Rhythm Encounter Archives

Rhythm Encounter 118 – RPG Town Themes II: Urban Expansion

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 25, 2023

In summer of 2014, Rhythm Encounter episode 18 was all about town themes. Today, a coincidentally exact 100 episodes later, we finally revisit the topic with more favorite RPG town theme music. This time around, we have games that span quite a range, from the early 90s to just last month, with four… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 117 – Underrated Final Fantasy Music

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 11, 2023

When it comes to Final Fantasy music, for every “One-Winged Angel,” there are a dozen lesser-known songs in a given game that don’t always get their deserved time in the spotlight. Today’s panel came loaded with eight songs they feel are overlooked, underrepresented, and, yes, underrated from across… 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 »

Rhythm Encounter 115 – Dirge of Dungeon

Posted by Mike Salbato on August 14, 2023

To the dungeon with you! But don’t worry, we’ll be there with you. Dungeons are a staple of most RPGs, and good music can elevate the experience of any dungeon, even the dreaded sewers. Why we have never had a dungeon-specific episode before now, we couldn’t tell you, so today we make up for it, fea… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 114 – Incomparettable: Piano Covers with Kara Comparetto

Posted by Hilary Andreff on July 31, 2023

Have you ever wanted an inside look at what it’s like to write covers from classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI, perform, and run a stream/YouTube channel? Then this episode is for you. It’s another special interview episode here on Rhythm Encounter, and we’re fortunate to be joined by… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 113 – Dragon Quest: Symposium of Sound

Posted by Michael Sollosi on July 17, 2023

A podcast appears! Fight? Spell? Parry? Item? JAM. The music of Dragon Quest, largely composed by the late Koichi Sugiyama, combines a classical sensibility with a flair for the dramatic, with tracks ranging from serene world map tunes to pop-inspired tracks for naming your hero. And let’s not forge… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 112 – With Jazz in Our Hearts and Funk in Our Souls

Posted by Hilary Andreff on July 3, 2023

It’s time to get down! In this panel, the Rhythm crew has selected some favorite jazz and funk tracks in RPGs. Not styles of music that first come to mind when thinking of RPGs, and indeed, that’s part of their charm and effect! How have game composers and arrangers adopted these styles while arrang… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 111 – Musical Games: From Classical Composers to Singing Pirates

Posted by Hilary Andreff on June 19, 2023

What defines a musical game? Videogames, and RPGs especially, are known for using a musical score to enhance the experience, so what parameters really define “musical games” and make their use of music especially notable? Today, our Rhythm panel is going on a journey to look at a wide variety of mus… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 110 – Melodious May Music (in June)

Posted by Mike Salbato on June 5, 2023

We interrupt the expected “Musical RPGs” episode with a quick listen to some recent music, just as we did earlier in the year with episode 101. With new Zelda and Final Fantasy XIV music that came our way in May, Mike had to share those. But there’s several other notable indie projects to share too,… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 109 – Character World: RPG Character Themes II

Posted by Mike Salbato on May 23, 2023

Welcome to our long-awaited followup to 2014’s Theme Park episode! Episode 21 of Rhythm Encounter was all about character themes, and we knew it was time to do this topic again, because there has been no shortage of characters with their own themes in RPGs since then. We’ve got Dragon Quest, Dragon… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 108 – Hitoshi Sakimoto: Person of Musical Caliber

Posted by Mike Salbato on May 1, 2023

Whether you know him from his legendary work on Final Fantasy Tactics or elsewhere, odds are you at least know composer Hitoshi Sakimoto’s name. And while he often gets talked about for his work in those Ivalice titles like FFT, Final Fantasy XII, and Vagrant Story, Sakimoto has worked on a fascinat… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 107 – Springtime Serenade

Posted by Mike Salbato on April 17, 2023

At Rhythm Encounter, we’ve created episodes around seasons in the past — Episode 6 was about summer, while Episode 23, Winter Warmer, was popular enough that we revisited winter in Episode 59. And yet, we’ve somehow never had episodes about spring or fall/autumn. Well, today we address one of those… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 106 – Rhythm de Chocobo

Posted by Mike Salbato on April 3, 2023

In preparation for April Fool’s Day, someone at RPGFan suggested we finally tackle a long-standing idea: a joke episode that features only chocobo music from Final Fantasy. We loved the idea, but then a funny thing happened — a perfectly normal episode celebrating Nobuo Uematsu’s iconic theme and it… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 105 – Chained Echoes with Composer Eddie Marianukroh

Posted by Patrick Gann on March 20, 2023

There is nothing quite as exciting as having a composer as a guest on Rhythm Encounter. After offering much praise for Chained Echoes and its soundtrack, we wanted to get to know up-and-comer Eddie Marianukroh, the composer of said game. In today’s episode of Rhythm Encounter, we talk to Eddie regar… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 104 – Like a Dragon: Rhythm!

Posted by Jonathan Logan on March 6, 2023

With eight mainline entries, six side stories, and an entire spin-off series, Yakuza/Like a Dragon has an incredible history behind it. And what’s even more incredible is the stunning quality of music that comes with each new title. Since 2005, Yakuza has been gifting us pulse-pounding boss tracks,… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 103 – Xeno Series Music Spotlight

Posted by Mike Salbato on February 20, 2023

The Xeno games do not make up a traditional series, with multiple sub-series and some games connected loosely and some more directly. But whether you favor Xenogears, Xenosaga, or Xenoblade, there’s no denying the games’ popularity in the RPG crowd. And for us on Rhythm Encounter, we have been enjoy… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 102 – Airships, Buses, and Cannons

Posted by Michael Sollosi on February 6, 2023

Released in 2015, episode 27 of Rhythm Encounter was all about RPG transportation themes, like chocobos, airships, mechas, and boats. Because of the variety of creative vehicles and travel in our favorite genre — and because it’s been nearly eight years — it’s high time for another take on this topi… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 101 – Recent RPG Music 101

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 23, 2023

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Rhythm broadcast to bring you some exciting new music that is worth listening to with some urgency! While the transportation episode is making its journey here and the Xeno episode is leveling up to handle its high-level composers effectively, we decided to brin… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 100 – Return of the Kings

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 9, 2023

Rhythm Encounter launched its first episode in February 2013. Nearly ten years later and after some changes in leadership and a multi-year break, we have hit a milestone with our 100th episode! We decided early last year that we wanted to celebrate this occasion by inviting back our show’s founders,… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 99 – Music of the Year 2022

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 26, 2022

It’s that time of year! A time of both reflection and celebration of 2022’s best RPG music, and we had no shortage of great options this year. From major titles like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to long-awaited releases like the LIVE A LIVE HD-2D remake, to indie titles like Chained Echoes and Citizen Sle… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 98 – Persona Songs for Everyone’s Souls

Posted by Hilary Andreff on December 13, 2022

Welcome to a podcast between dreams and reality, mind and matter… Okay, so it’s not the Velvet Room, but it’s a dedicated episode of Rhythm Encounter to celebrate it and the far-reaching and varied music in the Persona series. Join Gio of the Justice Arcana, Neal of the Death Arcana, Sollosi of th… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 97 – Fast Travel: Songs for your Commute

Posted by Mike Salbato on November 28, 2022

Commuting comes in several forms, especially over the last few years. Whether you drive to work or school, take a train or bus, or simply walk, many of us have a soundtrack or playlist for our daily journeys. Whether you’re pumping yourself up for the day ahead, or winding down on the ride home, wha… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 96 – The Very Best of Pokémon

Posted by Mike Salbato on November 21, 2022

It’s 2022 and 10-year-old Ash Ketchum has finally won a Pokémon Championship after 25 years. Don’t think about the math too much, or you’ll end up feeling the need to Go Home and Sleep. Instead, we recommend listening to a lineup of great Pokémon music, and today’s panelists have you covered! From w… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 95 – Castlevania: Rhythm of the Night

Posted by Mike Salbato on October 31, 2022

While our friends at Retro Encounter just wrapped a month of graphic adventures — and by extension, a month of games featuring wolves — we wanted to record a Halloween-appropriate episode. The gothic halls of Dracula’s Castle are a popular spot for spooky adventure, and the Castlevania series is kno… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 94 – Masafumi Takada: Trigger Happy Cyber Sleuth

Posted by Mike Salbato on October 17, 2022

Composer Masafumi Takada is likely not as well known as some VGM composers by name, but it’s very likely you have at least heard of the games he has worked on, especially the Danganronpa series. It’s been awhile since our last composer-centric episode—we gushed about the wonderful Kumi Tanioka in ep… Read More »

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