With a Terrible Fate Podcast Episode 7: Too Long to Beat

The following is an episode of With a Terrible Fate’s weekly podcast discussing video-game storytelling from all angles. Find all episodes here.

However one might spin it, video games often require a substantial time commitment, usually much more so than other storytelling media. Eventually, a player might lose interest, feel overwhelmed, or simply get disconnected from her own role in the story. In this week’s main story, grounded in the first half of Aaron Suduiko’s new “Final Fantasy VII Remake is the Template for ‘Grown-Up’ JRPGs,” we discuss three ways in which long games can alienate players.

In our side quests, Dan reviews Resident Evil Village, Stefan constructively criticizes the PS5’s mute button, and Aaron argues that Final Fantasy VII Remake’s narrative structure overcomes the problems we discussed in our main story—the second half of his new article.

• Main Story
  • 00:08:18 Too Long to Beat
    • Final Fantasy VII Remake is the Template for ‘Grown-Up’ JRPGs,” Aaron Suduiko
    • The role of the player in Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Aaron Suduiko
    • The role of the player in Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Aaron Suduiko
    • The storytelling role of multiple outcomes in Dishonored, Aaron Suduiko
• Side Quests
  • 00:56:47 Resident Evil Village
    • “Ethan Winters’ poor hands are the laughingstock of the internet,” Michael McWhertor
  • 01:06:34 PS5 Mute Button Design
  • 01:12:32 “Final Fantasy VII Remake is the Template for “Grown-Up” JRPGs,” Aaron Suduiko
    • “Critical Review: Final Fantasy VII Remake is Completely Incomplete,” Aaron Suduiko

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• Podcast navigation: < Episode 6: Mass Effect Revisited | Episode 8: Playing the Pandemic >