Tales from the Backlog - Episodes Tagged with “Square Enix”

176: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (with Chris Coplien - Retro Hangover)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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I didn't hear about Dragon Quest for a very long time, probably an embarrassingly long time, and once I played one, I didn't....get it. It all seemed too plain, too simple, too lacking in complexity, and while a part of me was relieved to suddenly have less "homework" to do as I'm forever catching up on RPGs that I missed, part of me felt an ever-present need to "get it". Yada yada yada, I finally had another reason to try Dragon Quest, starting with Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride on DS, and folks....I get it now. Tune in to find out how I got there.

Guest info: Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover

Listen to Retro Hangover https://linktr.ee/retrohangover
Check out the first of Dragon Quest V's episodes in the King of Games 1992 tournament https://retrohangover.captivate.fm/episode/king-of-games-92-round-1-match-4-sonic-the-hedgehog-2-vs-dragon-quest-v
Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/retrohangover.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:42 Intros
6:10 Personal Histories with Dragon Quest V
12:15 Opening Thoughts
14:54 Story Setup/Generational Structure
26:19 Overcoming Constraints/Presentation
34:26 Story Themes/Cozy Charm
45:16 Soundtrack/Influence
56:10 Gameplay- Combat/Monster Collecting
1:12:05 Final Thoughts/Recommendations
1:14:45 Retro Hangover Podcast
1:19:23 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-You's
1:21:15 Spoiler Section- Act 1 and 2
2:06:04 Spoiler Section- Act 3 and Closing Thoughts

Music used in the episode is credited to Koichi Sugiyama. Tracks used: Overture, Overworld, Town, Battle, Melody in an Ancient Town, The Ocean, Zenithia, Saint

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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163: Vagrant Story (with Aidan Moher)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Like many of Square's RPGs of the late 90's and early 2000's, Vagrant Story is an ambitious, flawed, divisive and fantastic RPG, full of big ideas that didn't get a chance to full develop into what was planned. What we got was only one part of a larger saga (see also: Xenogears from just a few years prior), a game that stands on its own, proudly displaying all of the rough edges and brilliant ideas for all to see. It made for a great discussion on the podcast!

Guest info: Aidan Moher

Check out Aidan's new podcast FunFactor https://funfactorpod.com/
Find Aidan's writing on Astrolabe https://astrolabe.aidanmoher.com/
Find Aidan's book Fight, Magic, Items https://fightmagicitems.rocks/
Look forward to Aidan's next book about Suikoden 1 and 2 https://astrolabe.aidanmoher.com/suikoden-1-2-history-boss-fight-books-2026/
Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/aidanis.fun

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Title Card
0:38 Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts
14:58 Story Setup/Themes/Localization
42:35 Presentation
1:03:32 Combat/Equipment
1:36:21 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Plugs
1:45:45 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-Yous
1:47:38 Spoiler Section

Music used in the episode is credited to Hitoshi Sakimoto. Tracks used: Opening Movie, Greyland Event Climax, Snowfly Forest, Dullahan, Minotauros, Remembrance, Dawn of Lea Monde, Fanfare

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

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141: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (with Aaron Angle & Ryan Arrington)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Final Fantasy VII Remake started this epic remake project off with a bang, and it left us with a few questions, namely "what will they do with Aerith?" and "how will they handle the more open world nature of the game post-Midgar?". Both of those answers came in somewhat messy and/or convoluted forms, which I won't spoil here in the podcast description, but it's a good thing we have nearly 3 hours of podcast here to discuss it all!

Guest info: Aaron Angle of [A Top 3 Podcast](atop3podcast.fireside.fm) & Ryan Arrington.

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 0:24
Story Setup 13:39
Story, continued 32:51
Presentation 49:24
Combat/Open World 1:03:07
Minigames 1:25:03
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations 1:32:02
SPOILER WALL/Patreon Thank-Yous 1:38:31

Music used in the episode:
Main Theme of FFVII - Battle Edit (Nobuo Uematsu)
Nibelheim Train Graveyard Theme (Nobuo Uematsu)
Eager SOLDIER (Nobuo Uematsu, Shotaro Shima)
The Gold Saucer - Night Out with Tifa (Nobuo Uematsu)
Midgardsormr (Nobuo Uematsu, Yoshitaka Suzuki)
Queen's Blood (Mitsuto Suzuki, Junnosuke Usui)
Fiddle de Chocobo (Nobuo Uematsu)
Cosmo Canyon - Sanctum of Planetology (Nobuo Uematsu)
Aerith's Theme - The White Materia (Nobuo Uematsu)
J-E-N-O-V-A - Tenacity (Nobuo Uematsu)
Aerith's Theme - Return to the Planet (Nobuo Uematsu)

You can purchase the soundtrack via Square Enix.

Check out Dave talking about Final Fantasy and modern RPGs on Fine Time and Crossplay Conversations podcasts this week!

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

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133: Final Fantasy IV (with Chris Coplien - Retro Hangover & Jenny E.)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Final Fantasy is one of the most well-represented series on this podcast, and its anthology structure means you can pick and choose which games you want to play without fear of playing out of order. So this year, I wanted to make sure I played a foundational one- Final Fantasy IV. I expected this to be the turning point where Square and the Final Fantasy team started to prioritize story and characters, and you can really see their attempts here, including some cool marriages of gameplay and narrative that later games no longer do. I really enjoyed my time with this one and was happy to bring together an all-star group of guests to chat about it!

Joining me for the discussion are Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover podcast, which you should [check out](linktr.ee/retrohangover) for retro gaming podcasts as well as the yearly King of Games tournament, and Jenny E., who is a writer and podcaster. You can find her Final Fantasy IV fan fiction and other writing HERE, and check out her Wordlessly podcast as well!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:05
Story Setup/Themes/Characters 17:09
Visuals/Music 40:11
Combat 52:18
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Guest Plugs 1:07:57
SPOILER WALL 1:18:00

Music used in the episode is credited to Nobuo Uematsu and Square. Tracks used: The Prelude, Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV, Red Wings, Theme of Love, Mystic Mysidia, Fight 1, Chocobo-Chocobo, Prologue, Mt. Ordeals, The Final Battle, Fanfare

Check out Dave's guest appearance on Pixel Project Radio's series about 1000xRESIST!

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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115: Xenogears (with Michael Berger - Bits of Time)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 01 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Xenogears, by Square, is one of the big RPGs of this era that I wanted to check off. As a fan of the Xenoblade Chronicles games and JRPGs in general, going back to the root of the series felt like an interesting trip back through history. A few things had initially put me off, like all of the talk about an unfinished second disc and heavy use of religious and philosophical material that I would have to research outside of the game. And I'm happy to report that both worries were unfounded- the second disc is great, and I actually did feel compelled to go learn things outside of the game! This is a fantastic, flawed game, and it was a joy to record about it.

Joining me to discuss Xenogears is Michael Berger, co-host of Bits of Time. You can check out Bits of Time on their podcast and their YouTube channel! You can also check out Michael's books, Ayla: A Science Fiction Novella and The Consumed.

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:06
Story Setup 14:29
Story Pacing/Characters/Religious & Philosophical Themes 27:56
Visuals/Music 42:07
Gameplay/Combat 53:32
Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping 1:07:04
SPOILER WALL 1:16:53

Music used in the episode was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. Tracks used: My Village is Number One, Bonds of Sea and Fire, Light from the Netherworld, Emotions, Shevat ~ The Wind is Calling, Steel Giant, Yggdrasil, Flight, Fuse, The Valley Where Wind is Born, The Treasure Which Cannot Be Stolen, The Beginning and the End, Small Two of Pieces (with vocals by Joanne Hogg)

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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108: Final Fantasy X-2 (with Adam - The Good, The Bad & The Backlog)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

How do you follow up a story that ends the way that Final Fantasy X did? Well, Square decided that Final Fantasy X-2 needed to shake things up. Most sequels escalate, but that wasn't really an option here, and so the girlpower J-Pop Final Fantasy game was born. This game gets a lot of hate out there, but not for the reasons that I think deserve it. Joining me to discuss Final Fantasy X-2 is Adam from The Good, The Bad & The Backlog. You can and should check out his show by following this link!

TIMESTAMPS
Intro/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:11
Story Setup 16:34
Gameplay/Combat 48:45
Gameplay, continued 1:20:36
Music 1:33:25
SPOILER WALL 1:47:26

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107: Final Fantasy VII Remake (with Aaron Angle & Ryan Arrington)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

How do you remake one of the most beloved games of all time? How do you fend off the masses who want to hold you to every decision made over 20 years ago? Well, in our opinion, Square Enix figured out the way with Final Fantasy VII Remake. This is a shining example of how a remake can update the graphics, completely revamp the gameplay, add voice acting, re-orchestrate the music....and still keep the heart and soul of the original game intact. It's a masterful game, and I was joined by returning guests Aaron Angle (A Top 3 Podcast) and Ryan Arrington to discuss it!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:08
Story Setup 18:00
This Game as a Remake 37:40
Visuals/Voice Acting/Music 49:06
Combat 1:17:29
SPOILER WALL 1:43:16

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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99: Final Fantasy X (with Ryan Batie & Chris Taylor - Lightning Strikes Thrice)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

This is an important one for me. Final Fantasy X has been one of my favorite games ever since I played it for the first time almost 20 years ago. Square really made a complete game here- story setup, characters, combat, music...total package. Joining me to discuss it are Ryan Batie and Chris Taylor from JRPG games club podcast Lightning Strikes Thrice. You can find them and all of the other things on the Pitch Drop network by following this link!

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:48
Story Setup/Characters/Voice Acting 14:25
Music/Visuals 38:50
Combat 52:31
More Combat/Sphere Grid 1:08:24
Other Gameplay/Blitzball 1:22:45
Final Thoughts/Housekeeping 1:36:35
SPOILER WALL 1:46:01

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96: Final Fantasy XVI (with Rick Firestone & Eric Gess)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

This one is a spicy meatball. Few game series inspire the amount of praise, vitriol and everything in between as Final Fantasy does, and the latest entry, Final Fantasy XVI is no different. A series famous for continuous reinvention reinvents itself once again as a dark fantasy action game, and I knew I had to get a couple of great guests on the show to talk about it. This week I'm joined by Eric Gess (The Unlockables) and Rick Firestone (Pixel Project Radio) to discuss it all.

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:50
Story Setup 20:31
Game of Thrones Comparisons 47:11
Visuals/Music 1:01:54
Gameplay 1:22:41
Recommendations/Closing Thoughts/Housekeeping 1:37:56
SPOILER WALL 1:49:03

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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81: Final Fantasy VI (with Aaron Angle - A Top 3 Podcast)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 01:30:00 -0400

This episode has been a long time coming. One of my favorite games of all time, a game that I've played most of the way through several times, but never finished until now! Final Fantasy VI, Square's landmark Super Nintendo RPG brought us a wonderful cast of characters, an iconic villain, a bangin soundtrack, and an unforgettable story. How does it hold up today? Joining me to discuss is my longtime friend and my co-host on A Top 3 Podcast, Aaron Angle!

TIMESTAMPS
Intro/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:49
Story Setup/Characters/Tone 14:10
Music 37:24
Visuals 46:57
Combat/Gameplay 52:01
SPOILER WALL 1:14:25

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59: Final Fantasy IX (with Rick Firestone - Pixel Project Radio and Alejandro Ortiz - A Random Gamer's Corner)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Some other entries in the long running Final Fantasy series have more mainstream attention, but Square's Final Fantasy IX is the one that feels like the underground favorite. Hailed as a love letter to all of the games in the series that came before it, Final Fantasy IX returns the series to high fantasy and puts together a top-notch cast of characters. Joining me to discuss it is Rick Firestone from Pixel Project Radio and Alejandro Ortiz from A Random Gamer's Corner. You can, and should, check out their podcasts by following this link for Pixel Project Radio and this link for A Random Gamer's Corner.

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 1:10
Story Setup/"Back to Basics" 19:28
Visuals 46:39
Music 54:09
Combat/Gameplay 1:01:29
To Remake? 1:21:53
SPOILER WALL 1:34:52

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Social Media:
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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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43: Chrono Trigger (with Josh Covel - Still Loading)

Dave Jackson — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400

What happens when you miss out on childhood nostalgia for a game that seemingly everybody seems to love? Should you try to approach that game with the mindset of a mid-90s gamer? Or should you take all of the advancements (and dis..advancements? I'll find a word) of its genre in the past 30 years? Chrono Trigger was that game for me, and I'm happy to have gotten Josh Covel from Still Loading on the show to talk about it.

TIMESTAMPS
Intros/Personal Histories/Opening thoughts 1:15
A Focused JRPG 23:50
Story Setup 52:11
Soundtrack 1:18:52
Final Thoughts/Housekeeping 1:36:12
SPOILER WALL 1:47:17

You can find Still Loading on Twitter, Instagram, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Twitch.

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

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