RPGFan's Retro Encounter

We're back for part 2 of our Vagrant Story discussion! Our two panelists go over the Vagrant Story endgame, Ashley Riot's motivations, and the future of Vagrant Story in today's episode. There are some kind words about Yasumi Matsuno and some less-kind words about block-pushing puzzles. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jo Padilla

Vagrant Story is an experimental, cinematic RPG of the year 2000 with a battle system that's complicated both to navigate and explain. Fortunately, today's podcast goes deep into the presentation and mechanics of this Squaresoft classic, from graphics to gameplay and from Rosencrantz to Guildenstern. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jo Padilla

EarthBound got mentioned on a stream, Kat and Sollosi had a short discussion, and a podcast was born. Two panelists from Retro Encounter's 2017 EarthBound episodes join with two relative newcomers to the RPGFan staff for an all-new EarthBound discussion, which connects Super Smash Brothers to One Piece to Undertale to the Charlie Brown & Snoopy Show. Good talk. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hila...

We're back for the second half of Retro Encounter's journey through the world of the first Grandia! Our pair of panelists discuss the rambunctious Rapp, the secrets of Alent, and what Baal and his cronies are up to. Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Hilary Andreff

In a very unusual episode of Retro Encounter, the host selfishly combines two of his longtime obsessions: Final Fantasy and fantasy football. Four panelists attempt to draft Final Fantasy characters into an ultimate Final Fantasy team, purely for fun and not competition (publicly), but each panelist is certain his team was the best (privately). Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Greg Delmage, Kyle Seeley...

Grandia, the Saturn classic later ported to PlayStation, saw new life in 2019 with ports available for Switch and PC. Two Retro Encounter panelists check and see if the Game Arts opus holds up, examining its intriguing battle system, long and winding dungeons, and relentless optimism. Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Hilary Andreff

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a beloved 1993 classic with a recent 2019 remake. We wanted to discuss it in detail on a podcast, but we did so back in 2018! Hence the "revisited" in this episode title and also the emphasis on that recent remake and the future of Zelda. Today's Retro is all about the past, the present, and the future, all about a game with zero time travel. Featuring: Mic...

Fire Emblem: Three Houses made a huge splash among RPG fans in general and Fire Emblem fans in particular in July 2019, and a few months later we're ready to dive deep into a spoilercast all about it. Favorite characters, the nuances of different story paths, and more all take center stage in this fantasy drama of a strategy RPG. Say goodbye to weapon triangles and hello to the latest Retro Encoun...

The second half of Wild ARMs 3 is loaded with hidden puzzle rooms, secret bosses, unidentified flying objects, and story surprises. Wild ARMs 3 has many hidden depths buried in its post-apocalyptic sands, and Retro Encounter's panel is ready to dig in. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jo Padilla

Wild ARMs fans can't agree which game is the best in the series, but Wild ARMs 3 won a public poll held earlier this year, so that's the Ramen Western our two Retro Encounter panelists are taking on. Post-apocalyptic cowboys, shamanistic magic, and an excess of JRPG statistics populate this PS2 gem, and what RPG uses a Wild West setting better? Nobody. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jo Padilla

Retro Encounter celebrates Nintendo's massively successful handheld in a new console-dedicated episode! Melodramatic lawyers, gentleman professors, Square Enix remakes, and even rotoscoped detectives get their shine in this episode celebrating as many D.S. acronyms as we can remember. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Stephanie Sybydlo, Peter Triezenberg Get in Touch: Email us: retro@rpgf...

With Dragon Quest XI's Switch version on the horizon and Dragon Quest Builders II in the rearview mirror, two of Retro Encounter's distinguished Dragon Quest dilettantes delve into the entire series catalogue. Eventually, the dynamic duo determine Retro Encounter's official favorite Dragon Quest. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Zach Wilkerson Get in Touch: Email us: retro@rpgfan.com Twitter: @rpgfanco...

Luca Blight, the mad dog of a bad prince from Suikoden II, is one of the most memorable villains of Japanese RPGs, and Retro Encounter is bringing back the RPG Villains format to celebrate, analyze, and reproach him. What was Luca's most horrible act? Could Luca have joined the heroes in different circumstances? Is Luca Blight the true villain of Suikoden II? All of this and more in today's episod...

In their second exploration of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, a panel gets deep into Erebonian politics, giant robots, and school dances. Plot twists, connections to other Trails titles, and more take center stage at the Thors Military Academy festival. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Caitlin Argyros, Alana Hagues, Zach Wilkerson Get in Touch: Email us: retro@rpgfan.com Twitter: @rpgfanco...

Retro Encounter celebrates 200 episodes with its very own awards show! Five panelists discuss more than twenty awards subjects, except they aren't beholden to particular years, specific genres, or common sense. The categories, winners, and panelists follow no rules at all except "Must either be under RPGFan's coverage or pertaining to Devil May Cry 5." Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Ste...

Retro Encounter braves their second Falcom journey of 2019 with The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, an epic tale of generations of war, an economic class divide, and questionable school field trips. Four panelists of Trails veterans and newcomers tackle the fan-favorite RPG with enthusiasm for good dialog and thirst for cute moms and dads. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Caitlin Argyros, Alana...

Four Retro Encounter panelists each finished Trials of Mana (maybe more than once) and there is plenty to discuss. The game hits its non-linear middle chapter and choice-determined finale, and everything from elemental weaknesses to class changes to endgame loot hunting comes up. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Greg Delmage, Alana Hagues, Zach Wilkerson Get in Touch: Email us: retro@rpgfan.com Twitter...

Three RPGFan panelists spend a warm July evening reminiscing about the games of summer. Games played durring summer break from school, games that have a summery feeling, or even games tied to specific middle-of-the-year-in-the-northern-hemisphere memories. This episode covers an enormous range of topics, from Blockbuster rentals to a toddlers playing Undertale. Featuring: Marcos Gaspar, Audra Bowl...

Seiken Densetsu 3 spent more than two decades on lists of "great Japanese RPGs that never left Japan," until June 2019. It was added to the Retro Encounter schedule minutes after the announcement during E3 2019. A month after that fateful Nintendo Direct, four Retro Encounter panelists have played through the first half of SD3, rebranded Trials of Mana. Six heroes, eight spirits, and much more to...

It's fun to talk about what you love, but almost as much fun to wallow in shared disdain. For this episode of Retro Encounter, four panelists discuss their LEAST favorite games in a few of their favorite series, from Kingdom Hearts Re:Remakes to flawed first or second games of legendary JRPG series to ill-advised spinoffs. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Greg Delmage, Peter Triezenberg, Zach Wilkerson...

Retro Encounter gets spooky in June as two panelists discuss Until Dawn, the 2015 horror-narrative game where everyone can live, everyone can die, and everyone will definitely get chased around a resort cabin by psychopaths and wendigos. It's a cool game about cold weather in the hot summer for Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg Get in Touch: Email us: retro@rpgfan.com...

Mythology, including everything from fairy tales to foundational beliefs of ancient peoples, has influenced storytelling, literature, and human civilization for thousands of years. RPGs are heavily influenced by myths, and on today's Retro Encounter three folklore enthusiasts talk about mythology in RPGs in depth, from the best depictions of Cerberus to DOS freeware Thor puzzle-action games. Featu...

RPGFan recently celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day with separate features dedicate to the moms and dads of RPGs, and Retro Encounter is here to piggyback on those pieces like they're a dad at a swimming pool. Three panelists discuss the best moms and dads of RPGs, from hands-off mothers supporting their journeying child from afar to doting adoptive grandpas. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra...

Retro Encounter did an episode about Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in late 2015, but back then Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night wasn't on the horizon and Timespinner didn't exist in a playable state. With the benefit of hindsight, two longtime Castlevania fans revisit the PS1 nonlinear side-scrolling action RPG by examining Castlevania's past, considering Symphony of the Night's influence, a...

In our third and final episode of Retro Encounter's Podcast Tribute series, our hosts emulate Ophira Eisenberg and Jonathan Coulton for an RPGFan episode of Ask Me Another. Four contestants tackle sixty RPG trivia questions for the chance to win nothing but a good time. Because Retro Encounter is too cheap for prizes. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Stephanie Sybydlo, Patrick Gann, Leona McCallum, Kyl...