Gameplay | With A Terrible Fate

Tales of Symphonia: What Regal Bryant Taught Me

A case study of Regal Bryant casts Kratos Aurion in a new light and shows how Tales of Symphonia's relationship system informs its story.

By Aaron Suduiko, 1 month ago August 11, 2023

How the innovation of Pokémon's modern metagame in Ruby and Sapphire unexpectedly enriched the heart of Pokémon's storytelling.

By Dan Hughes, 3 months ago June 14, 2023

As the number of Pokémon grew in Pokémon Gold and Silver, the trainer's chosen bond with one particular, special Pokémon only deepened.

By Dan Hughes, 6 months ago April 10, 2023

Only through the lens of a philosopher at war with himself can we understand a game at war with itself.

By Aaron Suduiko, 8 months ago January 16, 2023

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

By Stefan Heinrich Simond, 2 years ago May 30, 2021

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

By Caymus Ducharme, 3 years ago January 16, 2021

The hidden achievement of Code Vein's fusion of Dark Souls with JRPGs is that it quietly turned you, its player, into a monster.

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago November 22, 2020

In an industry that still doesn't seem to have fully cracked the code on story adaptation, one 2005 game has lessons worth learning.

By Chris Anhorn, 5 years ago January 18, 2019

Terms like "immersion" might seem like a great way to have productive conversations about video games—but they're actually holding us back.

By Aaron Suduiko, 5 years ago October 4, 2018

On Episode 8 of our podcast, we ask: how can difficulty tell a story?

By Aaron Suduiko, 5 years ago July 11, 2018