Satirical humor, thematic citizens, neat puzzles.

Indecision and hasty writing is what ultimately brings down Angels with Scaly Wings. Although the game starts off promisingly enough, the quality of its opening is definitely not reflected in the rest of the writing, least of all the romance scenes, which mars the overall journey despite the very interactive nature of the story. The novelty of a setting can only carry a story so far, and without a solid cast of characters or a well-developed plot, Angels with Scaly Wings is, unfortunately, quite a mundane experience.

I recommend Trinity Trigger to fans of old-school action RPGs; the combat is fun, the visuals are a delight, and its ambiance is unique. Unfortunately, other areas were either lacking or led to frustration, and I’m not sure if all the design decisions complement each other. My biggest ire is the pacing and delivery of the story; what’s there is fine, but it felt mediocre because I’d lost engagement. However, combat and exploration are the main selling points of this game, so many of you will be able to look past its flaws to enjoy what’s on offer. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a diamond in the rough, but I’ve had less fun with more polished games. It’s a short game, roughly 20 hours, and with more and more people looking for something that isn’t an 80-hour investment, Trinity Trigger is a quick play. I’ll praise it for crafting its own identity and not relying too much on the tropes and gameplay elements from its source inspiration, but don’t expect a modern classic.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is a game with great promise but poor-to-mediocre performance, depending on your affinity for action-oriented loot hunting and patience for AI and other technical shortcomings that should have been nipped in beta. But with promise comes optimism; Tuque Games has a robust DLC and expansion roadmap planned, so its continued investment in the game could lead to patches ameliorating my gripes. If it does, you’ll find that Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance reaches the lofty heights of its renowned spiritual predecessors. But if Tuque Games neglects these issues, Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance will remain a fun but prohibitively frustrating game I can recommend to series devotees and few others.

Tokyo Xanadu is a good example of a developer pulling together the best parts of beloved franchises but not quite following through completely. I'd wager that Falcom pulled back a bit on the Persona-inspired mechanics to avoid a 100-hour saga that already struggles with a paper-thin story. As a result, we're left with a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging battle system wrapped in an uninspired package with little originality. To put it plainly, Tokyo Xanadu is a painfully average experience that still manages to be worth your time.

All in all, Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing is a title that doesn’t do anything wrong in its gameplay or story presentation. Truth be told, it is really only hampered by its brief duration. If you’re looking for a shorter diversionary title with an emphasis on romance development that doesn’t ignore the pandemic experience we’ve all been going through, you might want to look into this cute episodic adventure. Like most rom-coms though, don’t expect it to be insanely memorable afterward.

A fun game that offers a lot of variety between classes and partners, but difficulty spikes later on require you to miss out on it in favor of specific choices to have a chance at success.

Nocked! has some solid elements to it, but as a whole, I did not enjoy it. I found it to be a rather lukewarm Robin Hood game and would rather get my Sherwood Forest fix from the myriad of superior books, movies and TV shows out there. As far as games of this ilk go, Inkle Studios' Sorcery! games had superior interactive gamebook-style gameplay and MoaCube's Cinders was a more enchanting reimagining of a classic tale with its enthralling dialogue and charismatic, gorgeous graphics. Objectively speaking, Nocked! is not a bad game, but I've definitely played better.

Dicey Dungeons certainly offers a unique experience to turn-based, deck-building titles. Unfortunately, the inclusion of dice can both excite and frustrate, as no amount of planning can prepare one for each contingency one might encounter or a poor run of luck. The unique playstyles keep the game fresh, the sheer quantity of items one might accrue add to the customization. If I've got the itch to throw dice, I can see myself dusting off Dicey Dungeons before anything else, but I think my luck's run dry for the time being.

Labyrinth might slake the thirst of players coming straight from Fruit, but it ultimately fails to live up to the standards set by its predecessor.

Lord of Arcana, at its core, is a solid title with lots of potential.

Thankfully, with Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name behind us, RGG is set to forge ahead, blending new gameplay and characters with the distinct sense of humor and flair that made Yakuza so popular in the first place. Sadly, if you’re looking for one last enjoyable adventure with Kazuma Kiryu, I suggest playing Yakuza Kiwami 2 again. You’re going to get almost the same experience but with a much better plot, more intriguing characters, bigger stakes, and, most importantly, an awesome cabaret minigame.

Diehard DQ loyalists and tacticians will enjoy what this game has to offer, but those who want an experience – a game with heart and a story to tell – should spend their hard-earned medals elsewhere.

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is a wonderful little treat, and I’m glad it received a modern port. The game is blissfully short and quickly paced – coming in at around 12-13 hours – but it’s not without its faults. With extremely easy combat, an absurdly uneven encounter rate, and heavily reused maps for dungeons, the game operates almost exclusively on its charm. With how short it is, overlooking its flaws is easy as players zip from one location to the next, listen to musical numbers about how great frogs are, and learn the meaning of true courage as they help Cornet rescue the love of her life. Rhapsody is definitely worth playing, though it’s little more than nostalgic novelty some twenty years later.

In no way would I ever recommend Hard West 2, but I have to be honest and say that I enjoyed myself. I just wish it didn’t come with a heaping bowl of curses. The developers should swallow their pride and listen intently to their customers, as I am sure I am not alone in my grievances. The team is clearly full of talented people who know how to create a good game, as long as they don’t get in their own way. As for me, I’m in need of some whiskey after this ordeal.

Monster Crown, though flawed, offers its own take on Pokèmon-style monster collection games. I liked its darker themes and several of its ideas, including having dialogue options when encountering other tamers before engaging them in battle. I should also mention that Monster Crown has online components for trading and battling. Monster Crown has potential, and I did enjoy the time I spent with it, but I was not enthralled by its overly-grindy gameplay and general lack of refinement. I hope Studio Aurum learns from Monster Crown‘s experience and creates better games in the future.

Layton's Mystery Journey is a mediocre game at best, with uneventful mysteries and anticlimactic plot twists. As a returning veteran, it almost doesn't feel like a Layton game at all.

For fans of traditional RPGs with a twist.

Born of Bread adds another entry to my ever-growing list of games that I wanted to love but left me with mixed feelings. It’s clear that a lot of heart went into Born of Bread. I loved the bevy of unique characters inhabiting the game’s world, and the second half of the story was quite engaging. However, Born of Bread‘s confluence of minor flaws, including a lack of convenience features, marred my enjoyment. Born of Bread is not a bad game, but those seeking that magical Paper Mario experience might be better off waiting for the upcoming Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remaster.

Yes, the game was often cheap and unrefined, but it had a certain je ne sais quoi about it that made me want to keep playing in spite of its foibles. Sacred Earth's ending sets everything up for a series, so I hope future installments polish this diamond in the rough to a lovely shine.

All-in-all, Botanicula is a competent adventure game. What it lacks in story and characters, it does its best to make up for in scenery and puzzle variety. It may be rather short, but it's still an enjoyable experience I recommend to adventure gamers looking for something a little different. If point and click adventures are not usually your thing, or you're only interested in this because of your experience with Machinarium, then I'd definitely advise you to at least wait for a Steam sale.

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story has lovely visuals and some solid ideas, but felt like an overlong rough draft in need of editing before going to print. I needed to call upon all my patience and perseverance to get through Bandle Tale. There were even times when I had to step away from the game for a night or two and return to it with a fresh mind. Spurts of fun were flanked by lengthy stretches that dragged, making playtime feel artificially padded. If Bandle Tale were shorter and more tightly focused, it would have been a more pleasurable experience with fewer lulls and more cohesive storytelling. Bandle Tale may not be perfect, but Bandle City and the Yordles are a wellspring of good multimedia material, so I hope to see more Yordle-centered League of Legends material in the future.

You get a whole lot of game for the humble price tag, and I’m very interested to see what projects we see from Brownies in the future. EGGLIA Rebirth would be a very easy recommendation with some tweaking and a few overhauls to its weaker systems, but even in its current form there’s still plenty to enjoy.

While The Council's meager finale is indicative of its inability to meet the lofty expectations it set for itself early on, there's still a lot to like for fans of the genre. Your acceptance and enjoyment of the story's twists and shoddy lore will determine just how much you like it, though.

Dragon Quest Swords was originally intended to be a launch game for the Nintendo Wii system and it definitely shows.

If your friends are getting it and you like multiplayer, it's worth playing.

Demonicon is ugly, awkward, and unknown, but it's still an average action RPG.

Exist Archive is proof you can sometimes have too much of a good thing, and doesn't have enough unique ideas of its own to stand out.