By Afterlove EP’s closing moments, I was happy to take the needle from the vinyl and put the record back in its sleeve. I will file it away in the collection, an imperfect album, with some standout tracks that make the filler worthwhile.

I spent a lot of time comparing Telltale's interpretation of GotG to its MCU forebears with good reason. The two are inextricably linked for most fans, and Telltale has done a fantastic job of using that to their advantage in the game's design and presentation. It captures all of the charm of the movies while allowing enough wiggle room to chart its own path. There's certainly room for improvement, but Tangled Up in Blue is a promising start for Telltale's latest adventure.

Gust fans should definitely check it out, and I also recommend it to players looking for something a little different than your average boilerplate JRPG.

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.

Overall, Zoria: Age of Shattering is an engaging tactical RPG with a few drawbacks involving its presentation and graphics. It offers a wide range of player choice and class synergies, and the survival mechanics add to this. I had to genuinely think hard about prioritizing party survival, creating new weapons/armor, or upgrading my fort. Tiny Trinket Games is a small indie team working in a complex genre, and I hope to see them accomplish more in the same vein; their passion is palpable. Zoria won’t shatter your expectations, but it will meet them if you relish the clever interplay of turn-based combat, survival, and crafting systems.

Fans of the books and TV series will love taking part in Martin's world.

Storyteller isn’t a game that’s going to capture your imagination for long, but its atmosphere and unique game design make each bite-sized adventure the kind of short-term joy you might be looking for. Not every game needs to be a steak dinner; sometimes a cookie is the fix we need. Just hope an angry lover hasn’t poisoned that cookie.

In a market saturated by AAA titles, Vampyr is an excellent example of why we need more AA games. It's not the prettiest or the smoothest experience, but then again, it's really not trying to be. What Vampyr wants to do is tell the story of a newborn vampire who holds the fate of post WWI-London in his hands; the focus is on story, atmosphere, and making hard decisions that have hard consequences.

The humor, characters, mystery, and sense of magic are rarely combined as effectively as they are in TWW, drawn together by astounding artwork. Get past the surface flaws and delve into another world for a few days.

Rainbow Moon is a game that I couldn't help but come away from with pleasant feelings. It's not revolutionary, but it's well-executed and knows exactly what it wants to be. There is a certain type of player out there who is going to absolutely love this game, and get hours upon hours of enjoyment out of it. The only question you have to ask yourself is if you are that kind of player. If not, at least try it out for the sweet music!

It's a fun game with some great mechanics and intriguing ideas going for it. If there was reduced experience gambling, less incessant grinding and a few additional songs, it could have been a far superior game.

I don’t regret my stay in Providence Oaks, but like most vacations, I wish I had gotten to do more in the short time I had with the game. If you’re looking for a slice-of-life experience in a peaceful lake town and you don’t mind some bumps along the road, Lake might just be up your alley. If you want a narrative game with replay value where your choices affect the story, this vacation might leave you a little wanting.

Him, the Smile & bloom is a slice-of-life otome visual novel that focuses on the smaller scale. It doesn’t do anything inherently wrong and is downright enjoyable if you’re the intended audience looking for a softer and more relaxed VN. Still, others might find the lower stakes challenging to invest in. I enjoyed my time with the title, and I hope that PQube’s upcoming localization allows more otome fans to try the game for themselves. Him, the Smile & bloom might just cultivate an entertaining experience for them!

In the end, Penny Arcade Episode 4 is similar to the final chapter in many things. If you've gotten this far, you should probably buy it and finish the thing. As of this writing, it's only $5, and while it's short, you will get your money's worth as well as closure on a story that we weren't sure would get any kind of ending at all. If you enjoyed Episode 3, you're likely to feel the same way about Episode 4, but the reverse is equally true.

Not a bad game, just one that fails to grab you and keep your attention.

But all of you gamers who tend to have the same tastes I do in RPGs should not miss out on this one. It really is a ton of fun to play.

Some people may view Doggins as a lovely piece of childlike art-gaming. Others may view Doggins as a pretentious piece of "hipster" art-gaming.

Most of us, however, will find Two Worlds II boring, mindless, and dull, requiring (and consisting of) such little thought that it should have a warning label.

Richard & Alice may have a generic name, but it is anything but generic.

Story problems aside, I really enjoyed Wild Arms 4. It is one of my favorite games in the series, just for the gameplay alone.

While Half Past Fate is pleasant, that's really all it has going for it. There's nothing bad about it, but it just doesn't do anything to stand out. I'm always excited to see more diverse protagonists and better representation in video games, but I also want to be engaged by the characters and world through writing and gameplay. The fact that Half Past Fate fails to make any of these things consistently interesting is disappointing.

Final Fantasy Explorers offers a lighter alternative to players intimidated by Monster Hunter, but know going in that it's a very light experience indeed.

A solid enough follow-up to Until Dawn, with the promise of more to come; hopefully, they iron out a few kinks next time.

If you like choose your own adventures, this is for you.

Season three is off to a thrilling beginning with a host of questions, answers, dramatic entrances, and believable new characters.

A much more realistic take on the Elder Scrolls formula which will delight some fans of that series while frustrating others.

Lost in Blue has its appeal, especially to those folks who enjoy the Harvest Moon series, or those who enjoyed Survival Kids on the GBC. There is comfort in repetition, and it's really not all that bad once you get the story rolling.

I simply can't recommend a purchase right now. Lacking substance and heart, I feel as if Telltale is going through the motions while cashing in on previous successes and Michonne's popularity. Add old mechanics that few praise, and one has to wonder if the studio is reacting to input from fans. The series could take off in the next two episodes, but for right now, would-be buyers should keep their wallets sheathed.

While it’s still a promising effort by a clearly talented studio, that promise seemingly could take several post-launch patches to show through fully. If you’re at all interested in Eternal Strands, I would personally recommend waiting several months to a year before picking it up.

Mana Khemia is an incredibly fun game with a fairly large scope, that takes a minimum of 40 hours to complete. And, with a simple New Game Plus feature, serious fans can get all of the character-specific endings without doing much work.

Rondo of Swords could have been a great strategy RPG.

This is a game for the most hardcore of the hardcore. Though, on another level, it is a surprisingly casual game if you want it to be.

The new virtual world of Ainground is just a regular VR game. And this is Hollow Realization's core problem: there is absolutely no motivation to push forward in the game. Kirito and his harem of stereotypes adventure far and wide, but often with no discernable purpose.

Regardless of how essential Forever Entertainment’s updated Front Mission 1st Remake update is, the game itself is a classic. It’s wonderful that it’s now available on a modern platform and that the developers have sparked their own revival for a series that has been mostly dormant for over a decade (Left Alive? Never heard of it). With one game down, it’s easy to look forward to the eventual remakes of Front Mission 2 and 3 and, hopefully, even more to come after those with Forever Entertainment in the cockpit.

Magical Starsign does an excellent job at taking the classic Turn-Based RPG formula and turning it into something fun for Nintendo's new handheld device.

George Stobbart and Nico Collard are sleuthing again, and it feels pretty good.

The Devil in Me brings a very uneven first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology to a close, and I’m left a little ambivalent from the experience. I enjoyed all four of these games to some extent, and I’m curious as to what they’ll do with the next game, Directive 8020. But it’s clear after playing The Devil in Me that Supermassive needs to give these games a little more breathing room. While it’s certainly impressive that they’ve maintained a yearly release schedule for the Anthology, games like The Quarry show that these experiences could be made so much more. I genuinely hope that The Dark Pictures one day become truly great horror games rather than just novelties.

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.

From Software's older RPGs were barely playable, but this one was one of my favorite RPGs of the year. The eye candy is the game's defining feature, but it doesn't attempt to stand on that aspect alone.

Gorgeous art, fun scenario design, and an arsenal of quality of life features are among Banner of the Maid's boons. RPG fans with an interest in one of the most influential periods of history should give Banner of the Maid a look, as it is an inspired and twisting alternate take on late 18th-century France.

When The Isle of Armor is good, it's great. It takes the concept of the Wild Area and nearly perfects it, and I enjoyed running around and hunting down those Digletts. It doesn't fix many of the base game's main issues, and where it does make improvements, these are not available unless you have the Expansion Pass. There's also no way to buy The Isle of Armor separately, so you may want to wait until the second half of the pass is out before diving it. Still, iIt's a decent start for the series' first piece of DLC, and I'm excited to see how The Crown Tundra expands on the games more.

My time with Star Ocean: The Divine Force was thoroughly enjoyable, though it started to lose a bit of steam near the end of my 42 hours. The final dungeon(s) do fall into the sadistic teleport dungeon trap that many JRPG areas do, and the primary villain spends far too much time arguing their point with the party, far too many times. By the final battle, I just wanted to see credits, which unfortunately puts me off a replay for quite some time. That said, I’m excited to see Raymond’s side of things, and I can’t wait to swing a sword, rock a mullet, and listen to some trashy synth-heavy prog rock while tackling the extensive post-game. As I’ve said Star Ocean so many times that the words are almost losing all meaning, I’ll simply state this: Star Ocean: The Divine Force is the most Star Ocean that a Star Ocean game can be, and that makes it the best Star Ocean in nearly twenty years.

Regardless of how the series pans out, as a stand-alone title .hack//G.U. Vol.1//Rebirth is a fun title to play, especially if you're stuck with a PS2 while everyone else spends big money on the next-gen consoles.

Whether played with DLC or not, The Pit is one of the more solid roguelike titles on Steam, especially in a relatively flooded market. It is challenging but generally fair and allows the player a lot of choices in character development while providing a good atmosphere for dungeon delving. While its graphics and sound may not impress, The Pit's gameplay will keep players unafraid of long streaks of failure and ensure they come back to challenge it "just one more time."

While Dawn of Heroes is a stalwart effort by the developers, and I can't say that there's anything truly wrong with the game, it simply underwhelms in every single aspect.

Lamplight City is an intriguing mystery and an enjoyable graphic adventure experience. I appreciate how choice-heavy the narrative is, and I also really like how the game adapts to your actions throughout. The alternate history steampunk setting is intriguing, and I appreciate the game’s commentary on complex subjects like poverty and prejudice. Fans of mystery and graphics adventures who haven’t yet played Lamplight City might want to check out the game’s Nintendo Switch port.

A solid porting effort, though one that shows Square Enix still has a little ways to go.

Actually kind of fun once you get past the game's daunting early portions.

In short, Magnacarta 2 is a competent, if forgettable, RPG.

I worry that many RPG fans will pass over this game when, in actuality, they would really enjoy it if they gave it a chance.

I'm rarely disgusted after beating a game. Risen 2 left me aghast, and I'm not even a pirate fanatic. I can't imagine the disappointment of those expecting to finally lay their hands on a quality pirate RPG. What could have been a heavily nuanced action RPG is instead a waste of potential and a cheap product. Risen 2 doesn't just leave the niche as empty as it found it. Risen 2: Dark Waters gives pirates a bad name.

Lost Sphear is Tokyo RPG Factory's latest attempt to capture that golden age nostalgia, but its lackluster story and bloated systems aren't quite up to the task.

It's not flawless, it's not too hard, and the genre change may put off fans of the original game, but it gets a lot of little things right, and the whole ends up being greater than the sum of its parts.

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.

I'm frustrated because I wanted to like Oninaki a lot more than I do. It's absolutely not a bad game; rather, it's yet another "serviceable" outing from Tokyo RPG Factory, who continue to try their hardest.

Definitely not for everyone. But regardless, at the end of the journey, after the countless deaths and billions of bruisings, the stat rolling and puzzle solving, you will undoubtedly feel accomplished.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when the imitation does little to add its own twists and ideas to an already established formula, it ends up as little more than a cheap copy of the original. For those desperate for Sony to finally port Bloodborne over to the PC, Thymesia might be a good stopover. Still, for anyone looking for a genuinely good Soulslike experience, your time is better spent elsewhere.

Anima: Gate of Memories is a game filled with potential that it generally fails to execute.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is not only a very respectful treatment of the original, it also makes me want to dust off my SNES and relive my innocent childhood love of games.

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.

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.

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.

WrestleQuest is the best RPG and pro wrestling collaboration since The New Day hosted WrestleMania 33 decked out in Final Fantasy XIV cosplay. Even if you have no idea what I’m referring to, you can still thoroughly enjoy a beautifully crafted RPG that, like The Lego Movie, doesn’t just speak to your inner child but excitedly hoots and hollers out to it. WrestleQuest reimagines familiar concepts in a fresh and enticing way making it one of the most imaginative RPGs I’ve played in years. Take your protein, talk to your maker, and go play WrestleQuest today! OH SI!

Although still intended for kids, the plot is more satisfying for all ages.

All-in-all, Heroes of Ruin is a good bit of fun, marred by a couple of serious problems. The combat is dynamic and fluid, loot collecting is as addictive as ever, and online and multiplayer is done right. If only dungeons suffered from less repetition, the campaign was longer, and the inventory had been thoughtfully designed, it could have really shined.

A walking simulator-esque introspective visit into a young man's life.

Dragalia Lost makes for a very good first step into original mobile game IPs for Nintendo.

My review of Episode One wasn't as complimentary as I'm used to writing for The Walking Dead, but Episode Two certainly makes up for it with character growth, branching paths, and believable consequences.

In going so far retro, Pier Solar HD shows that it hasn't learned from modern advancements in game design.

For fans of Fairy Tail, I recommend turning on a podcast and smashing some monsters with your favourite Fairy Tail characters while filling up various experience bars. Not a fan of Fairy Tail? Then I don’t see much to keep you around. Some of Gust’s charm and design comes through, but not enough to make the game stand on its own. The story is likely to be almost incomprehensible without prior knowledge, and corners are cut in all aspects, from the environments and quests to the combat. I enjoyed my time with Fairy Tail less than I thought I would, but I sincerely hope Gust gets another chance at making a licensed RPG, just without all the budget cuts.

All told, even with the quirky middling difficulty making this one hard to write home about, I still think Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a fun game to play through. The postgame can be somewhat monotonous, but the main story keeps things going. Seriously, the plot is simple, but the dialogue between all of these Pokémon makes for a great experience. The mix of mature themes — life and death, protection and abandonment — with the childlike wonder of all things Pokémon keep the mind focused on the purpose of the quest, even when the quest itself is a heavy strain (or a simple frolic) for some players. If you’ve yet to try Mystery Dungeon games but want a better understanding, this might be a great starting place! If you’ve played other Pokémon Mystery Dungeon entries and appreciated their balance of challenge and storytelling, you’re likely to enjoy this remake of the one that started it all.

As eclectic as its soundtrack, Keylocker has much to love, though with an underlying narrative experience that can be lacking, I can’t recommend the game to everyone. But the superb musical performances and the compelling oddity of it all are good reasons to consider downloading yourself into this flawed but unique adventure.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition rekindles a game that never quite reached the heights of its legendary bloodline. But now, with a degree of acceptance and patience, it can step onto the stage with all the confidence of an old soldier, sharing stories of how adventures used to be. Are you ready to listen?

New Tales from the Borderlands is clearly about the jokes and little else. A plot exists, but the story here isn’t anything to gab to your friends about. I tend to go in for the higher-brow stuff. I like my heavy fantasy epics and clever humor that is both dry and insightful. That said, I can appreciate what the developers were going for here. If you can tolerate some deeply flawed characters and the frequently crass, sometimes utterly distasteful jokes, NTB is entertaining. If that isn’t your thing, then definitely steer clear.

A game as jam-packed as Rune Factory 5 runs the risk of being overwhelming, but each facet works in tandem with the others so seamlessly that it blurs the lines between where one element ends and another begins. It spaces out the infinite gameplay loop of farming sims with simple but enjoyable dungeon crawling and tosses in an endearing cast of characters for good measure. Despite how full the game is, it’s likely you won’t be able to get enough of it, as its enrapturing nature always leads into something else for you to do. Once you’ve settled into Rune Factory 5, you’re in it for the long haul.

Yes, the graphical upscaling is certainly worth it, but unless you really dig the original plot of Sora and friends, or if you're interested in a new type of challenge involving real-time action-based battles and numeric-value cards, it's not worth playing.

If you can learn the system down to your bones, then this will be a fulfilling adventure.

Exist Archive is proof you can sometimes have too much of a good thing, and doesn't have enough unique ideas of its own to stand out.

Grand Bazaar is by far the best game in the series to hit the DS. The problem? It just doesn't do enough new.

Blade & Soul's combat system is a huge breath of fresh air in the MMO market.

When games remind me of familiar places and experiences, it changes my outlook. Instead of marveling wide-eyed at a brave new world’s wonders, I marvel at how these outlandish places surprisingly feel like “home.” I really got into All in Abyss: Judge the Fake because it reminded me of places I’ve been to and experiences I’ve had. That being said, All in Abyss: Judge the Fake is not everyone’s cup of tea. I highly recommend playing the entirety of All in Abyss: Judge the Fake’s Steam demo to determine whether this cool hybrid game is right for you.

If you're a more casual RPG player, you might want to give Gungnir a pass, but if you are a connoisseur of the SRPG genre, then Gungnir will delight you like few other games will.

As a visual (kinetic) novel, Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is quite good. It does take a long time to start, but once the story gets going, it is quite compelling. The music is fantastic, the voice acting is good, there’s a fun cast of characters, and the visuals are there. Unfortunately, as a game, it doesn’t do nearly as well. The tactical RPG part of the game lacks complexity and difficulty. The game doesn’t properly explain how the battle system works, and you will be left to fend for yourself to learn how to properly fight. If you can get over the 20 hour hump for the story to pick up, and can sit through the uninspired fights, then you can enjoy a story full of political intrigue that makes you realize how much you actually care for the characters and what they go through. However, if you are an impatient soul, and/or would prefer your games with good gameplay, stay far away. In short, this is a good visual novel, but a mediocre game.

Seven combines parkour, stealth, and larceny with an intriguing setting to create an incredibly enjoyable isometric RPG experience that's slightly dampened by perpetual glitches.

The problem with the DS incarnation of Orcs & Elves is that it doesn't give enough incentive to buy it over, say, a $5 download for your cell phone.

Touken Ranbu Warriors offers exactly the kind of interaction between Touken Ranbu’s characters and musou mechanics that is only possible here, while maintaining the charm that makes the original property so beloved. Although some elements of the honmaru may not live up to the same high bar set by the missions, it’s still such a natural fit that the minor drawbacks seem less to disappoint and more to open up the possibility of future improvements. The ways Warriors intuitively expands the world of Touken Ranbu makes me excited for the possibility of other titles set across different time periods in Japan with the appropriate Touken Danshi and their previous masters. Although there’s no guarantee of what the future holds in that regard, I’ll happily return time and again to Touken Ranbu Warriors for its unique spin on the world of Touken Ranbu.

It is absolutely, positively worth your attention if you are in any way an "RPG Fan." At least rent or borrow it. Give it a try, and see if you are capable of falling for this one like I did.

Episode Five is a step back for the series in multiple ways, leading to a conclusion that feels rushed and minimally fulfilling.

The game was "unputdownable" for me, and I think it's a fine addition to any PSP owner's library.

Steelrising will catch grief from people who want it to be Dark Souls. And it’s not Dark Souls. Nor should it be. This is a competent, well-designed game that seems to focus on accessibility and reimagining history using a quasi-steampunk aesthetic. Does it have problems? Certainly! The enemies are samey, the platforming is tiresome, the sidequests focus on retracing steps far too often, and the graphics issues will irritate many. That said, I love it. This is a fun game. Soulslike purists will lambaste Steelrising for being too easy and short (about 15 hours), but I’d argue that the genre needs this game. The barrier for entry is far too high for many people who just want to have fun, and Steelrising gives those folks the ability to enjoy this genre. I’m not about gatekeeping. I, for one, applaud Spiders (the developer) for this bold work and hope we see more titles like it.

I wish the game had been a bit longer, but there is a new game+ option, and I didn't manage to get everything the first time around, so there should be some good replay value in it for me.

Even with its flaws, I immensely enjoyed the time I spent playing Eternights, especially once I reached the game’s true ending. Hint: When you reach the end credits and if you’ve remained faithful to your chosen bonded partner, keep your phone’s camera on for an additional pleasant surprise! I had more fun with Eternights than several other games I’ve played this year. It’s a true delight if you fit the target audience for it, especially for those action RPG enthusiasts who don’t mind romance and dating sim elements. In some ways, it is more substantial than some of the games it will invariably draw comparisons to, and it shows that Studio Sai is an indie developer to watch out for in the future! Follow your heart and stay the course with this one, as Eternights shows that even a rocky path to true love can ultimately be worth it.

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.

An almost apathetic sequel that accomplishes nothing more and a little less than its predecessor.

Experience a nightmare and then have some of your own. "Inspired" by mental illness.

The 25th Ward has a few cool ideas, yet they're almost always held back by outdated ignorance and rampant misogyny, turning what could have been a powerful avant-garde adventure game into a frustratingly juvenile monument to phallocentrism.

Though quirky, The Cave took an opportunity to revive a beloved classic and squandered it. I have to wonder if Schafer and Gilbert were active participants in this game's development, because the final product does not match what the gaming community has come to expect from these original thinkers.

If you're looking for a fun 30-40 hour game to play, Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny is a clear choice. It's nothing like those state-of-the-art 3D RPGs from Square Enix and the like: this is oldschool glory.