We didn't start the fire Firewatch is the only release of indie game studio Campo Santo, but made quite an impact when it came out in 2016. Four Retro Encounter panelists played Firewatch recently, and today discuss everything from Firewatch's quotidian gameplay, clever use of anticlimax, and fabulous dialog both in writing and performance. So did we find Firewatch enlightening, disappointing, or just a pleasant walk in the woods? Listen to find out! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, ...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 15 min
The Dark Souls of Retro Encounter fantasy drafts FromSoftware has produced an excellent run of fantasy RPGs since 2009's Demon's Souls, to which point its extended family of action RPGs comprises a genre all its own. And of course, if you can organize RPGs into a series, then Retro Encounter will attempt to draft them in time for American football season. So which player seizes Anor Londo in the first round? How many big two-handed swords are drafted? What player dons a giant mech suit? Listen t...
Sep 08, 2024•2 hr 21 min
Trespassers will be contemplated Retro Encounter concludes its eight-month-long playthrough of the Dragon Age trilogy, with a discussion of what's wrong with the Grey Wardens, what's worse in the Winter Palace, and much more. Dragon Age: Inquisition was a phenomenon in 2014, and the panel is excited to get to its long-awaited sequel in 2024. It's bears, barbarians, Titans, and Dread Wolves in the latest episode of Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Paul Dennis, Aleks Fra...
Aug 29, 2024•1 hr 48 min
An Inquisition that everyone saw coming. Retro Encounter played the first two Dragon Age games in the last nine months, so naturally there would come the time to finish the fight. Dragon Age: Inquisition escalates and expands the conflicts and concepts of the first two Dragon Age games, from the Mage-Templar war to the plight of Dalish Elves, in a 2014 Game of the Year contender. So how does today's Retro Encounter panel find this decade-old open-world? Listen to find out! Featuring: Michael Sol...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 26 min
This episode free with the Podcast of the Year edition Downloadable content used to be a video game luxury, but in 2024 it's an inevitability. But while day-one patches, frivolous additions, and pay-to-win models are frustrating or bad, sometimes an RPG's extra content is worth your time and hard drive space. In today's episode of Retro Encounter, four panelists detail a few of their favorite DLCs, including postgame epilogues, optional challenging bosses, and bonus characters. Featuring: Michae...
Aug 15, 2024•1 hr 18 min
A, B, C, D, FF3 / Feels like a mid-rank to me Very few podcast, article, or video topics on the internet get folks more enthusiastic or more up in arms than tiers, lists, or a combination thereof. On today's emotional episode of Retro Encounter, four panelists play a fantasy-draft style game to place the main-series Final Fantasy games (plus FF Tactics) into five tiers. What quintet of RPGs land in the coveted S tier? Which panelists skipped the PS3 and PS4 entries in the series? Listen to find ...
Aug 08, 2024•2 hr 52 min
Despite everything, it's still Retro Encounter. Over six years ago , we got together to chat about the instant indie class, Undertale . But, Undertale 's staying power is so strong that we decided to get together and chat about it again, this time with an all new panel. Is Papyrus still delightful every time he comes on screen? Did any of us have the heart to do a Genocide run? Hot dog? Listen in to find out! Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Alana Hagues, Aleks Franiczek; Edited by Zach Wilkerson Open...
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 34 min
What is bravery without a dash of recklessness? Five Retro Encounter panelists recently finished the first Dark Souls, and it's every bit as impressive, intense, and moving today as it was in 2011. Today the panel talks about the game's undercooked second-half environments, the fully-realized DLC episode, and the emotional turmoil upon discovering why certain bosses were present in their current forms. Dark Souls 1 isn't punishing or unfair, just be patient! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Casti...
Jul 25, 2024•1 hr 37 min
Let's praise the sun! Doo-doo-doo-doo The Dark Souls of RPGFan podcasts has finally arrived! Dark Souls is one of the most celebrated RPGs of the 2010s, helping to establish an entire new genre of RPG. Today, one Dark Souls newcomer and four Souls-like veterans discuss this challenging, carefully-crafted RPG, from its interconnected setting to the intense boss fights of Dark Souls's first half. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Aleks Franiczek, Dom Kim, Ben Love; Edited by Paul Dennis Op...
Jul 18, 2024•1 hr 21 min
There can only be one. Since time immemorial (May of 2019), Retro Encounter has hosted quiz shows to determine which Retro Encounter panelist knows the most about the subject we celebrate every day on our beloved website. Today, five former RPGFan quiz show winners duke it out in a trivia free-for-all to determine who is the true Champion of Champions. We've started, so we'll finish. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Patrick Gann, Alana Hagues, Wes Iliff, Tyler Trosper, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Micha...
Jul 11, 2024•1 hr 10 min
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 ...
Jul 04, 2024•2 hr 37 min
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 Get in Touch: RPGFan.com RPGFan Shop Email us: retro@rpgfan.com Twitter: @rpgfancom Instagram: @rpgfancom Threads: @rpgfancom Facebook: rpgf...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 18 min
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 ...
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 18 min
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,...
Jun 13, 2024•1 hr 2 min
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 al...
Jun 06, 2024•1 hr 34 min
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 pl...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 35 min
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...
May 23, 2024•56 min
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...
May 16, 2024•1 hr 43 min
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 M...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 29 min
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 Get in Touch: R...
May 05, 2024•1 hr 50 min
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! Fe...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 34 min
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 brea...
Apr 18, 2024•2 hr 6 min
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 ...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 41 min
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 vid...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 15 min
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 ...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 31 min
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...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr 21 min
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 ti...
Mar 14, 2024•2 hr 5 min
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 musi...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr 32 min
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 Get in Touch: RPGFan.com RPGFa...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 17 min
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 Ili...
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 5 min
