Live Genre Chronicles

A podcast about Japanese RPGs (it's a sequel to our old podcast about Japanese RPGs, which was called Dead Genre Chronicles. They got better)

Episode 9: Sharp Worlds and Flat Circles 05/26/2025

Episode 9: Sharp Worlds and Flat Circles We covered Dragon's Dogma, discussing the obvious love and craft that went into designing its world, the intricate but sometimes awkward plotting, and the elaborate character systems. We also talk about comparisons to Dark Souls and Breath of the Wild (sorry). The article of Val's discussed early in this episode can be found . /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/36712480

Episode 8: Fullmental Arsonist: Motherhood 03/03/2025

Episode 8: Fullmental Arsonist: Motherhood After an appropriately maternal 9-month hiatus (none of us actually had kids, don't worry), we get back together to discuss Mother 3, its cult status, troubled relationship with the twee americana of its predecessor and convoluted development history. Fair warning: we talk at length about racism in this game, and in particular about slurs for Romani people (and the way that these can vary with different national contexts). /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/35516695

Episode 7: The Ones Who Walk Away From Filgaia 05/24/2024

Episode 7: The Ones Who Walk Away From Filgaia We discuss Wild Arms 2! Heroism, tokusatsu, what really makes for a bad localisation, character relationships and much more besides! Follow us on twitter: Join our discord: /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/31445522

Episode 6: Careful Whispers 02/26/2024

Episode 6: Careful Whispers We discuss the Final Fantasy VII Remake, part 1, just in time for the release of part 2! This was a real challenge to talk about because of how complicated the remake's relationship to the original is on so many different levels. We dug into the combat, the narrative expansions, the mix of underlying philosophies of the remake, and some of the things that make the original a great, but complex, classic. Follow us on twitter: Join our discord: /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/30120908

Episode 5: Vocaloid Made This World 01/18/2024

Episode 5: Vocaloid Made This World We discuss The Caligula Effect 2, one of the coolest RPGs qua RPG stuff we've played in a good while. Also a game possessed of a fascinating cast of characters that raised all sorts of questions about representation and meaning, which is why it ended up being such a long episode... Follow us on twitter: Join our discord: /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/29552078

Episode 4: Where there's Coral, There's Overloaded Metaphors 11/07/2023

Episode 4: Where there's Coral, There's Overloaded Metaphors We talked about Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon! We talked mechs, difficulty, the entire intellectual history of the modern western world, 'videogameyness' vs. 'worldiness', how many things can one macguffin be a metaphor for, and more besides. Follow us on twitter: Join our discord: /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/28549433

Episode 3: Agents and Agency 09/10/2023

Episode 3: Agents and Agency We take a deep, long look at Vagrant Story! We talked about Yasumi Matsuno and his journey to (and from) Square Enix, auteur theory and its vices, Shakespeare and cultural legitimacy, and plenty more besides. Follow us on twitter: Join our discord: /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/27993519

Episode 2: The Internet of Little Guys 06/05/2023

Episode 2: The Internet of Little Guys We covered Mega Man Battle Network 2! We talked about genre tropes and shonen anime, the limits of 'turn-based' as a description of combat systems, the history of the internet and digital internationalisation, transpacific racism and the legacy of American empire, and more besides. Follow us on twitter: Join our discord: /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/27047892

Episode 1: Noah's Arc 04/02/2023

Episode 1: Noah's Arc We kick our new show off with a doozy: Xenoblade 3 and all its xenopredecessors! Follow us on twitter: Join our discord: /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/26420154

Episode 0: Starting Live Again From Zero 04/01/2023

Episode 0: Starting Live Again From Zero We're back with a new podcast, and to celebrate April Fools we recorded a whole extra episode! It's about Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, a Bioware-developed DS game from 2008 (it's actually not, it's mostly about us, our background, and what we do). Follow us on twitter: Join our discord: /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/26408847

M&K #9 - Tragedy is Compulsory 02/12/2019

M&K #9 - Tragedy is Compulsory In this potentially final episode of the podcast, Val (@SylvanFlux) and Sam (@SamuelHowitt) discuss the first segment of Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, covering the prologue and the Velen part of Act 1. This episode has a CONTENT WARNING for mentions of violence, suicide, homophobia, sexual assault, the brutalization of women, miscarriage, and abortion. "I can do you tragedy and women without queerness, and I can do you tragedy and queerness without women, and I can do you all three concurrent or consecutive, but I can't do you queerness and women without tragedy. Tragedy is compulsory - they're all tragedy, you see." - A hypothetical writer at CD Projekt Red Music used, in order: Alexander James Adams - Wild Hunt Yoshino Yuuji - Wakaki Nendaiki Sakka /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/8621474

WR #4 - Beyond Mundane Heavens 01/08/2019

WR #4 - Beyond Mundane Heavens This is a pretty straightforward episode of rpg criticism, where we discuss Ara Fell by Stegosoft Games. Ultimately the game is pretty typical, even shallow at times. It has a lot of heart and stands out among its contemporaries, but what's that good for? It's also the start of a new year for this podcast, which is exciting. Expect a new level of dedication, probably! Game on! Next game is Shadows Over Imdahl Music used, from Ara Fell Louise Heaney - Inyuna's Tower Louise Heany - Ghost of the Forest /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/8171069

M&K #8 - The Witcher's Two Paths 12/15/2018

M&K #8 - The Witcher's Two Paths Join Devon (@SylvanFlux) and Sam (@SamuelHowitt) as they traverse the final Witcher game before the legend they sought! This journey isn't over, but The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is! This episode has a CONTENT WARNING for sexual assault! Send us your questions by tweeting us, or via email at Music used, in order: Alexander James Adams - Wild Hunt Yoshino Yuuji - Wakaki Nendaiki Sakka /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/7926521

M&K #7 - Alvin & the Scoia'tael 11/15/2018

M&K #7 - Alvin & the Scoia'tael It took a long break, but our Witcher journey isn't over yet! Join Devon (@SylvanFlux) and Sam (@SamuelHowitt) in processing the first Witcher game! Send us your questions by tweeting us, or via email at Music used, in order: Alexander James Adams - Wild Hunt Yoshino Yuuji - Wakaki Nendaiki Sakka /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/7580147

DGC #36 - C'est l'Cie 09/13/2018

DGC #36 - C'est l'Cie This was always bound to happen! Join us for the final episode of Dead Genre Chronicles, where we discuss Final Fantasy XIII, the Death of the JRPG incarnate, and all around unfairly maligned game. All it takes is a little change of paradigm to understand its quality! The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. Thanks to them for the special final outro tune. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/7041499

DGC #35-A: Long Live JRPGs 08/02/2018

DGC #35-A: Long Live JRPGs This is the wrap-up and anniversary episode for Dead Genre Chronicles! After the next game, Final Fantasy XIII, the podcast will be done! We discuss the reasons why in this episode. We mention the Discord, which can be found here: The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6882203

DGC #35 - Big Mudo 08/02/2018

DGC #35 - Big Mudo The DGC crew searches for the Reason behind the chaos as we trudge through Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, an Atlus RPG with a twofold reputation for its difficulty and its philosophizing. The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6879290

DGC #34 - Clock, Stocke and Two Smoking Grimoires 06/29/2018

DGC #34 - Clock, Stocke and Two Smoking Grimoires The DGC crew tackles Radiant Historia, an Atlus RPG focused on the exploits of Stocke, a man who is granted the ability to travel through his personal history in order to fix mistakes and, eventually, right the world's course. We're also joined by Ted (@teioh) on this episode! The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6756403

M&K #6 - Ignorance is Bliss 06/27/2018

M&K #6 - Ignorance is Bliss The Witcher book series comes to a close on this episode. Join Devon (@invisifool) and Sam (@SamuelHowitt) in accepting their mistake, and learn how this trainwreck of a saga ends. This episode has a general CONTENT WARNING for ongoing Witcher edginess. Send us your questions by tweeting us, or via email at Music used, in order: Alexander James Adams - Wild Hunt Yoshino Yuuji - Wakaki Nendaiki Sakka /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6751792

DGC #33 - Advanced Kink Bros. 06/02/2018

DGC #33 - Advanced Kink Bros. The crew returns from a brief technical-difficulty-induced hiatus to talk about Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the briefest episode yet! The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6661845

WR #3 - Time Stands Still for No One 05/10/2018

WR #3 - Time Stands Still for No One The cast that comes out whenever decided that whenever is today. Standstill Girl is a very realized, curated, put-together tragedy... which maybe made it harder to talk about than what we've covered so far! Enjoy a lot of waffling and strained discussion and maybe some good points and maybe some other kinds of points. Content warning: Standstill Girl depicts or otherwise implies parental abuse, self-harm, sexual assault, and suicide. Next... time's game is Ara Fell, which can be found on steam Music used, from Standstill Girl Sildra Company - The Hand Guiding Alice Extra Ocean - Goodbye, World /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6580345

DGC #32 - No Thousands Were Armed In The Making Of This Podcast 04/10/2018

DGC #32 - No Thousands Were Armed In The Making Of This Podcast Listen in as we discuss Exist Archive, a tri-Ace game burdened with being the spiritual successor to Valkyrie Profile! Marvel as we tear it apart! Discover who calls Yamatoga "daddy" first! The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6467134

M&K #5 - Making Pancakes 03/23/2018

M&K #5 - Making Pancakes Our prophesied journey through the Witcher novel saga reaches its penultimate stage as we discuss The Tower of the Swallow(s), a book about a tower named after either one or two birds! Devon (@invisifool) and Sam (@SamuelHowitt) discuss... a lot of things, as this book contains Plot! So much Plot. This episode has a general CONTENT WARNING for general edginess and a specific one for drug use. Send us your questions by tweeting us, or via email at Music used, in order: Alexander James Adams - Wild Hunt Yoshino Yuuji - Wakaki Nendaiki Sakka /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6401719

DGC #31 - I Can't Believe It's Not Bacon 03/05/2018

DGC #31 - I Can't Believe It's Not Bacon This month, we handle discussing Shadow Hearts, a rather stupid game that has its heart in the right place. And given that the monster designs include organs in the very wrong place, that's a feat! The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6331828

WR #2 - The Legendary Podcast of the Slimes!? 02/15/2018

WR #2 - The Legendary Podcast of the Slimes!? In round 2, we're talking about a rpgmaker game that inspired John as a kiddo, which led to a candid discussion on dorky games, dev communities, and what any of this is for anyway. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6265177

DGC #30 - One Rudra's Treasure Is Our Trash 02/05/2018

DGC #30 - One Rudra's Treasure Is Our Trash In this very subtly named episode of Dead Genre Chronicles, we discuss Treasure of the Rudras (Rudra no Hihou), a Squaresoft RPG for the SNES that was never released in the west until a fan-translation made it available! It's on our Don't Play list! The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6225602

M&K #4 - Baptism of Fire 01/26/2018

M&K #4 - Baptism of Fire Our journey through the Witcher saga carries on, through Baptism of Fire, the third novel. Join Devon (@invisifool) and Sam (@SamuelHowitt) for the discussion of Geralt's misadventures through a warzone! This episode has a general CONTENT WARNING for general edginess and a specific one for a mention of miscarriage and abortion. Send us your questions by tweeting us, or via email at Music used, in order: Alexander James Adams - Wild Hunt Yoshino Yuuji - Wakaki Nendaiki Sakka /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6191794

DGC #29 - Who Names Their Child Sprunt? 01/10/2018

DGC #29 - Who Names Their Child Sprunt? Join us in our most brief episode yet to discuss an equally brief tactical RPG by a now-defunct studio! Luminous Arc is something you can probably pass on. Note: somehow we didn't touch on how basically every enemy NPC pulls from really weird tables for their random names, and Sprunt was definitely a human unit's name. Who would subject their child to that? The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6136699

M&K #3 - Time of Contempt 12/23/2017

M&K #3 - Time of Contempt Our journey through the Witcher series continues with the second novel, Time of Contempt! Devon (@invisifool) and Sam (@SamuelHowitt) carry on through technological difficulty to bring you this discussion of the first substantial entry in the saga! This episode has a CONTENT WARNING for mentions of suicide and sexual assault. Send us your questions by tweeting us, or via email at Music used, in order: Alexander James Adams - Wild Hunt Alexander James Adams - Balance of Nature Yoshino Yuuji - Wakaki Nendaiki Sakka /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6085744

DGC #28 - There's No Way My Little Sister Can Be A Goddess 12/14/2017

DGC #28 - There's No Way My Little Sister Can Be A Goddess Toss another one in the "Don't Actually Play" pile, folks; on this episode, we discuss the generally unfortunate Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete! The music tracks used have been commissioned from Fuzzy Proxy. /episode/index/show/deadgenrechronicles/id/6046011

Live Genre Chronicles

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