Overall, Echoes of Aetheria is enjoyable but rarely engrossing. Combat can become rather tedious once the player figures out an optimal strategy, and the story is just not the underdog epic to which it aspires. However, the characters will keep many players coming back for more, just to see how everything plays out for them. This is essentially the perfect game for a night in while binge watching your favorite Netflix series. Not every game needs to be Persona 5; sometimes it is enough to do a few things really well and deliver a couple dozen hours of solid gameplay. That is what Echoes of Aetheria has to offer.

If you’re looking for a game that pulls you in for the long haul, Muv-Luv is the game for you.

It's hard not to be charmed by OZMAFIA!!'s out-there concept and larger-than-life characters. It's got a beauty contest in which you compete against a sunhat-clad duck, for goodness' sake.

It's clear that Akash: Path of the Five was a labor of love by all involved, and their joie de vivre is quite palpable throughout the game. I liked its 3D polygonal environment design cues and hope to see more developers use this technique to craft more visually dynamic and less flat visual novels. Although it's not the most original game, Akash: Path of the Five is an enjoyable romp whose killer art direction exudes a refined cool. I look forward to seeing what the artists at Truant Pixel come up with next.

Sunday Gold is a moderately successful experiment that could use further tweaking. The style, characters, and dialogue are cool and fun enough to lift a more familiar story. Mashing these two genres could be a worthy cause; though Sunday Gold makes a valiant attempt, it doesn’t quite kickstart the revolution. It may not be the top dog in the King’s League, but Sunday Gold is a contender.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order doesn't do much wrong, save for its camera angles, especially if you're just looking to have a fun time with some friends in the Marvel Universe. Overall, it is a decent action RPG that I had fun with while it lasted. However, if you aren't someone with a passing fondness for Marvel lore in general, there are other action RPGs on the Switch that you might want to try out instead.

While later games in the series may better realize the cowboy flavors of the setting in terms of visuals — trading 2D sprites and 3D chibi renderings of our heroes for new casts and new Filgaias unique in all but name — Wild ARMs stands as a unique gem nestled in the shadow of PlayStation JRPG giants, waiting to be explored by the more patient of players. For all its constant availability across five generations of PlayStations, Wild ARMs deserves the quality-of-life enhancements of its peers to make it feel like less of a chore.

Atlas Fallen isn’t a terrible game by any stretch of the imagination, nor an exceedingly memorable one. Still, I did enjoy the time I spent playing it and think it serves as a decent diversion, if nothing else. I don’t recommend buying at full price, but I could see it being a game one might purchase at a discount later and have fun with. With the shifting of sands and the passage of time, Atlas Fallen can become a pleasant surprise for those who might eventually unearth it.

An enjoyable and short-ish adventure game, Whispers of a Machine is well worth a thoughtful playthrough.

Excellent game, subpar port.

The decision to make a season-specific game deserves recognition, even if the gameplay and script might lack the imagination required by my favorite holiday.

A very promising start to a series with an intriguing story, interesting setting, and a unique spin on choice-based narratives.

While not a hardcore gaming experience, Dredge certainly sates the thirst for Lovecraftian vibes. Though the game can get a bit repetitive by the end, the majority of Dredge is enjoyable enough to warrant a purchase. I left a few mysteries unsolved in my playthrough, and I may jump back in to check those off in hopes that I can hit “snooze” on the elder gods’ alarm clock.

Overall, there are not many negatives regarding The Chapter of Seign. As far as the current two Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes DLC expansions are concerned, it’s the stronger one if only by a slim margin. I enjoyed it more than I initially thought, enough to lament it being far too short. Grace, in particular, is an excellent addition to the cast, even though it’s disappointing that she joins the main game so late. While I’m still unsure if it is worth the current price, The Chapter of Seign is one DLC I could see picking up at a discount. It’s certainly a step in the right direction for Eiyuden Chronicle‘s story expansions. I can only hope that the third and final one will be even more of an improvement.

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.

It's a relatively inoffensive JRPG.

Since the in-game graphics are weak, and the music is bland, the only chance this game has to win fans is its gameplay.

All in all, there were elements of Marvel’s Avengers that I greatly enjoyed. I found that the single player campaign was largely entertaining, and I greatly enjoyed Kamala Khan in particular as a main character. Still, logging through the game’s multiplayer is currently a chore. Until further DLC and updates come along, the ten hours of single player content is arguably the strongest element of Marvel’s Avengers, which makes me hesitant to say it is a must-buy at full price. If you’re a Marvel fan—particularly if you’re a Ms. Marvel fan—then odds are good you’ll find at least a few elements to enjoy here. However, I’d probably advise waiting for a sale before diving in to Marvel’s Avengers completely.

The Crimson Flower that Divides: Lunar Coupling isn’t a perfect otome. It certainly shows its age with some of its more problematic story tropes, the lack of an actual story map is annoying, and the fact that you unlock a lot of routes through what amounts to trial and error can be pretty frustrating. Throw in a less-than-stellar English translation, and the game can sometimes get downright awkward. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the title, as several character routes are compelling once they move past their initial narrative discomfort. I don’t recommend this VN to newcomers to the otome subgenre, but those willing to look past some clumsy awkwardness could still find investing considerable playtime in The Crimson Flower that Divides: Lunar Coupling worthwhile.

Overall, Blue Dragon offers an above average, traditional RPG, though only the superb gameplay puts it over the mark of the uninspired and average.

Overall, Penny Blood: Hellbound presents a world I’m eager to make my home address in (at least in a video game sense), with neighbors I’d like to get to know better while remaining utterly terrified the entire time. The roguelike gameplay can be fun, but its best features are yet mired in balancing issues. Though its personality is magnetic, as a roguelike, it doesn’t stack up well against others like it. If the point of releasing Penny Blood: Hellbound was to whet the appetite for Penny Blood, then it’s served its purpose. That’s good for now, but once Penny Blood proper is released, I suspect Penny Blood: Hellbound will ultimately be for completionists.

The gameplay has been innovated in certain areas but falls short in others, but fans of "Disgaea's" goofy story and "Phantom Brave's" more complex experience system will both find something to enjoy in Makai Kingdom.

Overall, I found this nine-hour jaunt to be superior to Cat Quest II, which already wasn’t a bad game. As I suggested earlier, all the developers had to do was beef up the game slightly, which they did. This is the definitive comfy game that you can play with a spouse, friend, or child. If this trajectory is any indication of what the developers can accomplish with the series, I’m eager to see what they do next.

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

Regardless of version, I think Riviera: The Promised Land is a decent JRPG, and it marked a great comeback for Sting.

Starlight Legacy is a game I needed to spend time with before its unique subtleties grew on me. Overall, I enjoyed the experience but was left wanting more. I wanted more world-building, lore, and character development. In addition, several gameplay flaws are difficult, if not impossible, to overlook. Starlight Legacy is not for everyone, but the robust Steam demo provides a good metric to determine whether Starlight Legacy is your kind of game.

It has all but perfected the farming mechanics, and its cast is colorful and cheerful; but ultimately, there's not enough innovation to make it stand out against recent entries in the series.

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.