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Welcome to the podcast home of With a Terrible Fate, your first and final source for literary studies of your favorite video games. Subscribe for a range of accessible deep-dives into the storytelling of specific video games, as well as the theory of video-game narrative more broadly. Find all our written, audio, and video content, along with options to support us, at https://linktr.ee/withaterriblefate.
Episodes
Thursday May 04, 2023
Pokémon Rose Episode 8: ”Return to Kanto”
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
What happens when a video game's sequel takes you back to a world you'd thought you left behind—a world that's kept moving without you? Find out in this week's episode of Pokémon Rose, studying the return to Kanto in Pokémon Gold and Silver.
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
Pokémon Rose Episode 7: ”The World of Johto”
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
This week on Pokémon Rose: how Game Freak's approach to mythological storytelling created a world that simultaneously felt old and new to players of Pokémon Gold and Silver.
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Pokémon Rose Episode 6: ”The Partner Pokémon”
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
This week on Pokémon Rose: how the explosion of available Pokémon in Pokémon Gold and Silver led to the innovation of a special Trainer/Pokémon bond that continues to this day.
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Pokémon Rose Episode 5: ”A New Beginning”
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Monday Apr 03, 2023
This week on Pokémon Rose: a discussion of how Pokémon Gold and Silver set the standard for a Pokémon sequel.
Monday Mar 27, 2023
Pokémon Rose Episode 4: ”From You, 25 Years Ago”
Monday Mar 27, 2023
Monday Mar 27, 2023
On this special episode of Pokémon Rose: a reflection on the meaning of the original Pokémon anime to gamers and '90s kids, on the occasion of Ash's final episode in the anime.
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Pokémon Rose Episode 3: ”We Succeeded”
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Where did Mewtwo come from, and what does he have to do with the implicit storytelling for which Pokémon has become famous? Journey back with us to the original postgame in this week's episode of Pokémon Rose.
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Pokémon Rose Episode 2: ”Smell Ya Later”
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Monday Mar 13, 2023
What makes for a compelling rival, and how do video games bridge the gap between fictional characters and real-life rivals? In the second episode of Pokémon Rose, join Dan in a study of how the Pokémon model of friendship and competition has evolved from Blue to Nemona.
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Pokémon Rose Episode 1: ”I Choose You”
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
How do the iconic words "I choose you" define Pokémon, and how do they inform the relationship between a player and his starter Pokémon? In this first episode of Pokémon Rose, join Dan in reflecting on how Pokémon teams subvert the typical JRPG party experience.
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Pokémon Rose: A New Retrospective Audio Series
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Monday Feb 27, 2023
Today, on Pokémon Day 2023, With a Terrible Fate is proud to introduce a new, weekly audio series by seriesrunner and video game analyst Dan Hughes: Pokémon Rose: A Nostalgic Look Back! Tune in to this introductory episode to learn what the series is about, and how Pokémon can be a cipher to our past, present, and future as gamers—and as people.
References
- "Understanding Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts II," Dan Hughes
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Director’s Commentary: The Gwyn Moment
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Join Aaron and Dan in a behind-the-scenes look at "The Gwyn Moment," a reflection on how Dan's experience with the first Dark Souls led him to think about video-game storytelling, Miyazaki, and his own life differently.
Topics include: why it can be hard to take good video-game recommendations from friends; how gamers get motivated to care about the lore of a world; using Gwyn as a cipher to understand Miyazaki's other works; the community's ever-fraught relationship with Dark Souls 2; how memorable moments in games can radically change our views about the games—and ourselves.
Want to dig further into the storytelling of Elden Ring? Attend With a Terrible Fate's PAX East 2022 panel on April 21st, in person or virtually! Find all the details you need to know here.
(Spoilers for the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Demon's Souls, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and BioShock.)
- "The Gwyn Moment," Dan Hughes
- "Understanding Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts II," Dan Hughes