Pokemon Champions is here and we have expert guests Casey DeFreitas and Kallie Plagge to get you up to speed.

We get deep into the tall grass of Pokemon competitive battling, and ask the question: How do the gatcha components of Pokemon Champions affect players new and old? The tension between serving the new player and fulfilling the seasoned player runs high!

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:

Timestamps:

00:07:40 - Main Topic

01:02:40 - Random Encounters

01:03:53 - Tavern

1:26:42 - 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]

Champions Music - [Pokémon Champions]

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Pre-order Nadia's book!
https://retrogamebooks.com/products/from-pixels-to-prose-what-video-games-taught-me-about-storytelling
Once you're done that come back and listen to a nice chill episode on a relaxing slow news week. Victor and Nadia discuss their favourite canine and feline party members in RPG history with plenty of help from our community! All that and so much more on this domesticated episode of Axe of the Blood God! And the name of the KTEH producer I was trying to think of was the late Karen Roberts.

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:

From Pixels to Prose by Nadia Oxford

Animorphs

Weird Canadian TV

Final Fantasy Dissidia Duellum update!

Timestamps:

10:08 - Main Topic - The Best Cats and Dogs in RPGs

54:13 - Random Encounters

59:54 - Tavern - Nadia Wrote a Book!

1:23:00 - 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]

Break it down - inside the cinema - [Persona Q2]

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Ride on! Victor and Nadia are joined by special guests David Oxford and Ash Paulsen to discuss the new Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. Is this the best Mega Man collection yet in terms of raw options? Do we recommend jumping into the Mega Man RPGs from the Star Force series? Did we mention you can probably skip Star Force 2? All that plus a very exciting surprise segment, and much more on this cosmic 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 Mega Mandela Effect

Vector Translations' Xenosaga I&II DS fan-translation

Blue Reflection: Quartet

Tomodachi Life

Dissidia Duellum

How to play Boktai in 2026

Kura5

Timestamps:

11:30 - Main Topic - Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection

55:28 - ITS THE RAGTIME MOUSE

1:04:28 - Random Encounters

1:12:22 - Tavern - Tomodachi Life, Dissidia Duellum

1:36:32 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook

Music Used in this Episode:

Ragtime Mouse - [Final Fantasy IX]

Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

Pub - [Lunar Knights]

A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

Rise as a Hero - [Mega Man Star Force]

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With takes as hot as the desert sands, Eric, Nadia, Victor, and special guest Joseph Bradford discuss March's hottest RPG Crimson Desert. Does it work as a prequel to hit MMO Black Desert Online? Is it greater than the sum of its many many many parts? Does anyone like the main guy? All these questions and more answered on this sandy-but-not-as-sandy-as-you'd-think 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:

Dread Delusion

Animal Crossing City Folk

The Ratline

Dragon Quest X

Greiga Master's Mega Man Battle Network: Phantom of Network PC Port

I promise, I PROMISE, we will do our best to stop talking about how awful AI is but studios need to stop forcing our hand. We want to to be free from this curse.

Timestamps:

13:08 - Main Topic - Crimson Desert

1:22:48 - Random Encounters - AI in Crimson Desert

1:50:08 - The Tavern

02:10:08 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook

Music Used in this Episode:

Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

Pub - [Lunar Knights]

A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

Having Fun - [Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors]

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Probably a good idea to start learning how to salvage a dead civilization and there's no better teacher than Ditto. Pokopia is here and Eric and Nadia have plenty to share about this new Pokemon spin-off from the developers behind the cult-classic Dragon Quest Builders.

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:

It's always been Dragon Slayer

Slay the Spire 2

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Patch 7.5 Live Letter

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

Timestamps:

11:12 - Main Topic - Pokopia

49:40 - Random Encounters

54:00 - Sharlayan Dropouts - Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.5 - Trail to the Heavens

1:15:20 - The Tavern - Monster Hunter Stories 3

1:30:08 - Slay the Spire 2

02:07:26 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook

Music Used in this Episode:

Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

Pub - [Lunar Knights]

A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

Celadon City - [Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's A some Qs.
From RPGs that deserve a fighting game adaptation to the importance of physical strategy guides; it's a jam-packed extra-long episode as Nadia, Eric, and Victor answer questions from our community and prove themselves incapable of effective time management -- to your benefit!

Further Reading:
Sharlayan Dropouts - Our FFXIV Fighting Game Roster

Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠

Also in this episode:

Gary Larson's Far Cry

I forgot to mention that the spin-off that I really want is a Final Fantasy Fitness Boxing

Eric's been playing Pokopia

Eric's been playing Slay the Spire 2

Timestamps:

12:00 - Main Topic - March Mailbag!

23:32 - Ys?

25:00 - Fan-translations

30:36 - Noping out

37:52 - The perfect Valkyria Chronicles/Sakura Wars

41:04 - Embarrassing games

47:20 - Challenges that elude us

52:12 - What RPG should be a fighting game

1:04:00 - The importance of old strategy guides

1:18:56 - The past few months of change

1:34:00 - Resident. Eeeevilll.

1:36:32 - Random Encounters

1:50:30 - The Tavern - Pokopia

2:02:26 - The Tavern - Slay the Spire 2

02:07:26 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook

Music Used in this Episode:

Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

Pub - [Lunar Knights]

A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

Theme of Valkyria (Guitar Version) - [Valkyria Chronicles III]

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There's a cavalcade of indie RPG demos fighting for your attention this week and Eric, Nadia, Victor, and special guest Lucas White are here to help you find some of the ones worth wishlisting! From hardcore dungeon crawls, to neon musicals, to impressionistic adventures, and everything in-between! Plus Pokemon, Tales, Ys, and a whole lot more on this jam-packed episode of Axe of the Blood God!

Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠

Also in this episode:

Did Tales of Berseria need the Remaster treatment?

Pokemon 30th Anniversary announcements galore! Winds, Waves, HitClips!

Ys X: Proud Nordics might just have the sauce

Everything is Battle Network

Timestamps:

09:58 - Main Topic - Steam Next Fest RPG Highlights!

10:20 - Parasite Mutant

22:20 - Annihilated

29:12 - Zero Parades: For Dead Spies

44:00 - THREE VERSES^3

49:40 - Calamity Angel: Special Delivery

54:24 - Esoteric Ebb

58:16 - Vampire Crawlers

1:04:32 - Curse Chapter: Dawnthief

1:07:04 - People of Note

1:13:04 - Random Encounters

1:18:46 - Mini-boss! - Pokemon News Galore! Winds, Waves, HitClips!

1:26:24 - The Tavern - Ys X Proud Nordics

1:36:24 - Tales of Berseria Remastered

01:49:20 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook

Music Used in this Episode:

Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

Pub - [Lunar Knights]

A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

Theme of Velvet - [Tales of Berseria]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Note: 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.
It's been a hell of a news week so we're gearing up for an Oops! All Random Encounters. From major pillars of the game industry collapsing in spectacular fashion, to sequels we never thought we'd see; it's a jam-packed week that is sure to have ramifications that we'll be feeling for years on this tumultuous episode of Axe of the Blood God!

Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠

Also in this episode:

Sony shuts down Bluepoint

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

Shutaro Iida's passing

The ghost in Mario 3's shell

Timestamps:

07:30 - Main Topic - Random Encounters - Xbox news!

29:36 - Bluepoint

1:00:00 - .hack//ZERO

1:15:44 - Tavern - Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse

01:38:08 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook

Music Used in this Episode:

Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

Pub - [Lunar Knights]

A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

Mac Anu - [.hack//INFECTION]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The gas leak isn't the only thing in the air; so is love!
Whether you spent Valentine's day with that special someone or that special someone is you, we've got an episode full of our favourite romanceable NPCs in RPGs, with a game show twist! Nadia, Eric, and Victor tell on themselves while trying to read each other's minds. All that and more on a very lovely episode of Axe of the Blood God.

Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠

Also in this episode:

Discord is introducing their age-verification system; what we're doing about it

Timestamps:

09:28 - Main Topic - Valentine's Day Special - Round 1 - Fire Emblem

21:20 - Round 2 - Mass Effect

36:56 - Round 3 - Stardew Valley

52:04 - Round 4 - Harvest Moon

1:04:56 - Round 5 - Dragon Quest

1:09:44 - Round 6 - Final Fantasy

1:22:04 - Round 7 - Pokemon Champions

1:30:40 - Round 8 - Tales of Symphonia

1:37:32 - Round 9 - Baldur's Gate

1:44:56 - Round 10 - Love and Deepspace

44:37 - Random Encounters (minibosses)

01:20:30 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook

Music Used in this Episode:

Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is here, and so are the hot takes! Nadia, Eric, Victor and guest Lucas White react to the game and the criticism it’s getting out the gate. What is “quality of life” in gaming, and if you could “Click” (2006) your way through life, would you?

Subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod⁠ and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at ⁠https://shop.bloodgodpod.com⁠

Also in this episode:

Timestamps:

08:22 - Main Topic - DQVII

44:37 - Random Encounters (minibosses)

01:20:30 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook

Music Used in this Episode:

Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]

A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]

Seven Mysteries - [PARANORMASIGHT The Seven Mysteries of Honjo]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices