In Tales of Berseria, the story and the characters do almost all the lifting. It’s a good thing it’s so amazing, because there sure is a lot of weight on its shoulders, especially with this completely superfluous “Remaster.” It has to overcome some of the most bland dungeons I’ve ever explored. Theyโฆ Read More »
…wrong. I am a podcast. This week on Retro Encounter we dive into the second half of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. How much of the story do we actually get to experience? How much do we enjoy the late game maps? What are our favorite support conversations? Listen in to find out! Featuring: Zachโฆ Read More »
Setting sail into new waters is the conceit behind the tenth Ys game and something it does with gusto, according to our own Sean Cabot’s excellent review. Now, however, a “definitive” edition has reached our shores in the form of Ys X: Proud Nordics. While a worthy purchase for those curious and thoโฆ Read More »
The last thing I anticipated playing in the year 2026 was a brand-spanking-new Game Boy Color title. But that’s Infinity for ya! The history behind this once-scrapped, now-revived GBC RPG is quite the saga, stretching all the way back to 1999 and making Infinity about as old as RPGFan itself. Finallโฆ Read More »
It’s Tales of Berseria week, all! No, really, that’s the one major game we have this week. Maybe most publishers don’t want to compete with the return of Leon Kennedy. And, honestly, who can blame them? That rough and tumble attitude, that hard-edged look in his eyes, and… right. RPGs. So there’sโฆ Read More »
The middle child in Sean Schafianski’s Remastered Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VI series, Disc 2 continues from where Disc 1 left off. Be sure to check out the linked review of Disc 1 for discussion about Sean’s general process for these Remasters. In this review, we’ll dive deeper into the musical conโฆ Read More »
At Unicorn Overlordโs release in 2024, I became unexpectedly absorbed into its strategic, brain-itching teambuilding and gorgeous aesthetics, and blasted through Alain and companyโs world-sprawling campaign for liberty. RPGFanโs resident VGM wizard Patrick Gann called Unicorn Overlordโs OST a โstronโฆ Read More »
โSouls-likeโ is a somewhat exhausting term. It gets thrown around a lot in a gaming landscape where titles are endlessly compared to Demonโs Souls and FromSoftwareโs oeuvre since then. Regardless of whether you think Souls-like is a โrealโ genre, itโs helped lump the many games that flagrantly liftโฆ Read More »
Everyone has something that gives them comfort, for one reason or another. Some people find it in a specific book or movie, others in a particular place or person; it could be anything. I imagine many of you have a collection of comfort games, as do I. Why is it that these games give us this sense oโฆ Read More »
In our review of Avowed, Jerry Williams praised its story, combat, and worldbuilding. A year later, Obsidian Entertainment returns to the Living Lands with Avowedโs most substantial update yet, alongside the gameโs PlayStation 5 release. The Anniversary Update introduces New Game+, new playable raceโฆ Read More »
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo graced our computer screens in 2023. Visual novel and mystery enthusiasts clamored for more after this surprise hit. Three years later, hereโs Paranormasight: The Mermaidโs Curse, and I couldnโt be happier.ย Thank you, Square Enix, for continuing this univโฆ Read More »
I recently had the pleasure of reconnecting with the fine folk at Spike Chunsoft in their new Tokyo headquarters to try a demo of Danganronpa 2×2 (โtwo by twoโ), their upcoming โretellingโ of the hit 2012 murder mystery visual novel, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Riding the elevator up to their loโฆ Read More »
Ever wonder about the chaos a package carrier must be dealing with when you get the notification that your order will be late? Calamity Angels: Special Delivery takes a fantastically imaginative view on the obstacles a delivery person mightโฆ Read More »
On this week’s Random Encounter, we’re talking about two “old” games (though one is significantly older than the other)! First up, Audra is here to share her thoughts on Ys X: Proud Nordics. But wait, didn’t Ys X: Nordics just release in 2024? Yes, it did! But now, an even more complete version is hโฆ Read More »
One of the most admirable qualities of smaller, independently developed games is their ability to remix and revitalize older game formulas for a modern audience. Such revisits to classic concepts are particularly notable when the previous standard bearers have shifted their focus. The Legend of Zeldโฆ Read More »
This may be one of the most colorful lineups for RPGs Coming This Week in a long time, even if you aren’t comparing to last week’s spreading darkness. I suppose this brings things back in balance. Whether you’re looking for Compile Heart antics, classic pixel art adventures, a surprise sequel, or aโฆ Read More »
Editor’s note: this album is the 2024 updated version of the Joypad Records release Final Fantasy VI Remastered Soundtrack: Disc One, originally released in 2013. Arranger Sean Schafianski completed his three-disc remaster project between 2024 and 2025, including this upgraded version of that 2013 Rโฆ Read More »
Normally, when someone tells me to “GET GOOD,” it’s because I’m complaining about difficulty in NES-hard games (or Souls-like games). In this case, however, I think they’re telling me to jam out to the second album from 8-bit & The Single Players. Not to be confused with the also-excellent 8-Bitโฆ Read More »
The Monster Hunter Stories series has come a long way. Starting as a multimedia project with the first 3DS game and a tie-in anime, the series doubled down on delivering a high-quality monster-taming RPG experience with 2021โs Wings of Ruin, expanding the scope of the game while maintaining the apprโฆ Read More »
For years, Iโve podcasted. Now, let those podcasts show their worth! This week on Retro Encounter we’re discussing the first half of the first game localized to the West ofย that most famous SRPG series: Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. Does the host jive with the squares and the RNG? Do we even discโฆ Read More »
In the pantheon of high fantasy strategy RPGs, few series have clung to their roots with as much persistence as the Disciples range. Ever since Disciples: Sacred Lands launched in 1999, Nevendaar has felt like a setting perpetually stuck in the final five minutes of an apocalypse. Disciples II: Darkโฆ Read More »
The horror-adventure genre has to be one of the hardest to create within. Unlike horror movies, which can be humongous cash cows thanks to low budgets and cheap thrills, horror-adventure games require a delicate balance between strong game design and immersion. Rely too heavily on gamification, andโฆ Read More »
Have you ever seen Gus Van Santโs Psycho? In the late ’90s, director Gus Van Sant embarked on a cinematic experiment: He would remake Alfred Hitchcockโs 1960 horror masterpiece Psycho. However, unlike most remakes that reimagine the story, his Psycho would be a shot-for-shot copy, only in colour witโฆ Read More »
Wow, what an interesting shared theme among our four RPGs coming this week. Well, three RPGs and an adventure game. From the long (loooooong) awaited release of the latest game from the developer of The Binding of Isaac, to a horror adventure, a dark and heavy strategy game, and… well, Yakuza isn’โฆ Read More »
Nearly a year ago, when Nintendo announced the impending release of the Nintendo Switch 2, one of the big announcements was the arrival of GameCube titles to the Nintendo Classics online service. Eagle-eyed RPG enthusiasts may have noticed that during the trailer, a handful of boxarts were shown forโฆ Read More »
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