Code Vein
The Horror of Code Vein is You
The hidden achievement of Code Vein's fusion of Dark Souls with JRPGs is that it quietly turned you, its player, into a monster.
Final Fantasy
The Language of Trophies in Final Fantasy VII Remake
Getting the platinum trophy in Final Fantasy VII Remake doesn't just add playtime to the game: it also changes how we understand the story.
Featured
The Oeuvre of Miyazaki and Horror Storytelling: Join With a Terrible Fate for 2 Panels at PAX West 2019
PAX West 2019 is a celebration of video games and their power to tell incredible stories, and what could be more rewarding than exploring how those stories can terrify, aggravate, and alienate you to the Read more…
Podcast: The Drawing Board
The Drawing Board: Gameplay Difficulty as a Storytelling Tool
On Episode 8 of our podcast, we ask: how can difficulty tell a story?
Featured
The New Game Theory: How to Analyze Video Games (from PAX West)
Full video of With a Terrible Fate's 2017 PAX West presentation.
Dark Souls
Why It’s a Good Thing That Dark Souls Isn’t Coming Back
How Dark Souls committed an act of genius by building a world where Dark Souls IV is impossible.
General Video Game Theory
Nudgy Controls, Part I
Nathan Randall's theory of control schemes in video game storytelling.
Bloodborne
The Philosophical Justification for FromSoftware’s DLC
FromSoftware has transformed a shameless cash-grab into something else.
A Comprehensive Theory of Majora's Mask
Welcome to New Termina: Analyzing “Majora’s Mask 3D.”
With a Terrible Fate analyzes the changes in "Majora's Mask 3D" that make it a different story than the original.
Dark Souls
“YOU DIED”: despair and transcendence in “Dark Souls.”
In my analysis of the notorious "Dark Souls," I argue that the game is frustrating and rewarding for exactly the same reason.