Axe of the Blood God Episode 3: Inaugurating Our RPG Canon with a Classic

What are the essential RPGs that every devotee should experience at least once? The canonical games that define the genre? Ask this question, and you'll get a million different answers. So we're inaugurating "Canon of the Blood God," which is an opportunity to comb over some of our favorite RPGs and talk about how well they hold up today.

With Final Fantasy Type-0 HD and the Final Fantasy XV demo just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to kick off the series with a look back at a critical and fan favorite from the series — Final Fantasy VI. In this segment, Bob, Jeremy, and I share some trivia, dissect the battle system and sound track, and talk about how well this all-time classic holds up today (Spoiler Alert: It holds up pretty darn well so long as you're not playing it on mobile).

In addition to revisiting Final Fantasy VI, we also have an interview this week with Zeboyd Games co-founder Robert Boyd, who is currently hard at work on Cosmic Star Heroine. We talk about the nitty gritty of designing an RPG, and also wonder why Sega CD RPGs don't get a bit more love. Afterward, Bob, Jeremy, and I reconvene to discuss some of the listener comments on our "What is an RPG?" episode, and to talk briefly about Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. It's a really packed episode, so join us!

As a sidenote, we'd love to hear from you. If you want to talk about Final Fantasy VI, Cosmic Star Heroine, or just RPGs in general, drop a line in the comments below. Conversely, you can reach me at kat.bailey@usgamer.net. We may read and discuss comments we like in an upcoming episode of Axe of the Blood God.

If you enjoy the show, you can find Axe of the Blood God on iTunes by following this link. Please subscribe, rate, and review the show! The more we're rated, the more visible we'll become. If you don't like us, then... er... don't do anything!

Our RSS feed is here: http://bloodgodpod.libsyn.com/rss. If you want to directly download the episode, you can find it here. We're also on Soundcloud along with Retronauts and our flagship podcast From US to You.

Show Description

Kat, Bob, and Jeremy inaugurate the "Canon of the Blood God," where they decide whether to add Final Fantasy VI to the canon. Plus, Kat interviews Robert Boyd, creator of the upcoming retro-styled RPG Cosmic Star Heroine. Bonus: A quick mailbag!

Music from Axe of the Blood God is courtesy of Leif Chappelle, who has also contributed the themes to Active Time Babble and Roleplayers' Realm. I also use music from the RPG Music Pack over at rpgmaker.net. Check it out!

Next week: I have no idea! But Bloodborne, the Final Fantasy XV demo, and Final Fantasy Type-0 HD are coming up fast!

This article may contain links to online retail stores. If you click on one and buy the product we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.