Retro Encounter 451 – Final Fantasy IX Part I

  • Feature

Demonschool Q&A with Creative Director Brandon Sheffield

  • Review

Tales of Graces f Remastered

  • Music Review

Glory of Heracles III & IV -Kai Sou Roku-

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Blossoms on May 30th [UPDATED]

by on January 16, 2025
The Rune Factory series has always served as an action-y alternative to the Story of Seasons farming series. This latest game, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, takes the spin-off in a whole new direction with stunning new graphics, gameplay, and a beautiful Japanese aesthetic. Expect to farm, rebui… Read More »

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II Preview (Part 2) + 2 Demos Coming

by and on January 16, 2025
Thanks again to the wonderful team at NIS America, we got a second exclusive sneak peek at The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II. As mentioned in our first preview, even though the first Trails through Daybreak only just arrived in July, its sequel is already on the horizon. As devoted Tr… Read More »

Retro Encounter 451 – Final Fantasy IX Part I

by , , and on January 16, 2025
Doesn’t it feel nice to listen to Retro Encounter under the stars? This week, the new host and a few huge fans dive into the first half of Final Fantasy IX. How does this classic hold up? Do we like the combat? Which monster doesn’t like Vivi very much? Listen in to find out! Featuring: Zach Wilkers… Read More »
  • Feature

Demonschool Q&A with Creative Director Brandon Sheffield

by on January 15, 2025
I had a great time with the Demonschool demo over the summer, so it was a pleasure to interview the school’s principal game’s creative director (and founder of Necrosoft Games) Brandon Sheffield. We conducted the Q&A over email, where Sheffield revealed some fun and intriguing insights into the… Read More »
  • Review

Tales of Graces f Remastered

by on January 15, 2025
Even before Tales of Graces f Remastered, approaching the Tales series in 2025 feels like a monumental task. Now in its thirtieth year, it spans multiple titles with some gated behind older, potentially less accessible hardware. Tale of Graces f Remastered forms part of Bandai Namco’s ongoing effort… Read More »

Achilles: Legends Untold Coming to Switch January 23rd

by on January 15, 2025
A timeless Greek epic is coming to the Nintendo Switch. Little more than a year after Achilles: Legends Untold debuted on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, Polish developer and publisher Dark Point Games is bringing their action RPG featuring the eponymous Greek hero to the Switch on January 2… Read More »
  • Music Review

Glory of Heracles III & IV -Kai Sou Roku-

by on January 14, 2025
Well folks, here’s something I didn’t have on my 2025 bingo card: a Glory of Heracles III: Silence of the Gods and Glory of Heracles IV: Gift from the Gods orchestral music concert, all live recordings from September 2024, across three discs! These Super Famicom titles have never had official Englis… Read More »

Lunar Remastered Collection Launches April 18th

by on January 14, 2025
Publisher GungHo has announced that Lunar Remastered Collection will be released on April 18th for PlayStation 4 (with PS5 compatibility), Xbox One (with X|S compatibility), Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. In addition to the digital version, series illustrator Toshiyuki Kubooka’s new cover art fo… Read More »

Starlight Legacy Goes Live on February 6th

by on January 14, 2025
Retro JRPG Starlight Legacy is getting a February 6th release date on PC, macOS, and Linux via Steam. Developed by Decafesoft and published by Eastasiasoft, this homage to the 16-bit classics will support English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Simp… Read More »

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Gets Direct Treatment

by on January 14, 2025
The Patron Saint of Pain is ready to take on the high seas. It’s not every day we get a game-specific direct, but RGG Studio and SEGA hosted one recently to promote Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, releasing February 21st across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Steam. The roughly 13-minute RGG L… Read More »

AI LIMIT Opens Preorders; Demo Available on PS5 and Steam

by on January 13, 2025
Developer Sense Games and publisher CE-Asia have announced that AI LIMIT is now up for preorder on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, ahead of its March 27th launch. Those up for a challenge can now get a taste of what this anime Souls-like offers through its free demo. AI LIMIT will provide an in-game… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 152 – New Year, New Music

by , and on January 13, 2025
Between our recent milestone of 150 episodes and the start of a new year, we will have some fun changes coming to Rhythm Encounter, starting with this episode. New games and music release all the time that don’t always fit with our episode themes. Starting today, we will release a “new music” episod… Read More »
  • Review

Dynasty Warriors: Origins

by on January 13, 2025
It’s a weird experience when one of your favorite series is the industry’s favorite punching bag. Dynasty Warriors endures all manner of accusations of laziness and thoughtlessness that boil down to a belief that the series was born stagnant. Some of that reputation has been earned. Still, fans will… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 1/12/25

by and on January 12, 2025
In this action-packed edition of RPGs Coming This Week, we get the first in a promising series of Tales remasters, plus a new entry in the preeminent musou series. Also, two standout indie releases that are varying degrees of roguelike! Let’s go ahead and dive in, shall we? Final Knight (Entering Ea… Read More »
  • Review

Rise of the Ronin

by on January 11, 2025
At first glance, Rise of the Ronin may seem like Japan’s answer to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, and while there are definitely numerous comparisons to draw between the two, Team Ninja’s odyssey through mid-19th-century Japan stands firm as its own beast, overdelivering on its promise of the first open-… Read More »

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Delayed to March 20th

by on January 10, 2025
Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will launch worldwide on March 20th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and macOS via the App Store. This is a month after the original February 14th release date. First teased as Codename Red at Ubisoft Forward 2022, Assassin’s Creed… Read More »

New Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Trailer Teases New Characters, Mechs, and More

by on January 9, 2025
There’s something about this planet, or rather, there’s something about this remaster! Nintendo has dropped another trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, painting a more vivid picture of what’s new and improved from the Wii U original. While we won’t see a special edition this time… Read More »

Co-Op RPG Coridden Hits PC on January 29th

by on January 9, 2025
Coridden, the game where you can “ride your friends,” is launching on January 29th for PC via Steam and GOG. No, it’s not like that! This action RPG allows co-op play for up to four, and one of its signature mechanics is the ability to morph into a beast that your companions can mount. Check out the… Read More »
  • Feature

Are You Part of Their World or Just Expected to Save It? Reporting on Progress in EarthBound and Fallout

by on January 8, 2025
Did you know that hotels used to provide a newspaper at your door every morning? The practice started in the first half of the 19th century and technically still exists, though you won’t find a newspaper at your door anymore. Instead, you most likely have to ask for a newspaper at the front desk. In… Read More »

Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved Coming to Switch in 2025

by on January 8, 2025
Visual novel adventure game Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved is confirmed for a Nintendo Switch release sometime in 2025. Previously announced for a Steam release, Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved will likely appeal to fans of classic adventure titles like Dragon Quest creator Yuji H… Read More »

Freedom Wars Remastered Details New Features in System Trailer

by on January 8, 2025
Watching this new trailer for Freedom Wars Remastered won’t lower your in-game one-million-year prison sentence, but it might help improve your skills to shorten your incarceration yourself. The remaster of the PlayStation Vita classic is just around the corner, and this new “System Trailer” details… Read More »
  • Review

Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament

by on January 7, 2025
Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament is the latest entry in the long-running Xuan Yuan Sword series from Softstar Entertainment, with the first game appearing in 1990. Until this point, I have never given it a try. Our very own Audra Bowling reported a positive experience with the most recent titl… Read More »
  • Review

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana

by on January 6, 2025
The Ys series keeps on rolling, as Nihon Falcom delves into its back catalog to bring us Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana on consoles for the first time. Memoire’s key differentiator is offering an upscaled version for modern TVs, but it also provides a few new features from the remake released 20 y… Read More »

Random Encounter 313 – Jono-Less Encounter

by , , and on January 6, 2025
On this first episode of Random Encounter for 2025, Jono is missing, and it’s up to the panel to find him! Just kidding; we aren’t a semi-educational game from the 1990s. Jono has bronchitis this week, so it’s up to the brand-new full-time host of Retro Encounter, Zach Wilkerson, to fill in for him!… Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 1/5/25

by and on January 5, 2025
In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, we hit the ground running in 2025 with a strong mix of old favorites and new concepts. Expect this to be a recurring theme throughout the year — tons of remasters and remakes are coming, but fresh titles will never be in short supply. It’s good to be back, d… Read More »
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