Fans of comic fantasy and action RPGs will be comforted by Driftmoon's cheerful atmosphere and delightful exploration.

I must say, I enjoyed MajorMinor far more than I thought I would. The game is an undoubtedly acquired taste and I can see some players potentially getting turned off before even completing the first couple of chapters. The game's pacing is deliberate and characters aren't immediately likable, but if you can get past that, the game definitely opens up and blooms. For those who have enough open-mindedness, patience, and suspension of disbelief to give MajorMinor a chance, hopefully the game will grow on you as it did on me.

Overall, Garden of Seif: Chronicles of an Assassin is a solid fantasy VN with darker undertones intended for those who don’t mind exciting angles on the “enemies to lovers” trope. It’s a visual feast for the eyes, though the slight narrative imbalance between the two character routes and lack of a story map can be hindrances. I enjoyed the solid worldbuilding and realistically flawed characters enough that I’m glad I picked this title up following Curse of Gravehollow Peaks. Iris’ quest in Garden of Seif is intriguing, with plenty of exciting twists and turns for VN fans.

Both Cyber Sleuth games provide solid RPGs that will appeal to both longtime Digimon fans and newcomers alike.

This thrilling game of high-stakes detective falls short narratively but remains strangely compelling throughout.

Yaaargh! Subtlety ain’t be whatcher expectin’ out of a tale about pirates, but even though the surface might look cheap, the value is in finding the gems hidden within. If ye be seekin’ the experience of bein’ a real pirate, Rogue Waters is a time of swillin’ rum and chargin’ at them scurvy dogs. Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

Unlike other Guild Wars 2 expansions, End of Dragons doesn’t have one big feature to hang its hat on. Instead, it offers several smaller features and the game’s most enjoyable campaign yet. Factor in beautiful new maps and challenging but engaging late-game bosses, and there’s plenty of content for Guild Wars 2 fans to come back to.

At the end of the day, Lords of the Fallen is a fun but oftentimes frustrating experience. The level design and combat adjustments are spot on, but extremely haphazard enemy placement and poor variety mar the experience. The game is beautiful yet dull to look at, with very few standouts in its grimdark landscape. It never quite manages to become more than the sum of its parts, but those parts had their fun moments all the same. I hope Hexworks can take everything they did right this time around and iterate further with their next release to make a truly stand-out soulslike title because the pieces for a home run are here in Lords of the Fallen.

For many, Valkyrie Elysium may be average at best. However, what ticks it up a notch for me are the themes, elements, and pieces of the Valkyrie franchise that I know and love. Many games have tried to copy the series, only to fall short and become little more than superficial knock-offs that take the combat and little else. Developer SoleiL has managed to take the soul of the Valkyrie games and put it into a new vessel. It may look and play differently, but it certainly has the heart of the series in it. Though Valkyrie Elysium is much better than I’d expected, I’m hopeful the next entry in the series will be less restrained and “safe,” opting for crazier and flashier instead. In the meantime, I’ll continue trying to will Valkyrie Profile 3: Hrist into existence. Maybe this time, it’ll work.

It’s difficult to live in the shadow of a giant like Steins;Gate. In fact, any comparisons between Robotics;Notes ELITE and that classic of the genre do this game a disservice. Is Robotics;Notes as exciting and emotional as Steins;Gate? No, no it’s not. The ending in particular pales in comparison to the emotional, adrenaline fueled ending of that game. But nonetheless, the strength of the character and the intrigue in the plot make this visual novel worth your time.

It's unlikely to make it to the top of anyone's game of the year list, but it's still worth a look if you're between AAA titles.

If you enjoy a game that's easy to pick up but has challenging battles and allows you to customize your character with plenty of new duds, then Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow will be worth your while.

Age of Imprisonment’s plethora of options helps elevate it as an enjoyable Warriors experience. On the other hand, it suffers from its notable roster absences, especially for Zelda fans, since it’s common to go to Warriors games not for their canon-compliant stories but for the opportunity to throw fan-favorite characters at floods of enemies. Knowing what to expect helps alleviate the disappointment, and the Warriors format works wonders at conveying Tears of the Kingdom’s Imprisoning War. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment’s seriousness and polish help it overcome its shortcomings, making it an overall good time. And like with most Warriors games, a good time is usually good enough.

If you’ve previously played Tokyo Xanadu eX+, there probably isn’t enough new here to warrant a revisit. If you are a new player or have only experienced the original Vita release back in 2017, then give this Switch version a second look. It’s rare for a Switch port to have few significant compromises, and even rarer still for that port to be the best version of the game, but Aksys and Falcom did a great job with this release.

Date A Live: Ren Dystopia is an engaging visual novel that series fans will enjoy. What Date A Live fan wouldn’t want to experience hijinks with their favorite characters and meet a new one who could potentially become a favorite? The game is hollow without prior exposure to the Date A Live light novels, anime, and especially the Rio-Reincarnation visual novel (with all its included extras), so I recommend Ren Dystopia to established fans only.

The gameplay hasn't really changed, but it's more than serviceable and will keep you entertained as you make your way from punchline to punchline. If you're in the market for some cheap laughs, this game is an easy recommendation.

Adventures of Mana is nostalgic in the best way possible, offering you a solid adventure, clever puzzles, and a breathtaking soundtrack.

Part of the appeal of roguelikes is the depth. Since static maps aren’t developed and a linear (or non-linear) story doesn’t unfold in typical RPG fashion, a generous serving of content is almost required. Curse of the Dead Gods feels like a proof of concept in this way, because what’s here is tight, enticing, and consistent, but it needs more. Without meaningful changes across runs, everything just kinda bleeds together. Maybe that’s okay. Maybe Curse of the Dead Gods was always intended to be a 15-hour game. If that’s what you’re after, then by all means, but a game like this needs teeth and a degree of chaos oftentimes found in other roguelikes. With this hybrid genre hotter than ever, maybe it came out of development just a little too late.

A daringly ambiguous piece of storytelling with some scary moments.

Generation of Chaos: Pandora's Reflection is a perfectly serviceable game that didn't give me the headache I feared, but it never got my blood pumping, either.

Tunguska: The Vistation leaves a strong impression, though it’s not always the right one. It gets the more esoteric game-feel aspects, like combat feedback and satisfying exploration rewards, down pat, but struggles with fundamental design elements like control schemes and narrative. There is an undeniably large amount of jank in the game, which will either endear you to the experience or turn you off it entirely. Still, Tunguska is an enjoyable enough experience on its own that it’s worth giving a try to find out for yourself.

Corona Borealis is the kind of enjoyable visual novel you can lose yourself in for a short while, but it doesn't offer much staying power once you've completed all its routes.

Truly, Grim Dawn represents the modern gamer's slot machine, where three cherries are a set item drop and three 7's are a jackpot of a story that never comes to fruition.

Little-Known Galaxy is like the neglected spaceship you’re given command of. It has a ton of potential and a crew with heart but is a fixer-upper requiring time and patience. The developers are very responsive to user feedback; even as we speak, they’re in the process of making quality-of-life adjustments. As it stands now, the graphics, sound, and character interactions are my favorite parts of Little Known Galaxy. On the other hand, I dislike the excessive grinding and being unable to save whenever I want. Little-Known Galaxy is a game that its target demographic will enjoy, but it won’t win over those uninterested in cozy games like Stardew Valley.

If you’re a fan of the genre and like cyberpunk tales, I think The Sundew is worth a go if you’re looking for a distraction, but expect a fleeting bit of entertainment with some confusing caveats. Considering that this title was obviously a labor of love from one person, at the end of the day, I enjoyed my time with The Sundew overall and am looking forward to seeing what future works may come from this promising developer.

No matter how much I enjoyed The Indigo Disk from moment to moment, the flaws from the base game and the painful BBQ gameplay loop prevent me from considering this DLC as something “better.” It is different content, and it is more content, but it is not fundamentally improved content.

Quality of life improvements over the already good Megadimension Neptunia VII make this the best Neptunia game to date.

All in all, House of Ashes is a solid new entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology. While I ultimately found it to be a less engaging and frightening experience than its immediate predecessor, it’s still an enjoyable adventure title with some impressive animation work on display. And while I wasn’t in love with some of the changes, I respect that Supermassive Games is listening to fan feedback and attempting to innovate with each successive title. We’re due for at least one more of these games, so I’ll be very curious to see what the Curator has in store for us next time.

More of an experience than a game.

It may sound like Rune Factory 2 is a worthless game, but that's only my tendency to focus on the negative, and it is especially frustrating because the developers made so many avoidable mistakes.

A slow start to what will hopefully be a memorable series. Casual fans of Batman and/or the genre should be pleased.

While RPGolf Legends doesn’t have a robust story to match the vibrant personality of its protagonist and has to overcome some recurring lulls in gameplay, it’s a simple, charming game with enough allure to make it worth its relatively short run-time. Give it a swing and go for par.

Tell Me Why is kind of a fascinating experience. It feels personal and down-to-earth, even if it can at times be a little dull. The struggle of its twin protagonists to come to terms with the death of their troubled mother is relatable, even if the game never definitively answers their questions about her. Tyler’s experiences as a trans man feel genuine, and the game treats him with respect, even though it also capitalizes on his trauma to move the plot along. In the end, memories can only reveal so much, particularly when they conflict with someone else’s, and the only peace you can really have is the peace you choose to make for yourself.

Overall, I think Norn9: Last Era is a surprising improvement in some respects to its predecessor: offering new perspectives on the original’s storylines and showing detailed consequences for its many routes. It doesn’t necessarily fix problems Norn9: Var Commons has, but it elaborates on the inherent potential sometimes lost in the original game. Last Era is easily one of the best otome fandisks I’ve played, and I can recommend it to either returning Norn9 fans or newcomers curious about this particular visual novel series. Just go into this with tempered expectations, and you’ll find this attempt at a reset is more than decent.

From the beginning of the game, I wanted to complete Those Who Rule to learn the fate of the Rangers and engage with more of the tough battles and varied objectives. There was enough to keep me going in discovering new characters, unlocking new classes, and contemplating new map effects or strategies. The interplay of the combat design and the importance of positioning and managing aggro is deeply satisfying. That said, the fiddly UI and rather limited management options do take away from the experience. Some may also be turned off by the relatively basic enemy variety: there are no lions and tigers and bears here. But I can’t deny the game has a lot of heart and soul. For those who have a soft spot for political drama between warring nations nestled around a challenging turn-based combat system, it might pay to be king for a day.

Despite my issues with the game, I did ultimately enjoy Cat Quest. Its brevity actually works in its favor, making the issues outlined above feel less egregious than they would if the game were longer. I still wish the story wasn't quite so bland and the gameplay wasn't as repetitive, but I also find myself wanting to jump back in to finish the handful of side quests I have left, so the game definitely does something right. If you just want to kill monsters as an adorable cat and experience as many cat puns as possible, Cat Quest may be the game for you!

A highly original game that's hard to describe, but makes sense in action.

Much like Psycho-Pass: The Movie, Mandatory Happiness is a slightly disposable, yet ultimately enjoyable look at another facet of the Psycho-Pass universe.

Fairy Tail 2 is a decent action RPG in many respects, though the game’s appeal will probably be limited to shonen anime fans and Fairy Tail fans in particular. It’s a shame that the game’s scope is limited, because the content here shows a lot of heart and appreciation for the source material and its colorful cast. I’d still argue there’s magic burning in Fairy Tail 2, especially for fans of the anime/manga, but one could say it feels more akin to a candle’s flame than a bonfire.

Pathway is fun. It's good. Not great. Pathway's on the cusp of greatness, though. I'm sure ever-looming deadlines rushed this game to its release, and that's the unfortunate reality of the industry, but I still have to write about how the game currently is and not how it could be. Not since Darkest Dungeon have I wanted a game to be so much more as I do Pathway. It's there. I can feel it. Fortunately, we live in the era of patches, free content updates, and purchasable DLC, so here's hoping I get to write a review later about how Pathway is finally the fantastic experience I know it can be.

There’s nothing wrong with developing the game you want and knowing what you have while hiding the limitations. Empyreal is all about the combat and loot, and it shows in the solid combat and in tinkering with your loadout. That’s clearly where the effort went. If this game is trying to be part Destiny and part Souls-like with a nod to old-school games, then it doesn’t fail, but it doesn’t succeed either. The only problem with eschewing story and other elements is that it comes off as cold and bland. I think those who dig the combat will love Empyreal, but others who want more out of their experience may find it less than sublime.

Dark Deity is a title that doesn’t take many chances, but its few gambles pay off. Its handful of innovations to the Fire Emblem formula produce a challenging, character-driven adventure that may yet develop a following of its own. While a lack of polish, forgettable story, and limited gameplay loop hold Dark Deity back from acclaim, an endearing cast and deep combat and customization systems render it a force to be reckoned with among the Switch’s crowded market of SRPGs.

I can’t help but wonder how much better Gestalt would have turned out with a couple more months in the oven. From the story to the combat to player progression, every aspect of actually playing the game feels more than a couple of iterations short of reaching the magnificent polish of the visuals. That being said, for scratching the occasional Metroidvania itch, Gestalt: Steam and Cinder is a worthwhile eight-hour investment.

An atypical roguelike that subverts expectations but still falls flat in some areas.

The tough thing about Front Mission 2: Remake is that it doesn’t present itself well upfront. Ultimately, those who push through will be rewarded, but it takes a lot of patience to get there. In the end, despite my complaints, I enjoyed my time with this game. Much like Front Mission 2: Remake’s global release, in the areas that matter, it eventually comes around, even if it takes a long time to get there.

You're getting a lot of game for your buck, and a great story to boot, but be prepared for some repetition.

If this game ran smoother, it would have been something special. Instead it's just a solid, worthwhile trip that will be remembered more for its shortcomings than it will its triumphs, and what a shame that is.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing has several highs and lows. Although certainly of a breed with Diablo and others, it offers a genuinely unique experience that isn't entirely meaty, but will keep players entertained for ten hours or so, save the disheartening final bits. I'm glad I played Van Helsing, and I'd recommend it to any fan of the hack-n-slash sub-genre if they've exhausted other entries. Unfortunately, with such polished and well-designed champions in the ring, this quality contender may only be recognized for its hat.

Mewgenics is best enjoyed as a marathon, not a sprint. Due to the sheer volume of content—with no clear end in sight aside from “collect all the achievements” and unlock all the stuff—Mewgenics can feel overwhelming right out of the gate. Despite how incredible the game design, balance, and mechanics are, the lack of any real story makes getting attached to a team or battle impossible. This is a “wow, that’s so weird and cool” sort of game that you move on from every once in a while until you want to hop back in so that it all feels fresh and new...Make no mistake: I love this game, and I’m almost definitely going to 100% it, but there’s no telling when that’s going to happen.

Risen 3 is enjoyable most of the time, and I was only truly frustrated once or twice, but after twenty hours I felt I had seen all the game has to offer.

Overall, Dokapon Journey is a refreshing game.

I am absolutely shocked that such a potentially award-winning game falls short in so many ways. The core is there. The gameplay is there. If Nexon cared a bit more about the quality of the experience, this game would have lasting power.

In spite of all its strengths, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet keep stopping the player and has them always peeking back over their shoulder, even when they should be looking forward.

In the end, if you're a fan of RPGs, the kind of person Square Enix wants to pick up this game, you're going to like Final Fantasy III.

In spite of all its strengths, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet keep stopping the player and has them always peeking back over their shoulder, even when they should be looking forward.

With games like Ghost of Tsushima and Final Fantasy VII Remake becoming the standard, few people are going to look at a title like this and jump at the chance to play it. Mundaun will attract its targeted, tiny demographic: those who can see past the dated visuals and lackluster controls. Fortunately, the hand-drawn textures might rope in a few people, and the sepia-esque colors stand out compared to other first-person adventure titles. Mundaun is technologically impotent but makes up for it with excellent atmosphere, sense of place, and storytelling. If you can see past its flaws, Mundaun is a wonderful, short adventure title.

A brilliantly unique experience later soddened with unusual game design decisions.

Overall, this is a pretty nice Phantom of the Opera presentation that digs deeper into the characters and story than other versions. If you’re looking for intricate gameplay, your princess is in another opera house. But if you’re interested in a different spin on an old story, or if you just hate reading books, this is a lovely but creepy multisensory production you can curl up with as if you’re diving into a familiar classic novel and biting your fingernails over the drama.

A comic book-styled visual novel about the life of a disgruntled henchman is a nifty concept with tons of potential, and Henchman Story does an alright job with it. I liked its slick style, cool characters, and dramatic dialogue. I just wish there was deeper and more extensive storyline content to flesh out the world and its characters. DLC would definitely bolster this game because there is so much more to tell and more I need to know. Henchman Story is a good start for developer Silken Sail, but I want more from their next project.

Charade Maniacs isn’t a perfect game, yet I wouldn’t call it terrible. Even though I’m lukewarm about some of the character routes, I genuinely enjoyed others. Plus, the overall mystery is compelling enough that I wanted to solve all the mysteries presented to me. Charade Maniacs might be worth a few playthroughs if you’re a fan of suspenseful mystery otome titles, so long as you don’t go into it expecting greatness.

Based on what The Teal Mask does well, it should have been a great piece of DLC expansion. Unfortunately, it is unsurprisingly held back by the same issues that detracted from the base game. While The Teal Mask certainly manages to provide more of what made Scarlet & Violet fun, it also includes more of what held it back from greatness, resulting in an experience whose enjoyment is even more fleeting than the base game’s. The Teal Mask’s story cliffhanger has got me looking forward to The Indigo Disc, but the gameplay leaves me anticipating it in a less positive way.

Abstraction Games have done a great job emulating Kemco's MacVenture ports, just know going in this is a package that knows its audience.

While breaking all of the typical conventions of the genre, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk somehow manages to stay true to the spirit of a JRPG. Although it's held back by repetitive combat and some disturbing cutscenes, the game has a lot to offer for hard-core fans of turn-based, dungeon exploration games, especially those with a darker sense of humor.

For now, Chocobo GP is a fine time. It’s not doing much new with the formula, leaving the adorable, titular chocobo behind the pack of plumbers, hedgehogs, bandicoots, and their friends. Still, it does have the potential to get better and maybe toss a phoenix down on the long-dormant series for future entries.

Planetarian is not a bad game, but it does not tug the heartstrings quite like Freebird Games' To The Moon or hit the emotional notes of Key's other games like Kanon, Air, or Clannad. Planetarian's story is all too brief, and the game's interactivity is nonexistent. I would only recommend it to the most ardent fans of Key, and even then I would say to wait for Clannad's localization instead.

The fact that its target demographic is undeniably the players of the first game, coupled with the slower pace of the gameplay, and Musashi winds up in the exact same boat as it's predecessor.

If you love Supermassive Games’ work, you’ll feel right at home with The Casting of Frank Stone, technical issues aside. For the uninitiated, expect to run around areas finding nick-nacks to read or look at and the occasional binary dialogue choice. Creepy at times, but fascinating throughout, I enjoyed my foray into Frank Stone’s debut. All I gotta do now is play Until Dawn’s remaster.

I’m hard-pressed to say much negative about the short time I spent playing Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds Prologue. It does what it says on the tin rather impressively, setting the stage for the larger tale to come admirably. I would love for it to have been longer, but my short time with the game also makes me eager to see what direction Sigh of the Abyss will take in the future. It is an enjoyable, albeit brief, VN with some neat interactive points. I’d highly recommend playing it if you’re at all curious about Sigh of the Abyss or if you just want a short-but-entertaining fantasy visual novel to lose yourself in for an hour or two during any given playthrough.

Dragon Quest Treasures offers a cute story, beautiful lore, and a magnificent world to discover, and while that’s all lovely, the experience is marred by its weak combat. In ways both good and bad, this game put me in the mood to play other Dragon Quest games. The treasure is tarnished, but it’s still at least something shiny and new to do, making Dragon Quest Treasures a decent appetizer as we continue to await Dragon Quest XII.

Ultimately, I found myself immensely enjoying the time I spent playing Esperia. However, I also wished the game development process had more time to iron out the visual glitches and polish the game’s script. Unfortunately, those two noticeable flaws mar an otherwise fun tactical experience. Still, SRPG fans who can see past those blemishes should consider pulling Esperia ~Uprising of the Scarlet Witch~ out of the stone.

Sacred Earth – Reverie is a game with surprising depth, held back in particular by a crushing difficulty spike regarding most boss battles. I enjoyed my time within its multilayered story, appreciating the various ways the narrative could evolve, but I also found some aspects of the game offputting. Gamers who can get past those hurdles and overcome the demanding boss fights that await could encounter a potentially engaging experience in Sacred Earth – Reverie.

Lightning Returns is a game that tries so hard to reinvent itself that it loses some of what made its forebearers special. For every step the game takes forward in an effort to innovate, it takes two back by failing on another (usually technical) level.

Of Orcs and Men feels like a missed opportunity. Action RPGs tend to be gameplay-driven rather than story-driven, and this game is no exception.

Tough but fair, good soundtrack, great atmosphere, updated controls over the original.

Bloodstained feels like SotN in combat, visuals, and plot but comes off as a rough impostor that we've gotten used to over the years. Rather than try to achieve its own identity, Bloodstained fails to compare to SotN in just about every aspect, but if you've never played its "predecessor," you'll find it a competent Metroidvania. Akin to the handheld Castlevanias and other independently made Metroidvanias, Bloodstained has failed to oust the king, and that really is okay.

While it still maintains some of the annoying quirks of past Compile Heart titles, Dragon Star Varnir is worth playing for its fantastic battle system and likeable characters.

Accel World VS Sword Art Online is a fun game that will provide enjoyment for established fans of Accel World and Sword Art Online, and they're the only ones I would recommend this game to. The interesting controls and varied battle mechanics make for dynamic boss battles, but exploration is ponderous, keeping the vast number of characters adequately leveled is a chore, and following the plot is wholly dependent on prior knowledge of both series. Still, I have to give credit to the game for having some well thought-out aspects to it, saving it from being a complete throwaway as games based on popular licenses are wont to be.

Clocking in at about three hours, I can't say that The Procession to Calvary is for everyone. I looked at the game and its trailer, and immediately knew that it was suited to my tastes. The tired game design is unfortunate, but entirely made up for with the absurd premise and visual style. That said, taste will be a significant factor in determining if Joe Richardson's latest foray into classically-inspired work is for you. Simply put, if the trailer or this review don't entice, then this game probably isn't for you. As for me, I have the sudden craving to talk to an art historian or visit a museum.

Foretales easily fits as al so-much-potential game to me. The skeleton’s there: I love the branching paths, the core game design and how the cards are used, the presentation, and how well-hidden secrets appear to be, but there’s not enough flesh on those bones. Whether trying to create a tight, controlled experience that doesn’t get away from them or just not having enough resources to add a huge variety of cards, Foretales suffers. This title has the trappings of a phenomenal, top-tier experience but is just far too repetitive and slow.

It’s difficult to fault Disciples: Domination for what it does well. The game delivers a tight tactical experience, supports a wide range of distinct factions, and offers plenty to explore. Its visuals are detailed, and the UI holds up well across long play sessions. Where the game stumbles, it does so in familiar ways: a disjointed narrative, forgettable voice acting, and the risk of loot overload. The game doesn’t push far beyond its predecessor, nor does it significantly shift expectations within the genre; its systems, story, and presentation all feel largely familiar. Like a friend whose dress sense hasn’t changed in twenty years, Disciples: Domination struggles to be truly relevant or fresh, but if you’re willing to dance to her older tunes, this is a queen who will happily conquer your doubts.

The gameplay can be cheap, but it does have a good degree of challenge. Technical aspects are weak, but there is some style going for it.

I had a blast with Dungeon Encounters. The character and monster art is gorgeous, the minimalism is refreshing, and filling out the maps is a real dopamine rush. Still, it is definitely not for everyone. Dungeon Encounters is a very relaxing game most of the time, and the kind of excitement it offers is not comparable to the bombastic action and cinematic scenes of many popular games. And despite how mellow it may seem and how much of a rhythm it tends to lull you into, Dungeon Encounters punishes mistakes harshly, so you always have to be paying attention. I also found some of the later sections of the labyrinth were visually difficult to parse and that the developers had used up their best ideas within the first sixty floors.

As it stands, Innocent Sin is worthwhile for Shin Megami Tensei fans and those who are pining for the RPG days of yore, but those looking for the comforts of modern RPGs should look elsewhere.

Overall, Bit Orchard: Animal Valley is cute and charming. With such a low price point, it is worth it for those looking for something a little different. Sure, some aspects could be better, but for retro fans, it is a worthwhile journey. But don’t try to catch frogs; trust me, your sanity will thank you later.

They're still good games, but there's nothing overtly special about them that makes them stand out from the rest of the series or, more importantly, Black and White 1.

They're still good games, but there's nothing overtly special about them that makes them stand out from the rest of the series or, more importantly, Black and White 1.

In short, Zwei: The Arges Adventure may not be the most polished or compelling experience, but it's a fascinating look into Falcom's past, and a quite loveable one to boot. Those looking for a rollicking action RPG should stick with The Ilvard Insurrection, but enthusiasts interested in Falcom's trajectory will no doubt find a lot to love here.

If you're into RPGs for that rush of fun and adventure, avoid this game. Heck, avoid the whole Legend of Heroes series. But, if you've stuck it out so far and have enjoyed the storyline created by Falcom, a company respected by many a J-RPG fan, know that this game has a plot that enriches the others even as it proves its own value to the gamers' imagination.

Dreamfall is relatively short, about ten hours, but chances are you'll play through it a second time to get some of the references you missed. Quite simply, if you like an excellent story in your games, go out and pick up a copy of Dreamfall for the PC or Xbox.

Biomotor Unitron does a more than admirable job of living up to my childhood dreams. The game is pure fun, unique in the face of its inspirations, easy on the eyes, and surprisingly snappy. After finishing the game, despite accomplishing everything and developing every part I could, I immediately started a new game with a different character. This was partially to check out the other Unitron designs, but mostly because I had such a good time. Biomotor Unitron might seem daunting at first, but keep in mind the port is packaged with a virtual manual that is useful for deciphering its intricacies. If any part of this game draws your curiosity, I highly recommend giving it a shot. At its low price point, you are unlikely to be disappointed.

Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2, and the Path of the Ninja series as a whole, is proof that an RPG based on a popular license can be good.

Overall, Resonance of Fate is a good game that took many risks in order to bring some new ideas to the JRPG market, while maintaining some traditional gameplay mechanics.

The Red Bell’s Lament is an odd otome in that the romance isn’t the main focal point of the game and arguably feels like an afterthought in some respects. However, the little romance there is works effectively. The main plot is compelling and thoughtful, but reaching the point where it comes together takes quite a bit of perseverance. Add in a wholly unnecessary gameplay gimmick in the form of “gameboard” missions, and it’ll take an exceedingly patient otome VN fan to appreciate the title’s apparent strengths. I enjoyed The Red Bell’s Lament when I reached its conclusion, but I also found it a struggle to continue playing after that initial bite.

Bad Apple Wars' lean tale of passionate teenage love in purgatory is, in a word, fine. But fine doesn't leave a lasting impression.

It won’t matter as much once all five episodes are available, but it’s hard for me to think that an hour of game time doled out every two weeks is substantial enough for most early adopters of The Expanse. Still, the ending of Episode 2 left me tentatively optimistic for the remainder of the series, as things are heating up in many ways. I hope the thrills will be more thrilling and impactful, and I’m looking forward to seeing how my decisions affect Camina’s reputation as a leader. And I can’t wait to find out how merely breathing might upset Khan again.

Dark Fear is an intriguing yet frustrating horror adventure that delivers on the aesthetics but needs work on its substance.

Few games have left me feeling as uncertain as Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER has. I liked the game and think it’s good, but it left me noticeably unsatisfied. The characters ES88 meets are pretty cool, but their development stopped before their storylines gained any traction. Once the credits rolled, my reaction was, “Huh? That’s it?” I completed the game multiple times, doing everything there was to do, but still felt like something was missing. I hope there is more content in the future to flesh out what Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER started.

Players new to the series, or looking for a more cerebral RPG, should stay away from WA:ACF. The battle system is rather simplistic and the plot rather too cliché to derive much fun from if you're not looking for something quite that barebones.