Explore every episode of the podcast The Book of Mudora

We play the final episode of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Despite our struggles with this game, in part due to an aggressive play schedule, The After Years is a worthwhile entry in the series that does some interesting things with the episodic format.

We play Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, the episodically-released sequel to Final Fantasy IV. This week's episodes are, in order, Palom's Tale, Edge's Tale, Porom's Tale, Edward's Tale, and The Lunarians' Tale. The After Years reveals itself to be an uneven but not meritless experience that values slow character development over fast-paced drama.

We play Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, the episodically-released sequel to Final Fantasy IV. This week's episodes are, in order, Ceodore's Tale, Kain's Tale, Rydia's Tale, and Yang's Tale. The After Years is often tedious to play compared to the relatively propulsive Final Fantasy IV, but it's still an interesting experiment in the contemporary trend of episodic gaming.

Crystal tells Monica and Cameron about her time playing the base Bastok storyline of Final Fantasy XI.

Watch Crystal and Ava’s whole journey through FFXI on YouTube!

We answer emails sent from December 2025 to June 2026, discussing both Zelda and Final Fantasy! Some topics include the potential matrilineality of the Hyrule royal family, the value of protagonists that lack identity, and tips for Ganon to conquer Hyrule permanently.

We play Final Fantasy XII from the Ridorana Cataract to completion. The game is really good!

We play Final Fantasy XII from arriving at Balfonheim Port until deciding to leave for the Ridorana Cataract. Where other Final Fantasy games struggle to write one compelling villain, XII has no fewer than four!

We play Final Fantasy XII from leaving for the Stilshrine of Miriam until arriving at Balfonheim Port. XII’s Dungeon:Cutscene ratio suddenly spikes, but the story still delivers!

We play Final Fantasy XII from leaving for the Land of the Garif until deciding to head for the Stilshrine of Miriam. XII reintroduces sister drama to Final Fantasy!

We play Final Fantasy XII from arriving in Bhujerba until completing events on the Shiva. XII continues to impress by elegantly interweaving political drama and character drama!

We play Final Fantasy XII until just before heading to Bhujerba. XII is one of Cameron and Monica's favorites, and it makes a strong first impression on Crystal too!

We discuss Akira Kurosawa's influential 1958 adventure film The Hidden Fortress, which influenced Final Fantasy XII!

We discuss Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, the feature-length animated film that continues the story of Final Fantasy VII.

Continuing their project to replay every Zelda game for the series’ 40th anniversary, Cameron and Monica discuss Link’s Awakening.

We talk for 1.5 hours about the 1.5 minute teaser for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (2026)! What does Ocarina mean to us, what is its historical importance, and what are the avenues for its reinterpretation?

Cameron and Monica discuss their favorite games of 2025, as they previously wrote about for Gamesline.net!

Baldur's Gate 3 Spoilers Begin at 0:13:55
Baldur's Gate 3 Spoilers End at 0:20:41

Blue Prince Spoilers Begin at 0:29:28
Blue Prince Spoilers End at 0:33:15

DK Bananza Spoilers Start at 0:49:30
DK Bananza Spoilers End at 0:52:55

Metroid Prime 4 Spoilers Begin at 1:35:04
Metroid Prime 4 Spoilers End at 2:01:21

Pokemon Legends Z-A Spoilers Begin at 2:24:35
Pokemon Legends Z-A Spoilers End at 2:26:48

Continuing their project to replay every Zelda game for the series’ 40th anniversary, Cameron and Monica discuss A Link to the Past.

We discuss Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishō~, a novella sequel to Final Fantasy X-2, and Final Fantasy X -Will-, a 30-minute audio drama sequel to the novella. Both were released in 2013 in association with the HD remasters of FFX and FFX-2. These sequels are poorly received by most fans, but we quite like them!

We discuss Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission, the roguelike bonus campaign included in Final Fantasy X-2 International that serves as an epilogue to the main game. In Last Mission, Yuna, Rikku, and Paine have substantive conversations with each other.

We play through Chapters 4 and 5 of Final Fantasy X-2, which leaves us with mixed feelings as we complete the main game.

We play through Chapter 3 of Final Fantasy X-2, where we lose patience with the game’s disjointed and shallow storytelling.

We play through Chapter 2 of Final Fantasy X-2, which highlights that the tertiary characters of Spira are not that compelling.

We play through Chapter 1 of Final Fantasy X-2, which leaves us with an enthusiasm for the game's style.

We discuss Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm, a 15-minute bonus cutscene that served as an epilogue to Final Fantasy X International, and was later framed as the prologue to Final Fantasy X-2.

Continuing their project to replay every Zelda game for the series’ 40th anniversary, Cameron and Monica discuss Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

We discuss episodes 21-25 of Final Fantasy Unlimited, in which Earl Tyrant enters a new state of being.

We discuss episodes 16-20 of Final Fantasy Unlimited, in which the fate of the Hayakawa parents is finally revealed.

We discuss episodes 11-15 of Final Fantasy Unlimited, in which a train is replaced by a submarine.

We discuss episodes 6-10 of Final Fantasy Unlimited, in which new worlds and characters are revealed to little enthusiasm, until a surprisingly good 10th episode.

We discuss episodes 1-5 of Final Fantasy Unlimited, studio Gonzo’s 2001 anime series that got cut short due to Square’s financial difficulties. These episodes present Final Fantasy as a series about children journeying through a surreal world, with a reliable formula for every episode.

As part of their project to replay every Zelda game for the series’ 40th anniversary, Cameron and Monica discuss The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda.

We clear our backlog of emails regarding all the Zelda and Final Fantasy games we’ve currently played! Some topics we discuss include the prevalence of borderless spaces in Termina, the role of blue people in FFIX, and a defense of “Link is Dead” theory.

We play Chapter 5 and 6 of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Along the way, we discuss the sparsity of Ganondorf, the new tension between the elemental forces of Sacred Power and Gloom, and the impressive achievement of a retelling of Ocarina of Time with less moral complexity.

We play Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment through Chapter 3 and 4. Along the way, we discuss the homogeneity of combat strategy, the extreme politeness between characters, and the violence of Rauru's Hyrule.

We play Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment through Chapter 1 and 2. Along the way, we discuss Nintendo's sudden concern for canon, their ongoing concern with racist stereotypes, and how it doesn't end the world to give Zelda a sword.

We answer both Zelda and Final Fantasy emails! Some topics we discuss include a potential fate of Sonia and Rauru’s possible child, Ellone’s ambiguous status as a sorceress, and the nuances of letting Zelda use the Sword.

We play Final Fantasy X to completion. Along the way, we discuss the importance of a grueling dungeon to the theme of hope and sorrow, the shocking fate of Zanarkand, and how Final Fantasy X does or does not change what it means to be a Final Fantasy game.

We play Final Fantasy X from the Zanarkand Ruins to just before the final battle against Sin. Along the way, we discuss the odd coldness between Tidus and Yuna, the clunky pacing of the second half of the game, and the dogged persistence of Final Fantasy III's themes.

We play Final Fantasy X from entering the Calm Lands to just before arriving at the Zanarkand Ruins. Along the way, we discuss the superfluous role of Kimahri, the value of a side quest, and Tidus' willingness to lie to Yuna.

We play Final Fantasy X from the first save point on an Airship to just before entering the Calm Lands. Along the way, we discuss the most romantic cutscene ever animated, some much more awkward cutscenes in Bevelle, and the disappointingly shallow portrayal of Yevon leadership.

We play Final Fantasy X from Macalania Woods to the first save point on an Airship. Along the way, we discuss the way characters talk around painful truths, what Tidus offers Yuna, and the odd pacing of cutscenes and dungeons.

We play Final Fantasy X from leaving the Djose Temple to arriving at Macalania Woods. Along the way, we discuss the new theme of romantic jealousy, the returning theme of racism, and FFX characters as reimaginings of FFVII characters.

We play Final Fantasy X from arriving at the Mi'ihen Highlands to completing the Djose Temple. Along the way, we discuss the journey-type structure of the game, the first appearance of an evil church in the series, and what it means for Yuna to smile.

We play Final Fantasy X from boarding the ship to leave Besaid to arriving at the Mi’ihen Highroad. Along the way, we discuss what makes romance writing good, the unusual relationship between Wakka and Lulu, and the narrative design of the Jecht Shot.

We play Final Fantasy X from the beginning to just before boarding the ship to leave Besaid. Along the way, we discuss behind-the-scenes production information, how FFX responds to 8 and 9, and the welcome return of untimed turn-based battles.

We discuss the 2001 film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Hironobu Sakaguchi’s big bet on photorealistic animation. The bet failed and permanently stained his career, but the movie is actually a fascinating summation of his vision of Final Fantasy. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not really a Final Fantasy movie!

Kuja proves that all life will eventually choose destruction.

Zidane returns to the homeland that he forgot.