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Articles by Abraham Kobylanski
Calamity Angels: Special Delivery
Ever wonder about the chaos a package carrier must be dealing with when you get the notification that your order will be late? Calamity Angels: Special Delivery takes a fantastically imaginative view on the obstacles a delivery person might encounter en route to your home. Sure, there are less far-fetched problems like thieves, extreme temperatures, and general navigation difficulty you might face in our world, but how about monsters, rickety bridges, poison?
Mass Effect 2 | RPGFan
Podcasts Episode Date Rhythm Encounter 169 – Electro-Bangers Galore! Retro Encounter 457 – BioWare Draft Retro Encounter 441 – Happy Halloween! Retro Encounter 430 – DLC Encounter Random Encounter 280 – The All-Star Lineup in RPGFan’s GOTY Bracket Battle Retro Encounter 355 – Muppets Encounter Retro Encounter 352 – Mass Effect 2 Rhythm Encounter 32 – Terminus Est Game Reviews Music Reviews Review Author Released Mass Effect 2 Original Videogame Score January 19, 2010 Mass Effect 2:...
Empyreal Review | RPGFan
Empyreal (em-ˈpir-ē-əl) – adj. 1: of or relating to the empyrean, celestial 2: sublime I admit I wasn’t aware that empyreal was a word, let alone what it meant, so I thought it a good idea to know what I’m talking about when it comes to Empyreal. Silent Games features a few former Ubisoft crew, and it’s always interesting to see how creators do when they break out on their own after having made a reputation for themselves at a larger company.
Penny Blood: Hellbound
Itâs been a while since the last Shadow Hearts game, and more specifically, about 20 years since Shadow Hearts: Covenant, generally considered the pinnacle of the series, came out outside of Japan. Creator Matsuzo Machida and company are currently working on a spiritual successor, Penny Blood, which is hotly anticipated by Shadow Hearts fans. In the meantime, we have Penny Blood: Hellbound, a prequel spinoff.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
I wasn’t sure how to feel about a sequel to Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The first game delivered on the “novelty” of a massive, open Elder Scrolls-esque game about realistic medieval times: no magic, no dragons, and characters based on real people who lived in the 1300s.
Random Encounter 314 - The Switch 2 is Real (and Other Stories)
Article / Highlight · Podcast · Random Encounter by , and on January 20, 2025 On this episode of Random Encounter, Jono is back to chat with the panel about two recent big January releases! First up, Wes has managed to fight through hundreds upon hundreds of foes to deliver their verdict on Dynasty Warriors: Origins! This latest entry in the long-running series dramatically cuts back on playable characters and weapons to provide a much more streamlined action-RPG experience.
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana
The Ys series keeps on rolling, as Nihon Falcom delves into its back catalog to bring us Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana on consoles for the first time. Memoireâs key differentiator is offering an upscaled version for modern TVs, but it also provides a few new features from the remake released 20 years ago that originally came out in 1989 as Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. Itâs come a long way, and over the years, itâs continued to offer undeniably classic RPG action.
Remember Your Oath! Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana Hands-On
Itâs a great time to be a fan of Ys. With Ys X: Nordics arriving a couple months ago, Nihon Falcom decided itâs also the right moment to take a trip into the chronicles of Adol Christinâs earlier adventures. Tracing its origin back to Ys III: Wanderers from Ys over 35 years ago, Oath in Felghana is coming to consoles outside of Japan for the first time (after previous stops on PC and Sony PSP) as Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana.
Neon Blood Review | RPGFan
The cyberpunk aesthetic was brought back into fashion a few years ago, appropriately by Cyberpunk 2077,but otherwise was derived from a prediction from the â80s of a tech-steeped future society. To a point, it becomes less and less science fiction and more reality as technology in the real world evolves to match or even surpass many of the advances that were once predicted.
Farmagia Review | RPGFan
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 moving into a new phase of my sim life and operations as an entrepreneur and family person.
Crown Wars: The Black Prince
The Hundred Years’ War is a fascinating subject for history buffs, though more of us may be more familiar with Game of Thrones or A Song of Ice and Fire, which draw heavily from portions of that time period. There have been video game attempts at capturing the deep, twisting intrigue of the Hundred Years’ War or Game of Thrones, but a successful RPG in that vein is elusive.
Rogue Waters Review | RPGFan
Yo ho! A pirate’s roguelike for me! All the buckles be swashed and the poop deck be swabbed. It ain’t a real roguelike without some real rogues, and Rogue Waters has got a whole galley of ‘em! But don’t go thinkin’ it be just another landlubber roguelike with a medically unnecessary eyepatch and a fake parrot on the shoulder. Ice Code Games’ latest voyage be a dyed-in-the-wool pirate, and their colors run more than skin deep. Rogue Waters is a tale primarily of revenge.
Fairy Tail: Dungeons
Full disclosure: I hadn’t read or watched anything Fairy Tail until recently. After watching a few episodes of the anime … I still wasn’t a fan. Like many anime series, however, the IP seemingly would lend itself well to a video game.
Random Encounter 303 - Anthropomorphic Crime Fighting
Article / Highlight · Podcast · Random Encounter by , and on August 19, 2024 On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re chatting about some of video game history’s most prolific anthropomorphic animal crimefighters! First up, Jono binge-plays the brand-new remaster of the third season of Telltale Games’ Sam & Max series: The Devil’s Playhouse. Lovingly remastered by Skunkape Games, does this remaster bring the 2010 point-and-click up to speed?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
Go ninja, go ninja, go! If you ever wished Hades‘ Zagreus had been green, then Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate might be your slice of pizza. Hades, a groundbreaking game as a niche roguelike, was surprisingly a supergiant success, so it’s no surprise there would be attempts to emulate its distinctive experience. It was even less expected that everyone’s favorite heroes in a half-shell would get that treatment.
Random Encounter 301 - Oy "Vay," We Could Use a Vacation to Hinterberg
Article / Highlight · Podcast · Random Encounter by , and on July 22, 2024 On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re diving into a magical alpine journey and revisiting a classic RPG. First up, Abe joins us to discuss Dungeons of Hinterberg. This action RPG with Zelda and Persona-like elements is set in a beautiful Austrian resort town, combining combat, puzzles, and social interactions. How do these elements come together to create a memorable adventure (and vacation)?
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Everyone needs a chance to escape the doldrums of life on occasion to refresh and re-find themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. For some, this could mean taking a trip to a whole different environment and possibly discovering a new course for their life. For many, that’s one of the reasons we love video games, which transport us to another reality, allowing us to escape the grind of real life when time and money don’t add up to a lavish vacation.
Random Encounter 299 - We're (Monster) Hunting for Some Nintendo News!
Article / Highlight · Podcast · Random Encounter by , and on June 24, 2024 On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re breaking down all the RPG news from the June 2024 Nintendo Direct and chatting about the recent re-release of Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel! As usual, Nintendo’s latest showcase brought the house down with a flurry of surprises.
Dungeons of Hinterberg preview
Welcome to Hinterberg! Hit the slopes and hit some enemies as you explore this resort town in the mountains of Austria in Dungeons of Hinterberg. Meet charming friends and support small local businesses with some shopping. Enjoy food from the local eateries and get involved with restaurant drama. See what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps. Get lost in a dungeon.
Monster Hunter Stories
Ever wonder who would win between a shark-frog and a hippo-gorilla? Even if this isn’t a question you’ve asked, Monster Hunter Stories aims to answer it. You may be more familiar with the Monster Hunter series, but this spin-off is back with a few enhancements, and it’s here to claim its place at the top of the food chain. Originally released outside of Japan in 2017 on the 3DS, Monster Hunter Stories spins a different tale from the usual Monster Hunter.
Monster Hunter Stories Hands-On Preview
With the end of the 3DS eShop and the handheld console receiving its last rites from Nintendo, many excellent games were left without a home. Thankfully, Capcom wasn’t content to leave Monster Hunter Stories stranded, and next month, we’ll see it return on modern platforms with a few upgrades. For now, I played a preview version to get a jump on hatching those Monsties.
Fallout 2 Review | RPGFan
War. War never changed. Fallout 2 never got an expansion pack. A lot has changed since Fallout 2‘s 1998 release, even in the world of the Fallout series. It is a product of its time in that, along with Diablo, Fallout and its sequel set the tone in a new way for modern CRPGs, feeding into the series cousin and successor, the legendary Baldurâs Gate.
Retro Encounter 412 - Fallout Encounter
Article / Highlight · Podcast · Retro Encounter by , and on April 11, 2024 Retro. Retro never changes. But boy, long-running RPG series sure can! Back when a small group of developers at Interplay Productions released Fallout in 1997, I’m sure they couldn’t imagine they were setting the foundations for one of the most iconic RPG series of all time.
Broken Roads Review | RPGFan
Broken Roads take me home To the place I belong Australia, outback mama Take me home Broken Roads Unless you want to set the world on fire, the Fallout games donât have the most melodious vibes. If you’re a fan of the first two entries in that series and Bethesdaâs attempts to modernize it have left you feeling stranded, Broken Roads hopes to take you home but with an Aussie flair.
Vestaria Saga II: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister
Got the itch for more Fire Emblem? Vestaria Saga is the project of Shouzou Kaga, the creator of the original game in Nintendo’s flagship strategy RPG series. War of the Scions was the first part of this planned trilogy, and we now have the official second part: Vestaria Saga II: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister. Fire Emblem fans will find a game that feels familiar but different as Kaga has added some new twists to the formula for those up to the challenge.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Life to the living, death to the dead. So goes the banishers’ credo. Red mac Raith and Antea Duarte have been called upon to deal with a ghost situation in New Eden, a fledgling New England town, in 1695. The spirits of the dead are running amok. It’s snowing in June, and the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is paper-thin. Thus, it’s a job for the banishers. But the pair find themselves in over their head.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Pre-Launch Hands-On Impressions
Article / Highlight · Preview by on February 6, 2024 I admit, I wasn’t sure how to feel about Final Fantasy VII Remake before it came out. Splitting the original game into multiple parts with completely new action-based combat could have been disastrous. Thankfully, my many concerns were misplaced. It was a joy to explore Midgar more thoroughly, and the combat was surprisingly excellent — feeling fresh yet true to Final Fantasy VII.
Phantom Brigade Review | RPGFan
Mechs. Mechs never change. What is there that hasn’t already been done with mechs in video games? Brace Yourself Games imagined up something new in tactical RPG Phantom Brigade with an ambitious battle system. Ambition is great, but it doesn’t always translate to something enjoyable. In Phantom Brigade, the machine works, but how does it hold up when pressure is applied? Phantom Brigade was born and bred for battle. It’s a turn-based system with many twists.
Sovereign Syndicate Reviews
With its emphasis on roleplay rather than combat and borrowings from Disco Elysium, Sovereign Syndicate feels like another step forward for the CRPG. Read full review It mostly whiffs on its greatest ambitions, but the world is intriguing enough that I'd like to see more of it. Read full review Sovereign Syndicate is an engaging cRPG with a lot of heart, and a surprisingly competent first title from developer Crimson Herring Studios.
Sovereign Syndicate
Innovative game styles that catch on leave behind a blueprint of sorts that others can repurpose for completely different games. If another developer is creative enough, they can dress it up in a new outfit as if showing off the glorious, life-changing armor they found after slaying that legendary creative monster. If you’re a fan of the manic style of Disco Elysium but perhaps would enjoy a setting with more minotaurs and monocles, then the world of Sovereign Syndicate might be more your flavor.
Random Encounter 284 - Merry Game Awards!
Article / Highlight · Podcast · Random Encounter by , and on December 11, 2023 On this episode of Random Encounter, we chat all of the news from the 2024 Game Awards, and delve into two recent indie RPGs. First, The Game Awards came and went faster than the music playing off the winners! Baldur’s Gate 3 was the champion of the evening with Best Game, but Alan Wake 2 walked away with a good share of the awards, as well.
Little Goody Two Shoes
There was a young woman named Elise, an unassuming villager in the small, quiet town of Kieferberg. One day, an odd girl appeared outside Elise’s house. Elise took her in and fed her, and they quickly became friends. But as strange things began to happen around town, rumors started to spread, and the neighbors grew to become suspicious of Elise and the outsider.
Front Mission 2: Remake
Well, itās finally here, and oh, are there mechs. Front Mission 2 has landed outside of Japan for the first time as part of Forever Entertainmentās continuing quest to rebuild the classic Squaresoft series. It was originally released in 1997, so itās been a long wait for an official release for the rest of the world. But is it worth the wait?
The Expanse: A Telltale Series — Episode 5 Review | RPGFan
The Expanse makes an explosive exit in its final excursion of the season. The felota finally hits the fan and any loose ends left in your travels get tied up, one way or another. Though the early episodes felt lacking as they were released, Episode 5 draws it all together. After everything, The Expanse: A Telltale Series has wings; it just had to limp away from an awkward liftoff. It’s decisions galore as Camina and her newfound pirate pals assault the Artemis to take her ship back.
The Expanse — Episode 4 Review | RPGFan
Camina’s stranded and alone back at Mining Station #184, running low on oxygen with seemingly no way off this rock. Weird things start to happen when you’re running out of air or in isolation, so both simultaneously are an extra gnarly combo. Camina goes on a trip through her past, at least in her mind, and eventually finds herself in an even stranger predicament by the time Episode 4 of The Expanse: A Telltale Series concludes.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series — Episode 3 Review | RPGFan
Just as it feels like The Expanse: A Telltale Series is settling into an excavation-of-the-week formula, Telltale pulls the rug out at the end of Episode 3, setting a new course for the second half of the series. The game portion of the mythos finally delivers a major turn that feels like a meaningful consequence dependent on your actions, though it’s only a short-term branch rather than a long-term one.
Baldur's Gate III Review
From the beginning, Baldur’s Gate III hands you control of your destiny and then makes you question whether your choices were ever your own or if you were under someone else’s control the whole time. By the end, even with all the choices behind me, I clearly couldn’t save everyone. Possibly not anyone. Maybe not even myself. Those choices definitely mattered, but the complexities of life dictate that you can never control every aspect of it. I was a savior, but at an incredible cost.
Baldur's Gate III: Interview with Maggie Robertson, "Orin the Red"
Exploring in Baldur’s Gate III, the main character and their party eventually find themselves embroiled in conflict with the Three Chosen, the main humanoid antagonists and a trio of fascinating individuals. Ketheric Thorm anoints himself the chosen representative of Lady Shar, the goddess of darkness. Lord Enver Gortash, the Chosen of Bane, the god of tyranny, installs himself as archduke of Baldur’s Gate.
Random Encounter 276 - Epic Fantasy (With a Musical Interlude)
Article / Highlight · Podcast · Random Encounter by , and on August 21, 2023 On this week’s Random Encounter, we’re diving into the realms of fantasy and musical adventure! First, Abe takes on the epic challenge of reviewing Baldur’s Gate III, the long-awaited CRPG sequel that brings Dungeons & Dragons to life! With intricate storytelling, deep character customization, and intense tactical combat, does it roll a nat 20?
The Expanse: A Telltale Series — Episode 2 Review | RPGFan
After the first episode’s weighty conclusion, in which you had to decide whether to put Cox in storage or out the airlock, the crew of the Artemis is immediately in trouble in the second installation of The Expanse: A Telltale Series. This is the first time you get a taste of present danger in the series, being pursued by pirates whose intentions for you are clearly bad. You don’t get back to taking control of Camina until she decides to take refuge hiding out in a ship graveyard.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series, Episode 1
Man, it’s good to have Telltale Games back. The development crew that worked on decision-heavy adventure games featuring well-established IPs was so strongly entrenched in its niche before being whittled away. I still prefer their The Walking Dead to the TV series. With a significant portion of the development team back, it’s exciting to see what they can do with a newer popular series, The Expanse, which just finished its presumed final season last year.
Jagged Alliance 3
I’d only played the first Jagged Alliance before 2023, though I knew the second game was reputedly one of the great tactical games, especially for the PC. So, I figured I should give it a spin. Even for a game from 1999 that looks its age, the high level of quality is apparent. I was excited to dig deep into that world of espionage and intrigue. The characters’ personalities are as explosive as the grenades on their belt.
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2
There’s more Mega Man Battle Network! The first volume of Capcom’s collection provided a crescendo from humble beginnings to its robustly developed third game. In Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2, the developers attempt to take the series in some new directions, which, while ambitious, fall short of revolutionary. They’re not so much a step down, as they deviate little from the core gameplay, but they fail to innovate further in a series that’s always been about invention.
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