Rise of the Third Power is a wonderful 16-bit adventure that offers a charming world to uncover. It’s nostalgic to the core, but it may be a bit too familiar for hardcore fans. I was hoping for more diversity in the narrative themes and environments, but as a package, this is one adventure that I couldn’t step away from. For those seeking a retro-inspired experience, you can’t go wrong here. I was going to make a math pun, but decided against it.

Cogen: Sword of Rewind would likely only satisfy those yearning for challenging action-platformer regardless of its reception. You could do much better with the genre, and I hope the development team learns from these efforts to potentially make a far more fulfilling game in the future. With an especially meager playtime to boot, there isn’t much-instilled replay value with this gameplay quality nor enough bang for your buck. At the very least, Kohaku is pretty cute.

Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! exceeds in storytelling and presentation, and gets some points considering I can attend a virtual Vocaloid concert. However, the grind it takes to acquire items and higher scores might be more than some are willing to invest. Still, the music is what we’re here for, and this game definitely brings the best beats to the party.

Sol Cresta is a retro shmup for the modern gamer. It excels at everything it wants to provide to players and more, but sadly it doesn’t teach them how to access it. However, once I figured out how to actually play, I found it to be one of the best shmups in recent times. It forgoes the familiar aspect of the genre and instead aims to shake things up by introducing unique systems. I didn’t want to stop playing, but there’s plenty of room for improvement.

With a compelling cast and good use of a setting, Hello Lady! offers a gripping narrative. Its protagonist’s peculiar mannerisms are a fascinating example of a colorful, brilliant choice that profoundly impacts the plot. It’s an engaging, theatrical mix of action and plot twists, though its verbose antics might not be for everyone.

Beat Souls tries to break the mold of its peers in the genre but feels lost in many ways. The music choices feel safe and don’t stick out. The art looks pretty but can be draining to keep track of notes, especially on greater difficulties. Add the lack of unlockable extras to keep striving for, and you get a game that is all style, no substance. There is something here that could have been special, but it failed in innovating.

Let’s get real, 2022 is already a crazy stacked year when it comes to RPG releases, and so Potato Flowers in Full Bloom is not something you want to pick up right away. On a sale, and if you really needed a downtime RPG, then this game might be your thing. As it is, this is a charming and minimalist adventure featuring engaging turn-based battles, even when the sum of its parts doesn’t add up to anything extraordinary.

Evenicle 2‘s translation has a handful of typos and inconsistencies. Most of the text is an enjoyable, funny read, but these minor errors can be frustrating. Also, keep in mind that while the sex scenes are a significant selling point, Evenicle 2 offers a streamer mode option in the menu that censors those events while keeping the audio and text intact. Evenicle 2 is an excellent eroge RPG with an impressive cast of characters and an engaging story. It oozes charisma, and any fan of the genres should give it a try. Come for the sexy characters drawn by Nan Yaegashi. Stay for the bonds you create along the way.

UuultraC is another unique BL title from ADELTA and it’s easy to see improvements to the Kurosawa Rinko artstyle. However, the messy delivery of its plot keeps it from living up to its potential with a confusing narrative style that hinders the experience more than it does improve it. Even so, fans of the genre are likely to enjoy this wild ride and should give this experimental work a try.

There are more intricate and enjoyable fanservice games out there, like the Neptunia and Senran Kagura franchises. Pretty Girls Rivers is occasionally enjoyable to look at and listen to, but that’s about it, and you can tell I’m just spamming filler words at this point to reach a word requirement.

Café Stella and the Reaper’s Butterflies is great at telling a narrative about a group of friends running a café. However, its casual disregard for the actual plot is a missed opportunity. You may come for the supernatural premise, but you’ll stay for the cute girls and comedy. I think the character writing is reason enough to play through this game, especially if you’re a fan of Yuzusoft titles, but if you’re looking for a compelling story, you may want to try one of their other titles.

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 2 features two overlooked titles from this developer’s catalog. They are insanely fun games with deep systems, whether you’re in the mood for a tactical RPG or dungeon crawler. However, they lack modern options, limiting the appeal to a new generation of gamers accustomed to a higher level of development put towards these re-releases. For better or worse, these titles are exactly how I remember, but I still had a blast replaying them.

While the game may be a little slower than one may expect for the genre, Samurai Bringer is a curious feast of customizable samurai action. Players willing to give it some time and effort will be able to find a compelling reward for experimenting with its moveset combination options.

KamiYaba: Destiny on a Dicey Deadline offers cozy times with some cute characters, but it doesn’t manage to handle any unique plot point it brings up. The generic feeling and too frequent text issues are a big blunder, but players looking for just some fun with cute girls can probably overlook those issues.

Furi is a game that will only appeal to die-hard action veterans who love a good challenge. Yet, thanks to this limited and intentional appeal that is clearly imbued with fervor, Furi cleanly sticks the landing and delivers a sublime boss-rush adventure with remarkable combative polish. I’ve played only a select few titles that have felt as fulfilling as Furi, and I wholeheartedly believe that those willing to give this game a shot and sedate any preemptive pride they possess will feel similarly by the end.

Meteor World Actor: Badge & Dagger is a short experience that, like its predecessor, doesn’t handle its heroines well. It’s a big shame because the series has an exciting worldview that should have at least one game deserving the status of a masterpiece. Maybe the next one can finally live up to all its potential. Nonetheless, I still recommend the series for its stellar world-building and gorgeous illustrations.

Secret Kiss is Sweet and Tender is not going to be for everyone. The premise is going to turn some VN fans away at the door, plus the simplicity and lack of overall narrative depth aren’t going to win any awards. On top of that, the price and the slightly middling translation don’t do it any favors. Still, this could be a sweet and fluffy experience for yuri fans, but it might be better to look elsewhere first for your escapism fix.

Neko-Mimi Sweet Housemates Vol. 1 is a relaxing and vanilla adventure about one man, his “pet,” and her companions. Still, it offers little new to the genre, and yet, it was still an enjoyable narrative. I’d recommend it to fans of light-hearted romance and supernatural elements and those that feel like a wholesome rom-com.

The culmination of all these elements led to an ending that left me both confused and disappointed, and I only found myself enjoying Asuka’s conclusion of the three routes available. One Last Crane is a mediocre read for anyone interested in a mix of heartbreak and slice-of-life, though there are enjoyable parts sprinkled throughout the story. If the idea of a boy with recurring health issues romancing a girl interests you, One Last Crane may be a decent pick to put on your backlog.

Whether you’re a visual novel veteran or a newbie, A Clockwork Ley-line as a series is a great entry point into VNs. With a completion time of around 15-20 hours, you can pick it up and play it in short bursts, but it’s also just as easy to get lost in it because the story is that good. Personally, I’m very excited for the third chapter, and my only wish is that this time, we don’t have to wait too long for the series finale, and it gets released sooner than later, like clockwork.

While the attempt is commendable, this game falls flat in providing an enjoyable experience, though there is tons of room for improvement. If you were a fan of the predecessor, the price of admission to experience a new chapter in the SENSE anthology may be worth it for you. However, as a stand-alone product, you may want to wait for a future title that works with the presented mechanics in a more refined way.

Nope Nope Nurses is a courageous erotic experience solely for those delighted by severe female domination and male masochism. While its length is only a handful of hours and the price point is questionable, what is here is genuinely qualitative, thanks to the remarkable voice acting, shamelessly ferocious H-scene content, and unexpectedly engaging character writing.

Vesteria Saga II: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister is a fantastic SRPG that scratches an itch for fair challenge and minimalism that we haven’t had in a while. It’s definitely for more hardcore fans of the genre and is missing a few things, such as concise or clear tutorials or difficulty options that would let those interested in this medium jump in.

Undergrave sports a concept that is interesting on the surface and combat that is done competently, but the lack of teaching and boring room design puts it behind games like Necrodancer in terms of quality. While not a bad romp to play, it doesn’t offer much to make me want to return to it. I didn’t completely hate my time with Undergrave, but I wish it had given more care to teach me how to play it.

Hell Blasters doesn’t reinvent the genre template too much, but it provides a decent enough package for fans of indie shmups. The story mode alone might be worth a look for fans after a classic gaming experience, and it’s one area the game does a great job of taking seriously in both presentation and gameplay execution. The core shooting experience itself is nothing too remarkable, but various modes of play and difficulty settings can make this an inexpensive shooter to jump into occasionally, and works nicely on the go when played on Nintendo Switch.

Animal Trail * Girlish Square is a 4-hour-long VN, where what you see is what you get. It’s cute girl shenanigans, a self-insert protagonist, and some ‘extras,’ should you get the title’s patch from Denpasoft. As I opened this all with, best reserved for a Friday night.

Lost Epic enthralled me for many hours as I explored the vast areas. The fights are fun and fast, the bosses interesting, and the world beautiful. There are a few hiccups in terms of overall quality, but I enjoyed my time with it and strongly suggested that anyone who enjoys Metroid-souls-like games give it a try.

The narrative is absolutely worth experiencing from beginning to end as it provides an exceptional core coupled with impressively satisfying connective tissue to the franchise’s past and future. Truthfully speaking, writing this review was quite a challenging process given its nature, but I’m glad I gave this game the limelight it deserves.