The Axe of the Blood God.

Welcome to another episode of Acts of the Blood God,

U.S. Gamer's official RPG podcast.

I'm your host, Kat Bailey, back from

the United Kingdom, what some might call the green and pleasant country, but apparently is also

nicknamed Old Blighty, which is news to the people over there. But anyway, I was hanging out

with the staff of Eurogamer, but I am now officially back. And joining me today is Bob Mackey,

who does not travel. I'm not allowed to leave the country. I don't mean to rub salt in your wounds.

It's just funny that we're jetting around the country and you're stuck back here. I just got a

passport. I can't tell anyone where I'm going, but it'll be a big fun surprise. Congratulations. You're ready to like explore the wonders beyond our borders.

I'm ready to finally get out of this crazy country we call America.

Speaking of wonders beyond our borders, we're going to be talking about quite a few

games today, including Japanese RPGs, which is very exciting. But we're going to start

with Undertale, which Bob just reviewed, and I've played a bit of. I don't think I've gotten

out of the tutorial dungeon, but it's interesting game. Do you want to kind of summarize it for us?

Sure. The problem is, and if you read my review, I go over this a few times. The problem with talking about Undertale is giving away specifics will ruin it for a lot of people because it's a game very much built around surprising you.

But essentially it is a send-up of Japanese RPGs, but it essentially uses the tropes of those

RPGs and the mechanics and the systems in order to build a certain kind of familiarity

with those ideas, and then it immediately will subvert them at every opportunity.

That's what it does the best.

So that's basically my

elevator pitch for Undertail. It is a game that uses the JRP mechanics in order to subvert them

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