Season 1 Episode 23 - Spiritual Successors and Wrap-Up

Season 1 Episode 23 - Spiritual Successors and Wrap-Up

Author: Franchise Festival June 16, 2021 Duration: 1:17:11
Chris, Jasmine, Hamilton, and Spencer survey nearly thirty years of The Legend of Zelda spiritual successors, including Crusader of Centy, Blossom Tales, Okami, Genshin Impact and more. Then they each share their ‘Top 3’ titles in Nintendo’s long-running action-adventure franchise before bidding a fond farewell to Season 1 and looking ahead to Season 2: Resident Evil. Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official website for more video game history resources, and be sure to email us at franchisefestival@gmail.com to let us know what you think. Selected Sources: Gaming Historian – Crusader of Centy: Sega’s Zelda Clone on GenesisBBC America – The Curious Case of Dennis the Menace

Franchise Festival digs into the stories behind the video game series that shaped a medium. Each season is a deep, chronological exploration of a single franchise, tracing its creative and technical evolution from often-humble 1980s origins through to its latest installments. You’ll hear about the design breakthroughs, the business decisions that changed course, and the cultural moments that turned pixels into lasting legends. This isn’t just a review show; it’s about understanding how these interconnected worlds were built, year by year and sometimes crisis by crisis. The podcast favors depth over breadth, spending multiple episodes to fully unpack the development history of noteworthy series like Castlevania, SimCity, or Mega Man. The narrative focuses on the people and processes behind the games-the how and why, not just the what. It’s for anyone who’s ever wondered about the connective tissue between their favorite sequels or the forgotten prototypes that paved the way. Tune in for a thoughtfully researched and structured audio documentary experience, one franchise at a time.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 86

Franchise Festival
Podcast Episodes
Season 5 Episode 12 - Mass Effect 3 (Part 3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:05
Chris & Hamilton walk through the second act of Mass Effect 3, from recruiting Javik (Ike Amadi) to Tuchanka and the Citadel's Cerberus takeover. Along the way, the Rachni Queen - or her clone - makes an exciting appeara…
Season 5 Episode 11 - Mass Effect 3 (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:18
Hamilton, Spencer, and Chris cover the first phase of Commander Shepard's Mass Effect 3 journey, from a trial on Earth to a daring escape from Sur'Kesh. We're reunited with Anderson, Jack, Ashley, Liara, Mordin, Wrex, an…
Season 5 Episode 10 - Mass Effect 3 (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:28
Chris and Hamilton discuss the development and gameplay generalities of Mass Effect 3 before setting up the plot with an overview of Mass Effect 2's "Arrival" DLC mission.
Season 5 Episode 9 - Games of the Year, 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:35
Chris, Hamilton, and Spencer discuss their favorite games of 2025 (more or less), along with some honorable mentions. Don't worry, it's spoiler-free! Topics include: The Seance at Blake Manor The Roottrees Are Dead Final…
Season 5 Episode 8 - Mass Effect 2 (Part 5) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:35
Chris and Hamilton conclude their whirlwind tour through Mass Effect 2 with the Lair of the Shadow Broker mission, Legion's recruitment, and the climax of the Collectors' nefarious plot.
Season 5 Episode 7 - Mass Effect 2 (Part 4) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:29
Chris, Spencer, and returning guest Lily discuss nearly all remaining loyalty missions in Mass Effect 2 and make a surprising discovery on-board the derelict Collector vessel. Be sure to check out Lily's great work at Th…
Season 5 Episode 6 - Mass Effect 2 (Part 3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:37
Chris, Hamilton, and Spencer are joined by The Avocado's Lily Bones to discuss Mass Effect 2 recruitments (Samara, Thane, and Tali) as well as the loyalty missions for Garrus and Jack. Please note that we had some audio…
Season 5 Episode 5 - Mass Effect 2 (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:37
Chris, Hamilton, and Spencer discuss the first third or so of Mass Effect 2's plot, from the prologue to the rescue mission on Horizon. This covers most of recruitments, which means you get to meet Mordin Solus in this e…
Season 5 Episode 4 - Mass Effect 2 (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:25
Chris, Hamilton, and Spencer are joined by Matt Storm (aka Stormageddon) to discuss the development, gameplay, and universe of Mass Effect 2 (2010). Be sure to check out Matt's Linktree to find more of their work!
Season 5 Episode 3 - Mass Effect (Part 3) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:59
Chris, Hamilton, and Spencer navigate the back half of Mass Effect's narrative, from Feros to the final confrontation with Saren.