- Review
House of Necrosis
Horror and RPG crossovers are in the midst of an incredible resurgence right now. Inspired by genre experimentation from the late ’90s golden age of RPGs (with hits like Parasite Eve and cult classics like Koudelka), a new crop of independent developers are flexing their creative muscles by combinin… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 358 – Stupid (Decisions by EA) Never Die
On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re taking a trip back in time for a game that is from the 2000s and a game that is inspired by the 2000s! First up, Stupid Never Dies is an action RPG from some former Capcom devs. Hmmmm… zombies in a mall? Checks out! With sick visuals, a dope soundtrack, a… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, October 25–31, 2026 – All Hallows RPGs
With Halloween landing at the end of the week, it’s a fine time to release some spooky games. And while that is happening, most of them don’t land in our coverage at RPGFan. Still, it’s easy to see how Emberville’s Diablo-meets-Stardew Valley still fits the bill, or how it’s a great week to revisit… Read More »Article
RPGFan Volunteer Drive: 2026 Edition [EXTENDED]
October 24th Update: We have received several applications, but we would like to see a slightly higher amount, so we have extended the deadline from tonight until the end of October! I thought about titling this post “RPGFan Seeks Fresh Blood” in the spirit of spooky season, but I didn’t want to a)… Read More »- Review
Village in the Shade
A burgeoning trend involves fusing RPG and survival horror mechanics alongside traditional horror aesthetics and atmosphere. Recent horror RPGs like Vultures – Scavengers of Death and House of Necrosis adeptly identify common fundamentals between the two genres, like resource management and strategi… Read More »- Review
Minecraft Dungeons II
Back in 2020, my three oldest friends and I sat on the phone to play the then-new Minecraft Dungeons. It was another Diablo-like action RPG, so why not? We had a blast, though perhaps too much of one, as we blasted through the campaign in one evening. Great fun; lamentable length. It wasn’t until, o… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 497 – Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Part II
I love this world because Retro Encounter is in it. On this week’s episode of Retro Encounter we dive into the story, the zones, and the incredible music of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Who didn’t pull any rare blades in the second half? Who finally got Kos-Mos? Do the late game story beats convince ever… Read More »- Article
- Preview
Stranger Than Heaven Hands-On Experience – A Place To Call Home!
Sometimes a great piece of media has this engrossing hold over you that you can’t explain. You immediately get pulled into the story and world they are trying to tell. RGG Studio has been creating games like this for some time now. Each Yakuza game feels like it builds on the storytelling experience… Read More »- Review
Final Fantasy Resonance
There is absolutely nothing original about Final Fantasy Resonance. I don’t say that because this is an adaptation of the mobile, gacha game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. And it’s not even because you summon and equip characters from previous Final Fantasy games. No, instead it’s because this ga… Read More »- Article
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered Impressions
When CD Projekt Red announced yet another next-gen re-release of The Witcher 3 at Gamescom this year, I was initially immensely skeptical. I cynically assumed they were going the Skyrim route of re-releasing the game for the sake of a cashgrab, especially since they already re-released Wild Hunt in… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, October 18–24, 2026 – Can Love Consume on a Battlefield?
I appreciate that throughout October we keep seeing more spooky-themed games, because while it’s fun to have those at the end of the month and close to Halloween, we can’t play ’em all at once, so let’s spread them out! Between the colorful, Disgaea-esque vibes of Demons’ Night Fever, and the neon c… Read More »- Review
Tales of Eternia Remastered
Tales of Eternia Remastered is only my second foray into the luminous Tales series. Originally released on PlayStation in Japan as Tales of Eternia and in North America as Tales of Destiny II, Tales of Eternia later received a limited, European-only localized PSP release, which the remaster is based… Read More »- Feature
TV Review: Gnosia is an Anime Adaptation That’ll Throw You for a Loop
“Do you understand?” That question is the first thing protagonist Yuri hears when they foggily wake from a medically induced slumber onboard a spacecraft fleeing in the aftermath of a devastating battle. Within minutes, they learn that only a handful of other survivors made it onboard and that there… Read More »- Review
Blue Reflection Quartet
The Blue Reflection series is approaching its tenth anniversary, and Gust and Koei Tecmo recently released Blue Reflection Quartet, a collection spanning the entire series. This collection contains an updated version of 2017’s Blue Reflection, an adaptation of the 2021 anime Blue Reflection Ray, an… Read More »- Article
- Preview
Final Fantasy VII Revelation Hands-On Preview: Hold Me Closer, Sephiroth
Two weeks ago, my colleague Matt Wardell got to check out Final Fantasy VII Revelation at the Tokyo Game Show. Now, at NY Comic Con, I also got a chance to sit down and play the same demo Matt did. I also had the chance to check out the new Romancing SaGa 3: Destines United preview, which you should… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 357 – Return to Metroidvania
On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re checking out the latest entries in two long-running and beloved series. First up, Matt is here to chat about the newest installment in the Castlevania series, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. This is not just a direct sequel to 1989’s Castlevania III: Dracula’… Read More »- Review
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
If you can believe it, it’s been eighteen years since the last proper 2D Metroidvania-style Castlevania game. While Metroidvanias have been flourishing, especially in the indie space, many younger players might be forgiven for not knowing the “vania” tag’s origins. Well, just in time for the series’… Read More »- Article
- Preview
Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United Hands-On Preview
Sometimes I think there are about ten SaGa fans in the Western world, and I happen to be one of them. So when Square Enix invited us to try out not only Final Fantasy VII Revelation but also Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United, I was a little more excited to try out Romancing SaGa 3 than Final Fantas… Read More »- Feature
Fire Emblem: Three Houses, One Choice
Fire Emblem is a series that, like for many US Fire Emblem fans, first came to my attention with the 2003 Game Boy Advance release. I’ve played several entries in the series since then, but Fire Emblem: Three Houses continues to be one of my favorite entries, owed in large part to the character of E… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, October 11–17, 2026 – What a Fantastic Week for a Curse
I may use the phrase “long-awaited remaster” too often in these intros, but even so, it IS great to see Tales of Eternia released on modern platforms! Joining it for this edition of RPGs Coming This Week are a cool co-op dungeon crawler with a dark aesthetic and food, Deep Dish Dungeon and a narrati… Read More »Music Review
Kernel Hearts original soundtrack
Somehow, Kernel Hearts was not on my radar prior to its release. Now, the game’s OST is in the running for my top pick of 2026. How did that happen? The name that got my attention was Emi Evans. The renowned vocalist who has been featured on so many games—the one who first captured all our hearts wi… Read More »- Article
- Preview
Phantom Blade Zero Hands-On: The Kung Fu Souls-like I Didn’t Know I Wanted
When Phantom Blade Zero took up a notable spot at The Game Awards last year, I had the same thought I had the first time I saw Black Myth: Wukong, that this is a fake video game. You know how a game can look too good to be true? The closest comparison I can make isn’t the made-up game the little bro… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 496 – Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Part I
Time to listen to an episode or three. On this week’s Retro Encounter, we dive into the opening hours of the systems-heavy 2017 RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 2. We chat about giant titans, Blade and Drive relationships, and the million other things you need to pay attention to in this game. What rare Bla… Read More »- Review
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen
Dragon’s Dogma is one of my favorite games of all time and sits squarely in my top five RPGs. There’s truly nothing like its Japanese take on Western, Tolkien-inspired dark fantasy, with Devil May Cry-influenced action combat, vocations that dramatically change how you play, a pawn system that grant… Read More »- Review
Culdcept The First
The Culdcept series is experiencing a bit of a renaissance these days. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of reviewing the most recent mainline entry in the card game/board game RPG hybrid franchise, Culdcept Begins, and found it a great entry point with a compelling mix of card-based strategy an… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, October 4–10, 2026 – 1+2+3 Equals Ten Soras: Dark Arisen
This month is packed with game releases, though this week is likely the smallest edition of RPGs Coming This Week for October, with a variety of re-releases, headlined by a beefed up Dragon’s Dogma 2. We also highlight a cool Playdate title, ten Kingdom Hearts titles, and the last platform for The R… Read More »- Article
- Preview
TGS 2026 — Danganronpa 2×2 Hands-On Preview: Murder, They Rewrote
Over the last year and change, Spike Chunsoft has been drip-feeding info on Danganronpa 2×2 (“two by two”), the upcoming remake and reimagining of their 2012 murder mystery visual novel, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Earlier this year, I visited Spike Chunsoft’s new Tokyo headquarters to demo a sp… Read More »- Review
Moonlight Peaks
The farming simulator’s cycle of planting and harvesting crops, raising animals, building relationships with the locals, and improving your in-game life is engaging and endlessly repeatable. This successful system has led to an oversaturated market, giving fans plenty of options to find a title that… Read More »- Review
Kernel Hearts
Generally, I’m allergic to roguelites and anime games—the former for needlessly bloating what could be great small experiences and the latter for perpetuating fanservicey tropes. Still, Kernel Hearts’ aesthetics and concept ensnared me while I was writing a news post about its release, and I felt co… Read More »- Review
TOEM 2
Creating a captivating, family-friendly adventure title that appeals to everyone is no easy feat. On its surface, one need only take out the swears, create some light-hearted quests and dialogue, and keep the visuals bright and cartoony. That’s all well and good, but can these adventures maintain an… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 356 – Tokyo Game Show 2026 Breakdown
On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re talking about one of the biggest gaming shows of the year! Every year, RPGFan covers the biggest RPGs and adventure games to come out of the Tokyo Game Show, but this year, we had a reporter on the floor! Matt Wardell was there to check out every booth he c… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, September 27–October 3, 2026 – 16 Paths Diverged in a Wood
For RPGs Coming This Week, I don’t usually base my headline on a given week’s “Also Coming This Week” section, but the opportunity and my desire to make this reference was just too strong. But as far as brand-new games, we have a long-awaited followup to Minecraft Dungeons, another followup I’m exci… Read More »- Article
- Preview
TGS 2026 — Kodansha Game Lab and Late Fee Girls Hands-On Preview: Saving This For Later
People around the world would certainly know Kodansha best for the manga they publish, including iconic series like Akira, The Ghost in the Shell, and Attack on Titan. What more people should recognize, however, are the many “Labs” Kodansha has built—that is, development departments with the goal of… Read More »- Article
- Preview
TGS 2026 — Crymelight Hands-On Preview: Curiouser and Curiouser!
In the massive indie section at Tokyo Game Show 2026, I had the chance to explore Japanese developer and publisher FuRyu Games’ impressive booth and sit down for a demo of Crymelight. Mixing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with the “death game” genre popular in Japanese fiction (though more aesthet… Read More »- Review
Myst III: Exile
In my youth, I adored Myst and its sequel Riven. However, Riven pushed my then-aging PC to its processing limits. So when Myst III: Exile launched in 2001, I was forced to skip it. Cut to 25 years later — after thoroughly enjoying the recent Riven remake, I decided it was time to step forward with t… Read More »- Article
- Preview
TGS 2026 — Hellheart Breaker Hands-On Preview: The Most Diverse Underworld to Date
Indie publisher Red Dunes Games went big at Tokyo Game Show 2026. Their booth was larger and more lavish than in 2025, and many of the titles that were early works in progress last year are now gearing up for release in 2027. Hellheart Breaker, an action RPG roguelite by Singaporean devs Battle Brew… Read More »Music Review
Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack Plus
When the original soundtrack to Final Fantasy VII Remake released, I was astounded to see that it covered seven discs, with an additional bonus disc on the limited edition release. I was even more surprised when, just a few months later, Square Enix announced Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundt… Read More »- Article
- Preview
TGS 2026 — Tokyo Stories Hands-On Preview: The Night is Short, Walk On Girl
Among the most stylish aesthetics of any game I played at Tokyo Game Show 2026 was the gloomy indie adventure Tokyo Stories. Developer Drecom might be best known in the West for helping steward the Wizardry series with Atari (including developing 2024’s Wizardry Variants Daphne), but they are also i… Read More »- Article
- Preview
TGS 2026 — Snack World: Reloaded Hands-On Preview: Fun to Play With, Not to Eat
Among Level-5’s impressive stable of RPGs and multimedia franchises, Snack World is rather overlooked in the West. With Level-5’s other heavy hitters present at their Tokyo Game Show 2026 booth, namely Professor Layton and The New World of Steam and Decapolice, I wasn’t sure I’d even have time to fi… Read More »- Article
- Preview
