Video Games | 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, 1 month ago October 31, 2022

In Karen Travers, Scarlet Nexus tells the tragic story of how a character can become a villain by being cut off from the player's agency.

By Aaron Suduiko, 1 year ago November 8, 2021

How Final Fantasy VII Remake turned a cliffhanger ending into an unexpected path to "boundless, terrifying freedom" for Cloud—and Sephiroth.

By Aaron Suduiko, 2 years ago December 28, 2020

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

By Dan Hughes, 3 years ago May 28, 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, 3 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, 3 years ago May 7, 2020

On a special edition of With a Terrible Fate's podcast, the team reflects on the reasons that they're analyzing Final Fantasy VII Remake.

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago May 7, 2020

A great artwork's entire story is contained in its opening scene—and Final Fantasy VII Remake is no exception.

By Dan Hughes, 3 years ago May 7, 2020

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories set the tone for the form and content of the series. Does it hold up as one of gaming's great stories?

By Dan Hughes, 3 years ago May 5, 2020

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

By Max Gorynski, 3 years ago August 29, 2019