Theory | With A Terrible Fate

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.

By Lauren Spohn, 2 months ago September 8, 2020

The mysterious Roche vanishes from Final Fantasy VII Remake as quickly as he arrives—but he's no sideshow.

By Dan Hughes, 5 months ago May 28, 2020

Join the analysts of With a Terrible Fate in a discussion of the first articles in our new series, "The Legacy of Final Fantasy VII Remake."

By Dan Hughes, 5 months ago May 25, 2020

The central threat of Final Fantasy VII Remake isn't just a meteor: it's a clash between the principles of Christian and Buddhist philosophy.

By Adam Bierstedt, 5 months ago May 21, 2020

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.

By Aaron Suduiko, 6 months ago May 7, 2020

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, 2 years ago February 18, 2019

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

By Max Gorynski, 2 years ago October 3, 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, 2 years ago May 22, 2018

On our latest podcast episode, we chat with two of our team members who are developing "comprehensive theories" of landmark video games.

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago April 24, 2018

EarthBound’s most pervasive villainy isn’t its final boss: it’s the everyday evil of people you know.

By Max Gorynski, 3 years ago March 23, 2018