While Please Be Happy is a slow burn in terms of its overall plot and romance, those who appreciate detailed storytelling will undoubtedly find a lot to like. Since it’s more of a low-stakes tale, it might not appeal to everyone, but it will certainly entertain those seeking character-driven VNs with heavy romantic undertones. The core themes of acceptance and love at the heart of Please Be Happy resonate deeply with me, and I loved every second I spent in Miho’s fascinating world.

Present day's king of adventure games.

Proves that well-written adventure games still have a place on any system.

With each installment of the franchise, I grow to adore Professor Layton and Luke and their delightful world all the more. All while sharpening my intellect. In the (hopefully wound) future, I doubt Level 5 will modify the formula any more heavily than they already have, and for once, that's fine by me.

With Nintendo's handheld expecting many promising RPGs in English this year, Awakening still ought to be near the top of any RPG lover's list, as it easily stands out as one of the very best 3DS titles to date.

I think Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a great introduction to this spin-off series, especially to those with a fondness for detail and strategy-heavy monster collecting and explorable fantasy adventures. Given how fantastic Monster Hunter Stories 3 is, if the next game in the series can provide an even stronger outing, I’ll be paws-itively impressed.

Unless you find JRPGs absolutely repugnant, there's little to dislike about Atelier Meruru. It's a delightfully addictive game that provides a great sense of player achievement. A wealth of content ensures that players are never without a goal to work towards, and ten possible endings give the game tremendous replay value.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is a creative, choice-heavy game focusing on interactive music at the root of a murder mystery involving ancient myths in the modern day. Stray Gods: Orpheus is a genuinely compelling DLC addition to that mythos centered around one person’s quest for self-discovery long after they thought their story was over. Ultimately, I love the hopeful possibility inherent in the plot as this DLC proves to be a welcome return to an enjoyable game.

Stardew Valley is without a doubt the best game in the Harvest Moon genre in many years. It has a subtle message about what it means to live a good life and to flourish through a combination of hard work and human connection. The Harvest Moon games all basically boil down to managing a mix of time, tasks, and metrics, and recent entries in the series have relied heavily on exploiting a new gameplay gimmick with each iteration: in one it's crafting structures for the town, in another it's trading with foreign economies. The problem with this approach is that once these gimmicks are exhausted — all the houses built or all the goods traded — the games feel hollow. Stardew Valley succeeds by delivering a robust experience that does not merely rely on watching a meter go up. It has something to say and says it well, while never abandoning the core gameplay that attracted players in the first place.

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is a fantastic game that finally manages to show off the development team’s capabilities when they’re given extra time, a bigger budget, and a little bit of breathing room. Every aspect of the project benefits from polish, and as the final game in the Secret series, Atelier Ryza 3 is the perfect send-off. The callbacks and relationships from the previous games grow and evolve, and it’s exciting to see these beloved characters find their place in the ever-expanding world. While I often say the latest Atelier game is the best Atelier game, it’s always true. This time, Gust have outdone themselves, and I simply cannot wait to see how they top this highly polished gem of a game.

I really couldn't be happier with what we've been given. Deck Nine gets Life is Strange, but more than that, it capitalizes on the material to make it even better. By the end of this first episode, I was not only awe-struck, but a little misty. Completely blown away by the sheer quantity (four hours!) and quality of this first episode, I absolutely cannot wait for the next two installments in this three-episode series. I may know what's going to happen, but it's all about the details. This is more than a love letter — it's a brewing tempest of adolescent insight.

To be clear, Suikoden I & II shine even more brightly here than they have for over 25 years. Plus, building up your base is still a blast, and I got the same dopamine hit every time I added someone to my army. The characters and story are still working on a singular, elevated level. I love the look and the sound. But, even this superfan purist wanted a little more care and attention in addressing the legitimate complaints people have about these games.

All in all, Chaos Rings II is a great RPG for iOS that has restored some of my faith in the platform for carrying more serious games instead of casual diversions.

ICO has met and transcended most of my initial expectations: espousing staggering beauty with elegant control in a fantastical world of very human characters. I can only describe the game as a breathtaking voyage, filled with the wonder and majesty of a most regal dream.

Kamitani and Vanillaware have achieved their ultimate goal with 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. It’s clear that this game is so much more than just “a little RTS, a little action, and a decent story.” It delivers a dense and gripping story full of twists that is grounded in its characters and smaller moments. Empathising with the characters and watching the revelations unfold through all of the different perspectives enamoured me. It’s a bold departure for the studio, one which seems impenetrable at first, but it’s hard not to love a game where you can drink milk coffee from a vending machine one moment, and then pilot a giant mech the next.

To sum up, never have I seen a game so visually pleasing. If you look past the heavy repetition, Odin Sphere is a fun game with solid concepts, along with a great musical score and interesting plot.

The content is fantastic, though the timing between episodes holds the game back.

The entertaining battles and the resolutions of plot threads as the game progressed toward the final credits were worth paying the cost of a slow start to the gameplay. This is a game that we'll be talking about for years to come, and I'm happy to have played it.

Developer Outerloop Games prides itself on the diversity of its team, and it shows with aplomb in one of the best games I’ve played all year. I completed a single playthrough of Thirsty Suitors in about 12 hours, yet felt like I had known Timber Hills and its inhabitants far longer than that. I genuinely related to Thirsty Suitors in ways I’ve never connected to a video game before and would love to revisit Jala and company in DLC or a sequel. Thirsty Suitors isn’t just a stock game with a Bollywood veneer; it’s an entity that showcases both obvious and subtle aspects of South Asian culture in the West. That, plus Thirsty Suitors’ diverse gameplay elements, harmonize to create something special that is truly more than the sum of its parts.

Vanillaware takes many risks with 13 Sentinels, and nearly all of them pay off — few titles can boast a story as strong, a cast as memorable, or a world as stylish as this one. My time with 13 Sentinels was nothing short of magnificent, even though its combat felt undercooked and its narrative was daunting to follow. Its refreshing handling of queer issues alone ensures its mark in genre history. 13 Sentinels is a love letter to storytelling no one should miss, and it’s one I’m anxiously hoping Vanillaware follows up on sooner rather than later.

As a game that has been in development for well over seven years, my expectations for Granblue Fantasy: Relink have been sky-high. With only a handful of very minor flaws, the game has dramatically proven itself worth the wait. While combat, setpieces, and character customization triumph, the game also has incredibly tight pacing. While Final Fantasy XVI put five or so hours of side questing and downtime between pivotal moments and spectacular boss fights, Granblue Fantasy: Relink cuts all the fat and focuses on delivering a fast, dramatic, and exciting experience. With myriad mechanics, setpieces, character variety, and fantastic combat, the game is the perfect blend of modern action RPGs while avoiding the formula. Granblue Fantasy: Relink has, without a doubt, surpassed my lofty expectations and set a new bar for character action RPGs. I cannot wait to lose a couple hundred hours of my life to the post-game scenario with friends.

The console version is the definitive, Director's Cut edition of this game, and if the online requirements or auction houses on the PC version held you back from buying that version or enjoying it, you can rejoice along with me that they are gone this time around.

Overall, I found TERA to be a bombastic mix of bleeding edge graphics and blazing gameplay in an enormous persistent world. I cannot express how much the change to action combat has enriched an already competent MMORPG.

Shin Megami Tensei V is a premiere JRPG that can’t be missed. Don’t let worries over difficulty (the game has four difficulty settings, one will work for you, I promise!), legacy (this is a whole new direction for the series), or performance (it can get a bit sluggish at times, but the developers have utilized a lot of tricks to make the game run smoothly most of the time) stop you from playing one of the best games of the generation.

A world that demands your attention, Shadowrun endures long after the finale.

Memory is a funny thing. It can distort our perceptions of our lives, and our experiences aren’t ever really what we remember. Even when the specifics of a memory fade away, though, the feeling of the moment remains. Octopath Traveler II captures the feeling of those memories beautifully, and it’s not a game I’ll soon forget.

There isn’t anything negative about Coffee Talk Episode 2, as it builds beautifully upon the first game. Familiarity with the first Coffee Talk is a boon for players, given the continuing storylines. However, that makes Episode 2’s release a valid argument for going ahead and playing both games! After all, they’re excellent slice-of-life narratives with fun interactive moments and a surprising amount of replayability. I love that the sequel is more of the same in all the ways that truly matter. There’s much heart on this relaxing journey for the weary soul, proving that Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is a refill worth savoring.

Jack Jeanne is an interesting otome title focusing more on its plot and emotional buildup than on direct romance. However, it still manages to spin a compelling and thought-provoking narrative with a whole lot of heart. Jack Jeanne celebrates creativity with characters you can truly appreciate when the final curtain falls. It’s a prime example of a game taking an innovative risk by leaping into the unknown and becoming a much stronger gaming experience.