RPGFan's Random Encounter

In our final Random Encounter of 2025, it's time to take a look ahead to the biggest games of 2026!

With the holidays in the rear view mirror, RPGFan is now building our annual most anticipated for the coming year feature. And there is no better way to wrap up 2025 than having the Random panel give everyone a preview of those titles we’re looking forward to as we wait for the calendar to turn.

From Dragon Quest VII Reimagined to Mina the Hollower, it’s time to spread the spirit of the season by sharing our excitement for what 2026 has in store!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Noah Leiter, Paul Skevington, and Zek Lu; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
RPGFan's 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2026
So you want to get into the Souls Series…
The Adventures of Elliot: Millennium Tales
Alabaster Dawn
Beast of Reincarnation
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Code Vein II
Coffee Talk Tokyo
Deltarune: Chapter 5
Directive 8020
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Hands-On Preview
Exodus
Fable (Reboot)
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon
Mina the Hollower
Nioh 3
People of Note
Petal Runner
Pokémon Pokopia
SacriFire
Starbites
Tales of Berseria Remaster
Witchbrook
Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties
Ys X: Proud Nordics

On this week's Random Encounter, we're chatting about gaming's biggest night: The Game Awards 2025!

But before we get to all the reveals (and actual awards, I guess), we want to talk to Zek about the new Octopath Traveler game that was just released, Octopath Traveler 0! This entry, adapted from the mobile-only gacha game Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, turns a lot of the conventions of Octopath on their heads, featuring over 30 characters instead of eight and including a massive town-building mechanic.

After that, it's all about The Game Awards! There were some big announcements this year, including a long-awaited sequel to Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. We also have Larian Studios revealing their follow-up to Baldur's Gate III, Divinity, with one of the more disturbing trailers in recent memory. There is so much news, but our panel is ready to chat about it all (and Jono is ready to talk about how Blue Prince was robbed)!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Hilary Andreff, Mike Salbato, and Zek Lu; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Octopath Traveler 0 Review
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic Announced
Larian Studios Reveals New Divinity Game
Lords of the Fallen II Gets First Gameplay Trailer
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Drops ‘Thank You’ Update

On this week's Random Encounter, we're taking a look at two very different narrative adventures!

Back in the 2010s, Telltale Games reinvented the point-and-click adventure game with The Walking Dead, introducing new multiple paths and lasting choices. Unfortunately, they spread themselves a little too thin, and the studio closed. Thankfully, many of those developers went off to create their own studios, and that is how we got Dispatch, the new episodic superhero adventure game! Tom has played the entire season and can confidently say that it reaches, and maybe even exceeds, the heights of Telltale's output at its prime.

Then, Audra is here with an indie narrative visual novel inspired by Nintendo DS Japanese adventure games like Ace Attorney and Hotel Dusk: Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved. This looks to be a classic case of, "Well, if the developer won't make any more of the games we like, we're going to do it ourselves!" In this detective game, you and your investigative partner explore crime scenes and interrogate witnesses to uncover the perpetrators of a shocking murder (maybe, you'll have to follow the clues to find out)

Featuring: Jono Logan, Audra Bowling, and Tom Naylor; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Dispatch
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved Review

On this week's Random Encounter, it's time to uncover some mysteries in two adventure games!

The Séance of Blake Manor has been making waves the last few weeks as one of the best mystery deductive games of the last few years. From the same devs that created the adventure game series, The Darkside Detective, Blake Manor drops the point-and-click interface and moves into the first person! Did Caitlin have an amazing time solving the mystery of why this game has been getting so much buzz?

And then we have a remaster of a classic early-2000s point-and-click adventure game, Syberia - Remastered. Known for its immaculate vibes and engaging story, the original Syberia has become a cult favourite among adventure game fans (at least for those who can forgive the less-than-sensitive portrayal of a mentally challenged character). Syberia - Remastered brings the same art style, story, music, voice work, and  720p pre-rendered cutscenes, but introduces a new control interface and re-imagines the entire world space in 3D. Does the remaster/remake live up to the original?

Featuring: Jono Logan, Caitlin Argyros, and Matt Wardell; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
The Séance of Blake Manor Review
Syberia - Remastered Review
Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy Review
Syberia Review

On this week's Random Encounter, we are looking at sequels both past and present!

First up, Zach is here with his thoughts about the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. While DQ I could have done with a few fewer "enhancements," it sounds like the new expanded story and features have made DQ II into one of the best Dragon Quest games ever!

And next, Zek is here to share his disappointment about the highly anticipated sequel to 2019's The Outer Worlds: The Outer Worlds 2. While it does have a bigger budget and scope, it sounds like it failed to capitalize on the potential of the first game. And in the world of The Outer Worlds, failing to monopolize is a capital offence!

Oh, and a quick note to all of our Canadian listeners: We recorded this on Wednesday evening, long before Game 7 of the World Series, so please forgive my bright-eyed optimism and will to live, and take them with the spirit intended at the time!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Zach Wilkerson, and Zek Lu; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Review
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Review
The Outer Worlds 2 Review
The Outer Worlds Review

On this week's Random Encounter, we are catching 'em all and beating 'em up!

When Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released in 2022, it signalled a newer, more experimental type of Pokémon game. Now, Game Freak is back with Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the second entry in the Legends series. With a new real-time combat system, an urban environment, and giant Pokémon battles, Z-A looks like it promises everything that fans have wanted from the series, but does it pull it off? Niki has some thoughts!

And then, Bob is here to chat about the new roguelike beat-'em-up RPG Absolum. It's been a long time since there was any real innovation in the beat-'em-up genre, but with a stunning animated art style, exploration, RPG mechanics, and a roguelike structure, Absolum might just be the most interesting beat-'em-up in years. Is it worth the fight?

Featuring: Jono Logan, Jerry Williams, and Niki Fakhoori; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Pokémon Legends: Arceus Review
Absolum Review

On this week's Random Encounter, we have a remaster of one of the greatest strategy RPGs of all time!

When Final Fantasy Tactics was released on the PSX in 1997, it marked the entry point for countless RPG fans into the world of SRPGs (aka TRPGs) By piggybacking off the success of the landmark JRPG Final Fantasy VII, Tactics introduced an entirely new audience to the grid-based strategy RPG goodness seen in previous SRPGs like Fire Emblem and Shining Force.

Since then, Tactics has seen numerous re-releases, including Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for the PSP and mobile devices that gave the game a much-improved localization. But now with Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Square-Enix has released what is arguably the definitive version, now with sharper graphics, excellent quality-of-life features, and exceptional voice acting.

Tactics also happens to be one of the favourite games of Jerry and Zach. Does this brand-new remaster live up to their high expectations?

Featuring: Jono Logan, Jerry Williams, and Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Review
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions Review
Final Fantasy Tactics Review

On this week's Random Encounter, we're chatting about one of the biggest indie releases of the year!

Boy, between Silksong and Hades II, September has been quite a month for indie games. Everyone here at RPGFan has been eagerly awaiting the full release of Hades II since its early release last year, and our patience has finally been rewarded! Zek and Matt are here to answer all of the big questions like: Is this highly anticipated sequel as good as the original Hades? What new gameplay mechanics has Supergiant Games brought to the table? And perhaps most importantly, who can you date?

Featuring: Jono Logan, Matt Wardell, and Zek Lu; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Hades II Review
Hades II Hands-On Preview
Hades Review

On this episode of Random Encounter, we're doing a Random Book Club for the brand-new tome from Bitmap Books: 50 Indie Games that Changed the World.

Over the last 20 years, the indie game scene has become just as important as the AAA industry, with games like Silksong showing sales numbers that many big devs would kill for! There are so many brilliant indies out there, such as Return of the Obra Dinn, Coffee Talk, and Hades, but which ones had the biggest impact on both the video game industry and the world?

50 Indie Games that Changed the World aims to answer that very question! Do Jono, Hilary, and Mike agree with all of its choices? Probably not, but that's the joy of chatting about lists on the internet!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Hilary Andreff, Mike Salbato; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
50 Indie Games that Changed the World
Bitmap Books
Random Encounter 218 – What is a JRPG? A Delightful Little Pile of Adventure!
Random Encounter 247 – Random Book Club – The Art of Point-and-Click Adventure Games
Random Encounter 305 – Random Book Club – Legends of Localization Book 3: Undertale
Random Encounter 252 – Random Book Club – Fight, Magic, Items
80 Days Review
Stardew Valley Review
Rogue Legacy Review
Hades Review
Coffee Talk Review
Return of the Obra Dinn Review
Hades: Developing Hell Noclip YouTube Documentary

On this week's Random Encounter, let's head to the bazaar and see what the RPGFan stall has in stock!

First up, Niki is here to chat about Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar was a beloved entry in this long-running series on the Nintendo DS. Does this remake (with some updated branding) live up to the memories of the original?

Then, Neal is here to share his thoughts about Quartet, a new retro-style JRPG from the developer of Shadows of Adam. While it looks like a pretty standard SNES JRPG on the surface, it is the mature storytelling and more modern mechanics that set it apart. If you miss the days of the SNES, this might be an RPG you'll want to check out!

And finally, the entire panel shares what they are most excited about that was announced at Gamescom 2025!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Neal Chandran, and Niki Fakhoori; Edited by Jono Logan

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This Episode's Related Links:
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Review
Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar Review
Quartet Review
Shadows of Adam Review