RPGFan's Retro Encounter

A 2021 Retro Encounter sequel podcast drops its sequel episode, establishing a new Essential Ten for a new decade. Five panelists argue a list of twenty RPGs and visual novels down to an esteemed list of ten newly enshrined Retro Encounter Hall of Fame RPGs. By the end, the five RPGFan staff show a mix of accomplishment, fatigue, and sulky dissatisfaction, but we got there, doggone it. Which Final...

Retro Encounter's most notorious two-part episode, a 2016 structured argument that resulted in a top ten RPGs deemed "essential" by Retro Encounter, is getting a sequel five years later. It's a new decade, and five Retro Encounter regulars will spend two podcasts and over four hours arguing a list of 35 RPGs to 10, and this is the first. Friendships are challenged and feelings are hurt (but not re...

Retro Encounter did two episodes on NieR: Gestalt in 2016, but the recent Replicant remaster gives us new occasion to discuss the Square-Enix cult classic. We have Teen Nier, Automata context, and deeply personal narratives all up for discussion in a mostly-happy podcast about a sad, angry RPG. How far would you go for a podcast you love? Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Zach Wilkerson; E...

The stunning conclusion to Knights in the Nightmare is here, and holy plot Batman, that was a doozy! And with a remaster just announced for Japan this week, we cannot wait for more folks to dig in to this fascinating experience! (no relation to NiGHTS into Dreams for Sega Saturn) Featuring: Eva Padilla, Pete Leavitt; Edited by Micah Coates Get in Touch: RPGFan.com Email us: retro@rpgfan.com Twitte...

What is dead may never die! On this Game Journal, two panelists dive into Sting's weirdo-bullet heck SRPG Knights in the Nightmare!  Can this duo find the strength to make it out of this deep slumber in one piece? Find out on this week's episode of Retro Encounter! Dust off your late-2000s handheld, folks! Featuring: Eva Padilla, Pete Leavitt; Edited by Micah Coates Get in Touch: RPGFan.com Email...

Retro Encounter's miniseries on Final Fantasy XIV concludes this week with an episode all about Shadowbringers, Final Fantasy XIV"s most recent and most fantastical expansion. Three panelists discuss the changes Shadowbringers made to the FFXIV job system, how Shadowbringers subverts a few central tenets of Final Fantasy, and the unmatched passion and dedication of the FFXIV team, only a few short...

Monster Hunter: World has peaked and Monster Hunter Rise has risen, and with several RPGFan staff hunting Rathalos recently it was high time we recorded a Monster Hunter podcast for the first time in more than three years. Three panelists talk about the peaks and valleys of the fifth generation of Monster Hunter, which is stronger than ever sixteen games in. Sharpen your weapons, eat a hearty meal...

Psaro, the very motivated main antagonist of Dragon Quest IV, is the best video game villain of the NES era and is definitely worth a podcast. But what's the most awful thing Psaro attempts in DQ4? Is he the true villain of the game? These and more addressed in today's Retro Encounter! For the first time in many months, this... is RPG Villains. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Zach Wilker...

Five Retro Encounter panelists rolled credits on Dragon Quest IV, and the feeling on the 1990 classic are unanimous: Dragon Quest IV is ahead of its time. From the villain's motivations to the quest design to Akira Toriyama's badass women, Dragon Quest IV is a treat. Listen to us gush about it. Does Alena love Kiryl, or just hate doors? Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Alana Hagues, Wes...

Five chosen panelists meet a chosen hero (or heroine) and his (or her) seven companions in today's podcast on 1990's Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, making today's Retro Encounter one of the most retro we've ever done. Scottish accents, kickass princesses, and talented business wives all enter the discussion.  Which chapter was our favorite? We don't say, but listen anyway!  Featuring: Mi...

Four Dragon Quest aficionados who haven't attended live sporting events in over a year celebrate their love of the seminal Japanese RPG by pretending it's fake sports! Retro Encounter is doing another fantasy draft, and this time it's to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the slimy and sagacious series.  Which Hero is the number one overall pick? Whose draft board gets undercut repeatedly? Listen i...

Four panelists recruited twenty-seven times as many heroes in playing Suikoden III over April 2021, and have plenty to say about it! Suikoden III's complex politics, different motivations between its multiple protagonists, and surprise turns from series mainstay characters are all up for discussion. Is your father figure an immortal barbarian? Or literally another species? Maybe you're his clone?...

Suikoden III evokes the halcyon days of the PlayStation 2, when RPGs were many, UI conveniences were few, and Konami actually made video games. Suikoden III's politically-charged story and army of named characters are consistent with its predecessors, but it's split narrative and pants-optional waterfowl are all its own. Get to know Fubar (Fine, Unique, Beautiful Animal Riding) in the latest Retro...

What RPG uses dice-roll physics, requires rare drops from Skeleton Mages, and is exclusive to the 3DS Shop? Crimson Shroud and absolutely nothing else! Yasumi Matsuno (Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy XII) teamed up with Level-5 (Dark Cloud, Dragon Quest VIII) to produce one of the most unique RPGs for the 3DS way back in 2012, and we're absolutely here for it. After playing this game, you'll start fee...

Final Fantasy XIV's 2017 expansion had players visit the highlands of Gyr Abania and the steppes of Othard, but not as a tourist. Stormblood is a game about casting the light of liberation unto an oppressed people, and helping them tear down an imperialist regime. Stormblood is quite personal and political for an MMORPG expansion, but we're here for it.  Raise your weary head and heed the call to...

One of the most common reader or listener comments that RPGFan social media receives is "not an RPG," and we take some umbrage at that. RPGFan prides itself on covering a diverse array of games, which includes some games that might be considered hybrid RPGs or RPG-adjacent. Today, Retro Encounter responds to that query directly, assembling a set of questionable RPGs, and deciding once and for all...

Two Retro Encounter panelists played through four Muramasa: The Demon Blade endings and still can't stop gushing over the 2D action RPG's gorgeous backgrounds. But those backdrops aren't the only shiny things in Vanillaware's theatrical tour de force - there's also the lusciously animated food, the Hitoshi Sakimoto soundtrack, and our smiling faces.  "If anything is worth doing, do it with all you...

Before 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (but after Odin Sphere) the art-focused JRPG developer Vanillaware made Muramasa: The Demon Blade, an action RPG steeped in Japanese folklore and following a long tradition of ninja action arcade games. But how compelling are the characters, animations, and other elements of Muramasa?  Listen and learn!  This podcast won't possess your body and displace your soul, pr...

It was early in 1996 when a couple of modest, lightly-janky Gameboy games were released in Japan, beginning a phenomenon that is persisting (and thriving) to this day. Those games were Pokemon Red and Green, the very first generation of Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak's monster-catching series! A quarter century on, Pokemon is now the biggest multimedia franchise in the world, and what began as a re...

In 2015, Final Fantasy XIV players trekked to the north and looked to the sky in Heavensward, the fan-favorite expansion game that raised character levels to 60 and introduced Eorzeans to Ishgard.  Three Retro Encounter panelists and FFXIV players of varying experience levels discuss their love of Heavensward and Ishgard, from the friendly bugs of Dravania to the Warring Triad of Azys La, in the s...

Retro Encounter's panel finished Radiant Historia earlier this month, and dissects the endgame of Stocke and his companions.  The time traveling, turn-stealing, wheelin' and dealin' son of a king has some major decisions to make.  Is Radiant Historia stylin' and profilin' to Retro Encounter's preferences?  Listen and find out! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Kaleb Curry, Alana Hagues, Pete Leavitt; Ed...

Radiant Historia found many RPG fans in the last days of the Nintendo DS, and today Retro Encounter celebrates it on the 10th anniversary of its North American release. Parallel timelines, shoving enemies around a grid, Yoko Shimomura tunes, and suspicious botanical practices all take center stage in the latest Retro Encounter!  Does this podcast exist until you listen? Who knows. Download us into...

In advance of the 2021 release of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, Retro Encounter is recording four Final Fantasy XIV episodes in 2021! Each will feature a different panel and focus on the panelists' personal experiences with Final Fantasy XIV, then discuss the characters, stories, and contents on one particular expansion. Today two Mikes and a Peter go through the Final Fantasy XIV 2013 reboot, A R...

The worldwide release of Ryu Ga Gotoku 7 made a big splash in 2020, as the first Yakuza game with turn-based combat, the first Yakuza game not to star Kazuma Kiryu, and the first Yakuza game in 15 years with English-language voice acting. At least four RPGFan staff were enchanted by Yakuza's new look last year, and took very little persuading to have a 2021 discussion on Yakuza: Like A Dragon , ch...

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean ramps up the drama on disc 2! In part 2 of our deep dive into Monolith Soft's forgotten classic, the three panelists return to talk about that now-famous betrayal, grumble about difficulty spikes, and most importantly, gush about the Children of the Earth! Now, is that rain, or is that the world crying out in pain? Featuring: Alana Hagues, Pete Leavit...