Combo Chain - A JRPG Podcast

So a caveman, kung fu master, ninja, cowboy, tournament fighter, esper, robot, and a knight go into a bar and discover...a cosmic evil. We cover this long-obscure cult Super Famicom JRPG that only came to the west this year through a remaster. Both versions are a glimpse into a fascinating concept decades before its time, and the kind of risk-taking and wild experimentation that could be found in 16-bit JRPGS. Follow Allisa's writing here (https://linktr.ee/asjames) Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/combo-chain-a-jrpg-podcast/id1463536267)

We bust out our flowcharts and get unstuck in time as we cover the time-traveling cult classic Radiant Historia. As a dying world contends with endless war and desertification, three heroes jump between multiple timelines to try and find a way forward. Both a throwback to classic JRPGs and an ambitious reformulation of them, Radiant Historia is a fascinating relic of the Nintendo DS era. Timeline flowcharts on Fandom (https://radianthistoria.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline) Follow Allisa's writing here (https://linktr.ee/asjames) Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/combo-chain-a-jrpg-podcast/id1463536267)

River-kun comes for us all as we cover Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. The collaboration between Level-5 and Studio Ghibli was the subject of a lot of anticipation but has a complicated legacy. We discuss Drippy-gate, collecting the 'mons, and the game's similiarities to Frozen spinoff media. Allisa James' work on Linktree (https://linktr.ee/asjames)

Pick your best boy or girl and join us as we cover Fire Emblem: Three Houses with special guest Six Dettmar! With the help of Koei Tecmo, Intelligent Systems (and Nintendo) turned the franchise around after the questionable Fire Emblem Fates. The result was an ambitious mix of mature themes, meaningful character development, branching narrative paths, dating simulation, and, of course, anime chess. Six Dettmar's shows on Scanline Media (http://scanlinemedia.com/) Allisa James on Siliconera (https://www.siliconera.com/author/ajamessiliconera/) and Techradar (https://www.techradar.com/author/allisa-james)

Underrated and under-promoted, the absurdly titled 7th Dragon III: Code VFD didn't make much of a splash when it was released on the Nintendo 3DS. But there's plenty to love in the game, a mix of Rieko Kodama's sci-fi/fantasy aesthetic and Etrian Odyssey-esque dungeon crawling, even if you (like most westerners) missed the first two non-localized entries. Allisa and Paul take a deep dive into a mostly forgotten gem and find a game that's shockingly progressive (in its own problematic ways) as well as a engaging sci-fi fantasy epic, Allisa James on GamePur (https://www.gamepur.com/author/allisa-james) Please support us on Patreon and get a new patron-exclusive episode every month! We've restructured our Patreon rewards (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios?fan_landing=true) and are now releasing an extra Patreon-exclusive episode of Combo Chain every month! In this month's exclusive episode, we cover the divisive but fascinating Final Fantasy VIII. $5 patrons get access to the exclusive episodes, and $2 patrons will get our two public monthly episodes a week early. Please head over to our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios?fan_landing=true) and get extra Combo Chain while helping support us!

As much of a storytelling experiment as it is a throwback to 16 and 32-bit JRPGs, Octopath Traveler is an ambitious, if flawed, entry in the genre. Journalist Iyane Agossah joins Paul and new full-time co-host Allisa James to discuss this anthology of eight loosely-connected stories, and how successful it is in its attempt to both innovate and call back to classic JRPGs. Iyane Agossah on Dualshockers (https://www.dualshockers.com/author/iyane-agossah/) Allisa James on GamePur (https://www.gamepur.com/author/allisa-james) Please support us on Patreon and get a new patron-exclusive episode every month! We've restructured our Patreon rewards (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios?fan_landing=true) and are now releasing an extra Patreon-exclusive episode of Combo Chain every month! In this month's exclusive episode, we cover the divisive but fascinating Final Fantasy VIII. $5 patrons get access to the exclusive episodes, and $2 patrons will get our two public monthly episodes a week early. Please head over to our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios?fan_landing=true) and get extra Combo Chain while helping support us!

In our longest episode to date, we delve deep into the desperation, dualities, and despair of Yoko Taro's brilliant Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139... We cover the ways this remake vastly improves on the original, its themes of miscommunication, body shame, and existential despair, and detail the story and how it diverges in its numerous replays. As a spoiler alert, we also touch on its connections to lore from Nier: Automata (which you should play immediately) and the Drakengard series (which you should probably avoid playing). Mr. Clemps' DrakeNieR videos (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI1L9JVl6TFdwfvKUuebNp_zOAL5XXDT5) Please support us on Patreon - monthly patron-exclusive episodes stating in June! We've restructured our Patreon rewards (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios?fan_landing=true) and will be launching a third Patreon-exclusive episode of Combo Chain, released every month, starting in June! $5 patrons get access to the exclusive episodes, and $2 patrons will get our two public monthly episodes a week early. Please head over to our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios?fan_landing=true) and help support us!

Take these broken wings and learn to fly again as we cover the underrated MonolithSoft JRPG, Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. Set in a surreal world of disconnected islands, the GameCube classic is a perfect example of the wild and experimental JRPGs that we don't get very often anymore, with a unique deck-building battle system and fourth wall breaking hijinks. Baten Kaitos interview with Shinji Noguchi (https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/05/03/baten-kaitos-interview) Robert on Twitter (https://twitter.com/pewteriscuter) Please support us on Patreon - monthly patron-exclusive episodes stating in June! We've restructured our Patreon rewards (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios?fan_landing=true) and will be launching a third Patreon-exclusive episode of Combo Chain, released every month, starting in June! $5 patrons get access to the exclusive episodes, and $2 patrons will get our two public monthly episodes a week early. Please head over to our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios?fan_landing=true) and help support us!

We delve into Norse mythology and enter an world-shattering battle in the underrated PS1 classic Valkyrie Profile. The game hearkens back to an era when JRPGs could be as bizarre and experimental as they wanted to be, for better and worse. We unpack the epic saga and the unusual mechanics of this game that got lost in the shuffle of Square's major PS1 games, which has nontheless become highly influential. Show Notes Valkyrie Profile on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie_Profile_(video_game)) Hellscaper: A Terrible Experience (https://hellscaper.com/)

Imagine you're an ultra-hip Shibuya kid who suddenly finds you've been enlisted into a battle for your life—and possibly the fate of the world. The World Ends With You is a stunningly innovative JRPG that's been imitated in style, but rarely in gameplay. We're joined by Allisa James to discuss the Reaper's Game, this fascinating use of the DS hardware, and the rare time that Tetsuya Nomura displayed restraint. Black Girl Gamers (https://twitter.com/blackgirlgamers) Megaten Marathon (http://www.megatenmarathon.com/) Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/combo-chain-a-jrpg-podcast/id1463536267)—it helps a ton!

Tales of the Abyss is a bold game, particularly for a series as risk-averse as Tales. This game takes big chances from the jump, from its initially-unlikeable protagonist to its constant efforts to undermine the story tropes you expect in such a game. Robert joins us to discuss this PS2/3DS JRPG classic that doesn't get the credit it deserves, a game with a thrilling narrative that often subverts the genre's tropes.

One of the greatest, and perhaps most underrated, JRPG's of the 16-bit generation, Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium is a sci-fi epic with a narrative and mechanics before its time. Alexander McConnell joins us to discuss the definitive conclusion to this four game saga, delving into its epic scope, charmingly sleazy protagonists, magical cats, and dad joke-spouting aliens. Pledge drive time! We need your help covering the costs of hosting and producing Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, which are more than $500 a year. Plus, we’re giving away early-access episodes to contributors. Please help if you can! https://tinyurl.com/megatenchain Show Notes Alexander on Don't Give Up Skeleton (https://www.dontgiveupskeleton.com/179) Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews (https://shmuplations.com/phantasystariv/) Combo Chain Ep 5: Phantasy Star w/ Robert (https://combochain.fireside.fm/phantasystar) Megaten Marathon (http://www.megatenmarathon.com/)

As Composer Frédéric Chopin lies on his deathbed from tuberculosis, in a parallel universe he's an anime bad boy in a fantasy world, doing battle with an industrialized empire and nasty anthropormphised beans. Eternal Sonata may not be the strangest premise for a JRPG ever, but it's certainly in the running. In this episode, Dani Siller of Escape This Podcast and Solve This Murder joins us to unpack this truly bizarre curio of the PS3/XBox 360 era. Pledge drive time! We need your help covering the costs of hosting and producing Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, which are more than $500 a year. Plus, we’re giving away early-access episodes to contributors. Please help if you can! https://tinyurl.com/megatenchain Show Notes Consume This Media, Dani's podcast network (https://www.consumethismedia.com/) Eternal Sonata Director Q&A (https://web.archive.org/web/20180207224843/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/eternal-sonata-director-qanda/1100-6176358/) Megaten Marathon (http://www.megatenmarathon.com/)

Sharpen up those Blitzball skills 'cos we're heading back to Spira. Final Fantasy X expert extraordinaire Andy Reinhold joins Paul for a deep dive into the themes, characters, and misconceptions about one of the most unusual and abstract entries in the franchise. Join us as we explore the heady themes, investigate who the game's true protagonist is, and learn why that infamous laughter scene is actually good. Pledge drive time! We need your help covering the costs of hosting and producing Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, which are more than $500 a year. Plus, we’re giving away early-access episodes to contributors. Please help if you can! https://tinyurl.com/megatenchain Show Notes Andy's Life in Games podcast and video series (https://linktr.ee/shibabreak) Looking Back On Final Fantasy X With Producer Yoshinori Kitase (https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/07/07/looking-back-on-final-fantasy-x-with-producer-yoshinori-kitase) Megaten Marathon (http://www.megatenmarathon.com/)

Take flight into an age of adventure, where swashbuckling sky pirates do battle with an unjust empire and ancient godlike figures. Skies of Arcadia is the product of Sega RPG royalty—Phantasy Star creator Rieko Kodama and the team behind Panzer Dragoon Saga. Released originally for the Dreamcast, and later on the GameCube, the game is a cult classic that deserves greater appreciation. Join Paul and Robert as we discuss its endless charms, its painfully dated faults, and how much it deserves a remaster or sequel. Pledge drive time! We need your help covering the costs of hosting and producing Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, which are more than $500 a year. Plus, we’re giving away early-access episodes to contributors. Please help if you can! https://tinyurl.com/megatenchain Show Notes Rieko Kodama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rieko_Kodama) Sega AM1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_AM1) 'My Childhood Dream Had Come True': A Belated Interview With Skies Of Arcadia's Producer (https://kotaku.com/my-childhood-dream-had-come-true-a-belated-interview-w-1834310414) Robert on Twitter (https://twitter.com/pewteriscuter)

Ah, Star Ocean...the venerable sci-fi JRPG series that plays more like a bad episode of Star Trek TOS than the epic, interstellar adventure it's always aspired to. In this episode, Fletch and Paul delve into the madness that is the original Super Famicom entry in the series, try to figure out why a spacefaring adventure ends up as a sword and magic fantasy title, and wrap our heads around some truly mad twists. We also pour one out for the dearly departed (or deeply comprised) Tri-Ace. But in the end, it's not all bad...actually, it's pretty bad, but a good time is had by all. Pledge drive time! We need your help covering the costs of hosting and producing Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, which are more than $500 a year. Plus, we’re giving away early-access episodes to contributors. Please help if you can! https://tinyurl.com/megatenchain (https://tinyurl.com/megatenchain) Show Notes Hellscaper: A Terrible Experience (https://hellscaper.com/) Star Ocean on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Ocean_(video_game)) Star Ocean First Departure R on Switch (https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/star-ocean-first-departure-r-switch/)

Paul and Leland Cheuk (https://lelandcheuk.com/) delve into the sordid (yet strangely wholesome) underbelly of Japanese life in this ep on Yakuza Zero. Topics include putting a chicken in charge at your law firm, how may thrusts the thrusting guy can make an hour, and the sopa opera excesses of the Tojo Clan and their subordinates. Show Notes Very Bad No Good Asian (https://lelandcheuk.com/books/ngvba-novel-crpress-2019/) (https://lelandcheuk.com/books/ngvba-novel-crpress-2019/) by Leland Cheuk The Misadventures of Sullivan Pong (https://lelandcheuk.com/books/pong/) by Leland Cheuk 7.13 Books (https://713books.com/) Support Combo Chain on Patreon Any amount helps! Please head over to Mirror Image Studios on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios) and pledge what you can! Support Combo Chain (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios)

We venture into a mysterious land with an even more mysterious forest in Ys: Memories of Celceta, recently re-released for the PS4. A fleet-footed action-RPG that doesn't outstay its welcome, Ys: Memories of Celceta is the game where the brave (and commonly amnesiac) Adol finally earns the hallowed title of Adventurer with a capital A. Topics include what makes a great action-RPG, the mess that is Ys canon, and the real-life occult origins of Ys lore. Show Notes DualShockers at PAX Online (https://www.dualshockers.com/pax-online-panels-dualshockers-n64-persona/) Allisa's Ys: Memories of Celceta Review (https://www.dualshockers.com/ys-memories-of-celceta-review/) DualShockers' review of the original Vita release (https://www.dualshockers.com/review-ys-memories-of-celceta-anime-coated-action-rpg-bliss/) Support Combo Chain on Patreon Any amount helps! Please head over to Mirror Image Studios on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios) and pledge what you can! Support Combo Chain (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios)

With special guest Fletch in tow, we delve into one of the strangest, fascinating, and underrated Final Fantasy entires: Lightning Returns. Fletch and Paul sign the praises of a game that is over the top in all of the best ways, introduces innovative mechanics, and features best emotionless girl Lightning as the harbinger of the apocalypse for a delightfully ridiculous world. Unfairly maligned at its release, the game has become a cult classic in recent years, and for good reason. Join us as we discuss death cults, chicken seers, Louis Vuitton cross-promotions, and the brilliance of a battle system built on costume changes. Show notes Final Fantasy XIII - 16-Bit Retrospective (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_WzVnraMQ) Kotaku: Louis Vuitton Interview With Final Fantasy's Lightning Should Be Canon (https://kotaku.com/louis-vuitton-interview-with-final-fantasys-lightning-s-1752749481) Lightning Strikes Thrice (https://www.lightningstrikesthrice.com/) Support Combo Chain on Patreon Any amount helps! Please head over to Mirror Image Studios on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios) and pledge what you can!

It's a slow news...season? Rest of the year? So Allisa and Paul take a deep dive into Final Fantasy 7 Remake, We also discuss Allisa's Trials of Mana review, the delay of Digimon Survive, and much more! Spoiler note: Listen out for a couple spoiler warnings before we discuss some endgame elements of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and skip ahead to the time stamps we recommend if you haven't beaten the game yet! Please help support Megaten Marathon on Patreon! (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios) Show Notes Fairy Tail JRPG for PS4, Switch, and PC Reveals New Screenshots on Famitsu (https://twinfinite.net/2019/10/fairy-tail-interview/) KEEP OF THE KOBOLD QUEEN Is a JRPG-Inspired D&D Adventure (https://geektyrant.com/news/keep-of-th-ekobold-queen-is-a-jrpg-inspired-dampd-adventure) Digimon Survive Gets Indefinitely Delayed According to Famitsu (https://www.dualshockers.com/digimon-survive-indefinitely-delayed-famitsu/) Trials of Mana Review — Class Changing Into a Brand New Form (https://www.dualshockers.com/trials-of-mana-review-ps4/) Allisa on the Shin Megami Tensei Network podcast (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTl0LkOZ4I0&feature=youtu.be) Megaten Marathon - A game-by-game journey through the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games (http://www.megatenmarathon.com/) Please help support Megaten Marathon on Patreon! (https://www.patreon.com/Mirrorimagestudios) Theme song is "Chiptronical (https://patrickdearteaga.com/chiptune-8-bit-retro/)" by Patrick de Arteagna