There are good design elements all over, from a menu option disabling licensed music for streaming to quests that completely change based on whether you choose to go in guns blazing or stay hidden and make sense both ways. The main and side quests are all packed full of great story, the characters are fun to get to know… and yet despite all of the effort that went into this game, we also see the bad design choices I discussed above and an unplayable console version. If you can take the places where it’s a bad example and remember to do better in your own life, and maybe wait until it’s been patched into working, there’s an amazing game here that you can be glad you experienced.

Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo offers some fun in drawing up a horror story from Japanese superstitions. Unfortunately, it leans too heavily on the comedy, even though the jokes are appreciated. When the game dangles the possibility or even the appearance of some agency for the player, it would have been more exciting to make the player feel as though they’re really making choices or feel invested in the horror elements. If there’s anything to take away from this experience, it’s that murder is typically wrong, but a chicken dressed as a greaser is way cool.

By far the largest issue Fable has is its length. Completing at least 50% of the sidequests, marrying, slaughtering an entire village, and buying three houses, I still only ended the game at slightly over eight hours.

Fans of The Case of the Golden Idol will find their itch for more demented mad libs scratched but not sated by The Rise of the Golden Idol. Despite my issues with the game, existing devotees of the Golden Idol will find something to like here. Everyone else should start with the first game and its two expansions, which are better and provide vital context for fully enjoying the sequel.

If you are a big fan, then I can't see you being disappointed with the game unless you really hate the graphical style or the voices.

Planescape: Torment will continue to be a classic — a titan standing tall in the history of RPGs. However, the Enhanced Edition has only really enhanced the price and little else. Though I have to say, Planescape itself is okay. I know I may aggravate or annoy some fans who remember this title fondly or have even experienced it again and enjoyed the trip down memory plane, but if we’re being honest with ourselves, Planescape: Torment has not aged well. The writing is as engrossing as ever, yes, but even in that regard, so much more has been done with games like Pillars of Eternity. Certainly, the gameplay and controls could be better. I’m not here to give praise for the history and importance of Planescape, but to judge it as it stands today amongst whippersnappers, like Tyranny, who likely owe a great deal to what this title has done for RPGs.

I have very mixed feelings about Fuga: Melodies of Steel. On the one hand, I’m glad to see that the Little Tail Bronx series still has life in it. On the other hand, this latest entry is largely unimpressive and doesn’t hold a candle to the rollicking good times that Tail Concerto and Solatorobo were. If you are already a Little Tail Bronx die-hard, then you’ve already decided to buy Fuga: Melodies of Steel. If you’re a newcomer, I think you’d have a more enjoyable time with Tail Concerto or Solatorobo.

The balancing act RGG plays with its titles is a tricky tightrope to walk, and they usually knock it out of the park. That they failed to do so here is just disappointing. Nonetheless, the fact that this game came to Steam might—might—mean we can see more titles in the future, and there’s a lot of potential here. If they can build a more compelling mystery, be more thoughtful about the serious issues they want to address, and fix the detective elements, they might be onto something special here. Most people seem to think they already are. Maybe next time, I can too.

Spiritfarer is a perfect example of a game where one has to keep their expectations in check. I honestly feel the trailers have misrepresented what the majority of the game is, and I wish the developers had actually cut the content in half or found a way to speed up the entire process. What’s here hints at the depth of quality that could have been, but the designers seemed more concerned with giving their audience their money’s worth rather than packing ten hours with high-quality content. Or maybe I should have engaged in more meditation over the 25-hour experience. Regardless, Spiritfarer has moments of beauty that will resonate with many players, while others, like myself, will be left wondering what could have been.

Detention has something important to say, but using a game as a medium seems inappropriate in this instance. While the subject matter is definitely worth discussing and I'd personally love to see more of this in games moving forward, the way in which it's been executed here left me groaning by the end of the three hours. Predictable in terms of story and unimaginative in terms of game design, Detention doesn't work as a game.

This is still a huge, fun to play, absolutely sprawling game in the tradition of classic RPGs of yesteryear, and is really only one of a very few of its kind available on the iPad.

RPGs as indistinct and shallow as Fable are rare, and for good reason.

Disgaea 7 is a mixed bag: while it addresses many of the issues present in its predecessor, it also fails to match the sereis’ best games it is trying to emulate. I enjoyed my time with the game, but I’m left wondering where the series can go from here. Disgaea 7 does what it needs to, but I feel the series has exhausted the concept and taken it about as far as possible without a significant shakeup.

Filled with quirkiness, wonder, and exploration, Burly Men at Sea is certainly a niche game targeted more towards children and adults who want to be kids again. Not everyone will find it a pleasant journey, but I suspect more will be surprised by its charm than not — even if it does not last.

Archvale’s big claim to fame is the meshing of RPG (items/loot) and bullet hell mechanics. Aside from that, this is an average title at best. We had fun with this one, but probably only because it is cooperative. As a single-player experience, I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much. With little substance in the writing, awkward design decisions (crafting is largely pointless aside from armor and weapon drops are rarely tempting), and a cache of bugs, I would only recommend this title to bullet hell enthusiasts or those hungry for a decent cooperative jaunt.

My stance on Escape from Ever After is clear. The characters, music, and writing are tons of fun and exude plenty of charm. Unfortunately, the gameplay, especially the mushy controls, sharp difficulty spikes, and maddening puzzles, left me feeling cold. So, despite its potential, Escape from Ever After was a middle-of-the-road Paper Mario-style experience for me.

All-in-all, Botanicula is a competent adventure game. What it lacks in story and characters, it does its best to make up for in scenery and puzzle variety. It may be rather short, but it's still an enjoyable experience I recommend to adventure gamers looking for something a little different. If point and click adventures are not usually your thing, or you're only interested in this because of your experience with Machinarium, then I'd definitely advise you to at least wait for a Steam sale.

A decent RPG that could have been great.

Saltsea Chronicles was a bizarre experience for me. I admired the quality of the writing, maturity in language, and world the developers sought to craft, but I was frequently bored and eager for something to happen. I couldn’t even call this game slice-of-life, which one could argue is a genre where nothing ever happens by definition, but at least slice-of-life stories are poignant and heartfelt. Saltsea Chronicles just felt flat to me, but I am certain this game will hit some beautiful notes for folks who are tired of melodrama and intensity.

Although expansive, sometimes beautiful, and occasionally fun, Darksiders II is mediocre at best, a rambling bore of a game and a shoddy sequel. You may have liked the original, and you may enjoy action RPGs, but you've played this game before, and not just once.

If I were to over-simplify and equate most video games to desserts, I'd put them in two camps: you have your rich chocolate mousse slice of cake and the super-sized bag of salty, greasy potato chips. Some games don't have a lot on the plate, but that labored over mousse screams quality. Other games are meant to make you mindlessly go from the top of that bag of chips to the bottom without even realizing it, relying heavily on quantity of good enough content. Borderlands 3 is certainly the latter, and just like eating that bag of chips, I feel awful afterwards, regretting what I'd done.

Ni no Kuni II is still an excellent game. In most respects, I find it superior to the original, with fewer barriers between the player and the game itself. It’s packed with quality-of-life features, cool subsystems, and interesting side content to conquer. Unfortunately, the Switch version is the worst way to experience a fantastic game. For most players, the original will provide the best experience. There’s no new content to speak of here, and the visual setbacks make taking advantage of the Switch’s form factor a dicey prospect. You should absolutely play Ni no Kuni II. But you probably shouldn’t play it on the Switch.

I feel incredibly conflicted about my time with Steins;Gate 0. Its plot raises some really fun questions, and during its very best moments it can be read as an allegory for the overzealous influence of American hegemony on post-war Japan. When it works, Steins;Gate 0 knocks it out of the park. But more often than not, it doesn't work, and is instead content to waste your time with shallow "slice of life" baloney that you've seen a million times before in other visual novels. There is value to be gleaned from Steins;Gate 0, I just wish it wasn't so well hidden.

Probably best reserved for the most diehard fans, but even they should enter with caution.

Fun can definitely be had with Kiwami. I know there are people out there who are going to love roaming the streets of Kamurocho to beat up baddies, stopping to take a break only because they passed by an arcade and want a new prize from the claw machine. Unfortunately, from a mechanical perspective, everything about the game seemed completely shallow. In the end, Yakuza Kiwami felt more like a novelty experience than it did a rewarding one.

I certainly didn’t dislike my time with Old Skies, but I didn’t love it, either. What a wonderful ending that almost made me forget and forgive the longest fifteen hours I’ve experienced in a game recently. The last chapter is absolute chef’s kiss stuff. Somehow, though, a story with a mysterious organization with limitless resources, a thoughtful ruleset, and time manipulation didn’t excite.

I think part of the problem with Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is that the first game was so good and all they had to do was copy the same design. Maybe the same people didn't work on this title, but it's offensively difficult with few options. Difficult games are fine; in fact, I celebrate difficult games. Unfortunately, without giving tools or proper agency, CotM2 deserves as much respect as it gave me, the player. Unless you are the most die-hard classic gaming fan, I can't recommend this title. In fact, even then, buyer beware.

I could go on at greater length about NEO: The World Ends with You; it was an emotional rollercoaster for me, to be sure. Normally, I avoid having expectations going into a game so as not to cloud my judgment or set myself up for disappointment. I had reservations going into this because of the trailer. Still, I came out deflated in a huge way. As a fan, I admittedly enjoyed every cameo from the first game, but after the initial glee wore off, I realized that it honestly felt a little disrespectful to the source. Not everyone needs to show up, and if they do, put some meat into the occasion. If I were to point at one thing NEO did wrong, it’d be that it has too many characters and the writers didn’t know how to drill down and focus on quality relationships. That aside, I still don’t understand leaving most of the game a mystery until the very end and then just making up reasons or abilities with no prior justification. Can this game be enjoyed? Certainly. The combat alone will be fun for some, but TWEWY was so much more than its gameplay.