Mediatheory | With A Terrible Fate

Why Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Church is so Memorable (and How to Analyze It)

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.

By Adam Bierstedt, 2 years ago February 24, 2021

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

By Caymus Ducharme, 2 years ago January 16, 2021

Only EarthBound could marry the mechanics of dungeon-crawling with the themes of epic poetry.

By Max Gorynski, 3 years ago August 29, 2019

The Witness is an icon of minimalist video-game storytelling. But when—and how—can minimalism go too far?

By Caymus Ducharme, 4 years ago May 11, 2019

In the latest With a Terrible Fate podcast episode, we unpack the good, the bad, and the ugly of our PAX South 2019 panel on teaser culture.

By Aaron Suduiko, 4 years ago February 18, 2019

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, 4 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, 4 years ago October 4, 2018

Despite being smaller than an MP3 file, EarthBound achieved more with its music than many symphonies manage.

By Max Gorynski, 4 years ago October 3, 2018

What do NieR: Automata and Rear Window have in common? Find out in our latest podcast episode.

By Aaron Suduiko, 5 years ago June 14, 2018

In a decade that gave us a library of games about orphans, EarthBound reminded us how important fathers are to their sons.

By Max Gorynski, 5 years ago May 22, 2018