RPGFan's Retro Encounter

The real Infinite Wealth was the friends we made along the way. 

Ichiban Kasuga returns in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku 8 in Japanese), teaming up with former Like a Dragon protagonis…

Can you SMELL what the Hawke is cooking? 

Dragon Age II had a mixed critical reception back in March of 2011, so we’re giving it a fresh perspective in March of 2024. Today’s Retro Encounter panel mak…

If I could turn back time / If I could find a way

Four RPGFan staff played through Dragon Quest XI this month, and it left them full of feelings. But were those feelings satisfying or wanting? How did…

I love it when villagers rhyme / it makes me as glad as a slime

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age was hailed as an instant classic when it launched worldwide in 2018, and with more than five y…

Rock the Dragon

Kazuma Kiryu starred in at least a dozen video games in the last eighteen years and experienced a remarkable fictional life. In today’s podcast, two of RPGFan’s most enthusiastic Like …

Opinions are like cats. The internet is full of them. 

We mostly fall into conventional wisdom here on Retro Encounter when it comes to what games deserve celebration and which games do not (there wil…

Should we double check the envelope?

We’re in the middle of entertainment awards show season, and it’s high time Retro Encounter decides a worthy ballot for the RPGs with the best characters, music, v…

Fill my heart with Retro / And let me play RPGs forevermore

We're back this week to discuss the second half of Moon, a game that parodies RPGs so much it almost becomes an Adventure game. How does the…

FOUR HUNDRED BABIES

If you’ve listened to a Retro Encounter multiple of 50 before, you know that the panel is going to come up with a public poll for a future Retro Encounter episode. This time around…

Bubby, if you ain't got Retro Encounter, you'll stop breathing and pass the heck out.

After waiting over two decades, we finally got a localization of this quirky gem, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure. So, w…

Movin’ to the country / I’m gonna eat a lot of Toadstools

Super Mario RPG turned 27 in 2023 (!), and to celebrate, Nintendo and ArtePiazza released a snazzy new remake. Three Retro Encounter enthusias…

2023 and Me 

In true RPGFan podcast fashion, Retro Encounter always looks back. In an annual tradition since 2015, a Retro Encounter panel examines the previous year of RPGs and highlights a few favor…

I'm a sucker for a good podcast!

25 years ago, RPGFan started life as LunarNET, and five years before that, Lunar: The Silver Star released in the West. So, in honor of that, we got four of our reside…

Quest Like A Dragon! 

One Warrior, one Rogue, and one Mage separately traveled across Ferelden to recruit allies in order to stop a Darkspawn Blight, but how did it go for them? Our panelists explored…

Dungeons and Darkspawn

Dragon Age, a standout mini series from BioWare's golden age of RPGs, is a blend of high fantasy, dark fantasy, politics, and dating sim that made a big splash in 2009. Two Grey…

I think I heard a shot.

We finished Bloodborne! Four very enthusiastic hunters suffered through hunters, Great Ones, Street Sharks, and many other horrors to conquer this PS4 classic. So what are our…

Bleeding its horror / Creating my structure

Welcome, good hunter! Retro Encounter discusses a From Software Souls-like in detail for the first time, with the Playstation 4's Bloodborne. Four panelists…

Back in the 90s and early 2000s, the localization of JRPGs was never a given. We RPG fans would often wait with bated breath, a copy of GamePlayers or Electronic Gaming Monthly in hand, hoping Square…

Only one person gets to be the hero. But is it always the right one?

Just about every RPG has a main character that can be singled out as the hero of their story, but this is not about any of them. Q…

Boys and girls of every age / Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Halloween is a time to experience scares, eat candy, and also celebrate fandom through costumes. Costume changes in RPGs can …