complex Shin Megami Tensei games, and the character-driven Persona titles. Does Soul Hackers 2 hit the mark? Or does it just hee-ho off into the sunset, destined to be forgotten?
Also in this episode:
In the Post Show
Michael Higham and Diego Argüello sit in on this week's post show, and the whole thing derails in about six seconds. The conversation bounces from religion to literature to something about furries and the Metaverse. Do not look in the dead, cold eyes of the Zuckerberg Metaverse dollar store Mii; it will swallow your soul. Available to subscribers in the Stars of Destiny tier and above on our Patreon!
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This week on Axe of the Blood God: It's letter tiiime, it's letter tiiime! Kat, Nadia, and Eric answer questions asked by YOU, our grand Blood God listeners! What is the gang's favorite class in Xenoblade Chronicles 3? What new regional forms should appear in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? Is it really that bad for an RPG to clock in at 100+ hours? All these burning questions and tons more get answers this week.
Also in this episode:
In the Post Show
This week on Axe of the Blood God's always-tasteful post show, Kat reveals she's going to Japan next month, and solicits cool things to do while she's in Tokyo. Nadia recalls her time in Shinjuku, and encourages everyone to visit the Dragon Quest cafe and eat a meat dumpling shaped like a Slime. It's the only true path to world peace. The post show is available to our Stars of Destiny Patrons here: https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod
It's another busy week on Axe of the Blood God. Two hefty topics are packed into one convenient episode: New Pokemon Scarlet and Violet information, on top of the beginning of the Nihon Falcom Developer Quest. Listen in as Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk up the Pokemon of the Paldea region, and try to figure out the whole deal with Terastallized (i.e. rock candy) Pokemon. After that, the gang chats about the beginnings of Nihon Falcom, the studio responsible for a lot of excellent RPGs going way, way back, including the Ys series, the Trails games, and much more.
Also in this episode:
In the Post Show
Kat is forced to bail(ey) early on this week's post-show, so Nadia and Eric have free run of da joint. This week's topic is food, food, food. Barbeque. Brisket. Hungarian goulash. Beets and horseradish. Would you eat gefilte fish? You should try it sometime. Gosh, even writing this stirs up the appetite. Available via Patron: https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod
Axe of the Blood God is sponsored by NordVPN. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/bloodgod to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + Free Threat Protection + 1 additional month for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!