RPGFan's Random Encounter

On this week's Random Encounter, we're stepping into the wrestling ring and exploring an anti-RPG! First, Neal gets into his tights and fights for the title with WrestleQuest , a pixel RPG that echoes the golden era of professional wrestling. Filled with iconic wrestles and thrilling moves, does it pin Neal's attention? Then, Ben explores the mysterious world of 24 Killers , an anti-RPG in the sty...

On this week's Random Encounter, we're looking at a lost Nintendo game, and what might become one of the greatest RPG soundtracks of all time. If you are from the West, you may not have heard of Marvelous: Another Treasure Island . This late-era SNES/Super Famicom title was never localized, but it had a massive impact on gaming history, especially for The Legend of Zelda franchise. Josh chats with...

On this week's Random Encounter, we're finally breaking free of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom , Not-E3, and Final Fantasy XVI ! Time to talk about some (other) games! First up, Audra delights in the RPG crossover to end all RPG crossovers, The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie . Probably not the game you want to try to get into the Trails series , but if you're a fan, it's a must-p...

On this week's Random Encounter, we're talking about Final Fantasy XVI ! It's been six years since the last numbered Final Fantasy game, but the wait is finally over, and Final Fantasy XVI has finally arrived! There's so much to talk about that we're dedicating an entire episode to it, hosted by our FFXVI reviewer, Zach! Whether you've just started the demo or have already beaten the game, there i...

On this week's Random Encounter, it's all about Not-E3!  If you're a video game fan, Not-E3 week is like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween all rolled into one! Though a few shows are still coming up next week, the big ones are all finished, and our panel is here to discuss the massive amount of RPG and adventure game news and trailers that dropped! It's one of the biggest episodes of the year, and...

On this week's Random Encounter, we're seeing the beginnings of the Not-E3 season! If you're a video game fan, it's getting close to the most wonderful time of the year! There are slightly under two weeks until Summer Game Fest, but we still have a ton of news to discuss from Wednesday's PlayStation Showcase and Thursday's Marvelous Game Showcase, including Final Fantasy XVI , Dragon's Dogma 2 , a...

On this Saturday's emergency Random Encounter, we're discussing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom! We've assembled a panel of three people who loved Breath of the Wild, one who liked it, and one who just wasn't a fan. The plan was to meet up to talk about the entirety of TOTK, beginning to end. Unfortunately, that plan ran directly into a major roadblock, which was that TOTK has got to be...

On this week's Random Encounter, we're talking about two highly anticipated sequels (although one is slightly more anticipated than the other). First up, Jono and Mike share their initial impressions of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom , the long-awaited direct sequel to 2017's Breath of the Wild . Does it meet their sky-high expectations? And then, Audra, Mike, and Hilary get to have a g...

On this week's Random Encounter, we're talking about a highly anticipated piece of DLC and a very highly anticipated remake (that we were never quite sure we would EVER see)! First up is Caitlin talking about the Horizon Forbidden West DLC, Burning Shores . In it, we visit the post-apocalyptical ruins of Los Angeles, but do Aloy's Hollywood dreams live up to Caitlin's expectations? Then, Ben fills...

On this week's Random Encounter, we're looking at two games (technically, 11 games) that bring us fully into cyberspace! First, Peter downloads his thoughts on the new visual novel based on Disney's Tron franchise, TRON: IDENTITY . Does it capture the cyber-magic of the classic 80s film and its 2010s follow-up? Then, Abe confronts the monumental task of getting through all ten games included in th...

On this week’s Random Encounter, we’re talking about two games that, frankly, we can’t believe exist. Many of us expect certain game series to “stay in their lane.” Mega Man is a platformer. Doom is an FPS. Metroid is, well, a Metroidvania. But when a series tries something completely different in a new genre, the results can vary in quality. Audra recently reviewed two such games, one that wildly...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re talking about how to introduce your children to video games, specifically RPGs. We’re far away from the 1980s, back when most parents saw video games as a “fad” or “waste of time.” Instead, parents nowadays see games as a legitimate form of entertainment at worst and an art form at best. So, how should parents today introduce their children to the world o...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're diving into some recent non-RPG Final Fantasy spin-offs! First up, we have the first console entry in the long-running Final Fantasy rhythm game series, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line . Offering over 380 songs from every Final Fantasy game (with more songs from other Square Enix series on the way), it could be the ultimate entry of Theatrhythm , but does it g...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're talking about two big recent RPGs, Octopath Traveler II and Like a Dragon: Ishin! When the original Octopath Traveler came out in 2018, we'd never seen anything like its HD-2D art style. Now, Square Enix is back with a sequel, Octopath Traveler II , that addresses many of the criticisms leveled at the game five years ago. Does Zach think that OTII measure...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're digging into all the news from the Feb 2023 Nintendo Direct! Here at RPGFan, we look forward to Nintendo Directs like children look forward to Santa Claus. The only difference is that we KNOW when the man in red is supposed to arrive, but Nintendo always keeps us guessing. Thankfully, the wait is over for the first Direct of the year, and we got a massive...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're talking about two games: one controversial, one not! Square Enix's recent release, Forspoken , had a rough ride during its development, and it doesn't look like that ended with its release. While many think it's a perfectly fine action RPG, others feel it's a disaster. Where does Izzy fall on that spectrum? Then, Brian indulges in his love of the beat-'em...

On this episode of Random Encounter, the panel REALLY gets into talking about Marvel Comics and music! A surprise hit of 2022 was Marvel's Midnight Suns . Audra recently reviewed the supernatural-tinged strategy RPG, giving both Audra and Jono an opportunity to nerd the heck out about Marvel! Then, Mike gets a chance to chat with Audra about Coffee Talk , one of his favorite games of the last few...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're talking about two awesome RPGs released at the tail end of 2022. First up, Caitlin talks about her experience with the retro-indie JRPG, Chained Echoes . Primarily developed by a single person for the last seven years, this incredible JRPG evokes all those feelings back in the 16-bit age but with a ton of modern touches. It's simply an astonishing achieve...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're talking about the games we're most excited about in 2023! Each and every December, RPGFan publishes one of the year's biggest features: a look ahead at the upcoming year. And this week on the show, our panel gets to geek out over it! What games do we think will be delayed? What games do we think are going to be disappointments? And what games will end up...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're catching up on some of the biggest and best RPGs over the last few weeks and months. First, Niki walks us through the bug-laden fields of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet ! Then, Des flies us into the great beyond with his thoughts about Star Ocean: The Divine Force ! And finally, Hilary and Jono get to geek out at the surprise drop of a brand-new game from t...

On this episode of Random Encounter, Jono and Michael Sollosi team up to speak with the gang behind Zeboyd Games about their latest title: This Way Madness Lies ! Robert Boyd and William Stiernberg at Zeboyd Games have been turning out innovative indie RPGs since Breath of Death VII: The Beginning in 2010. And in their latest release, This Way Madness Lies , they improbably mash up the popular Jap...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're talking about asexual representation in video games. A few weeks ago, RPGFan published a feature by our own Caitlin Argyros, focusing on asexual characters in RPGs. Spoiler alert: it's a pretty short list. Though queer representation has been on the rise over the last decade, the aspec community still struggles to be seen and heard in all forms of media,...

On this episode of Random Encounter, Jono and GC are taking a comprehensive look at Yakuza/Like a Dragon ! Every now and then, RPGFan publishes a game primer to help newcomers get into a new series. We've covered Trails , Tales , and Xenos , and now it's time to cover Yakuza ! With its recent rebranding into " Like a Dragon ," the long-running Yakuza series looks to be taking another big step into...

On this episode of Random Encounter, it's Random Book Club again! Here at RPGFan, we love our JRPGs: Tales , Trials , and everything in between. But to understand where the genre came from, we need to look back almost forty years to two legendary Japanese creators: Yuji Horii ( Dragon Quest ) and Hironobu Sakaguchi ( Final Fantasy ). In the recent JRPG history book, Fight, Magic, Items: The Histor...

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're tackling one of the biggest news weeks in recent memory! First up, we're discussing the recent Nintendo Direct, speculating about the big Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom announcement, and wondering how these 2023 release dates can possibly be coming up so fast. Then, we're embracing our inner fanboys to discuss the massive amount of Yakuza... I'm sorry, the m...