Magnvs' RPG Journey
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magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Magnvs' RPG Journey
@magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
15 followers 22 following 50 posts
I love researching RPGs from various periods, platforms and geographical contexts in order to glimpse their history and evolution. You can find me at https://magnvsrpgjourney.substack.com/
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magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf, an Italo-British tribute to the world of Gamebooks

#rpg #wrpg #gamebook #lonewolf #JoeDever #rpghistory #videogamehistory #gaming #gamedev #switch #steam #ps4

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf, an Italo-British tribute to the world of Gamebooks
Developer: Forge Reply
open.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:13 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Found in translation: how the first Sword World JRPG adaptation got two English localizations after three decades

#rpg #jrpg #swordworld #retrogaming #gaming #videogamehistory #fantranslation #pc98 #superfamicom #supernintendo #gamedev

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
Found in translation: how the JRPG adaptations of the Sword World system got two English localizations after three decades
While Western RPG fans are used to videogame RPGs adapting Dungeons & Dragons rulesets and settings, not to mention more esoteric takes like German RPGs retooling their own Das Schwarze Auge system, J...
open.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:45 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
To celebrate Fallout Day, I wrote a piece about this series' crosspollination with card games, from the Tragic the Garnering parody and New Vegas' Caravan to Magic the Gathering's own Fallout adaptation.

#rpg #wrpg #fallout #magicthegathering #gaming #gamedev

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
From screen to tabletop: how Fallout met Magic the Gathering
While we already had a chance to discuss Shandalar, MicroProse’s attempt to bring Magic the Gathering to the videogame RPG space back in 1997 by mixing Richard Garfield’s magnum opus Trading Card Game...
open.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 10:01 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Tales of Rebirth, a tri-linear journey to acceptance

#rpg #jrpg #talesof #namco #namcotalesstudio #ps2 #fantranslation #videogamehistory #gaming #gamedev #psp #retrogaming #talesofrebirth

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
Tales of Rebirth, a tri-linear journey to acceptance
Developer: Namco Tales Studio - Team Destiny
open.substack.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:36 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Thirty years of Tactics Ogre: how the Valerian civil war forever changed tactical JRPGs

#jrpg #rpg #tacticalrpg #tacticsogre #tacticsogrereborn #yasumimatsuno #quest #videogamehistory #gaming #gamedev #superfamicom #ps1 #psp

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
Thirty years of Tactics Ogre: how the Valerian civil war forever changed tactical JRPGs
Developer: Quest Corporation (Super Famicom), Artdink (PS1), Riverhill Soft (Saturn), Square Enix (PSP, Reborn version)
open.substack.com
October 11, 2025 at 6:19 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Ecsaform, Bandai Visual's hymn to overreach

#jrpg #rpg #tacticalrpg #ps1 #retrogaming #videogamehistory #gaming #gamedev #bandai

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
Ecsaform, Bandai Visual's PS1 sci-fantasy hymn to overreach
Developer: Bandai Visual
open.substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:42 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Triangle Strategy, Asano and Artdink's 2D-HD tactical epic

#jrpg #rpg #tacticalrpg #artdink #asano #gaming #videogamehistory #gamedev

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
Triangle Strategy, or how Asano and Artdink balanced lore and tactics
Developers: Square Enix - Team Asano, Artdink, Netchubiyori
open.substack.com
October 5, 2025 at 10:48 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Carpe Fulgur, or how Dice and Light-Williams pioneered indie JRPGs to the Western PC audience and ended up changing the industry

#rpg #jrpg #carpefulgur #recettear #videogamehistory #gaming #indiegaming #indie #steam #gamedev

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
Carpe Fulgur, or how Dice and Light-Williams pioneered indie JRPGs to the Western PC audience and ended up changing the industry
Nowadays, most people expect Japanese RPGs to have day and date PC releases alongside their console ones, with whole teams like Clouded Leopard or Peter “Durante” Thoman’s PH3 building their business ...
open.substack.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:08 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Pentiment, Sawyer's Holy Roman Adventure

#rpg #wrpg #obsidian #videogamehistory #gaming #gamedev

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Pentiment, Sawyer's Holy Roman Adventure
Developer: Obsidian
open.substack.com
September 27, 2025 at 8:34 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
How a Dutch MSX2 celebration could end up as a landmark for home PC JRPG fantranslations

#jrpg #rpg #msx2 #gaming #gamedev #videogamehistory

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
How an upcoming Dutch MSX celebration could end up as a landmark for home PC JRPG fantranslations
From the mid ‘80s to the early ‘90s, Japanese home PCs like NEC’s PC88 and PC98, Sharp’s X68000, Fujitsu’s FM Towns or the MSX line, born out of the partnership between Microsoft and Kazuhiko Nishi’s ...
open.substack.com
September 25, 2025 at 7:06 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Found in translation: Growlanser VI, a localized, if precarious, world

#jrpg #rpg #growlanser #ps2 #gaming #gamedev #fantranslation

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
Found in translation: Growlanser VI, a localized, if precarious, world
Since the first time I had a chance to tackle Career Soft’s Growlanser franchise thanks to Working Designs’ PS2 Generations collection, I always found this series uniquely fascinating due to its stori...
open.substack.com
September 25, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Reposted by Magnvs' RPG Journey
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Opening cinematic done, on to the actual game now... #Progenitor #PC98
September 23, 2025 at 10:50 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
To celebrate the first anniversary of my Substack, it's time for some musings about discussing videogame RPG history from an holistic perspective and the state of Substack for videogame publications.

#rpg #jrpg #wrpg #videogamehistory #gaming #gamedev #substack

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...
A Substack in a bottle: my experience on this platform after one year and sixty-four pieces
Today marks the first anniversary of my Substack, which I finally started last September after procrastinating for a few years.
open.substack.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Before Clair Obscur: the history of French RPGs - Part III: the rise of Franco-Japanese RPGs

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #frenchrpg #jrpg #France #videogamehistory #rpghistory #retrogaming #clairobscur #expedition33 #gaming #gamedev #sandfall #lizardcube #fuga #edgeofeternity
Before Clair Obscur: the history of French RPGs - Part III: the rise of Franco-Japanese RPGs
In the first two parts of this retrospective about the history of French videogame RPGs, we had a chance to discover the first pioneeristic effort of the mid ‘80s, the lull of the ‘90s, the disruption...
open.substack.com
July 12, 2025 at 10:28 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Found in translation: after thirty years, The Hybrid Front on Mega Drive is finally available in English

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #jrpg #tacticalrpg #sega #megadrive #genesis #oniro #retrogaming #segamegadrive #fantranslation #nebuloustranslation #gamedev #gaming #videogamehistory
Found in translation: after thirty years, The Hybrid Front is finally available in English
Considering this substack’s focus on videogame RPG history, I think it’s appropriate to start spotlighting select fantranslation efforts related to this genre, given how, since the mid ‘90s, they play...
open.substack.com
July 8, 2025 at 6:48 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Dragon Crystal, Sega's own early roguelike

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#jrpg #rpg #roguelike #gamegear #segagamegear #mastersystem #segamastersystem #sega #retrogaming #gaming #videogamehistory #gamedev
Dragon Crystal, Sega's own early roguelike
Developer: Sega
open.substack.com
July 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Before Clair Obscur: the history of French RPGs - Part II: a journey to the West

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #wrpg #frenchrpg #France #arkane #spiders #arxfatalis #retrogaming #gaming #videogamehistory #gamedev #pc #steam #jrpg #clairobscur #expedition33 #sandfall
Before Clair Obscur: the history of French RPGs - Part II: a journey to the West
In the first part of this piece, we discussed France’s early start in videogame RPG development, with an incredibly rich scene already established in the late ‘80s, mixing titles inspired by worldwide...
open.substack.com
June 28, 2025 at 4:16 PM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Lost Eidolons, a Korean mix of Fire Emblem and the Chu and Han Contention

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #tacticalrpg #koreanrpg #jrpg #Korea #losteidolons #pc #steam #ps5 #xboxseries #chinesehistory #fireemblem #gamedev #gaming
Lost Eidolons, a Korean mix of Fire Emblem and the Chu and Han Contention
Developer: Ocean Drive Studios
open.substack.com
June 26, 2025 at 10:59 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover The DioField Chronicle, Lancarse's grim take on Growlanser

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #jrpg #tacticalrpg #diofieldchronicle #lancarse #squareenix #ps4 #switch #nintendoswitch #pc #steam #gamedev #gaming #growlanser
The DioField Chronicle, Lancarse's grim take on Growlanser
Developer: Lancarse
open.substack.com
June 25, 2025 at 8:43 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Before Clair Obscur: the history of French RPGs - Part I: from the '80s to the Dot Com crash

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #wrpg #frenchrpg #France #jrpg #retrogaming #gaming #videogamehistory #gamedev #amiga #amstrad #oric #pc #wizardry #ultima #clairobscur #expedition33 #sandfall
Before Clair Obscur: the history of French RPGs - Part I: from the '80s to the Dot Com crash
Discussing the history of videogame RPGs, one can’t help but notice how global trends are often balanced, if not superseded, by each country’s unique development context.
open.substack.com
June 24, 2025 at 11:19 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Actraiser Renaissance, a reimagining of Quintet's deity simulator

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#jrpg #rpg #actionrpg #actraiser #actraiserrenaissance #pc #ps4 #nintendoswitch #gaming #gamedev #retrogaming #quintet #squareenix
Actraiser Renaissance, a reimagining of Quintet's deity simulator
Developer: Square Enix Business Unit 4 - Sonic Powered
open.substack.com
June 23, 2025 at 6:15 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Ax Battler, when Hasegawa tried mixing Golden Axe with Zelda II

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #jrpg #axbattler #gamegear #sega #actionrpg #goldenaxe #retrogaming #gaming #gamedev
Ax Battler, when Hasegawa tried mixing Golden Axe with Zelda II
Developer: Aspect
open.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 11:37 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Sailing Era, a Chinese take on Uncharted Waters

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #China #chineserpg #sailingera #unchartedwaters #gaming #gamedev #ps4 #pc #switch #jrpg
Sailing Era, a Chinese take on Uncharted Waters
Developer: GY Games
open.substack.com
June 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Tales of Graces f, or how Tales came back, now and then

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #jrpg #actionrpg #tales #talesof #ps3 #gaming #gamedev #talesofgracesf
Tales of Graces f, or how Tales came back, now and then
Developers: Namco Tales Studio - Team Destiny
open.substack.com
June 16, 2025 at 8:15 AM
magnvsrpgjourney.bsky.social
Let's discover Princess Crown, Vanillaware before Vanillaware

open.substack.com/pub/magnvsrp...

#rpg #jrpg #actionrpg #segasaturn #retrogaming #vanillaware #georgekamitani #gamedev #gaming
Princess Crown, Vanillaware before Vanillaware
Developer: Atlus Kansai
open.substack.com
June 14, 2025 at 7:40 AM