Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online isn't bad, it just isn't great.
Overall, Cris Tales is a game that I can’t really recommend outright. For whatever reason it’s decently cheaper on the Switch, but with the amount of technical issues and gameplay mechanics that need refining, it would still be best to wait for a sale, or part of a package deal, before I could advise playing. I liked Cris Tales, I really did. It’s charming characters, great visuals, outstanding soundtrack, and engaging battle mechanics are all aspects I enjoyed. The poor implementations, long loading times, horrid timing windows, and occasional technical issues however really can’t be overlooked. I truly hope the developers take this as a learning opportunity to produce something more refined in the future, as I’ll be looking forward to it if the kinks can be ironed out.
I found the characters mostly interesting, the storyline was engaging, and for a first production project, PQube did really well. Does that justify the faults? Well, maybe not all of them, but like I said, Kotodama is an "experience", both for the players and developer. I really do want that prequel though, so hopefully PQube will release that as a polished version of the gameplay or something similar. If nothing else, I'd definitely suggest checking the game out.
While Chaos;Child may suffer a bit from some poor localization and text formatting decisions, the story is rather unique and engaging, leading to a fascinating murder mystery full of twists and turns. While I would suggest going through Chaos;Head Noah (or the non remastered version even) before going through Chaos;Child for a little more backstory and context, Chaos; Child still largely works as a standalone title, and will be a good choice for anyone looking for a grittier visual novel experience.
Overall, Kokoro Clover Season 1 is a game with a lot of heart, despite a few setbacks here and there. While definitely more on the easier side, it makes a good launching point for getting a younger audience into gaming, anime, or cartoons while also teaching some lessons. Kokoro Clover definitely feels like it would be more at home on the Switch, and while I wish that’s what I had played it on, the PC version worked fine for me. I highly anticipate the release of Season 2, and I hope you will too after playing Kokoro Clover Season 1.
Overall Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is about as weird as its title suggest. A wacky mash up of escape room and shmup with Phoenix Wright/pop quiz elements thrown in that was weirdly endearing. While Yurukill certainly fell flat in some areas, it certainly had a good showing with the cast of characters, interesting storylines, and decently integrated genre changes. I’ll be honest, it can be frustrating at times, but I still found myself wanting to continue so I could figure out the truth, and to see if I could guess at what happened before the reveal in each chapter. I laughed, I cried, I raged, but in the end, I had a lot of fun.
Overall, I have to say that Seven Pirates H has a lot of promise. There’s a solid basis for sea based exploration, the battle system is pretty fun, and the music is pretty catchy. Unfortunately, this effort seems undermined by how short the game is and how small the explorable areas are. If Seven Pirates H was more like the Moero titles in terms of dungeon length and bonus zones, I feel like Seven Pirates H would have fared much better. Even the upgrade system, where it allowed you to adjust your stat distribution, was an interesting idea, just falling flat against the backdrop of small areas with not much to them.
Overall, Maglam Lord had a lot of potential that it just didn’t fully capitalize on. While characters and dialogue are done really well, the combat that becomes tedious contrasting against some arbitrarily powerful or annoying bosses can be frustrating. Most enemies are simply palette swaps, including bosses that are just large normal enemies, and an annoying grind for materials at times really serve to slow the game down. Maglam Lord certainly isn’t bad, but it isn’t all it could be, either.
Overall, Fallen Legion Revenants provides a bit of a mixed bag. Sure it has some improvements over the past titles, but it also feels like it took some steps backwards. The battle system has some nice dynamic movement added and the guard/parry mechanic isn't infuriating, but the system can get extremely overwhelming, especially for new players to the series. The story is told partially in loading screen info which is a little annoying, and the storyline felt a little awkwardly told, as you aren't really getting the whole picture in the beginning, but was still rather engaging. The adjustments that have been made to the Exemplars and how they work are really nice to see, and I was happy to note the old art style was kept. In the end, Fallen Legion Revenants feels like a bit of a missed chance. The story is too interspersed between occasionally drawn-out battles that the pacing gets messed up a bit, and the action wheel graphics felt like a weird and awkward contrast to the rest of the art style. As a whole, Fallen Legion Revenants didn't really do anything wrong, but given how long it's been since the previous titles, I can't say I'm not a little bit disappointed. Is ti worth the price? If you enjoy engaging battles filled with strategy and tactics, yes, I'd say so, but there is definitely room for improvements.
Overall, since the stages are procedurally generated there is a lot of replayability, and the different abilities from the different characters are really nice for keeping you coming back for another serving. The graphics are rather reminiscent of overcooked and the soundtrack is pretty decent. With monster filled levels, the meat of Nom Nom Apocalypse is definitely fighting through the hordes of mutant food monsters and throwing yourself out of the frying pan and into the fire. Facing off against the big bosses are fun, and every run feels a little bit different from the last. Nom Nom Apocalypse is a quirky top-down shooter that, while maybe not going too far outside the box in terms of gameplay, certainly has a delicious draw to it.
Azur Lane Crosswave – PC Review (February 26, 2020) http://chalgyr.com/2020/02/review-pc-azurlane-crosswave.html Overall, I’d say that Azur Lane Crosswave is a great way to help get the series out there, and while the battles can get a little repetitive, there’s nothing I can really point out as being truly wrong or bad. Although it does feel rather lacking in content, and how much you’ll enjoy this title is rather dependant on how much you like the mobile game, considering that Crosswave basically turned the mobile system into essentially a console type game, I have to say they did rather well, all things considered. ---------- Azur Lane Crosswave – Switch Review (February 24, 2021) https://chalgyr.com/2021/02/review-switch-azurlanecrosswave.html Overall I have to say I really did enjoy my time with Azur Lane Crosswave. While I couldn't really recommend it too heavily to someone not a fan of the series, it definitely should be something to keep on your watchlist to see if it goes on sale. The gameplay is pretty good, albeit with shorter and sparse battles at the beginning, and the game is primarily a visual novel to start, so if you are ok with that, you'll probably like Azur Lane. There's plenty of post game and extra battles to engage in, and the music is really solid. It feels like the game got a graphics and water physics upgrade from the PC port as well. If you do decide to pick this up for the Switch, I suggest playing on a TV if available. Also, go check out the mobile game so we can get more of these.
If you ask whether Corpse Party: Blood Drive is a “good game”, the answer would have to be “not really”. The story is engaging and the characters are all fairly unique in their own rights, and there’s enough back story given to you in-game and in the dictionary you get that you shouldn’t feel too lost while playing. Unfortunately the game takes a hit for how infuriating the chase mechanics can be. Especially when coupled with some often rather vague directions and arbitrary backtracking that doesn’t always make sense as to why it was needed in the first place, and Corpse Party: Blood Drive just can’t squeeze itself out of a really mediocre feeling. It’s a nice sort of wrap-up to the series, or at least the “Heavenly Host saga”, as a sequel series has also been released recently in the west, “Dead Patient”, which you’ll probably see pop up on the review site shortly after this, so it does round the series out for those who’ve followed it this far.
Ultimately, Zombie Driver is one of those games you pick up to play while you’re on the bus, or in the car (not driving) going somewhere. It’s a great title to pick up for a mission/round or two, but it definitely isn’t something I’d be able to sit down with for more than half an hour to an hour at a time, maximum. With the portability the Switch offers, if you use your Switch as a handheld more than a console, this may be that title to fill in the time for your weekly commute that you’ve been looking for.
If you’re hankering for some pinball and were looking for something with a little more fanservice than a shiny metal orb, good news is Senran Kagura Peach Ball is available for you to sidle up to.
Was Neptunia Shooter fun? Definitely. Would I play it for more than an hour? Probably not. As a longtime fan of both the Neptunia franchise and bullet hell games, I can honestly say it’s really fun and pretty challenging, but it could also be a lot more than what it is. If you’re a fan of the bullet hell genre and like the Neptunia series, consider giving it a shot, but I wouldn’t expect many other people to get enamored with the game.
While Senran Kagura: Burst Re:Newal probably isn’t winning any “publicly playable” awards, it definitely isn’t something to cross off your list just for that. So why not give it a try, or at least listen to the awesome soundtrack, and sacrifice yourself to the will of the dance.
Essentially, Deep Sky Derelicts suffers from what is essentially a pacing whiplash, alternating between being rather bland and being rather addicting. If anything, I’d suggest trying to get some more variety in battles, whether that be on your own part or from the devs, and increasing the encounter rate, or at least providing an option to adjust it, to help make the game not feel like a purely exploration game instead of a turn-based strategy style. While certainly not for everyone, it does have the draw for those who enjoy turn-based, strategy, and deckbuilding style games. Those coming from Darkest Dungeon would also probably find Deep Sky Derelicts a good next step in their game list.
All in all, I came away pleased with the experience. While I did know all the plot twists from the anime, the game was still fun and short enough to pick up a chapter here and there. While Punch Line really feels more like a handheld or mobile experience, it’s still a lot of gags, fun, and good music. If you haven’t seen the anime, now you can play it, so get out there and don’t stare at the panties!
Overall, I’d say Hakoniwa Explorer Plus is a quirky little adventure game with a lot of interesting gags, a solid base mechanic, although it may need some slight tweaking, and enough big boobed/butted large bosses to easily identify the improbably female boss cast. While there are a lot of aspects that need a little touching up, such as the supped speedy rate at which your weapons deteriorate, the gags, simple gameplay, and school swimsuits will probably have you coming back for more.
Released in Japan in 2015, now coming to North America is another installment in the Xanadu series, Tokyo Xanadu. Tokyo Xanadu follows the adventures of Kou Tokisaka, as he fights the supernatural labyrinths that are appearing in the city of Morimiya. With interesting characters, a good storyline, and a really solid soundtrack, there was a lot I liked about Tokyo Xanadu, despite some of its flaws.