Episodes

  • Everyone look under your chair and put on your custom "Kiss the Rook" aprons I've made for you because it's time to dig into another of the massive RPGs of the year -- Dragon Age: The Veilguard!
    From character creation to romance, from classes to dungeon design, the writing and the role-playing, the good and the bad; Kat, Nadia, Eric, and special guest Leana Hafer cover it all on this very special episode of Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Xenoblade Chronicles X is back!

    Dragon Quest III HD-2D

    Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket

    Monster Hunter Wilds

    Timestamps:

    07:12 - Main Topic - Dragon Age: The Veilguard

    1:06:40 - Random Encounters

    1:11:12 - The Tavern

    1:40:00 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Leliana's Dance - [Dragon Age: Origins]


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  • It's been a dragon's age since we've had a new Dragon Age but the time has finally arrived.
    Kat, Nadia, and Eric discuss the entire series, its influences, its impact, and more as we get closer to the launch of Veilguard!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Monster Hunter Wilds Beta

    The retro collecting rabbit hole

    You all need to save the Saturn talk for a Victor episode

    More Emio: The Smiling Man!

    Halloween stories

    Timestamps:

    00:00 - Main Topic

    1:06:40 - Random Encounters

    1:13:20 - The Tavern

    1:34:24 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook


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  • BAT!
    Join Kat, Nadia, and your old pal from the edit bay Victor Hunter as they discuss the hottest (and sometimes the most mechanically interesting) characters in RPGs; the dhampir! They're not JUST for bisexuals!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Come play FFXI with us

    Astar, a robot from Planet Danger

    More Metaphor!

    Timestamps:

    00:00 - Main Topic

    1:14:00 - Random Encounters

    1:18:16 - The Tavern

    1:31:20 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Solar Boy Django - [Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django]


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  • It's time to Fantazio. Again!
    Kat, Nadia, and Eric, are joined by IGN's Michael Higham to discuss the biggest RPG release of October, Metaphor: ReFantazio. Take a shot every time someone mentions Persona, or for the full effect take a shot every time someone doesn't mention SMT.
    All that plus leaks, anime recommendations, passionate pleas from Nadia to end the console wars, and more on this week's jam-packed episode of Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    The Game Freak hack

    Waypoint's corpse

    Before Your Eyes

    Persona 3 Update!

    Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO

    Timestamps:

    04:16 - Main Topic

    1:03:28 - Random Encounters

    1:15:44 - The Tavern - Waypoint

    1:53:56 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Cinematic Tale - [Persona Q2]


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  • Unionizations, lay-offs, tragic passings! It's been A Year! Eric, Nadia, and special guest Jesse Vitelli discuss the biggest headlines of the year and take a look at the latest Legend of Zelda!
    It's an episode of tonal whiplash and fond reminiscence!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games were fun!

    Mrs. Incredible. I'll say she is.

    Subscribe to Jesse's newsletter: Send News

    Dragon Quest at the centre of the culture war

    Cadet Kelly

    Timestamps:

    00:00 - Main Topic

    1:03:56 - Random Encounters

    1:09:58 - The Tavern - Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

    1:33:52 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Skull Pirates - [Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons]


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  • On today's extra beefy episode of Axe of the Blood God, we welcome special guest Jason Schreier and talk about his upcoming book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Tune in for a preview that brings context to some of Blizzard's biggest successes, mishaps, and controversies, including its campus culture, the sexual harassment lawsuit leveled against it, and the infamous Cosby Suite. 

    Also in this episode:

    First impressions of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

    Gosh, the PS5 Pro sure exists

    Nintendo! Put a GBA game slot on Switch 2, you cowards!

    See a horse? Download a horse

    How Nadia lost her pocket money to rigged potato chip giveaways


    Time Stamps

    0:00 - Intro/Main topic [Blizzard]

    52:34 - Random Encounters

    1:18:50 - The Tavern

    1:29:07 - Further Blizzard Discussion: The Cosby Suite

    1:54:24 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook


    Music used in this episode: 

    Do your Best! [Breath of Fire III]

    Patty's Pub [Dragon Quest XI]

    A Curious Tale [Secret of Mana]

    Battle Theme [Metaphor: ReFantazio]


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  • No, you see these are uh... Pocket Buddies! And we don't catch'em. We seal'em! In uh, Pocket Orbs!
    Kat, Nadia, and Eric discuss Nintendo's suit against the creators of Palworld and what this means for patents and Pokemon-esque projects going forward. Plus, the crew has been playing some Dragon Age Veilguard!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    The appeal of fine Pokemon china

    You'll never guess where these Pirate Yakuza are!

    UFO50

    Final Fantasy VII Orchestra

    Timestamps:

    03:12 - Main Topic

    36:36 - Random Encounters

    44:18 - The Tavern - Dragon Age

    1:31:07 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Virbank City - [Pokemon Black and White 2]


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  • And it doesn't even have a new Ridge Racer.
    Kat, Nadia, and Eric discuss the PS5 Pro, it's fascinating price point, Astrobot, Sony's future, and more on this week's episode of Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Emio: The Smiling Man

    Where are there squirrels?

    Praise Bahamut! A Baldur's Gate III Co-op update!

    When did YOUR eyesight start going, listener?

    Timestamps:

    04:56 - Main Topic - PS5 Pro

    40:32 - Random Encounters

    44:32 - The Tavern

    1:17:04 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Jungle - [PlayOnline Viewer]


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  • For the first time since 2006's Dawn of Mana (a totally fun game, don't let anyone tell you otherwise) we have a new mainline entry in the storied Seiken Densetsu series. Does Visions of Mana prove that the mana tree still has plenty of good years left in'er, or is the vision getting blurry? Kat, Nadia, and Eric discuss this colourful action RPG and more on this episode of Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Witch Hat Atelier

    Bring back Slayers!

    More Final Fantasy VI discussion

    Everyone definitely agrees Legend of Mana is the best

    Timestamps:

    03:12 - Main Topic - Visions of Mana

    39:08 - Random Encounters

    43:12 - The Tavern

    1:16:32 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook - CONTENT WARNING

    1:22:24 - End of Content Warning

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Cliff Town Gato - [Legend of Mana]


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  • Brr. Can you feel the chill in the air? Maybe you can, maybe you can't. The weather's been really screwy this summer. This week, the Blood God crew wades hip-deep into 2024's fall RPG season to evaluate what's coming, and to take a guess at which games look likeliest to bogart all their attention through September and October. Will it be the mystical Metaphor ReFantazio? The utterly charming Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom? Or perhaps the beleaguered Dragon Age Veilguard will dominate the autumn season. Listen in and shout your own choices at your audio output device. Or tune into the show live next time at twitch.tv/bloodgodpod. We show up every Saturday at 9:30 PT /12:30 ET.
    Also in this episode:

    Nadia is back, but RIP to her luggage

    Visions of Mana early impressions

    Our "canon event" games

    This is Tenchiverse and that "cabbit" did indeed turn into a spaceship


    Timestamps

    00:00 - Main topic: Fall RPG Preview

    55:28 - Random Encounters

    1:12:13 - The Tavern

    1:30:27 - Nostalgia Nook


    Music used in this episode

    Do Your Best! [Breath of Fire 3]

    Patty's Pub [Dragon Quest IX]

    A Curious Tale [Secret of Mana]

    Scream [Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker]


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  • On this week's episode Kat, Eric, and special guest Brian Shea discuss all the news out of Gamescom! Does Xbox still need a Mario? What is happening with Blizzard? All these questions and more will be answered in this week's episode of Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Kat is invaded by turkeys

    Role-playing with sports games

    More Game Informer memories!

    Timestamps:

    05:52 - Gamescom Announcements

    52:48 - Random Encounters + Wukong

    1:10:48 - The Tavern

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Mog Resort - [Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin]


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  • On this week's episode Kat, Eric, Nadia and special guest Matt McMuscles discuss the history of beat'em ups, RPGs, and where the twain shall meet! What is the first RPG beat'em up crossover? What even IS Yakuza? How does George Kamitani tie it all together? All these questions and more will be answered in this week's very special Trans Lifeline Charity Livestream episode of Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Tales of!

    The Bouncer!

    Legend of Mana!

    Shenmue!

    All of Victor's favs are here!

    Timestamps:

    00:00 - Main Topic

    50:28 - Random Encounters

    52:16 - The Tavern

    1:26:08 - Nadia's Nostalgia Pit


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  • On this week's episode Kat, Eric, and special guest Alex Van Aken discuss the current landscape of soulsbornes, the future of soulsbornes, what makes a soulsborne a soulsborne, and please can we call it something else so I can stop saying soulsborne. And no one talks about Code Vein and Stranger of Paradise enough.
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Black Myth: Wukong

    Kaiju No 8

    D23

    2XKO

    Timestamps:

    14:23 - State of Soulsbornes

    59:56 - Random Encounters

    103:49 - The Tavern

    1:36:38 - Alex's Game Informer Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Pirates of Pravoka - [Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin]


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  • On this week's episode Kat, Eric, and special guests Saniya Ahmed and Nicole Carpenter discuss recent layoffs in both journalism and development. How will Bungie's layoffs change the future of Destiny? Does Destiny HAVE a future? Should it? All these question and more will be answered in this week's Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Kat has nice things to say about Final Fantasy XIV

    Fast AND Furious? In this economy?

    Gathering the Magic

    Arranger

    Timestamps:

    05:04 - Game Informer Layoffs

    20:00 - Bungie Layoffs

    50:56 - Random Encounters

    58:40 - The Tavern

    1:19:28 - Eric's Nostalgia Pit

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    rtown0 (Δ Server Aqua Capital Mac Anu) - [.hack//INFECTION]


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  • It's the Summer o' Summoners on Axe of the Blood God! We're celebrating summoners, extoling evokers, and commemorating callers! But first we have to decide who qualifies? Are Pokemon Trainers summoners? Is Ichiban a summoner? Is listening to a podcast not a kind of summoning? That's right, as far as I'm concerned YOU'RE my favourite summoner, dear listener. All this and more on this week's Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Unionization and strikes!

    Courage the Cowardly Dog

    Eric watches terrible TV

    Twisters!

    Timestamps:

    13:20 - Main Topic - Our RPG Backlogs

    53:52 - Random Encounters

    56:32 - The Tavern

    1:19:28 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Keepers of the Void - [Final Fantasy Brave Exvius]


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  • By popular demand, it's a long-overdue look at the colossal Trails series! Kat, Nadia, and Eric are joined by Trails expert James Galizio to discuss the latest entry to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary; Trails Through Daybreak. How do you get into a series with a dozen entries in the same narrative? Is Daybreak a good place to jump in? What's the best game in the series?
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    MAHVEL

    Trading military secrets

    Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition

    Visual novels and ADV games are different things!

    Tsukihime is, in fact, a visual novel.

    Hijinks!

    Timestamps:

    13:20 - Main Topic - Our RPG Backlogs

    40:06 - Random Encounters

    49:54 - The Tavern

    1:21:02 - Nadia's BIRTHDAY Nook?!

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    Birthday - [Monster Rancher 2]

    Daily Life - [Trails Through Daybreak]


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  • We've all got one. Some are bigger than others but we can all agree that we can't get enough of'em. No, not opinions. I'm talking backlogs!
    Whether it's a real life shelf with a copy of Shadow Hearts you borrowed from your friend 7 years ago and can't quite bring yourself to play but also don't want to give back, or your digital shelf full of game titles you've never even heard of, we've all got games we swear we'll get around to someday. Kat, Nadia, and Victor discuss some of their biggest blind spots and more on this episode of Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Kat is still working on Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

    Megami Tensei novels in English for the first time

    Nadia has finished Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

    Please go play Curse Crackers

    Timestamps:

    13:20 - Main Topic - Our RPG Backlogs

    57:20 - Random Encounters

    1:07:40 - The Tavern

    1:29:42 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Carnival Subarea - [Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils]


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  • Sometimes it's not just about the power of friendship.
    Even the most friend-shaped RPGs can pull the rug out from under you with a moment that makes your skin crawl. Sometimes they beat you over the head with that rug with moments that make you go "aww jeez, come on, don't do that!" On this week's Axe of the Blood God Nadia and Victor discuss their favourite(?) moments in games that embrace the creepy, the macabre, or the truly depraved. It's not the first episode where we talk about marrying cousins and it won't be the last!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    We're playing Dawntrail obvs

    The lost Shin Megami Tensei games you can play right now!

    More saved feature phone games including Final Fantasy D-d-d-dimensions!

    Remembering Mutsumi Inoumata

    Timestamps:

    6:40 - Main Topic - Darkest Moments in RPGs

    57:52 - Random Encounters

    1:20:16 - The Tavern

    1:32:40 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Pirate Island - [Boktai 3]


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  • So long dads and grads; Summer is here and that means pina coladas on the beaches of Tural. And as we soak up that vitamin D we might as well reflect on the year so far. What RPGs have blown our minds, which ones not so much, and what are we looking forward to in the latter half of Anno Domini 2024? Kat, Nadia, and Eric discuss all this, plus Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, and more on this week's Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    1000xRESIST

    Hades 2

    Dragon's Dogma 2

    Demonschool

    Tsukihime

    Timestamps:

    00:00 - Intro

    57:20 - Random Encounters

    1:02:00 - The Tavern

    1:32:40 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Tuliyollal (Day) - [Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail]


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  • I hope you like your rings elden and your trees erd because this week Kat, Nadia, Eric, and special guest Mitchell Saltzman discuss the much-anticipated Elden Ring DLC. Plus, the latest Nintendo Direct, and Eric's experience with Final Fantasy VI so far. It's a jam-packed episode this week on Axe of the Blood God!
    Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod
    Also in this episode:

    Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

    MAAAHVEL BAYBEE

    Fantasian

    Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

    Do we need leakers?

    Final Fantasy VI is really good

    Timestamps:

    00:00 - Intro

    4:16 - Main Topic - Shadow of the Erdtree

    38:04 - Random Encounters

    41:28 - Nintendo Direct

    1:00:40 - The Tavern

    1:32:48 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook

    Music Used in this Episode:

    Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

    A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

    Airship Stage - [Marvel Vs Capcom 2]


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