Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The RPG Year in Review 2022 w/ Mike and Victor Dec 26, 2022

Show notes

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:

Square Enix's fall blunderbuss of RPGs
The magic of Elden Ring
Can an RPG truly have it all in Xenoblade Chronicles 3?

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.

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The Games We Loved (But Weren't So Hot On Later) Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

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:

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are coming to consoles! There's a deluxe box set! Aaaand it's gone
Chained Echoes is pretty baller
Dragon Quest Treasures has no idea what it's doing, but that's part of the fun
If your Christmas party doesn't involve poisoning yourself with homemade bucket wine, don't call it a Christmas party

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.

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Sharlayan Dropouts: Hoplology 101 - The Veil of Wiyu Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

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:

Down the Up Staircase - Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward
Save / Load Screen - Final Fantasy Tactics
Protagonist’s Theme - Final Fantasy Tactics
Trisection - Final Fantasy Tactics
Not Alone Jazz Arrangement - JAZZ - FINAL FANTASY -
Fear After - Final Fantasy Tactics
Green Eyed Love - Mayer Hawthorne
James Bond Theme (From Dr. No) - Monty Norman
Under the Imperial Flag - Sakura Wars 3
I feel like I’ve heard that one before - Final Fantasy Tactics

Sources:

Marathon Gaming Retrospectives - https://tinyurl.com/y5evjjbt
Final Fantasy Wiki - Sound Novels - Oeilvert - https://tinyurl.com/ze3zd8vx
Hardcore Gaming 101 - The Tale of Oeilvert - https://tinyurl.com/2p9mrzb7
FFT Sound Novel Let’s Play by Nekomakine - https://tinyurl.com/msnvnupe

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The 2022 Game Awards + This Year's Hidden Gem RPGs w/Lucas White Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

The universe has survived another bout of Geoff Keighly's Game Awards, where the real awards are the memes mined from cynical adults' Twitter timelines. Does that work grammatically? Eh, whatever. Point is, Geoff Keighly threw a party and now there are new RPGs to talk about. Which Nadia and Eric do with the help of very special guest Lucas White. Another important topic of discussion: The overlooked RPG gems of 2022. A whole heap of games dropped way too late to get that sweet, sweet December recognition, and the Blood God crew does its best to give them a nice boost. Also in this episode:

The real treasure in Dragon Quest Treasures are the Slime friends we made along the way.
Holy crap! Hades II is coming!
Holy crap! Chained Echoes is really good!
A riveting tale of Sonic the Hedgehog and election fraud.

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The Year of Tactics 2022 Recap w/ Leana Hafer Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

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:

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Takes
Speaking of strategy games, how's Marvel's Midnight Suns?
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is a pleasant flight so far
What's the worst game you ever got as a gift?

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.

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Pantheon of the Blood God: Mass Effect Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

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/!

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Sharlayan Dropouts 2022 Thanksgiving Special w/ Aidan Moher Nov 25, 2022

Show notes

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!

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Review w/ Reb Valentine Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

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:

Nadia and Reb talk farming with Harvestella
Sonic creator Yuji Naka is in hot water with the law
The next-gen Witcher 3 update is coming soon, bless
Autumn of Avatar goes to the theatre

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!

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Star Ocean: The Divine Force Review w/ John Linneman Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

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:

Don't sleep on Harvestella, it's pretty dang good
Mass Effect 5 exists
Mazeltov to Ash Ketchum for becoming the Galar Region champion with the aid of a Pokemon that's too horrifying to exist
Nadia made friends with some crows, then accidentally pissed them off with pistachios

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Final Fantasy XVI Controversy, Twitter's Implosion, and Other Messy Discourse Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

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:

Final Fantasy XVI has some…issues regarding racial diversity
Harvestella is out, and by gosh, it's chill as heck
Whispers on the wind speak of a new Deus Ex game in development
Autumn of Avatar: No character voiced by Mark Hamill can possibly be evil

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