Trapped In The Loop of ‘In Stars and Time’
For as long as I can remember, two types of stories have captivated me more reliably than almost any other: stories depicting queerness and stories featuring time travel. In Stars and Time, an indie...
Tagged: Narrative
‘Omori’ and the Small Traumas of Relationships
The ways Omori has been critically exhausted for its depictions of mental health and trauma make me feel hesitant to weigh in on this game. Since its release, friends have recommended Omori to me...
The Beauty of Tears: Why (The Best) Video Games Make Me Cry
I will never forget the first time a video game made me cry in my adult life. The final act of The Last Guardian, a game notorious for its problems, yielded one of the...
My Experience With ‘Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,’ Disney, and Accessibility
I grew up on comic books, so naturally I was the target audience when the first wave of early-2000s superhero movies rebooted franchises like Spider-Man and Batman, offering my generation some of the greatest...
The You That Remains, And Remains and Remains, And ‘1000xRESIST’
One of the oddities of writing about video games for the past several years is the phenomenon of trying to write something that does your favorite games justice. Since writing, for me, is a...
The Mismatched Puzzle Pieces of ‘Phantom Liberty’: Why the ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ DLC Expansion Falls Short
One of my personal video gaming rollercoasters is CDProjekt Red’s infamous Cyberpunk 2077. A notorious disaster at launch, I initially boycotted the game due to its egregious mistreatment of working staff, reversal of key...
No, Queen’s Blood From ‘Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’ Should Not Be Its Own Standalone Game: Here’s Why
One of the delights of the breathtaking entries in the remake series for Final Fantasy VII is the surprising abundance and depth to mini-games. Fort Condor, as it launched with the Yuffie DLC for...
An Essential Steam Deck Title: ‘Heading Out’
Heading Out looks like yet another racing game, but this wonderfully designed gem should be on every Steam Deck owners’ radar. Here’s why.
Erasure in ‘Emily is Away’
Emily Is Away has a sterling reputation as a nostalgia-baiting AIM simulator. Under the surface of the writing lies something much more sinister, however.
The Importance of Asking For Help: My Experience With ‘Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’
Here’s how Flora Merigold felt her relationship to the Yakuza games change when she stopped drinking alcohol.
Ranking the Yakuza Series: ‘Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’
In her ongoing ranking of the Yakuza (Like a Dragon) series, Flora Merigold assesses the newest mainline entry, Infinite Wealth.
How ‘Goodbye Volcano High’ Captured My Childhood Experiences
Goodbye Volcano High is a zenith in queer video game storytelling. Here’s how my own experiences paralleled with the narrative.
Ranking the Yakuza Series: ‘Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name’
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name isn’t exactly the most robust attempt at a Yakuza title. Here’s where is succeeds & fails.
‘Saltsea Chronicles’ is A Wonderful Experiment in Narrative Complexity
Saltsea Chronicles is a lovely follow up release by Die Gute Fabrik, creators of Mutazione, offering a complex but relaxing narrative.
The Best Games at PAX East 2023: Highlights From My First Gaming Conference
If you couldn’t make it to PAX East this year, Flora has you covered. She discusses her overall PAX experience as well as her favorite games from the show.
‘What Should I Play Next?’: Ben’s Recommended Games of 2021
It’s Ben’s recommendation that you listen to his favorite original soundtrack of the year while reading. One of the questions I get asked most is “what game should I play next?” It’s a good,...
How ‘No Longer Home’ Left Me Feeling Directionless and Alone
While No Longer Home is an important game that I’m glad exists, it caused me to feel depressed and isolated in an unintended manner.
A Quality Queer Experience: Why I Love ‘Life is Strange: Wavelengths’
If Life is Strange: True Colors rocked your world, then you MUST pick up the Steph DLC “Wavelengths,” one of the series’ strongest entries.
The First Chapter of ‘Life is Strange: True Colors’ is Everything I Could Have Hoped For
After stumbling with Life is Strange 2, the newest game in the series regains its footing. True Colors is a refreshing story. Here’s why.
Flipping Through the Dictionary: An Eccentric Approach to ‘Disco Elysium’
Disco Elysium is one of those rare games that will make you periodically stop to look up a word. Here are some of the more obscure terms.
Why I Love ‘Last Day of June’
Last Day of June faced mixed critical reception on release, but it tells a heartfelt story that shouldn’t be ignored. Here’s why.
How ‘Catherine’ Became the First Puzzle Game I Ever Loved
Catherine is the first puzzle game I have truly loved and is perhaps the only puzzle game I fully intend to play again.
Should You Play ‘Until Dawn’ If You’re Afraid of Horror Games?
I am terrified of most horror games, but Until Dawn was actually great. Here’s why.
A Boundless Adventure: A Heartfelt Review of ‘Final Fantasy 7 Remake’
How do you redevelop a five-hour moment from an original game into a new experience that easily reaches 30 hours without coming off as some bloated malformation of what used to be? The Final...
Relishing the Opportunity to Be a Star Wars Game: A ‘Jedi: Fallen Order’ Review
It is Ben’s recommendation that you listen to Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab’s score of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order while reading the review Jedi: Fallen Order relishes the opportunity to be a Star...
Putting Too Much Faith in A Series: ‘Life is Strange 2: Faith’ Review
The original Life is Strange series is one of my favorite games of all time. The characters, the worldbuilding, the magical realism, the soundtrack, the gameplay and how it’s integrated into the narrative themes...
Nier: Automata
Listen in as Dakota and Ayana spoil the intricate narrative in Nier: Automata.
Roundtable: Is Good Narrative an Excuse for Bad Gameplay?
Question: Does a strong narrative exempt a game from issues in its gameplay? In terms of difficulty, lack of engagement, or simply poor game design, is such a narrative enough motivation to push through...
Why ‘Life is Strange 2’ is Struggling to Find its Footing
The original Life is Strange left an indelible impact on me and strengthened my conviction that videogames are perhaps the most powerful storytelling medium. Naturally, I’ve been jitteringly anticipating the sequel: Life is Strange...
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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Exploring Antenarrative in ‘The Stanley Parable’
I began my first playthrough of The Stanley Parable by not following directions. The game’s narrator guides you along through the opening gambit of the level until you are met with two doors. Each...
The Goofy Rule and What Makes a Good NPC
Dakota returns to the podcast and the Epilogue crew breaks down the latest Smash Bros rumors, what makes a good NPC, and invents the Goofy Rule.
What Remains of Ludonarrative in ‘Edith Finch’
It’s easy to accuse narratively driven games of “walking simulator” status, meaning that a game lacks true challenge or “play” in the traditional sense. What Remains of Edith Finch has faced that criticism due...
Mega Man Masters Monotony
It took me four different Mega Man games, all of which I played in order, to realize that they’re pretty much identical to one another. In an era where consumers rip franchises like Call...
The Dismantled Book of ‘Kentucky Route Zero’
When I opened Kentucky Route Zero I had no expectations or understanding for what it was going to get me to think about. After playing, I was inundated with thoughts surrounding how character dialogue...
