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- All ArticlesExplore all of With a Terrible Fate’s articles analyzing the stories of video games, as well as the philosophy of video-game storytelling.
- General Video Game TheoryFrom time to time, I will write or speak more generally on gaming, or on this site as an enterprise. Such updates are catalogued here.
- Batman: Arkham
- BayonettaWitches, angels, and demons: the unapologetic Bayonetta has them all, and never pulls any punches. With a Terrible Fate studies Bayonetta and her games here.
- The Beginner’s Guide
- BioShockBioShock Infinite is often cited as one of the works that got non-gamers to begin recognizing the storytelling potential of video games. Read With a Terrible Fate‘s contributions to the discussion on this classic here.
- Bloodborne
- Code VeinFrom Hiroshi Yoshimura, creator of the God Eater series, comes a game known for blending the mechanics of Dark Souls with the storytelling of JRPGs and vampire tales—but Code Vein is greater than the sum of its parts.
- Dark SoulsRaise your weapon and struggle to fulfill your destiny in a world that promises to kill you at every turn. With a Terrible Fate‘s analysis of the seminal work “Dark Souls” lives here.
- Deus Ex
- DishonoredDetermine the history of the kingdom of Dunwall in a revenge story where the world itself depends on the choices you make. With a Terrible Fate’s analysis of “Dishonored” can be perused here.
- Dragon AgeBioWare’s fantasy series invites you into a world that spans not only video games, but also tabletop games and books. Check out With a Terrible Fate’s work on the Dragon Age games here.
- Elden RingRise, Tarnished: enter the Lands Between, and join With a Terrible Fate in exploring the storytelling of this brainchild from Dark Souls’ Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones’ George R. R. Martin.
- Final Fantasy
- Fire EmblemFrom tactical combat, to matchmaking, to multiple timelines, the Fire Emblem franchise has it all. Read With a Terrible Fate’s analysis of this series here.
- Five Nights at Freddy’sFive Nights at Freddy’s pushed murderous animatronics into the pop culture mainstream. Read With a Terrible Fate’s analyses of the series’ special brand of horror here.
- Gone HomeGone Home takes minimalism to the next level by telling an entire story with an empty house. With a Terrible Fate explores its storytelling here.
- Horizon: Zero DawnHorizon: Zero Dawn put players in the role of a hunter with something to prove in a world of wild machines. With a Terrible Fate explores its modern take on open-world storytelling.
- Jak and DaxterNaughty Dog’s platforming series follows Jak and his human-turned-ottsel friend, Daxter, on all manner of adventures. Explore With a Terrible Fate’s studies of this franchise here.
- Kingdom HeartsA story that spans light, darkness, time, space, and hearts. With a Terrible Fate’s work on “Kingdom Hearts” appears here.
- The Last GuardianA boy and a beast embark on an adventure in the long-awaited follow-up to Shadow of the Colossus and ICO. Check out With a Terrible Fate’s work on The Last Guardian here.
- The Legend of ZeldaThe legend of Link’s journeys across time and space have stood at the center of video games since the days of the NES. Read With a Terrible Fate’s work on the seminal series here.
- MarioThe heart and soul of Nintendo, Mario was there at the beginning and shall proclaim the end. Come explore the storytelling of Peach, Bowser, Yoshi, and their favorite plumber in their many platforming adventures across the Mushroom Kingdom.
- MetroidSamus has become an iconic space-warrior over the course of the critically acclaimed Metroid series. With a Terrible Fate tackles her extraterrestrial adventures here.
- Nier
- Ni No KuniFrom fairy tales to forced confrontations between the worlds of adults and children, the Ni No Kuni series achieves feats of storytelling that only a collaboration between Studio Ghibli and Level-5 could. Find With a Terrible Fate’s analysis of the games here.
- NiohTake on the role of William Adams and help save Japan in a story that’s one part Dark Souls and one part historical fiction. Read With a Terrible Fate’s work on Nioh here.
- OkamiOkami transforms the Japanese mythos of Amaterasu, Orochi, and more into a video game where the player herself becomes a legend. Come examine what makes the characters and artistry of this game so rich.
- PokémonFrom humble beginnings as Pocket Monsters, Pokémon has evolved into an industry of video games, trading card games, TV shows, movies, and more. Join With a Terrible Fate here to analyze the games behind one of Nintendo’s most beloved children.
- Professor LaytonJoin With a Terrible Fate in exploring the gentlemanly series that redefines how puzzle-solving can tell a story.
- Ratchet & ClankA Lombax and a robot team up to travel the universe and save it from evil in this iconic series. Read With a Terrible Fate’s work on Ratchet & Clank here.
- ReturnalUnravel the mystery-laden, guilt-fueled journey of Selene, trapped in a death-loop on the alien planet of Atropos, in Housemarque’s flagship PlayStation 5 title, Returnal.
- Resident EvilCapcom’s zombie epic has spanned from video games to feature length films. Dig into the series’ storytelling here.
- Rune FactoryJoin With a Terrible Fate as we analyze Rune Factory, the JRPG spinoff of the Harvest Moon series.
- Scarlet NexusDirected by Kenji Anabuki, enter Bandai Namco’s brainpunk world riddled with interlaced mystieres to discover the truth behind Yuito Sumeragi, Kasane Randall, and yourself.
- Shovel KnightBorn from a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, Shovel Knight takes the classic 8-bit adventures of yore and recasts them with a new story, characters, gameplay, and music in an adventure spanning one main game and many DLC. Steel thy shovel and read With a Terrible Fate’s analyses of the Shovel Knight suite here.
- Silent HillThe Silent Hill series tells a tale with many endings, many paths to madness—and the iconic Pyramid Head, who’s dogged gamers ever since. Join With a Terrible Fate as we analyze and explain what makes this series so haunting.
- Sly CooperA thieving raccoon fights criminals and gets in touch with his family’s legacy in this stealth-platforming series. Join With a Terrible Fate as we analyze the storytelling craft of Sly Cooper.
- SOMAHorror and science fiction become one in this renowned game that poses haunting questions about the future of humanity. Read With a Terrible Fate’s studies of SOMA here.
- The Stanley ParableThis 2011 title challenges our preconceived notions of narratives, losing, and what it means for something to be a video game. Find my analyses the famed “anti-game” here.
- Tales ofSince 1995, Namco has been publishing a series of JRPGs highlighting unforgettable characters, provocative fantasy worlds, and trenchant, sophisticated stories. Join With a Terrible Fate in close readings of the Tales games.
- Tokyo JungleSurvive, evolve, and go extinct in Tokyo Jungle, a modern take on the era of classic arcade games. Find With a Terrible Fate’s analyses of this jungle here.
- The WitcherFollow Geralt of Rivia’s adventures in a series that has pioneered everything from choice-based storytelling to the “expansion pack” style of DLC. With a Terrible Fate’s work on The Witcher lives here.
- Xenoblade ChroniclesIn a universe composed of two battling colossi, you alone can change the future. Read With a Terrible Fate’s analyses of Xenoblade Chronicles and its follow-up titles here.
- Zero EscapeA visual novel series the turns the spotlight on life-or-death mindgames. Join With a Terrible Fate in exploring the mad world of the Zero Escape series.
Series
- Tales of PraxisJoin With a Terrible Fate in a retrospective study exploring the storytelling and artistic lessons of Namco Tales Studio’s JRPGs, from Tales of Phantasia through Tales of Arise and beyond.
- The Legacy of Final Fantasy VII RemakeIn this series, With a Terrible Fate analyzes how the storytelling of Final Fantasy VII Remake reflects the past, present, and future of the medium.
- A Comprehensive Theory of Majora’s Mask
- A Comprehensive Theory of EarthBoundJoin With a Terrible Fate in a series that aims to better understand Ness’s philosophically charged journey to save a world that doesn’t seem to care about him.
- PodcastWith a Terrible Fate’s weekly podcast discusses and analyzes video-game storytelling from all angles. Find all episodes here.
- Now Loading… The Video Game Canon!Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce you all to “Now Loading…The Video Game Canon!” In this weekly column, we will be taking a closer look at video games that we believe either deserve to be historically canonized in the world of art, or else be forgotten to the wastes of time. After countless discussions with my good friend Aaron about the nature of video games as art, we decided that we would take it upon ourselves to construct a video game canon in the style of the western canon of literature. It is a forgone conclusion in the literary world that the works of Shakespeare, Hemingway, Aristotle and the like are the backbone of Western literature, and that it is important to have read and understood these and other works to have a base understanding of literature as a whole. Similarly, we at With a Terrible Fate believe that the works of certain video game developers should be held in the same esteem. Would you discuss role-playing games without referencing the Final Fantasy or Ultima series? What about trying to understand platformers without first having a base knowledge of Super Mario Brothers? When it comes to gaining…
- Pokémon Rose: A Nostalgic Look Back
- PresentationsWith a Terrible Fate frequently attends and presents at conventions and conferences. Find our own presentations, along with our analyses of others’ presentations, here.
- Critical Review
- Podcast: The Drawing BoardThe Drawing Board is a podcast designed to capture the unfiltered conversations that underpin the more structured video-game analysis you’ll find elsewhere on With a Terrible Fate.
- LAN PartyLAN Party brings With a Terrible Fate’s video game analysts together to discuss their personal gaming experiences and perspectives.
- Hero of Time ProjectWhat happened to the Hero of Time after Majora’s Mask and before Twilight Princess? This project explores how to build analytically rigorous fan fiction to gain new insight into a renowned series of games.
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All Articles

Does Portal Belong in the Video Game Canon? (Featuring: PAX South!)

We asked PAX South: does Portal deserve a place among the “Great Books” of gaming?

By Dan Hughes, 9 yearsMarch 17, 2018 ago