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TGS 2025 – Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Hands-On Preview: Mine Gaiden

Posted by Matt Wardell on September 27, 2025

Does the name Yoshitaka Mine mean anything to you? Longtime players of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series will no doubt recognize Mine as the businessman-turned-steely yakuza antagonist of Yakuza 3 from way back in 2009. However, when SEGA and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios announced Yakuza Kiwami 3,… Read More »

TGS 2025 – Monster Hunter Stories 3 Hands-On Preview: Soaring to New Heights

Posted by Matt Wardell on September 27, 2025

Like many of you, I’ve been hunting monsters in Capcom’s beloved action series for several generations—but I’ll admit I’ve skimped on riding those monsters. The turn-based, more cutesy Monster Hunter subseries, Monster Hunter Stories, recently expanded its audience beyond the 3DS with the enhanced r… Read More »

TGS 2025 – People of Note Hands-On Preview: A Rock’Em Sock’Em Roleplay

Posted by Matt Wardell on September 26, 2025

Courtesy of the fine folk at Annapurna Interactive, I got to sit down for the Tokyo Game Show demo of the recently announced People of Note, developer Iridium Studios’ upcoming music-centric RPG. It’s not just a punny title—People of Note follows Cadence, a floundering popstar on a journey across th… Read More »

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

Posted by Sean Cabot on September 26, 2025

For years, I’ve felt a palpable sense of FOMO regarding Nihon Falcom’s Trails / Kiseki series. Many of my peers are avid fans of it, and their praise inevitably left me with a voice inside my head yelling to stop dawdling and see what all the hype is about. As a longtime sucker for a good JRPG and a… Read More »

Retro Encounter 469 – Yoko Taro Encounter

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on September 25, 2025

Women, children, the elderly…doesn’t matter. If you listen to Retro Encounter, you’re going to have a good time. On this week’s episode of Retro Encounter, we dive into the wild and wacky world of Yoko Taro, best known for his work on the NieR and Drakengard franchises. We discuss game design, the… Read More »

Hades II

Posted by Zek Lu on September 24, 2025

Making a sequel to a hit game is never easy, and following something as beloved as Hades is even tougher. The inevitable question is: can it live up to the original? Right from the start, Hades II has to show it belongs alongside one of the most influential roguelikes ever created. As someone who ne… Read More »

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Posted by Jerry Williams on September 24, 2025

Having a “favorite game of all time” can feel like a trite, tedious topic of conversation, especially amongst groups who spend a lot of time together. Most of my gamer friends know that I put Final Fantasy Tactics on a bit of a pedestal, though I know I’m not alone in this. I’ve done full playthroug… Read More »

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Launches Next February

Posted by Gio Castillo on September 24, 2025

SEGA’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, a ground-up remake of Yakuza 3 coming on February 12th, 2026, to PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam. Dark Ties is a separate game packaged with Yakuza Kiwami 3. It goes into how Yoshitaka… Read More »

Varlet

Posted by Audra Bowling on September 23, 2025

I went into Varlet with high hopes, desperate to like it because the most recent FuRyu RPG I played, The Caligula Effect 2, was a pleasant surprise. It also didn’t hurt that Varlet’s graphics and UI visually reminded me of indie action RPG Eternights, a title I also enjoyed for its Persona-esque sty… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 167 – Naoshi Mizuta Spotlight

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 22, 2025

Today we highlight a composer and games that don’t often appear on the show. Naoshi Mizuta’s music credits span 30 years, and much of that time has been with Square Enix leading the charge on Final Fantasy XI’s soundtrack. That Final Fantasy XI, which launched in 2002 on PC and the PlayStation 2 (TW… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 9/21/25

Posted by Audra Bowling on September 21, 2025

In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, we tackle the biggest indie release of the year not named Hollow Knight: Silksong, as well as a host of other smaller titles. Don’t worry; the blockbusters are coming. We ain’t seen nothing yet! Aethermancer (Entering Early Access) – September 23rd (Windows,… Read More »

RPGFan Chapters Review: 50 Indie Games that Changed the World by Bitmap Books

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 20, 2025

I can’t imagine the difficulty in picking 50 essential or notable indie games over the last five years, to say nothing of doing so without a designated timeframe, but that’s exactly what writer Aaron Potter did with Bitmap Books’ latest release, 50 Indie Games that Changed the World. Before I begin,… Read More »

Alabaster Dawn Hands-On: A Gorgeous Pixel Art RPG in the Making!

Posted by Caitlin Argyros on September 18, 2025

2018’s CrossCode was a delightful surprise to many, with its SNES-style pixel graphics, fast-paced action combat, and .hack-like pseudo MMO setting. Now Radical Fish Games is back with Alabaster Dawn, a spiritual successor to CrossCode that looks like a fantastic sophomore entry for the German devel… Read More »

Retro Encounter Final Thoughts – Drakengard

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on September 18, 2025

Aleks Franiczek I knew going into Drakengard that I was in for a ride. A pretty much singular ride fueled by an indulgently morbid tone, ambitious genre-crossing design, clever subversions of RPG tropes, an OST from hell, and heaps of jank. What I didn’t expect was that I’d find this ride as enjoyab… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 166 – Echoes of Eorzea: Final Fantasy XIV

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 17, 2025

It sure is weird to think that our last dedicated Final Fantasy XIV episode was almost four years ago, with Episode 69: What Moogle Wakes Me? Today, with a 75% different set of panelists, we return to “RPGFan’s Favorite MMORPG” with selections from several of FFXIV’s expansions, including fan favori… Read More »

Hyke: Northern Light(s)

Posted by Paul Skevington on September 16, 2025

Hyke: Northern Light(s) sits at an increasingly common crossroads for smaller-scale JRPGs, with one foot turned towards adventure and the other towards cosiness. Sometimes it just isn’t enough to send your party out on a quest to save the world: you’ve also got to find a little time to relax. Life-s… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 9/14/25

Posted by Audra Bowling on September 14, 2025

The floodgates have opened. This summer was pretty low-key in terms of new releases, but autumn rectifies that with an absolutely packed slate. It’s gonna be like that for the next six months or so, really, knowing what we know now after that behemoth of a Nintendo Direct. So, as always, here’s your… Read More »

Sultan’s Game

Posted by Jerry Williams on September 12, 2025

Sultan’s Game defies comparison. In 2025, that’s like striking gold. What’s more, the innovation pairs beautifully with a wealth of quality content that’ll give the literarily inclined much to chew on. Mind, this tabletop-meets-roguelike game isn’t a tome of writing, but every event and action tends… Read More »

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave to Launch in 2026

Posted by Gio Castillo on September 12, 2025

Nintendo has announced Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, due out in 2026 for the Switch 2. This new entry in the long-running strategy RPG series debuted at the end of the latest Nintendo Direct. Check out the trailer below to get a feel for the story and main characters, as well as a glimpse of Fire Em… Read More »

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Sets Sail February 5th, 2026

Posted by Tin Manuel on September 12, 2025

Nope, it’s not your imagination. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is real! In the recent Nintendo Direct, we caught our first glimpse of this upcoming remake of Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden, originally released on PS1 and later remade as Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past on 3DS. Dra… Read More »

Retro Encounter 468 – Drakengard Part II

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on September 11, 2025

If you wish to live, choose only Retro Encounter! On this week’s episode of Retro Encounter, we finally finish Drakengard. We cry, we wail. Oh wait, that’s the characters. Just how messed up are the additional endings? Can anyone ever truly be happy? Do rhythm games belong in an RPG? Listen in to fi… Read More »

Upwards, Rain! The Post Office of Farewells

Posted by Audra Bowling on September 10, 2025

Sometimes, final messages to a loved one aren’t just about closure. They’re about providing someone with the means to carry on living. Visual novel Upwards, Rain! The Post Office of Farewells beautifully conveys that sentiment throughout the puzzle adventure’s sensitive narrative by creating a heart… Read More »

Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy

Posted by Patrick Gann on September 9, 2025

If you’ve seen anything about the new Idea Factory title, Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy, and you’re wondering whether that name sounds familiar, then you are my kind of gamer. Because, frankly, that was my immediate thought as well. It required a brief history lesson, and I have to s… Read More »

Random Encounter 330 – Random Book Club – 50 Indie Games that Changed the World

Posted by Jonathan Logan on September 8, 2025

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re doing a Random Book Club for the brand-new tome from Bitmap Books: 50 Indie Games that Changed the World. Over the last 20 years, the indie game scene has become just as important as the AAA industry, with games like Hollow Knight: Silksong showing sales nu… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 9/7/25

Posted by Gio Castillo on September 7, 2025

This edition of the column should really be RPG Coming This Week, as it’s one of those rare times where we only have one item on our agenda. Whether this one game is even an RPG is… debatable, but we as a site land on it being more role-playing than not. I personally dislike arguing about these th… Read More »

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