(s) Archive
2024-02-02
Best RPG of 2023 that I Finished: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty I’ve already said enough about how impressed I was with Cyberpunk 2077‘s first and only expansion, so I’ll give a quick summary here. Phantom Liberty condenses the base game’s greatest storytelling strengths into a refreshingly tight package. It could stand entirely on its ownā¦ Read More »
Every year, I find myself behind in gaming. Not to say I haven’t played any games released in 2023, but I’ve found progress slowed by the number of amazing games over the past several years. TOO MANY GAMES! Unfortunately, several 2023 games will also spill over into my 2024 backlog. I will try my bestā¦ Read More »
2024-01-30
Creepy forest towns are relevant to my interests, especially if they contain small animals and/or a number of mysteries to solve. I’m happy to report that you’ll find both in The Secret of Timberland, a spooky and beautiful visual novel from Polish developer Amethy Soft.
2024-01-28
Aleks Franiczek As someone who loves to play videogames that try something different narratively, mechanically, and thematically, my exposure toĀ Love-de-LicĀ and theirĀ oddball development legacy across multiple studiosĀ has been long overdue. Iām glad I finally got aroundĀ moon: Remix RPG Adventure, the game that started it all, and was able to have such a thoughtful discussion about itā¦ Read More »
2024-01-26
Winner: Star Ocean: The Second Story R Star Ocean: The Second Story R is the poster child of how a remake should be done. It beautifully blends the nostalgic sprites of yore with stunningly redone environments that look even better than we could have imagined. This iteration of Star Ocean: The Second Story fills audiencesā¦ Read More »
Welcome to RPGFan’s Games of the Year 2023! And man, has it been a doozy. Is it the best year for RPGs…ever? Maybe. Time will tell. What we can say for sure is that this year has been absolutely stacked with fantastic games. Whether you’re a fan of more traditional turn-based goodness, more interested inā¦ Read More »
Winner: Honkai: Star Rail Honkai: Star Rail‘s launch proved that HoYoverse could capture lightning in a bottle twice. Combining traditional turn-based RPG combat with their signature gacha character acquisition was a recipe for success, rocketing the game to the top of the mobile charts. The game is more than just a money printer, though, addressingā¦ Read More »
Winner: Dave the Diver Dave the Diver is a fishing roguelike, a business management sim, a bullet heck shmup (not brutal enough to qualify for “bullet hell”), and completely addictive and charming. The gameplay loop of exploring the ever-changing lagoon as Dave and running a restaurant with your mysterious sushi chef buddy Bancho is hugelyā¦ Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker It’s telling that, even in a year that most would agree was on the weaker side for Final Fantasy XIV, this game still sits at the top of this category. Really, it’s a testament to Final Fantasy XIV that we even think this year is weak; we still got soā¦ Read More »
Winner: Sea of Stars It was clear from the first trailer that Sea of Stars had the potential to be something special, and the final product did not disappoint. Wearing its retro inspiration on its sleeve, the game has gorgeous pixel art, snappy combat with timed mechanics, a fun adventure story, and a catchy soundtrackā¦ Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy XVI Final Fantasy XVI is the greatest departure from the series while somehow remaining the most Final Fantasy. With a battle system designed by Devil May Cry‘s combat director, a soundtrack by Final Fantasy XIV‘s Masayoshi Soken, and the undeniable talent of Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit III, the game managed toā¦ Read More »
Winner: Fire Emblem Engage Fire Emblem Engage had a lot to live up to after the enormous success of its predecessor, Three Houses. While Engage was not exactly the “Three Houses 2” many may have wanted, it is a terrific entry in Nintendo’s tactical RPG franchise. Where Three Houses‘ success stemmed from its school settingā¦ Read More »
Winner: Baldur’s Gate III On one hand, Baldur’s Gate III is as “traditional” as an RPG gets. After all, it’s the most faithful and fleshed-out adaptation of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign (the OG RPG) that’s been done to date. Yet, at the same time, it feels like such a modern triple-A experience that theā¦ Read More »
Winner: Little Goody Two Shoes We got a little treat for the spooky season this year in the form of Little Goody Two Shoes. With a wild style that wrings every ounce of visual creativity it could out of the RPGMaker look, this narrative game is candy for the eyes. Elise has to dodge accusationsā¦ Read More »
Winner: Octopath Traveler II It’s no small task to improve on Octopath Traveler‘s combat. Every skill is so carefully chosen to make the Break/Boost system work together with the visible turn order to create a thoughtful, strategic experience in the original. Somehow, though, Octopath Traveler II improved on the best in the business to createā¦ Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy XVI The Final Fantasy series is known for having the most gorgeous, bombastic, and high-budget visuals in the industry. From Final Fantasy VII‘s bombing mission intro, FFVIII‘s blend of CGI and real-time rendering for dramatic setpiece moments to FFX‘s stunning art direction and use of color, FFXIII‘s eye-popping graphical prowess, and Finalā¦ Read More »
Winner: Theatrhythm Final Bar Line No more seeking out All-Star Carnival in random mall arcades! We finally got the robust musical Final Fantasy experience we’d all been waiting for with Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. This latest iteration in the Theatrhythm franchise is grander than ever, boasting a vast array of songs, including several options fromā¦ Read More »
Winner: Cidolfus Telamon (Final Fantasy XVI) The Final Fantasy series has its fair share of lovable characters named Cid, so it’s no trivial statement to say that Final Fantasy XVI‘s Cidolfus Telamon might be the best yet. Powered by a snarky, gravelly-voiced performance from Ralph Ineson, Cid steals the show in just about every sceneā¦ Read More »
Winner: Baldur’s Gate III Though it had been floating around in early access for a couple years, Baldur’s Gate III still felt like it snuck up on us, partly because we didn’t expect it’d be this great. BGIII caught the essence of Dungeons & Dragons at an opportune time, coinciding with a new hardware generationā¦ Read More »
Winner: Torgal (Final Fantasy XVI) Torgal is the goodest of boys. He’s cute as a button as a puppy and handsome (but still adorable) as an adult. He is fiercely loyal to his people and nigh inseparable with Clive in particular. When the two are separated, Torgal spends over a decade searching for Clive andā¦ Read More »
Winner: Baldur’s Gate III It begins with a startling scene of an octopedal mind flayer putting a parasitic worm in your eye. If you can believe it, Baldur’s Gate III doesn’t settle down but only gets weirder. Though your main goal is to relieve your unusual malady, your tale branches off in whichever direction theā¦ Read More »
Winner: Clive Rosfield (Final Fantasy XVI) “You know nothing, Clive Rosfield.” While not everyone was taken with the degree of Game of Thrones influence in Final Fantasy XVI‘s tone and world, it’s hard to deny that modeling Clive after underdog hero Jon Snow translated well to the game. Equal parts angst, heart, loveable awkwardness, andā¦ Read More »
Winner: Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) For being one of gaming’s most infamous villains, it’s surprising how often Ganondorf has lurked in the shadows of Zelda games only to lurch out during their final moments. So, we all knew we were in for something special when his reign of terror wasā¦ Read More »
Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed The Xenoblade Chronicles series gained a reputation for extensive DLC expansions, such as Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden County and Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition: Future Connected. Thankfully, Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed goes beyond these expectations and surpasses them. Acting as a prequel to the main game,ā¦ Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy XVI Final Fantasy XVI is in a unique position to win this award as it was the only game in the franchise to prioritize its English dub; in fact, the English dub and motion capture were complete before Japanese recordings even began! Creative Business Unit III wanted the game to emulate darkerā¦ Read More »
