(s) Archive
2023-12-23
Below, you’ll find not one, but two Final Fantasy games, along with some long awaited releases and localizations of franchises that are almost as popular. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth We’ve arrived at last. With Midgar in the rearview, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth looks to bring Final Fantasy VII to life like never before.… Read More »
2023 sure has been a year in video games, hasn’t it? We’ve had a brand new mainline Final Fantasy game, an iteration on arguably the most popular Zelda game, and a game that quickly ascended to conversations about the best games ever. Let’s not forget the mound of other excellent games that came out this… Read More »
Here you’ll find remakes of some of our staff’s all-time favorite games, a number of new entries in long-running series (including a newly announced bonus game), and plenty of others! Persona 3 Reload Persona 3 marked a new style for the venerable series, opening the more niche title to a broader audience. Persona 3 Reload… Read More »
2023-12-05
Michael Sollosi Bloodborne is a revelation. An intense action RPG with incredible freedom and drama, draped in a blood-soaked Gothic aesthetic that’s brutal and beautiful, Bloodborne‘s environments, boss fights, and hidden secrets get more fascinating by the minute. Bloodborne is the game that gave us the term “Soulsbourne,” as it has all the hallmarks of… Read More »
2023-11-21
Campaign Ends: November 24Platform: Windows, Game Boy Color (including emulators). Hello RPG friends, and welcome to another installment of Catfunding Chronicles! Today’s cat-tastic gaming choice is Inspector Waffles: Early Days, a prequel to 2021’s Inspector Waffles, a point-and-click game. In an unexpected (yet exciting) departure from the original, this new installment takes the form of… Read More »
2023-10-31
There is no more immediate symbol of fear and death than the skeleton. Worldwide depictions of skeletons range from commonplace to a cultural taboo, but every society knows that someone who’s all bones is no longer among the living. Perhaps sensibly, undead skeletons are an unnatural abomination that have haunted the folklore of living humans… Read More »
2023-10-25
In the RPG discourse, Sony and Nintendo’s consoles garner the most affection, while Microsoft tends to be overlooked. But why? I think this is due mainly to a couple of factors. First, PlayStation and Nintendo were already established juggernauts when Microsoft released their first console. Secondly, two of these three companies are based in Japan… Read More »
2023-10-24
Michael Sollosi This is my first time playing Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, and, well, the highest compliment I can give is that it goes down smoothly. Rhapsody is fast-paced, easy to understand, and so breezy that I wonder if it was a little too easy? Rhapsody has a cute premise (a village girl falls in… Read More »
2023-10-14
“Lacrimosa” is a beautiful term for something tragic and sad. It’s a perfectly fitting term for Dana Iclucia’s unfolding backstory in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, the eighth installment of Falcom’s venerable action RPG series. This game novelization explores this backstory to incredible effect, creating a compelling fantasy tale with some minute alterations that only those… Read More »
2023-10-13
As part of a recent Square Enix event where I played a demo of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (don’t miss my hands-on impressions), I also had the honor to conduct an interview with Rebirth’s director, Naoki Hamaguchi. For those unfamiliar with Hamaguchi’s work, he contributed to several Final Fantasy titles, including Final Fantasy XII and… Read More »
2023-10-05
If Tim Burton were to combine The Lighthouse and Oxenfree, the result might be something like The Heirloom.
2023-10-01
Aleks Franiczek Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is a rare RPGs that dares to look outside of its genre for inspiration and hammers it down with a distinct vision. From that standpoint, it’s really the opposite of the rest of the Breath of Fire series, which was content to play within the common JRPG standards of the 1990s—with… Read More »
2023-09-22
Ever wanted to know what it would look like to see Gaston get murdered by ten brooms? Well, I have good news for you: Disney Sorcerer’s Arena is a Sean Fletcher-developed strategy RPG/Smash Bros.-style hybrid board game that allows you to do just that. Bet you never knew you needed this kind of game, but… Read More »
2023-09-20
If you’re like me and are drawn in by the beautiful vistas of Krat, you’re probably playing Lies of P this weekend. Like many games in its self-proclaimed Souls-like genre, Lies of P can be very rewarding, but it can also be pretty difficult. So, try the following tips to make your stay in Krat… Read More »
2023-09-19
Fate/Samurai Remnant is just around the corner, and it’s already shaping up to be a fresh and exciting depiction of the Holy Grail War set in the relatively peaceful Edo period of Japanese History. We recently had a chance to interview Ryota Matsushita, director at Koei Tecmo games and known for his extensive history with… Read More »
2023-09-16
For most RPGs, I’d venture to say only superfans wonder about the nitty-gritty details of each character’s past. What were they like as children? How did they become such an amazing swordsman? Why did they come to stay in this village if their birthplace is on the other side of the world? I’d reckon most… Read More »
2023-09-13
Exploring in Baldur’s Gate III, the main character and their party eventually find themselves embroiled in conflict with the Three Chosen, the main humanoid antagonists and a trio of fascinating individuals. Ketheric Thorm anoints himself the chosen representative of Lady Shar, the goddess of darkness. Lord Enver Gortash, the Chosen of Bane, the god of… Read More »
2023-09-06
Campaign Ends: September 14thPlatform: A table, a desk, or your floor! Clear your table and prepare a beverage of your choice, as today we welcome a new and exciting adventure in Crowdfunding Chronicles: our first coverage of a card game! Presenting To the Moon: Bestest Memories, a heartwarming standalone game based on Freebird Games’ beloved… Read More »
2023-08-27
Hilary Andreff Disco Elysium is a game you play when you feel like reading a book. I’ve been reflecting on this comment significantly since we convened and podcasted, and it’s true in many ways. This game requires attention, patience, reflection and promises a range of responses and feelings that match even well-written fiction. Disco Elysium… Read More »
2023-08-23
Earlier this month, SEGA invited me to New York City for hands-on experience with a few new games coming out in the next half a year or so. I was even more excited when I heard that Persona 3 Reload, Persona 5 Tactica, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name would all… Read More »
2023-08-09
This article is my first contribution to a newer series of features here at RPGFan: Parental Guidance. Cat Quest and Kingdom Hearts have already been wonderfully covered by Monica and I encourage everyone to read those pieces as well. This feature aims to achieve the same goal: to aid parents in making educated decisions about… Read More »
2023-08-08
Thanks to the folks at Square Enix, I had the opportunity to attend Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2023 in Las Vegas! This year was the first in-person iteration of the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival since 2019. In addition, the event served as a celebration for the MMO’s upcoming tenth anniversary of its relaunch… Read More »
2023-08-03
Sometimes cats go missing and later turn up just two streets away, examining a confused woman’s newly bought groceries. I’m not sure if that’s what happens to the cat in this game, but I would like to find out.
2023-08-02
After an extended absence from our TV screens, Star Trek roared back into the limelight in 2017 with Star Trek: Discovery, a brand-new show set pre-The Original Series. This spurred an entirely new era of Star Trek shows, with Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds following soon after. With this renewed interest in… Read More »
2023-07-26
For several years before the pandemic, pride parades occurred the same weekend as Origins. For most of us, this was a welcomed occasion, despite the increased traffic and congested restaurants. While the typical parade didn’t occur this year, the Pride Gamers of Columbus had a room prominently displayed with a rainbow banner near registration and… Read More »
