With A Terrible Fate

What's the difference between a psychological story and a story about psychology?

The flavor text of EarthBound tells a story you may have missed.

In the first episode of WaTF's podcast, we introduce ourselves and the project and discuss Nier, Returnal, and "games as rent."

Ni No Kuni quietly tricks its adult player into curing both herself and the White Witch of cynicism.

NieR: Automata's Ending E is a case study in how to completely erase the distinction between gameplay and story.

The Wind Waker's music shows us how a century-old literary phenomenon blends the lived experiences of player and avatar into something more.

The ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake has turned the storytelling formula of challenging fate on its head—and all it took was a Whisper.

Casual talks, reviews, and academic papers are all parts of a unified strategy for analyzing games.

How Dark Souls committed an act of genius by building a world where Dark Souls IV is impossible.

I offer a new theory for how video games tell stories.

What's the difference between a psychological story and a story about psychology?

The flavor text of EarthBound tells a story you may have missed.

Final Fantasy VII Remake's storytelling makes JRPGs more accessible to adults—along with a new postgame model, "The Chadley Interpretation."

Analyzing one of Xemnas' most puzzling lines in Kingdom Hearts II opens the path to understanding his character and the nature of Nobodies.

Meet Adam Bierstedt, With a Terrible Fate's resident historian, and learn what video games have in common with a 14th-century manuscript.

The Sector 5 Church isn't just the most incongruous building in Midgar: it also plays a quietly pivotal role in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Ni No Kuni quietly tricks its adult player into curing both herself and the White Witch of cynicism.

Get to know Caymus Ducharme, known for analyzing The Witness, NieR: Automata—and vehemently believing video-game stories can surpass Hamlet.

With a Terrible Fate's analysts discuss the two most recent articles in "The Legacy of Final Fantasy VII Remake"—and one upcoming article!

NieR: Automata's Ending E is a case study in how to completely erase the distinction between gameplay and story.

This week's podcast focuses on mindscapes in video-game fictions, follow-up on the psychoanalytic interpretation of Returnal, and romance in Final Fantasy X.

This week on the podcast: what the Steam Deck could do for interactive storytelling; Netflix gaming rumors; Super Mario 64 at auction.

Enjoy a conversation with Max Gorynski about the latest in his Comprehensive Theory of EarthBound, plus meditations on Nintendo hardware, collectibles, and narrative metagames.

Listen in on a miniature book club discussing the first part of Johan Huizinga's Homo Ludens, along with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

A round-table, time-cycle podcast discussion of the new flagship PS5 title, Returnal.

An exploration of pandemic-oriented video-game storytelling with guest Arno Görgen, plus a discussion of E3 highlights.

Discussion of Aaron Suduiko's "Final Fantasy VII Remake is the Template for 'Grown-Up' JRPGs," plus Resident Evil and mute buttons.

Join an analysis of Mass Effect, a discussion of developer intentions behind politics and nostalgia, and a meditation on "multigaming."

Join us for a conversation with Daniel Muñoz and our founder on the intersection of self-directed ethics and gamers' duties to avatars.

Join a conversation about the wild experiences and interpretive impact of glitches—plus explorations of Disco Elysium and Final Fantasy IX.