RPGFan’s Retro Encounter

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 than its predecessor, the PS4 had a rich selection of RPGs. Today, four Retro Encounter panelists each composed individual top ten lists of PS4 RPGs, and then collated those individual lists into a final top eleven (there was a tie). In this episode, our panel goes over their thoughts and feelings on these eleven titles, plus a few extras and honorable mentions. So what fan favorites make the list, or fail to make the list? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Kyle Cantelon, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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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 if Ryudo is still endlessly hilarious.

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Ben Love, Claton Stevenson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Grandia II on RPGFan

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 but name, written and designed by Suikoden's late creator Yoshitaka Murayama. So did Eiyuden live up to expectations? Are we excited for a potential Eiyuden sequel? Listen to find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Gio Castillo, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on RPGFan

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 anchored by Ryudo, Grandia II's sarcastic protagonist. Today's episode of Retro Encounter discusses the characters, mechanics, and first-half story of Grandia II, especially how its modern touches and angst contrast against the earnest optimism of the first Grandia. 

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Ben Love, Claton Stevenson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Grandia II on RPGFan

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 about a journey through a young person's psyche? A story about a group of friends reconnecting after drifting apart following tragic circumstances? Or a harrowing depiction of trauma surrounding the death of a child? Well, Omori is all three of these things, and Retro Encounter is here to break it all down for you. Join us as we discuss this strange journey of an RPG full of humor and heart. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Omori on RPGFan

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 anticipation beforehand. Today, we walk in between joy and despair, and discuss ten games that the panel wanted to love but struggled to connect with. A few of these are broadly popular, while others are from specific series dear to one panelist's heart. So which panelists dislike NieR and Xenogears? Who played an awful five-dollar DS RPG? Listen to find out what RPGs we found hard to love! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Kyle Cantelon, Tin Manuel; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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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 game that takes on dark themes such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and loss in a thoughtful, poignant manner. But it’s also chock-full of subversive humor and game mechanics that manipulate emotional states to create interesting puzzles both in navigation and combat. Four Retro Encounter panelists discuss the early hours of Omori, from its unique tone and mechanics to speculation on its endgame (to be addressed in part II!). Give it a listen! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Omori on RPGFan

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 comfort of Dragon Quest or the unstable beauty of Final Fantasy? Which panelist has played Lufia II dozens of times? How about games where you recruit dozens of characters? It’s an episode all about the RPGs we obsess over! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Kyle Cantelon, Lucas Greene, David Vinc; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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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 together to chat about Persona 3 Reload. How does this one compare to the rest of the series? What’s our favorite party composition? Is Koromaru still the bestest boy? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Alana Hagues; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Persona 3 Reload at RPGFan

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, and an excess of towers. Four Retro Encounter panelists played Arc the Lad II last month, and this game holds up well enough to have a great discussion. 

Featuring: Wes Iliff, Audra Bowling, Ben Love, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Arc the Lad II at RPGFan

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 the now-defunct Working Designs localization company. Today our four panelists dig into this hidden classic, Finding equal parts joy and frustration in something of a proof of concept for its own sequel. Love Arc the Lad? Never heard of it? There’s something for everyone in today’s Retro Encounter!

Featuring: Wes Iliff, Audra Bowling, Ben Love, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Arc the Lad at RPGFan

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 flashback to Barret’s hometown and beyond, in a segmented open world environment driven by a mix of action combat and classic Final Fantasy ATB. Four Retro Encounter panelists / FF VII aficionados recently finished FF VII Rebirth, and reacted with a mix of joy, frustration, and confusion. We break down those feelings and more in today’s Retro Encounter! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at RPGFan

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 setting the foundations for one of the most iconic RPG series of all time. From its humble beginnings as an isometric CRPG to Bethesda's first-person RPG take on the series, Fallout has gone through several genre and tonal shifts over the years. And with the first season of a brand-new Prime Video TV show coming out, Amazon is set to bring the world of Fallout to our TV screens for the first time.

This makes it the perfect time to look back on the long-running series and find out exactly what it was about Fallout that set the RPG world on fire!

Featuring: Jonathan Logan, Abraham Kobylanski, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Fallout Review
Fallout 2 Review
Fallout 3 Review
Fallout: New Vegas Review
Fallout 4 Review
Fallout 76 Review
Fallout - Season One Review

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 Warriors in particular. Today, a Retro Encounter panel discusses Musou's origins as historical sims, its litany of different series, and its later evolution as a video game sub-genre Today, the larger Omega Force family includes Musou entries for Zelda, Dragon Quest, Persona, and many other beloved video game and anime series. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Wes Iliff; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on RPGFan
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below on RPGFan
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes on RPGFan
Persona 5 Strikers on RPGFan
Touken Ranbu Warriors on RPGFan

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, Alice, you’re going to the moon. Four Retro Encounter panelists talk the second half of Final Fantasy IV, including the changes made to the Pixel Remaster and Nintendo DS versions. Lali Ho! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Lucas Greene, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster on RPGFan
Final Fantasy IV DS on RPGFan

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 grew up (separately) playing Final Fantasy IV give the classic SNES RPG another look (together), discussing everything from the opening cutscenes to Kain’s second betrayal. Or is it his third betrayal? Eventually you lose count. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Lucas Greene, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster on RPGFan
Final Fantasy IV DS on RPGFan

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 protagonist Kazuma Kiryu in a wild turn-based open-world RPG set in both Japan and Hawaii. Four RPGFan staff, all of whom highly anticipated Infinite Wealth prior to its release in January, are ready to bring all of their thoughts and feelings into the Sujimon Arena, from the worst marriage proposal of all time to our heroes trading final battles. No need to hold back - step forward if you want to listen! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Jonathan Logan, Tin Manuel; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth on RPGFan

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 makes an exodus to Kirkwall to determine how they feel about DA2’s excellent characters and dialogue juxtaposed with DA2’s one-city setting and rigid timeframe? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Aleks Franiczek, Wes Iliff; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Dragon Age II on RPGFan

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 they find DQ11’s notorious third act? Spoiler alert: this is a wonderful video game, despite what other RPGFan podcast hosts might say. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Wes Iliff, Tin Manuel; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Dragon Quest XI on RPGFan

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 years of perspective our panel agrees. They discuss Dragon Quest XI's charming characters, rock-solid mechanics, and (unfortunately) repetitive music in today's episode of Retro Encounter, in which Jade kicks some fools and Rab remembers things past. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Wes Iliff, Tin Manuel; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Dragon Quest XI on RPGFan

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 a Dragon advocates examine the life and times of the Dragon of Dojima, as part of Retro Encounter’s Year of the Dragon celebrations.  

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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RPGFan's So You Want to Get into Like a Dragon

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 will not be an episode on Beyond the Beyond anytime soon), but we don’t always go with the grain. Five panelists each share two of their more offbeat, uncommon RPG beliefs, ranging from a certain series needing to reboot to several games being just too damn long. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Paul Dennis, Aleks Franiczek, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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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, visuals, gameplay, and story. But to make things interesting, we’re drafting four games for each category, and no RPG can be drafted more than once. Does that make sense? If you listen to the episode, then all will become clear! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Jimmy Turner, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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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 second half of the game compare with the first? Did we get all the love? Just how many frustrating minigames can one man take? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Moon on RPGFan

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, we’re having a shark party! The panel will “invest” in pitches from twelve Retro Encounter panelists from past and present in a game inspired by a certain entrepreneurial television show. It took 8 years and 8 months, but Retro Encounter made it to 400 episodes.  Time to get this party started, but once the party's over, don't forget to vote in the poll below! 

Link to Episode 400 Poll (Google Form)

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Lucas Greene, Wes Iliff, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Guest-starring: Hilary Andreff, Tom Cox, Robert Fenner, Alana Hagues, Derek Heemsbergen, Jonathan Logan, Stephen Meyerink, Eva Padilla, Mike Salbato, Robert Steinman, Stephanie Sybydlo, Peter Triezenberg

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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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, we got three of our panelists to discuss the first half of the game. We talk about the odd gameplay mechanics, just how many times we passed out before we figured out the Love system, and the games Moon went on to inspire. Listen in to find out what we thought on its opening hours!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Moon on RPGFan

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 enthusiasts discuss the new remake’s new look, gameplay adjustments, and breezy difficulty, as well as Mario RPG’s influence over the intervening decades. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jimmy Turner, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Super Mario RPG's remake on RPGFan

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 favorites. What RPG is labeled a platonic ideal? What two 2023 downloads might be among the best DLC of all time? How about that Baldur’s Gate 3? All of this and more in the final Retro Encounter episode of 2023! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Jonathan Logan, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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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 resident Lunar fans together to chat about the various versions of Lunar: The Silver Star. 

Are we fans of the Working Designs localization? How does the combat hold up? Are Jessica and Kyle the best couple in the series? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Ben Love, Noah Leiter, Scott Clay; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri. 

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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 the diverse societies presented in BioWare’s dark fantasy RPG this month, but to what ends? Listen and find out why Dragon Age: Oranges’s narrative is so engrossing, this podcast forgot to discuss combat! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Dragon Age: Origins on RPGFan

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 Warden veterans and one Dragon Age neophyte form a Retro Encounter panel to take on the Darkspawn Blight, save a group of mages, and confirm that Dog is a very good boy.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Wes Iliff. Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Dragon Age: Origins on RPGFan

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 favorite bosses? What the hell does Insight do? How many times do we mix up "Great Ones" with "Old Blood?" Listen to learn!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Aleks Franiczek, Zach Wilkerson. Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Bloodborne on RPGFan

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 discuss the city of Yarnham, trick weapons, the Souls formula, and more in this episode about a bloody excellent video game.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Aleks Franiczek, Zach Wilkerson. Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Bloodborne on RPGFan

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 Squaresoft and other Japanese publishers would announce they were bringing their incredible games to the West. And more often than not, we would be disappointed.

While many of these untranslated games have slowly made their way to our shores over the years in the form of remakes and collections, there are still tons of classic JRPGs that are out of reach. That is, they would be if not for fan translations! Starting with Final Fantasy V in 1998, fan translations allowed us to experience the games Japanese developers decided weren't worth the resources to localize. And this week, our panel will discuss some of our favorite fan translations and why they deserve to be available to Western audiences!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Audra Bowling, Ben Love, Pete Leavitt, and Steph Sybydlo; Edited by Jono Logan.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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This Episode's Related Links:
Legends of Localization - Tales of Phantasia
Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki Review
Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken Review
Hilltop YouTube Channel

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. Quite often, there's a companion or even an NPC that is more fun or interesting than a video game's protagonist. That's who we want to discuss today - three RPGFan staff pick a few of their favorite less-important characters who are compelling enough to star in their own games, but never got the chance.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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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 take the form of in-game bonuses, clever references, or expensive DLC, but it's undeniable that a classy costume change can enhance the video game experience. Today, three panelists talk about their favorite alternate costumes in RPGs.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Michael Sollosi.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Could you imagine? A puppet seeing another puppet- and then making it work?

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is... cute. Energetic. Pleasant. But also sort of twisted? Is Cornet an earnest puppeteer or an unsuspecting necromancer? Do we want to play the rest of the trilogy now? In today's episode of Retro Encounter we explore these topics and more, from sad pirates to frog centaurs.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure on RPGFan

In Marl's Kingdom, the girl saves the handsome prince.

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is remarkable for a 1998 RPG, in that it subverts a few traditional fantasy tropes, has multiple character-specific side quests, and punctuates it plot points with musical numbers. It also kicked off a trilogy of RPGs with multiple spinoffs, which received worldwide releases in 2022 and 2023. But how does it hold up to a modern audience of Retro Encounter panelists? Listen and find out!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis.

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure on RPGFan

Through the Fire and Flames of Fate

Dragon Quest hasn't had a main series release since 2018, but in the last five years we've had spinoffs, adaptations, and announcements galore. Three Retro Encounter panelists are joined by special guest Matt from the Dragon Quest Slime Time! podcast to discuss the past, present, and future of Dragon Quest. Bring on Dragon Quest XII!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Ben Love, Matt Masem; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why you had to hide away for so long. Where did we go wrong?

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is a bleak, unforgiving game that grants players tremendous highs when they emerge victorious from a boss battle on the brink of death, and threatens brutal lows if you lose all your progress far away from one of its limited save points. Three panelists played Dragon Quarter for Retro Encounter this month, but did any of them see the sky?

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter on RPGFan

Don't be a D-Ratio.

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter doesn't want you to have an easy time. A remarkable blend of PS2 visuals, tactical combat, rogue-like elements, and horror atmosphere set to a Hitoshi Sakimoto soundtrack, the fifth game in Capcom's signature turn-based RPG series is as unique as it is challenging. Three RPGFan staff of various experience levels tackled Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter with open minds and full hearts this week, but how do they feel? Listen and learn!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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The only podcast here is ours. And you can be its early witness!

Final Fantasy XVI, one of the most-anticipated Square-Enix games of the 2020s, finally launched worldwide in June. And now, almost three months later, at least four RPGFan staff have finished playing and want to start talking. From favorite characters and fights to the future of Final Fantasy XVI DLC, this podcast delves deep into this Eikonic game.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri.

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Zach's Final Fantasy XVI Review

She'll take you for a ride on a wagon train to Zoombiniville

It's back to school week here at Retro Encounter, where we stay retro but mostly avoid RPGs in a discussion of classic edutainment games, from The Oregon Trail to Sim City 2000. Who among our illustrious panel dreamed of being on the Carmen Sandiego PBS show? Which educational game most deserves a Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio adaptation? Listen and learn!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Niki Fakhoori, Jonathan Logan, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Time to go work on Retro Encounter!

We're back with our discussion of the second half of Disco Elysium. This week we dive into some of our favorite late-game side quests, go over our favorite conversations with our neckties, and discuss the fabulously strange ending.

Did we get Kim to like us? Do we continue to be a disaster cop? Are Phasmids real? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Hilary Andreff; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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RPGFan - Disco Elysium: The Final Cut Review

This is the face of a late-stage Retro Encounter enthusiast.

This week we get together to discuss a game inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, despite a complete lack of any dungeons or dragons: Disco Elysium. Listen in as we discuss the wild humor and politics of this strange, amazing video game, and find out just how many bad choices we can make while still solving a murder case.

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Hilary Andreff; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Off my podcast, jester. The commissioner sits there.

It's fantasy draft season! And, well, it's been a while since our last draft episode, and even longer since we've drafted characters from the biggest RPG series around. So, we decided to pull a new panel together to engage in some Retro Encounter rules-based discussion nonsense with a supersized episode where we draft all our Final Fantasy characters.

Is Celes is main character or a supporting one? Where does Kefka fall on our big board? Just how long can we make one episode? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Aleks Franiczek, Lucas Greene, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Retro Encounter 210 - Final Fantasy Fantasy Draft

Life... Dreams... Hope... Where do they come from? A new episode of Retro Encounter of course, that's where!

We're back this week to dive into the second, more ruinous half of Final Fantasy VI. After the relatively structured and straightforward pacing of the first half, the latter portions of Final Fantasy VI are certainly much more open, and quite a revelation when the game released.

Is the second half still as interesting as it was all those years ago? Did we recruit everyone? Who makes the right choice and turns off encounters while climbing Cultists' Tower? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Lucas Greene, Lucy Gray; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Audra's Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster Review on RPGFan
Bob's Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster Review on RPGFan

Think a "podcast" like ours could help you out in your quest?

In honor of the recent release of Final Fantasy XVI, we got a few of our panelists together to play through the SNES classic Final Fantasy VI. Some of us have played it a million times, some of us are just running through it for the first, and we chat about everything from the story to the combat to that music.

Who is the best character? How does the combat hold up? Did we all suplex the train? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Lucas Greene, Lucy Gray; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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What the hell, Yoko Taro?

After our recently published "25 Years, 25 RPG Moments" feature, we decided to get the crew at Retro Encounter together to talk about some of the moments that made us laugh, made us happy, and most importantly, the ones that wrecked us.

What moments did we choose? Which ones did we miss? Who got too emotional to talk for a little while? Listen in to find out!

(Note: there are heavy spoilers for a number of the games we discuss here, notably Breath of Fire IV, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Dragon Quest XI, Monster Rancher 2, Mother 3, Suikoden II, Final Fantasy X, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, and NieR: Automata. Listen with caution.)

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel, Michael Sollosi, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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25 Years, 25 RPG Moment Feature

Its gifts were mixed with good and evil both.

This week we bring our panelists back together to discuss to discuss the second half of Lost Odyssey. While were were all pretty positive on the first half, some of us really like the latter portions, and some of us really don't.

Did we do all the sidequests? Do the excellent short stories make up for the middling narrative? Are the environments still so very brown? Listen in to find out!

(Editor's Note - While the host indicates this is Episode 374, the correct number is 375)

Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Aleks Franiczek, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Okay it might not be called Final Fantasy XIII, but...

This week on Retro Encounter, three first-timers get together to discuss Mistwalker's Xbox 360 cult classic Lost Odyssey. It certainly has some big names behind it, and we want to find out if it lives up to the previous works of the masters.

How does it hold up? How brown can one game get? Does the turn-based combat work this time around? Listen to find out!

Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Aleks Franiczek, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Thou shalleth listenen to thisen episode.

Luckily, you won't hear any conversations about broken Early Modern English, because this time we're not talking about the original. Instead, we have a spoiler filled chat about Octopath Traveler II, a sequel that our panel loved even more than the first game.

How does the game look? What about that combat? Oh, the music has to be good. What about any funny accents? Listen in to this week's episode to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Patrick Gann, Alana Hagues; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Octopath Traveler II Review on RPGFan

It's time to make history!

This week, we're revisiting one of our favorites: Persona 4 Golden. After all, with the new release on modern consoles and Wes' glowing review for us at RPGFan, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to revisit some of our old friends.

But there's an even better reason we're revisiting this classic! We're also joined by special guest, and friend of the podcast, Alex from Backlog Battle, to talk about everything that makes the game special to them, too.

Does the game still hold up? Is Kanji still the best character? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Alex from Backlog Battle; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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More brutal murders than John Wick and more mistaken identities than Twelfth Night. 

Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin! plays fast and loose with the events of Bakumatsu Japan, with multiple historical figures assuming second personas, a legendary alliance forged through a drunken brawl instead of careful diplomacy, and much more than can be contained in a mere podcast description. Today's Retro Encounter is all about the king-making, life-taking, and chicken racing of the latest to come out Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Jono Logan, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Like A Dragon: Ishin! on RPGFan

Kamurocho has nothing on the mean streets of 1860s Kyo. 

Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin! was probably a lost cause to most fans of the Like A Dragon / Yakuza series, but Sega shocked everyone last year with the announcement of a full remake of the 2014 historical fiction samurai drama to arrive in February of 2023. RPGFan had at least four panelists eager to play it, so they gathered here to form their own Shinsengumi to discuss the swordplay, writing, performances, and historical context of the Ishin! remake. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Jono Logan, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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All RPGs and no fighting games makes Jack a dull boy.

We don't *solely* play RPGs here at RPGFan, and today is exactly the podcast to express that. Four RPGFan panelists discuss a few of their favorite games that can't be classified as RPGs with even the most liberal interpretation of the term, from crossover fighters to atmospheric horror to block puzzles to epic bug sagas.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Tom Cox, Ben Love, Nick Mangiaracina; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Today we enter the realm of video game fantasies, but not Final Fantasies.

Remakes are a regular part of the video game release schedule in the 2020s, and here at Retro Encounter we have a few ideas on a few that should come soon. A PS2 rogue-like, a Squaresoft RPG never released in Japan, and some Game Boy Color classics are only a small sample of what's in store in this episode of Retro Encounter!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Joshua Lindquist, Jonathan Logan, Tin Manuel; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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E-I-E-I-oh boy I almost went to bed without watering the corn. Oh, hello. On today's Retro Encounter, we're breaking out the farm equipment and digging into the ever-growing farm simulation genre. Many of them overlap with RPGs, especially as modern games have expanded their systems beyond crops, animals, and relationships, offering combat systems and more. Of course we talked about Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley, but we covered much more ground in discussing how we all got our start, what we are playing now, and some farming games we're looking forward to. Saddle up!

Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Greg Delmage, Dom Kim; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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You would expect that first-party game releases for a system would dry up three years after its successor is released. But that certainly wasn’t the case with Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II! 

Released in 1994 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, StarTropics II was a bit of an anomaly. Developed by the legendary Nintendo division R&D3, this time-traveling sequel to StarTropics was, much like its predecessor, only found on the NES in North America. It was also an 8-bit game in a predominantly 16-bit era. So, our question today: Was StarTropics II a lost gem that was ignored because it was on an obsolete system? Or was it rightfully forgotten by gamers at the time? Let’s jump back in time and find out!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Nick Mangiaracina, Michael Salbato; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Retro Encounter 365 – StarTropics
Rhythm Encounter 90 – Tropical Tunes

There are some first-party Nintendo games that became legendary franchises. This… is not one of those games.

Released in 1990 for the NES, StarTropics was specifically designed by Nintendo R&D3 with Western audiences in mind. In fact, it was never even released in Japan until 2008 on the Wii Virtual Console! This stylish and innovative game, featuring a genre mash-up with Dragon Quest-style villages and Zelda-like dungeons, gained a cult following of devoted fans, three of whom are on this podcast! Does StarTropics live up to their childhood memories? It’s time to stick some bananas in our ears, hop into our yellow submarine (piloted by R.O.B. the Robot), and find out!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Nick Mangiaracina, Mike Salbato; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Rhythm Encounter 90 – Tropical Tunes

There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man / And bring him to the ground.

Today we correct a podcast injustice, and publish Part 2 of Retro Encounter's Ogre Battle 64 podcast duology. One podcast host with a lot of questions and two OB64 veterans with all the answers discuss the twisting story paths, confounding Chaos Frames, and multiple endings of Ogre Battle 64, along with some light speculation about the future of the Ogre saga. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Pete Leavitt, Joshua Lindquist; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

This episode was recorded in February 2023 and published in November 2023, with the delay for reasons both technical and personal.

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Did this Ogre need a decoder?

Ogre Battle 64 occupies a curious part of RPG history, as a Quest game made after Yasumi Matsuno's departure from Quest, as a hybrid real-time strategy game and traditional JRPG, and as an RPG for the N64, a system conspicuously lacking them. Today's episode of Retro Encounter is an Ogre Battle 64 skeptic and two longtime Ogre Battle 64 fans trying to reconcile OB64's peculiarities with modern sensibilities. What are their feelings? Listen and find out!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Pete Leavitt, Joshua Lindquist; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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"Do you think games are silly little things?"

Most RPGs aren't designed to be played multiple times. You take in the story, see a few numbers increase incrementally, fight a boss, and roll some credits. But that doesn't stop a huge number of RPG fans from replaying their favorites multiple times, and Retro Encounter's panel is no exception. Today, a team of panelists details eight of their favorite games that they've replayed multiple times - sometimes the games cooperate by providing new choices and a variety of gameplay options; other times there's much less of that, but seeing these characters again is like visiting old friends. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Brian Mackenzie, Tin Manuel; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Hey, at least there’s no gacha in today’s episode.

While we might not love gacha mechanics in RPGs, we sure do love the characters in the Xeno series, and for today’s episodes we gathered four of our biggest Xeno fans on staff to draft our very own fantasy teams. Which protagonists do we love the most? Where does Citan go? Does Wes steal all of Zach’s picks again? Listen in to find out!

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Wes Iliff, Izzy Parsons, Tyler Trosper; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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So You Want to Get into the Xeno Series... on RPGFan

Wild PODCAST appeared!

The 12 months from November 19th, 2021 to November 18th, 2022 were monumental for the most popular RPG franchise in the world. The Pokémon Company had three major releases in that timespan, with a set of remakes, a groundbreaking prequel, and a new pair of flagship games. In today's Retro Encounter, four panelists discuss Pokémon's remarkable year: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Tom Cox, Niki Fakhoori, Anthony Krolikowski; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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"If fashion were easy, wouldn't everybody look great?"

Today, Retro Encounter channels their inner Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn and discusses a few of the best and worst clothing choices made by RPG characters. What Persona character wore it best? Who has the best Mass Effect space suit? What oldschool accessories need to make a comeback? And what's Link's worst outfit ever worn? All of these questions asked and answered in the most fashion-forward ever episode of Retro Encounter! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Mario Garcia, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

See our episode post on RPGFan for a visual guide to the characters discussed in this episode.

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Should auld RPGs be forgot, and never brought to mind? No, that's why this show exists, and auld lang syne.

It's that time of year again, where Retro Encounter lives in the very recent past and goes over several of the present panel's favorite games of the calendar year. From remasters of 1994 Square classics to 1995 strategy game homages to modern action RPG masterpieces, this episode highlights some of the best and brightest RPGs of the year. And wait for the end of the episode for a sneak peak at several Retro Encounter episodes coming in 2023! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Tom Cox, Jonathan Logan, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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It's a Xenomas Miracle!

Xenosaga is a game about humanity, starring a cast that rangers from an android unable to distinguish empathy from protocol to an artificial human clinging to memories of her human parents to a cyborg trying to reject his own humanity. But regardless of the biology or technology behind anyone in Xenosaga's cast, the story told is deeply human, right until that one traumatizing torture scene. Please enjoy today's episode on the PS2 cult classic!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg, Tyler Trosper, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht on RPGFan

KOS-MOS isn't a doctor, but she'll die-a-Gnosis.

Retro Encounter recorded episodes on Xenogears, Xenoblade, and Baten Kaitos several years ago, but what about the series that put Monolith Soft on the map? Today one superfan and three newcomers discuss the background, themes, characters, and early story of 2002's Xenosaga Episode 1, the first of a trilogy with subtitles from Nietzsche, the flyest nihilist.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg, Tyler Trosper, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht on RPGFan

It's in the singing of a street corner choir / It's going home and getting warm by the fire / It's true, wherever you find love, it feels like Muppets. 

It's the Muppets episode! Three RPGFan podcast hosts are lifelong fans of The Muppets, so in the grand tradition of A Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, they are re-casting classic RPGs with iconic Muppets characters. Which Muppet portrays Kefka from Final Fantasy VI? Which crew member of the Normandy is Kermit the Frog? Does anyone else remember Lew Zealand? All of these and more in the most Muppetational episode of Retro Encounter!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Greg Delmage, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening music by Sam Pottle. Ending music by Miles Morkri.

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And now it's time to dive into something a bit meatier. Monolithsoft's latest game, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, finally dropped in July, and we gathered five of our biggest Xeno fans to discuss the gall of Tetsuya Takahashi's new jam. Listen in as we chat about the delightful British-isms, if there's finally a Nopon character who isn't annoying, and whether the game is really as sparkin' good as everyone else seems to think it is.

Choose your future. Listen to this episode.

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Gio Castillo, Alana Hagues, Izzy Parsons, Tyler Trosper; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Silversun Strip Apartments. When you're here, you're family. 

Mass Effect 3 was an RPG event when it launched in 2012, and underneath the vitriolic reaction to its ending and multiple waves of DLC both expansive and reconstructive is an excellent shooter RPG. In today's episode of Retro Encounter, three panelists discuss not only Mass Effect 3's resolutions to the Krogan, Geth, and Reaper conflicts, but also the adventure, romance, and legacy of the Mass Effect trilogy. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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I am the very model of a sci-fi shooter RPG! From Omega to Luna I'm the zenith and the apogee! 

2010's Mass Effect 2 continues the story of Commander Shepard's quest to save the galaxy, but with new crew members, new benefactors, and way more planet scanning. An RPGFan away team discusses Mass Effect 2's villains-turned-allies, new alien cultures, and daring final mission in today's episode of Retro Encounter! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Back on our BioWare business. 

Mass Effect was one of the biggest phenomena in video games from the late 2000s through the early 2010s, and all three games in the original trilogy hold up as role-playing games, first-person shooters, and science fiction stories. Through the month of November, Retro Encounter is playing through the original Mass Effect trilogy, starting with the first game (which Retro Encounter also covered in June of 2018). 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Thank you for listening to Retro Encounter for a Quite Interesting seven years!

If you know two things about Retro Encounter, they’re probably that the podcast plays through great RPGs from every era and that its host loves game shows. Today, to celebrate 350 episodes of Retro Encounter, that host emulates a classic panel quiz format to go over a dozen discussion topics. Have a listen and maybe you’ll learn something!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Wes Iliff, Mike Salbato, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Poll for a future Retro Encounter episode! 

This game is from 2022, but horny teenagers getting murdered at a summer camp is Retro as can be.

Happy Halloween! As far as Retro Encounter is concerned, Halloween begins in early September and lasts three solid months. As such, we are celebrating the horror season and providing a coda to Retro Encounter's Autumn of Adventure with The Quarry, the most recent cinematic horror adventure from Supermassive Games, the same studio that gave us Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology. So who lives, who dies, and who's still a werewolf at game's end? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Broken Age is a stunningly beautiful coming of age story. 

Beyond the narrative itself, its Kickstarter-fairytale-turned-cautionary-tale development cycle has been entertainingly and meticulously documented and helped chart the frontier of large-scale crowdfunded videogame projects. Listen to the Autumn of Adventure panel muse on this, the Double Fine Adventure documentary detailing this game's development, and the amazing characters while we retrace our experience through this incredibly framed story. Which robot pal of Shay's is best robot pal?

Also, plot twist: Broken Age has a wolf! Adventure game month is almost entirely wolf month.

Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Jonathan Logan, Michael Sollosi; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Hey there Little Red Riding Hood / You sure are lookin' good / You're everything a Big Bad Wolf could want

Retro Encounter continues their Autumn of Adventure with The Wolf Among Us, a narrative adventure game set in the Fables comic book universe and originally released in five parts in 2013 and 2014. The panel dives into Telltale's unique brand of video game storytelling, The Wolf Among Us's fascinating portrayals of characters from fiction and folklore, and every decision Bigby Wolf makes in this dramatic noir plot.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Welcome to the first episode of Retro Encounter’s Adventure Game Month! Throughout October, we’re looking at four adventures across several eras of gaming. First up, the seminal point-and-click classic, The Secret of Monkey Island!

SoMI is a foundational game for LucasArts. Under Ron Gilbert’s direction, it brought in many of the conventions that would define the point-and-click genre moving forward, including a refined verb interface, dialogue trees, and an inability to die (unless you try REALLY hard). In this week’s Retro, Jono, Hilary, and Mike will sail through the Caribbean-flavored adventure filled with witty sword fights, scurvy ghost pirates, and at least one three-headed monkey!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition Review
Random Encounter 247 – Random Book Club – The Art of Point-and-Click Adventure Games

Snacks Are Better When They Fall – The Best Vending Machines in RPGs

Return to Monkey Island Review

Live (A Live) from the Middle Ages, it's Thursday night!

Live A Live is an anthology RPG comprised of eight miniature stories that lead to a grand finale, and its 2022 remake gets three thumbs up from today's Retro Encounter panel. They discuss the tragic eighth chapter, as well as the twisted endgame which brings together seven triumphant heroes and one disgraced would-be savior into a clash between good and evil. And it's all set to a killer Yoko Shimomura soundtrack. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Tom Cox; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Rhymes with "Drive Survive," not "Sieve Forgive" 

Live A Live, an influential 1994 RPG developed by Square during their Super Nintendo apex, is an anthology RPG which tells eight short stories that eventually coalesce into a satisfying finale. Live A Live's 2022 Nintendo Switch remake is the title's only official worldwide release, and several staff at RPGFan were eager to dive and thrive. This episode covers the first seven chapters, with a discussion of the rest coming next week. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Tom Cox; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Never Gonna Give Yeul Up

Fabula Nova Crystallis, the high-concept collection of Final Fantasy games dating from 2006, resulted in five games of varying tone and execution. Retro Encounter spent much of August playing and discussing Final Fantasy XIII, and today three panelists break down and lift up the rest of the family, including the former Agito, Final Fantasy Type-0, and the Versus XIII successor, Final Fantasy XV.

Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Audra Bowling, Patrick Gann; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Crystal Tools Without a Craftsman

Finally, we connect Xenoblade Chronicles to Abraham Lincoln. 

The 3DS eShop is on its last legs as Nintendo phases out online support for its successful handheld, but Retro Encounter hasn't given up on this 3D-enabled machine yet. Five panelists (including three new ones!) discuss their favorite 3DS games and series in an appreciation-slash-celebration for this titan of the 2010s. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Tom Cox, Anthony Krolikowski, Joshua Lindquist, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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How clear is Final Fantasy XIII's story? Not exactly Crystal. 

Final Fantasy XIII has a wild ride to the finish, and three Retro Encounter panelists cap off their personal experiences playing it by reacting to FF XIII's remarkable design changes, confusing character motivations, and beautiful imagery in its final chapters. So who did we bring to the final battle? Why are there so many metaphors for abandonment in the game? How does Square-Enix ruin this beautiful ending in future games? Listen for all of this and more! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Thunderbolts and Lightning / Very very frightening

Final Fantasy XIII, one of the most divisive games in the world's most popular Japanese RPG series, is certainly old enough to be considered Retro, but its style and tone are anything but. Our panelists are one FF XIII veteran, one FF XIII neophyte, and one lapsed player; they're unkind to the linear corridors and grating personalities of the first half of FF XIII, but understanding of the game's troubled development history and appreciative of its stunning visuals, beautiful music, and frantic combat. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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What's the story, RPGFan? Do you think it's worth a look? It seems kinda familiar, like a story from a book. 

RPGs and adventure games very often have an outsize focus on storytelling, in part because so many of them are about a group of characters growing and changing over the course of their game. Naturally, RPG fans of all stripes would prefer their games have a great story and great gameplay, but we know that's not always the case. In today's episode, five panelists decide whether they prefer a great story or great gameplay when only one of the two is an option, and highlight several games with particularly good narratives with lackluster playability, or vice-versa. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Niki Fakhoori, Dom Kim, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Don't ask me no questions, and I won't tell you no lies. 

We here at Retro Encounter love talking about video games, but decided to spend this episode getting to know each other a little better. In a sequel to a 2020 episode, four RPGFan panelists play a game in which they try to tell fact from fiction and share some details about themselves. Does Sollosi own three copies of Kingdom Hearts II, a game he's never played? Did Wes teach their daughter to impersonate a British character actor? Listen and reach out to the truth! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Niki Fakhoori, Wes Iliff, Mario Garcia; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Hey Jude, don't make it bad / Take a spirit, and make her better / Remember to let her into your heart / Then you can start to save the planet. 

Three RPGFan staff played through Tales of Xillia in July 2022, and left Rieze Maxia and Elympios feeling satisfied. By game's end, the panelists were surprised by an invading army, confused by multiple characters changing sides, and outraged that a 15-year-old is allowed to treat patients at a university hospital. But what intrigued us the most about this PS3 standout RPG? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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We're all doing our best, but there is always room for Progress

Tales of Xillia made a big splash on the PS3 in the early 2010s, with beautifully-rendered characters and frenetic combat for RPGs of that era. The usual Tales Of standards are here, from a climate crisis connected to Mana Spirits to one character that seems on the brink of betraying the team at any moment. So how does the panel feel about the do-gooder Jude and Milla of the impossible hairdo? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Did you know that RPGs, especially more traditional text-based RPGs, are generally considered to be among the more accessible videogame types? And that's a wonderful distinction, because accessibility means that the greatest possible number of players can actually play and enjoy it.

Join our intrepid panel, then, in celebrating accessibility in all its forms. We discuss resources for news on the topic and accessible hardware and software reviews, how important it is to learn from the existing accessible gaming community, a wide variety of crucial accessibility features, and noteworthy ways developers have built accessibility into the design of their games. This is one Retro Encounter special topic that is guaranteed to improve your gaming experience.

Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Lucy Gray, Wes Iliff; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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• Can I Play That?
• Game Accessibility 
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• RPGFan Feature: The Trials of Gaming While Colorblind

The chase is on in our pointless quiz show!

Retro Encounter engages in friently competition for the fifth time, with four RPGFan staff members taking on the quizmaster's queue of questions. This quiz is a slightly different format from previous shows, with the four contestants playing simultaneously and rounds inspired by fan favorite game shows "Ask Me Another," and "I Literally Just Told You." Listen to our challengers shared struggle; maybe you'll learn something!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Jonathan Logan, Kyle Seeley, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Mark Mahler

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Young master... listen to this episode. That is my first... and last... request.

Determined duels! Shocking departures! Sudden but inevitable betrayal! The second half of Suikoden the first is not lacking in drama, and four Retro Encounter panelists relish it, whether they're experiencing it for the first time or the tenth. Who's on our final sixes out of the first one-hundred-eight? Listen and find out!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jonathan Logan, Cory Tischbein, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Odessa told me: “A talkative man who doesn't have a podcast is a coward."

One of the very first RPGs on the PlayStation, Suikoden created a legion of new fans in 1995, spawning nearly a dozen sequels and spinoffs over the next decade-plus. Retro Encounter has discussed multiple Suikoden sequels in older episodes, but today goes back to where it all began: a story of civil war, mystical runes, and 108 stars of destiny. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jonathan Logan, Cory Tischbein, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Hundreds of heroes to choose from, but only four squads competing

Retro Encounter returns from its 77-day hiatus to deliver three Suikoden episodes in a row! But before we get to our journal through the first Suikoden, we're going to draft Suikoden characters through the lifetime of the entire series, giving 32 of them a thorough discussion. Which main character goes first overall? Who's everyone's favorite tactician? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Wes Iliff, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Mark Mahler

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Three hosts enter. One leaves satisfied, one leaves salty, and the third… is still on the island.

For Retro Encounter's third and final game of Metroidvania Month, three panelists took on Ska Studios' Salt & Sanctuary, a 2016 action RPG inspired heavily by both Metroidvania games and From Software's Souls series. The panelists all acknowledge Salt & Sanctuary's strengths and weaknesses, but completely disagree on whether the bleak, challenging title is, y'know, fun to play.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Jono Logan, Tina Olah; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Of warrior mice and podcast men.

Adaptations! In advance of an RPGFan feature later this month, three Retro Encounter panelists talk about their favorite stories and IP from outside the realm of video game RPGs, and how they each could be adapted into RPGs. 1990s novels aimed at young adults, 2000s superhero shows aimed at elementary school students, and 1960s manga for all ages are only a few of the series up for discussion in today's very hypothetical episode of Retro Encounter! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Wes Iliff; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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A couple weeks ago, we kicked off Metroidvania March with an episode on Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Today we turn our attention to what is, in many ways, the true origin of this sub-genre of adventure games, and the first half of its name before "-vania" would be added in subsequent years: Super Metroid.

We don't actually cover Metroid here, but it's impossible to understate its influence on adventure games — especially since Metroidvanias have exploded in popularity thanks to the likes of Hollow Knight, the Ori titles, and of course, most Castlevania entries since 1997. So with all that in mind, four RPGFan editors sat down to discuss their feelings on one of the SNES' best titles, whether this was their first playthrough, or their twentieth.

Featuring: Mike Salbato, Jono Logan, Cory Tischbein, Josh Louis; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Jay Bilas is on hand to break down Flying-type wingspans.

It's time to d-d-d-d-draft! Several RPGFan staff are enjoying Pokemon Legends: Arceus in the early days of 2022, so four Retro Encounter panelists are celebrating good times by drafting teams of their favorite monsters and trainers from the Pokémon universe. And a few draft picks might get a little spicy, or a little… funky.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Niki Fakhoori, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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First of all / I'm the soloist / The soul controller

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow was a highlight of the run of handheld Castlevania games of the 2000s, starring the soul-collecting teenager Soma Cruz. Four panelists with varying levels of Castlevania experience played or replayed Aria of Sorrow for Retro Encounter's Metroidvania Month, and the reviews are good (but maybe not Elden Ring good).

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Cory Tischbein, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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In which we all followed the Light, and read spoilers on the Dark

Three Retro Encounter panelists finished runs of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic this month, and discover the truth of the Star Forge, the Sith Academy, and Darth Revan. Droids guarding riddles, Sith guarding crystals, and one of the most famous video game plot twists of the 2000s are contained within this action-packed episode!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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A few decades ago, in a BioWare far, far away...

Way back in 2003, Knights of the Old Republic was a standout RPG for the original Xbox that helped raise the public profile of BioWare, a sizeable Canadian developer of western-style RPGs. And less than a year before KOTOR is slated for a huge remake, a Retro Encounter panel of KOTOR veterans and neophytes comes together to train as Jedi to defeat the Sith.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Abandon *some* hope, ye who play this game

In a semi-sequel to Retro Encounter's 2019 attempt to play the horror adventure sensation Until Dawn, the same two panelists reconvene with the 2020 Dark Pictures Anthology title, Little Hope. 17th-century witch trials, building character traits, and navigating trauma and guilt all take center stage in this entertaining horror romp. Also, this episode was recorded prior to Supermassive Games registering five trademarks for future Dark Pictures Anthology titles.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Skies of Arcadia has big ambitions in the second half of the game, and the Retro crew are finally allowed to sail beyond the sunset! With a new ship, their own secret base, and their very own crew to hand, these four foolhardy sailors discuss their favourite discoveries, crew members, and superbosses, all while mulling on the maturity of the characters, the beauty of exploration, and just how many different ways you can bend both hand-to-hand and ship combat to your will. There's no Rains of Destruction to fear, here. 

Featuring: Alana Hagues, Audra Bowling, Wes Iliff, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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SoA: Legends on RPGFan

Once dubbed the official Retro Encounter game, 2000's Dreamcast classic Skies of Arcadia finally sails on to the show. It's a fickle ship to get your hands on, but luckily, four Retro Encounter regulars are onboard to discuss this RPG all about optimism, friendship, exploration, and adorable space blobs. Will the two Skies of Arcadia veterans be able to recruit two newcomers onto their crew? By the sounds of their discussions on moons, colours, combat, discoveries, and the fact that they celebrate a grumpy old man, they might well be on their way to doing so!

Featuring: Alana Hagues, Audra Bowling, Wes Iliff, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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SoA: Legends on RPGFan

RPGFans? Not today, we're not!

Here at RPGFan, we write and talk about RPGs almost nonstop, but that's not all of who we are as fans of video games. Today, five RPGFan staff discuss ten of their favorite video games or series that aren't quite RPG enough for RPGFan, in a self-indulgent sequel to a 2019 episode. To his shame, the host accidentally says Puyo Puyo when he meant to say Panel de Pon. But the rest of the episode is a great discussion about video games that aren't RPGs.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Dom Kim, Abe Kobylanski, Jonathan Logan, Steven Mattern; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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What will be the Final Fantastic game among our Personal picks?

It's a new year, and Retro Encounter rings in 2022 with a bang, counting down a ranked list of fourteen PlayStation 2 RPGs, compiled from the panelists' own preferences, to eventually crown an official Retro Encounter Best PlayStation 2 RPG from the set. So what's the overall winner? How many Final Fantasy games make the list? How does Yuri Lowenthal factor into all this? Listen and find out!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Wes Iliff, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Happy Last Year! (Good riddance)

A year has come and gone, and Retro Encounter has always been more about the past than the future. Four RPGFan staff discuss twelve of their favorite games of 2021, from remade trilogies to time loops to demon summoning to canine companionship. Listen to the end for a preview of the first few months of 2022 in Retro Encounter!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Jonathan Logan, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Three worlds, four (maybe five) characters, and a whole whack of potential jobs: That’s Final Fantasy V in a nutshell! 

In today’s Retro, our four panelists will finish their exploration of the story of FFV, talk about some of our favorite jobs, and take a look at other versions of the game that have come out over the years. And now that the Pixel Remaster version of FFV is available on mobile and PC, we hope that more people will get a chance to play this retro gem from the 16-bit era! 

Featuring: Jonathan Logan, Audra Bowling, Cory Tischbein, Quinton O’Conner; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Final Fantasy V Advance Review

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For those who loved RPGs during the SNES era, there was a game that forever seemed out of reach: Final Fantasy V. This unlocalized title was so legendary that it inspired the very first fan translation of a video game. Though Squaresoft eventually localized FFV for PSX in 1999, many still think of it as the black sheep of the Final Fantasy family. In today’s Retro, our panel will talk about their history with the game, comb through the first half of the story, and examine how the expertly crafted job system impacted future titles in the series and beyond!

Featuring: Jonathan Logan, Audra Bowling, Cory Tischbein, Quinton O’Conner; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Final Fantasy V Advance Review

Final Fantasy V (Pixel Remaster) Review 

Husbands should be like Kleenex: Soft, strong, and disposable.

Romance, drama, comedy, regret, and... rice? Impostor Factory is a visual novel of sorts that looks like a 16-bit RPG, the third game in Kan Gao's Sigmund Corp trilogy after To the Moon and Finding Paradise, and oh boy does it leave an impression. Our two Retro Encounter panelists love this entire trilogy and have a lot to say about its newest entry, from long cats to imagined weddings.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Remember us. Remember that we once podcasted.

Emet-Selch, the principal antagonist of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, is a unique blend of a foppish eccentric, a world-erasing psychopath, and a grieving survivor. He's a complicated, entertaining foil to the Warrior of Light, and Retro Encounter is going to examine him under the RPG Villains microscope as a last hurrah for Shadowbringers before Endwalker captivates the Final Fantasy XIV community (and around 40% of RPGFan staff).

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Hiya, Hugo! Hiya, stupid! Whatcha wanna go get demon energy for?  

Our two panelists navigate through Ys Origin's three protagonists in our second episode on the 2006 prequel!  Up for discussion is the Ys Origin endgame story, midgame boss battles, and family dynamic of the cursed Fact bloodline. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Retro Encounter travels between 1989 and 2006 in playing Ys Origin, the prequel to the original Ancient Ys Vanished, Nihon Falcom's influential action RPG. In today's Retro Encounter the panelists discuss co-protagonists Yunica Tovah and Hugo Fact, the layout of the mysterious tower they're climbing, and how Ys Origin references Ys titles past and future.

It rhymes with "Geese." Not with "Wise."

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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It wouldn't be Star Trek without an inevitable sequel! 

The crew of the USS Retro Encounter is back after last week's Star Trek-focused episode. This time, we're taking a look at the follow-up to 25th Anniversary, the 1993 point-and-click adventure game, Star Trek: Judgment Rites. With the cast of the original series again returning to voice their characters, Judgment Rites looks to deliver an authentic Star Trek experience. Will this sequel be the "The Wrath of Kahn" to 25th Anniversary's "The Motion Picture?" Or will it lead us "Into Darkness?"

Featuring: Jonathan Logan, Hilary Andreff, Quinton O'Connor, John Tucker; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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It's time to explore strange old worlds with the crew of the USS Retro Encounter!

In this episode, our landing party of Trekkies beam into the 1992 point-and-click adventure game, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary. Featuring the vocal talents of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the rest of the Enterprise crew, will this adventure game live up to the quality of the first two seasons of TOS? Or will it descend into the murky depths of the third?

Featuring: Jonathan Logan, Quinton O'Connor, John Tucker, Michael Sollosi; Edited by Jonathan Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Retro Encounter finished their star-studded journey across the cosmos this month, but does Cosmic Star Heroine live up to to Zeboyd's influences and fan expectations? The panel loves the visual design and battle designs of the game, but has issues in other places. But which boss was designed by the podcast host? Listen and learn! 

Brought to you by the founding members of the Psybe Appreciation Station. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Retro Encounter is blasting off again with two episodes on Cosmic Star Heroine, a 2010s crowdfunding success heavily inspired by specific 16-bit RPGs. The panel loves the visual style and battle system of Cosmic Star Heroine, but isn't 100% sold on the story, characters, or soundtrack. How exactly do they feel about this science fiction Japanese-style RPG? Listen and find out!

So is CSH a worthy trek through the stars? Does it burn bright like fireflies? Listen to the episode!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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The Church of Retro opens its confessional booth again, and three RPGFan panelists discuss the games and series for which they are the most embarrassed not to have played. So which RPGFan staffperson has never played a Suikoden title? Which Mega Man fan has never played Battle Network?  Listen and find out!

Retro Encounter encourages confession, but unlike Catholicism there is no shame in this podcast space.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Cory Tischbein, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is about a teenager assuming a world of responsibility, adults confronting their worst selves, and stopping a demon from the Cthulhu Mythos from swapping the magnetic poles of Planet Earth. Four Retro Encounter panelists reject their own adult responsibilities to talk about this cult hit RPG from 2000, from the highs of Persona 2's themes to the lows of the Undersea Ruins. 

Being a man means... taking on the burden of a new podcast.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Leona McCallum, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Retro Encounter brings the band back together in a brand new timeline, reuniting most of the team that podcasted on Persona 2: Innocent Sin in September 2020 to discuss its sequel, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment one year later. Converging timelines, video game grownups struggling to find their place, and comedians named after eggplants all enter the Velvet Room in today's episode of Retro Encounter.

Let's do podcasting!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Leona McCallum, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Our fourth RPGFan Quiz Show in three years comes with changes to the quiz show landscape. Jeopardy!'s longtime host Alex Trebek has passed, and RPGFan's audio quiz show inspiration, Ask Me Another, announced that its final episodes will air later this year. But Retro Encounter is still here, and another quiz show arrives to challenge four contestants and crown a fourth Retro Encounter Quiz Show Champion.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Jonathan Logan, Mike Salbato, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

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Football season has seized North America, and four Persona-loving RPGFan staff decided to reject the sports-industrial complex to draft their own teams of teenagers battling their inner demons by confronting actual demons. Which protagonist is drafted first overall? Which participant picks not one, but TWO motorcycle-riding student council presidents? Listen and find out! 

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME TENTARAFOOTBALL!? 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Neal Chandran, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

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Neal Chandran's 2010 Persona feature

Two recent entries in Capcom's Ace Attorney saga of part-visual novel, part-adventure game, and all-courtroom drama video games were in localization purgatory for a few years before finally releasing worldwide as The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles in July 2021. Three of RPGFan's preeminent anime lawyer enthusiasts discuss the story, characters, themes, puzzles, and handsome boys and dads of this pair of modern classics.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Niki Fakhoori, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Jonathan Logan

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Three Retro Encounter panelists played Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne in August 2021, and each came out with different opinions and Reasons for those feelings. So which Reason is The Matrix and which Reason is The LEGO Movie? Listen and find out. You'll have plenty of time, climbing those massive tower dungeons

Is Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne one of the PS2's best, or lacking compared to its successors? We don't quite agree on today's Retro Encounter!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Micah Coates

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300 episodes! Retro Encounter always celebrates 50-episode milestones with new podcast gimmicks and a public vote on a future Retro Encounter game, and in 2021 we deliver with a Retro Encounter elimination tournament! We took sixteen suggested games for a future Retro Encounter episode, then voted them down to a final four. Now it's time to rely on listener votes for an overall winner. The winning RPG (or puzzle adventure game) will appear on Retro Encounter as a game journal game in (probably) January 2021.

So listen to us argue and reminisce about Retro Encounters past and future, then rock the vote!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Alana Hagues, Jonathan Logan, Zach Wilkerson, and three special guests; Edited by Michael Sollosi

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Vote for a future Retro Encounter game! 

Podcasting is a harsh, unforgiving world that struggles between freedom of expression and survival of the fittest, but it's nothing compared to post-apocalyptic Tokyo. Three Retro Encounter Demi-Fiends survive The Conception with two friends, two strangers, and their favorite teacher (with an oddly close relationship to her students); but how do they find this recently-remade PS2 Atlus classic?

We're very well acquainted, too, with matters philosophical, and understand conundrums, both demonic and mechanical in this very model of a modern classic RPG.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Micah Coates

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Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS4) on RPGFan

The samurai and demon boys are back in town, as are our panelists as we finish our discussion of Hakuoki: Memories of the Shinsengumi for Ladies Otome Month here on Retro Encounter. This time, discussion centers around two more specific routes: one where Shinsengumi antagonist and demon Kazama helps you out (wow, so historically accurate), and the titular route where you get to know the tragic figure Hijikata in depth during his ill-fated mission to preserve the Shinsengumi during modernization and the dissolution of the shogunate. Bonus: Niki discovers photo mode and we discuss some pretty great otome crossover ideas...along with a round of "guess the Shinsengumi samurai based on historical photos." You can even play along with that last one on social media in the near future!

Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Lucy Gray, Niki Fakhoori; Edited by Brian Ingemanson

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It's Ladies Otome Month on Retro, so our panel is kicking back and getting lost in historical Japan with a bunch of deadly samurai. Some of us are otome experts, some of us only know the genre from second-hand accounts, but we've all made our choices and been throughout at least one route. Many of us had a surprising amount to say about this intersection of otome, horror, and historical fiction. How many different routes did we cover? Did we agree on who's the best out of the Shinsengumi? Enjoy this lively discussion and find out!

Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Lucy Gray, Niki Fakhoori; Edited by Michael Sollosi

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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 Fantasy game gets dumped? Do one, two, or zero Lunar games make the cut? Listen and find out!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Eva Padilla, Peter Triezenberg, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Micah Coates

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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 really) in the latest Retro Encounter!

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Eva Padilla, Peter Triezenberg, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

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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; Edited by Brian Ingemanson

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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

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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

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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 months away from Endwalker.

Listen, and remember us.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Caitlin Argyros, Marcos Gaspar; Edited by Micah Coates

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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, then let's get to hunting.

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Dom Kim, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Brian Ingemanson

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Monster Hunter World on RPGFan
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