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Baldr Sky is an excellent sci-fi visual novel, with decent gameplay sections. There are some sticking points such as having to repeat certain sections, but the quality of the overall story overpowers them to make this a strong recommendation.
The Indigo Disk is a decent enough addition to Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, but it could have been a lot better. The story content is insubstantial, the game’s core performance issues remain, and much of the additional content is impotently integrated and tied to a grueling BP grind. The Indigo Disk is fun, but only because Pokémon is fun. I enjoyed my time with the DLC, with some caveats, which is identical to my experience with Pokémon Scarlet/Violet as a whole. It doesn’t do much to excite, but it serves perfectly fine as simply more Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. If you liked Scarlet/Violet, and want more, this is that. If you’re looking for a significant improvement on Scarlet/Violet, sit tight and hope for a solid Generation 10.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is the blueprint for how making the right tweaks in the right places can enhance a good experience to a great one, as long as you want to take that experience online that is. Despite the gutting of single-player content and the overly grindy nature, the core game is still an absolute thrill to play, and shot it back up into my rotation of fighting games. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is a serious contender among fighting games and the leader of the anime fighting game faction.
Kingpin: Reloaded could have been a great way to experience a cult title, but frankly it's a poor, missed shot of a remaster in its current state. The excessive use of bloom and texture smoothing does a number on the aesthetic of the game, and at times hinders players. The core experience of Kingpin: Life of Crime is still a fun and unique few hours and there is still fun to be had if you enjoy classic shooters. The poor performance does this remaster no favors. Even with the option to play the “original” mode available, the changes made to the core systems of the game and performance issues persist. More patches are needed before I could even suggest playing this version over the original.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince does the monster catching, raising, and battling loop better than any similar game I've played. It has some good dungeon puzzles on top of that. The story isn't amazing and the performance isn't great either, but if you enjoy monster-catching JRPGs, it's certainly worth picking up.
Gothic II Complete Classic is the best way to experience an all-time classic “Euro Jank” RPG out of the box without mods. The new graphic tweaks look fantastic and it has enough quality of life improvements to make it much more digestible than playing the original Gothic 2 release. Yes, the game controls are funky and you’ll die over and over again, in-game cutscenes might look daft because your character jumped on top of a chair as it triggered, and you’ll no doubt spend ages banging your head against brick walls trying to make progress. But, when it clicks, nothing hits quite like Gothic 2 and you’ll be growing dark bags under your eyes for nights as you get fully consumed by the role of the Nameless Hero. Gothic II Complete Classic is a product of its time presented in the easiest way to play it. No mods are required and you can indulge in the convenience of console or handheld with the hybrid nature of the Switch. It’s a treat for any classic RPG fan so long as you’re willing to wade through the swamp before you reach the treasure chest.
I’m in a bit of a tricky spot reaching a verdict on Custom Mech Wars. I like the concept, I like the tone, and the customization is a lot of fun. All of that is attached to a dull gameplay loop though. Truly dull, just thinking about it I’m getting tired. Am I going to continue playing Custom Mech Wars once this review is done? No, at least not alone. Maybe with some friends I could see myself diving back in. I’d certainly be interested in future games with the ‘Omega Customization’ idea attached. Should you buy Custom Mech Wars? Possibly, at some point. I think that this could fill the role of a light time-waster, if you go in with appropriate expectations. If you’re really into customization and creative tools in games, then it might be worth a look just for that. If you’re a fan of EDF, then there is some potential for enjoyment here. It’s better than EDF: Iron Rain, if that counts for anything.
As for balance issues and so forth, they are things that can be fixed. I had enough fun with The Last Faith to keep me playing. I do look forward to where things go from here, as I had been anticipating this release for a good while. Conceptually though, the things that I admire about the game, I do so because they’re what I admire about other releases. The Last Faith is an ambitious metroidvania and Kumi Souls has succeeded in creating something that will definitely be mentioned in the conversation about positive indie Soulslikes. Ultimately, there’s fun to be had and improvements to be made in equal measure.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars has always had a strong following and this remake will only do wonders in introducing this game to a whole new slew of fans. The game features enough quality-of-life changes and feels much faster than the SNES version, making it an absolute joy to play. The pacing of the game is lightning fast and this will keep gamers glued to their Nintendo Switch, and they won’t feel short changed with the smaller-than-usual run time for the genre. Yes, the game is a condensed easy ride, but it’s fun from start to finish and manages to capture the fun of a Final Fantasy game whilst also perfectly representing the world of Super Mario. It’s an almost ideal “first” RPG for any budding gamer and a perfect palette cleaner for others.
While Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered is technically the weakest of the original trilogy. But now that Nightdive Studios has put in the work and made this title available to players of all modern consoles, you can see that even at its weakest moments Turok was a series that had more than enough charm and gore to carry it through the generation. It’s the end of the original Turok trilogy and it is amazing to see how much love and care Nightdive has put into all three of the titles. Bravo to Nightdive for their work here and making this easily the most playable Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivion has ever been to the point I couldn’t put the game down. You truly are the new Turok!
Persona 5 Tactica impressed me by going well beyond my expectations. By merging traditional tactics RPG gameplay with ideas and concepts unique to the Persona series, it creates a fresh, exciting experience. When you bundle this creative foray into a new genre with a loveable cast of characters and an engaging narrative, you get one of the best games of 2023. If you loved Persona 5, pick this up. If you haven’t played Persona 5, do that, and then pick this up.
The Song of Saya is an interesting play on the boy-meets-girl romance story. Grotesquely interesting, it pulls you in with its absurdly vivid artwork and throws you for a loop through its subtle psychological horror. Instead of overtly scary tactics, The Song of Saya instills psychological fear through its narrative and character actions, never fully materializing its horrific aspects, and leaving it to the reader to fully visualize the rest of its scenes. This is not without its drawbacks, however, as its singular focus on the situation detracts from creating a fictional setting that is both immersive and fleshed out. However, with the exceptional use of its characters and the struggle itself, it raises stakes high enough to warrant your full attention. Overall, the Song of Saya is an incredible experience, with or without the adult content. I recommend it to anyone with the courage to try it out for themselves
I’d recommend Like A Dragon Gaiden to any fan of the series, without hesitation. Of course, if you’re not caught up with the series then you’ll want to get up to the end of Yakuza: Like A Dragon before diving into Gaiden. This is definitely not a good entry point for the series, just in case you were wondering. With a grounded, cohesive narrative the game perfectly sets the stage for Infinite Wealth. It’s a joy to be back playing as Kiryu, and seeing him still growing as a character after all this time is incredibly rewarding. I enjoyed every moment of my time with Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and, barring some disappointment with the weaker than usual substories, I don’t have any real complaints. Another fantastic entry in a fantastic series.
Fashion Dreamer isn’t a perfect game, in fact it’s got quite a lot of issues. That said, I really enjoyed my time with it, and I plan on playing a whole lot more even after wrapping up my review. If you’re interested in fashion games, then you sort of have to pick this one up. There’s not much else like it out there nowadays. There are problems sure, but there’s also so much to love. The online social elements have been executed masterfully, and that should inject some real longevity to the game if the developers can address some of the quality of life concerns in the future. There is so much fun to be had, and so I do recommend Fashion Dreamer overall, just with the caveat that you’re going to rub up against some rough edges if you dive in.
GINKA can be a bit sloppy and frustratingly tropey at times, but it hits where it counts with a heartfelt story about the lengths people will go to reach the ones they love.
Criminal Border 1st Offence (Liminal Border Part I) is a great introduction for the episodic series. I thoroughly enjoyed the 6 hours I spent with it. The narrative built to a strong conclusion that left me excited to pick up the next episode when it releases. I love the direction Purple Software took with the art style, giving the title a unique visual identity that fits well with its mature narrative. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Criminal Border and I hope it can deliver on the potential shown in this first episode.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister overall is a quite fun experience that makes sure players can enjoy every aspect of a D&D campaign without needing previous knowledge. I wouldn't say it's the most groundbreaking execution, but I do feel this game is a perfect start for someone interested in any campaign where they can just be a half-elf ready to shoot people down. It's a fun journey for you to enter the universe of D&D and more accessible to most than the old ways of gathering around a table with pen and paper.
If Detective Pikachu Returns’ goal was to make a mystery game that any kid could enjoy, then it’s almost a complete failure. This is most certainly no Professor Layton, nor is it anywhere close to that pedigree in any category. The mysteries are robbed of all of their catharsis because the game doesn’t ever trust the player’s intellect and intuition. Not that you may want to see the story to its end when the main narrative can’t make up its mind on what it wants to be. For only a very brief stint of time was I invested, but then I soon realized that I already saw everything that it had to offer. Its few bright spots in character interaction and charm couldn’t hide that. This isn’t a broken game, but it’s something I found worse: it’s boring.
UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~ is a serious story not just about a growing relationship between two girls, but the nature of love, family issues, and self-discovery. With a well-paced and thoughtful story, great character dynamics, and high production values, it’s certainly worth reading.
River City: Rival Showdown is a unique title in the River City franchise, sadly to its detriment at times. The balance is all screwy, the soundtrack repeating kills the pacing, and it takes far too long to open up in terms of combat. On the other hand, there is a lot here that fans of the series will love, and more River City is always a good time. Sadly, after the last two really strong releases, this one comes off as just a little lacking.