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Retro Encounter 492 – Pentiment
Retro Encounter is the only reason to do anything in this life. This week on Retro Encounter, we dive into the 2022 Obsidian masterpiece Pentiment, a game about murder, religion and the stories we tell about those things. Is there a right answer? Who do we accuse? Why are Socrates and God on the samโฆ Read More »- Article
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Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 Overview & More Hands-On Impressions
The scale and stakes of video game development have seemed to become unsustainably large in recent years, with many RPGs, say, requiring hundreds of millions of dollars and years of manpower from huge teams. While Iโm certainly not one to say no to a feast, I find itโs the small appetizers that I waโฆ Read More »- Article
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Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Summer Road Hands-On Preview
One of my biggest regrets from Tokyo Game Show 2025 was that I didnโt get my hands on Summer Road, often touted by Japanese developer Rebuild Games as a roguelite RPG enjoyed in 10-minute chunks. At Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026, I finally returned to the nostalgic suburban streets, and frankly, I cโฆ Read More »- Review
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection
Revisiting older games can be sobering. Sometimes they age gracefully. Sometimes they reveal ideas ahead of their time. And sometimes they expose every compromise that once hid behind a smaller screen. Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection stands firmly in that last category. This was my first timeโฆ Read More »- Article
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Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Disc Creatures WORLD Hands-On Preview
Like many of you, Pokรฉmon holds a special place in my heart. Though if Iโm being honest, my RPG tastes haveโฆ evolved since the days of Game Boys and car rides. Disc Creatures WORLD, developed by the two brothers making up Picorinne Soft, shares that same reverence for Nintendoโs iconic monster-catchโฆ Read More »- Article
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Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Bandit Knight Hands-On Preview
To look at Bandit Knight, itโd be easy to mistake it for one of Square Enixโs recent HD-2D games, such as Octopath Traveler or the upcoming The Adventures of Elliot. The Square Enix inspiration doesnโt stop there; the character sprites in Bandit Knight gesture and spin around to convey joy or frustrโฆ Read More »- Feature
Why We Don’t Want LLMs in RPGs
In an era where all human knowledge is available to anyone with an internet connection, the truth is often more obscured than we’d hope. The sea of lies and disinformation is one thing, but the greater threat lies in the counterfeiting of humanity. It was bad enough when social media obliterated ourโฆ Read More »- Article
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Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy Hands-on Preview: Worlds Collide
Thanks to the wonderful team at Square Enix, I recently had some hands-on time with Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy ahead of release. Letโs cut to the chase: if youโre anything like me, youโve probably been holding out hope for a proper console Dissidia again, something closer to the original or Duodโฆ Read More »- Review
Escape From Ever After
Nintendoโs Paper Mario series (The Thousand-Year Door, in particular) has left quite an impression on the RPG world. In recent years, weโve seen many Paper Mario-inspired RPGs such as Born of Bread, The Outbound Ghost, Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling, and more. The latest Paper Mario-like to comโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
Blighted To Bring Memories, Mayhem, & More This Fall for Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
Drinkbox Studios has announced that its upcoming metroidvania, Blighted, will release sometime this fall on Nintendo Switch and PC. The announcement was made via its official Steam news section alongside the latest Nintendo Indie World showcase. A new short gameplay trailer was also shown, showcasinโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
New Petal Runner Demo Brings A Playful Slice of Pixellated City Life To Players on PC
A couple weeks ago, Iam8bit and developer Nano Park Studios have announced that a new demo for Petal Runner is available now on PC via Steam. It allows players to explore the second district of its setting, experience some of its minigames, and meet an array of NPCs and Hanapetsโthe game’s digital cโฆ Read More »- Article
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RPGs Coming This Week, 3/22/25: Stranger and Etranger Things [UPDATED With Some Duellum]
Welcome to another edition of RPGs Coming This Week! After a slow few weeks, we have a pretty full lineup for our last full week of March, across several genres: RPG, adventure, visual novel, and, honestly, however we want to classify Etrange Overlord may be up for debate. But we don’t often get toโฆ Read More »- Review
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Ride on, Rangers: Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the third entry in the monster-collecting JRPG spin-off series, is here! Can humans and monsters unite to save the world? Bonds of kinship prevail in a fantastical tale revealing how past sins echo through time. Heartwarming and poignanโฆ Read More »Music Review
NieR Re[in]carnation Original Soundtrack: The Sun and the Moon
In reviewing the second volume of MONACA’s NieR Re[in]carnation OSTs, I continue my grieving process through reflection. Yes, I am referring to the live service mobile title in the NieR series that had its servers permanently shut down in April 2024. I have been grieving the loss of this surprisinglโฆ Read More »- Review
Etrange Overlord
Even if I wasnโt aware of the background behind Etrange Overlord, Iโd still be drawn to its energetic visual style and quirky premise. Knowing that it is the first project from Sลhei Niikawa (legendary creator of the Disgaea series) since he went independent adds an undeniable appeal to the project.โฆ Read More »- Review
Pokรฉmon Pokopia
,Pokรฉmon spin-off games are as broad-ranging and varied as the colorful creatures that populate their digital worlds. From puzzle games to pinball, from roguelike dungeon crawlers to photography simulations, itโs practically a law of nature that if you can picture a game concept, you can probably puโฆ Read More »- Review
Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights
First impressions can prove quite misleading, a sentiment explored many times over in the otome visual novel Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights. What initially appears to be a more light-hearted romantasy tale contains surprising depth as you delve into its routes, culminating in aโฆ Read More »- Review
Scott Pilgrim EX
The year is 20XX. The great city of Toronto is beset with three warring gangs: the Demons, the Robots, and, perhaps most fearsome of all, the Vegans. If thatโs not bad enough, local legend Scott Pilgrim witnesses his best friends-slash-Sex Bob-omb bandmates kidnapped by the mysterious Metal Scott meโฆ Read More »Article
Random Encounter 342 – Pokรฉmon vs. The World
On this episode of Random Encounter, itโs the end of the world as we know it, and Ditto feels fine! First up, Ben is here to chat about the latest Pokรฉmon spin-off, Pokรฉmon Pokopia. Man is dead, and the Pokรฉmon rule. We donโt think that anyone expected that weโd get a post-apocalyptic Pokรฉmon game,โฆ Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 3/15/26: Just the One, Actually
While I’ve only recently taken over running and writing intros for our weekly RPGs Coming This Week column, it’s been fun getting to introduce each week’s lineup. Both because there’s usually something coming out that looks promising, and I enjoy alluding to each release but saving the details for bโฆ Read More »- Article
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Slay the Spire II Hands-On: And Slay Some Monsters, While You’re At It
Slay the Spire may not have been the first PC deckbuilder, but it almost certainly set the stage for a new genre that has absolutely flooded online marketplaces. Often imitated, rarely surpassed in terms of quality, Slay the Spire has enjoyed a large fanbase dedicated to modifying the game and seeinโฆ Read More »- Article
- News
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Brings the Cream of the Crop to PS5, Xbox Series on May 28th
Marvelous has announced that farming sim RPG Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar will release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on May 28th. It is currently available on Nintendo Switch 1 & 2 and PC via Steam, originally launching late last year. A trailer accompanied the announcement, showcasingโฆ Read More »Music Review
NieR Re[in]carnation Original Soundtrack
Though its time has come and gone, NieR Re[in]carnation’s soundtrack remains with us always. Yes, I am referring to the live service mobile title in the NieR series that had its servers permanently shut down in April 2024. I have been grieving the loss of this surprisingly robust, story-heavy title.โฆ Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 481 – Best Final Bosses
The only thing we can believe in, with absolute certainty, is Retro Encounter, Jack. This week on Retro Encounter, we chat about bosses. But not just any bosses–no, we talk about final bosses. They’re supposed to be a final challenge, but are they always? Do we even want a challenge at the end? Howโฆ Read More »- Review
Code Vein II
Truth be told, I donโt have a lot of familiarity with Souls-likes. I can list the number of games in the punishing-yet-ultimately-rewarding genre Iโve played on one hand, but I hold great respect for them and those gamers who strive to master them, even while wholeheartedly admitting they aren’t inโฆ Read More »Twitch
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Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
Thursday, March 26
5:30 pm PT
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Trails Beyond The Horizon
Friday, March 27
1:00 pm PT
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Trails Beyond The Horizon
Saturday, March 28
1:00 pm PT
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Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
Sunday, March 29
1:00 pm PT
Tune in on Twitch
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