RPGFan's Retro Encounter

Through the Fire and Flames of FateDragon Quest hasn't had a main series release since 2018, but in the last five years we've had spinoffs, adaptations, and announcements galore. Three Retro Encounter panelists are joined by special guest Matt from the Dragon Quest Slime Time! podcast to discuss the past, present, and future of Dragon Quest. Bring on Dragon Quest XII!Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Ben Love, Matt Masem; Edited by Zach WilkersonOpening and ending music by Miles Morkri. Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

Mr. Blue Sky, please tell us why you had to hide away for so long. Where did we go wrong? Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is a bleak, unforgiving game that grants players tremendous highs when they emerge victorious from a boss battle on the brink of death, and threatens brutal lows if you lose all your progress far away from one of its limited save points. Three panelists played Dragon Quarter for Retro Encounter this month, but did any of them see the sky? Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Michael SollosiOpening and ending music by Miles Morkri.Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomBreath of Fire: Dragon Quarter on RPGFan

Don't be a D-Ratio. Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter doesn't want you to have an easy time. A remarkable blend of PS2 visuals, tactical combat, rogue-like elements, and horror atmosphere set to a Hitoshi Sakimoto soundtrack, the fifth game in Capcom's signature turn-based RPG series is as unique as it is challenging. Three RPGFan staff of various experience levels tackled Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter with open minds and full hearts this week, but how do they feel? Listen and learn! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Michael SollosiOpening and ending music by Miles Morkri.Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomBreath of Fire: Dragon Quarter on RPGFan

The only podcast here is ours. And you can be its early witness! Final Fantasy XVI, one of the most-anticipated Square-Enix games of the 2020s, finally launched worldwide in June. And now, almost three months later, at least four RPGFan staff have finished playing and want to start talking. From favorite characters and fights to the future of Final Fantasy XVI DLC, this podcast delves deep into this Eikonic game. Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach WilkersonOpening and ending music by Miles Morkri. Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomZach's Final Fantasy XVI Review

She'll take you for a ride on a wagon train to ZoombinivilleIt's back to school week here at Retro Encounter, where we stay retro but mostly avoid RPGs in a discussion of classic edutainment games, from The Oregon Trail to Sim City 2000. Who among our illustrious panel dreamed of being on the Carmen Sandiego PBS show? Which educational game most deserves a Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio adaptation? Listen and learn! Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Niki Fakhoori, Jonathan Logan, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Michael SollosiOpening and ending music by Miles Morkri Get in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancom

Time to go work on Retro Encounter!We're back with our discussion of the second half of Disco Elysium. This week we dive into some of our favorite late-game side quests, go over our favorite conversations with our neckties, and discuss the fabulously strange ending.Did we get Kim to like us? Do we continue to be a disaster cop? Are Phasmids real? Listen in to find out!Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Hilary Andreff; Edited by Zach WilkersonOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan - Disco Elysium ReviewRPGFan - Disco Elysium: The Final Cut Review

This is the face of a late-stage Retro Encounter enthusiast.This week we get together to discuss a game inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, despite a complete lack of any dungeons or dragons: Disco Elysium. Listen in as we discuss the wild humor and politics of this strange, amazing video game, and find out just how many bad choices we can make while still solving a murder case.Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Hilary Andreff; Edited by Zach WilkersonOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:RPGFan - Disco Elysium ReviewRPGFan - Disco Elysium: The Final Cut Review

Off my podcast, jester. The commissioner sits there.It's fantasy draft season! And, well, it's been a while since our last draft episode, and even longer since we've drafted characters from the biggest RPG series around. So, we decided to pull a new panel together to engage in some Retro Encounter rules-based discussion nonsense with a supersized episode where we draft all our Final Fantasy characters.Is Celes is main character or a supporting one? Where does Kefka fall on our big board? Just how long can we make one episode? Listen in to find out!Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Alana Hagues, Aleks Franiczek, Lucas Greene, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach WilkersonOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Retro Encounter 210 - Final Fantasy Fantasy Draft

Life... Dreams... Hope... Where do they come from? A new episode of Retro Encounter of course, that's where!We're back this week to dive into the second, more ruinous half of Final Fantasy VI. After the relatively structured and straightforward pacing of the first half, the latter portions of Final Fantasy VI are certainly much more open, and quite a revelation when the game released.Is the second half still as interesting as it was all those years ago? Did we recruit everyone? Who makes the right choice and turns off encounters while climbing Cultists' Tower? Listen in to find out!Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Lucas Greene, Lucy Gray; Edited by Jono LoganOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Audra's Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster Review on RPGFanBob's Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster Review on RPGFan

Think a "podcast" like ours could help you out in your quest?In honor of the recent release of Final Fantasy XVI, we got a few of our panelists together to play through the SNES classic Final Fantasy VI. Some of us have played it a million times, some of us are just running through it for the first, and we chat about everything from the story to the combat to that music.Who is the best character? How does the combat hold up? Did we all suplex the train? Listen in to find out!Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Aleks Franiczek, Ben Love, Lucas Greene, Lucy Gray; Edited by Zach WilkersonOpening and ending music by Miles MorkriGet in Touch:RPGFan.comRPGFan ShopEmail us: retro@rpgfan.comTwitter: @rpgfancomInstagram: @rpgfancomFacebook: rpgfancomTwitch: rpgfancomRelated Links:Audra's Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster Review on RPGFanBob's Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster Review on RPGFan