Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

Hello and welcome to Year 3 of the Axe of the Blood God! It's going to be an absolutely massive year for RPGs, and that means big things for the podcast. Here's just some of what we have planned as we move through 2023: An expansion to Youtube! We had a lot of success with our live show in 2022, and we'd love to expand that video component where possible. Expect more updates on this soon! Merch! We're working on a new store and a host of merch to go in it! We expect this to go live in February. The Pantheon Revisit! We'll be revisiting some of our most controversial Pantheon entries (and exclusions) from the first two years of the podcast to start 2023. It'll all culminate in a Pantheon revisit that will potentially see some RPGs make it in while others are removed. It should be chaotic!  Axe of the Blood God Episode 400! Wow, it's almost here! PAX East panel! We're going to be at PAX East in March! Stay tuned for more info! Spring of Korra! We'll be diving into our watch of Legend of Korra just as soon as we finish off Winter of Wick! March Madness, charity streams, D&D, Sharlayan Dropouts, and more! Naturally you can expect all of our usual content, including a charity stream, another D&D episode, a March Madness bracket centered around western RPGs, and more! That's on top of all of our usual coverage in what should be a very busy year for RPGs. From Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to Starfield to Baldur's Gate 3, we're going to have tons to discuss in 2023! Thank you as always for your generous support, and we look forward to another great year of podcasting on Axe of the Blood God! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've had an amazing 2021, and we're hoping 2022 will be even better! Nadia, Eric, and Kat get together to share their hopes and dreams for the new year along with the following: - Info on a brand new tier! - Free and premium feeds being synced! - Upcoming specials! - And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Axe of the Blood God Patreon is officially live! Nadia and Kat get together to talk about where the show stands in 2021, what listeners to the free feed can expect going forward, and some of the exciting new bonus content that we'll be releasing now that we're officially independent! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod Twitter: https://twitter.com/bloodgodpod Instagram: bloodgodpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know Walton Goggins has his own distillery? You can buy Walton Goggins-branded gin if you want. And if you, like me, happily embrace any opportunity to see beloved character-actor Walton Goggins on screen then boy howdy the new Fallout show is for you! A veritable overpour of Goggins -- much like how one might make a generous cocktail with the fine spirits from Walton Goggins' distillery! How many more times can I type 'Walton Goggins'?! At least once more; Walton Goggins! Kat, Nadia, and Eric discuss what makes a good video game adaptation, if Square can make a hit movie, and whether there's beef between Bethesda and Obsidian! Also in this episode: More Slay the Spire Why tipping for video games is a CEO grift Possibility Space's bizarre and tragic shutdown Final Fantasy's difficult position Kat played Warhammer Eric's return to Chrono Trigger Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 08:00 - Main Topic 46:00 - Random Encounters 1:08:00 - The Tavern 1:34:40 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Guardia Millennial Fair - [Beer SQ] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They share more than just fireballs! Kat and Eric are joined by special guests Brenden Groom and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss why these are two genres that taste great together! What fighting games would make a great RPG? What RPG would make a great fighting game? Where is there already plenty of crossover? And why is 2B in all of them anyway? Also in this episode: Tidus is fine The return of Kat's Persona 3 Quest!! Kissin' cousins Content Warning Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 04:30 - Main Topic 51:32 - Random Encounters 52:40 - The Tavern 1:19:44 - Industry Story time Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best [Breath of Fire III] Seeking Victory [Tales of Legendia] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hope you like car wrecks because this week's episode of Axe of the Blood God is hosted by Nadia Oxford. With Kat Bailey out on another cigarette run and Eric's vocal cords being shredded apart by PAX Pox, Nadia's forced to try and keep order. This week's guest is writer Jesse Vitelli, who has plenty to say about Visions of Mana, Dragon's Dogma 2, and how to get banned from Chuck E Cheese for life. Also in this episode: Balatrio? Baltaro? Balto? 20th Century [Digital] Boy Five Nights at Frederick's Canadian customs Asks Nadia the Forbidden RPG Question Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro/Dragon's Dogma 31:12 - Visions of Mana Impressions 43:08 - Random Encounters 55:43 - The Tavern 1:08:50 - Nadia and Jessie's Nostalgia Bog Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best [Breath of Fire III] Pub Polka [Dragon Quest IX] Dedicated to Moonlight [Final Fantasy XIV] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is this, a crossover episode?! Our old pals Bob Mackey and Henry Gilbert of Retronauts, Talking Simpsons, and What A Cartoon fame stop by the Blood God studios to offer their animation history expertise while discussing some of the biggest games of the year as well as the classics they've been catching up on. Also in this Episode: Why manga is more successful than Western comics No more Baldur's Gate from Larian Bob Cing's the praises of Another Code The golden age of Streetpassing Free stuff Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 4:48 - Main Topic 46:24 - Random Encounters 1:29:16 - Kat's Industry Storytime Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] On the Lakefront - [Another Code R] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanillaware has done it again; defying conventional wisdom, they've gifted us the most Sega Saturn game we've seen in ages. Emerging from an alternate universe where Ogre Battle was revered as much as it's tile-based cousins, Unicorn Overlord is here. Does it conquer this oft-unexplored branch of the SRPG family tree or is it a little too uni-corny? Join Kat, Nadia, and Eric as they discuss this exciting new entry in Vanillaware's off-beat canon. Either way there will be some VERY GOOD character designs. Also in this Episode: Backpack Battles More Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth talk! ERIC PIT?! Damedol Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 4:48 - Main Topic - Paying Tribute to Akira Toriyama 59:04 - Random Encounters 1:02:22 - The Tavern 1:23:50 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Farde mal Diavolo - [Unicorn Overlord] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Akira Toriyama died on March 1, leaving behind a legacy that includes Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest, and an incredible impact on both games and anime. With Eric out, Kat and Nadia are joined by Victor Hunter and Ash Paulsen to break down he changed RPGs, our memories of watch Dragon Ball, and more.  Also in this Episode: Kat is obsessed with Unicorn Overlord! Still more Final Fantasy VII Rebirth chatter! Game rentals and puzzle solving! And much more Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 5:00 - Main Topic - Paying Tribute to Akira Toriyama 45:00 - Random Encounters 50:00 - The Tavern 1:35:00 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Melancholy - [Dragon Quest VI] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're going to mosey you might as well mosey with the best. The cast of Final Fantasy 7 has always been a fan favourite; does Rebirth give these characters more room to breathe or just a lot of filler? And what other FF cast compares to them? Kat, Nadia, and Eric discuss the best ensembles of the series and more in this character-driven episode of Axe of the Blood God! Also in this Episode: Napster Unicorn Overlord I'm a Dune, he's a Dune, she's a Dune, we're all Dunes More layoffs! Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 3:44 - Main Topic - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 1:00:00 - Random Encounters 1:15:16 - The Tavern 1:34:56 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] The Run Around Part 1 - [Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the spoiler-free Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Spectacular! The panel has had plenty of time with Rebirth, or as I like to call it "Final Fantasy VII-3". Does it improve upon Remake? Does it stand on it's own? Do you need to play the lost mid-200s Japanese feature phone game Before Crisis to fully grasp the importance of the character of Cissnei? Kat, Nadia, Eric, and special guest Nick Limon talk about all this and more on A Very FF7 episode of Axe of the Blood God! Also in this Episode: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance Eric's Unicorn Overlord Experience Kat's Stardew Valley Dating Recap Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 3:04 - Main Topic - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 1:11:16 - Random Encounters 1:22:22 - The Tavern 1:44:40 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Final Fantasy VII Main Theme Jazz Arrangement - [Final Fantasy VII Jazz] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's letter tiiiiime, it's letter time!! It's everyone's favourite time of year; Letter Time! Join Kat, Nadia, and Eric as they tackle some hard-hitting questions like "what's your favourite juice?" If you'd like to submit questions for our next mailbag episode be sure to join our discord at patreon.com/bloodgodpod! Also in this Episode: Helldivers 2 What roles do the hosts like to play and why Because Nadia got high, Nadia got high, Nadia got high Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 3:30 - Letter Time 3:44 - Levelling 14:56 - Juice 20:10 - Potion or Food? 22:24 - Shiren and Unicorn Overlooked? 27:50 - Nintendo Direct Rumors 35:12 - Minigames 42:45 - Sicko Mode 48:40 - Fav Pantheon 53:40 - Happiness 59:50 - Random Encounters 1:10:40 - The Tavern 1:27:40 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] The Runaround Part III - [Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Love is in the air; as long as the project roadmap has made allowances for it in the overall budget! Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk about the best and worst relationships in RPGs. How do you write a natural relationship in a videogame? Should relationships just be a means to an end? Will anyone bring up Sakura Wars? It's an S-rank Support Conversation on this week's episode of Axe of the Blood God! Also in this Episode: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Demo out now! The flames of the console wars are fanned once again Do platforms even matter anymore? The Last of Us theme park She Who Became The Sun book club! Dungeon Meshi / Delicious in Dungeon Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 10:248 - RPG Romance 49:04 - Random Encounters 1:07:32 - The Tavern 1:40:20 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] My Blue Sky - [Sakura Wars] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Three Musketeers, 3 Ninjas, Persona 3. Just a few examples of franchises that began with 3. And here to celebrate the remake, Persona 3 Reload, are Kat, Nadia, Eric, and special guest Kenneth Shepard! They discuss differences between the original, the perfect starting off point for players new to the series, and why there's never been a Persona 1 or 2! Also in this Episode: Vote Princess Maker 2 for the Pantheon Granblue Fantasy: Relink The Year of Shadow the Hedgehog Linda³ Again! LETS GO! YOU DONT EVEN KNOW, DUDE! Xbox drama Suicide Squad kills the Justice League and so do the Teen Titans Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 05:20 - Persona Talk! 52:45 - Random Encounters 1:10:24 - The Tavern 1:40:20 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Spring Breath - [Linda³] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canadian chart-topping darlings BNL once said "If I had a million dollars I'd buy you a house." Unfortunately with inflation being the way it is a million dollars can hardly get you a downpayment anymore. No my friend, what you need to get anywhere in this world is wealth. INFINITE WEALTH. And Ichiban is bringing it in his latest adventure. Come join Kat, Nadia, Eric, and special guest Jesse Vitelli as they discuss the equal parts madness and heart of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth as the onslaught of massive 2024 RPGs begins. Also in this Episode: Games starring adults of drinking age Palmer getting hit by a truck More layoffs! Palword... Tekken 8 Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 04:48 - Main Topic - Developer Quest: RGG 54:32 - Random Encounters 1:20:32 - The Tavern 1:40:20 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] ATLANTICA - [7th Dragon III VFD] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You down with RGG? Yeah, you know me! From Super Monkey Ball to Infinite Wealth, our prestigious panel covers the history and key players of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Eric, Nadia, and special guest Michael Higham discuss the runaway success of the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series, the charm of 1988 Kamurochō, and the role these games have played in their own personal lives and careers. Much like Like A Dragon itself, this episode is full of heartfelt sentimentality contrasted with borderline absurdist comedy! Also in this Episode: Great tattoo ideas BuT Is iT An RpG?!?!? Visions of Mana! Eric has been playing Palworld... The Art of Fare Evasion Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 07:00 - Main Topic - Developer Quest: RGG 1:02:28 - Random Encounters 1:13:12 - The Tavern 1:26:58 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Pure Love in Kamurocho - [Yakuza 0] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024's RPG landscape is already being defined by a handful of big titles. But those games aren't made in a vaccuum. They're made by people! People who work at studios! And those studios have names. Listen as Kat, Eric, and special guest Ethan Gach discuss the 5 biggest studios that are already shaping the present and future of RPGs. Also in this Episode: Final Fantasy V Recap! Games Done Quick! Granblue Fantasy! Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 06:10 - Main Topic - Top RPG Studios of 2024 06:16 - CD Projekt Red 09:56 - ATLUS 13:28 - Square Enix 19:04 - FromSoftware 27:50 - Larian 54:44 - Random Encounters 57:12 - GDQ 1:02:56 - The Tavern 1:21:58 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] The Day Will Come (From Final Fantasy V) - [Final Fantasy XIV - Endwalker] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are some questions we as a species will always be asking; Is consciousness inherent to our universe? Is time a construct? What cool new video games will come out in 2024? 10 hard-hidding questions will be asked of our intrepid panel and you'll hear Kat, Nadia, and Eric dole out answers like it's their job. What can we look forward to? What surprises are in store that we don't even know we want to look forward to? The Switch 2, acquisitions, the GaaS event horizon; all this and more in this interrogatory episode of Axe of the Blood God! Also in this Episode: Sonicshortergamesmeme.jpg Axe of the Blood God officially endorses Metaphor: ReFantazio for 2024 Eric has played a bunch of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth and didn't tell us! This episode is sponsored by Factor. For 50% off head to factormeals.com/axerpgadventure50 and use code: axerpgadventure50 Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 05:36 - Main Topic - 10 Big Questions for 2024 51:15 - Random Encounters 57:04 - Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Preview 1:21:58 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Headquarters - [Skies of Arcadia] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's never been a more appropriate year to anticipate RPGs than this one! Whether it's "Like A", "Quest", or "Dogma 2", the Year of the Dragon is bound to bring you something you'll sink a not-insignificant part of your year into! Join Kat, Nadia, and Eric as they each talk about their Top 5 Most Anticipated RPGs of 2024 and more! Also in this Episode: Will we be getting a Switch 2 in 2024? Will the PS5 and Xbox ever feel like the current gen? Garfield? Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 06:40 - Main Topic - RPGs We're Looking Forward To 1:25:16 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook 1:26:16 - Nadia's BONUS NOOK Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best! - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] New Year's Day (2 AM - 5 AM) - Animal Crossing New Horizons Games Mentioned in this Episode: Dragon's Dogma 2 Persona 3 Reload Unicorn Overlord Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth Metaphor: ReFantazio Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Decapolice Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Dragon Quest III HD-2D Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Visions of Mana Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Citizen Sleeper 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merry Chrysler! We here at Axe of the Blood God prepared this very special episode that takes both a deeply critical and celebratory look at the nutty year that just passed us by. We had RPGs galore! Have we ever seen such bounty? New Zelda! New Baldur's Gate! New Cyberpunk...sort of! But we had troubles galore, too. Layoffs and downsizing left and right. The end of vintage game media websites and game studios. What awaits us in 2024? We dunno! But we can guarantee the Blood God will always be with you. That's what Christmas is all about. In this episode: Our Game of the Year! Zelda, Zelda, Baldur's Gate, Zelda! The Super Mario RPG remake is great! Starfield discourse that's as long and girthy as Luigi's schlong And lots more! Music used in this episode: Tantal [Xenoblade Chronicles 2] Narshe March [Final Fantasy VI] Secret of Mana Santa art source  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices