Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

Did you know Baldur's Gate is actually based off of a really obscure game called Dungeons and Dragons? And you play it in your head! And it makes you worship the devil! Here to discuss the dungeon mastery of Baldur's Gate 3 with Kat and Eric is special guest Mikel Reparaz of Vidjagame Apocalypse. Also in this Episode: -The Art of Save Scumming -Short King smooching -More deeply frustrating layoffs...

Plan ahead for the fall and pick up a new scarf because it's Nadia's time to shine with an episode all about Mega Man's OTHER foray into the world of RPGs, Mega Man X: Command Mission. Timelines get twisted, fan-favourite characters show up and then are never heard from again, and poor X and friends get Randam Hajile'd! Also in this Episode: - Nadia and David discuss writing the official Maverick...

You don't have to go home but you CAN stay here and listen to this pretty fly panel from the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo all about the landmark year for RPGs that was 1998! Pokemon, Baldur's Gate, Ocarina of Time, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Parasite Eve and more! You'll believe in life after love once you listen to the hosts of Axe of the Blood God and Retronauts (the Armageddon and Deep Impact of vid...

Hot (like, heat dome hot) off the heels of the wildly successful charity livestream and Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest it’s time to talk Baldur’s Gate 3. Eric and special guest Kenneth Shepard are here to spill some preliminary beans. Plus, summer movie talk; two titans of merchandising join forces this summer with heartfelt stories touching on powerful themes to briefly take your mind off the monstro...

In this week's episode we're joined by Larian Studios director Swen Vincke... very briefly. Unfortunately technical difficulties kept us from going in deep on this particular interview, but we'll have him back soon! In the meantime, special guest Len Hafer has plenty to say about her experience with Baldur's Gate 3 and more. Final Fantasy XIV has a new expansion! Kat and Eric talk about their Armo...

Welcome back to Axe of the Blood God. Kat is not here for this week's episode because she headed out for San Diego Comic Con, a known slaughtering ground where Harry Potter cosplayers will take out your eye with their wands before you can even say "something something Patronus." No fear: Our good friends Ash Parrish and Kenneth Shepard are here to fill in the gap. We're talking all about character...

It's summertime, playing Zelda in your car, heading to a LAN party, and the night air is filled with wildfire smoke. Welcome to a laid back episode of Axe of the Blood God, where we just chill out and talk about associations between summer and RPGs. That means everything from the RPGs we played during our summer break to the best tropical environments in RPGs past and present. Just remember: The s...

We've got some fellow old people listening to this show (may your tubes of Voltaren be ever on sale), and I think we can all take a little comfort in the fact many of Falcom's RPGs, including the epic The Legend of Heroes saga, are about as old as us. Heroes has had a lot of time to pump out some good storytelling, including the still-celebrated Trails sub-series. But even mighty things come to an...

It's summer! That means it's time to grab a burger off the grill, fish a cold one out of the cooler, lie back on a Muskoka chair (ask your local Canadian), and talk about the year in RPGs so far. 2023's been disgustingly busy with huge releases like Final Fantasy XVI, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo IV, and so much more. Your time on this planet is finite, so listen and decide wh...

After what seems like forever and a day, Final Fantasy XVI has finally arrived on the PlayStation 5. Except, it hasn't really been forever, has it? Game director Naoki Yoshida runs a tight ship, to be sure--but will a timely release be enough to make Final Fantasy fans fall in love with the series' first serious attempt at telling a story with Witcher levels of grit and grime? Friend of the show a...

I, Nadia, take over hosting duties on Axe of the Blood God this week, which is apropos for an episode that's about Satan. That's right, we review the long-awaited Diablo IV with our very good friend and frequent Blood God guest, Len. There's a lot riding on Diablo IV, as Activision Blizzard is currently weighed down by troubled times that are largely of their own making. How does it play? How's th...

On a very special episode of Axe of the Blood God ("special" meaning "very off schedule"), Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk about everything they saw at Prince Geoffry's Summer Game Fest 2023. Kat and Eric actually attended the show, so they have amazing insight about the games on display--especially the RPGs. And oh, were there ever a lot of RPGs. That Xbox deluge is late, sure, but rest assured it's on...

The summer is getting started, and we've got no shortage of games ahead. But before we look at all the games waiting to steal our time, we've got speedrunner Moonblazewolf, fresh off their run of Chained Echoes at SGDQ 2023! We talk all that plus the news of the day and the start of Book 2 in our Summer of Korra. Also in this episode: Street Fighter 6 has all of us in its clutches Big, beefy ships...

Howdy, friends! We've got a treat that'll make y'all happier than a fox in a henhouse! This week, we have an in-depth discussion about Octopath Traveler II, an excellent choice from our $100 Patron and special guest, The Black Stones! The talk avoids major story spoilers, but there's still tons to go over because Octopath Traveler II is a pretty special game. Its battle system is unique and highly...

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think Ocarina of Time is a big game, but that's just peanuts compared to Tears of the Kingdom. That's why Kat, Nadia, and Eric are assembling once again to talk about their progress in Nintendo's Dodongo-sized hit. The discussion yields some minor spoilers (as wel...

Kick back and relax as Field Studies returns for a guided audio commentary track through fan-favourite Shadowbringers dungeon, The Twinning. Sharlayan Dropouts host Victor Hunter takes you through the history of the Crystal Tower, the cascading effect that delays in the mid-2000s had on Square that are still being felt today, and the crystalline metaphor at the heart of this tragic-but-hopeful tal...

Gosh, it feels like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will never get here. This wait is torture–hold on, you're saying Tears of the Kingdom is out now? Oh wow. Holy crap. Uh…let's start talking about the biggest game of 2023! (So far.) We brought in Tom Marks from IGN, who reviewed the game alongside Polygon's Mike Mahardy. We have a pile of discourse about what Tears of the Kingdom does d...

All aboard, gatcha sickos. Honkai: Star Rail is now available to download. It's totally free, just like miHoYo's preceding game, Genshin Impact, but you can bet the awesome-looking characters in the banner events will wear your resolve down to a nub. But there's more to Star Rail than gatcha, right? After all, it's a full-bodied RPG with hours of content. Does it actually feel like a traditional t...

Hey Microsoft! How's that Activision Blizzard deal coming along? …Oh. That bad, huh? Well, we're sure everything will be fine.  Psst. That's a lie, dear listeners. We actually brought Polygon's own Nicole Carpenter to discuss the myriad ways this gargantuan acquisition attempt is going poorly for the Big M. And whatever's bad for Microsoft is probably bad for a lot of western RPG studios. Buck up....

It's another Class Conscious episode of Axe of the Blood God, and we're going after the class that was elected "Most Likely to Steal your Heart and your Wallet" in high school: the Thief. Thieves have been part of the RPG landscape forever. These lithe, sticky-fingered tricksters excel at jacking stuff from enemies (and innocents) while avoiding traps and setting down a few of their own. Gosh, wha...

Once upon a time, Microsoft opened up its mouth and swallowed the near entirety of the western RPG market. Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Fable--their home is on the Xbox now. That's great, but we have to ask: Where are all these RPGs that are supposed to be dropping from your well-stocked loins, Microsoft? Starfield is finally secured for a release this year, yes, but we don't have much information on w...

We're taking a breather this week, but fret not: for those who couldn't make it to our panel at PAX East 2023, this week we're uploading the audio from it! Kat, Nadia, and Eric were joined by friends of the show Michael Higham and Scott White to host a fantasy draft, making the perfect RPG in the process. We touch on many topics, including: The value of a villain Truly memorable game soundtracks A...

Ding, dong, E3 is dead. Which E3? We don't know. The once world-famous video game trade show has endured so many trials and tribulations, it's hard to way which iteration is getting axed. Let's just say E3 2023 was supposed to be the show's big comeback, and it's getting cancelled instead. Kat, Nadia, Eric, and Reb are all E3 veterans, so they find lots to chew over here. What hobbled this year's...

Kat, Eric, and Nadia are all together in the same room for PAX East! There they share their adventures through PAX East and GDC, their thoughts on the Diablo 4 beta, and much more. Also in this episode  It's Morbin Time Nadia is very confused by Fire Emblem Engage's story The gang try to come up with their best RPG-themed cocktails and it goes... poorly? We reveal the next Pantheon vote! Unfortuna...

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Nadia, Kat, and Eric bid sayonara to the best RPGs on the Nintendo 3DS and the [snide snicker] Wii U. Nintendo is yanking the plug on the 3DS and Wii U digital storefronts very soon, but there's still time to thumb through some must-buy recommendations. Radiant Historia! Persona Q! SMT IV and Strange Journey Redux! Maybe they'll end up on the Switch somewhere dow...