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RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Protagonist

Posted by Aleks Franiczek on January 26, 2024

Winner: Clive Rosfield (Final Fantasy XVI) “You know nothing, Clive Rosfield.” While not everyone was taken with the degree of Game of Thrones influence in Final Fantasy XVI’s tone and world, it’s hard to deny that modeling Clive after underdog hero Jon Snow translated well to the game. Equal parts… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Graphic Adventure or Visual Novel

Posted by Abraham Kobylanski on January 26, 2024

Winner: Little Goody Two Shoes We got a little treat for the spooky season this year in the form of Little Goody Two Shoes. With a wild style that wrings every ounce of visual creativity it could out of the RPGMaker look, this narrative game is candy for the eyes. Elise has to dodge accusations of w… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Antagonist

Posted by Tim Rattray on January 26, 2024

Winner: Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) For being one of gaming’s most infamous villains, it’s surprising how often Ganondorf has lurked in the shadows of Zelda games only to lurch out during their final moments. So, we all knew we were in for something special when his reign o… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Strategy RPG

Posted by Jimmy Turner on January 26, 2024

Winner: Fire Emblem Engage Fire Emblem Engage had a lot to live up to after the enormous success of its predecessor, Three Houses. While Engage was not exactly the “Three Houses 2” many may have wanted, it is a terrific entry in Nintendo’s tactical RPG franchise. Where Three Houses’ success stemmed… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Supporting Character

Posted by Aleks Franiczek on January 26, 2024

Winner: Cidolfus Telamon (Final Fantasy XVI) The Final Fantasy series has its fair share of lovable characters named Cid, so it’s no trivial statement to say that Final Fantasy XVI’s Cidolfus Telamon might be the best yet. Powered by a snarky, gravelly-voiced performance from Ralph Ineson, Cid steal… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Indie Game

Posted by Caitlin Argyros on January 26, 2024

Winner: Sea of Stars It was clear from the first trailer that Sea of Stars had the potential to be something special, and the final product did not disappoint. Wearing its retro inspiration on its sleeve, the game has gorgeous pixel art, snappy combat with timed mechanics, a fun adventure story, and… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Animal or Mascot Character

Posted by Caitlin Argyros on January 26, 2024

Winner: Torgal (Final Fantasy XVI) Torgal is the goodest of boys. He’s cute as a button as a puppy and handsome (but still adorable) as an adult. He is fiercely loyal to his people and nigh inseparable with Clive in particular. When the two are separated, Torgal spends over a decade searching for Cl… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Ongoing Game

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on January 26, 2024

Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker It’s telling that, even in a year that most would agree was on the weaker side for Final Fantasy XIV, this game still sits at the top of this category. Really, it’s a testament to Final Fantasy XIV that we even think this year is weak; we still got so much good c… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Game of the Year

Posted by Abraham Kobylanski on January 26, 2024

Winner: Baldur’s Gate III Though it had been floating around in early access for a couple years, Baldur’s Gate III still felt like it snuck up on us, partly because we didn’t expect it’d be this great. BGIII caught the essence of Dungeons & Dragons at an opportune time, coinciding with a new har… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Mobile Game

Posted by Ben Love on January 26, 2024

Winner: Honkai: Star Rail Honkai: Star Rail’s launch proved that HoYoverse could capture lightning in a bottle twice. Combining traditional turn-based RPG combat with their signature gacha character acquisition was a recipe for success, rocketing the game to the top of the mobile charts. The game is… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Unconventional or Hybrid RPG

Posted by Hilary Andreff on January 26, 2024

Winner: Theatrhythm Final Bar Line No more seeking out All-Star Carnival in random mall arcades! We finally got the robust musical Final Fantasy experience we’d all been waiting for with Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. This latest iteration in the Theatrhythm franchise is grander than ever, boasting a v… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Remake or Re-Release

Posted by Neal Chandran on January 26, 2024

Winner: Star Ocean: The Second Story R Star Ocean: The Second Story R is the poster child of how a remake should be done. It beautifully blends the nostalgic sprites of yore with stunningly redone environments that look even better than we could have imagined. This iteration of Star Ocean: The Secon… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Sleeper Hit

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 26, 2024

Winner: Dave the Diver Dave the Diver is a fishing roguelike, a business management sim, a bullet heck shmup (not brutal enough to qualify for “bullet hell”), and completely addictive and charming. The gameplay loop of exploring the ever-changing lagoon as Dave and running a restaurant with your mys… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best DLC

Posted by Tyler Trosper on January 26, 2024

Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed The Xenoblade Chronicles series gained a reputation for extensive DLC expansions, such as Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden County and Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition: Future Connected. Thankfully, Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeem… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Combat

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on January 26, 2024

Winner: Octopath Traveler II It’s no small task to improve on Octopath Traveler’s combat. Every skill is so carefully chosen to make the Break/Boost system work together with the visible turn order to create a thoughtful, strategic experience in the original. Somehow, though, Octopath Traveler II im… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Visuals

Posted by Des Miller on January 26, 2024

Winner: Final Fantasy XVI The Final Fantasy series is known for having the most gorgeous, bombastic, and high-budget visuals in the industry. From Final Fantasy VII’s bombing mission intro, FFVIII’s blend of CGI and real-time rendering for dramatic setpiece moments to FFX’s stunning art direction an… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Music

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 26, 2024

Winner: Final Fantasy XVI Final Fantasy XVI’s music is more than a mere soundtrack with songs and tones to suit the situation. It’s deliberate. It’s full of leitmotifs and metaphors. It’s expertly timed and dynamic instead of just beautiful in a vacuum (for which FFXVI’s music also qualifies). FFXVI… Read More »

RPGFan Games of the Year 2023: Best Story

Posted by Abraham Kobylanski on January 26, 2024

Winner: Baldur’s Gate III It begins with a startling scene of an octopedal mind flayer putting a parasitic worm in your eye. If you can believe it, Baldur’s Gate III doesn’t settle down but only gets weirder. Though your main goal is to relieve your unusual malady, your tale branches off in whicheve… Read More »

Patrick Gann’s Top 25 RPG Soundtracks (Part 2)

Posted by Patrick Gann on December 31, 2023

Part 1 Part 3 Soundtrack review: A Realm Reborn: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack 9. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn I had a much more difficult time ranking the modern Final Fantasy music compared to the original nine Uematsu solo efforts. Seriously, this was a stressful choice. I love the F… Read More »

Patrick Gann’s Top 25 RPG Soundtracks (Part 3)

Posted by Patrick Gann on December 31, 2023

Part 1 Part 2 Soundtrack review: Genso Suikoden II Original Game Soundtrack Complete 18. Suikoden II “The heart has its secret currents: deep, and without guide.” The above lyric comes from the song “Currents,” found on the Suikoden II arrange album Orrizonte, with an upbeat rearrange utilized for t… Read More »

RPGFan’s 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2024 (Part 2)

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 23, 2023

Below, you’ll find not one, but two Final Fantasy games, along with some long awaited releases and localizations of franchises that are almost as popular. Go to Part 1 Go to Part 3 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth We’ve arrived at last. With Midgar in the rearview, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth l… Read More »

RPGFan’s 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2024 (Part 3)

Posted by Wes Iliff on December 23, 2023

Here you’ll find remakes of some of our staff’s all-time favorite games, a number of new entries in long-running series (including a newly announced bonus game), and plenty of others! Go to Part 1 Go to Part 2 Persona 3 Reload Persona 3 marked a new style for the venerable series, opening the more n… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2023: Games and Demos

Posted by Jerry Williams on July 26, 2023

If you’re usually chasing after the latest and greatest, Origins is one of the premier events to attend every year. Here, I got my hands on some fantastic demos. While I’m rarely shy about doling out bad news when a video game doesn’t deliver, I’m going to remain positive here, as most of the demos… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2023: Artists

Posted by Jerry Williams on July 26, 2023

Whether it’s crocheting, the ancient art of ukiyo-e, or good ol’ fashioned pen and paper, Origins 2023 brought a variety of exceptionally talented artists. Resisting the urge to turn my home into a museum of fan art was challenging this year, though I certainly purchased a few works. Contained here… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2023: Peripherals for Immersion

Posted by Jerry Williams on July 26, 2023

Origins always brings something new and exciting to the board gaming and RPG scene with peripherals. In years past, I praised companies like the Broken Token—who I believe was missing from this year’s show—for their meticulous work making board game box inserts to help keep everything neat and tidy.… Read More »

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