How Final Fantasy Taught Me the Word ‘Jihad’
From censorship to sensitivity, there’s a lot to unpack in the story behind FFVI’s Crusader summon.
Bahamut and Behemoth: One and the Same?
Final Fantasy’s king of dragons has a special link to one of the game’s recurring enemies.
Sea Hag or Sagahin? A Quick History of an RPG Water Monster
Final Fantasy’s resident mermen come from D&D but draw on a richer and weirder variety of sources.
Meet Mega Man’s Brother, Bruce
It’s GamePro’s fault that I was technically wrong about Mega Man III on the playground back in 1990.
The Story Behind Super Mario RPG’s Valentina
Originally, Valentina was planned for a different storyline, but no worries — she always had a parrot on her head.
A Parade of Princess Peach Prototypes
The benevolent Mushroom Kingdom monarch wasn’t always what she is today.
What Is the Etymology of ‘Goomba’?
And when did Nintendo decide that Mario was Italian-American?
The Extended Capcom Darkstalkers Universe
Celebrating Halloween with Darkstalkers and the various other horror-adjacent Capcom monsters.
Dogs, Popeye and the Super Mario Bros. Anime
A story about jeeps and Japanese dumplings and the canine members of the Mario universe.
Is There a John Candy Joke in the Ending to Castlevania?
Joke credits like Boris Karloffice namecheck the game’s horror movie inspirations, but not all of them are quite so obvious.
The Many Mysteries of Castlevania’s Sypha Belnades
Is she actually supposed to be Cipher Fernandez?
What’s With the Equals Signs in Golden Axe?
A story about swinging blades, ripping muscles and… punctuation.
How Popeye Changed Video Games
Popeye lives, just not so much in the medium that made him famous.
Unpacking the Sounds of Earthbound’s Arcade
Just as the Earthbound soundtrack is full of samples, the music in the Onett arcade also lifts from some classic video game OSTs.
Super Mario Bros. 3 Happened Before Super Mario Bros. 2
There’s a reason that Mario’s sprite in SMB2 looks better than his sprite in SMB3.
Who Put the ‘P’ in the P-Wing?
Essentially, the “P” stands for “Paratroopa.” Or “Patapata.” But probably not “Power.”
A Short History of the Goomba
The lowliest member of the Koopa Troop asks you to decide whether he’s a mushroom or a chestnut.
Is Princess Lana Based on Palutena from Kid Icarus?
At least design-wise, the Captain N: The Game Master character was inspired by an existing Nintendo character.
Is Samurai Shodown II Referencing a Real-Life 16th-Century Cyborg?
There may be a real-life, historical inspiration behind all this iron-fisting.
The Real-Life Revolutionaries Behind Charlotte from Samurai Shodown
Like many iconic fighting game characters, Charlotte represents a fusion of history and pop culture into something new.