Rpg Fan's Retro Encounter

RPGFan recently celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day with separate features dedicate to the moms and dads of RPGs, and Retro Encounter is here to piggyback on those pieces like they're a dad at a swimming pool. Three panelists discuss the best moms and dads of RPGs, from hands-off mothers supporting their journeying child from afar to doting adoptive grandpas. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Alana Hagues

Retro Encounter did an episode about Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in late 2015, but back then Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night wasn't on the horizon and Timespinner didn't exist in a playable state. With the benefit of hindsight, two longtime Castlevania fans revisit the PS1 nonlinear side-scrolling action RPG by examining Castlevania's past, considering Symphony of the Night's influence, and prognosticating Koji Igarashi's future. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues

In our third and final episode of Retro Encounter's Podcast Tribute series, our hosts emulate Ophira Eisenberg and Jonathan Coulton for an RPGFan episode of Ask Me Another. Four contestants tackle sixty RPG trivia questions for the chance to win nothing but a good time. Because Retro Encounter is too cheap for prizes. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Stephanie Sybydlo, Patrick Gann, Leona McCallum, Kyle Seeley, Zach Wilkerson

The dream is not over yet. Retro Encounter's journey through Chrono Cross continues, with a discussion of the latter half of the game. From the Dead Sea to Chronopolis, the depths of the ocean to the heights of Terra Tower, to beyond the darkness of time itself... there's a lot to unpack here. We talk about dragon hunts, atmospheric dungeons, links to Chrono Trigger, and rushed conclusions. Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Marcos Gaspar, Kyle Seeley, Tyler Trosper

Maybe art is subjective? Retro Encounter emulates How Did This Get Made for an episode all about Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. The panelists break down the movie's plot, themes, and style in our most cinematic episode since the Final Fantasy Film Festival. And we may learn some Second Opinions. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Rob Steinman, Peter Triezenberg

On this episode of Retro Encounter, we take a look back at one of the most divisive sequels in gaming history. When you're following up on what many consider to be the greatest RPG ever made, it would be easy to stick to the tried-and-true, but Chrono Cross does anything but. The Yang to Chrono Trigger's Yin, we discuss our initial reactions to this PS1 classic, its colorful cast of characters, its luscious audiovisual presentation, and more. The quest for the Frozen Flame begins here, so join us on this journey. Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Marcos Gaspar, Tyler Trosper, Kyle Seeley

Retro Encounter's producer takes inspiration from another of his favorite podcasts in today's episode all about the sorceror clown of Final Fantasy VI, Kefka. Three panelists examine Kefka's deeds, motivations, and impact with questions like "is there any good in Kefka?" and "why does Cid dress so poorly?" What makes this legendary RPG evildoer tick? Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Stephanie Sybydlo, Zach Wilkerson

Classic Editions! Nintendo and Sony recently created three bespoke boxes full of classic video games, but none of them have enough RPGs. Today's Retro Encounter episode is wishful thinking about the three high-profile mini consoles and theorycrafting some that may not exist yet. Sadly, this episode recorded before the recent announcement of the Sega Genesis Mini. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Lucy Gray, Peter Triezenberg, Zach Wilkerson

Adol Christin and three panelists conclude their visit to the hometown of Dogi the Wall Crusher in a new Retro Encounter episode on Ys: The Oath in Felghana. Is this the greatest Ys game? Is The Oath in Felghana too short? Is Chester a mean jerk? All of these questions answered, and more. (Maybe, No, and Yes). Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Tina Olah

Ys is a decades-old series centered on the travels of the adventurer Adol Christin as he explores derelict civilizations, clashes with ambitious imperialists, and battles ancient evils. Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a remake of the third Ys game, in which Adol goes on a vacation with his best pal Dogi and ends up doing the civilizations / imperialists / evils thing again in a total coincidence. Adol can't seem to stay out of trouble, and Retro Encounter is here to get into some. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Tina Olah

Character classes! Job systems! From Wizardry to Final Fantasy to World of Warcraft to Octopath Traveler, many RPG characters are defined by player-selected classes and jobs. In today's episode we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of job systems in RPGs, mostly concentrating on Japanese RPGs in general and Final Fantasy in particular. There was so much to discuss that there are plans to record a Job Search Part II. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Greg Delmage, Peter Triezenberg

Lufia II is a timeless classic and continues to capture the hearts of gamers to this very day so let's bring our Lufia love to its bittersweet conclusion in this weeks episode. Whether you're travelling to work by boat, submarine or paraglider pop in those headphones and find out just how tricky is the worlds most difficult trick is, if a broken mirror really is seven years bad luck and do mermaids dream of aquatic sheep? Featuring: Leona McCallum, Katherine Kortvely, Zach Wilkerson

Retro Encounter jumps into 2019 and, following on from January's Kingdom Hearts discussion, decided to spoil the hell out of the long await conclusion to the Xehanort Saga, Kingdom Hearts III! Three huge Kingdom Hearts get together to discuss the awesome Disney worlds, gorgeous action, and baffling story. But under all of the bombast and beauty, is it all worth it? Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Alana Hagues, Zach Wilkerson

Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals is a bonfide classic on the SNES, with an epic story, great characters, fiendish puzzles, and tons of superlative side content including raising pet monsters and challenging a 100-floor dungeon. But don't take only my word for it! Three Retro Encounter panelists played Lufia II over February and March and enthusiastically gab about it for today's podcast. Featuring: Leona McCallum, Katherine Kortvely, Zach Wilkerson

Wolf Team, a small Japanese developer active in the 1990s, has a surprising legacy of RPG creators lasting to the present day. Tri-Ace, Namco Tales Studio, and several others have their roots in Wolf Team, which splintered aftering finishing the Super Famicom classic Tales of Phantasia. We explore the past of an influential studio on a Retro Encounter episode with a bittersweet final minute. Featuring: Robert Fenner, Alana Hagues, Michael Sollosi

Running a podcast is just like running a guild sometimes, and all jobs must come to an end at some point, just like our game journals! This week, our panelists talk about the conclusion of Tales of Vesperia. We make our way to the end by going through a huge dungeon gauntlet, by being betrayed, by saving our friends, and saving the world! But after hours of missable sidequests, coliseum fights, altered artes and blossoming friendships, does Tales of Vesperia stand the test of time? Featuring: Alana Hagues, Michael Sollosi, Stephanie Sybydlo

We're still celebrating Tales of month here at Retro Encounter, and what better time is there to form a guild? Nearly two years after our last Tales of game journal, Tales of Vesperia is on the docket, and the same three panelists return from the Tales of the Abyss episodes! In a dense first half, the trio gush about the characters and dig into the combat, and there's surely a grumble or two about missable sidequests. Featuring: Alana Hagues, Michael Sollosi, Stephanie Sybydlo

Lights! Microphones! Action! Our panel of RPG battle maniacs reconvenes for a discussion on RPG combat in real time, focusing on series that fight in real-time, or at least mostly in real-time. Hearts, Souls, Mana, and Ends of the World all make appearances in today's action-packed episode of Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Trent Argirov, Greg Delmage, Peter Triezenberg

Retro Encounter celebrates Namco's long-running action RPG series all February in a special Month of Tales! We kick off Tales Of month with an episode discussing the entire series, from Abyss to Zestiria, eventually picking an official Retro Encounter's Favorite Tales Of Game. Spoiler alert: it isn't Tales of the Tempest. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Robert Fenner, Alana Hagues, Stephanie Sybydlo

Retro Encounter had so much fun playing 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors last year that the same four codenamed panelists reunited for the sequel! Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward has more friendly robots, more diabolical puzzles, and more artificially intelligent rabbits than its predecessor, and the crew is here for all of it. Featuring: Hilary "Hilary" Andreff, Trent "The Stranger" Argirov, Leona "Jade" McCallum, Michael "Monsoon" Sollosi