Retrograde Amnesia is a deep-dive video game podcast dedicated to exploring classic Japanese Role-playing Games (JRPGs), chapter by chapter, beat by beat. The show blends structured narrative analysis, humor, and immersive production to guide listeners through the worlds, characters, and themes of the genre’s most beloved and strange stories.
Praised for its thoughtful pacing, encyclopedic research, and a blend of sincerity and irreverence, Retrograde Amnesia offers a cozy look back for players who want to engage more deeply with their favorite games within the medium. Play along with the hosts or reminisce your enduring thoughts as we trek through the stories we grew up with.
Each season covers a single game in exhaustive detail, using a a meticulous scene-by-scene format to reexamine every moment. Whether it’s dissecting the political intricacies of Final Fantasy Tactics, or unraveling the existential dread of Xenogears, the show approaches every game with a balance of critical insight and deep appreciation for the medium.
Listeners have described the show as:
“One of the best out there”
“If you love retrospective type podcast this is one of the best out there. They pick great games and take their time going through them. Just the perfect type of podcast for me. It’s like getting to live through these games from my childhood again without having to play all the way through them. Great job guys, I hope there are many more episodes to come.”
— SIumlord, May 27, 2024“What a gem”
“Discovered these guys when I was searching up stuff on Xenosaga, and saw a back catalog of amazing games. Started with [Final Fantasy VIII] and am about to do the next season. Chris and Eric are hilarious, insightful, and worth your time to listen to. Also Fakenet will you marry me.”
— laser canon death sentance, January 23, 2024“Witty, smart, and highly detailed”
“Chris and Eric rock. They play off each other super well, it’s like hanging out with a couple guys with a bottle of whiskey and even though you never have a chance to get a word in, you don’t really want to. Thoughtful and interesting with hilarious in jokes they are more than happy to bring you in on.”
— alinktreetothepast, October 19, 2023
Since 2019, Retrograde Amnesia has been a destination for thoughtful JRPG fans seeking to reckon with the games they grew up loving — while learning to love the ones they missed.
Retrograde Amnesia is hosted by Eric and Chris — two old pals who have been thinking about JRPGs for multiple decades.
If it’s in your mouth, it’s good. And what’s in our mouth? How about sightseeing in South Window, wondering how Max got even worse, trying to pay for food with songs, farting through our stomach, singing silence, following the trail of the…
Whether it’s a gift from the heavens, or simply destiny, I don’t know. What I can tell you is that we’re realizing Shu pulled a move from The Art of War, sleeping for a week, demanding Simone bark like a dog, allowing Antonio to pep up Hai Yo,…
I want to believe I am brave enough to accept fate. Until then, destiny entails massaging Luca’s ego into self-destruction, surrounding dog units with man units, sharing a face with Luc, realizing Tsai is an ugly deadbeat dad, getting our life…
With you, I think I’ll be able to hear many new sounds. Listen close as we’re relearning about the Gate Rune War, realizing Badeaux has the shine to him, listening to the heart, wondering if everyone here only has three fingers, defending a good…
I would like to sound good to me. If that sounds good to you, we’re getting rid of various portraits, observing replica Tir clothes, forging an State with you, dropping dots like Humphrey, recognizing special boy eye glimmer, picking between Kasumi…
Gentleness has becoming a sin in this world. Handle us with care while we’re finding Sheena up to his old assaults, boiling water at high altitudes, setting aside time to wack off, feeling inspired by the Toran Republic, pushing that inspiration…
Content warning (sexual assault) from 22:29 to 25:46. I love a good challenge, it’s what keeps me going. As we go into battle with no strategy, we’re respecting our opponents, alienating the dog race, getting married and knighted at the same time,…
What’s wrong, don’t you think it’s beautiful? As we try to control our emotion, we’re witnessing a doubled-headed spectral wolf suck souls off, projecting filth, distrusting illegitimate blood, blinking out like a Mad Gear gang member, telling…
If you’re lying, they’ll kill you. In our search for truth, we exploring cop land, blowing off a mustache, refusing to sing a song, abandoning our milk slinging duties, rejecting army recruiters, filling Kent’s head with dragon fantasies, beating…
Whack to your heart’s content. After we pickle up, we get down to employing a new voice, founding and then quitting the Jeanies, losing sheep in the woods, picking up a healthy chick, depositing books in the library, checking suspicious characters,…