Retrograde Amnesia: Comprehensive JRPG Retrospective

Hi. For our third and final Background Information Episode, Ty and Aidan, the hosts of Fun Factor, join us for an hour to flip through magazine reviews of Skies of Arcadia! All four of us are capping out RPG visuals at 8/10, receiving Golden Man location information, misunderstanding Duke Nukem's wants and needs, running the triple negative olympics, borrowing ideas from Final Fantasy, gibbering like mad fools, doing british accents, lamenting 128 bits, harkening back to early days, forecasting typos signaling prestige, disenchanting sourpusses, teetering on magnificence, creating Scott Steiner, and wondering if Nintendo Power was on the take. The remainder of the episode features your normal hosts hacking out random battles, cameoing in other games, teasing a modern release, learning some optimization tricks, sharing memories, laying out expectations, counting stuff, and wondering if Nintendo Power was on the take. Skies of Arcadia was easily the best RPG in the year 2000 for Dreamcast. Please check out Ty and Aidan's podcast Fun Factor, either here (https://funfactorpod.com) or wherever fine podcasts can be downloaded to the telephone. 00:00:00 Meeting New People 00:02:52 Intro 00:04:30 Contemporary Reviews (Featuring Fun Factor) 01:04:48 Modern Takes 01:07:11 Fan Fiction 01:08:23 MODS 01:12:17 Sequels & Cameos 01:21:44 Memories 01:23:53 Expectations 01:26:32 How Are We Playing This In 2026? 01:30:32 What Are We Counting? 01:34:09 Acknowledgements 01:34:38 Real Net 01:43:38 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

Hello and welcome to season nine of Retrograde Amnesia, featuring Skies of Arcadia. In the first (of three) background/information episodes, we'll be talking about the game as it relates to shipping on two GD-ROMs, refusing to appear on modern digital storefronts, becoming crushed by reality, combining World War I & II military ships with the Age of Discovery, communicating with wind, citing influence from Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Dragon Quest III, building the world around six colors, refusing a travel budget, blatantly referencing Moby Dick and Robinson Crusoe, forming the Hottie Production Committee, dynamically adjusting the music, eliminating baby talk, "throwing away the Japanese text," and un-mysterying the misdirection. Realism may not be acceptable for an RPG just yet. 00:00:00 Lost Time 00:01:55 Intro 00:02:54 What Is This 00:04:47 Release Information 00:09:31 How to acquire and play Skies of Arcadia in 2026 00:12:13 Atsushi Seimiya 00:18:15 Shuntaro Tanaka 00:27:20 Reiko Kodama 00:49:31 Soundtrack 00:53:37 Localization 01:03:28 Unsubstantiated Claims 01:09:04 Real Net 01:14:09 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

Wouldn't I be of some help to you? It wouldn't hurt to listen to us talking about taking party members to new planets, auditioning the fifth friend, "holding space" for a suicide pill, pinning the latest civilizational blight on the Black Energy Wave, rockin' with Raja, performing the inaugural Sad Battle, beating up my dead mentor, wailing and lamenting for an illusion, refusing to seek the power in an obvious test of morality, thinking of the biggest hole, making Only Fans content, and talking to dead people. Done-in people. I'm not going to be a nuisance. 00:00:00 Fun Factor 00:01:36 Intro 00:03:05 Motavia Spaceport Greetings 00:09:20 The Fifth Party Member 00:14:23 Anger Tower 00:27:22 WORLD TOUR Piata 00:33:02 WORLD TOUR Piata Academy 00:36:17 WORLD TOUR Krup 00:36:40 WORLD TOUR Tonoe 00:37:15 WORLD TOUR AIEDO 00:37:46 WORLD TOUR Monsen 00:38:06 WORLD TOUR Mile 00:40:31 Real Net Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

It looks like we're really free from any problems now. And yet we still find ourselves fondly recalling Syphon Filter, completing phase 2 of the Reshel Revival, confusing asteroids with islands, marveling at fluorescent alien geography, hiding a planet for a thousand years, stirring the hand of darkness toward a planet, orbiting like a comet, getting a fetch quest from god, feeling trapped in inventory hell, watching jobbers get blown away, submitting protector qualifications, and receiving jewelry that appears to be named after planets. Beloved ones, I await your return. 00:00:00 What's Up Dog 00:03:27 Intro 00:07:50 Reshel Revisted 00:14:27 Heading to Rykros 00:18:09 Silence Temple Tower 00:27:21 Rykros World Map 00:29:08 Strength Tower 00:39:41 Courage Tower 00:43:03 Return to Silence Temple Tower 00:43:58 Real Net 00:49:39 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

My son is convinced that he is going to die. But you, you must live and listen to us cleaning a dirty kitchen, making wild assumptions about rice farming, comparing geographical educations, eatin' up fields, getting ate up (personally), locating porn on the bookshelf, further developing Hunters Are A Joke theory, demanding a toy sword to cure a fake illness, realizing the non-humans are the most human, deeming a large bird to be a Head Honcho, loving big bird butt, eating over one thousand birds, and enacting a flawed bird conspiracy. I had no idea you guys would be so strong. 00:00:00 Hot Button Turnaround 00:01:45 Intro 00:03:17 Dirty Pitstop 00:05:00 Guild Quest: Dying Boy 00:07:42 Exploding Torinco 00:16:56 Torinco Houses 00:22:45 Imagined Sickness 00:31:37 Guild Quest: Man With Twist 00:47:16 Real Net 00:50:24 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

Your condition has improved considerably. You're feeling so much better, you can listen to us burning down the forest, making levels out of biology and doors out of guts, failing the reverse aniki maneuver, falling asleep to a bad smell, donning vestments, defending Alien movies, suggesting hunters were fake, admiring large sprites, blowing up a temple, selling an irreplaceable weapon, Lunar'ing the whole world, receiving new facts from an old guy, wearing a favorite hat (without any worry), and saying such unscientific things. Do you want to get whooped again? 00:00:00 Season Nine Is…. 00:03:44 Carnivorous Forest 00:04:52 Garuberk Tower 00:14:11 Dark Force 00:18:36 We Beat The Game 00:24:00 Reshel Redux 00:29:20 WORLD TOUR Raja Temple 00:29:37 WORLD TOUR Ryoun 00:33:07 WORLD TOUR Tyler 00:35:20 WORLD TOUR Zosa 00:37:29 WORLD TOUR Meese 00:46:29 Real Net 00:50:55 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

There are things here that I have no clue as to what they are. Help us engage with these strange objects while we're worshipping the flame, putting an anti-blowing string in a hat, looking for lucky finds, acknowledging home invasion, wishing god would kill Chris' house, casually insulting religion, entering the conveyor belt dungeon, spitting out repair kits, merging faith with government, intending to remove a sacred relic, reducing to ashes all that is unclean, doing the complete suite of dew, and yearning for an empowering physical space What is Christ if not a hero from the past? 00:00:00 Pixel Project Radio 00:01:36 Intro 00:03:16 Leaving Esper Mansion 00:04:41 Jut 00:08:01 Jut Houses 00:19:12 Jut Fort Church 00:22:08 Weapon Plant 00:29:14 Gumbious Temple 00:38:22 Real Net Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

You shouldn't say such unscientific things. Let us us do it while we're somehow waltzing into another JRPG penguin town, "making improvements" to owls, creaming a guy, turning Chaz into a Hero Leader, buying a penguin follower, leading a breeder's life, slaughtering zombies, hearing word of man-eating trees, meeting Dark Element Lars, debating the relationship between monsters and computer, contracting illness, letting the kids go outside, and converting the inn into hospice. Rest in peace to those spirits who are victims of illness 00:00:00 Next Miniseries 00:02:35 Intro 00:05:26 Zosa 00:13:41 Zosa Houses 00:19:34 Climate Control Center 00:29:31 Reshel 00:30:43 Meese 00:35:13 Meese Houses 00:39:38 Real Net 00:45:30 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

Two fists is the best situation. But you can also use two ears to hear us speaking with fire, curating creamsicle outerwear, admiring the JRPG snow town, humping a rock, speaking an untranslatable pun, identifying foundational videogame farts, going hard on Tic Tacs, huddling tight on winter nights, looking at this lot with suspicion, buying armor we already have, blowing hats off, thinking of our favorite Tyler, installing a grandfather in every town, respecting father and mother, freebasing Pez, and expecting to see a spaceship buried under the snow grave cave. Trust that body to us. 00:00:00 Coach Dad Update 00:02:47 Intro 00:05:12 Ryuon 00:18:41 Ryoun Houses 00:25:16 Ryoun Bar 00:34:52 Tyler 00:41:09 Tyler Houses 00:50:34 Tyler's Grave 00:52:52 Below the Grave 00:56:41 Real Net 01:03:10 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

Thank goodness you've revived. Now you can listen to us raising a spaceport out of the sand, losing another party member, investigating the dorms, caring for another's child, running out in a tab, remaining an influencer, sorting out the estranged families, falling into crack, slaying ooze, going to SPACE, looking at space, curing the problem, denying weather control, revealing a second teacher, extending the problem we cured, meeting up offline, and digesting gas station pills. Perhaps he was talking about the end of himself. 00:00:00 Bad Break Up 00:01:46 Intro 00:03:10 A Spaceport 00:05:35 Missing Student (Guild Quest) 00:09:29 Kadary Revisited 00:21:49 Fissure of Fear (Guild Quest) 00:29:47 Spaceport 00:32:55 Zelen 00:43:54 Real Net 00:45:29 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

I can smell the urge to fight in you. With such pungency, you're aiding us in contracting pink eye, wasting MP on a robot, naming a kid "gunner," fearing the mono-eye robot, adapting weird machine parts for androids, refusing to look at naked robot, watching Gryz express facial emotion, worshipping a heroine of yore, aggressively referencing Phantasy Star I, locating the depraved daughter, putting our feelings in metal, rapidly blinking eyes, dying recovered, eliminating another jobber, and fearing her last breath. Put your adversary down by force. 00:00:00 Bubblegum 00:02:23 Intro 00:04:52 World Mappers 00:06:10 Plate System 00:21:00 Termi 00:27:05 Termi Houses 00:31:10 Laeda Tower 00:39:08 GyLaguiah 00:44:59 Real Net 00:49:32 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

Only after destruction can we create a new world. Become reborn with us as we're playing in the cave in the church, living in idleness, filling pauldrons with puss, walking the red carpet, falling through a hole, obliterating a jobber, mistaking knees for ass, pulling more characters out of Bubblegum Crisis, showcasing medical power, taking a look at our own evil selves, confronting Zio, losing a rigged battle, applying healing magic that doesn't work, manifesting a car, and wondering if Phantasy Star IV invented primary protagonist incapacitation. School work is so stupid. 00:00:00 Robots In Disguise In Disguise 00:02:04 Intro 00:03:46 Kadary Church 00:12:39 Zio's Fort 00:19:18 Juza 00:21:45 Demi 00:27:35 It's Zio! 00:38:42 Krup Regroup 00:52:19 Real Net 00:57:08 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

We're ex-convicts, no one will marry us now. We're doomed to a life of observing the need to fix bridges, inhabiting a dead town, fearing dentist technology, bowling alone, refusing to trust the neighbors, Wet Banditing our own house, vomiting all over the wall, observing a fluid town, stealing husband's secret savings, losing a lot in translation, interpreting a poster, panty-raiding ourselves, sneaking out of an inn, refusing to tell a fortune, and drinking to numb the pain. I don't seem to be in good shape today, come back some other time. 00:00:00 The Server Has a Tattoo 00:04:14 Intro 00:06:22 World Map 00:09:32 Nayla 00:13:01 Nayla Buildings 00:28:37 Aiedo 00:36:54 Aiedo Buildings 00:45:43 Big Market 00:57:12 Jail 00:58:28 Real Net 01:02:20 Outro Patreon: patreon.com/retroam Bluesky: @retrogradeamnesia.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RetrogradeAmnesia E-Mail: podcast@retrogradeamnesia.com Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com