Highlight Archives

Rhythm Encounter 141 – Best PSP RPG Music

Posted by Mike Salbato on August 12, 2024

Part two of our handheld RPG music celebration continues — and concludes — today! Last time, we brought you some of our favorite tracks from Nintendo DS RPGs, and this time we talk about the DS’ competition, the Sony PSP. The PSP was a haven for RPGs, especially considering its support of playing PS… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 8/11/24

Posted by Audra Bowling on August 11, 2024

Our low-key summer continues in this edition of RPGs Coming This Week with three games that, in different ways, encourage players to slow down and smell the roses. They aren’t necessarily slow-paced, but I think they exude late-summer vibes. I… don’t know where I’m going with that, but allow me to… Read More »

Origins Game Fair 2024

Posted by Jerry Williams on August 10, 2024

Origins Game Fair, as suggested in our feature last year, seems to be undergoing some changes. If you’re an Essen or GenCon attendee, you might not know what I’m referencing, as these conventions seem to have bounced back to normal since the pandemic, per my conversations with others this year. The… Read More »

Echoes of the Emergent

Posted by Tim Rattray on August 9, 2024

I’ve become pretty tired of post-apocalyptic stories because they typically tread the all too familiar ground of human-against-human conflict. For this reason, I treasure the rare story that looks at this genre from a different perspective. Echoes of the Emergent is a prime example of exec… Read More »

Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom

Posted by Audra Bowling on August 9, 2024

Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom is undoubtedly a familiar name to visual novel and otome fans, especially given the popularity of the game’s anime adaptation. It’s a quintessential romance VN in many respects, with several well-developed relationships against feudal Japan’s historical backdro… Read More »

Retro Encounter 429 – Final Fantasy Series Tier List

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 8, 2024

A, B, C, D, FF3 / Feels like a mid-rank to me Very few podcast, article, or video topics on the internet get folks more enthusiastic or more up in arms than tiers, lists, or a combination thereof. On today’s emotional episode of Retro Encounter, four panelists play a fantasy-draft style game to plac… Read More »

Alabaster Dawn Is Radical Fish’s Follow-Up to CrossCode

Posted by Claton Stevenson on August 8, 2024

German developer Radical Fish Games has announced their second major title Alabaster Dawn, slated for Steam Early Access release in 2025. A reveal trailer featured below showcases vibrant, 32-bit-style character sprites engaging in precision action combat across top-down 3D environments. Previously… Read More »

The Droids You’re Looking For: The Top 10 RPG Robots

Posted by Jimmy Turner on August 7, 2024

One of my favorite archetypes in sci-fi is the artificial or constructed sentient being. They go by many names, including robots, droids, automatons, and synths. I am fascinated by exploring the complexities and moral dilemmas of interacting with an artificial being. There is no shortage of memorabl… Read More »

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

Posted by Caitlin Argyros on August 6, 2024

“All good things come to an end.” Final Fantasy XIV players experienced this in 2021 when the game’s aptly named fourth expansion, Endwalker, wrapped up the long-running story that began with the original 1.0 release in 2010. But because this is an MMO we’re talking about, Endwalker was not the end… Read More »

Crowdfunding Chronicles: Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets

Posted by Tina Olah on August 6, 2024

Heavily inspired by Quintet classics, Golden Sun, and even drag culture, I’m proud to present Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets, a new action RPG follow-up to 2021’s Save Me Mr. Tako.

Random Encounter 302 – A Trip to Steamy London Town

Posted by Jonathan Logan on August 5, 2024

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re chatting about heisting steam-powered robots and the foggiest post-apocalyptic city you’ve ever seen. First up, Ben embraces his inner robot pirate with the sequel to 2015’s TRPG, SteamWorld Heist, SteamWorld Heist II. The latest entry in the multi-genre St… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 8/4/24

Posted by Audra Bowling on August 4, 2024

In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, indie titles again dominate the slate. Who’s complaining? Couldn’t be me, especially considering the level of quality we’re dealing with here. Let’s dive in! Fields of Mistria (Entering Early Access) – August 5th (Windows) Fields of Mistria is a cozy farm si… Read More »

Papers, Please

Posted by Tim Rattray on August 3, 2024

Let’s cut to the chase: you don’t need me to tell you that Papers, Please is great, nor does the game need my validation. There’s a reason this immigration officer role-player is widely considered one of the most influential and flat-out best indie games ever made. Yet, with over a decade… Read More »

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure

Posted by Jerry Williams on August 2, 2024

A growing trend, especially among the indie community, is kid-friendly gaming with some meat. My five-year-old instantly fell in love with Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure when she saw it. “Dad, can I sit on your lap?” And off we went. While I wouldn’t call any of the puzzles in this game five-ye… Read More »

SteamWorld Heist II

Posted by Ben Love on August 1, 2024

When SteamWorld Heist first came out in 2015 on the 3DS, I was blown away by how inventive and polished the game was. Capitalizing on the surprise success of SteamWorld Dig and the renewed interest in turn-based strategy games driven by the revival of XCOM, the small team at Image & Form (now Th… Read More »

Retro Encounter 428: Undertale Revisited

Posted by Zach Wilkerson on August 1, 2024

Despite everything, it’s still Retro Encounter. Over six years ago, we got together to chat about the instant indie class, Undertale. But, Undertale’s staying power is so strong that we decided to get together and chat about it again, this time with an all new panel. Is Papyrus still delightful ever… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 140 – Best Nintendo DS RPG Music

Posted by Mike Salbato on July 31, 2024

It’s a handheld celebration! We had so much fun with our Game Boy Advance music episode last fall, we’re back for two more handheld episodes, starting with the Nintendo DS! Nintendo’s little experimental handheld made waves upon its announcement, and once the dust settled on many gimmicky titles, so… Read More »

Retro Encounter Final Thoughts: Dark Souls

Posted by Michael Sollosi on July 31, 2024

Dom Kim I must confess that I feared how this playthrough for Retro Encounter would turn out. It had been years since I last booted up Dark Souls, and having recently gone on a month-long Elden Ring spree both preparing for and playing through the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC I couldn’t help but wonder… Read More »

Tengoku Struggle -Strayside-

Posted by Niki Fakhoori on July 30, 2024

Cultures and religions around the world have vastly different ideas of what Hell is, who goes there, and what it looks like. Adding to its extensive mythos requires enough familiar elements that players recognize Hell but enough new twists to warrant yet another reimagining. Tengoku Struggle -Strays… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 7/28/24

Posted by Claton Stevenson on July 28, 2024

Welcome to RPGs Coming This Week, the column that increasingly covers titles from all over the world, and boy do you love to see it. The second golden age of RPGs is international! This week, we’re discussing new releases made not only in Japan and the US but also China and Argentina. Let’s dive in,… Read More »

Vay

Posted by Neal Chandran on July 27, 2024

Vay is not a game I expected to see revived in 2024. This Sega CD title was localized by Working Designs in 1994, but despite it having nifty animated cutscenes, it could not escape the looming shadow of console darling Lunar: The Silver Star (also localized by Working Designs). Vay had a mobile por… Read More »

Bomberman Quest

Posted by Scott MacDonald on July 26, 2024

Bomberman Quest is the result of throwing Bomberman into one of the Gameboy Legend of Zelda games. It’s a mashup of Bomberman’s bomb-based gameplay with Zelda’s structure and mechanics, which becomes evident about two minutes into playing it. Since this is a mashup, the game deserves a hybridized na… Read More »

Retro Encounter 427 – Dark Souls Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on July 25, 2024

What is bravery without a dash of recklessness? Five Retro Encounter panelists recently finished the first Dark Souls, and it’s every bit as impressive, intense, and moving today as it was in 2011. Today the panel talks about the game’s undercooked second-half environments, the fully-realized… Read More »

The Classic RPGs that Skipped Europe

Posted by Rob White on July 24, 2024

I got my first console back in the late nineties when I was around twelve — a PS1. In the preceding months, I spent hours thumbing through gaming magazines and getting excited about specifically playing Final Fantasy VIII (which was due out soon) and Final Fantasy VII (which I’d bought a magazine wa… Read More »

Stellar Blade

Posted by Des Miller on July 23, 2024

NieR: Automata is one of the most influential games of the previous generation and one of my favorite games of all time. So, when a NieR-like game gets announced, I sit up and listen. When Stellar Blade was revealed in 2019, it quickly slotted itself into my most anticipated list. Every trailer pain… Read More »

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