Winner: Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island Writeup by Ben Love One of the earliest true roguelikes before the genre was mainstream, the Shiren series finally received a new entry after a decade with The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, the sixth game in the series a… Read More »
Winner: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Writeup by Wes Iliff In the modern era, we are spoiled for choice with remakes, remasters, and rereleases. They range from upscaled ports to complete reimaginings, but none have towed the line of being true to the original while completely reimagining the experi… Read More »
Winner: Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island Writeup by Jerry Williams Great roguelikes have an accessibility issue that the modern era rectified with roguelites, which lean heavily on level-ups, skill progression, and unlocks. Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Se… Read More »
Winner: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Writeup by Zach Wilkerson It almost feels unfair to put Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree in this category; there’s so much meat here that it could easily be a full-blown release. It’s no surprise, though; FromSoft have always absolutely crushed it with thei… Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Writeup by Zek Lu Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has one of the richest combat systems I’ve ever experienced in any action RPG, period. Designed by the legendary Teruki Endo, the combat director of Monster Hunter: World, there is an unprecedented level of freedom around… Read More »
Winner: Metaphor: ReFantazio Writeup by Wes Iliff Metaphor is the opposite of a surprise hit. Everyone knew it was coming, everyone knew that it was gonna be amazing, and everyone knew to expect fantastic music and astounding visuals. So maybe it’s a bit of a shocker just how beautiful the game is.… Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Writeup by Jerry Williams I’ve been to a few Distant Worlds concerts in my time, which is a celebration of the Final Fantasy series’ suite of outstanding compositions and arrangements played by a full orchestra near you. I get decent seats but never felt the n… Read More »
Winner: Metaphor: ReFantazio Writeup by Sean Cabot There are a few JRPGs from the past few years whose handling of prejudice and slavery never sat well with me. Cliche and underdeveloped core themes overshadow any insightful points. Metaphor: ReFantazio touches upon common elements related to these… Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Writeup by Tim Rattray This game’s localization aren’t sick. When localization is clearly undercooked, we endlessly mock it (see above). In the original Final Fantasy VII’s case, this occurred because it was handled primarily by one man in a short timeframe. These m… Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Writeup by Tim Rattray I scoffed when Final Fantasy VII Remake was revealed not to be a purely turn-based game, and yet I walked away from playing it thinking it had the greatest action combat of all time. Now, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has put even that to shame. I… Read More »
Winner: Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth) Writeup by Des Miller Weird. Awkward. Dorky. None of these are words I’d use to describe Cloud from 1997’s Final Fantasy VII, perhaps due to the original game’s lackluster localization. Yet in Final Fantasy VII Remake and its sequel, Final Fantasy VII… Read More »
Winner: Metaphor: ReFantazio Writeup by Aleks Franiczek With the Shin Megami Tensei games, Atlus continually shows how masterful they are at crafting traditional RPGs. With the Persona spinoffs, they effectively redefined the conventional RPG. What do you get when you combine both these traditions?… Read More »
Winner: Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth) Writeup by Abe Kobylanski We all had an idea of how Final Fantasy VII Rebirth would end and that Sephiroth would have a role in that ending. In the prologue, Cloud recalls a moment where he was assailed by a terrifying act of cruelty, and from that point… Read More »
Winner: 1000xRESIST Writeup by Aleks Franiczek One of 1000xRESIST’s most impressive achievements is how thoughtfully it is structured, leveraging shifts in its presentation to support its storytelling. It’s not really an adventure game. It’s not really a walking sim. And it’s certainly not an RPG. B… Read More »
Winner: Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth) Writeup by Tim Rattray Well, the votes are in. Aerith is better than Tifa by a margin of Barret. The shipping wars are over. Okay, I jest (mostly). Aerith in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is one of the best video game characters ever written. Her s… Read More »
Winner: Unicorn Overlord Writeup by Tyler Trosper After Vanillaware’s phenomenal take on classic Japanese mecha anime in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, the celebrated team returned to the world of fantasy this year with Unicorn Overlord. A passion project through and through, their latest game injected th… Read More »
Winner: Koromaru (Persona 3 Reload) Writeup by Aleks Franiczek The votes are in: you simply can’t beat a good boy. And between Koromaru’s loving loyalty, bright personality, and fierce battle power, a boy doesn’t get much gooder. Atlus is arguably the king of mascot characters but, to be honest, I f… Read More »
Winner: Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Writeup by Audra Bowling If its massively successful Kickstarter is any indication, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a game that many were hyped about. A spiritual successor to the beloved Suikoden series, it shared the premise of recruiting an extensive… Read More »
Winner: Metaphor: ReFantazio Writeup by Des Miller Initially, it was easy to write off Metaphor: ReFantazio as just fantasy Persona. Yet within minutes of the game starting, Metaphor quickly proved itself as more than that. The narrative shows its teeth early on with the focus on classism and racism… Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Writeup by Des Miller Over the past decade, Final Fantasy XIV has gone from being a tragic tale of corporate mismanagement to one of the most beloved games in the industry. With over ten years of story building upon itself, the main storyline finally concluded wi… Read More »
Winner: Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket Writeup by Niki Fakhoori Do you feel lucky? Rule number one of TCGs is “Don’t buy packs, buy singles,” but there’s no denying the thrill of cracking packs. It also helps when the packs have a “pity point” system to earn you singles later, as Pokémon Trading C… Read More »
Game of the Year That Rewarded Team-Building Like No Other Unicorn Overlord is a masterpiece, a triumph, and a fantastic experience. Though not without flaws (the main plot is honestly kinda goofy), the flow of its battles, the unique traversing of the overworld, and the addictive gameplay loop of p… Read More »
Games of the Year from 2024 1) Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes I loved my time with this game so much. I did have to adjust my expectations a little to get to that love though. I went in hoping for Suikoden II, which this game certainly is not. Yes, there are similarities, and big ones at that, bu… Read More »
It’s been a monumental year for RPGs, if not one of the best ever. I say this to make clear that it’s no small feat there was a single frontrunner for me despite the steepest of competition. The RPG (of the Year) That Delivered on My Dreams It’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Like, oh my god, for me thi… Read More »
Three Favorite 2024 RPGs Unicorn Overlord This incredible SRPG would’ve flown under my radar if not for the praise fellow RPGFan staff members kept heaping on it. I’m glad I listened, as Unicorn Overlord is a graphically stunning, entertainingly meaty adventure that the strategy RPG lover in me read… Read More »
RPGFan uses cookies to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.