Picture the inside of the Royal Albert Hall in London, home of second largest pipe organ in Europe and a venue that has played hosts to the finest operas and symphonies in existence today. You sit down and watch the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra enter, followed by the London Voices, one of the best vocal groups in the country. The lights dim and a tense number plays, complete with ominous Latin music from the chorus. Suddenly, however, you pick up a single word from the singers, a word that feels so out of place in this beautiful and storied venue.

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Okay, folks. Confession time. I feel like I need to come clean about something that might colour your perception of me. I’m am a great champion of JRPGs. I started playing them when I was seven years old and my step-dad would let me play the sprite in Secret of Mana and have played almost every major release in the genre ever since. From the SNES days before Square Enix was a thing through the PS1 and PS2 eras when the cut scenes were pre-rendered and everything from hair to sleeves had a sharp edge all the way to today’s releases (and rereleases in a lot of cases). I have been more effeminate teenage boys than a police internet sting operation. I have saved more fictional worlds than Green Lantern. I love the weird and wonderful genre, but there is a dark secret I harbour. Read more …