It is a nostalgia trip, a salute to the Silver and Golden ages, and a wonderful piece of whimsy. It is at the same time humorous and heart-warming to see all these familiar and old concepts.

I think In Tanta We Trust’s biggest weakness is how short it is. Still, despite being only three hours or so in length, the DLC is a solid standalone adventure. It also ends by hinting at a future adventure for Frey and Cuff, which may or may not happen now due to Forspoken’s lackluster sales. It’s a shame, given how this DLC, in particular, highlights Forspoken’s inherent potential. While the DLC’s price isn’t high for its length, you still need to purchase Forspoken to play it. So, whether or not you want to double-dip into Forspoken with this add-on depends entirely on your enjoyment of the base game. Fans of Frey’s first adventure may find an excellent reason to return to Athia here, as In Tanta We Trust is a compelling prequel side-story to Forspoken.

If you’re looking for something to scratch that Ace Attorney itch, Murder by Numbers will do the job nicely! The music and effects will sound instantly familiar, and the basic mechanics are great as well. The game brings a lot of its own style to the table, with more mature themes and a ridiculously catchy animated theme song. If you’ve ever found yourself passing away the hours playing Picross or Ace Attorney on your Nintendo DS, there is a lot here for you to enjoy. If not, I might try out a few sample Picross puzzles before purchasing.

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.

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."

I ultimately found Ys IX: Monstrum Nox a satisfying Japanese RPG, but I wish the journey getting there was a little less conversation, a little more action, please.

Mage Gauntlet takes everything that was pure fun about the best 16 bit action RPGs of old and tosses it into a light hearted, easy to play, and most importantly, FUN package.

Overall, Infinite Space is a tough game to pin a clear-cut review on. Some of its elements like its story and modification system are expansive and enjoyable, whereas the lack of a tutorial is troublesome.

As a conclusion to Kiryu’s story, The Song of Life hit a few sour notes for me. However, as an installment of the Yakuza series, Yakuza 6 reaches new heights. The upgrade to the Dragon Engine set the stage for triumphs yet to come (including Yakuza Kiwami 2, Judgment, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon), and the game is an overall joy to play. It may be bittersweet to be leaving the Dragon of Dojima’s shoes, but I have no doubts that there will be several return journeys to the streets of Kamurocho in the future!

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.

Despite its flaws, Synergia is a good visual novel for those looking for a short diversion. I would especially recommend it to those who enjoy cyberpunk and romance stories. I ultimately enjoyed my time with the title, and that’s all you can really ask from a game.

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!

If you like Jane Austen, purchase this immediately.

Although it's certainly not genre busting in any way, it provides Action-RPG fans something better to play than the subpar "Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel." Anyone who is a fan of either the X-Men or Action-RPGs will find a fun, 15-hour game with X-Men Legends.

Bland ancillary elements can't derail Grand Kingdom's razor-sharp focus on inventive tactics gameplay.

Overall, Atelier Lydie & Suelle is a great entry in the Atelier series, and it’s easily one of the stronger Mysterious entries. It competes with Atelier Sophie for my favorite in the trilogy, though the general bloat of Atelier Lydie & Suelle gives Atelier Sophie the slight edge. That said, it’s a great follow-up. Though it may take a while to reach its conclusion, it serves as a nice way to tie up as much of the Mysterious storyline as possible while also offering new worlds to explore, exciting new battle mechanics, and a refinement of an already excellent synthesis system. Of course, with the recent announcement of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, I’m eagerly looking forward to more Atelier.

Despite some minor flaws, I rather enjoyed Boyfriend Dungeon. At around five to eight hours long, it might be a bit on the short side for those expecting the lengthier content of most dungeon crawlers, but I felt the length was perfect for conveying the story Kitfox Games wanted to tell. Fans of outright challenging games might want to look elsewhere, but those more interested in story and narrative choice with enjoyable-albeit-simple gameplay might want to give this game a look. Getting attached to your weapons takes on a whole new and surprisingly welcome meaning here!

Don't hesitate to try this one!

Good game, great music, bad localization.

SaGa Emerald Beyond isn’t what I expected. The initial trailers made me think it would be SaGa Scarlet Grace with more of a budget and the return of many beloved series elements. I thought it might even end up being the most SaGa game to ever SaGa. Instead, it feels more like SaGa Scarlet Grace done differently. I am happy to see many of the wackier elements of SaGa make a return, but I still very much miss being able to traverse dungeons, go to shops, and talk to the townsfolk. Despite the ways SaGa Emerald Beyond doesn’t click for me, it is impossible to deny the sheer genius of its addicting combat system or the creativity of its developers. I don’t think SaGa Emerald Beyond will convince anyone who didn’t like the series to give it another go, but it is worth playing for fans and potential fans alike.

For the amount of fun, hilarity, and challenge it provides, I would say it's well worth it. But don't get this game if you're unwilling to do plenty of reading. To play this game, you need a computer with a mouse, and a fairly ranged knowledge of English vocabulary.

If you're looking for a short, fun, single-player romp through magical realms on your PC, this game is a great choice to satisfy that urge.

The way Legends: Z-A pulls from the traditional mainline games and Legends: Arceus but ultimately doesn’t incorporate the best elements of either is similarly unsatisfying. Still, a vacation must be truly catastrophic to be considered “bad,” and Legends: Z-A is plenty fun with its real-time battles and Rogue Mega-Evolved raids. Yet the game’s itinerary feels like it isn’t making the most of what the Legends sub-series has to offer. Instead, Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels like yet another in a long line of Pokémon game with growing pains. With the commonplace around every corner, you may feel the experience is one big tourist trap, but it’s still a trip worth going on and making the most of while you’re there.

From its engrossing and entertaining plot to the detailed and multifaceted gameplay, I had fun throughout my entire playthrough of the original Ys: Memories of Celceta, and I also had fun picking up this enhanced Switch version years later. Adol’s story has always been about the excitement and sense of adventure one gets when losing themselves in a journey, and Celceta captures that feeling poignantly. Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta might not be the most extensive remaster, but the original was such a solid ARPG experience that it still stands strong, despite its more dated graphics. Returning players may or may not be convinced to replay the game, but Ys Memoire: Revelations of Celceta is certainly worth newcomers trying out if they haven’t yet experienced the Celcetan journey.

Playing Love Shore is like a trip to a big city. The litter and grime may be off-putting, but if you look past that and feel the city’s energy, it will grow on you. In much the same way, Love Shore has its messy parts, but its vibe grew on me and I wonder what Perfect Garbage Studios will do next. If you fancy a suspenseful, cyberpunk visual novel with a variety of companionship options, Love Shore is worth a visit.

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.

Never 7, in spite of its many differences from his later titles, is still distinctly a Kotaro Uchikoshi title. Rest assured, there is a scene where someone rambles about Schrodinger’s Cat. The game’s heavier focus on romance is not an indication that it isn’t worth your time, whether you’re a fan of his or not. While I may have preferred more variety in route structure and a cleaner script, Never 7 is still a worthwhile, albeit slow, read.

The Tale of Relm is an enjoyable indie traditional RPG experience, provided you can get past its foibles and are okay with an ending that’s not yet conclusive. Developer EG Games consistently updates and patches the game, ensuring it plays smoothly. By the end of my playtime, I simply wanted to play more of The Tale of Relm, and I think that speaks to the title’s inherent strength of heart more than anything else. It’s a tale I wouldn’t mind diving into again.