RPGFan's Rhythm Encounter

Well hello there, and yes, it is time for a super-sized episode of Rhythm Encounter to celebrate many of the excellent RPG soundtracks, arrangements, and more from 2025. That's right, it's Music of the Year 2025 time! With four panelists who each brought on three songs, this is certainly our longest episode in awhile. That's why we're releasing it a bit ahead of schedule, so there's more time to listen before our next episode. So join us for a walk down a very recent memory lane, and be sure to let us know what your favorite 2025 music was!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Patrick Gann, Matt Wardell, Paul Skevington; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist
Pat's Picks
0:03:24 - Battle Theme / Final Fantasy XI (comp. Naoshi Mizuta, arr. Kyota.) - #SQkawaii Sounds -Final Fantasy-
0:17:21 - Field of Hopes and Dreams (comp. Toby Fox, arr./perf. Trevor Alan Gomes) - Deltarune Piano Collections: Volume 1
0:28:33 - Spiritual Rainstorm (Kazuki Yanagawa) - Atelier Yumia ~The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land~

Paul's Picks
0:43:21 - Lune (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier) - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
1:01:02 - Doomed City (Darren Korb) - Hades II
1:24:31 - KIKIKAITAI (Murasaki & Kanna Katata) - Urban Myth Dissolution Center

Matt's Music
1:37:11 - Toward Unseen Horizons (Miwako Chinone) - Monster Hunter Wilds
1:50:04 - The Clear Blue Sky (Tsukasa [aka Yosuke Hatakeyama]) - Lies of P: Overture
2:05:22 - Emil (comp. MONACA, arr. Hiroyuki Nakayama) - NieR: Piano Journeys

Mike's Music
2:22:14 - Lavos' Theme (comp. Yasunori Mitsuda, arr. Shogo Nomura) - Chrono Trigger Piano Soundscape Arrangement
2:36:55 - The Baron of Mount Holly (Trigg & Gusset) - Blue Prince
3:00:38 - Roses of May (Dawntrail) (comp. Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail EP 6
3:24:32 - Group Bonus Track!

Album links for places to buy, stream, and more are available in our post on RPGFan.

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Given the monumental releases throughout most of 2025, it would be easy to think we saw the best of what last year had to offer by September. But nay! The last quarter of 2025 graced us with many excellent releases, and today we discuss a couple of arrangement albums worth your time, plus four brand-new games and their associated soundtracks that you won't want to miss out on. As always, find links in our show notes and on RPGFan.com to see all of our Q4 considerations, places to buy and stream, and more!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann; Edited by Mike Salbato

Tracklist
0:16:10 - Legendary Hero (comp. Koji Kondo, arr. ROZEN) - Ballads of Hyrule III
0:25:41 - Into the Thick of It (comp. Hiroki Kikuta, arr. Torsten Rasch, perf. Mischa Cheung) - Piano Fantasies – music from SQUARE ENIX
0:42:03 - Tuesday Overworld (Investigation) (Kurt Feldman) - Demonschool
0:51:58 - Searching Room (Joey Lopes) - Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved
1:02:55 - Intergalactic Convertible (Andrew Arcadi) - Dispatch1:16:07 - Green River (Gareth Coker) - Absolum
Album links for places to buy, stream, and more are available in our post on RPGFan.

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We're getting festive today on Rhythm Encounter, but maybe not in the way you'd expect. It's the end of year holiday season, and we are taking inspiration from a holiday that celebrates another thing I like as much as video game music: books! Jólabókaflóðið — which roughly translates to "Christmas book flood" — is an Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition where people gift each other books and stay up reading them, possibly with a nice hot cocoa. We thought this was a great opportunity to provide some excellent video game music to pair with various authors, genres, and specific reads. Please join our assembled panel of connoisseurs as we discuss the two together. Happy reading, listening, and holidays!
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Rob White, Audra Bowling, and Matt Wardell; Edited by Mike Salbato

Links and books mentioned in this episode
Jólabókaflóðið official site
Between Two Fires - Chris Buehlman (The Road x Dark Souls)
Blade Runner “Ash” Comic Series (2019, 2029, 2039) - Michael Green and Mike Johnson
Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe
Chronicles of the Avatar Series - F.C. Lee (Kyoshi and Yangcheng duologies) and Randy Ribay (Roku duology)
The City and the City - China Miéville (Disco Elysium adjacent)
Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage - Haruki Murakami
Fifteen Dogs - Andre Alexis (Gods give dogs human intelligence)
Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu Series - Fei Tian Ye Xiang
Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami
Pandora’s Star - Peter F. Hamilton
The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
The Shadow on the Glass - Ian Irvine
Shakespeare’s Tremor and Orwell’s Cough - John J. Ross, M.D.

Tracklist
In Search of Lost Time
0:12:26 - Before the Fall (Laurence Chapman) - Heaven’s Vault
0:23:05 - Last Silhouette (Masafumi Takada) - Digimon Story: Time Stranger

The Canterbury Tales
0:33:55 - Adventure of the Would-be Hero (Oliver Good) - Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
0:45:32 - Sic arsit historia kiersis (Alkemie) - Pentiment

The Left Hand of Darkness
0:57:42 - Voices from the Abyss (Izumi Wu, Rizet Tseng, Hong Zhang Su) - Xuan-Yuan Sword 7
1:12:29 - The Insulindian Miracle (Sea Power) - Disco Elysium

A Scanner Darkly
1:23:55 - Signal Haze (Amos Roddy) - Citizen Sleeper
1:35:17 - When Mother Was There (Shoji Meguro) - Persona 5
1:52:40 - Matt's Bonus Track!
Album links for places to buy, stream, and more are available in our post on RPGFan.

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Well we finally did it: An episode all about one of this generation's most stunning soundtracks, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. We talk about the beauty, the melancholy, the cellos, the feelings, and really, the feelings that Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier evoke every time we play the game or listen to the soundtrack. If you know, you know, but even if you don't, we welcome you on this journey!
Though please note that the second half (Act?) of this episode delves into major spoiler territory, so proceed with caution if you continue to listen!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Zach Wilkerson, Hilary Andreff, Aleks Franiczek; Edited by Mike Salbato

Tracklist
0:07:40 - The Manor - Our Painted Family (Lorien Testard)
0:18:49 - Flying Waters - Goblu (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier)
0:28:12 - Monoco (Lorien Testard)
0:37:24 - ‌Forgotten Battlefield - Dualliste (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier)
Spoiler Warning for the rest of these songs!
0:51:16 - Verso (Lorien Testard)
1:03:01 - Une vie à t'aimer (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, Victor Borba)
1:24:13 - Alicia (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier)
1:36:40 - ‌Aline (Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier, perf. Orchestre Curieux) - Orchestral Sessions
1:55:29 - Mike's Bonus Track!
Album links for places to buy, stream, and more are available in our post on RPGFan.

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In the distant past of 2021, our panel on Rhythm Encounter 74 chose songs based around eight elements of their choosing. Today we follow up on this elemental idea, but focused on four core elements of water, earth, fire, and air. With each element represented by two people, we compare and contrast each others' approaches. Where could we take the concept next? Let us know!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Matt Wardell, Audra Bowling; Edited by Mike Salbato

Links for this episode
Rhythm Encounter 74 - It's Elemental, My Dear Watts
Thirsty Suitors Game dev tries re-enacting OWN GAME in real life
Chinese Traditional Erhu Music Vol. 1 - Lei Qiang
Xeen Music on Bandcamp
For Long Tomorrow by toe on YouTube
To Be Hero X Character Songs on YouTube

Tracklist
Water (Go With the Flow!)
0:11:56 - Verdant Overflow (Darren Malley) - Mythic Ocean
0:14:37 - Currents (Miki Higashino, arr. Yoko Ueno, vocals KOKIA) - Genso Suikoden II Music Collection ~Orrizonte~/Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 1: Swordsman of Harmonia
Earth (We Will Rock You!)
0:30:04 - Earth Dancer (Noriyuki Asakura) - Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
0:36:03 - Vagrant Song (Appalachia) [feat. Jillian Aversa] (Ryan Ike) - Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
Fire (Get Out of the Kitchen!)
0:54:02 - Destiny of Love (Inon Zur feat. Aubrey Ashburn) - Dragon Age II: Epic Times
0:57:27 - Bhangra Battle (Marskye) - Thirsty Suitors
Air (This Will Blow Your Socks Off!)
1:14:41 - Dragonhead Island (Tsukasa Usui) - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
1:18:00 - A Moment with Zelda (Takeshi Hama) - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
1:41:32 - Matt's Bonus Track!
Album links for places to buy, stream, and more are available in our post on RPGFan.

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