(s) Archive
2024-08-10
A Message From the Stars I must have been sleeping on AllPlay pre-pandemic, or they’ve just grown tremendously since then. Initially a luxury board game table developer, AllPlay has leaned heavily into publishing board games that they describe as “approachable and easy to learn,” which I agree with, except for our first title: A Message From the Stars.… Read More »
Origins Game Fair, as suggested in our feature last year, seems to be undergoing some changes. If you’re an Essen or GenCon attendee, you might not know what I’m referencing, as these conventions seem to have bounced back to normal since the pandemic, per my conversations with others this year. The “big boys”—CGE, Rio Grande,… Read More »
2024-08-07
One of my favorite archetypes in sci-fi is the artificial or constructed sentient being. They go by many names, including robots, droids, automatons, and synths. I am fascinated by exploring the complexities and moral dilemmas of interacting with an artificial being. There is no shortage of memorable characters who fit this criteria throughout the history… Read More »
2024-08-06
Heavily inspired by Quintet classics, Golden Sun, and even drag culture, I’m proud to present Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets, a new action RPG follow-up to 2021’s Save Me Mr. Tako.
2024-07-31
Dom Kim I must confess that I feared how this playthrough for Retro Encounter would turn out. It had been years since I last booted up Dark Souls, and having recently gone on a month-long Elden Ring spree both preparing for and playing through the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC I couldn’t help but wonder… Read More »
2024-07-24
I got my first console back in the late nineties when I was around twelve — a PS1. In the preceding months, I spent hours thumbing through gaming magazines and getting excited about specifically playing Final Fantasy VIII (which was due out soon) and Final Fantasy VII (which I’d bought a magazine walkthrough for even… Read More »
2024-07-17
A lot of people will point to the Super Nintendo or the PS1 as the “Golden Era” of RPGs, and there’s certainly something to that. But the PS4 is full of so many excellent RPGs, and they run the gamut between big budget, AAA titles, smaller AA titles, and indie darlings that took the genre… Read More »
And now we’re on to part 2 (games ranked 17th through 9th on our list). A couple of series have multiple entries here, but each game is very different. Check them out! #17 Undertale Writeup by Tim Rattray The PS4 has many great RPGs, but I’d wager that none were more influential—or more influenced—than Undertale.… Read More »
And we’ve come to the end of our list! While there will be some surprises, the top of this list is very good and showcases just how excellent the PS4 library is! #8 Disco Elysium Writeup by Aleks Franiczek Disco Elysium is, first and foremost, a PC game, heralding back to the Infinity Engine classics… Read More »
2024-07-03
Claton Stevenson My first impressions of Grandia II was initially to cringe, particularly at the abrasive and often misogynistic sass coming out of main protagonist Ryudo’s mouth. Thankfully, though, Ryudo is quickly given opportunities to soften and grow, as the narrative reveals more about his life and relationship to the conflict between Valmar and Granas.… Read More »
2024-06-28
Are you too cool for school? I’m certainly not, especially if it’s the magical school featured in today’s game of choice. Introducing Arcadia Fallen II, the standalone follow-up to 2021’s enchanting visual novel from Galdra Studios.
Chocobo’s Dungeon: The Board Game is a light cooperative board game that captures the feeling of the video game series through its charming visuals and dungeon-diving course of play. For those whose hearts have been foraged by this tenacious avian, Chocobo’s Dungeon is sure to scratch that chibi artwork itch while inspiring soft knowledge cooperative… Read More »
2024-06-25
We covered the reveal of Infinity Knights: Xross from Timesea Studio a couple weeks ago. This up-and-coming Australian studio is run by three brothers who grew up on video games and decided to harness that passion and knowledge to build their own action RPG. Infinity Knights: Xross aims to deliver something familiar to fans of… Read More »
2024-06-12
Michael Sollosi Before starting Omori, I knew it by reputation. This is an RPG about trauma and depression, and it handles those two topics earnestly in the form of a retro-styled RPG. But Omori is also considerably more. Sadness, joy, and anger are status effects-slash-status buffs that are employed both positively and negatively. The world… Read More »
2024-06-05
You now know that a Final Fantasy VII Remake board game exists. Now that you’ve accomplished that, should you buy it? While you may be a die-hard Final Fantasy VII fan, that doesn’t necessarily mean this game’s for you. Intellectual properties have been hitting cardboard and cardstock with increasing prevalence over the years, and some… Read More »
2024-05-29
I strongly believe that post-apocalyptic meal choices would make a cold Big Mac found between couch cushions seem like the pinnacle of both nutrition and taste, but this game might just prove me wrong.
2024-05-25
Square Enix recently published the long-awaited newest entry in the SaGa franchise, SaGa Emerald Beyond. Alongside our SaGa Emerald Beyond review, which noted the game’s strengths in combat design and unique flavor in story presentation, we had the opportunity to interact with two key staff for this game. One of them is SaGa series creator… Read More »
Quick question: What’s your tolerance for operatic melodrama? You know what? Better question: Can you play riichi mahjong? Not enough people know how… Actually, nevermind, we’ve got an even better question: Have you heard of the Yakuza (AKA, Like a Dragon) series? Known as Ryu Ga Gotoku (translated as “Like A Dragon”) in Japan, it’s… Read More »
2024-05-18
SPOILER WARNING: This feature discusses the ending of Rebirth specifically and contains details. It also mentions details from Remake’s ending. I’ll make it clear upfront: I love the ending of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. While playing through it for the first time, it evoked significant emotional duress given my hopes that we could save Aerith (even… Read More »
2024-05-08
Audra Bowling The first Arc the Lad game was a brief, enjoyable foray into an interesting video game world that could only do so much with its limitations. While playing it, I felt both enjoyment and underwhelmed in equal measure. But then I tried its sequel, and I fell in love with another SRPG series… Read More »
2024-05-04
I’ve always had a soft spot for the detailed isometric graphics of 90’s CRPGs, and it’s nice to see their influence still taking hold in our modern year of 2024. Introducing Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy, the next exciting adventure by the developers of Atom RPG.
2024-04-27
Flammie (Secret of Mana) Writeup by Patrick Gann Lifting the spin drum into the sky and giving it a sharp turn, the Mana Beast, Flammie, descends to sweep up you and your two companions. Goodness gracious, I always loved calling upon this lovable cutie as the ideal mode of transportation around the world map of… Read More »
As many of you know, it’s the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese calendar, so we thought it was time to put together a feature on our favorite dragons! After all, what’s a good RPG without at least one excellent dragon? While we had a tough time deciding on the final number, we decided… Read More »
Nidhogg (Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward) Writeup by Zach Wilkerson We had a hard time deciding on the best dragon from Final Fantasy XIV. There’s certainly no shortage of excellent dragons, but even amongst them, Nidhogg soars above the rest. In many ways, Nidhogg becomes the template for the best villains in XIV: someone with evil… Read More »
2024-04-20
I love a sunburnt country,A land of sweeping plains,Of ragged mountain ranges,Of drought and flooding rains. An excerpt from Dorothea Mackellar’s famous poem “My Country” 1906 The excerpt above is to many within Australia (of which I am one) as perfect a verse as exists to encapsulate the beautiful and unforgiving nature of the Great… Read More »
