Deleted Saves #2 - Spring 2026
The outpouring of interest in Deleted Saves after the release of our first issue has left me overwhelmed and overjoyed. There were so many strong pitches for the next two issues that I’ve decided to dedicate the entirety of this issue to all-new guest writers. The three pieces that comprise the Spring 2026 issue are:
Down and Out in Legend of the River King - Alexander B. Joy
A Tale of Two Wars - Hiero de Lima
Please, Let the Dragon Die - Ashley Schofield
This issue is all about some of our favorite Japanese RPGs, and the stories they tell us intentionally or otherwise. Alexander B. Joy pulls a child of Omelas scenario kicking and screaming out of the prosaic RPG Legend of the River King, a game on which he literally wrote the book. The Yakuza series could give the Marvel universe a run for its money for how many times it’s “killed” and resurrected protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. Ashley Schofield gives us the run-down and makes the case for finally allowing him to ride into the sunset. Hiero de Lima dives past the mechanics of NieR:Automata and The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- into their narratives, listening to what they tell us about the nature of war. Now I am going to shrink back into the hangover I got from trying to understand all of these games’ stories. Except River King, I get that one — I’m pretty sure it’s about fishing.
Photography featured here and in Alexander’s piece “Down and Out in Legend of the River King” was provided by Jenna Henderson, whose film photography captures the tranquility and drama of the Japanese landscape.
Special thanks to the luminary photographic talent Todd Richter, who has provided a profile picture for the Deleted Saves Bluesky account, which you should follow if you don’t already. If you know a talented artist (or are one) that should be featured in a future issue, drop me a line at deletedsaves at gmail dot com.
Our quarterly publication schedule leaves us with the luxury of months between issues that I aim to fill with more excellent writing. To that end, introducing Checkpoints: one-off articles covering unique areas of interest that don’t fit into the quarterly cadence. Checkpoint #1 will drop in May and details the fascinating history of Super Mario Bros. imitator The Great Giana Sisters.
For all of you who are helping build something here, whether reading or writing, thank you.
