State of the Arc Podcast

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Our podcast breaks down the techniques of great storytelling across our favorite games, movies, literature, and music. I also occasionally upload music I've arranged or composed!

Recent Episodes
  • How Final Fantasy IX Closed a Golden Age | FF9 Analysis (Ep.1) | Ft. Final Fantasy Union
    Jun 8, 2025 – 01:25:22
  • The Music Of Final Fantasy X w/ Final Fantasy Union ​
    Jun 2, 2025 – 01:36:29
  • 26 Years Later Suikoden II Hits Harder Than Ever
    May 25, 2025 – 00:21:55
  • Kubrick’s Mind-Bending Masterpiece, Explained 2001 A Space Odyssey State of the Arc Podcast
    May 21, 2025 – 02:49:28
  • Suikoden HD Remaster Review | Worth Playing In 2025?
    May 19, 2025 – 00:23:27
  • Dark Gaia | Terranigma Analysis (Finale) | State of the Arc Podcast
    May 13, 2025 – 02:22:16
  • The Hidden Meaning Behind Tidus' Cringey Laugh
    May 12, 2025 – 00:20:17
  • Expedition 33 Story Discussion | State of the Arc Podcast
    May 7, 2025 – 00:54:40
  • Expedition 33: Our Final Verdict After 100 Hours
    May 5, 2025 – 00:26:02
  • Resurrection Of The Genius | Terranigma Analysis (Ep.4) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Apr 30, 2025 – 01:41:57
  • The Incredible History Of Nintendo W/ Acquired | State of the Arc Podcast
    Apr 28, 2025 – 01:42:28
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review | The Best RPG In 20 Years?
    Apr 23, 2025 – 00:28:02
  • Death of the Author: Finding Meaning in Art | State of the Arc Podcast
    Apr 21, 2025 – 01:35:24
  • Life Is IL-LO-GI-CAL | Terranigma Analysis (Ep.3) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Apr 16, 2025 – 02:09:07
  • Preserving Good Old Games | State of the Arc Podcast
    Apr 14, 2025 – 01:06:54
  • The Greatest RPG You Never Played | Terranigma Analysis (Ep.2) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Apr 9, 2025 – 02:14:35
  • The Switch 2 Is Seriously Impressive | State of the Arc Podcast
    Apr 7, 2025 – 00:41:13
  • The Mysterious Development History Of Terranigma (Ep.1) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Apr 2, 2025 – 01:35:40
  • A Switch Eulogy: Looking Back | State of the Arc Podcast
    Mar 31, 2025 – 01:00:23
  • Should Final Fantasy DOWNGRADE to AA? | State of the Arc Podcast
    Mar 24, 2025 – 01:49:08
  • The Music of Final Fantasy VIII and IX | State of the Arc Podcast
    Mar 17, 2025 – 01:44:26
  • The Music of Final Fantasy VII | State of the Arc Podcast
    Mar 10, 2025 – 01:35:16
  • The Music of Final Fantasy | SNES Era | State of the Arc Podcast
    Mar 3, 2025 – 01:17:50
  • The Music of Final Fantasy | NES Era | State of the Arc Podcast
    Feb 24, 2025 – 01:29:59
  • Way Deeper Than You Remember | The NeverEnding Story Analysis | State of the Arc Podcast (Ft. Keith Comito)
    Feb 19, 2025 – 01:40:19
  • Why Children SHOULD Play Video Games | State of the Arc Podcast
    Feb 18, 2025 – 01:24:07
  • Is Turn Based Combat OUTDATED? | State of the Arc Podcast
    Feb 17, 2025 – 00:50:43
  • Unqualified For Free Will | Metal Gear Solid 2 Analysis (Finale) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Feb 11, 2025 – 02:47:00
  • TURN THE GAME OFF RIGHT NOW! | Metal Gear Solid 2 Analysis (Ep.7) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Feb 4, 2025 – 02:00:52
  • Top 20 Game Soundtracks | The Best Music In Video Games | State of the Arc Podcast
    Feb 3, 2025 – 02:05:21
  • A Family "Affair" | Metal Gear Solid 2 Analysis (Ep.6) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 29, 2025 – 01:34:14
  • Bring Back Pre-Rendered Backgrounds! | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 27, 2025 – 00:58:17
  • Who Are The Patriots? | Metal Gear Solid 2 Analysis (Ep.5) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 21, 2025 – 01:40:25
  • Is The Switch 2 The FUTURE Of Gaming? | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 20, 2025 – 00:49:34
  • Laugh and grow fat! | Metal Gear Solid 2 Analysis (Ep.5) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 15, 2025 – 01:26:52
  • How Final Fantasy VII Pulled Off Its Mind-Bending Twist | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 13, 2025 – 01:05:30
  • War As A Video Game | Metal Gear Solid 2 Analysis (Ep.3) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 7, 2025 – 01:29:42
  • UNDERRATED Games You're Sleeping On | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 6, 2025 – 01:32:05
  • The Snake Returns | Metal Gear Solid 2 Analysis | State of the Arc Podcast
    Jan 1, 2025 – 01:30:00
  • Games We Missed In '24, Games We Want In '25 | State of the Arc Podcast
    Dec 30, 2024 – 00:45:40
  • The Shocking Development History Of Metal Gear Solid 2 | State of the Arc Podcast
    Dec 25, 2024 – 01:29:36
  • Are You BLINDED By NOSTALGIA? | State of the Arc Podcast
    Dec 23, 2024 – 00:48:14
  • Why You Should (Re)Play Metal Gear Solid 2
    Dec 18, 2024 – 00:06:09
  • Final Fantasy Intros Ranked | State of the Arc Podcast
    Dec 11, 2024 – 01:56:17
  • Which Game Will We Cover Next?
    Dec 11, 2024 – 00:06:51
  • Top 10 Intros That Make Games LEGENDS | State of the Arc Podcast
    Dec 5, 2024 – 01:27:23
  • Seeing With Eyes Unclouded By Hate | Princess Mononoke Analysis | State of the Arc Podcast
    Dec 4, 2024 – 02:04:33
  • Discard your memories of past games | The Philosophy of Mono No Aware | State of the Arc Podcast
    Dec 2, 2024 – 01:21:26
  • It's Not A Lake, It's An Ocean | Alan Wake Analysis (FINALE) | State of the Arc Podcast
    Nov 26, 2024 – 01:41:51
  • How To Learn A Language FAST | State of the Arc Podcast
    Nov 25, 2024 – 01:13:38
Recent Reviews
  • ATL0202
    Please don’t stop making podcasts
    I just want to say I resonate with your views, opinions , and life experience as well as video game tastes. Your podcasts are so good. Please don’t stop!
  • Twinson_Snow
    A pleasant corner of the internet
    In depth conversations and analysis about mainly video games topics and science fiction fantasy genres entertainment. If you were growing up and gaming in the 00s in 90s you’ll likely identify with the interest and background. Their discussions both celebrate and critically analyze a game and often have a book club feel as you can play along with them to vicariously join the conversation. They often add related discussions of broad themes of philosophy, good writing, design, game history, and ethics.
  • VieraVel
    Wanted to love it
    I really wanted to support the podcast because they cover so many games that I love and are well spoken, but one of the hosts (Casen) follows a bunch of extremely hateful people on twitter and it completely soured me on the whole thing. :( hard to believe he’s a chud, but oh well. Raw egg nationalist, really? They want to keep it apolitical clearly, but it’s hard to square that away with one of the main hosts flirting with fascism.
  • FullyRendered
    Thoughtful Fun
    One of my favorite gaming podcasts. Enjoy the thoughtful deep dives on RPG story meanings (and LotR). The two hosts have a good camaraderie. Audio quality very good. Keep it up!
  • To cook or not to cook
    Wonderful podcast but …..
    Great analysis , and understanding of material and symbolism . A wide range of games and media made wholly new in their understanding . Only thing Islamist means Islamic fundamentalist - not a Muslim or something inspired by Islamic culture case in point the mention of Rumi in the Journey podcast .
  • cloud1937
    Simply the best
    The single greatest game analysis podcast ever produced. Both of these guys are brilliant and their discussions about games and movies have dramatically enhanced the way that I analyze stories. I look forward to every single project of theirs, even when it’s not a game or movie I’m interested in at first glance. The only potential downside is that after listening to them its tough to go back to the surface level discussions that you get from the vast majority of video game podcasts. Anyone who likes them here should consider their patreon too
  • Mother Kluckin'
    Spicey recited hot takes in depth
    Podcast excels I’m derail with videos games in classic times ! Host very knowledgeable with little salt on the sidelines. Xeno fans rejoice without predicated information for mind tastings. Much recommend!
  • Person who likes this game.
    Fantastic Podcast
    I was really hoping anyone out there could break down Xenogears for me and these guys went above and beyond. Since 2021 I’ve been listening and playing along. Hands-down the best video game podcast I’ve ever listened to. They’ve helped me love games I’ve played even more than I thought possible.
  • AnonymousCropDuster
    Wonderful
    I came for the Nier Automata discussion and so far I am blown away. These episodes have been a masterful companion as I revisit this amazing game. I cannot wait to listen through the podcast backlog on some of the games I’ve played from my past. I love that the focus is on the game’s development, themes, symbolism, characters, philosophy, and story rather than gameplay. The hosts do a fantastic job of unpacking a lot of material. Keep up the great work!
  • Chapter Chumps
    The Real Deal
    Easily the best, most insightful video game podcast I’ve come across. As a huge fan of the series, their final fantasy coverage in particular really gave me a lot to think about in terms of development history and the stories themselves. Definitely worth your time!
  • Brad in Nashville
    Five stars
    Love what you guys do and the passion with which you cover VG stories that were large chunks of my childhood. Keep it up
  • DarkShulk
    Following this team for almost a decade
    You guys just keep knocking it out of the park! Keep up the good work fellas
  • jjes84
    Yay audio!
    Thank goodness for the audio podcast; you boys are too attractive for video. I forget what you’re talking about when I have to stare at your handsome faces for an hour. This way I can appreciate you for your minds.
  • Konigsforst
    More, please!
    Awesome podcast. You guys cover most of the games I fell in love with as a kid but didn’t really appreciate narratively until now. I follow you guys on YouTube as well, but having the podcast is great for when I am at work and can't discreetly leave a video open on my phone. Cheers.
  • Hineti1990
    Excellent
    This podcast is fantastic. I definitely look forward every week to this podcast. If you enjoy deep dives and Book Club-style conversations, this podcast is definitely for you.
  • CaffienatedBrushes
    Great show!
    Every episode has an intriguing topic. Always makes me rethink things and always a great listen. Growing up everyone always had that friend who said “yeah man I love anime and final fantasy! I’m going to learn Japanese i swear” Well Casen actually did it! Eat that
  • k.awami
    Mike and Casen 👍
    One of my favorite podcast, really I enjoyed it very much, it’s been years when i started watching dark pixel now as “Resonant Ark” i can say Mike and Casen are very wonderful people 💯
  • Smahimus87
    Amazing Podcast!
    I came across this podcast thanks to a plug from a friend, and I LOVE it! I came because they’re currently covering one of my all time favorites, Xenogears, and to reexperience it with a better perspective than my idiot child brain of the past, and I’m learning so many more things I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, definitely I’m for the long haul here. And that was solidified by the FF8 series, another of my favorites, that I now understand and appreciate so much more than before. Great podcast
  • Stabasutto
    Amazing
    I stumbled upon Mike and Casen randomly during the peak of COVID while searching for things to listen to at work. They had just recently released the first part of their Final Fantasy 8 Analysis and before I knew it, I had already listened to /viewed all their videos on YouTube. I found myself eagerly waiting each month for their next release. Their analytical skills are top-notch while still be open minded and respectful to the opinions of their viewers. If there’s any podcast I would recommend to video game and story lovers, this one would be the one. They’re worth that Patreon subscriptions and more!
  • Lucas Barrios Pérez
    Anyone who is interested in storytelling. This is it
    Mike and Casen go deep into every analysis and don’t miss a single detail. Everything from story, character designs to gameplay mechanics, even though that’s not often the focus of the discussion, they provide great reasons as to why they think something is great or terrible and I always find myself agreeing with their opinion. It’s great hearing people talking about things they are or feel passionate about and this is no exception.
  • MasterCrane_01
    excellent research!
    5 stars all through out! 👏👏👏
  • gabby1046588
    Love it!
    Im loving the podcast. Especially the FFVIII analysis. You guys are awesome! Keep it up
  • Knights_Alchemy
    A great show
    The podcast is as great as their channel. Although it is undergoing major changes soon, the podcast is always a good battery of analysis and deep dives into thoughts about games. Highly recommend for anyone who cares about games beyond a surface level
  • Mangerton16
    Reliably great video games analysis every week
    One of my favorite podcasts, video game related or otherwise. First, the content schedule is extremely regular. Without fail, every week there is a new episode. Second, this podcast expertly fills a niche in the video game analysis market by focusing on JRPGs. While the hosts will often talk about other major releases, especially those by Nintendo, you can see their passion for and knowlege of JRPGs shine through. There's nobody else who really discusses these games with as good a critical lens, or as consistent a focus. If you like the old SquareSoft classics, or RPGs in general, there isn't a better channel.
  • Layton545
    The greatest podcast ever
    Stop reading this and start listening! It's fantastic.
  • Perrotti
    My favorite gaming podcast
    The Dark Pixel team are three of the most down to earth, likable, and analytical people in the world of video games. Anyone with an interest in video games, rpgs in particular, owes it to themselves to make this podcast a part of their weekly routine. I never thought i would enjoy staying up to date on modern gaming news this much!
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.