Top 25 RPG Countdown, #16: Earthbound

In all the excitement around PAX West, we weren’t able to get around to reviewing Dragon Quest XI on the podcast. Now here are all of our spoiler-free thoughts in their full glory!

Nadia talk about the monster design, the crafting, its relationship to the rest of the series, and its quiet strength as a bedrock JRPG. Because it is a strength! We spend so much time talking about Dragon Quest as a “retro” or “throwback” experience that we often forget the elements that are timeless. We talk about those here, and why it shouldn’t be allowed to slip through the cracks.

Also in this episode: Earthbound! The oddity of PAX resulted in us going slightly out of order in our Top 25 RPG countdown. Everything will be back in place next week. In the meantime, though, Bob Mackey returns to talk about why Earthbound is still such a joy after more than 20 years.