RPGFan's Retro Encounter

In 2015, Final Fantasy XIV players trekked to the north and looked to the sky in Heavensward, the fan-favorite expansion game that raised character levels to 60 and introduced Eorzeans to Ishgard.  Three Retro Encounter panelists and FFXIV players of varying experience levels discuss their love of Heavensward and Ishgard, from the friendly bugs of Dravania to the Warring Triad of Azys La, in the second part of our Final Fantasy XIV podcast miniseries!   We're seeking the peace of reason in the latest episode of Retro Encounter! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Liz Maas, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Micah CoatesGet in Touch:RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan's Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward review

Retro Encounter's panel finished Radiant Historia earlier this month, and dissects the endgame of Stocke and his companions.  The time traveling, turn-stealing, wheelin' and dealin' son of a king has some major decisions to make.  Is Radiant Historia stylin' and profilin' to Retro Encounter's preferences?  Listen and find out! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Kaleb Curry, Alana Hagues, Pete Leavitt; Edited by Michael SollosiGet in Touch:RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan's Radiant Historia review

Radiant Historia found many RPG fans in the last days of the Nintendo DS, and today Retro Encounter celebrates it on the 10th anniversary of its North American release. Parallel timelines, shoving enemies around a grid, Yoko Shimomura tunes, and suspicious botanical practices all take center stage in the latest Retro Encounter!  Does this podcast exist until you listen? Who knows. Download us into being. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Kaleb Curry, Alana Hagues, Pete Leavitt; Edited by Michael SollosiGet in Touch:RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan's Radiant Historia review

In advance of the 2021 release of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, Retro Encounter is recording four Final Fantasy XIV episodes in 2021! Each will feature a different panel and focus on the panelists' personal experiences with Final Fantasy XIV, then discuss the characters, stories, and contents on one particular expansion. Today two Mikes and a Peter go through the Final Fantasy XIV 2013 reboot, A Realm Reborn. 1.0? What do you mean? Never happened. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Mike Salbato, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Micah CoatesGet in Touch:RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan's Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn review

The worldwide release of Ryu Ga Gotoku 7 made a big splash in 2020, as the first Yakuza game with turn-based combat, the first Yakuza game not to star Kazuma Kiryu, and the first Yakuza game in 15 years with English-language voice acting. At least four RPGFan staff were enchanted by Yakuza's new look last year, and took very little persuading to have a 2021 discussion on Yakuza: Like A Dragon, chock-full of story spoilers. Listen to our podcast on the way to picking up some decadent Peking Duck! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Caitlin Argyros, Jonathan Logan, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Brian IngemansonGet in Touch:RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan's Yakuza: Like a Dragon review

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean ramps up the drama on disc 2! In part 2 of our deep dive into Monolith Soft's forgotten classic, the three panelists return to talk about that now-famous betrayal, grumble about difficulty spikes, and most importantly, gush about the Children of the Earth!Now, is that rain, or is that the world crying out in pain?Featuring: Alana Hagues, Pete Leavitt, Tyler Trosper; Edited by Micah CoatesGet in Touch:RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan's Baten Kaitos review

Only the second game to be released by Monolith Soft, Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean swaps space and mechs for a card game, but keeps the dead gods. Three panelists explore disc one of this weird and wonderful game, from the beautiful pre-rendered visuals, to the engaging world and battle system. Where will the Mighty Ocean guide us? Tune in to this week's episode of Retro Encounter to find out!Featuring: Alana Hagues, Pete Leavitt, Tyler Trosper; Edited by Micah CoatesGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links: RPGFan's Baten Kaitos review

Retro Encounter's episode on Hades marks the fourth SuperGiant Games episode of the podcast in six weeks, but we discussed the Hell out of this roguelike RPG of gods and monsters.  Our favorite Zagreus builds, our mythological romantic preferences, and our warm, fuzzy feelings of progress and accomplishment all feature prominently in today's dark and bloody episode.  Rhymes with "ladies," not with "blades." Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Niki Fakhoori, Alana Hagues, Dom Kim, Leona McCallum; Edited by Brian IngemansonGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan's Hades Review

What happens when you cross NBA Jam, Oregon Trail, and SuperGiant Games' distinct style and flavor?  The 2017 indie narrative game Pyre, which is hard to describe in just a few sentences, so we recorded an entire podcast about it instead!  Part three (out of four) of our miniseries on SuperGiant Games.  She shoots, she douses! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Eva Padilla; Edited by Michael SollosiGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links: RPGFan's Pyre review

On the last day of 2020, Retro Encounter celebrates the year's video games while offering good riddance to essentially everything else.  From roguelikes that play like Diablo to open worlds that play like Persona to Japanese adventure games of multiple narratives to Irish adventure games of self-discovery, the Retro Encounter panel discusses their favorites in 2020 RPGs and podcasts.  From all of us here at Retro Encounter, thank you for listening. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Nathan Lee, Eva Padilla, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Micah CoatesGet in Touch: RPGFan.comEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom