- Review
Beast of Reincarnation
I look up. I see a high ledge calling to my RPG instincts; surely, there’s a good item up there. First I leap up to a lower ledge, then I use my hair to make a bridge across to another platform. From there I make a leap of faith, barely making it one ledge higher, where I use my hookshot to move eve… Read More »- Review
Gothic 1 Remake
Before I get into any nitty-gritty of Gothic 1 Remake, I want to preface and say I am an anti-remake person by nature. One of my biggest gripes with gamers, gaming press, and the discourse around video games over the last few years is the notion that a game can be “outdated,” that video games have b… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, August 2–8, 2026 – Ugly Monsters, Cute Monsters, Crops, and More
This week we have two extremes related to developer Game Freak, with their new AAA action RPG (ironically not launching on a Nintendo platform), plus Nintendo & Koei Tecmo bring a new dimension to this year’s hit Pokémon building game. But we also have a trio of great indie titles, with two bran… Read More »- Article
- News
Pokémon Pokopia Bubbly Basin Expansion Pass Content & Free Update Coming August 5th
Nintendo and co-developers Game Freak and Omega Force have announced that Pokémon Pokopia will receive the first part of its Expansion Pass on August 5th for Nintendo Switch 2. Titled Bubbly Basin, the new content expands the world of Pokopia by introducing underwater exploration for Ditto, alo… Read More »- Music Review
Blue Reflection Official Soundtrack
Blue Reflection is a game I really enjoy; certain elements of it I’d say are even best-in-class of the genre. It is definitely a game of two halves, though, with other elements really letting the game down. On the positive side, you have the beautiful, nostalgic, summery yet minimal aesthetic of the… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 491 – The Legend of Zelda Tier List Part II
Your tier list met with a terrible fate, hasn’t it? This week brings Part II of Retro Encounter’s legendaryThe Legend of Zelda tier list. There are still 11 more entries to cover and the final ranking to decide. How do less popular entries like Spirit Tracks stack up against classics like A Link to… Read More »- Review
The Relic: First Guardian
When a code for The Relic: First Guardian came across my desk, I was eager to snatch it up. Generic title aside, the game promised “fresh takes on [action RPG] combat” and a gritty spin on Korean folklore wrapped in a somewhat Souls-like bundle. I had hope in Korean devs Project Cloud Games and thei… Read More »- Review
Verho – Curse of Faces
While FromSoftware fans like me are rabid for more Souls-likes new and old, it seems they have shifted away from the first-person action RPG King’s Field series that acted as a spiritual predecessor to Demon’s Souls. Enter indie dev Kasur Games with Verho – Curse of Faces. Rarely do I see such open… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 352 – Legally Distinct Princess of Twilight
On this episode of Random Encounter, we poke Nintendo’s lawyers with a stick. They don’t notice. First up, we are exploring the latest entry in a long-running series of RPG-esque board games, Culdcept Begins! This soft reboot of the Culdcept series features a new graphical style and streamlined game… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, July 26–August 1, 2026 – Everyone is Here!
Sometimes you wonder how so many releases happen on the same day. In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, our special day is Thursday, July 30th, wherein most of our 11 (or 14, technically) games launch. Is it just the end of the quarter for a lot of publishers? Maybe even some end of fiscal year… Read More »- Feature
Game Music Festival: Persona Grooves
If you read our recent review of the Hitoshi Sakimoto concert, you know what a great time RPGFan had at that event. It was organised by the marvelous Game Music Foundation, a Polish group of game music enthusiasts who work tirelessly to bring their passion to an international audience. The Persona G… Read More »- Review
Celestial Return
Much like its vibrant, cyber-grafted cast, Celestial Return stitches together a disparate collage of cyberpunk influences. The game bleeds the gritty attitude of Cyberpunk and Shadowrun through its dialogue and worldbuilding, echoes the internalized psychology and abstract art of Disco Elysium, and… Read More »Music Review
Nintendo Switch Pokémon Legends: Z-A + Mega Dimension Super Music Complete
The timing of Pokémon music releases can be strange. Sometimes we wait years before Nintendo and The Pokémon Company release a full OST. But with Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the turnover was relatively quick! Nintendo Switch Pokémon Legends: Z-A + Mega Dimension Super Music Complete is a 5 CD set that rea… Read More »- Review
Disgaea Mayhem
In my review of Disgaea 7 last year, I concluded that the series was long overdue for a shakeup. Disgaea 7 addressed many fan demands after the disastrous Disgaea 6, yet in doing so revealed just how stale the series formula had become. After hitting peak mechanical refinement in Disgaea 5, the seri… Read More »- Review
Dusklight (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
It’s been almost 20 years since The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, still the last traditional 3D Zelda to grace our Nintendos, first arrived in its edgy “T for Teen” glory. While the game has already gotten a proper remaster treatment in 2016 with Twilight Princess HD, it remains solely accessi… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, July 19–25, 2026 – Deep Reading, Disgaea, and Donuts
When prepping today’s RPGs Coming This Week, we kept finding more games whose releases snuck up on us. Originally I was going to talk hopefully about Disgaea’s new action RPG spin-off and a new platform to experience Tidus’ laugh, but by the time we finalized our list, we have a narrative-heavy game… Read More »- Review
Utawarerumono: Past and Present Rediscovered
Over two decades have passed since the humble (and somewhat dubious) beginnings of the Utawarerumono series as an adult visual novel/tactics RPG hybrid, and exactly twenty years since the subsequent console-friendly rehabilitation it received with its PlayStation 2 release. From here, the series evo… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 490 – The Legend of Zelda Tier List Part I
Retro! Retro! Kooloo-Limpah! This week’s Retro Encounter marks the return of the tier list! This time around we’re ranking 20 entries in The Legend of Zelda franchise. What better way to celebrate 40 years of the beloved series than for our four panelists to upset each other with their differing tak… Read More »- Review
Culdcept Begins
Some of my fondest childhood memories are with my family, gathered around the table after dinner, playing Monopoly. The push and pull of buying up properties, hoarding money, and trading between each other to stake out your claim on the board was endlessly engaging to me. Another of my childhood fav… Read More »- Review
Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok
The skies are vast, full of infinite wonder and, dare I say it, endless adventure for those willing to take the first leap into the great unknown. Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok, a DLC expansion port of the action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink, once again tasks players with exploring the… Read More »Music Review
Persona 3 Reload Original Soundtrack
Any player who’s reached the end of a Persona game will have unwittingly, if not happily, seared the entirety of that game’s soundtrack into their memory. Persona soundtracks have long been cool, catchy, and buttery smooth—though I’d argue that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 kicked this reputation of… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 351 – I Don’t Know Much About Sword Art Online, But I Know What I Like
On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re chatting about new DLC for a game that spent over a decade in development, and another title that feels like it should have been released a decade ago. First up, Audra is here to chat about Endless Ragnarok, the new DLC for the action RPG Granblue Fantasy:… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, July 12–18, 2026 – Cosmic Horrors, Cards, and Hope
This edition of RPGs Coming This Week features a brand-new game and IP, and a new game in a long-dormant series. And Nintendo added a handful of titles to its Nintendo Switch Online service just a few days ago, which included a surprising Game Boy RPG addition, now available again 30 years after its… Read More »- Review
Triangle Strategy
Can one’s ideals and convictions stand tall even in the face of a devastating battle for control of a nonrenewable yet vital resource? Such is the main narrative conceit of the Square Enix turn-based SRPG Triangle Strategy, a game set in a fantasy realm where three different countries are at constan… Read More »- Review
Echoes of Aincrad
Did you ever enjoy the PS3 era of RPGs? I used to think I did, until Echoes of Aincrad reminded me what those games were actually like. There is something morbidly poetic about the idea of climbing Aincrad. One hundred floors suspended above the clouds, each one promising a new world and the hope of… Read More »- Article
- Preview
Brigandine Abyss Event Battle Phases Hands-Off Preview
I must admit to only being familiar with the Brigandine series in passing, though my inner SRPG fan’s curiosity has been piqued by what I’ve heard. It’s a curiosity that’s led me to pay close attention to the upcoming release, Brigandine Abyss. I was recently fortunate enough to preview one of the g… Read More »- Review
and Roger
Plenty of games have made me cry. It’s usually near the end. Depending on when the “big sad event” happens, it might be somewhat earlier. But it’s never within the first five minutes—until I played and Roger. The game’s promotional materials describe how players assume the role of a young girl who w… Read More »- Feature
We Want to Go to There: 25 RPG Locations We Want to Visit
For many of our readers, it’s summer time! That often means vacations near or far, whether that’s a trip to the local beach or a more exotic locale. But why limit vacation planning to only real-world spots? We’re RPG fans, and we’ve all seen countless picturesque landscapes, coastal villages, floati… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, July 5–11, 2026 – Endless Vampires & Digital Monsters
RPGs are back! Okay, they didn’t actually go away, but last week was a rare time there was very little releasing in the RPG world, which is why our most recent RPGs Coming This Week column was two weeks ago. This week presents no such problem, though, with games big and small. If you’ve been wanting… Read More »- Article
- News
Star Wars Zero Company Brings Strategy, Separatists, & A Solo Skywalker on August 27th
EA, Lucasfilm Games, and developer Bit Reactor have announced that Star Wars Zero Company will release on August 27th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. The announcement came via the Summer Game Fest 2026 keynote presentation, alongside a three-minute gameplay trailer showcasing i… Read More »- Review
Deltarune (Chapter 5)
This review for Deltarune Chapter 5 builds on ones I previously wrote for Chapters 1+2 and Chapters 3+4. With Deltarune now apparently past its halfway mark and Toby Fox bestowing chapters on what will hopefully continue to be an annual schedule, each drop feels like a monumental event: a consistent… Read More »- Article
- News
Retro-Inspired Fields of Mistria To Reach Version 1.0 in Early August
During this year’s Wholesome Direct, NPC Studio announced that their ’90s-inspired farming-sim Fields of Mistria will release in its 1.0 state on August 5th for PC via Steam. It marks exactly two years after its initial release in Early Access. A brief trailer accompanied the announcement, showcasin… Read More »Music Review
Final Fantasy XI Vana♪Con Anniversary 11.11.11
Over the decades, I have endeavored to add to my collection and write reviews for every bit of Final Fantasy XI music published by Square Enix. Somehow, there was one tantalizing item that didn’t hit my radar until very recently, perhaps because I was considering audio-only releases and not concerts… Read More »- Review
Crimson Desert
Some of the best and least appreciated games in all of RPGs are what could be called “Eurojank”: Gothic 1 and Gothic 2, STALKER, Greedfall, Arx Fatalis, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy. Many would call these games “so bad they’re good,” while others hold sincere and unironic admir… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 489 – Xanadu Next Part II
Three years hence the War of the Knights…The old ways rang of their death knell, a fresh wind began to blow. The path the one knight chose, he continued being a knight even after. This week on Retro Encounter, our panel returns to discuss the second half of Falcom’s oft-forgotten dark fantasy acti… Read More »- Feature
Top 20 PlayStation Vita RPGs
Update July 1st, 2026: Along with Sony’s announcement of discontinuing disc-based games in 2028, they also revealed, after years of (welcome) false starts, the real closure of the PS3 and PS Vita stores starting later this year and into 2027 in different locales. See Sony’s blog post for details on… Read More »- Feature
The Colors of Harmony: Hitoshi Sakimoto 40th Anniversary Celebration
Rob White’s Impressions On Saturday,1 3 June, 2026, I attended The Colors of Harmony: Hitoshi Sakimoto 40th Anniversary Celebration, a day of events at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, London, celebrating both the Final Fantasy series and Sakimoto’s contribution to video game music. The day included a pa… Read More »- Feature
- ICYMI
Get ’em While They Last! PlayStation Store RPGs for PS One, PS2, PS3, PSP, and PS Vita
Update July 1st, 2026: Along with Sony’s announcement of discontinuing disc-based games in 2028, they also revealed, after years of (welcome) false starts, the real closure of the PS3 and PS Vita stores starting later this year and into 2027 in different locales. See Sony’s blog post for details on… Read More »- Review
Schrödinger’s Call
Video games can be a lot of things. They can be funny, they can be fantastical, they can be sad, and they can be thoughtful. I have read, watched, and heard many a story about the inevitability of death, but Schrödinger’s Call has me feeling a certain way that other video games have rarely accomplis… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
