Highlight Archives | Page 18 of 26

Secret of Mana

Posted by David Silbert on September 22, 2023

2023 has been a banner year for JRPGs. Between big-budget games like Final Fantasy XVI, “AAA-lite” experiences like Octopath Traveler II, and smaller indies like Sea of Stars, there are great adventures to be had no matter your console of choice. The genre’s future has arguably never been brighter—a… Read More »

Elderand

Posted by Dom Kim on September 20, 2023

On a fundamental level, Elderand is a “decent” game. It controls wonderfully, has a host of different locales with vibrant art direction, features a decent OST, and includes all the mechanics and gameplay tropes one might expect from a modern metroidvania. But in the steadily growing sea of metroidv… Read More »

Lies of P

Posted by Noah Leiter on September 19, 2023

Lies of P is a rare gem in the recently saturated Souls-like genre. In fact, it may be the first great 3D game to adhere to that genre’s formula not made by From Software. Developers Neowiz and Round8 treat the Souls blueprint like a religion for Lies of P. Nearly all the sacred pillars of From’s de… Read More »

Wandering Sword

Posted by Ben Love on September 15, 2023

One of the most interesting developments in the game industry in the last few years has been the proliferation of games, particularly RPGs, developed in China. The Chinese game development scene has a long and storied history of acclaimed role-playing games, with series such as Sword and Fairy or Xu… Read More »

Baldur’s Gate III

Posted by Abraham Kobylanski on September 13, 2023

From the beginning, Baldur’s Gate III hands you control of your destiny and then makes you question whether your choices were ever your own or if you were under someone else’s control the whole time. By the end, even with all the choices behind me, I clearly couldn’t save everyone. Possibly not anyo… Read More »

Etrian Odyssey I & II HD

Posted by Ben Love on September 12, 2023

The release of the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection allows veterans and newcomers alike to once again delve into the depths of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth by giving the first two games in the series a fresh coat of HD paint. You set out from the little town of Etria or the bustling peak of High Lagaard… Read More »

Eternights

Posted by Audra Bowling on September 11, 2023

The course of true love rarely runs smoothly. If you throw in the apocalypse, you’re fighting an uphill battle to get a date. Horror action RPG Eternights encourages you to form bonds and potentially find love, largely succeeding by being an entertaining and surprisingly uplifting experien… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 9/10/23

Posted by Gio Castillo on September 10, 2023

On this edition of RPGs Coming This Week: a metric ton of releases. Seriously, this is the biggest week we’ve had for new games since April. It’s an exciting time, so let’s keep this preamble extra short! Eternights – September 12th (PS5, PS4, Windows) Eternights is a post-apocalyptic horror action… Read More »

Harvest Moon

Posted by Joshua Lindquist on September 8, 2023

I have been fascinated by Harvest Moon ever since reading about it in Nintendo Power magazine, but that fascination surprises me even today. I was busy trying out my first RPGs and trying to finish The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past before Zelda 64 was due to release; still, the game about gett… Read More »

Retro Encounter 382 – That’s Edutainment!

Posted by Michael Sollosi on September 7, 2023

She’ll take you for a ride on a wagon train to Zoombiniville It’s back to school week here at Retro Encounter, where we stay retro but mostly avoid RPGs in a discussion of classic edutainment games, from The Oregon Trail to Sim City 2000. Who among our illustrious panel dreamed of being on the Carme… Read More »

Fae Farm

Posted by Sam-James Gordon on September 6, 2023

Fae Farm, developed and published by Phoenix Labs, is a farming life-sim dungeon-crawling hybrid and reminds me that we need a new genre name. Since the advent of the farming sim genre with the original Harvest Moon, straight through to the beloved Stardew Valley, simply calling these games “farming… Read More »

Rune Factory 3 Special

Posted by Niki Fakhoori on September 5, 2023

When you find a formula that works, it makes sense to stick with it. Sustaining successful elements keeps many series going, and Rune Factory is no exception. It’s no surprise, then, that another classic Rune Factory game has been remastered to join the series’ modern lineup. Rune Factory 3 Special… Read More »

Anonymous;Code

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on September 4, 2023

The last time I reviewed a Science Adventure game, I closed my thoughts by stating, “If [Mages] can get back to what they do well, with mind-bending plots and intriguing characters, they might get me back. Maybe.” Yep. Here I am again. Despite my frustrations with recent entries in the series, parti… Read More »

Random Encounter 277 – Sea of Starfield

Posted by Jonathan Logan on September 4, 2023

On this week’s Random Encounter, we’re blasting off to new galaxies and sailing through enchanted seas with two of the most anticipated RPGs of 2023! First, Noah navigates the cosmic expanses of Starfield, Bethesda’s highly anticipated space exploration RPG. With the expectations of “Skyrim in Space… Read More »

Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten

Posted by Izzy Parsons on September 3, 2023

Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten is a Japanese RPG by the creators of Utawarerumono, a multimedia project that began as a series of visual novels. Its tale technically occurs between Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen and Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception. I say technically because Mo… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 9/3/23

Posted by Gio Castillo on September 3, 2023

On this edition of RPGs Coming This Week: the biggest Xbox game of 2023, easily. We certainly will discuss that game, but I contend that the release schedule of the next few days is incredibly solid. Every one of these upcoming games deserves time in the spotlight, and we’re more than happy to give… Read More »

Atlas Fallen

Posted by Audra Bowling on September 2, 2023

Shifting sands can reveal hidden, lost treasures. But they can also, disappointingly and just as quickly disappointingly, reveal nothing of great import. Open-world co-op RPG Atlas Fallen falls into neither category. Instead, the swirling desert sands making up much of the game’s world rev… Read More »

Starfield

Posted by Noah Leiter on August 31, 2023

Starfield is one of the finest playgrounds ever conceived in videogames, and it is a standout title in — and apt reflection of — Bethesda Game Studio’s entire catalog of incredible games. It not only lives up to its own “irresponsibly large” expectations, but it even lives up to a decade of collecti… Read More »

Norn9: Last Era

Posted by Audra Bowling on August 31, 2023

The reset concept is vital in otome visual novel Norn9: Var Commons, where an elite few must decide the entire world’s fate. In a way, its fandisk—entitled Norn9: Last Era—explores that concept further by attempting to reset your viewpoints on the base game itself in numerous ways. It is a more subs… Read More »

Hymn to the Earless God Hands-On Preview

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on August 30, 2023

Five years ago, the very first game I reviewed for RPGFan was a little indie game called Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass. And let me tell you, it was a doozy. You play as an 8-year-old exploring his dreamworld, trying to take down the “Pulsating Mass” threatening him, his family, and the entire world.… Read More »

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails Preview and Hands-On Impressions

Posted by Kiyan Mullen on August 29, 2023

For Anglophone Falcom fans, patience is less a virtue and more a premise. In modern times, the distinguished developer’s bread-and-butter is Trails, an ongoing chronicle as legendarily loquacious as you’re liable to find in the RPG genre. Series diehards devour it. Every entry builds onto a single c… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 116 – U R Not (red) E: PlayStation RPG Music Favorites

Posted by Mike Salbato on August 28, 2023

On Rhythm Encounter, we have celebrated several consoles’ RPG music, including the SNES (Episode 89), NES (Episode 73), and Genesis (Episode 92). Isn’t it about time the original PlayStation got some love? It’s hard to understate the tectonic shift in RPG releases in the West that began during the P… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 8/27/23

Posted by Gio Castillo on August 27, 2023

On this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, we bring grid-based battles, musical numbers, and one of the biggest indie titles of the year. Let’s get into it! Untamed Tactics – August 28th (Windows) First up is Untamed Tactics, a strategy RPG from the minds behind real-life card battler Untamed: Feral… Read More »

Elohim Eternal: The Babel Code

Posted by Audra Bowling on August 26, 2023

Elohim Eternal: The Babel Code is a pleasant surprise. I stepped into the game without expectations, finding a solid traditional RPG. With lore rooted in years of systematic research into Judaism, Christianity, and ancient Babylonian, Sumerian, and Egyptian religions, Elohim Eternal: The Babel Code… Read More »

Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess

Posted by Des Miller on August 25, 2023

Long before the near overwhelming damage numbers of Disgaea and the panel combo chaos of La Pucelle: Tactics, Nippon Ichi Software developed a charming little game named Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. Rhapsody was a cute, brief adventure rife with amusing jokes and heartwarming songs. Having release… Read More »

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