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.

If you’re expecting Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered to stand up to today’s best and brightest RPGs, know that it generally won’t. This is obviously the case for the graphics and the voice acting. When considering the game’s age and retail price point, however, I would argue that Minstrel Song has aged nicely overall. Square Enix have done fans a great favor by making a game this dated play this well and still be so much fun, on nearly every console market available today. Take some time. Play the game. Find out for yourself what makes this deceptively strategic game so much fun to master… er, um, Remaster?

While Crisis Core’s remaster is a fantastic appetizer to the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake series, it falls flat in a lot of ways. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed my time with it, and having all of the narrative freshened up for me is a fantastic strategy on Square Enix’s part, but Crisis Core would have benefited from some substantive changes, not just a face lift. If you’ve never played Crisis Core and want to see what the hubbub is about, this is the definitive pick for you, but remember that this game was developed fifteen years ago.

Harvestella is ambitious as hell and punches way above what I suspect was a limited budget. Yes, I wish Quietus would feel like more of a threat during the game or that time management offered more of a sense of urgency than it does, but this game is going to linger in my mind. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite games of the year and gets bonus points for running perfectly on Steam Deck!

Once Again is a tender and ultimately moving VN about living life to the best of your ability while being able to cherish goodbyes, even if they’re still painful and sad. It’s a beautiful message, and I love the artistic way the title conveys it. Once Again might not be a gaming experience everyone will enjoy, but those it does resonate with will experience an emotional unfolding of a heartfelt story.

Maybe I’m just a sucker for games in which time passes, giving a sense that this is a real place with people we grow with. Rather than concluding a game and finding out the fate of everyone through expository text, we get to see it and be a part of it. Our decisions shape their lives, and this is why games are such a fantastic storytelling medium. I, too, have to live with the consequences, not just Andreas. Pentiment achieves this experience with an expertise we’ve come to expect from Obsidian, even if the game is bogged down with some fixable game design decisions.

Pirated Code: Admin Edition is yet another solid title in both the Switch’s and Steam’s impressive visual novel lineups, and I’m glad that it’ll be coming to Xbox and PlayStation platforms, too, so that more people hopefully get the chance to try it out. It is a charming, touching sci-fi story with surprising depth and unlockable content, even with its shorter length. You might end up playing it in its entirety in a single day, but it will be an enjoyable day if the story resonates with you!

There isn't really much that I can fault Chronicles of Tal'Dun: The Remainder for. It is an excellent VN for its intended audience.

If nothing else, Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip has a seemingly endless supply of bizarre, creative scenarios that excite the imagination. With its light-hearted, casual gameplay, I can’t remember the last time I had felt so carefree while playing a game. Monster Roadtrip has no central plot besides driving around and having a good time, no conflict, and remains positive almost throughout. I should emphasize that I like my heavy, tense games, but Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip is too easy to like. This is a cozy, hilarious game that fills a void not many games can.

Truthfully, there aren’t many faults in Titan Station. It has a story it wants to tell and does so clearly and concisely. I locked myself out of the game at a certain point, having to restart everything, but that was due to player error rather than anything else. The issue I experienced has since been found by the developer and the game updated so it shouldn’t even happen anymore. Hint, though: always keep to the maintenance tunnels once the game tells you! Titan Station is a shorter title with a satisfying narrative that doesn’t cause frustration as you progress. It’s a solid game, made all the more impressive considering that a one-person team developed it. Fans of this type of graphic adventure should give Titan Station an earnest look since it’s a thoroughly enjoyable exploration of the genre.

In the areas where it counts, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope — and Kingdom Battle along with it — represent a bright and colorful departure from everything strategy RPGs tend to be while still offering relentlessly creative challenges in a package that’s straight-up fun. Sparks of Hope builds on everything Kingdom Battle did right and devises new entertaining challenges to shoot your way through. Though it took me about 25 hours to complete the main story with a healthy number of sidequests, the game told me I’d only completed 67% of it. This is easily the greatest Western RPG series that adapts a Japanese property about an Italian plumber. Whether you’re a hardcore strategy RPG fan or a newbie to the genre, Sparks of Hope should make anyone shout “YAHOOOOO!”

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.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with This Way Madness Lies, so much so that I could cry, “good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Fans of William Shakespeare, Sailor Moon, or Zeboyd’s other titles will have an absolutely delightful time with this one, as will those who enjoy tinkering with skill systems in their RPGs. If you’re in the mood for a short JRPG with a great sense of humor, look no further.

As a whole, Shadows Over Loathing provides a highly entertaining and intriguing experience. If you’re looking for a game that brings positive aspects of old-school, text-heavy games forward, this is a good bet. It has all the charm of those types of games while being far more accessible. There are even non-combat and arachnophobia options for accessibility, with some bonus options related to the latter that seem to serve as a reward for investigating the accessibility options. It may go some way toward filling the void left by earlier graphic adventures while eliminating some of the frustrating puzzle-solving and downtime. Or you could, you know, just close that void with your shadow pliers. Be sure to pick up this game and get those, by the way. Leaving a void around would probably be bad.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is hugely successful in its goals to modernise an admittedly old game.

Yes, the cast is so charming and the worldbuilding so intriguing that it’s hard not to wish each route had a few extra full chapters and not just bite-sized unlockable post-game skits. But Paradigm Paradox is very much a complete package—one that knows when to be serious yet is still adorable enough that you may need to call up a dentist once you’re done. As flawed as its world’s systems may be, it’s one location that is definitely worth a visit.

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.

Though I was excited for this game to move off of Apple Arcade because I don’t do well playing games on a phone, this is one offering that could have stayed there.

Luckily, for every moment you dread another repetitive mission, you find three where you discover a new series, find a cool new mobile suit, or find a hidden conversation to delight longtime fans. There is a competent core game and an amazing celebration of the entire Gundam series here. You just have to survive a lot of grinding, frustrating bosses, and poor AI to find it. Take our advice: this is a ride you want to take with a friend.

NieR: Automata holds a special place in my heart. It introduced me to so many new experiences while simultaneously tapping into my nostalgia for how games made me feel. It’s one of the few games where I sat on the floor, controller in hand, staring up at the TV as if I were playing Final Fantasy VII for the first time again. NieR: Automata is the kind of game with a strange magical power that’ll warp you back to your favorite childhood game, then imprint itself upon your memory so that whenever you see a metal trash can, you’ll swear you heard it say, “this cannot continue.”

The wait was worth it: Ghost Story is a compelling, challenging, and joyously fun game whose craftsmanship shows itself at every turn. The meta-story of this game is that, like a lost civilization, we’re collectively unearthing something ancient, something forgotten, a story that could’ve been lost as so many others were in the early days of crowdfunding indie games. Given its ubiquity across current platforms, there are many options for the seasoned gamer to try out Ghost Song. I look forward to the weeks and months ahead, wherein players will no doubt begin theorizing about the game’s story. Like many in its subgenre, I also think this game will be an optimal space for the speedrunning community to flex their skills. I look forward to it, and hope that this isn’t the last we see of Ghost Song and the Deadsuit.

Manafinder is a great game that reminds me of old favorites while rocking a style all its own. Except for the heroine’s lack of backstory, the game does little wrong. And, again, you can pet the dog. Come to think of it, we more commonly see wolf-like or Doberman-style dogs in video games, so Scar being akin to a Bullmastiff is quite refreshing. Representation matters, including canine representation. In the sea of retro-RPGs inspired by Japanese classics, Manafinder’s distinct charm stood out to me, and I encourage RPG fans to check it out.

In the end, I am happy with much of my time spent on Potion Permit, but I’m equally pleased to be done with it. Though there was no obvious ending, I can set it aside for now, feeling satisfaction at the good I did in Moonbury. Despite a pretty graphical veneer, a brief and lovely soundtrack, and solid sound design, it can’t compensate for the buggy, cumbersome gameplay and an average collection of stories. Still, if you’re patient and enough patches come, there’s a ton of charm and some unique ideas in Potion Permit to enjoy, and I hope MassHive refines their approach for future entries in this world.

Batora: Lost Haven isn’t a perfect game, but it is one I’m ultimately glad exists. Like Avril, the title grows on you if you give it a chance. There’s no denying that the game has some hurdles from time to time while playing, and they’ll undoubtedly take a while to get past. Still, that sense of accomplishment after overcoming them is addicting in itself, which might make Batora’s challenges all the more enticing.

While Triangle Strategy isn’t the second coming of Final Fantasy Tactics, it carves out its own identity as a title that is stylistically similar, yet certainly distinct. Serious pacing issues hurt it, as I’m not sure everyone wants to wait twenty hours for a game to be what it should have been at the start, but once it got there, I couldn’t stop playing or thinking about it. With New Game+ staring me in the face, I’m eager for a new challenge and to explore roads not yet walked. I also have a newly discovered appreciation for food seasoning.

Airoheart is a pale imitation of the game it strives to be and could have benefited from more polish and flair. Unfortunately, any glimmers of potential are buried under flawed design and general mediocrity. The biggest flaw is undoubtedly Airoheart’s lack of identity. In its effort to be Zelda, Airoheart never had a chance to be Airoheart.

even if TEMPEST is an excellent VN for those who don’t mind otome elements and want a darker, more mature plot with a heavy focus on character development. It isn’t a flawless experience, given its plot holes, script errors, and software crashes. But even with those cons, Anastasia’s journey is compelling and one that I found worth diving into quite a few times to see the whole story.

It’s a shame precisely because Amnesia’s cast and setup are gripping to the point where players want to explore all the endings, to take in as much as they possibly can. Its drawbacks may reveal its age, but it’s clear that Amnesia’s renown is well-earned. While some plot elements, character tropes, and simple mechanical components also serve to date it, its story and cast make everything worth it. It’s a must-play for any otome fan, with a legacy and cast that rightly won’t be forgotten.