• Music Review

Final Fantasy VII Original Sound Track

Not only did Final Fantasy VII finally bring the iconic series to a unified worldwide release staggered throughout the year 1997. It also, more importantly, brought JRPGs into the Western zeitgeist. Reviewing Nobuo Uematsuโ€™s original score for FFVII is akin to reviewing the soundtrack to The Empireโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Mewgenics

Edmund McMillen became a name synonymous with indie developers โ€œmaking itโ€ after he met overwhelming success with Super Meat Boy, originally a Flash game in 2008. Then along came The Binding of Isaac, which McMillen couldn’t seem to get away from for a time due to its popularity. Aside from outstandโ€ฆ Read More »

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Switch 2 Release Date and More Square Enix from Today’s Nintendo Direct

This morning’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase didn’t seem that packed with RPG and adventure game updates at first, but as it went on, I lost track of how many times I thought, “oh, this is also in our coverage at RPGFan.” We will get to more developers as well, but Square Enix alone featured a trโ€ฆ Read More »

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Gets New Trailer, Coming in June

During this morning’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, we got our first look in a while at The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, showcasing the different time periods, and specifically how the same areas look at each point in time. As a major Chrono Trigger and Zelda fan, it finally dawneโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass

There is no shortage of Earthbound-inspired games that seek to grab the attention of nostalgia-filled RPG fans. This only escalated with the release of Undertale in 2015, which is now so horrifyingly long ago that it apparently qualifies as retro itself. Console gamers have long been deprived of a kโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Nioh 3

Nioh is my favorite Soulslike series of all time. Few games have ever rewarded mastery the way the seriesโ€™ previous entries did, and even now, I struggle to think of another action RPG that offers the same sense of control once everything clicks. So, going into Nioh 3, my expectations were personal.โ€ฆ Read More »

Random Encounter 340 – Cause and Effect

On this week’s Random Encounter, it’s all about games featuring cause and effect! First up, Audra is here to chat with us about the time-travelling, Souls-like sequel to 2019’s Code Vein: Code Vein II. Though it can occasionally feel like being trapped in a time loop while playing against a Souls-liโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

Sometimes I think I played a different game when people talk about the original Dragon Quest VII. What do you mean it’s too long? You want fewer islands? Okay, sure, I could do with things going a little faster in the beginning, but that’s part of the beauty of Dragon Quest VII: it takes its time. Iโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Hermit and Pig

Much of the joy I derive from playing indie RPGs comes from seeing how independent developers remix familiar mechanics and classic presentation towards a singular purpose that a larger studio or publisher would never touch. Many big productions are so focused on appealing to everyone that they lackโ€ฆ Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 2/1/26

While our RPGs coming this week column technically includes anything coming out between February 1st through the 7th, it seems most publishers have their eyes firmly set on Thursday, as three of our four titles this week all launch on February 5th! With a new entry in a small-but-popular Souls-likeโ€ฆ Read More »
Music Review

Lies of P Original Soundtrack

2023โ€™s Lies of P, a dark, Souls-like twist on Carlo Collodiโ€™s classic 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, is all about exploring what it takes to turn a cold, mechanical heart into something human. Sure, some of that involves slaying giant, demented puppets and zombified beasts to an epic, dreadโ€ฆ Read More »
Music Review

Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version

As a teenager, I pilgrimaged to the Nintendo Store in New York City with my parents as part of a family vacation. My most distinctive memory of that visit is of โ€œTerraโ€™s Themeโ€ blaring inside, and of my father, a gamer but certainly no RPGFan, whistling the iconic melody. Thatโ€™s the compositional poโ€ฆ Read More »

Retro Encounter 478 – RPGs That Deserve a Perfect Score

On this week’s episode of Retro Encounter, we discuss something that has only been awarded once at RPGFan: a perfect score. So, each panelist brings on one game they think deserves a perfect score and defend it against the panel. But there can be only one! Who will be our winner? Listen in to find oโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Cassette Boy

One of my favorite things about smaller games is their willingness to embrace off-the-wall mechanics and take quirky concepts as far as they will go. While big and even mid-budget games are so focused on appealing to the largest number of players possible by iterating on proven ideas, small developmโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Steel Century Groove

I love indies because they can do almost anything, any way. Triple-A titles can break from the pack, but most of their qualities are time-tested and safe; after all, there is investorsโ€™ money on the line. Indies come with dreams, vision, and minimal worries about risk. Thatโ€™s how we get titles likeโ€ฆ Read More »

RPGs Coming This Week, 1/25/26

Hello, fellow RPG fans! This week we have a pair of offbeat indie titles you may want to keep an eye on, plus a decidedly larger title with vampires or something. So whether you’re into open world anime soulslikes, British comedy adventure, or dancing robots, the RPGs coming this week don’t lack inโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Feature

RPGFan Chapters Review: Boss Fight Books ‘Legend of the River King’ by Alexander B. Joy

After hearing about publisher Boss Fight Books from podcasts and reviews (like Alana Haguesโ€™ review of BFB title Final Fantasy VI) over the years, yet somehow never picking up one of their titles, I jumped at the opportunity to review their newest addition to their vast library of documentary-styleโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Feature

Retro Encounter Final Thoughts – 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Aleks Franiczek Itโ€™s been over 6 years since Vanillaware released 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and in that time the game has garnered a reputation as one of the great videogame narrative masterpieces of the modern era. Obviously, I had lofty expectations going in. Cue the first scene: a schoolgirl is erโ€ฆ Read More »
Music Review

Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version

In summer 2000, at the young age of 16, I wrote an embarrassingly terse review of the Final Fantasy V soundtrack. Granted, everything about this entry in the acclaimed series seemed novel at the time, given its lack of official localization until around the same time as Final Fantasy VIII. But thereโ€ฆ Read More »

Max and Chloe Make a Comeback in Life is Strange: Reunion

The PEGI rating leak for the next Life is Strange installment has now been confirmed. During a recent livestream, developer Deck Nine and publisher Square Enix officially revealed Life is Strange: Reunion, marking the long-awaited comeback of fan-favorite characters Max Caulfield and Chloe Price asโ€ฆ Read More »

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Demo Available Now

SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have released a demo for Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. It is currently available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.ย  Players can sample both halves of the game, playing as Kazama Kiyru in Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Yoshitaka Mine in Darโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Switch 2)

Hey there, sports fans. I have played a sports videogame before; my first was Baseball for the Nintendo Game Boy, a remarkable game for its time because it let you simulate playing baseball outside, you know, where they play baseball and stuff. But this isnโ€™t a review of Baseball on the Nintendo Gamโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

TR-49

โ€œBut how can a novel…be fake?โ€ my friend astutely pointed out as I was trying to explain the premise behind inkleโ€™s TR-49. Because the authors never existed? No, there are plenty of instances of pen names and disputed authorship. Because there were no records of these books outside one instance buโ€ฆ Read More »
  • Review

Angeline Era

As a longtime fan of the Ys series, Iโ€™ve often wondered what Ys would look like had it kept the archaic yet charming bump-combat system that defined Ys Books I&II. This bump combat arose when games were more minimal in their presentation and limited in scope; in adapting to the changing times anโ€ฆ Read More »

Sea of Stars Coming to iOS & Android in Early April

Playdigious and developer Sabotage Studios have announced that Sea of Stars will release for iOS and Android devices on April 7th. The port will have revamped controls exclusive to the mobile version of Sea of Stars. Additionally, Playdigious has also confirmed that it will launch with cloud saves,โ€ฆ Read More »
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