Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

Len Hafer, a seasoned games journalist and podcaster from Three Moves Ahead, joins the hosts to discuss their most-anticipated RPGs of 2026. They dive into Owlcat's Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, contrasting its investigative gameplay with the narrative style of Pentiment. The conversation shifts to the revival of classics like Dragon Quest VII, and the challenges of modernizing Persona 4. Len also teases Larian's upcoming Divinity title and highlights strategic gems like Terra Invicta, making for an engaging exploration of RPG possibilities.

Celebrate the best in gaming with a lively awards showdown! The hosts debate their favorite moments and highlight top contenders like Clair Obscur and Trails in the Sky. Discover the coolest gaming moves, from Elemental Genesis to Giga Slash, and dive into discussions on combat systems that keep players on their toes. Tune in for passionate debates on music, art direction, and the coveted RPG of the year, where surprises and controversies abound. It's a thrilling ride through the gaming landscape of 2025!

In this discussion, video game critic Lucas White dives into 2025's hidden RPG gems, showcasing titles like Shujinkou, a language-driven dungeon crawler that integrates Japanese learning, and House of Necrosis, a thrilling blend of Resident Evil and Mystery Dungeon. He praises Crescent Tower's nostalgic Wizardry vibe and recommends the remastered Suikoden classics. The panel also tackles the ethics of AI in game development, sparking a lively debate and raising questions about the industry's future.

Curl up with a hot cup of coffee (or did I lie and it's actually cold?) and warm up by the agidyne+3 because it's time to discuss our favourite frosty friends in RPGs. From ice-based monsters to wielders of frost magicks, it's the guys (of any gender) that keep things cool. Plus, the Keighleys have come and gone and it's our journalistic duty to cover them. What was announced, who won, and why it's all a frustrating ordeal to think about. It's Cold Guys and Hot Takes here on a very chilly episode of Axe of the Blood God! Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com Also in this episode: Which Shiva scissors the most? Let's WendiGOOOOOO! Why we love to hate The Game Awards Kat Bailey Presents Divinity Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sweeps Timestamps: 9:20 - Main Topic - Cold Guys 1:02:32 - Random Tavern Encounters Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Snow Light - [Tales of Symphonia] Jingle Bells - [Linda^3] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a name like "Wishvale" there's no way that town wasn't going to get torched at the beginning of an RPG.Does this adaptation of a gacha mobage manage to sell itself as a standalone single-player console RPG? Eric, Nadia, and special guest Jesse Vitelli are here to discuss Octopath Traveler 0 and whether it can come in under the wire as a contender for RPG of the Year. All this and so much 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, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com Also in this episode: Missed opportunities with character skits Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.4 Promise Mascot Agency Metroid Prime 4 Timestamps: 15:04 - Main Topic - Octopath Traveler 0 1:00:00 - Random Encounters - FFXIV Patch 7.4 1:17:42 - Random Encounters - Promise Mascot Agency 1:24:46 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Battle 1 - [Octopath Traveler 16-Bit Arrangements] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy American Thanksgiving! We're taking the week off but as a very special treat we're pulling one of our favourite Pantheon episodes out from behind the paywall. To celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary it's our deep-dive into Sakura Wars for the Sega Saturn! If you can find 3 entire hours to sneak away from your family this Thanksgiving, it's a rollercoaster ride of emotions and packed with history and context for one of Sega's most important franchises. All the original show notes, including the further reading, are included below so please enjoy this blooming episode of Pantheon of the Blood God! -------------For our $10-and-up patrons, it's the longest Pantheon episode yet. Sakura Wars never came out in the West but its massive success in Japan in the late 90s and early 2000s gives it an often-unseen influence on RPGs. Can this forgotten SEGA franchise surpass the language barrier and make its way into the Pantheon? We talk about: For the last time, it's not a visual novel The history of western theatre in Japan Subversions of gender essentialism The single set of footprints in the sand is when Sakura Wars was carrying the Saturn and also fighting Satan. Further Reading:The Origin of Visual Novels - Bowl of Lentilshttps://youtu.be/7wOtv-J7tOI?si=tRyGSp0Hzd1Yyc4r25 Years With an Invisible Elephant in the Room - Tom Jameshttps://freelansations.medium.com/25-years-with-an-invisible-elephant-in-the-room-6e5402c93960Skies of Arcadia 2019 Developer Interviewhttps://youtu.be/BPngEZ80xnU?si=jMX2dffTcaR0BaS1Sakura Wars Retrospective Playlist - Matt Bhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFMXcpj1mOa7AYfYPMZ80LzAwE3zl-ftVSakura Wars - Kimimi (not mentioned in the episode but good coverage of the series)https://kimimithegameeatingshemonster.com/sakura-wars-corner/Timestamps: 6:56 - Our History with Sakura Wars 18:00 - Development and History 2:08:00 - SPOILERS BEGIN 2:11:00 - SPOILERS END 2:38:48 - Verdict Music Used in This Episode: Move Out! - [Sakura Wars] Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan - [Sakura Wars] Blooming Maidens - [Sakura Wars] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Call us Hamburger Helper because this week we're cooking with beef!Eric, Nadia, and special guest John Learned are here to discuss only the rawest slabs of DPS meat. What's appealing about the unga bunga and how does it fit into the party composition? Get ready for a list full of himbos and fur bikinis! Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com Also in this episode: Lord of the Rings tangents Steins;Gate Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Demonschool Timestamps: 8:00 Main Topic - The Beefy Boys 28:36 - Surprise Eric Pit 1:17:42 - Random Encounters 1:17:20 - The Tavern - Age of Imprisonment and Demonschool 1:42:56 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Road Taken - [Fire Emblem Fates] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm pulling a Retronauts and calling this "Part One" because we barely even got around to talking about the games themselves; instead, Victor, Eric, and Nadia wax philosophical about the seemingly-universal appeal of card games, the stories that can be told with a deck of cards, and how they fit perfectly into the systems and structure of both tabletop games and video games. Maybe in Part Two we'll talk about actual specific video games. Maybe Part Two will be the upcoming Mega Man Battle Network 2 Pantheon episode! Who can say? Go and get a tarot reading and find out! Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com Also in this episode: Corpse Party cancelled Octopath Traveler 0 Impressions Canadian Cooking Shows and Human Anatomy Timestamps: 6:20 Main Topic - Card-Based RPGs 26:44 - History of Decks of Cards 1:17:42 - Random Encounters 1:21:12 - The Tavern - Octopath Traveler 0 Impressions 1:30:40 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] The Valedictory Elegy (for guitar) - [Baten Kaitos Origins] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May the Falz be with you!Award-winning creator of the Phantasy Star Tabletop RPG, Rich Lescouflair, joins Victor for an in-depth interview all about adapting a beloved JRPG into tabletop form, the joys of freeing oneself from the shackles of narrative canon, and why Phantasy Staar Online Episode III: CARD Recolution actually kicks ass.This is one multiplayer Phantasy Star that doesn't require a Hunter's License!Plus, Nadia, Eric, and Victor address why a 'Good Year For Games' isn't always a good year for the people who make them. All that 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, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com Skydawn Games:https://skydawngames.com/ Liz Bushouse's Comparison of Phantasy Star Scripts:https://lizbushouse.com/phantasy-star-1-script-comparison-sega-ages-gba-part-1/ SkysNotTheLimit Phantasy Star Online Lore Channel:https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions/UCUKqjgQUXrAGlQ35d4Aqn4Q Tom's Bluesky Thread About the Importance of Square's Human QA:https://bsky.app/profile/iiotenki.bsky.social/post/3m4yqll6bdk2h Also in this episode: Layoffs at Square Enix and QA being replaced by AI Happy N7 Day! Mass Effect is definitely still alive! The Game Awards confirms the Future Class is gone Exciting updates to Final Fantasy XI Hyrule Warriors, and Zelda's history of busty villainnesses Timestamps: 8:56 - Main Topic - Phantasy Star Tabletop RPG Interview w/ Rich Lescouflair 1:16:18 - Random Encounters 1:41:58 - The Tavern - Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment 1:56:00 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Rune - [Phantasy Star IV] Valentine - [Phantasy Star Online] Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Chaotic Bar - [Phantasy Star Online] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A podcast draws near!Eric, Nadia, and special guest Lucas White are here to discuss the latest Dragon Quest HD2D remake(s)! Is this collection of the first two entires in the seminal series a must-play or should you puff-puff pass? Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com Contribute to Jen's Gofundme:https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-jen-recover-from-mg-crisis Nadia's Review:https://gameinformer.com/review/dragon-quest-i-ii-hd-2d-remake/level-up-and-up Lucas' Review:https://www.shacknews.com/article/146558/dragon-quest-1-2-hd-2d-remake-review-score Also in this episode: What's the current state of Dragon Quest? We give Naoki Ikushima his flowers The Seance of Blake Manor New episodes of Dispatch Artis Impact Simogo Legacy Collection Final Fantasy House Timestamps: 8:48 Main Topic - Dragon Quest I&II HD2D 57:44 - Random Encounters 59:12 - The Tavern - Pokemon Hate 1:32:48 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Settings Menu (Intermezzo I) - [Theathrythm Dragon Quest] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices