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How Elden Ring Turns Its Player into an Outer God
The Outer Gods of Elden Ring aren't just extra lore: they're also the cipher to understanding the player's place in the Lands Between.
Dark Souls
The Gwyn Moment
Have you ever played a game where a single moment changes your feelings about it from hate to love? A meditation on the first Dark Souls.
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Scarlet Nexus: The Pathos of Karen Travers
In Karen Travers, Scarlet Nexus tells the tragic story of how a character can become a villain by being cut off from the player's agency.
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Critical Review: The Path to Necron as Elenchus in Final Fantasy IX
Where some JRPGs represent philosophical views, Final Fantasy IX tricks its player into actually doing philosophy without even realizing it.
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Game as Mind: A Psychoanalytic Explanation of Returnal
What's the difference between a psychological story and a story about psychology?
A Comprehensive Theory of EarthBound
Why EarthBound’s Flavor Text Tastes So Good
The flavor text of EarthBound tells a story you may have missed.
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The Missing Soulmate in Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni No Kuni quietly tricks its adult player into curing both herself and the White Witch of cynicism.
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The Second Impact of NieR: Automata’s Ending E
NieR: Automata's Ending E is a case study in how to completely erase the distinction between gameplay and story.
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The Outset Island Effect
The Wind Waker's music shows us how a century-old literary phenomenon blends the lived experiences of player and avatar into something more.
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How Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Whispers Changed Fate—and Storytelling
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.