When all is said and done, I enjoyed my time with Winds of Change. I liked its blend of visual novel and point-and-click elements, making it a sort of East-meets-West game. I also found the story and characters engaging and spent several playthroughs exploring new character subplots and decision branches. On the other hand, some of the voice actors were not that great. Winds of Change is a niche game that won't appeal to everyone, but whether you try it or not, I still encourage folks to step out of their gaming comfort zones and try something a little different or unconventional.

Depths of Peril doesn't care to be a book, or a movie, or a soundtrack. It is simply a game, and it is a great game, so long as all you want is a solid, interactive experience with none of the frills of high-budget PC titles.

A lot of people bashed on this game when it was released for 360, and it has seen similar mediocrity in sales performance on the PlayStation 3. However, I stand firm in my opinion that the game is a decent, semi-epic RPG that's worth playing, if only to have such a grandiose tale to play on a next-gen before Final Fantasy XIII.

Playing Wintermoor Tactics Club gave me the same feeling as curling up on the couch with a comic book and a blanket. It wholeheartedly lived up to its billing as a "cozy" game and I loved the 12 or so hours I spent with it. The entire play experience felt smooth and I enjoyed immersing myself in this game's world without overwrought menu hopping and stat gathering interrupting my reverie. Wintermoor Tactics Club is far from perfect and may not please hardcore SRPG fans, but I thought it was a great game and I hope to see more like it in the future.

Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo is another enjoyable alternate Japanese history otome VN. Those still yearning for that particular subgenre will undoubtedly appreciate the plot and characters! I enjoyed my time with the game and was surprised to find something to like about every character route I saw since that isn’t usually the case when I play otome titles. Suzuno’s entertaining tale of romance and finding herself is rather satisfying. A winter trip to Edo might do the heart wonders!

Though plenty of fun is to be had in Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm, it's also short, slightly repetitive in scope, and lacking a compelling plot.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King is better than the sum of its parts. When you look at everything separately nothing sticks out as particularly fantastic, but its charm and addictive quality go a long way towards making it a great game.

Pinku Kult: Hex Mortis is a taut game that took me about 7 hours to complete and left me wanting more. Those 7 hours were all substance with no padding to artificially lengthen the game. The game respected my time rather than waste it under the pretense of “longer game = better value.” I liken Pinku Kult: Hex Mortis to a game like Trace Memory. While Trace Memory was only about 3-5 hours long, it was one of the most fulfilling experiences I ever had with a Nintendo DS game. Aside from my misgivings with the writing, the only other caveat I have with Pinku Kult: Hex Mortis is that its macabre style and occult themes may not suit every person’s tastes.

I picked up WILL: A Wonderful World at the recommendation of a friend, and I don’t regret doing so. It’s an incredible title in many respects, with characters and storylines that stay with you and a surprisingly heartfelt twist in the overall plot late in the game. I wouldn’t say it is for everyone, given the topics it covers, but those willing to move past that will discover a VN that makes them pause, feel things, and honestly think about the state of the world around them. Seeing how all the characters’ stories connect in such big and small ways to one another, and just how it all comes together in the end, is a truly memorable gaming experience. At its core, WILL: A Wonderful World is a story about potential and continuing hope, even in the face of horrible and traumatic adversity. That is a message we could all use.

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.

A great RPG at a great price.

Although it's nothing revolutionary, Monster Train has certainly cemented itself as a champion of the deckbuilding RPG sub-genre. I foresee myself playing this for at least another 100 hours. Finding synergies between decks and cards within each deck is an absolute pleasure, and I predict additions will come at some point in the future. I just wish this style of game could find decent storytelling. If you're itching for a tale, there's no shortage of gripping and emotional yarns out there. If stats and cards woven together through complex decision-making is more your scene, then hop aboard and have your ticket ready.

Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is a nostalgic fanservice game for Falcom’s PSP era. I happen to love both Ys and The Legend of Heroes: Trails, so indulging in this missing localized title was a true delight. It might only appeal to diehard Falcom fans or those who enjoy earlier Ys and Trails games, but if you fall into those categories, it’s undoubtedly entertaining. When all else fails, I’d bet on the little girl with the orbal cannon any day of the week!

It's not a great game, but Eternal Poison is a game that I have no major complaints about.

For better and worse, Gemini Rue might best be described as a "neat little game." For whatever reason, the game feels short of its potential, and every facet seems sullied by flaws both minor and moderate. Still, the cyberpunk tone, engaging story, and varied gameplay make more of an impression than those flaws.

I may have initially been disappointed by the focus on online play, but these fears quickly passed as I discovered what an enjoyable game Dungeon Defenders is. 13 maps with 15-20 hours of play is a considerable amount of initial content, but the extra challenges and loot-hunting are what will keep you coming back. Working out strategies and tower placement is a great fun, and finally succeeding in your strategy is immensely satisfying. Some of the online features are a little rough, but if you enjoy a good tower defence game, then you should not miss this one.

Disgaea 3 is a game that will last you a while, whether you just want to casually focus on the main story or go all out with post-game content. The fact that it's portable makes it well-suited to quickly pick up and play a level or two or spend a few minutes grinding away.

Flawed but engrossing, I could have definitely played Ruined King: A League of Legends Story for several more hours. The characters, their relationships, and their combat prowess are addictive both in their simplicity and crisp design. Appreciating Ruined King for what it is is important: this isn’t The Witcher, but it knows its identity and leans into it with finesse. Those not into the League of Legends world will enjoy the experience if turn-based RPGs are their thing, but fans of the universe will definitely get something extra out of it.

At the end of the day, though, Dodgeball Academia hits all the right notes to become a smash hit multimedia entity. Not only can I see an animation and comic book or manga series, but I can also picture a plethora of Dodgeball Academia merchandise like stickers, apparel, toys, phone accessories, dodgeballs, and much more. So you should enroll in Dodgeball Academia today and become the sports anime protagonist you’ve always wanted to be.

This season's diamond-in-the-rough. Players with the skill and a great deal of patience will see the adventure through to the end and appreciate the creator's grand vision, despite the shortcomings.

Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX polishes and modernizes two classic RPGs that are somehow more fun and engaging now than they were 20-odd years ago. Monster Rancher 2 is this collection’s crown jewel, but both games’ core gameplay loops of monster raising and collecting hold up remarkably well today and make up for some mediocre combat. Fans of Pokémon or other monster-collecting games: don’t sleep on Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX! It offers you dozens of hours of heartwarming entertainment that’ll leave you mourning the premature death of this cult-classic series.

An excellent indie horror title that understands how to make point-and-click fun.

On one hand the game is lovingly crafted with a superb amount of customization and options available. On the other hand, the insurmountable quantity of tasks that can be performed are so incredibly daunting that the number of people who would actually enjoy the game is very limited.

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!

God Eater 3 is an enjoyable action RPG that offers both a solid solo and co-op experience, but it doesn't really stand out from the rest of the pack.

It helps that Another Crab’s Treasure is also a Souls-like with a soul. The game will stick with me not only because of the finest moments from its levels or boss fights, but in how cleverly and effectively its environmental concerns are baked into the whole of the experience. By the end, I was looking into ways of reducing my waste output and microplastic exposure while reflecting on what individual human “goodness” looks like in a world ravaged by our collective impact. Not bad for a game about a crab.

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.

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.