August Behind the Scenes: The Games that Inspire Us

Happy end of August! We hope you've stayed cool and have created at least a few fun summer memories for 2025.

This month, we wanted to talk about the video games that have inspired us over the years as storytellers. Games are a unique medium, and we both feel very lucky to have grown up during a time when we started with the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and the Sega Genesis, and now we can play massive, graphically intensive games with our friends at the touch of a button.

Let's get started!

Impactful Narratives

Ry: I had spent most of my childhood playing action games, platformers, and fighting games. Storytelling took kind of a backseat in all of these genres. It wasn't until playing Super Mario RPG and Final Fantasy VIII that I really developed a love for storytelling and saw how it could be integrated into video games.

After I had played those two games, RPGs consumed my life, and I was constantly on the look out for the "next big story." It came to a point where if the game didn't have a strong story-telling aspect, then I wasn't going to be interested. I started playing FFVII, FFIX, FFX, and grew to love darker RPGs like Shin Megami Tensei, and the rest is history.

To date, some of my favorite narratives that I've found in games are Phantasy Star Online, Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne (this is honestly one of my top 3 favorite stories of all time in video games), and Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

Cat: I grew up with the Sega Genesis, which meant a lot of Disney platformers and Battletoads. It wasn't until I was in high school that my friend introduced me to Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VIII. I couldn't believe that games were capable of such rich stories and characters that drew me in like we were best friends. My first fictional crush was on Squall, and I have a Griever tattoo LOL

As anyone who's talked to me or met me knows, NieR: Gestalt and NieR: Automata hold very special places in my heart. Yoko Taro's storytelling changed my life and I have a tattoo sleeve dedicated to both.

The other series I love talking about is The Witcher. I love that everyone's Geralt is a little bit different at the end, and we can share these stories about what "our Geralt" did.

Incredible Characters

Ry: Yuna Yuna Yuna Yuna Yuna Yuna. Yuna, from Final Fantasy X, is the perfect example of a "female protagonist" done right. She's kind, she's thoughtful, and she's strong without needing physical strength and without disrespecting her peers or betters. As time goes on, there's a gradual shift in understanding that she must stand up against the very thing that she believes in, and that takes a lot of courage.

Ramza, in Final Fantasy Tactics, is another character who I have an immense amount of respect for. This is a guy who understands the weight and tragedy of war, and even when faced with the possibility of losing his sister, he decides not to give up an item that could change the tides of war. That kind of maturity is unheard of, because you can see him struggle with the decision, but he holds to it.

Cat: Celes from Final Fantasy VI is my favorite female character in all of video games. I resonated so much with her story. She's capable, intelligent, strong, and courageous. She starts the game on the "wrong" side of history, and she has to come to terms with that. Everything about her arc is so well done and speared me right through the heart, and I might have maybe a little bit took Ceres's name as inspiration.

9S in NieR: Automata rocked my world. Honestly, he's the main character. 2B's there for show. 9S's whole story is beautiful, tragic, and perfect. Watching his descent took me multiple sessions because it made me cry. It takes a lot to make a game make me cry, but this one absolutely did.

Peak Worldbuilding

Ry: I miss old Bioware. Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect. Dragon Age: Origins is extremely inspirational for magic systems and how the world views magic in general. Lyriam is a really interesting idea and is the main basis for how magic is used in the game. The fact that there's an entire tower dedicated to locking these people up says a lot. There's so much I can say about this game that could honestly take up the entire post.

In Mass Effect, the history behind the Quarians, Krogans, and the Asari is all extremely fascinating. Any one of these species would work well in a science fiction story. The game does a fantastic job of melding together their cultures and beliefs, giving them a very believable world view when compared to humans and their peers.

Cat: Lost Odyssey has some of the most gorgeous, palpable countries, cities, and cultures in games. I loved the designs for the regions, the outfits, and the armor. The fact that it spans over so much time is really interesting, and brings new meaning to each place that you visit. There are worlds within worlds in this game. I keep hoping they'll release it on Steam, because right now, it's still only available on the XBOX 360.

Another one that blew my mind is SIGNALIS. If you've stopped by the stream, you've likely heard me talk about it at some point. We had Ravyn art done of her as Falke. In just a span of 10 hours, I felt like I was able to build an entire picture of a nightmarish dystopia through pieces in the scenery like posters, articles, radios, the monsters, and the memories.

Buttery Smooth Mechanics

Ry: I wouldn't call this one "buttery smooth," but mechanics that really appeal to me are those that do something weird or unusual. Ragnarok Online is one that I will sing praises for until I'm on my death bed. It was the main inspiration behind how EaC!'s skill system works, alongside Etrian Odyssey. Unlike the games of today, in Ragnarok Online, you can't get every skill, you can't max all of your stats, and there isn't an item level. It is a game of pure, horizontal progression barring your base and job level. Builds can be so unique, that you can ask four people how to play a class, and they could all give you different answers.

Cat: This category definitely applies more to Ry since he's the master of EaC!'s background mechanics. I will say, the MMOs that will inspire me in this vein are Ragnarok Online, Aion, and Tera. I had so much fun with all three of those games, and they created classes that are engaging and take a good measure of skill to fully master.

Thanks for joining us! I hope this helps give you a little more insight into our storytelling inspirations! What are some of your favorite games and why?