“MAGE CAST” episode #023 – Casual Discourse on Somniloquy
2 min read
This episode we dive headfirst into the horrors of a cult classic: Shadow Hearts, discussing how to win a game of hangman, the definition of cult classic, our take on Lovecraft’s works and Lovecraftian themes present in Shadow Hearts, purple prose and classic literature, anti-anthropocentrism and cosmic horror, the technical word for fear of dolls (never use it, please), what the greatest scene in video game history is (hint: it involves a train), voice acting performances and how to measure their quality, actors treating their lines like they’re in toy commercials, the distinction between loving something for what it is and critiquing a performance, good vs bad dialogue, the unique difficulties which translation presents in attempting to preserve original intent, the context of horror RPGs, favorite characters and their motivations, the harmony of ideas in the Shadow Hearts soundtrack plus Yasunori Mitsuda (!), sensible nostalgia for the 90s and what that decade accomplished in games vs crappy things that can be abolished to history books, the Judgment Ring and mechanical innovations in Shadow Hearts, and finally, why this game didn’t do so great upon release.
Guests: @aroselric and @teacherbloke85
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Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage, Mage Cast, or Story Mode.
Fantastic episode for a fantastic game (and series)! Every time I read or listen to anything here it always gets my own creative impulse burning, which is such an added bonus!