- 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 outโฆ 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 Anโฆ Read More »- Review
People of Note
A popstar, a rocker, a DJ, and a rapper walk into a random encounterโฆ No, this is not the start to a terrible joke, but rather the start of the incredible combat system in developer Iridium Studiosโ cross-genre RPG musical People of Note. When I demoed the game and met its director, Jason Wishnov, aโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
Village in the Shade To Bring Seeds & Spookiness This Fall for Consoles & PC
NIS America and developer Nippon Ichi Software have announced that Village in the Shade is headed westward this fall, with a release in Japan on July 30th. The stylised farming simulator โ known in Japan as Honogurashi no Niwa โ will launch for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, and PC via Stโฆ Read More »- Music Review
Guitar Cover Collection from Square Enix Music Channel
If you havenโt been following their work over on YouTube, Square Enix has been championing the VGM community with their aptly named SQUARE ENIX MUSIC Channel (no, you donโt need to shout that). There are two thousand-plus videos with everything from mood playlists to orchestra concerts to โVideo Souโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
PAX East 2026 – Spirit Rancher’s Spirit-Fueled Farming is a Refreshing Change of Pace
Farming sims are only getting more popular as time goes on, across the indie space and with larger developers. After spending some time with Yangyang Mobile’s Spirit Rancher at PAX East, I think the devs are onto something good. Like any other expanding genre, it’s important for newcomers to offer sโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
PAX East 2026 – Brigandine Abyss Hands-On: Hexagonal Strategy
Don’t play strategy RPGs at a convention. That’s not a slight against Brigandine Abyss or NISA’s booth โ I’m glad and surprised the semi-recently announced title was on hand and in English. But in a show floor filled with people either passing by or waiting to play, probablyjudgingmyeverymoveovermysโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 4/5/26 – Popplio of Note
Look, I don’t always have to include a Pokรฉmon reference in these titles, but if they’re gonna keep releasing new or updated games in the series lately, I have no problem going back to the well. Beyond a new kind of Pokรฉmon title, our lineup of RPGs Coming This Week include a musical-themed turn-basโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
Stranger Than Heaven Brings History & Haymakers Together in New Trailer
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has unveiled a new trailer for Stranger Than Heaven, their upcoming standalone (aka non-Like a Dragon) game. The trailer was shown at the latest Xbox Partner Preview, revealing that the game would span five historical periods. Check it out below! Stranger Than Heaven Five Eras Rโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
Pokemon Champions Brings Battles To Nintendo Switch 1 & 2 on April 8th; Mobile Devices Later This Year
The Pokรฉmon Company has announced that spin-off battler Pokรฉmon Champions will launch on April 8th for Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, with confirmation that it will release on mobile devices later this year. The announcement was accompanied by a lengthy overview trailer showcasing how and where playersโฆ Read More »- Feature
Aether & Iron Dev Interview – PAX East 2026
The first thing we did at PAX East 2026 was chat with some of the devs from Seismic Squirrel about their debut title, the just-released Aether & Iron. We came in loaded with questions from Jerry Williams, based on his time with the game, and thanks to Narrative Director Tyler Whitney and Productโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
PAX East 2026 – High Times: Crafting Donuts & Moods
I have a soft spot for the fascinating intersection of food/drink service and visual novel (thanks, Since Coffee Talk and VA-11 HALL-A). After spending half an hour with High Times at PAX East, I continue to enjoy this particular setting/gameplay blend. A donut shop sim mixed with a dating sim may hโฆ Read More »- Review
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is something of an odd duck in the Kingdom Hearts series. Taking place directly after Kingdom Hearts and running parallel to Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days instead focuses on Roxas, the briefly encountered protagonist of Kingdom Hearts IIโs opening hours. 358/2 Days stands oโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
Solasta II Early Access Review
After roughly fifteen hours with its Early Access build, itโs safe to say Solasta II is shaping up to be a better version of its predecessor. The developers have clearly invested time in refining the graphical fidelity with a shift to Unreal Engine 5, expanding the range of roleplaying systems, andโฆ Read More »- Feature
Is Drakengard “Good”? (An Anti-Review)
I was thinking of writing a retro review of Drakengard. Then I realized I would have to assign a final score. Multiple scores, in fact: Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, Story, Controls… you know, the tried-and-true review measurements. Iโll be honest. If I approached this scoring with the mindset that Iโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
PAX East 2026 – Disgaea Mayhem Hands-On: Frenetic Fan Service
One of my highlights at PAX East 2026 was stopping by the NIS America booth and getting some hands-on time with Disgaea Mayhem and Brigandine Abyss. More on the latter in another article, but if you’re curious how Disgaea’s first foray into action RPG territory fares, you’re in the right place! Disgโฆ Read More »- Review
Gnosia
Ever since playing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in 2005, Iโve been hooked on adventure games and visual novels. Whether itโs Ace Attorney, Monkey Island, or Broken Sword, I can never get enough of them. The best way to make me fall in love with one of these games is by combining a strong cast of chaโฆ Read More »- Review
Felvidek
Sometimes, all a game needs to work is confidence in its scope and vision. Thatโs the highest praise Iโd shower on “15th-century Slovakia JRPG” Felvidek. Sure, itโs another turn-based RPG made with RPG Maker. Itโs fairly short and doesnโt bring anything new to the genre mechanically. But what it doeโฆ Read More »- Review
Life is Strange: Reunion
The journey that the Life is Strange series provides its fans has been a long and winding one, filled with storms both in-game and out. With the IP belonging to publisher Square Enix, weโve seen development shift from French team Dontnod Entertainment (Life is Strange 1 and 2) to American devs Deckโฆ Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 344 – Life is Strange: Carmageddon
On this episode of Random Encounter, we talk about cars ramming one another and time travel. And no, for once, this isn’t a Back to the Future reference (although it could be)! First up is Matt chatting about the big grand finale of the Life is Strange franchise, Life Is Strange: Reunion (although wโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 3/29/26 – Puzzling Decopunk Fishbowls
Look, I’ll say this upfront: I love the lineup we have for RPGs Coming This Week, er, this week, but I don’t know how to connect them in this intro in a simple way! Aether & Iron and Granser give us strong showings for those seeking a new CRPG or JRPG, respectively. Meanwhile, if you’re in the mโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
GreedFall: The Dying World Impressions
After a lengthy stretch in Early Access, GreedFall: The Dying World has now reached its full release. During development, the project went through several iterations and even adopted a new title to more clearly position itself as a prequel to GreedFall. Expectations were understandably high: the firโฆ Read More »Music Review
NieR Re[in]carnation Original Soundtrack: The People and the World
Released exactly one year after the NieR Re[in]carnation servers were shut off, NieR Re[in]carnation Original Soundtrack: The People and the World contains all of the music for the third and final season of the mobile title. I have been methodically working my way through all of the NieR Re[in]carnaโฆ Read More »- Review
Aether & Iron
Despite how deliciously macabre and heart-wrenching noir can be, we see so few in the gaming landscape. Rich with rain-soaked, harsh realities, a down-on-their-luck detective battles their troubled past when a dame clad in fire-red walks through their door (damesโalways dames). Well, have no fear, bโฆ Read More »- Review
Otome Daoshi -Fighting for Love-
Round one, begin! Itโs once again time for the kingdom of Kayuโs Tournament of Valor, in which every participant believes in the motto of might makes right. A young Daoshi-in-training named Shunlin accompanies her grandfather Lihong and childhood friend Haoran to the martial arts spectacle, but theโฆ Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 482 – Pentiment
Retro Encounter is the only reason to do anything in this life. This week on Retro Encounter, we dive into the 2022 Obsidian masterpiece Pentiment, a game about murder, religion and the stories we tell about those things. Is there a right answer? Who do we accuse? Why are Socrates and God on the samโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 Overview & More Hands-On Impressions
The scale and stakes of video game development have seemed to become unsustainably large in recent years, with many RPGs, say, requiring hundreds of millions of dollars and years of manpower from huge teams. While Iโm certainly not one to say no to a feast, I find itโs the small appetizers that I waโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Summer Road Hands-On Preview
One of my biggest regrets from Tokyo Game Show 2025 was that I didnโt get my hands on Summer Road, often touted by Japanese developer Rebuild Games as a roguelite RPG enjoyed in 10-minute chunks. At Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026, I finally returned to the nostalgic suburban streets, and frankly, I cโฆ Read More »- Review
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection
Revisiting older games can be sobering. Sometimes they age gracefully. Sometimes they reveal ideas ahead of their time. And sometimes they expose every compromise that once hid behind a smaller screen. Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection stands firmly in that last category. This was my first timeโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Disc Creatures WORLD Hands-On Preview
Like many of you, Pokรฉmon holds a special place in my heart. Though if Iโm being honest, my RPG tastes haveโฆ evolved since the days of Game Boys and car rides. Disc Creatures WORLD, developed by the two brothers making up Picorinne Soft, shares that same reverence for Nintendoโs iconic monster-catchโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Bandit Knight Hands-On Preview
To look at Bandit Knight, itโd be easy to mistake it for one of Square Enixโs recent HD-2D games, such as Octopath Traveler or the upcoming The Adventures of Elliot. The Square Enix inspiration doesnโt stop there; the character sprites in Bandit Knight gesture and spin around to convey joy or frustrโฆ Read More »- Feature
Why We Don’t Want LLMs in RPGs
In an era where all human knowledge is available to anyone with an internet connection, the truth is often more obscured than we’d hope. The sea of lies and disinformation is one thing, but the greater threat lies in the counterfeiting of humanity. It was bad enough when social media obliterated ourโฆ Read More »- Article
- Preview
Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy Hands-on Preview: Worlds Collide
Thanks to the wonderful team at Square Enix, I recently had some hands-on time with Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy ahead of release. Letโs cut to the chase: if youโre anything like me, youโve probably been holding out hope for a proper console Dissidia again, something closer to the original or Duodโฆ Read More »- Review
Escape From Ever After
Nintendoโs Paper Mario series (The Thousand-Year Door, in particular) has left quite an impression on the RPG world. In recent years, weโve seen many Paper Mario-inspired RPGs such as Born of Bread, The Outbound Ghost, Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling, and more. The latest Paper Mario-like to comโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
Blighted To Bring Memories, Mayhem, & More This Fall for Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
Drinkbox Studios has announced that its upcoming metroidvania, Blighted, will release sometime this fall on Nintendo Switch and PC. The announcement was made via its official Steam news section alongside the latest Nintendo Indie World showcase. A new short gameplay trailer was also shown, showcasinโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
New Petal Runner Demo Brings A Playful Slice of Pixellated City Life To Players on PC
A couple weeks ago, Iam8bit and developer Nano Park Studios have announced that a new demo for Petal Runner is available now on PC via Steam. It allows players to explore the second district of its setting, experience some of its minigames, and meet an array of NPCs and Hanapetsโthe game’s digital cโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 3/22/25: Stranger and Etranger Things [UPDATED With Some Duellum]
Welcome to another edition of RPGs Coming This Week! After a slow few weeks, we have a pretty full lineup for our last full week of March, across several genres: RPG, adventure, visual novel, and, honestly, however we want to classify Etrange Overlord may be up for debate. But we don’t often get toโฆ Read More »- Review
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Ride on, Rangers: Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the third entry in the monster-collecting JRPG spin-off series, is here! Can humans and monsters unite to save the world? Bonds of kinship prevail in a fantastical tale revealing how past sins echo through time. Heartwarming and poignanโฆ Read More »Music Review
NieR Re[in]carnation Original Soundtrack: The Sun and the Moon
In reviewing the second volume of MONACA’s NieR Re[in]carnation OSTs, I continue my grieving process through reflection. Yes, I am referring to the live service mobile title in the NieR series that had its servers permanently shut down in April 2024. I have been grieving the loss of this surprisinglโฆ Read More »- Review
