Retro Encounter Archives | Page 6 of 14

Retro Encounter 288 – Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on May 20, 2021

Five Retro Encounter panelists rolled credits on Dragon Quest IV, and their feelings on the 1990 classic are unanimous: Dragon Quest IV is ahead of its time. From the villain’s motivations to the quest design to Akira Toriyama’s badass women, Dragon Quest IV is a treat. Listen to us gush about it. D… Read More »

Retro Encounter 287 – Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on May 14, 2021

Five chosen panelists meet a chosen hero (or heroine) and his (or her) seven companions in today’s podcast on 1990’s Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, making today’s Retro Encounter one of the most retro we’ve ever done. Scottish accents, kickass princesses, and talented business wives all en… Read More »

Retro Encounter 286 – Dragon Quest Fantasy Draft

Posted by Michael Sollosi on May 11, 2021

Four Dragon Quest aficionados who haven’t attended live sporting events in over a year celebrate their love of the seminal Japanese RPG by pretending it’s fake sports! Retro Encounter is doing another fantasy draft, and this time it’s to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the slimey and sagacious ser… Read More »

Retro Encounter 285 – Suikoden III Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on April 30, 2021

Four panelists recruited twenty-seven times as many heroes in playing Suikoden III over April 2021, and have plenty to say about it! Suikoden III’s complex politics, different motivations between its multiple protagonists, and surprise turns from series mainstay characters are all up for discussion.… Read More »

Retro Encounter 284 – Suikoden III Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on April 22, 2021

Suikoden III evokes the halcyon days of the PlayStation 2, when RPGs were many, UI conveniences were few, and Konami actually made video games. Suikoden III’s politically-charged story and army of named characters are consistent with its predecessors, but it’s split narrative and pants-optional wate… Read More »

Retro Encounter 283 – Crimson Shroud

Posted by Michael Sollosi on April 16, 2021

What RPG uses dice-roll physics, requires rare drops from Skeleton Mages, and is exclusive to the 3DS Shop? Crimson Shroud and absolutely nothing else! Yasumi Matsuno (Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy XII) teamed up with Level-5 (Dark Cloud, Dragon Quest VIII) to produce one of the most unique RPGs for t… Read More »

Retro Encounter 282 – Final Fantasy XIV Part III: Stormblood

Posted by Michael Sollosi on April 8, 2021

Final Fantasy XIV’s 2017 expansion had players visit the highlands of Gyr Abania and the steppes of Othard, but not as a tourist. Stormblood is a game about casting the light of liberation unto an oppressed people, and helping them tear down an imperialist regime. Stormblood is quite personal and po… Read More »

Retro Encounter 281 – Is That An RPG?

Posted by Michael Sollosi on April 1, 2021

One of the most common reader or listener comments that RPGFan social media receives is “not an RPG,” and we take some umbrage at that. RPGFan prides itself on covering a diverse array of games, which includes some games that might be considered hybrid RPGs or RPG-adjacent. Today, Retro Encounter re… Read More »

Retro Encounter 280 – Muramasa: The Demon Blade Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on March 25, 2021

Two Retro Encounter panelists played through four Muramasa: The Demon Blade endings and still can’t stop gushing over the 2D action RPG’s gorgeous backgrounds. But those backdrops aren’t the only shiny things in Vanillaware’s theatrical tour de force – there’s also the lusciously animated food, the… Read More »

Retro Encounter 279 – Muramasa: The Demon Blade Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on March 18, 2021

Before 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (but after Odin Sphere) the art-focused JRPG developer Vanillaware made Muramasa: The Demon Blade, an action RPG steeped in Japanese folklore and following a long tradition of ninja action arcade games. But how compelling are the characters, animations, and other eleme… Read More »

Retro Encounter 278 – Pokémon Turns 25

Posted by Eva Padilla on March 11, 2021

It was early in 1996 when a couple of modest, lightly-janky Gameboy games were released in Japan, beginning a phenomenon that is persisting (and thriving) to this day. Those games were Pokémon Red and Green, the very first generation of Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak’s monster-catching series! A quar… Read More »

Retro Encounter 277 – Final Fantasy XIV Part II: Heavensward

Posted by Michael Sollosi on March 4, 2021

In 2015, Final Fantasy XIV players trekked to the north and looked to the sky in Heavensward, the fan-favorite expansion game that raised character levels to 60 and introduced Eorzeans to Ishgard. Three FFXIV players of varying experience levels discuss their love of Heavensward and Ishgard, from th… Read More »

Retro Encounter 276 – Radiant Historia Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on February 27, 2021

Retro Encounter’s panel finished Radiant Historia earlier this month, and dissects the endgame of Stocke and his companions. The time traveling, turn-stealing, wheelin’ and dealin’ son of a king has some major decisions to make. Is Radiant Historia stylin’ and profilin’ to Retro Encounter’s preferen… Read More »

Retro Encounter 275 – Radiant Historia Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on February 18, 2021

Radiant Historia found many RPG fans in the last days of the Nintendo DS, and today Retro Encounter celebrates it on the 10th anniversary of its North American release. Parallel timelines, shoving enemies around a grid, Yoko Shimomura tunes, and suspicious botanical practices all take center stage i… Read More »

Retro Encounter 274 – Final Fantasy XIV Part I: A Realm Reborn

Posted by Michael Sollosi on February 11, 2021

In advance of the 2021 release of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, Retro Encounter is recording four Final Fantasy XIV episodes in 2021! Each will feature a different panel and focus on the panelists’ personal experiences with Final Fantasy XIV, then discuss the characters, stories, and contents on one… Read More »

Retro Encounter 273 – Yakuza: Like a Dragon Spoilercast

Posted by Michael Sollosi on February 4, 2021

The worldwide release of Ryu Ga Gotoku 7 made a big splash in 2020, as the first Yakuza game with turn-based combat, the first Yakuza game not to star Kazuma Kiryu, and the first Yakuza game in 15 years with English-language voice acting. At least four RPGFan… Read More »

Retro Encounter 272 – Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean Part II

Posted by Alana Hagues on January 28, 2021

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean ramps up the drama on disc 2! In part 2 of our deep dive into Monolith Soft’s forgotten classic, the three panellists return to talk about that now-famous betrayal, grumble about difficulty spikes, and most importantly, gush about the Children of the Ea… Read More »

Retro Encounter 271 – Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean Part I

Posted by Alana Hagues on January 21, 2021

Only the second game to be released by Monolith Soft, Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean swaps space and mechs for a card game, but keeps the dead gods. Three panelists explore disc one of this weird and wonderful game, from the beautiful pre-rendered visuals, to the engaging world and b… Read More »

Retro Encounter 270 – Hades

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 14, 2021

Retro Encounter’s episode on Hades marks the fourth Supergiant Games episode of the podcast in six weeks, but we discussed the Hell out of this roguelike RPG of gods and monsters. Our favorite Zagreus builds, our mythological romantic preferences, and our warm, fuzzy feelings of progress and accomp… Read More »

Retro Encounter 269 – Pyre

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 11, 2021

What happens when you cross NBA Jam, Oregon Trail, and Supergiant Games’ distinct style and flavor? The 2017 indie narrative game Pyre, which is hard to describe in just a few sentences, so we recorded an entire podcast about it instead! Part three (of four) of our miniseries on Supergiant Games. … Read More »

Retro Encounter 268 – 2020 Year In Review

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 31, 2020

On the last day of 2020, Retro Encounter celebrates the year’s video games while offering good riddance to essentially everything else. From roguelikes that play like Diablo to open worlds that play like Persona to Japanese adventure games of multiple narratives to Irish adventure games of self-disc… Read More »

Retro Encounter 267 – Transistor

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 17, 2020

Retro Encounter examines another entry in the Supergiant Games catalog in an episode all about Transistor, the 2014 action RPG that rewards careful planning with swift execution of its customizable abilities. The beautiful visual and audio presentation, 2nd-person narration, creative boss fights, an… Read More »

Retro Encounter 266 – Tales Of Fantasy Draft

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 10, 2020

Retro Encounter loves Tales Of RPGs, and Retro Encounter’s host loves ludicrous fantasy drafts. Naturally those two passions collided in a podcast, in which five Retro Encounter panelists discuss their (mostly) favorite Tales Of characters and relationships in the format of a fantasy sports draft. W… Read More »

Retro Encounter 265 – Bastion

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 3, 2020

Retro Encounter kicks off Supergiant Games Month with a podcast all about Bastion, SG’s breakout 2011 title in which a Kid wakes up in a mysterious broken city with only a voice to guide him and a hammer for smashing. In this episode three panelists discuss The Kid’s journey, including his arsenal o… Read More »

Retro Encounter 264 – Final Fantasy X-2 Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 26, 2020

Final Fantasy X-2. Great job system, great battle system, well-made pop songs. But how about the rest of the game? Our panel has some criticisms about the side quests, main story, and overall presentation of FFX-2, but they try to balance the bad with some good in the newest Retro Encounter.… Read More »

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