Party Chat: A JRPG Podcast

Join Cameron Hawkins and Kevin Kenson as they talk about everything in the world of Japanese Role-Playing Video Games and other Japanese titles. Whether it be news, what we've been playing, or a topic of the show, this is the destination podcast for everything JRPGs.

Yuji Horii on Final Fantasy and is JRPG an Outdated Term?

Cameron and Kevin discuss Yuji Hori's recent comments on Final Fantasy versus Dragon Quest. We give our final thoughts on Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake. For topic of the show we discuss the idea of "JRPG" and "RPG" being outdated terms.

12-04
01:37:54

Octopath Traveler 0 Review

Thanks to Square Enix Cam has gotten the chance to put about 35 hours into Octopath Traveler 0, and wants to share his thoughts on everything he's seen so far. Here's what he thinks about the new combat adjustments for an 8 character party, how the different storytelling framework works out, and just how much of a distraction the town building can be.

12-03
33:11

The Tangent Episode w/ Retro Brandon

Cameron and Kevin are joined by Retro Brandon from Level Up Legacy Podcast. We go over Persona Directors Hashino's recent description of the term JRPG 3.0. Cameron previews Octopath Traveler 0. Kevin shares his experience at the Metaphor Round 1 collaboration and we talk about our favorite remakes and remasters. Also there are tangents. Many, many, tangents.

11-27
02:40:40

The Game Awards Nominees and IGN's Top 100 Nintendo Games of All Time

Cameron and Kevin discuss the nominees of The Game Awards and review IGN's Top 100 Nintendo Games of All Time

11-20
02:30:56

Hands on with Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

Kevin got the opportunity to play a preview of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined thanks to Square Enix and shares all his thoughts from what he got to play. From the new visuals to combat and class building, as well as a number of new quality of life features, here's what we've learned.

11-19
28:27

State of Play Japan and The Love of Persona w/ Slam Zany

This week we are joined by SlamZany of the Level Up Legacy Podcast. We talk about all the news that came out of this week's State of Play Japan. Kevin and Slam give their thoughts on the Octopath Traveler Zero demo. Cameron gives thoughts on Super Mario RPG. For Topic of the Show we talk about our thoughts on the Persona franchise. Our likes, dislikes and how we would like to see the franchise change in the future.

11-13
02:13:53

We Want Your Feedback

As our first year is coming to a close soon, we want to discuss our current plans for the podcast going into 2026 along with changes coming to the Patreon. Not only that, we're looking for all the feedback we can get from our listeners on what changes you might like to see, or Patreon benefits that would appeal to you! Please let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

11-12
28:33

The State of Collector Editions in 2025

Cameron and Kevin discuss the newly announced Animal Crossing New Horizon Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Kevin gives first impressions for Dispatch. Cameron talks about his experience with Legends of Dragaea: Idle Dungeons. For Topic of the Show we discuss what we look for in a Collector's Edition, the ongoing backlash of Limited Run Games, and the trends of Collector's Editions from publishers over the past few years.

11-06
02:08:14

Mutiple Tales of Projects Confirmed and The Future of Dragon Quest

Cameron and Kevin discuss the news of the two Tales of projects in development and updated thoughts on Dragon Quest I+II HD-2D Remake. For Topic of the Show we go over our hopes and predictions of what to expect from the Dragon Quest franchise in the coming years.

10-30
01:27:47

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Review

Cameron and Kevin share their thoughts on Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake after having completed the first game, and making a solid dent in the second. Going over the shiny new visuals, combat updates, and the considerably expanded story.

10-29
55:08

Looking Ahead to The Future in 2026

Cameron and Kevin discuss respond to more Final Fantasy news from Naoki Hamaguchi. We give our early impressions of Pokémon Legends Z-A. For Topic of the Show we go through the 2026 release calendar and give our excitement levels for upcoming JRPGs and Eastern titles.

10-23
02:36:18

Everything We Learned From This Week's Pokémon Leak

Cameron and Kevin dive into the massive Pokémon leak detailing the tentative plans of the next five years of the franchise.

10-16
01:41:14

Upcoming Metaphor News and We Create An Ultimate JRPG Console

Cameron and Kevin discuss what news may come during Metaphor's one year anniversary. Cameron reviews Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter and Digimon Time Stranger. Kevin and Cam give their first impressions on Ghost of Yotei. For topic of the show we create a 25 game library of JRPGs that we would put together on a dedicated console.

10-09
02:40:14

More News out of TGS and What Makes A Good Game Presentation

Cameron and Kevin talk new details on Dragon Quest VII Reimagined and more announcements out of Tokyo Game Show. Kevin gives first impressions of Silent Hill f. Cameron gives first impressions of Lost Soul Aside. For Topic of the Show we discuss what we look for in game presentations and how they have become a reflection of how gaming has changed over the past years.

10-02
02:22:38

Everything We've Seen from Tokyo Game Show

Cameron and Kevin go over a ton of news pouring out of TGS, including presentations from PlayStation, Xbox, Kojima Productions, and RRG, as well as a lot of individual pieces of news coming from multiple devs as well. Episode originally had some audio problems around the 30 minute mark, but those how now been fixed!

09-26
02:00:49

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian Review

Cameron got the chance to play Atelier Resleriana, and shares his thoughts after playing for about 20 hours, including the idea that this just might be the best way to break into the series if you haven't yet.

09-25
37:00

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Review

Kevin had the chance to work through the new Remake of Final Fantasy Tactics, and shares his thoughts with Cam regarding all the various updates, whether or not they improve the game, and reflecting on what made the original so good.

09-24
37:27

Rumored State of Play and Is Playing Older Games Worth It?

Cameron and Kevin talk about the rumored PlayStation State of Play for next week and the conversation around playing older games over newer modern titles.

09-18
01:48:23

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree Review

Cameron reviews Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, the latest roguelike to come to the genre.

09-18
39:45

Everything Announced During September's Nintendo Direct

Cameron and Kevin talk about all the announcements from today's Nintendo Direct including a new Fire Emblem, a Dragon Quest VII Remake, and more!

09-12
01:54:43

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