RPGFan's Retro Encounter

Let's praise the sun! Doo-doo-doo-doo

The Dark Souls of RPGFan podcasts has finally arrived! Dark Souls is one of the most celebrated RPGs of the 2010s, helping to establish an entire new genre of RPG. Today, one Dark Souls newcomer and four Souls-like veterans discuss this challenging, carefully-crafted RPG, from its interconnected setting to the intense boss fights of Dark Souls's first half. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Aleks Franiczek, Dom Kim, Ben Love; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Dark Souls on RPGFan

There can only be one. 

Since time immemorial (May of 2019), Retro Encounter has hosted quiz shows to determine which Retro Encounter panelist knows the most about the subject we celebrate every day on our beloved website. Today, five former RPGFan quiz show winners duke it out in a trivia free-for-all to determine who is the true Champion of Champions. We've started, so we'll finish.  

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Patrick Gann, Alana Hagues, Wes Iliff, Tyler Trosper, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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PlayStation IV: A New Hope

The PlayStation 4 was a massively successful console, with incredible sales, an official lifespan of seven years, and game releases continuing to the present day. And moreso than its predecessor, the PS4 had a rich selection of RPGs. Today, four Retro Encounter panelists each composed individual top ten lists of PS4 RPGs, and then collated those individual lists into a final top eleven (there was a tie). In this episode, our panel goes over their thoughts and feelings on these eleven titles, plus a few extras and honorable mentions. So what fan favorites make the list, or fail to make the list? Listen and find out! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Aleks Franiczek, Kyle Cantelon, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Deep fried Retro!

This week we get the panelists back together to chat about the second half of Grandia II. Listen in while we talk about late game changes in tone, how well the pacing holds up, and if Ryudo is still endlessly hilarious.

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Ben Love, Claton Stevenson; Edited by Zach Wilkerson

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Grandia II on RPGFan

You can't go back, but you can move forward.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was one of the most hotly anticipated RPG releases of 2024, as a successor to the fan-favorite Suikoden series in all but name, written and designed by Suikoden's late creator Yoshitaka Murayama. So did Eiyuden live up to expectations? Are we excited for a potential Eiyuden sequel? Listen to find out! 

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

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on RPGFan

Inside every cynic, there is a disappointed idealist. 

Grandia II felt like an RPG ahead of its time in 2000, with sophisticated active-time battles, smart underlying systems, and clever writing anchored by Ryudo, Grandia II's sarcastic protagonist. Today's episode of Retro Encounter discusses the characters, mechanics, and first-half story of Grandia II, especially how its modern touches and angst contrast against the earnest optimism of the first Grandia. 

Featuring: Zach Wilkerson, Ben Love, Claton Stevenson; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Grandia II on RPGFan

I've walked for miles / My feet are hurting. 

Content Warning: this podcast episode addresses many sensitive topics, including mental health issues and self-harm. 

Is Omori an offbeat retro-styled RPG about a journey through a young person's psyche? A story about a group of friends reconnecting after drifting apart following tragic circumstances? Or a harrowing depiction of trauma surrounding the death of a child? Well, Omori is all three of these things, and Retro Encounter is here to break it all down for you. Join us as we discuss this strange journey of an RPG full of humor and heart. 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Omori on RPGFan

Accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. 

No one of sound mind plays an RPG out of spite. Players want to enjoy the games they play, sometimes with a fair amount of hype and anticipation beforehand. Today, we walk in between joy and despair, and discuss ten games that the panel wanted to love but struggled to connect with. A few of these are broadly popular, while others are from specific series dear to one panelist's heart. So which panelists dislike NieR and Xenogears? Who played an awful five-dollar DS RPG? Listen to find out what RPGs we found hard to love! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Kyle Cantelon, Tin Manuel; Edited by Paul Dennis

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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But my dreams, they aren’t as empty / As my headspace seems to be

Content Warning: this podcast episode addresses many sensitive topics, including mental health issues and self-harm. 

Omori is an indie game that takes on dark themes such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and loss in a thoughtful, poignant manner. But it’s also chock-full of subversive humor and game mechanics that manipulate emotional states to create interesting puzzles both in navigation and combat. Four Retro Encounter panelists discuss the early hours of Omori, from its unique tone and mechanics to speculation on its endgame (to be addressed in part II!). Give it a listen! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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Omori on RPGFan

To love is to suffer

Three RPGFan panelists are joined by RPG enthusiast YouTuber David Vinc to discuss the favorites and frustrations about the world of RPGs. Does our guest prefer the predictable comfort of Dragon Quest or the unstable beauty of Final Fantasy? Which panelist has played Lufia II dozens of times? How about games where you recruit dozens of characters? It’s an episode all about the RPGs we obsess over! 

Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Kyle Cantelon, Lucas Greene, David Vinc; Edited by Michael Sollosi

Opening and ending music by Miles Morkri

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