- Article
- News
Chained Echoes Gets Ashes of Elrant DLC
The Crimson Wings are needed once more! It’s been two years (almost to the day) since Chained Echoes delighted old-school JRPG fans worldwide, and the indie hit stole our hearts once again this week. Deck13 Spotlight and Umami Tiger, the new studio from Matthias Linda, have announced Ashes of Elrant… Read More »- Article
- News
Opening Cinematics for Suikoden I & II HD Remaster Showcase Retro Stylings
Konami has released the opening cinematics for the upcoming Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars, via its YouTube channel. Each cinematic pairs with one of the two games in the remaster, showcasing its respective cast of characters alongside a charmingly retro CGI ba… Read More »- Review
Fairy Tail 2
There’s magic in stories, especially tales that exalt the power of bonds and the different, wondrous forms love takes. Fairy Tail 2 wholeheartedly embraces that magic in an action RPG encompassing the final story arc of the hit anime/manga series and beyond. Fairy Tail fans might readily fall under… Read More »- Review
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island
Shiren the Wanderer is a series that gets attention every few years, and while not the most popular franchise, it maintains a humble following. I’ve dabbled on handheld, but my traditional roguelike itch is best scratched with meaty, decades-old Western titles. That said, Shiren the Wanderer has mai… Read More »- Article
- Preview
Prisma Preview – Beyond the Boundaries of Time and Space
Imagine a world where every person you meet is another version of you. They share your face but not your goals, your voice, but not your intentions. Some are allies, others adversaries, but none of them are truly strangers. As someone who loved the artistic creativity of Cris Tales, I was eager to s… Read More »- Article
- News
Cat Quest III Adds New Dungeons, Bosses, and More in Mew Content Update
The developer of Cat Quest III, The Gentlebros, have released a purrfect update! Traveling the high seas has gotten vaster as the update adds more bosses to tackle, dungeons to explore, quests to conquer, and more! You might feel like a pirate, because all of these new additions are free! Set your s… Read More »- Article
- News
Wanderstop Brews Up a March 11th Release Date
When Wanderstop was announced, the cozy tea game’s initial trailer had a sense of something sinister below the surface. With creator Davey Wreden’s involvement, creator of The Beginner’s Guide and The Stanley Parable, the game has high potential. Now we know when we’ll be opening up shop! Developer… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 446 – Metaphor: ReFantazio Spoilercast
“My favorite book is Moby Dick; no symbolism, just a simple tale about a man who hates an animal.” Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of 2024’s most acclaimed RPGs, about a royal succession that spirals out of control into a struggle for the soul of the world’s people. Clashes of ideologies, dramatic chara… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 12/8/24
Our weirdly active December rolls on in this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, headlined by the latest in Japan’s anime-to-RPG pipeline. Rounding out this diverse collection are two indie releases and a handful of ports as we head into the holidays. Read on to learn where you might spend your hard-e… Read More »- Review
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP)
Can an innocent sin be forgiven, or must its punishment be eternal? Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, the follow-up to Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin, asks that thought-provoking question in a compelling narrative. Unfortunately, while the believably written characters… Read More »- Article
- News
INDIE Live Expo: RPG & Adventure Game Spotlight
This weekend’s INDIE Live Expo is packed with games, and no small few of them land in our coverage of RPG and adventure games at RPGFan. I encourage you to check out the full lineup and games outside our coverage, like Blade Chimera, a stylish Metroidvania from Team Ladybug, who brought us Record of… Read More »- Article
- News
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Awakens on January 31st; Limited-Time Demo Available Again
During this week’s PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2024, publisher Fellow Traveller and independent developer Jump Over the Age shared a stylish date announce trailer (below) for “dice-driven” RPG Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. The much anticipated sequel to 2022’s highly acclaimed Citizen Sleeper… Read More »- Music Review
SaGa Emerald Beyond Original Soundtrack
SaGa series composer Kenji Ito returns with a cavalcade of musicians in the latest series entry: SaGa Emerald Beyond. Released nearly a decade after its predecessor, SaGa Scarlet Grace, was originally published in Japan, Emerald Beyond takes a leap from medieval fantasy to a multi-realm fantasy incl… Read More »- Article
- News
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault Coming in 2025
Today’s PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase opened with the surprise reveal of Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, a followup to 2018’s Moonlighter, an action RPG with roguelike elements by Spanish developer Digital Sun. The sequel again stars shopkeeper Will, blending action-based combat with shop m… Read More »- Review
Fantasian: Neo Dimension
Fantasian: Neo Dimension is a game filled with contrasts. Its turn-based gameplay systems are conventional but are nonetheless polished through the encounter design. Its story features intriguing setups but underwhelming payoffs. It echoes classic RPGs of decades past while including innovative feat… Read More »- Episodic Review
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Patch 7.1 – Crossroads
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail was a challenging expansion to review. It featured some of the best gameplay the MMO has had in years, but after the narrative payoff of Endwalker, the new story arc had some growing pains. Since the first three patches after an expansion have traditionally wrapped up li… Read More »- Article
- Rhythm Encounter
- Podcast
Rhythm Encounter 149 – RPG Music Origin Stories
We all have origin stories about how we got into RPGs (several of us shared them almost six years ago in this feature!), so today our panel discusses music origins — what RPGs attuned us to the RPG music scene or otherwise elevated our senses and made us take notice. For some of us, this dates back… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 12/1/24
In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, a major JRPG finally breaks out of its smartphone confines, plus we get a bunch of Steam Early Access comers and goers. December is usually a slow period for releases, but that is not so in 2024. So let’s get a move on, shall we? Caves of Qud (Exiting Early… Read More »- Article
- News
Next Baldur’s Gate III Patch Adds Cross-Play, Subclasses, and Photo Mode
Developer Larian Studios surprised Baldur’s Gate III fans with the announcement of cross-play, 12 new subclasses, and photo mode being planned for release next year. Before the update fully launches, folks looking to try the new content early should keep an eye out for registrations for the upcoming… Read More »- Article
- News
Chrono Sword Launches in Early Access on December 6th
Developer 21cDucks and publisher CFK have announced that Chrono Sword will make its way to Steam Early Access on December 6th. At a later date, fans of this Souls-like pixel art title can expect a full release for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC v… Read More »- Article
- News
Lost Adventure Game Noah’s Ark Found on Auction Site
We’ve all had the experience of wanting to play that treasured game from our youth, only to find that mum’s thrown it out or sold it at a garage sale. We look everywhere: eBay, Goodwill, ROM sites, and nothing. Did this game even exist or was it a dream? One of Clarissa’s homebrews? Perhaps a fantas… Read More »Music Review
Disco Elysium OST
Among the plethora of top-tier RPGs in the last five years or so, Disco Elysium stands as one of the more innovative and unexpected critical and commercial hits. It drew a huge range of industry and critical accolades, and the immersive graphics, exceptional narrative and voice-acting, and meaningfu… Read More »- Article
- News
Action RPG Traveler’s Refrain Debuts at Fall Showcase
The recent MIX Fall Showcase featured a look at action RPG Traveler’s Refrain, whose art style and presentation seem inspired by the likes of Hades. Obviously, we’ve yet to see whether Traveler’s Refrain can hang with such lofty company from a gameplay and story perspective, but the trailer (below)… Read More »Music Review
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Soundtrack
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024. The original and the two other PlayStation Final Fantasy entries, FFVIII and FFIX, are three of my favourite games. They each hold a special place in my heart, and I revisit them regularly. Playing them gives me a serotonin b… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 445 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Part II
For a true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. Retro Encounter concludes its 2024 Zelda Month with a second episode on A Link to the Past for the SNES, discussing the game’s excellent second half of Dark World exploration and dungeoneering. So which pan… Read More »- Review
Broken Sword – Shadow of The Templars: Reforged
Broken Sword – Shadow of The Templars: Reforged is a brand-new version of a game that I first encountered in its original form when it released way back in 1996. While the game debuted on the PC, my experience was with the hugely popular PlayStation version. At the time, I had no access to the inter… Read More »- Article
- News
The Time I Have Left Gets New Trailer and Demo; Kickstarter Launched
The recent MIX Fall Showcase featured a new trailer (below) for The Time I Have Left, the debut project of Spanish outfit GROUND Game Atelier. Check it out to know what to expect from this “time-driven escape adventure RPG”. A limited-time demo is available now for PC via Steam. You can play through… Read More »- Article
- News
Latest Atelier Yumia Trailer Shows Off Combat, Alchemy
Koei Tecmo has provided advance detail of the combat and alchemy players can expect when Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land releases on March 21st, 2025. The studio shared a new trailer (below) featuring Yumia and her allies in all their dramatic anime glory. Overview… Read More »- Review
VED
Many games have a notable route to release, and VED, from the small development team at Karaclan, is one of the extreme examples. Beginning life as a 2D Souls-like platformer with gorgeous, hand-drawn sprites, the game slowly evolved over 12(!) years to its current RPG format, complete with a c… Read More »Music Review
Sea of Stars Original Soundtrack
I came into Sea of Stars and its music with some prior context: Sabotage Studio’s 2018 title, The Messenger. That particular indie gem featured action platformer gameplay akin to Ninja Gaiden and an incredibly catchy soundtrack by Eric W. Brown (who utilized the moniker “Rainbowdragoneyes” at the ti… Read More »Article
Penny Blood Studio Sues Former Publisher, Alleging Unpaid Funds
Penny Blood developer Studio Wildrose has filed a lawsuit in Osaka against Dangen Entertainment and its ex-CEO Ben Judd. Dangen managed the 2022 double Kickstarter campaign for Penny Blood and Armed Fantasia, which raised about ¥380m JPY overall. So despite the campaign’s success, it appears things… Read More »- Article
- News
Maliki: Poison of the Past to Launch March 11th, 2025
Developer Blue Banshee and publisher Ankama have announced that Maliki: Poison of the Past will be released on March 11th, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. This turn-based adventure RPG is based on the 2004-running French webcomic Maliki by comic artist Souillon. The game will feature Eng… Read More »- Article
- News
Artis Impact Appears in MIX Fall Showcase
The recent MIX Fall Showcase thrust some really neat games into the spotlight, including a few with really distinctive art styles. If you love the latter, then you definitely want to check out Artis Impact, a female-centric adventure from developer Mas. We don’t have release date information as of y… Read More »- Article
- News
Shiren the Wanderer’s Latest Outing to Have Winter Launch on PC
Publisher and developer Spike Chunsoft has announced that Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is coming to PC via Steam this winter. The roguelike dungeon RPG originally launched on February 27th for Nintendo Switch. This new PC version will include all previous free updat… Read More »- Article
- News
Steel Century Groove Pits Giant Robots Against Each Other in Dance Battles
Okay, hear me out: Pokémon, but you replace the various creatures with giant robots. Now what if instead of battling giant robots, you get dancing giant robots? Steel Century Groove is a cocktail of all these things and more! Launching in 2025, this rhythm RPG comes from solo developer Andrew Gaubat… Read More »- Article
- Random Encounter
- Podcast
Random Encounter 310 – Preview Week with Avowed & Path of Exile 2!
On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re chatting about previews of two games we’re excited for in 2025! First up is a hands-on preview of Obsidian’s newest first-person RPG, Avowed. A spin-off from the beloved Pillars of Eternity series, Avowed is being presented as Obsidian’s answer to Skyrim. T… Read More »- Article
- News
RPGs Coming This Week, 11/24/24
Good news: 2024’s still got some juice left. This edition of RPGs Coming This Week will be a treat for folks who enjoy going off the beaten path. From gritty detective adventures to top-down dungeon escapades, the next few days are filled with potential hidden gems — or breakout hits. Who can say? S… Read More »- Review
Farmagia
I’ve heard of monster training and monster ranching, but monster farming is a new one. In Farmagia, you get to do all of those. In Harvest Moon, which currently lives on as Story of Seasons, I always felt one of my biggest accomplishments was building an extension to my house or barn. It signified m… Read More »- Article
- Retro Encounter
- Podcast
Retro Encounter 444 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Part I
Sky, Sea, Earth, and a Kidnapped Princess A Link to the Past is an unassailable classic of a Super Nintendo game, as a crystallization of multiple gameplay concepts that established the formula for dozens of Zelda games to come, but also as an entertaining action RPG that stood the test of time. Thr… Read More »Music Review
