- Review
Death by Scrolling
Simplicity is a virtue, and one that’s easy to overlook in games where upgrade systems, complex enemy AI, and intricate level design often steal the spotlight. Yet the best games prove that, even stripped of their bells and whistles, strong cores can carry the entire experience. Death by Scrolling i… Read More »- Feature
Retro Encounter Final Thoughts – Persona 5
Audra Bowling Persona 5 Royal is the most complete version of a well-done adventure. Do I think it could’ve been better? Yes, but I also acknowledge that my opinion of the urban fantasy-based RPG is somewhat skewed. Regarding dungeon design, Persona 5 is one of the most creative and entertaining Per… Read More »- Review
Starfield
With Starfield finally landing on PlayStation 5, I came into it as a first-time player who had spent the last few years watching the discourse unfold from a distance. Few modern RPGs have been picked apart quite like this, with some calling it a triumph and others treating it like a cautionary tale.… Read More »- Feature
Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026: A Spectacular Time in Anaheim
With the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026 in Anaheim now behind me, I wanted to share some thoughts and experiences that didn’t make it into my other articles. Between the Evercold reveal, live competitions, hands-on activities, press conference, and incredible concerts, it was a weekend I will never… Read More »- Article
- News
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Switch 2 Preview and Demo Out Today!
Recently, I had the opportunity to check out Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the Switch 2. You can as well with the demo releasing today for both the Switch 2 and the Xbox Series X|S. The demo covers chapters 1 and 2, and save data carries over to the main game when it releases on June 3rd. As som… Read More »- Review
Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta
The Ys series has garnered significant critical acclaim, with its hero Adol Christin becoming an RPG icon. Arguably, Ys has had a significant impact on the action RPG genre from early on, with exploration-heavy, puzzle-laden games, featuring challenging fights that require quick-footed strategy to o… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 346 – Will the PS5 Rescue Starfield?
On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re talking all about two older games that have recently been revitalized with new gameplay! When Starfield was released in 2023, it was divisive, to put it mildly. Some said it was one of the best games ever, some said it was the worst game ever, but most gree… Read More »- Article
- News
Evercold Press Conference with Naoki Yoshida at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026
Thanks to the Square Enix PR team, I had the privilege of taking part in a press conference with Naoki Yoshida following the reveals at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026 in Anaheim. We were able to ask about everything from Evercold’s story direction and gameplay changes to the newly announced raids,… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 4/21/26 – Homages and a Trail to the Heavens
As we begin the final week of April 2026 (wait, what?), we have one of the fuller weeks of RPGs Coming This Week in a while. From the latest update to Final Fantasy XIV to a great-looking Zelda-like and creature collecting RPG, and even a beloved hippo, it’s a pretty good week to be an RPG fan. We’l… Read More »Music Review
Chrono Trigger Piano Soundscape Arrangement
Chrono Trigger, a true classic in the Square Enix library, hit store shelves in 1995. That means 2025 was its 30th anniversary. As part of the 30th anniversary celebrations, Square Enix published Chrono Trigger Piano Soundscape Arrangement. When Square Enix Music first announced this album, all my n… Read More »- Article
- News
Beast of Reincarnation Pre-Orders Available Now
Fictions and Game Freak have announced that pre-orders for their upcoming post-apocalyptic RPG Beast of Reincarnation are now available, ahead of its release on August 4th. A trailer accompanied the announcement, showcasing a snippet of its story, stylish swordfighting, and the sheer scale of comba… Read More »- Article
- News
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Soars on September 17th
Nihon Falcom and GungHo Online Entertainment have announced that Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter will release globally on September 17th for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, and PC via Steam. A trailer accompanied the announcement, showcasing a brief look at the continuing adventures of Estel… Read More »- Article
- News
Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold Revealed at Fan Fest 2026, Coming in January
Huge thanks to Mel and everyone at Square Enix for having us at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026 in Anaheim. This is particularly meaningful to me because I’ve played this game since the closed beta of A Realm Reborn and, somehow, despite spending over a decade in Eorzea, I’ve never had the opportuni… Read More »- Review
Homura: The Crimson Warriors
Originally released on the PlayStation Vita in 2018, the historical fantasy otome visual novel Homura: The Crimson Warriors didn’t receive an English localization until 2026 on the Nintendo Switch. Was it worth the wait? Well, despite its somewhat dated visual presentation, Homura: The Crimson Warri… Read More »- Article
- News
Castle in the Sands Brings Mysteries Amidst The Desert This May
Winter Apple has announced that their upcoming visual novel Castle in the Sands will be released sometime in May for PC via Steam. A trailer accompanied the announcement, depicting fated connections, exploratory choices across the sands, all rendered in a pixellated style. Check out below! Castle in… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 484 – Persona 5 Part II
Quit the idle chit-chat and let’s listen to Retro Encounter. This week on Retro Encounter, we dive into the second half of Persona 5, including all the post-game Royal content. Did this game really need to be longer? What do we think of the new content? Just how long can one game be? Listen in to fi… Read More »- Review
Corpse Party
In 1996, the gaming world was alive with a future offered exclusively through 3D graphics. Technical geometric concepts like polygons and vertices were entering the gaming lingua franca, and from a mainstream perspective, the world was moving on from 8- and 16-bit games. At this time, however, a cul… Read More »Feature
RPGFan Games of the Year 2025: Overall Awards
That’s right, it’s finally time for our Games of the Year 2025 awards! 2025 was absolutely stacked with incredible games, and while we said similar in our GotY 2024 feature, it was no less true last year. Many of us started off the year wondering what the standouts would be, realizing one of the gam… Read More »Feature
RPGFan Games of the Year 2025 ~ Editors’ Awards
Welcome to RPGFan’s Game of the Year Awards, 2025 style! As has been the case for the last few years, we are releasing these a bit later into the new year, but with some solid releases late in the year, we wanted to give our staff time to play some of those later games! Today we present the first pa… Read More »Feature
Crowdfunding Chronicles: Burn the Midnight Oil
If you miss going to shady goth clubs or need something to play in between World of Darkness games, I have a little something for you. Introducing Burn the Midnight Oil, a spooky and stylish visual novel by Swedish studio Foxglove Games, developers of the wholesome sibling rivalry VN Trouble Comics… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 4/19/26 – Blasts from the Past
Settle in, readers, since we have a rather weird — but ultimately fascinating — pair of RPGs Coming This Week for you. If one unexpected revival of a classic turn-based RPG isn’t enough for you, how about two? We have a 1992 SEGA Genesis RPG returning on most modern platforms, and an RPG released fo… Read More »- Feature
“Please Don’t Leave Me”: 10 Compelling RPG Companions
Ahh, companions. In many ways, they are the beating hearts of RPGs. Our party members help ground us in the role of protagonist and offer nuanced worldbuilding by relaying their own life experiences and perspectives. There are so many lovable and cool RPG companions across so many series that trying… Read More »Music Review
Aretha 35th Anniversary Soundtrack Box
I only know a handful of Aretha fans. No, I don’t mean Aretha Franklin. I’m talking about the trio of Game Boy games (and, later, a follow-up trilogy of Super Famicom games) from the tiny dev team Japan Art Media. For decades, I’d only known about this series because of an arranged album for the SFC… Read More »- Review
Fishbowl
As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned how funny grief can be. You can be sitting at your desk, watching a show, and a thought enters your head: “I’ll never watch this with my dad again.” It doesn’t matter how long it’s been; the passage of time may help grief not dominate your life, but grief has a funn… Read More »- Review
OPUS: Prism Peak
Capturing a moment in a photograph preserves a fleeting glimpse, tangible proof that an event occurred or that someone was present. However, photographs cannot keep what we cherish truly close. Instead, they provide a frozen image of a beloved person or memory, prompting us to reflect on and underst… Read More »Feature
Music for Tabletop RPGs: Scoring Your Adventure with Phandelver
The year is 1994. I, a ten-year-old who had just cleared fourth grade, am sitting on the floor of my older sister’s bedroom. It’s summer, and the room feels warm, so we crank the ceiling fan to max speed. She hands me a blank character sheet to create my very first character in Dungeons & Dragon… Read More »- Review
Dosa Divas
Cooking and RPGs aren’t something I’d usually pair, but Dosa Divas, a smaller JRPG from Outerloop Games, has tried to change my usual diet. The story of three sisters trying to come to terms with their pasts and their futures attempts to combine deep revelations with irreverent humour and whimsy. Un… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 345 – PAX East 2026 Roundup!
On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re talking all about some of the RPGs and adventure games found at this year’s PAX East! Originally known as the Penny Arcade Expo, both PAX East and West have become long-running institutions in the video game industry. This year, our fearless editor-in-chief… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 4/12/26 – And Last Week, Too
For our second April edition of RPGs Coming This Week, have two vibrant new games to highlight, one with a focus on food and culture, and one built around photography and memory. I’m a sucker for most games with a heavy photography component, be it Pokémon Snap, TOEM, or Beyond Good & Evil, so o… Read More »- Review
The Colonel’s Bequest
A dark, stormy night. An old plantation house sequestered in a dark swamp. A wheelchair bound colonel sitting on a fortune and hosting a visiting family of opportunistic gamblers, alcoholics, and profligates. Though this could very well be the setup to an Agatha Christie novel, this is how the class… Read More »Music Review
Scott Pilgrim EX Original Soundtrack
At this point, New York-based chiptune rock band Anamanaguchi has defined the bulk of the Scott Pilgrim franchise’s sound. Starting with the soundtrack to Ubisoft’s 2010 beat ‘em up Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game and continuing on with the original manga’s sequel anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off… Read More »- Feature
Folklore: A Forgotten Game About Forgotten Memories
Playing Folklore reminded me of many mundane memories. A regular Monday afternoon in the middle of a chilly Alabama winter, only about 50°. Cold to most people in the south, but not to me. I’m in history class, or maybe English? I can’t quite remember. It’s mostly background noise, like someone leav… Read More »- Article
PAX East 2026 Roundup & 9 More Games to Watch
Here we are, the last ever PAX (East) (2026) article! I’ve shared all of my biggest highlights from this year’s show already, and if you’ve missed any, I encourage you to check them out: Disgaea Mayhem Hands-On Brigandine Abyss Hands-On Spirit Rancher Hands-On High Times Hands-On Terra Nova: Legend… Read More »- Article
- Preview
Neverway Prologue Demo – From Farm to Nightmare
Farming RPGs have never been more en vogue, with an entire new wave of indie farming life-sims cresting off the success of Stardew Valley and the revitalization of the Story of Seasons series. While many of these titles iterate on that standard farming RPG formula first established by Harvest Moon a… Read More »- Review
Arcadia Fallen II
In recent years, there’s been an influx of stories across media set in magic academies, where those gifted with magical talent hone their skills. Role-playing visual novel Arcadia Fallen II has players step into the academic shoes of a student in their final year at the fantastical Seven Winds Acade… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 483 – Persona 5 Part I
Looking cool, Retro Encounter. This week on Retro Encounter, we dive into the first half of Persona 5. We discuss the dazzling style, combat, and the sometimes less than dazzling structure. Who do we want to romance? Does the game still hold up? Does Morgana ever let us do anything but sleep? Listen… Read More »Music Review
Aether & Iron Soundtrack
I recently learned about Aether & Iron after reading my colleague Jerry’s review of the game. The game itself looks cool. But when I read that the Aether & Iron Soundtrack was co-composed by *the* Christopher Tin and another formidable orchestral guru, Alex Williamson, I had to check it out… Read More »- Article
- Preview
PAX East 2026 – Terra Nova: Legend of the Runes is a Retro JRPG to Watch
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t tell you what you want out of an RPG. I don’t know you, person reading this. But if you’re here on RPGFan, I have at least an idea, and I’m telling you that Terra Nova: Legend of the Runes is one to keep both eyes on. I was able to try it out at PAX and talked to developer An… Read More »- Review
People of Note
A popstar, a rocker, a DJ, and a rapper walk into a random encounter… No, this is not the start to a terrible joke, but rather the start of the incredible combat system in developer Iridium Studios’ cross-genre RPG musical People of Note. When I demoed the game and met its director, Jason Wishnov, a… Read More »- Article
- News
