Epilogue Gaming

Epilogue Gaming: Video Games as Art, Literature and a Storytelling Medium

Podcast: The Ludonarrative Podcast

A long form podcast that analyzes the intersection between gameplay and narrative. Hosts Blake Guthrie and Preston Johnson aim to answer a simple question. How do game mechanics tell stories?

Super Mario Odyssey

In this month’s episode of LudonarrativeFM, Preston and Blake journey through the many joyful kingdoms in Super Mario Odyssey (2017). This bouncy and boisterous 3D platformer boasts a bunch of boundless fun and movement tech. We begin by critiquing and pulling this game apart for being over-hyped and simplistic, but end by celebrating the abundance of creativity and polish in this Mario installment. This episode asks: in what ways does Mario Odyssey fit into discussions of ludonarrative?

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Undertale

In this month’s episode of LudonarrativeFM, Preston and Blake laugh and wonder at Toby Fox’s unforgettably idiosyncratic game, Undertale (2015). This narratively complex and multifaceted game ensnares the player in a multitude of unique situations that only video games could provide. Your expectations will be undermined, played with, tricked, and reinvented. Undertale proves that characters are perhaps the most powerful vehicle towards meaningful plot and consequence.

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Gris

In this month’s episode of LudonarrativeFM, Preston and Blake explore the uniquely artistic and emotional Gris (2018). This melodic platformer envelops you in a swirling watercolor world of hand-animated beauty, illustrating the journey of a young woman through emotional grief and depression. We argue that Gris will be enshrined as an affirming response to the question of whether videogames are art.

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Join the Epilogue Discord: discord.gg/yzD2kMT

The Walking Dead

In this month’s episode of LudonarrativeFM, Preston and Blake relive the harrowing tales of Telltale’s The Walking Dead (2012). This episodic series of games frames large swaths of its narrative in terms of player choice, making you feel like a deep part of moral decisionmaking. The unforgettable relationship between Lee and Clementine binds these otherwise horrible and gruesome plots together in a beautiful and lasting way.

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For more discussions like these: EpilogueGaming.com
Chat with us on Twitter: LudonarrativeFM
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Join the Epilogue Discord: discord.gg/yzD2kMT

Pony Island

In this month’s episode of LudonarrativeFM, Blake and Preston play Pony Island (2016). Pony Island, created by Daniel Mullins, is a deceptive puzzle game that breaks all the rules of how videogames should behave.

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For more discussions like these: EpilogueGaming.com
Chat with us on Twitter: LudonarrativeFM
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Join the Epilogue Discord: https://discord.gg/yzD2kMT
Who won the 30 Second Recap?: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQL…wform?usp=sf_link

Dark Souls

In this month’s episode of the Ludonarrative Podcast, Blake and Preston talk Dark Souls (2011). Dark Souls is game that seamlessly integrates its lore into storytelling. The game mechanics are a pastiche of classic RPGs, combined in a such a way that has earned Dark Souls a reputation for extreme difficulty. Dark Souls, created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, deliberately leads us nowhere – or so it would seem. We ask how video games establish trust, and how death shapes identities in games.

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Journey

In this month’s episode of the Ludonarrative Podcast, Blake and Preston explore the fantastical world of Journey (2012). Journey is a beautifully ethereal and independent quest through a desertous seascape. The game mechanics teach the player that the world is to be navigated, not hid from. Journey, created by Thatgamecompany, accomplishes what most AAA titles fail to: an emotional experience.

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“>”https://twitter.com/LudonarrativeF…ativeFM

Buy Journey’s soundtrack: austinwintory.bandcamp.com/album/journey

Lisa: The Painful

In this month’s episode of the Ludonarrative Podcast, Blake and Preston endure Lisa: the Painful (2014). Lisa is an RPG that severely punishes its players. The game mechanics are all about loss, trauma, and psychological instability. Lisa, created by Austin Jorgensen, demonstrates how a video game can take away control and still tell its story.

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For more discussions like these: EpilogueGaming.com
Chat with us in between episodes: Twitch.tv/BenGerman10
Buy Widdly 2 Diddly’s soundtrack: widdly2diddly.bandcamp.com

Thomas Was Alone

In this month’s episode of the Ludonarrative Podcast, Blake and Preston bounce around ideas about the minimalist masterpiece “Thomas Was Alone” (2012). Thomas Was Alone tells its stories through its characters, and its characters are revealed through their game mechanics. This game, designed by Mike Bithell, is the quintessential example of how narration alone can imply an entire world into gameplay.

Support the Ludonarrative Podcast:
Patreon.com/EpilogueGaming

For more discussions like these:
EpilogueGaming.com

Chat with us in between episodes:
Twitch.tv/BenGerman10

Original article coining “Ludonarrative Dissonance”
clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothin…ative-d.html

Buy David Housden’s soundtrack:
thomaswasalone.bandcamp.com/

Shadow of the Colossus

In this month’s episode of the Ludonarrative Podcast, Blake and Preston spend time unraveling the hauntingly beautiful “Shadow of the Colossus” (2005). This game, designed by Fumito Ueda, adheres to the design principle, “design by subtraction.” The game’s mechanics come alive, even today, as we anticipate the forthcoming redesigned release for the PS4. Check back with Epilogue this month for more on “Shadow of the Colossus.”

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Blake and Preston break down how Brothers’ dual-stick mechanic enhances the storyline throughout the game.