Since there is no dynamic gameplay to fall back on, the visual novel genre is driven 95% by story, and the stories were below average in this game.

Play it on the PC if you haven't done so. If, like me, you're an old dude that has played this so many times you know almost everything by heart, you'll enjoy having it to take with you wherever you go.

Hero's Saga has some good points such as actual, strategic challenge and some pretty visuals, but the game as a whole is weak.

As much as I wanted to love Syberia, I was never fully grabbed and, in fact, was repelled by its straightforward and slow puzzles and the story that goes nowhere (and not even fast, at that!). If Amerzone was pure pulpy fun, Syberia is one of those disappointing magazines with an amazing cover illustration.

EnrightBeats certainly has the skill to create a competent game but played it too safe with The Greater Good. Given how supersaturated and cutthroat competitive the field of retro-inspired JRPGs is, EnrightBeats needs to step it up and take some risks for their next effort to even be worth a look. The Greater Good's balanced gameplay was lovely, but that's not enough to cut the mustard. An edgier plot with dynamic storytelling featuring boldly designed and engagingly deep characters would have elevated this merely serviceable game into something worth recommending.

Sadly, Belladonna proves to be less than the sum of it's parts, though fans of Gothic settings and short stories may be able to find that special something which evidently eludes me.

Detention has something important to say, but using a game as a medium seems inappropriate in this instance. While the subject matter is definitely worth discussing and I'd personally love to see more of this in games moving forward, the way in which it's been executed here left me groaning by the end of the three hours. Predictable in terms of story and unimaginative in terms of game design, Detention doesn't work as a game.

Anthem is a painfully average RPG from a developer that is capable of so much more.

Death end re;Quest Code Z is a game that had me constantly questioning who it was for. As a fan of the series, I wasn’t particularly interested in a mystery dungeon roguelike and found myself barely engaging with the combat. I also don’t see mystery dungeon fans being starved enough to pick up Code Z. If they were to stumble across the game, I can’t imagine they’d stick with it due to impenetrable story that is little more than a “What If?” scenario laden with references, hints, and nods galore. As a Death end re;Quest game, Code Z offers the bare minimum of what I expect from the series. While it may not have the lows of its predecessors, it also lacks the emotional highs and rewarding gameplay elements. As Death end re;Quest 3 has been in development for a while now, Code Z serves as little more than a detour. While not particularly bad by any means, Code Z is simply the least interesting entry.

The Mystery Dungeon games are definitely different than most Pokémon games, and there's fun to be had with them, but there are still a lot of better games available on the DS (including the second Pokémon Mystery Dungeon), which makes Blue Rescue Team difficult to recommend.

I did get moments of enjoyment from the game in a few of the tactical battles and the strategic movement of my armies around the map, but felt unengaged with a lot of the game’s system and honestly not as connected with my units as I would be in other tactical RPGs where permadeath can feel more odious. For those who are willing to overlook some of these flaws, it could be a fun experience to play a campaign once. Replay value is there for those who want it, given you can play other nations and that upon beating Normal mode you unlock additional challenges, but I would not expect each playthrough to be wildly different aside from new story angles.

Historians (my, aren’t we getting lofty) will sing praises for what Final Fantasy II did for RPGs of the era and today; without a doubt, the developers pushed boundaries and tested new ideas. My take is this: respect the game and its developers for the time they were working and the chances they took to innovate on design. However, acknowledge that this isn’t something most people will want to enjoy in today’s gaming landscape for purely narrative or gameplay reasons. Final Fantasy II may be an important game, but not necessarily fun.

At the end of the day, Elderand feels more like a game you play in between big releases or to scratch a certain itch, more than a title you might get excited to play. The individual flaws of the game might not be absolute dealbreakers, but they undoubtedly muddy the waters and noticeably drag down the experience. A sale is the only time I would recommend people try out Elderand, but with genre giants like Hollow Knight and Ori and The Will of the Wisps all at a similar price point, Elderand remains a hard sell.

It's not a terrible game per se, but it regrettably uses the veneer of 16-bit nostalgia as a license to simply not care.

An extremely strange game that begs to be played despite its litany of glaring flaws.

My final thought is that Grace of Letoile is far from graceful. Effort was put into the story and gameplay mechanics, but execution could have been more refined.

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree has some big ideas that never feel fully fleshed out. This game screams “potential,” but the only aspect that really sticks the landing is the town and inhabitants changing as time moves on. I enjoyed witnessing growth, stagnation, and death. The writers have poignant stories to tell and that is TGST’s best quality. Unfortunately, a commendable combat design that runs out of ideas and creativity quickly languishes the entire experience as I, unfortunately, was eager for the developers to wrap things up.

I feel a little cheated by the quick ending, which I suppose hints at a glimmer of enjoyment.

VED deserves credit for its gorgeous graphics, workable combat, and underlying lore, but there are significant caveats. Although it proposes to take you on a journey between two worlds and at every point in between, the game makes staying on any path difficult, and trying to find the links between them takes more work than it should. You can find a dozen or so hours of playtime with VED, and many more to explore every possible route or action of consequence. (And if you’re on the fence, there is a free prologue, VED: Purification, available on Steam.) Perhaps with a few patches targeting the script and the wonkier translation, this could be something quite pleasant in the genre. But much like Cyrus, you just might find yourself struggling to understand what’s going on in either of its worlds.

Rise of the Argonauts is not unplayable. It's just mediocre and marred by countless careless mistakes born out of a lack of inspiration and passion for the product.

Rue Valley has something to say; in fact, it has some things to say. Unfortunately, philosophical intrigue is mired in inconsequential tongue wagging and book reading, as well as gameplay mechanics that feel left at the side of the road close at the start. While I love the vision and ideas, Rue Valley misfires on the launchpad and never makes it into the stratosphere.

Period: Cube ~Shackles of Amadeus~ is a hard game to recommend. I’ve played better VN/RPG hybrids and feel that there are stronger otome titles available on the Vita. I also think there are stronger “main character stuck in a different world” plots out there. However, I can recognize that a lot of care went into it, and there were elements of it I truly enjoyed. I’d probably only recommend giving the game a shot once you’ve exhausted your better otome options.

With more time in the oven or expansions, I can see Evertried becoming a much more exciting adventure. As it stands right now, it’s too simple to be called a serious game, but it’s also too cutthroat and challenging to be called a casual game. The systems aren’t clear, information seems almost hidden, and the game just isn’t deep enough to make me want to jump back in after a loss, which is absolutely essential in any roguelike or roguelite. I found some enjoyment in Evertried, and I want to love this game for all its charm and originality, but I quickly tired of it.

It was difficult for me to give a proper overall score for the game. Despite my many criticisms of the game, Fragments of Him definitely succeeded in leaving a lasting impression. At its core, Fragments of Him is a hopeful reminder that death and existence are not mutually exclusive — the fragments we leave behind transcend the border between worlds.

Aside from the above-average graphics and music, this game is as run-of-the-mill as it gets. I'm all in favor of seeing more localizations of otome/"girl's side" games, but not if they're mind-numbing swill like Norn9: Var Commons.

Unfortunately, its few shining points are obscured by a massive dark cloud of flaws. I loved the visual design and the gameplay elements that required me to think a little differently. An RPG I can’t just play on autopilot is certainly intriguing. Sadly, the game’s faults are just too numerous for me to wave off. Try before you buy is the order of the day with The Revenant Prince, so I urge anyone interested in the game to take the available demo for a thorough test drive before committing.

While Calico‘s current state is vastly improved from its initial release thanks to these patches, its initial launch state can’t just be swept under the rug. But the continued effort to improve the game, combined with its welcoming, comforting, and charming nature shining through these unpleasant mats of fur, makes it clear that Peachy Keen Games is a developer with a lot of potential — and I can’t wait to see what they can do in the future with more experience.

Perhaps Ar tonelico Qoga will quench the thirst of many wanting to play a console JRPG, but the game is filled with debilitating flaws. Almost everything that Ar tonelico Qoga provides has been done before in a JRPG; the lack of original content and presence of overused content doesn't leave much to praise.