Highlight Archives

RPGFan Chapters Review: Boss Fight Books ‘Legend of the River King’ by Alexander P. Joy

Posted by Ben Love on January 24, 2026

After hearing about publisher Boss Fight Books from podcasts and reviews (like Alana Hagues’ review of BFB title Final Fantasy VI) over the years, yet somehow never picking up one of their titles, I jumped at the opportunity to review their newest addition to their vast library of documentary-style… Read More »

Retro Encounter Final Thoughts – 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on January 23, 2026

Aleks Franiczek It’s been over 6 years since Vanillaware released 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and in that time the game has garnered a reputation as one of the great videogame narrative masterpieces of the modern era. Obviously, I had lofty expectations going in. Cue the first scene: a schoolgirl is er… Read More »

Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version

Posted by Patrick Gann on January 23, 2026

In summer 2000, at the young age of 16, I wrote an embarrassingly terse review of the Final Fantasy V soundtrack. Granted, everything about this entry in the acclaimed series seemed novel at the time, given its lack of official localization until around the same time as Final Fantasy VIII. But there… Read More »

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Switch 2)

Posted by Noah Leiter on January 21, 2026

Hey there, sports fans. I have played a sports videogame before; my first was Baseball for the Nintendo Game Boy, a remarkable game for its time because it let you simulate playing baseball outside, you know, where they play baseball and stuff. But this isn’t a review of Baseball on the Nintendo Gam… Read More »

TR-49

Posted by Hilary Andreff on January 21, 2026

“But how can a novel…be fake?” my friend astutely pointed out as I was trying to explain the premise behind inkle’s TR-49. Because the authors never existed? No, there are plenty of instances of pen names and disputed authorship. Because there were no records of these books outside one instance bu… Read More »

Angeline Era

Posted by Ben Love on January 20, 2026

As a longtime fan of the Ys series, I’ve often wondered what Ys would look like had it kept the archaic yet charming bump-combat system that defined Ys Books I&II. This bump combat arose when games were more minimal in their presentation and limited in scope; in adapting to the changing times an… Read More »

Random Encounter 339 – 2025 Year in Review

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on January 19, 2026

In our first Random Encounter of 2026, we’re taking a look back at 2025! While many would describe 2025 as a mixed bag (at best), there is no disputing that it was a banner year for video games. Not only did we finally get two of the most anticipated sequels of all time in Hollow Knight: Silksong an… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 1/18/26

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 18, 2026

Hello RPG fans with an eye on the future! We have another week that is small on quantity of releases, but high on quality and content. For many, the Switch 2 (and Xbox) release of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is the star this week, as we all look forward to seeing how Cloud’s remade adventure… Read More »

Final Fantasy: Moogle Bounty Mayhem

Posted by Jerry Williams on January 17, 2026

Final Fantasy: Moogle Bounty Mayhem is yet another iteration of Final Fantasy licensed board games, this one driven by cardplay. In the board game sphere, licensed properties range from all-time greats to harrowingly disappointing. A good intellectual property does not guarantee good board game desi… Read More »

Retro Encounter 477 – 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Part II

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on January 15, 2026

I love you, and that’s why I gotta listen to Retro Encounter. On this week’s episode of Retro Encounter, we chat about the twisty, turny second half of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Do all the plot points land? Who was our favorite character? Is there actually a reason they’re naked in the Sentinels? Lis… Read More »

The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon

Posted by Audra Bowling on January 14, 2026

Those valiantly keeping up with The Legend of Heroes: Trails series have long been anticipating the finale of the multi-faceted, interconnected grand saga that’s arguably Falcom’s magnum opus. As the Republic of Calvard begins preparations to journey into space (the final frontier) for the first tim… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 174 – Music of the Year 2025

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 13, 2026

Well hello there, and yes, it is time for a super-sized episode of Rhythm Encounter to celebrate many of the excellent RPG soundtracks, arrangements, and more from 2025. That’s right, it’s Music of the Year 2025 time! With four panelists who each brought on three songs, this is certainly our longest… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 1/11/26

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 11, 2026

After several weeks off, RPGs Coming This Week is back! It’s not so much that we were taking a holiday break so much as it was most publishers were doing so. But that changes this week, with a varied lineup featuring an otome visual novel with wild character names, a perspective-shifting, retro-styl… Read More »

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Patch 7.4 – Into the Mist

Posted by Caitlin Argyros on January 10, 2026

In my past Final Fantasy XIV reviews, I’ve often been a little more critical of the fourth patch following an expansion. Coming off of the second climax in the third patch, the story in the fourth patch slows down as the game starts laying the groundwork for the next expansion. This can sometimes me… Read More »

Retro Encounter 476 – 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Part I

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on January 8, 2026

I don’t trust much in this post-war world, but if there’s one exception, it’s my Retro Encounter. On this week’s episode of Retro Encounter, we’re jumping through time and getting inside our mechs in the first half of Vanillaware’s 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. We talk about our first impressions of the… Read More »

Riviera: The Promised Land Remastered

Posted by Joshua Lindquist on January 6, 2026

I first played Riviera: The Promised Land when it was released on Game Boy Advance. The character artwork and music immediately grabbed my attention, and I was excited to try the command-based exploration — an idea that was completely new to me in 2005. Riviera quickly became one of my favorite Game… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 173 – Investigating Fall Music

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 5, 2026

Given the monumental releases throughout most of 2025, it would be easy to think we saw the best of what last year had to offer by September. But nay! The last quarter of 2025 graced us with many excellent releases, and today we discuss a couple of arrangement albums worth your time, plus four brand… Read More »

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Posted by Tom Cox on January 3, 2026

I was almost hesitant to dive into Tears of the Kingdom. I’ll be quite honest: I hold Breath of the Wild on a bit of a pedestal. As a long-time Zelda fan, it switched up the formula in a way I didn’t know I wanted, and I absolutely adored it. Its release was a formative moment in my life as a Ninten… Read More »

RPGFan’s 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2026

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on December 31, 2025

While we wrap up another year, it’s time to look forward to the next with our Most Anticipated Games of 2026! As has been the case for a while now, 2025 was a banner year for RPGs. It might not have had as many traditional “JRPGs” as normal, but there was at least a little something for everyone. Th… Read More »

Random Encounter 338 – RPGFan’s Most Anticipated Games of 2026

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 29, 2025

In our final Random Encounter of 2025, it’s time to take a look ahead to the biggest games of 2026! With the holidays in the rear view mirror, RPGFan is now building our annual most anticipated for the coming year feature. And there is no better way to wrap up 2025 than having the Random panel give… Read More »

Fallout 76 (2025)

Posted by Noah Leiter on December 24, 2025

The Fallout TV series is currently working its way through its second season, and as a longtime Fallout fan and wintertime couch potato, the show has been a delightful escape for me lately. The trouble is, the show’s rich themes, worldbuilding, and aesthetic trigger a dark, uncontrollable urge in me… Read More »

Digimon Story: Time Stranger Alternate Dimension

Posted by Audra Bowling on December 23, 2025

It’s time to return to the world of monster-taming RPG Digimon Story: Time Stranger with the first of three planned DLC story episodes! Appropriately titled “Alternate Dimension,” this DLC foray blends multiple times and realities together in a fight for the fate of all dimensions, but is Alternate… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 172 – Happy Jólabókaflóðið!

Posted by Hilary Andreff on December 22, 2025

We’re getting festive today on Rhythm Encounter, but maybe not in the way you’d expect. It’s the end of year holiday season, and we are taking inspiration from a holiday that celebrates another thing I like as much as video game music: books! Jólabókaflóðið — which roughly translates to “Christmas b… Read More »

Tales of Xillia Remastered

Posted by Niki Fakhoori on December 20, 2025

Tales of Xillia was first released on PlayStation 3 in 2011 in Japan and 2013 internationally as the series’s 15th anniversary title. Tales of Xillia Remastered adds quality-of-life features to make the experience as seamless as possible for both newcomers and veterans. While some remaining quirks e… Read More »

Retro Encounter 475 – 1995 Year in Review

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on December 18, 2025

I sure hope this episode isn’t BadBad. On this week’s episode of Retro Encounter, we cover the most interesting RPGs of the year, but this time, we flash it back to 1995. We discuss design decisions, varying localization quality, and those insane encounter rates. Does someone bring on a really bad R… Read More »

Highlight(s) Archive