RPGFan's Retro Encounter

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…

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. T…

Let's praise the sun! Doo-doo-doo-doo

The Dark Souls of RPGFan podcasts has finally arrived! Dark Souls is one of the most celebrated RPGs of the 2010s, helping to establish an entire new genre of RPG…

There can only be one. 

Since time immemorial (May of 2019), Retro Encounter has hosted quiz shows to determine which Retro Encounter panelist knows the most about the subject we celebrate every day o…

PlayStation IV: A New Hope

The PlayStation 4 was a massively successful console, with incredible sales, an official lifespan of seven years, and game releases continuing to the present day. And moreso…

Deep fried Retro!

This week we get the panelists back together to chat about the second half of Grandia II. Listen in while we talk about late game changes in tone, how well the pacing holds up, and i…

You can't go back, but you can move forward.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was one of the most hotly anticipated RPG releases of 2024, as a successor to the fan-favorite Suikoden series in all bu…

Inside every cynic, there is a disappointed idealist. 

Grandia II felt like an RPG ahead of its time in 2000, with sophisticated active-time battles, smart underlying systems, and clever writing ancho…

I've walked for miles / My feet are hurting. 

Content Warning: this podcast episode addresses many sensitive topics, including mental health issues and self-harm. 

Is Omori an offbeat retro-styled RPG …

Accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. 

No one of sound mind plays an RPG out of spite. Players want to enjoy the games they play, sometimes with a fair amount of hype and anticip…

But my dreams, they aren’t as empty / As my headspace seems to be

Content Warning: this podcast episode addresses many sensitive topics, including mental health issues and self-harm. 

Omori is an indie…

To love is to suffer

Three RPGFan panelists are joined by RPG enthusiast YouTuber David Vinc to discuss the favorites and frustrations about the world of RPGs. Does our guest prefer the predictable co…

Are you courageous enough to try Retro Encounter yet?

Back in February, Persona 3 Reload released, much to the delight of many on staff, So, this week, two veterans of Persona 3 and one newbie get tog…

Elc the Kid

Arc the Lad II is an improvement over the first in nearly every way, as a more dramatic, dynamic, and lengthy PS1 RPG only held back by some technical limitations, a lack of save points, a…

Arc seeking Ark

While it was a launch title for the PSOne in Japan, Arc the Lad was something of a swan song by the time it finally released in the West. It also stands as one of the final works of th…

To be the sad man / Behind Mako eyes

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, one of the most anticipated RPGs of 2024, reimagines many of the most dramatic and emotional moments of Final Fantasy VII, from Cloud’s …

Retro. Retro never changes.

But boy, long-running RPG series sure can! Back when a small group of developers at Interplay Productions released Fallout in 1997, I'm sure they couldn't imagine they were…

Warriors! Come out and play~~~

Omega Force, a subsidiary of Koei Tecmo, has made a name for itself over the past 25 years with dozens of entries into its Musou series, Dynasty Warriors and Samurai War…

I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon. 

Retro Encounter sees Final Fantasy IV through to its logical conclusion, from journeys to the center of the earth to heartbreaking family reunions, then, Al…

I am not my Dark Knight’s keeper

Final Fantasy IV is a 1991 RPG full of colorful characters and high drama. But how does it hold up after 33 years of perspective? Four Retro Encounter panelists who gr…