Theory | With A Terrible Fate

Before the Law and Before Gaming: Kafka, Players, and Avatars

Kafka's "Before the Law" offers a new lens for meditating on the relationships between avatars, bosses, developers, and players in gaming.

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago October 31, 2022

The Outer Gods of Elden Ring aren't just extra lore: they're also the cipher to understanding the player's place in the Lands Between.

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago April 14, 2022

Meet Adam Bierstedt, With a Terrible Fate's resident historian, and learn what video games have in common with a 14th-century manuscript.

By Aaron Suduiko, 4 years ago April 16, 2021

Ni No Kuni quietly tricks its adult player into curing both herself and the White Witch of cynicism.

By Aaron Suduiko, 4 years ago February 4, 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, 4 years ago November 22, 2020

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, 5 years 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 years 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 years 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 years 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, 5 years ago May 7, 2020