RPGFan's Retro Encounter

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...

The dream is not over yet. Retro Encounter's journey through Chrono Cross continues, with a discussion of the latter half of the game. From the Dead Sea to Chronopolis, the depths of the ocean to the heights of Terra Tower, to beyond the darkness of time itself... there's a lot to unpack here. We talk about dragon hunts, atmospheric dungeons, links to Chrono Trigger, and rushed conclusions. Featur...

Maybe art is subjective? Retro Encounter emulates How Did This Get Made for an episode all about Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. The panelists break down the movie's plot, themes, and style in our most cinematic episode since the Final Fantasy Film Festival. And we may learn some Second Opinions. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Rob Steinman, Peter Triezenberg Get in Touch: Email us: retro@rpgfan.com Twitt...

On this episode of Retro Encounter, we take a look back at one of the most divisive sequels in gaming history. When you're following up on what many consider to be the greatest RPG ever made, it would be easy to stick to the tried-and-true, but Chrono Cross does anything but. The Yang to Chrono Trigger's Yin, we discuss our initial reactions to this PS1 classic, its colorful cast of characters, it...

Retro Encounter's producer takes inspiration from another of his favorite podcasts in today's episode all about the sorceror clown of Final Fantasy VI, Kefka. Three panelists examine Kefka's deeds, motivations, and impact with questions like "is there any good in Kefka?" and "why does Cid dress so poorly?" What makes this legendary RPG evildoer tick? Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Stephanie Sybydlo,...

Classic Editions! Nintendo and Sony recently created three bespoke boxes full of classic video games, but none of them have enough RPGs. Today's Retro Encounter episode is wishful thinking about the three high-profile mini consoles and theorycrafting some that may not exist yet. Sadly, this episode recorded before the recent announcement of the Sega Genesis Mini. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Lucy G...

Adol Christin and three panelists conclude their visit to the hometown of Dogi the Wall Crusher in a new Retro Encounter episode on Ys: The Oath in Felghana. Is this the greatest Ys game? Is The Oath in Felghana too short? Is Chester a mean jerk? All of these questions answered, and more. (Maybe, No, and Yes). Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Tina Olah Get in Touch: Email us: retro@rpgf...

Ys is a decades-old series centered on the travels of the adventurer Adol Christin as he explores derelict civilizations, clashes with ambitious imperialists, and battles ancient evils. Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a remake of the third Ys game, in which Adol goes on a vacation with his best pal Dogi and ends up doing the civilizations / imperialists / evils thing again in a total coincidence. Adol...

Character classes! Job systems! From Wizardry to Final Fantasy to World of Warcraft to Octopath Traveler, many RPG characters are defined by player-selected classes and jobs. In today's episode we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of job systems in RPGs, mostly concentrating on Japanese RPGs in general and Final Fantasy in particular. There was so much to discuss that there are plans to record...

Lufia II is a timeless classic and continues to capture the hearts of gamers to this very day so let's bring our Lufia love to its bittersweet conclusion in this weeks episode. Whether you're travelling to work by boat, submarine or paraglider pop in those headphones and find out just how tricky is the worlds most difficult trick is, if a broken mirror really is seven years bad luck and do mermaid...

Retro Encounter jumps into 2019 and, following on from January's Kingdom Hearts discussion, decided to spoil the hell out of the long awaited conclusion to the Xehanort Saga, Kingdom Hearts III! Three huge Kingdom Hearts get together to discuss the awesome Disney worlds, gorgeous action, and baffling story. But under all of the bombast and beauty, is it all worth it? Featuring: Peter Triezenberg,...

Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals is a bonfide classic on the SNES, with an epic story, great characters, fiendish puzzles, and tons of superlative side content including raising pet monsters and challenging a 100-floor dungeon. But don't take only my word for it! Three Retro Encounter panelists played Lufia II over February and March and enthusiastically gab about it for today's podcast. Featuring...

Wolf Team, a small Japanese developer active in the 1990s, has a surprising legacy of RPG creators lasting to the present day. tri-Ace, Namco Tales Studio, and several others have their roots in Wolf Team, which splintered after finishing the Super Famicom classic Tales of Phantasia. We explore the past of an influential studio on a Retro Encounter episode with a bittersweet final minute. Featurin...

Running a podcast is just like running a guild sometimes, and all jobs must come to an end at some point, just like our game journals! This week, our panelists talk about the conclusion of Tales of Vesperia. We make our way to the end by going through a huge dungeon gauntlet, by being betrayed, by saving our friends, and saving the world! But after hours of missable sidequests, coliseum fights, al...

We're still celebrating Tales of month here at Retro Encounter, and what better time is there to form a guild? Nearly two years after our last Tales of game journal, Tales of Vesperia is on the docket, and the same three panelists return from the Tales of the Abyss episodes! In a dense first half, the trio gush about the characters and dig into the combat, and there's surely a grumble or two about...

Lights! Microphones! Action! Our panel of RPG battle maniacs reconvenes for a discussion on RPG combat in real time, focusing on series that fight in real-time, or at least mostly in real-time. Hearts, Souls, Mana, and Ends of the World all make appearances in today's action-packed episode of Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Trent Argirov, Greg Delmage, Peter Triezenberg Get in Touch:...

Retro Encounter celebrates Namco's long-running action RPG series all February in a special Month of Tales! We kick off Tales Of month with an episode discussing the entire series, from Abyss to Zestiria, eventually picking an official Retro Encounter's Favorite Tales Of Game. Spoiler alert: it isn't Tales of the Tempest. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Robert Fenner, Alana Hagues, Stephanie Sybydlo G...

Retro Encounter had so much fun playing 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors last year that the same four codenamed panelists reunited for the sequel! Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward has more friendly robots, more diabolical puzzles, and more artificially intelligent rabbits than its predecessor, and the crew is here for all of it. Featuring: Hilary "Hilary" Andreff, Trent "The Stranger" Ar...

The panelists shut the door on this miniseries of Kingdom Hearts podcasts, and shed as much light as they can on the second half of the first game in the storied series. Dancing in Halloween Town, skulking in Hollow Bastion, and fighting Kingdom Hearts's strong suite of secret bosses all come into play in Retro Encounter's Kingdom Hearts finale! Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Alana Hagues, Kyle Kor...