Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast Axe of the Blood God

Howdy, friends! We've got a treat that'll make y'all happier than a fox in a henhouse! This week, we have an in-depth discussion about Octopath Traveler II, an excellent choice from our $100 Patron and special guest, The Black Stones! The talk avoids major story spoilers, but there's still tons to go over because Octopath Traveler II is a pretty special game. Its battle system is unique and highly engaging, its music is to die for, and its story is masterfully written and seamlessly interwoven into the game's mechanics. Shucks, I guarantee this episode'll have you eatin' better than a sow in an apple field! 

Also in this Episode

The PlayStation Showcase sure did happen

Should we drop numbers from Final Fantasy game titles? No. But let's grouse about it anyway

A new Dragon Quest Monsters game is in development because sometimes the world is OK

Our watch of The Legend of Korra reaches the end of Book One

Game Genie! It was rad! It was waaaay far out!! And so on


Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

06:21 - Octopath Traveler II

56:48 - Random Encounters

1:02:45 - The Tavern/What We're Playing

1:25:05 - Summer of Korra

1:41:55 - The Nostalgia Nook/Outro


Music Used in this Episode

Do Your Best! [Breath of Fire III]

Octopath Traveler Main Theme [Octopath Traveler II]

The Legend of Korra Main Theme [The Legend of Korra]

A Curious Tale [Secret of Mana]

Partitio's Theme [Octopath Traveler II]


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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think Ocarina of Time is a big game, but that's just peanuts compared to Tears of the Kingdom. That's why Kat, Nadia, and Eric are assembling once again to talk about their progress in Nintendo's Dodongo-sized hit. The discussion yields some minor spoilers (as well as childlike enthusiasm), but they're minor. Turns out playing Tears of the Kingdom for a solid week hardly makes a dent in this veritable wall of content.

Also in this Episode:

Sony is hosting a PlayStation Showcase. If we're good, we might get information about FF7R.

We have a release date for Pokemon Home compatibility with Scarlet and Violet! Oh wait, no we don't.

Do Cassette Beasts bleed magnetic tape?

Controller Discourse™

Victoria Day Special: Cool Firework Mishaps Discussion


Time Stamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:45 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

42:40 - Random Encounters

45:25 - The Tavern/What We're Playing

1:02:05 - The Summer of Korra

1:15:30 - The Nostalgia Nook/Outro


Music Used in this Episode:

Chasm Theme [The Legend of Zelda: TOTK]]

Do Your Best! [Breath of Fire III]

The Legend of Korra Main Theme [The Legend of Korra]

A Curious Tale [Secret of Mana]

Horse Ride [The Legend of Zelda: TOTK]


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Kick back and relax as Field Studies returns for a guided audio commentary track through fan-favourite Shadowbringers dungeon, The Twinning. Sharlayan Dropouts host Victor Hunter takes you through the history of the Crystal Tower, the cascading effect that delays in the mid-2000s had on Square that are still being felt today, and the crystalline metaphor at the heart of this tragic-but-hopeful tale.
Spoiler level: Yellow. The Twinning quest is available at the conclusion of Shadowbringers.
Music:

A Long Fall - Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers

Full Speed Ahead - Final Fantasy XIII

Eternal Wind - Lightning Returns


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Gosh, it feels like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will never get here. This wait is torture–hold on, you're saying Tears of the Kingdom is out now? Oh wow. Holy crap. Uh…let's start talking about the biggest game of 2023! (So far.) We brought in Tom Marks from IGN, who reviewed the game alongside Polygon's Mike Mahardy. We have a pile of discourse about what Tears of the Kingdom does differently from its direct predecessor, Breath of the Wild, as well as what it does better…and worse. (Gasp!) Our talk is spoiler-free, so jump right in like a half-naked blonde guy leaping down into Hyrule from an impossible height.

Also in this episode:

Rumblings of a new Nintendo handheld. We'll probably see it in 2024, but when exactly?

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is likewise looking at a 2024 release

Summer of Korra goes into episodes 4, 5, and 6. Long live pro-bending!

If hearing bells out of nowhere means you're losing your mind, what does hearing the Zelda theme out of nowhere entail…?


Music used in this episode:

Do Your Best! [Breath of Fire III]

The Legend of Korra Main Theme [The Legend of Korra]

A Curious Tale [Secret of Mana]

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Main Theme [The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]


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All aboard, gatcha sickos. Honkai: Star Rail is now available to download. It's totally free, just like miHoYo's preceding game, Genshin Impact, but you can bet the awesome-looking characters in the banner events will wear your resolve down to a nub. But there's more to Star Rail than gatcha, right? After all, it's a full-bodied RPG with hours of content. Does it actually feel like a traditional turn-based adventure, or is strangled by its own sales pitch? We talk about Honkai: Star Rail's launch and beyond with avowed Genshin fan, Good Vibes Gaming's Daniel Alba.

Also in this episode:

Kat's digging deep into Final Fantasy V

Nadia plays Final Fantasy XIV's NiER raid. Everything turns out great

Xbox boss Phil Spencer is sowwy Redfall is not very good :3

Korra discourse gets underway with episodes 1 through 3

Nadia is picking up Tears of the Kingdom in the same store she picked up Ocarina of Time, because traditions must be honoured and the old gods must be sated


Music used in this episode:

Do Your Best! [Breath of Fire III]

Login Music [Honkai: Star Rail]

The Legend of Korra Main Theme [The Legend of Korra]

A Curious Tale [Secret of Mana]

Main Zelda Theme Orchestrated [The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D]


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Hey Microsoft! How's that Activision Blizzard deal coming along? …Oh. That bad, huh? Well, we're sure everything will be fine. 
Psst. That's a lie, dear listeners. We actually brought Polygon's own Nicole Carpenter to discuss the myriad ways this gargantuan acquisition attempt is going poorly for the Big M. And whatever's bad for Microsoft is probably bad for a lot of western RPG studios.
Buck up. It's not all doom and gloom. We also talk about:

Hokai: Star Rail finds immediate success with its patented Anime Chicks and Dudes in Space sales method.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes is getting a deserved Switch remake

Goodbye Waypoint :( 

The Summer of Korra begins!

How a remake of a historic Square Enix game can potentially teach you how to make napalm the way your grandma used to (Well, not anymore)


Music used in this episode:

Do Your Best! [Breath of Fire III]

Xbox Series X start-up sound [Microsoft/Xbox]

The Legend of Korra Main Theme [The Legend of Korra]

A Curious Tale [Secret of Mana]

Floating Continent [Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster]


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