RPGFan's Rhythm Encounter

In farming games, typically the slowest part of the year is winter. So why did we record our farming music episode when it's winter for many of our listeners? Hey, I don't have all the answers... unless it's about work/life balance and the best Stardew Valley partner. But I digress. Today's panel is only three people, but we still have a full slate of music to share from some of our favorite farmi...

It's time for another composer spotlight on Rhythm Encounter, and this time we're celebrating the works of Hiroki Kikuta. Many RPG fans know his work on the Mana series — particularly Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana — but there's much more to Kikuta than many people know. From a PSone game that never left Japan to his contributions to many indie games today, today's episode digs into the many ha...

We're knee-deep in fall leaves in some parts of the world, though much like our spring themes episode earlier this year, what autumn (or fall) means to each of our panelists varies. Some of us chose songs based on cozy evenings with a hot drink, and some of us used our imaginations since not everyone lives in parts of the world with the typical four seasons. So enjoy eight different musical approa...

We all know those big moments in RPGs. A place, a scene, or a pivotal battle that really makes the game and solidifies it in your memory. The scoring in those moments isn't always what makes it work, but it often plays a crucial role. In many cases, the music really does make the moment, if not the game. Today we are talking about songs that carry that burden of really defining the RPG they're in,...

From 2001 to 2005, the Game Boy Advance was Nintendo’s golden son. The Game Boy Advance brought gameplay depth and audio quality yet-unseen in a handheld gaming device, and gave us dozens of superb RPGs to enjoy over its run of success. Today, we celebrate the indigo blue machine with nine fabulous songs from a few of the GBA’s finest RPGs. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Greg Delmage, Patrick Gann, P...

"All this energy's got us inspired now/We couldn't stop it, just set it free and DANCE!" That's right! Today we're taking some advice from Persona 4: Dancing All Night and getting our dance on. Spin-off dancing games aside, danceable and electronic beats have permeated RPG soundtracks for a long time, whether that's special arrangement albums or soundtracks incorporating a more modern sound to hig...

In summer of 2014, Rhythm Encounter episode 18 was all about town themes. Today, a coincidentally exact 100 episodes later, we finally revisit the topic with more favorite RPG town theme music. This time around, we have games that span quite a range, from the early 90s to just last month, with four new-to-Rhythm Encounter games making their debut, like opoona and Sea of Stars . These town themes r...

When it comes to Final Fantasy music, for every "One-Winged Angel," there are a dozen lesser-known songs in a given game that don't always get their deserved time in the spotlight. Today's panel came loaded with eight songs they feel are overlooked, underrepresented, and, yes, underrated from across the Final Fantasy series. So take a seat, Sephiroth, today we're going to hear from Relm, Jecht, an...

On Rhythm Encounter, we have celebrated several consoles' RPG music, including the SNES ( Episode 89 ), NES ( Episode 73 ), and Genesis ( Episode 92 ). Isn't it about time the original PlayStation got some love? It's hard to understate the tectonic shift in RPG releases in the West that began during the PSone's lifetime, and there is a treasure trove of wonderful music from RPGs released for Sony'...

To the dungeon with you! But don't worry, we'll be there with you. Dungeons are a staple of most RPGs, and good music can elevate the experience of any dungeon, even the dreaded sewers. Why we have never had a dungeon-specific episode before now, we couldn't tell you, so today we make up for it, featuring games dating back as far as 1988 all the way to just last month (and six other songs in betwe...

Have you ever wanted an inside look at what it's like to write covers from classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI , perform, and run a stream/YouTube channel? Then this episode is for you. It's another special interview episode here on Rhythm Encounter, and we're fortunate to be joined by talented pianist, streamer, and arranger Kara Comparetto ! She joined us to discuss her work and pe...

A podcast appears! Fight? Spell? Parry? Item? JAM. The music of Dragon Quest , largely composed by the late Koichi Sugiyama, combines a classical sensibility with a flair for the dramatic, with tracks ranging from serene world map tunes to pop-inspired tracks for naming your hero. And let's not forget the timeless fanfare, one of the most recognizable themes in RPGs. Today, four intrepid would-be...

It's time to get down! In this panel, the Rhythm crew has selected some favorite jazz and funk tracks in RPGs. Not styles of music that first come to mind when thinking of RPGs, and indeed, that's part of their charm and effect! How have game composers and arrangers adopted these styles while arranging or used them to build on the game itself? We consider those questions while listening to some ex...

What defines a musical game? Videogames, and RPGs especially, are known for using a musical score to enhance the experience, so what parameters really define "musical games" and make their use of music especially notable? Today, our Rhythm panel is going on a journey to look at a wide variety of music that we feel fits into this category to tease out some of those important factors that mark a tru...

We interrupt the expected "Musical RPGs" episode with a quick listen to some recent music, just as we did earlier in the year with episode 101 . With new Zelda and Final Fantasy XIV music that came our way in May, Mike had to share those. But there's several other notable indie projects to share too, so enjoy what we're listening to, and let us know what's been in your ears lately! Featuring: Mike...

Welcome to our long-awaited followup to 2014's Theme Park episode! Episode 21 of Rhythm Encounter was all about character themes, and we knew it was time to do this topic again, because there has been no shortage of characters with their own themes in RPGs since then. We've got Dragon Quest , Dragon Age , and even games without dragons in their names, like The Legend of Heroes , Deltarune , and mo...

Whether you know him from his legendary work on Final Fantasy Tactics or elsewhere, odds are you at least know composer Hitoshi Sakimoto's name. And while he often gets talked about for his work in those Ivalice titles like FFT , Final Fantasy XII , and Vagrant Story , Sakimoto has worked on a fascinating variety of game soundtracks, dating back to 1988! As fascinating as it is that he worked on m...

At Rhythm Encounter, we've created episodes around seasons in the past — Episode 6 was about summer, while Episode 23, Winter Warmer , was popular enough that we revisited winter in Episode 59 . And yet, we've somehow never had episodes about spring or fall/autumn. Well, today we address one of those missing seasons, with four panelists and eight songs about springtime! Or rather, songs that we fe...

In preparation for April Fool's Day, someone at RPGFan suggested we finally tackle a long-standing idea: a joke episode that features only chocobo music from Final Fantasy . We loved the idea, but then a funny thing happened — a perfectly normal episode celebrating Nobuo Uematsu's iconic theme and its many, many iterations over the years. The idea was funny, but we love this little ditty too much...

There is nothing quite as exciting as having a composer as a guest on Rhythm Encounter. After offering much praise for Chained Echoes and its soundtrack, we wanted to get to know up-and-comer Eddie Marianukroh, the composer of said game. In today’s episode of Rhythm Encounter, we talk to Eddie regarding his work as a composer, and ask him to share some game music that matters to him. In contrast,...

With eight mainline entries, six side stories, and an entire spin-off series, Yakuza / Like a Dragon has an incredible history behind it. And what’s even more incredible is the stunning quality of music that comes with each new title. Since 2005, Yakuza has been gifting us pulse-pounding boss tracks, jaw-dropping series themes, and some of the best toe-tapping karaoke songs in video game history....

The Xeno games do not make up a traditional series, with multiple sub-series and some games connected loosely and some more directly. But whether you favor Xenogears , Xenosaga , or Xenoblade , there's no denying the games' popularity in the RPG crowd. And for us on Rhythm Encounter, we have been enjoying the likes of Yasunori Mitsuda, Yuki Kajiura, Shinji Hosoe, ACE+, and many more talented compo...

Released in 2015, episode 27 of Rhythm Encounter was all about RPG transportation themes, like chocobos, airships, mechas, and boats. Because of the variety of creative vehicles and travel in our favorite genre — and because it's been nearly eight years — it's high time for another take on this topic. Hop in your spaceship, sentient boat, or tour bus, and join our four-person panel on this journey...

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Rhythm broadcast to bring you some exciting new music that is worth listening to with some urgency! While the transportation episode is making its journey here and the Xeno episode is leveling up to handle its high-level composers effectively, we decided to bring a selection of music that's come out over the past year, with an emphasis on more recent releases...

Rhythm Encounter launched its first episode in February 2013. Nearly ten years later and after some changes in leadership and a multi-year break, we have hit a milestone with our 100th episode! We decided early last year that we wanted to celebrate this occasion by inviting back our show's founders, Stephen Meyerink and Derek Heemsbergen. Their love of music birthed a (wow, this is getting weird,...