RPGFan's Retro Encounter

Welcome to the first episode of Retro Encounter’s Adventure Game Month! Throughout October, we’re looking at four adventures across several eras of gaming. First up, the seminal point-and-click classic, The Secret of Monkey Island!

SoMI is a foundational game for LucasArts. Under Ron Gilbert’s direction, it brought in many of the conventions that would define the point-and-click genre moving forward, including a refined verb interface, dialogue trees, and an inability to die (unless you try REALLY hard). In this week’s Retro, Jono, Hilary, and Mike will sail through the Caribbean-flavored adventure filled with witty sword fights, scurvy ghost pirates, and at least one three-headed monkey!

Featuring: Jono Logan, Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi; Edited by Jono Logan

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition Review
Random Encounter 247 – Random Book Club – The Art of Point-and-Click Adventure Games

Snacks Are Better When They Fall – The Best Vending Machines in RPGs

Return to Monkey Island Review

Live (A Live) from the Middle Ages, it's Thursday night!

Live A Live is an anthology RPG comprised of eight miniature stories that lead to a grand finale, and its 2022 remake gets three thumbs up from today's Retro Encounter panel. They discuss the tragic eighth chapter, as well as the twisted endgame which brings together seven triumphant heroes and one disgraced would-be savior into a clash between good and evil. And it's all set to a killer Yoko Shimomura soundtrack. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Tom Cox; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Live A Live on RPGFan
Live A Live (Switch) on RPGFan

Rhymes with "Drive Survive," not "Sieve Forgive" 

Live A Live, an influential 1994 RPG developed by Square during their Super Nintendo apex, is an anthology RPG which tells eight short stories that eventually coalesce into a satisfying finale. Live A Live's 2022 Nintendo Switch remake is the title's only official worldwide release, and several staff at RPGFan were eager to dive and thrive. This episode covers the first seven chapters, with a discussion of the rest coming next week. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Tom Cox; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Live A Live on RPGFan
Live A Live (Switch) on RPGFan

Never Gonna Give Yeul Up

Fabula Nova Crystallis, the high-concept collection of Final Fantasy games dating from 2006, resulted in five games of varying tone and execution. Retro Encounter spent much of August playing and discussing Final Fantasy XIII, and today three panelists break down and lift up the rest of the family, including the former Agito, Final Fantasy Type-0, and the Versus XIII successor, Final Fantasy XV.

Featuring: Peter Triezenberg, Audra Bowling, Patrick Gann; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Crystal Tools Without a Craftsman

Finally, we connect Xenoblade Chronicles to Abraham Lincoln. 

The 3DS eShop is on its last legs as Nintendo phases out online support for its successful handheld, but Retro Encounter hasn't given up on this 3D-enabled machine yet. Five panelists (including three new ones!) discuss their favorite 3DS games and series in an appreciation-slash-celebration for this titan of the 2010s. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Tom Cox, Anthony Krolikowski, Joshua Lindquist, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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RPGFan's Top 25 Nintendo 3DS RPGs

How clear is Final Fantasy XIII's story? Not exactly Crystal. 

Final Fantasy XIII has a wild ride to the finish, and three Retro Encounter panelists cap off their personal experiences playing it by reacting to FF XIII's remarkable design changes, confusing character motivations, and beautiful imagery in its final chapters. So who did we bring to the final battle? Why are there so many metaphors for abandonment in the game? How does Square-Enix ruin this beautiful ending in future games? Listen for all of this and more! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Final Fantasy XIII on RPGFan

Thunderbolts and Lightning / Very very frightening

Final Fantasy XIII, one of the most divisive games in the world's most popular Japanese RPG series, is certainly old enough to be considered Retro, but its style and tone are anything but. Our panelists are one FF XIII veteran, one FF XIII neophyte, and one lapsed player; they're unkind to the linear corridors and grating personalities of the first half of FF XIII, but understanding of the game's troubled development history and appreciative of its stunning visuals, beautiful music, and frantic combat. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Final Fantasy XIII on RPGFan

What's the story, RPGFan? Do you think it's worth a look? It seems kinda familiar, like a story from a book. 

RPGs and adventure games very often have an outsize focus on storytelling, in part because so many of them are about a group of characters growing and changing over the course of their game. Naturally, RPG fans of all stripes would prefer their games have a great story and great gameplay, but we know that's not always the case. In today's episode, five panelists decide whether they prefer a great story or great gameplay when only one of the two is an option, and highlight several games with particularly good narratives with lackluster playability, or vice-versa. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Niki Fakhoori, Dom Kim, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Anthony Krolikowski

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Don't ask me no questions, and I won't tell you no lies. 

We here at Retro Encounter love talking about video games, but decided to spend this episode getting to know each other a little better. In a sequel to a 2020 episode, four RPGFan panelists play a game in which they try to tell fact from fiction and share some details about themselves. Does Sollosi own three copies of Kingdom Hearts II, a game he's never played? Did Wes teach their daughter to impersonate a British character actor? Listen and reach out to the truth! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Niki Fakhoori, Wes Iliff, Mario Garcia; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Hey Jude, don't make it bad / Take a spirit, and make her better / Remember to let her into your heart / Then you can start to save the planet. 

Three RPGFan staff played through Tales of Xillia in July 2022, and left Rieze Maxia and Elympios feeling satisfied. By game's end, the panelists were surprised by an invading army, confused by multiple characters changing sides, and outraged that a 15-year-old is allowed to treat patients at a university hospital. But what intrigued us the most about this PS3 standout RPG? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Tales of Xillia on RPGFan