Rhythm Encounter Archives | Page 3 of 6

Rhythm Encounter 79 – A Toast to Tanioka

Posted by Mike Salbato on March 14, 2022

Maybe you know Kumi Tanioka as a composer, arranger, or pianist, or maybe you don’t know her at all! But considering her immense contributions to Final Fantasy XI and the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series over the years, you may have heard her work, regardless. Today our small panel convenes t… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 78 – The Power of Feelings, Baby

Posted by Mike Salbato on February 14, 2022

Ah, Valentine’s Day. That day when a little cherub works as hard as Santa Claus, flying around the world and launching volleys of heart-tipped arrows into the buttocks of potential lovers. That’s how it works, right? In this episode, our panel brings eight tracks to represent several forms of love a… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 77 – Music of the Year 2021

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 31, 2022

Over on Random Encounter & Retro Encounter, we’ve talked about our favorite games of 2021, and now it’s time to discuss our favorite music! Four panelists come together with an extra-large playlist today, covering a wide range of music released throughout the year. Yes, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwal… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 76 – Smashing Tunes

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 17, 2022

Whether or not you play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you may know that Nintendo’s latest entry in its fighter series features more than a few characters from RPGs: 31 of its 82 characters are from our beloved genre, and that number grows if you want to bend the rules and include Mario characters beca… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 75 – Cocktail Concerto

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 3, 2022

Once upon a time, an RPGFan editor remarked that Chrono Cross (where’s that remaster?) smelled like a piña colada. This little side comment sparked an idea with our own Michael Sollosi about what other RPG and drink pairings might sound and taste like. Over a year later, four panelists have chosen s… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 74 – It’s Elemental, My Dear Watts

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 20, 2021

Long ago, the two podcasts of RPGFan lived in harmony. But then, everything changed when the Rhythm Nation attacked. Actually, that’s not true. Rhythm Encounter was actually around before Retro Encounter, but Janet Jackson didn’t record a song called Retro Nation, did she? (Did she?) Today we are ge… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 73 – NES Side Story

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 6, 2021

Marty, we’ve got to go back! Back to the… past. That didn’t work. But on this episode of Rhythm Encounter, we’re doing a console-specific episode, for the first time since Episode 1 (which debuted way back in February 2013). The Nintendo Entertainment System wasn’t the first game platform, but its… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 72 – Game Music Concerts

Posted by Hilary Andreff on November 22, 2021

Once upon a time, the idea of going to a theater or other venue to see video game music performed live was unheard of. But as gaming grew in popularity, live performances have become more frequent, and fans have had the opportunities to hear the likes of The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy perform… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 71 – Press Start: Title Screen Music

Posted by Alana Hagues on November 8, 2021

Title screens are among the first things we see when we turn on our favourite RPGs, and they’re incredibly unique to the medium of video games. So it seems criminal that we haven’t had an episode devoted exclusively to them! From setting the tone to weaving a story, a title screen (and its accompany… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 70 – Black and White Magic

Posted by Jonathan Logan on October 25, 2021

When it comes to instrumentation, it doesn’t get more fundamental than the piano. Not only is it often the first instrument that musicians learn, but its 88-note range and ability to play both melody and accompaniment give it unmatched versatility. Piano albums of RPG soundtracks have been popular f… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 69 – Final Fantasy XIV: What Moogle Wakes Me?

Posted by Mike Salbato on October 11, 2021

How many Shakespeare references can Yoshi-P’s team pack into a Final Fantasy XIV expansion? How many of said references will we reference today? And what angel wakes Mike Salbato? The answer to some of these questions lie within our new dedicated Final Fantasy XIV episode of Rhythm Encounter. Becaus… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 68 – Joe Zieja On Fire Emblem and Saxophones

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 27, 2021

In this special surprise episode of Rhythm Encounter, we are joined by musician and actor Joe Zieja! RPG fans may know Joe from a multitude of roles, especially for his work in Fire Emblem: Three Houses as Claude, leader of the Golden Deer house. Recently, we posted an article about Joe’s musical Ki… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 67 – NieR: Sounds of the World

Posted by Mike Salbato on September 13, 2021

It’s hard to deny the power of NieR’s music. Keiichi Okabe (and his company MONACA) created something remarkable in 2010 with the music of NieR Gestalt & Replicant. In 2017, lightning struck again with the soundtrack for NieR: Automata, a masterwork of instrumentation and emotion. There’s a reas… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 66 – Ace Attorney Arpeggio

Posted by Jonathan Logan on August 30, 2021

Hold it! For Ace Attorney fans, it was a long wait since the last mainline game in the series was released in 2016. But now, with the recent release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles in July 2021, Ace Attorney looks to be getting the attention in the West that it deserves! Though the series is kn… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 65 – Adventure Game Classics

Posted by Hilary Andreff on August 16, 2021

Once one of the most popular genres of video games, adventure games have become much more niche in recent years. But thankfully, it’s a niche with some absolutely fantastic music! From the mid-80s to the early 2000s, adventure games were at the forefront of narratives in interactive entertainm… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 64 – Bravely New World

Posted by Michael Sollosi on August 2, 2021

Bravely Default and Bravely Second are two 3DS throwback RPGs from Square Enix, with a new 2021 entry for the Switch in Bravely Default II. To celebrate the Bravely series and its excellent soundtracks, Rhythm Encounter assembled a panel of three Revo-and-Ryo superfans to discuss this preeminent pai… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 63 – Endings and Beginnings

Posted by Mike Salbato on July 19, 2021

RPGs can offer a surprising variety of stories, which are definitely reflected in their opening and ending sequences and, of course, the memorable music to go along with them! What makes a good overture and why is it good to have high standards about them? How do you reflect the end of a complex and… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 62 – J’Nique Nicole Interview ver.1.9871269874…

Posted by Hilary Andreff on February 1, 2021

NieR: Automata has sold over 5 million copies, and we’re awaiting the release of the mobile game, NieR Re[in]carnation, and the updated version of NieR Replicant this spring. And today, Hilary and Patrick are talking NieR music and more with a very special guest, the one and only J’Nique Nicole. She… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 61 – A Very Yoko Shimomura January

Posted by Hilary Andreff on January 27, 2021

We’re back with a panel of four this time, and how else could we follow up our primer to female game composers than to discuss the inimitable Yoko Shimomura and her many contributions to RPG music? We’ve got Live A Live, Kingdom Hearts, Mario RPGs, and more…not to mention a large amount of Legend… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 60 – The Lost Years

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 6, 2021

Every year we get introduced to new games and new music. The ever-growing bounty of RPG music out there has grown quite a bit, with 2020 alone giving us amazing soundtracks like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Haven, Paradise Killer, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and more. And while we’ve been enjoying introdu… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 59 – Winter Warmer II: The Wintering

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 22, 2020

Today we’re getting cozy and seasonally appropriate as the two Mikes and Alana discuss some excellent wintery tracks. It’s amazing how various instruments can come together to convey a wide variety of winter atmospheres; that and the abundance of good winter/snow themed music make this a topic worth… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 58 – Female Game Composers: A Primer

Posted by Hilary Andreff on December 7, 2020

They sing, they form bands (and companies), and several of them play piano so well it will knock your socks off. And that’s just what they do in addition to writing music. In this episode, Alana, Eva, and Hilary delve into the rich and unique world of game compositions from female composers. From th… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 57 – Final Fantasy IX-20

Posted by Mike Salbato on November 17, 2020

Final Fantasy IX saw the light of day in North America almost exactly twenty years ago today. It was on November 13, 2000 that the crystals returned, and Final Fantasy took a reprieve from the realism and sci-fi or steampunk overtones to harken back to castles, kingdoms, and big heads. Since FFIX ha… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 56 – OoooOOoooOooO!

Posted by Hilary Andreff on October 31, 2020

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We’re getting in the spirit this spooky season with a collection of chilling tracks to help make the season memorable. Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society RPGFan listeners, we have spooky soundscapes from Final Fantasy haunted libraries to the deeply unsettling worlds… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 55 – Relaxing Rhythm Part 2

Posted by Mike Salbato on October 26, 2020

We’re just here to vibe…again. There’s so much good relaxing music within our favorite genre that we needed two episodes to cover it. We delve into a nice assortment here (from 16-bit to recent releases) and discuss how these relaxing picks fit into their in-game settings, whether it’s a nice unde… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter(s) Archive