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- Random Encounter
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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
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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 »Article
RPGFan Volunteer Drive: 2026 Edition
I thought about titling this post “RPGFan Seeks Fresh Blood” in the spirit of spooky season, but I didn’t want to a) scare anyone off that we want your blood, or b) suggest we’re organizing a community blood drive. One would be weird, and one would be extremely helpful… but really, we’re just look… 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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TGS 2026 — Blades of Mirage Hands-On Preview: Water You Waiting For?
With 2026 being my second year covering Tokyo Game Show for RPGFan, it was nice to see some familiar faces. Once again, publisher Red Dunes Games had an impressive lineup and presence on the showfloor. Last year, I was particularly impressed by a modest build of Blades of Mirage, developer Agate’s i… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 495 – Science Fiction RPGs
Glory to Retro Encounter. On this week’s episode of Retro Encounter, we dive into RPGs that have a science fiction twist. Since science fiction tropes crop up in more games than we realized, how did we narrow down our picks? Does the host bring up one of his favorite games once again? Who is intimid… Read More »- Review
Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow
Shadows twist, often hiding unknowable dangers from those in their direct path. The edges of said shadows and reality get muddied in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi urban fantasy RPG/visual novel hybrid, Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow. Billed as a uniquely “tactical counter-timeline RPG,” the game puts… Read More »- Feature
Entropy Interview with Lovely Hellplace’s Lead Designer, James Wragg
In my Early Access review of Entropy, I spoke about how heavily invested I became (even just in chapter one) in the dour world and grim mechanics of the first traditional turn-based RPG from developer Lovely Hellplace. So when they reached out and offered the opportunity to interview Lead Designer J… Read More »- Review
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
I’ve been a huge Final Fantasy fan ever since I rented Final Fantasy VI on the SNES as a kid, though I fell off during the PlayStation 2 era. I still played Final Fantasy X and X-2, but unfortunately, a tough boss fight and a friend stealing them put a damper on things. Thanks to Final Fantasy X/X-2… Read More »- Article
- News
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Definitive Edition Coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in February 2027
Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have revealed Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Definitive Edition for Nintendo Switch 2, launching on February 25th, 2027. The announcement came during the latest Nintendo Direct, with a short trailer showcasing new features amid horde-battling action. Check it out below! Hyr… Read More »- Article
- News
Danganronpa 2×2 Brings Sun, Surf, & Slay in January 2027
Spike Chunsoft and developer Gemdrops have announced that Danganronpa 2×2 will launch on January 14th, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam. The information came during the latest Nintendo Direct, with a new trailer bringing sun, surf, and a… Read More »- Article
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TGS 2026 — Final Fantasy VII Revelation Hands-On Preview: Once More, With Feeling
Perhaps the biggest fish to catch at Tokyo Game Show 2026, both in and outside the RPG sphere, was Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the third and final installment in the reimagined Final Fantasy VII trilogy, following Remake (2020) and Rebirth (2024). The game dominated Square Enix’s sizable booth wit… Read More »- Article
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Persona 4 Revival & Persona 6 Also Coming to Nintendo Switch 2
Atlus has announced that a Nintendo Switch 2 version of Persona 4 Revival will be released on May 20th, 2027, a few months after its release on other platforms. The developer has also confirmed that Persona 6 will be coming to Nintendo Switch 2. The information was revealed during the latest Nintend… Read More »- Article
- News
Level-5 Reveals Yo-kai Watch 2: Haunted Domain in Development
In addition to a release date for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, Level-5 had an additional big announcement in the latest Nintendo Direct Presentation: Yo-kai Watch is back! The ghost-capture monster collecting series returns to western shores after a long hiatus (and many missing game… Read More »- Article
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Lufia Returns in 2027 with Lufia I & II: The Sinistrals Saga
And here I thought Clear River Games was doing enough in 2027 by giving us Terranigma! Announced today during the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct, the publisher just revealed they are working with Taito to also bring two more beloved SNES RPGs to modern platforms, with Lufia I & II: The Sinistrals S… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, September 20–26, 2026 – Adventures, Demons, and More
This edition of RPGs Coming This Week is an excellent one for pixel art games, between the likes of Nocturne and Yami Kids. We also have a pair of narrative adventure titles that are striking in different ways — Nighthawks with its gritty, urban vampire cast contrasts well against Rivage’s shiny, St… Read More »- Article
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TGS 2026 — Flawless Abbey Hands-On Preview: To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
Befitting their stable of indie games, Cypriot publisher Critical Reflex had a small but very atmospheric booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026. Packed into a few square meters of techno-horror machinery were 19 (!) games mostly in the horror adventure wheelhouse, save for TANUKI: Pon’s Summer, a post offic… Read More »- Article
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TGS 2026 — Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Hands-On Preview: What a Wonderful Night to Have a Curse
Whereas in 2025, Konami’s booth at Tokyo Game Show was a terrifying recreation of Silent Hill f, this year it was a bright, white and red celebration of the 40th anniversary of Ganbare Goemon, the Konami Code (↑↑↓↓←→←→B A), and a beloved little franchise called Castlevania. Though there were flashy… Read More »- Article
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