Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

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618

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Nadia Oxford, Eric Van Allen, and Victor Hunter explore the best in the wonderful world of role-playing video games! Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod

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60 recent

August 10, 20261 hr 38 min

New Fan-Translations, Farming Sims, and More!

Our charity livestream in support of Trans Lifeline is THIS WEEKEND, August 15/16th from 10am PT to 10pm PT. Join us at twitch.tv/bloodgodpod and give to a great cause while we record live episodes, continue Kat's Nulocke run, and get up to all sorts of shenanigans.It's a cavalcade of Random Encounters as VIctor and Nadia discuss the latest headlines from across the RPG sphere. Fan-translations, farming sims, and what niche RPGs you should keep on your radar. All that and so much more on this episode of Axe of the Blood God! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: Jesse Vitelli's Sub-a-thon incube8 Games - Infinity gnosisonic on PixyGarden Kurt Kalata on PixyGarden Arthur Conan Doyle vs. Harry Houdini: A Friendship Ruined by Ghosts Yasushi Nirasawa The History of Chunsoft's Sound Novels - Bowl of Lentils The Story to Save a Couple of Lost Keitai Games - Yuvi The fine folks at Discotek Was the Digimon Movie unusually Canadian? Timestamps: 12:27 - Restart Layoffs 16:16 - Fire Emblem Direct 17:38 - RPG Fusions - PachiPals, Marble Souls 25:52 - The Fan-Translation Round-Up! 27:32 - Ys III - Wanderers from Ys (PS2) 29:32 - PixyGarden 36:54 - Splatterworld 42:56 - London Spirit Detectives / 45:26 - Kamaitachi no Yoru 50:32 - Final Fantasy VII Dirge of Cerberus - Lost Episode 55:42 - Farming Sim Round-Up! 56:52 - Story of Season/Bokujo Monogatari/nee Harvest Moon 30th Anniversary - Rune Factory 20th Anniversary 1:02:38 - Fields of Mistria 1:11:28 - Tavern - Ball x Pit, Splatoon Raiders, Rhythm Heaven Groove, Hell Maiden, Tales of Phantasia OVA, Wizardry Variants Daphne 1:29:20 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Fighting of the Spirit - [Tales of Phantasia] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Crisis - [PixyGarden] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 3, 20262 hr 31 min

The Fashion of Final Fantasy PART ONE w/ Reggie Casual

It's finally here; your two-and-a-half-hour-long extra-special episode all about Final Fantasy and its intersection with the world of fashion.From the billowing garments of Yoshitaka Amano to the workwear-inspired looks of Tetsuya Nomura to the dresspheres of Tetsu Tsukamoto to casual street fits of Miki Tamashita and as much in-between as we could fit in this episode.I'm joined by THE Japanese street fashion guru Reggie Casual to pick his brain about the symbiotic relationship between fashion and Final Fantasy and the uniquely Japanese approach to style that makes it all possible. And my promise to you is that in an entire episode about Nomura we don't make a hack joke about zippers and belts because we're better than that.Truly this is one of my favourite episodes I've ever done and if you enjoy it a fraction as much as I enjoyed making it it'll all be worth it. It's also available in video form with helpful visual aids over on our youtube channel! Check it out!And check out Reggie's channel, The Casual, for more on the world of Japanese fashion, how to learn how to dress, and so much more.Many thanks to Steven Poole for providing me with his article from the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Arena Homme + Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: How to dress well without feeling like cosplay The importance of the Job System to fashion Dissidia Duellum and the art of Final Fantasy-bounding I promise we're not gatekeeping Why do the fits in FFXV look so good? The Tokugawa Shogunate! Timestamps: 3:39 - Main Topic - Final Fantasy and Fashion 15:04 - How to Design a Character With Character? 27:00 - Final Fantasy X-2 and the Dressphere 36:46 - The World Ends With You; Bravery and Neighbourhoods 44:00 - How Have Things Changed? Styles Never Disappear 56:13 - Final Fantasy XV, Roen, and How To Become an FF Protagonist 1:16:12 - Dissidia Duellum: Digital Bodies in Physical Space 1:28:04 - The Double-Edged Sword of Accessibility 1:41:16 - His Name is Clive 1:51:52 - The Character Creator 2:06:12 - Floppy Cosplay and The Tokugawa Shogunate Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Yuna's Theme - [Final Fantasy X-2] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 27, 20261 hr 52 min

Summer Mailbag!

Look what time it is; Letter.We're answering burning questions to distract us from the heat of the Summer. Like when you really hurt yourself so you hurt another part of you but a little less to distract yourself. I had dental surgery earlier this week so I'm thinking about pain a lot.But what isn't a pain is this episode! Nadia, Eric, and Victor reach into the mailbag to discuss some origin stories, when sokoban is welcome, and whether your daughters should be playing Disco Elysium. It's probably fine! All this and more on this sweltering episode of Axe of the Blood God! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: The Smashler Kingdom Hearts Missing Link movie leaked Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest Congratulations to Disgaea Mayhem The Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition Game Lost Chronicle, Dragon Slayer Timestamps: 13:18 - Main Topic - Mailbag 13:18 - What Games Got You Into RPGs? 25:20 - Puzzles in Dungeons 37:16 - Final Fantasy XII? 38:12 - Saturn RPGs 39:42 - The Next Draft 39:50 - Pantheon Tease 41:54 - Non-Violent RPGs- Citizen Sleeper, Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons/Stardew Valley, Atelier Marie, Moon, Stray Children, Va-11 HALL-A, Recettear, Potionomics, Coffee Talk, Necrobarista, Battle Chef Brigade, Battle Suit Aces, Steamworld, Tokimeki Memorial, Umamusume, Volcano Princess, Princess Maker, Little Goody Two-Shoes, Thirsty Suitors, Pro Spirits Baseball, GBC/GBA Mario Golf/Mario Tennis, Golf Story, Racing Lagoon 56:32 - RPGs With Other Mechanics- YIIK, Shadow Hearts, Dark Cloud, Suikoden II, Racing Lagoon, Front Mission, Xenosaga, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis 1:05:40 - RPG Adaptations 1:11:40 - Random Encounters 1:23:00 - Tavern - Eric's Avatar Thoughts 1:44:24 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Friendly Conversation - [Va-11 HALL-A] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 20, 20261 hr 53 min

Man, I Love Fishing Mini-Games

MILFMG t-shirts probably not coming to an Axe of the Blood God merch store near you.Summertime. A few things to note; the living is easy and the fish are jumping.So let's select one-of-three or -four gameplay mechanics to turn those fish into a mini-game opportunity!Nadia, Eric, and Victor discuss what makes a good fishing mini-game, what kinds of fishing mini-games there even are, and when does a fishing mini-game become a fishing maxi-game?All that and so much more on this episode of Axe of the Blood God! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: The Mermaid Mask Glory of Heracles II Final Fantasy X's 25th Birthday Timestamps: 12:42 - Main Topic - The Best RPG Fishing Mini-Games 27:20 - Stardew Valley 30:56 - Rune Factory 4 35:00 - Final Fantasy XIV 44:20 - Breath of Fire III 48:53 - Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time 55:28 - Final Fantasy XV 1:05:48 - Lightning Round:- Tales of Arise- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- The LEgend of Zelda: Link's Awakening- The LEgend of Zelda: Twilight Princess- Trails of Cold Steel- Harvest Moon 2 / Legend of the River King 2- Fire Emblem Engage- Boku no Natsuyasumi- Natsu-Mon- Romancing SaGa 2 1:19:06 - Random Encounters 1:34:00 - Tavern - The Mermaid's Mask, 1:44:24 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Even the Sun's Happy - [Breath of Fire III] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 13, 20261 hr 54 min

The Best Year for RPGs w/ Kevin Bunch

"It was the best of times and everyone was like, 'this rules'" or however the book goes.This week, Eric, Nadia, Victor, and special guest Kevin Bunch are reflecting on what the best years for RPGs were, with the rules surrounding that discussion evolving in real time. Is it something in the late 90s for the sheer quantity of interesting, experimental RPGs, is the year Persona 5 single-handedly invented jazz and made JRPGs good again, or is it 1994 for being the year Final Fantasy VI came out. All this and so, so much more on this episode of Axe of the Blood God! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: Games Done Quick Appreciation Star Fox Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis closes but drops Before Crisis story Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Story in English Timestamps: 11:18 - Main Topic - Best Year For RPGs 1:11:44 - Random Encounters 1:20:36 - Tavern - Eric's GDQ Adventure, 1:41:36 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Hammerhead - [Final Fantasy XV] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 6, 20261 hr 48 min

The Death of Physical PlayStation Games w/ Kelsey Lewin

Sony has announced the death of the game disc. What does this mean for the future of second-hand games, game preservation, game sharing, game access, and a million other things that this is going to have an effect on? Well, Nadia, Eric, and Victor are joined by collector, historian, retailer, writer, and a million other things, Kelsey Lewin (@kelslewin.bsky.social) to discuss precisely that! Apologies for the lower-than-usual quality of Kelsey's audio! It was an anomaly and we made do with the cruel hand fate dealt us! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: Deltarune Chapter 5 The Summer of Sakura Wars Timestamps: 13:24 - Main Topic - The End of Playstation Discs 1:04:32 - Random Encounters 1:20:08 - Tavern - Deltarune Chapter 5, Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse, Rhythm Heaven Groove 1:41:36 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Theme of PARANORMASIGHT - [PARANORMASIGHT] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 29, 20261 hr 50 min

The Adventures of Elliot Review w/ Matt Sowinski

Nadia has spent more time with Elliot and we're joined by Matt Sowinski to discuss once-and-for-all if Adventures of Elliot makes for a good video game. Victor has been diving into Dragon Quest X. All that and so much more on this increasingly Canadian episode of Axe of the Blood God! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠Note: Microsoft and the Xbox brand remain subjects of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement for their complicity in the ongoing apartheid and genocide of Palestine. Visit https://www.bdsmovement.net/microsoft for more information. Also in this episode: Xenoblade's Nopon problem McDonalds' secret menu Victor discovers that no one actually knows the names of any Mana games Timestamps: 12:30 - Main Topic - Adventures of Elliot Review 48:32 - Mana Series 35th Anniversary Celebration! 1:04:02 - Random Encounters 1:24:00 - Tavern - Xenoblade, Dragon Quest X 1:40:56 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Faerie Battle - [Final Fantasy IX] Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Grasslands of Eternity - [Children of Mana] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 22, 20261 hr 55 min

Next Fest RPGs, The Adventures of Elliot

Drive your old man's convertible out to lover's leap with your crush because it's time for a steamy neck-fest; all the neckin' you can handle but nothing past first base!And once you've driven your date home by curfew it's time for Steam Next Fest!There are a ton of RPGs to sift through so Victor is saving you some of the hassle! Then once you've had enough of his questionable taste in games, Nadia is here to tell you all about The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales! A terrible name to be sure, but is the game much better? Listen to find out on this steamy episode of Axe of the Blood God! Also, I think I say Veritas Tales has 600 illustrations? It's actually 300+. Oops! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: R-Type Tactics is finally here Final Fantasy Tactics gets a new patch What is the role of a review? And is it rude to be mean? Phantasy Star Online 2's AI chatbot survey: https://pso2.com/players/news/i_20260617_2/ Timestamps: 12:44 - Main Topic - Victor's Next Fest RPG Demo-palooza 17:32 - Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle 28:16 - Apathema 42:00 - Rizz Dungeon: Skeleton Key to My Heart 52:28 - Culdcept The First 53:28 - LarsGadiel 1:02:02 - Random Encounters 1:09:30 - Tavern - Nadia's Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales Impressions 1:45:24 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Every Day Is Night - [VA-11 HALL-A] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 15, 20261 hr 51 min

Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy Resonance, Nintendo Direct Impressions

Nintendo's Summer Direct has come and gone, and with it a slew of announcements. Upgrades we expected, leaks we saw coming, and some exciting news that blindsided us all! Nadia, Eric, and Victor gather to discuss what we should be excited about and what has left us wanting. All that and more on this episode of Axe of the Blood God! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: Why Shadow the Hedgehog is a Good Game Should we be worried about Kingdom Hearts? Muramasa is baaaaack Why on God's green Earth are we remaking Ocarina of Time? Timestamps: 9:56 - Main Topic - Nintendo Direct 9:56 - Xenoblade Genesis 18:28 - Pokopis Expansion Pass 24:28 - Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave 31:08 - Final Fantasy Resonance 49:52 - Tales of Eternia Remastered 54:40 - Atelier Karia 58:40 - The Duskbloods 1:02:04 - Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World 1:07:20 - Kingdom Hearts 1:21:44 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1:35:20 - Random Encounters 1:45:24 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Duel! - [Final Fantasy Brave Exvius] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 8, 20262 hr 9 min

Final Fantasy VII Revelation and SGF Reax w/ Lucas White

ummer feels like it starts earlier and earlier every year. Is it climate change or because all the hottest games are arriving at Summer Games Fest?!Nadia, Victor, and special guest Lucas White are here to drop all the spiciest takes on the biggest games and the dorkiest hosts in this pre-equinoctial episode of Axe of the Blood God!! Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and get merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠ Also in this episode: Visit the Vancouver Game Garden June 13th and 14th! https://vangamegarden.com/ Dancing Mad with Kefka Nadia sees The Amazing Digital Circus Timestamps: 5:20 - Summer Games Fest Announcements 14:40 - Virtua Fighter 18:56 - Guild Wars 3 24:00 - Star Wars Zero Company 26:28 - Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascension 28:16 - Stellar Blade: Blood Rain 31:24 - Street Fighter VI 34:16 - Stranger Than Heaven 50:00 - Final Fantasy VII Revelation 1:28:08 - The Tavern - Mina, The Amazing Digital Circus, Starbites, Atelier Marie, Final Fantasy XIV's latest Ultimate Raid; Kefka's UMAD 1:57:04 - Nadia's Nostalgia Nook Music Used in this Episode: Axe of the Blood God Theme - [Lena Raine] Pub - [Lunar Knights] A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana] Brandished Blade - [Atelier Sophie 2] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices