Highlight Archives | Page 9 of 34

Flint: Treasure of Oblivion

Posted by Mark Roddison on December 16, 2024

Shiver your timbers and avast! Or some such piratical platitude, as Flint: Treasure of Oblivion (Flint: ToO) is here to deliver a nautical SRPG romp straight from the pages of a weekly adventure serial. Alongside some detailed comic art in the pulp narrative, there’s a beefy turn-based strategic lay… Read More »

Narrative Design Analysis: What Remains of Edith Finch?

Posted by Aleks Franiczek on December 15, 2024

“If we lived forever, maybe we’d have time to understand things. But as it is, I think the best we can do is try to open our eyes and appreciate how strange and brief all of this is.” – Edith Finch Warning: This article spoils the heck out of this game. Want some spoiler-free coverage? Check o… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 12/15/24

Posted by Gio Castillo on December 15, 2024

The holidays are here, which means RPGs Coming This Week will disappear… until the new year! Barring any last-minute launches, we’ve pretty much run out of noteworthy releases to cover. Though if you think I’ve missed something, please feel free to let me know. Anyway, without further ado, let’s c… Read More »

The Witcher IV Wows During Game Awards Reveal

Posted by Kyle Cantelon on December 14, 2024

Developer CD PROJEKT RED took one of winter’s biggest gaming shows by storm as they unveiled a long-awaited first look at the next game in their critically acclaimed Witcher series: The Witcher IV. Previously known by its codename, “Polaris,” The Witcher IV’s reveal trailer was one of the biggest un… Read More »

Neon Blood

Posted by Abraham Kobylanski on December 14, 2024

The cyberpunk aesthetic was brought back into fashion a few years ago, appropriately by Cyberpunk 2077, but otherwise was derived from a prediction from the ’80s of a tech-steeped future society. To a point, it becomes less and less science fiction and more reality as technology in the real world ev… Read More »

Ōkami Sequel Revealed; Hideki Kamiya to Reprise Director Role

Posted by Trent Argirov on December 13, 2024

In stunning fashion at The Game Awards 2024, an Ōkami sequel has been announced to be in development—nearly two decades after the release of the original. The follow-up will have Hideki Kamiya reprising his role as director. He will be supported by the newly made development studio Clovers, with pub… Read More »

Retro Encounter 447 – Dragon Quest III Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 12, 2024

A podcast episode appears! Dragon Quest III was a blockbuster success in Japan in 1988, and its nonlinear progression, fun job system, and spirit of adventure influenced every Dragon Quest game to come. DQ3 also has a shiny new 2024 HD-2D remaster, and today on Retro Encounter different panelists pl… Read More »

Fairy Tail 2

Posted by Audra Bowling on December 11, 2024

There’s magic in stories, especially tales that exalt the power of bonds and the different, wondrous forms love takes. Fairy Tail 2 wholeheartedly embraces that magic in an action RPG encompassing the final story arc of the hit anime/manga series and beyond. Fairy Tail fans might readily fall under… Read More »

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island

Posted by Jerry Williams on December 10, 2024

Shiren the Wanderer is a series that gets attention every few years, and while not the most popular franchise, it maintains a humble following. I’ve dabbled on handheld, but my traditional roguelike itch is best scratched with meaty, decades-old Western titles. That said, Shiren the Wanderer has mai… Read More »

Prisma Preview – Beyond the Boundaries of Time and Space

Posted by Zek Lu on December 10, 2024

Imagine a world where every person you meet is another version of you. They share your face but not your goals, your voice, but not your intentions. Some are allies, others adversaries, but none of them are truly strangers. As someone who loved the artistic creativity of Cris Tales, I was eager to s… Read More »

Retro Encounter 446 – Metaphor: ReFantazio Spoilercast

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 9, 2024

“My favorite book is Moby Dick; no symbolism, just a simple tale about a man who hates an animal.” Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of 2024’s most acclaimed RPGs, about a royal succession that spirals out of control into a struggle for the soul of the world’s people. Clashes of ideologies, dramatic chara… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 12/8/24

Posted by Gio Castillo on December 8, 2024

Our weirdly active December rolls on in this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, headlined by the latest in Japan’s anime-to-RPG pipeline. Rounding out this diverse collection are two indie releases and a handful of ports as we head into the holidays. Read on to learn where you might spend your hard-e… Read More »

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP)

Posted by Audra Bowling on December 7, 2024

Can an innocent sin be forgiven, or must its punishment be eternal? Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, the follow-up to Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin, asks that thought-provoking question in a compelling narrative. Unfortunately, while the believably written characters… Read More »

INDIE Live Expo: RPG & Adventure Game Spotlight

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 7, 2024

This weekend’s INDIE Live Expo is packed with games, and no small few of them land in our coverage of RPG and adventure games at RPGFan. I encourage you to check out the full lineup and games outside our coverage, like Blade Chimera, a stylish Metroidvania from Team Ladybug, who brought us Record of… Read More »

Fantasian: Neo Dimension

Posted by Sean Cabot on December 4, 2024

Fantasian: Neo Dimension is a game filled with contrasts. Its turn-based gameplay systems are conventional but are nonetheless polished through the encounter design. Its story features intriguing setups but underwhelming payoffs. It echoes classic RPGs of decades past while including innovative feat… Read More »

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Patch 7.1 – Crossroads

Posted by Caitlin Argyros on December 3, 2024

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail was a challenging expansion to review. It featured some of the best gameplay the MMO has had in years, but after the narrative payoff of Endwalker, the new story arc had some growing pains. Since the first three patches after an expansion have traditionally wrapped up li… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 149 – RPG Music Origin Stories

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 2, 2024

We all have origin stories about how we got into RPGs (several of us shared them almost six years ago in this feature!), so today our panel discusses music origins — what RPGs attuned us to the RPG music scene or otherwise elevated our senses and made us take notice. For some of us, this dates back… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 12/1/24

Posted by Gio Castillo on December 1, 2024

In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, a major JRPG finally breaks out of its smartphone confines, plus we get a bunch of Steam Early Access comers and goers. December is usually a slow period for releases, but that is not so in 2024. So let’s get a move on, shall we? Caves of Qud (Exiting Early… Read More »

Retro Encounter 445 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 28, 2024

For a true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. Retro Encounter concludes its 2024 Zelda Month with a second episode on A Link to the Past for the SNES, discussing the game’s excellent second half of Dark World exploration and dungeoneering. So which pan… Read More »

Broken Sword – Shadow of The Templars: Reforged

Posted by Paul Skevington on November 27, 2024

Broken Sword – Shadow of The Templars: Reforged is a brand-new version of a game that I first encountered in its original form when it released way back in 1996. While the game debuted on the PC, my experience was with the hugely popular PlayStation version. At the time, I had no access to the inter… Read More »

VED

Posted by Mark Roddison on November 26, 2024

Many games have a notable route to release, and VED, from the small development team at Karaclan, is one of the extreme examples. Beginning life as a 2D Souls-like platformer with gorgeous, hand-drawn sprites, the game slowly evolved over 12(!) years to its current RPG format, complete with a c… Read More »

Random Encounter 310 – Preview Week with Avowed & Path of Exile 2!

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 25, 2024

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re chatting about previews of two games we’re excited for in 2025! First up is a hands-on preview of Obsidian’s newest first-person RPG, Avowed. A spin-off from the beloved Pillars of Eternity series, Avowed is being presented as Obsidian’s answer to Skyrim. T… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 11/24/24

Posted by Gio Castillo on November 24, 2024

Good news: 2024’s still got some juice left. This edition of RPGs Coming This Week will be a treat for folks who enjoy going off the beaten path. From gritty detective adventures to top-down dungeon escapades, the next few days are filled with potential hidden gems — or breakout hits. Who can say? S… Read More »

Farmagia

Posted by Abraham Kobylanski on November 23, 2024

I’ve heard of monster training and monster ranching, but monster farming is a new one. In Farmagia, you get to do all of those. In Harvest Moon, which currently lives on as Story of Seasons, I always felt one of my biggest accomplishments was building an extension to my house or barn. It signified m… Read More »

Retro Encounter 444 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 22, 2024

Sky, Sea, Earth, and a Kidnapped Princess A Link to the Past is an unassailable classic of a Super Nintendo game, as a crystallization of multiple gameplay concepts that established the formula for dozens of Zelda games to come, but also as an entertaining action RPG that stood the test of time. Thr… Read More »

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