This is a bloody good RPG, but it's one that's been significantly watered down in an attempt to bring in new players. If you're trying to draw a friend into the world of strategy RPGs, Birthright is ideal. If you're a more experienced RPG fan this might well satisfy, but another version of Fire Emblem Fates might satisfy you more - this one is just a little too simple and easy, and in line with that is a touch lacking in depth.

Fuga 3 is still a great game, but it's hard not to wonder exactly what the point of it all was. Fuga was a daring and highly focused release, and at the time Fuga 2 felt like a similarly tight experience relying on the knowledge that players had already grown accustomed to the gameplay. Yet Fuga 3, in it's attempts to expand its scope feels like it just misses the mark. What should have been a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy feels like a coda to a performance whose curtains had already fallen years ago.

I came away from Trails Through Daybreak with many unanswered questions and mysterious hints dropped in the game's last moments. Despite my issues with some of the characters, Almata, and the underlying Xipha system, I still enjoyed my time at Calvard, seeing old friends and meeting new ones, and I am eager to return. The Trails series is one of my favorite long-form fictional works, and I look forward to the months and years' worth of discussions and seeing how all the new teases and hints end up paying off in Daybreak II, Kai no Kiseki, and beyond.

I really want to love Ocopath Traveler, but the messy nature of its story presentation is ultimately an enormous weakness. That stands out, but this game is also truly one of the most intriguing evolutions of the 'golden age' RPG formula out of Japan, managing to both build on and pay homage to the classics.

It may seem that I’m cold on Triangle Strategy, but that's really just because I think it lands just shy of greatness. Hardcore strategy fans may not truly enjoy this unless they keep their expectations in check, but otherwise, Triangle Strategy does a great job repackaging a classic genre for a modern generation. The narrative lacks the tact and nuance to be remembered alongside the greats, but it still offers an engaging war drama that kept me invested. It sacrifices complexity for approachability in both the story and gameplay, which works even if I have some reservations. If you’re looking for a great introduction SRPG or are desperate to get your fill on the Switch, Triangle Strategy should be on your radar.

There is a decent game lurking beneath Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Its experimental, numerous half-baked ideas in the shift to a turn-based RPG drag it down from being an excellent experience, but the core ideas are solid enough on paper that they could be amazing if given a future chance. After all, this is the first time the Ryu ga Gotoku Studio development team has embarked on this wild idea to transform this long-running series into something it has never been before. I do disagree that this title can serve as a newcomer’s first foray into the Yakuza series. Yakuza: Like A Dragon is not outstanding, but its vision of what an RPG would look like set in today’s world is fascinating. I played the entire game with Japanese audio and I must say, Ichiban’s voice performance in the finale of his game is phenomenal.

A great conclusion to the Zero Escape series. Its incredible storytelling through fragmented scenes fittingly structures the entire plot as a puzzle that the player pieces together one at a time. Several characters we've come to hate and love throughout the series now have a conclusive explanation to the situations they faced in the other games. While some of its flaws may leave some areas feeling half-baked, Zero Time Dilemma will be something that won't be leaving our minds anytime soon.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a typical Soulslike-inspired action RPG that takes a lot of inspiration from Nioh, and offers nothing new that separates itself from the dozens of others out there. Even in the many aspects it takes from Nioh, it often does them worse. Its beautiful art direction is largely held back by a deliberately dull color palette. Additionally, its combat has some great animations, yet overall feels sluggish because of how restrictive its stamina system is. I was prepared to have a great time with The First Berserker: Khazan, but there’s so little that I enjoyed because it always took two steps back in every step it took forward.

Odyssey suffers in the same way Origins did as it searches for an identity within both the stealth and RPG genres. We obviously deeply appreciate the addition of such RPG mechanics and Odyssey often fines a nice middle ground between the two, but it ultimately isn't consistent enough on either spectrum to fully flesh out what the game could potentially be. If you enjoyed Assassin’s Creed Origins or want a game you easily sink over eighty hours in through exploration alone you will probably enjoy Odyssey, but if you’ve grown tired of the general monotony of the series you might want to wait until Ubisoft does something more innovative with this IP.

Dark Souls III is supposed to be the last game in the series for quite some time, and it had an ending that left me very satisfied. So much so that I was apprehensive to play any DLC for fear it might leave an undesirable taste in my mouth. Thanks to The Ringed City that was not the case though. While it is less polished than its counterpart Ashes of Ariandel, it shows a willingness on From Software’s part to innovate until the very end. If you’re the sort of fan that gets lost in item descriptions trying to learn more about the world, then The Ringed City is something you can’t miss.

As someone who is a bit of a lapsed fan of the Trails series and greatly enjoyed the recently localized Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure, I was partially hoping to have Reverie be the game to reignite that spark I used to have for this series. Instead, after completing Trails into Reverie, I find myself mostly grateful to move onto brighter pastures after Reverie ended up spending most of its run-time spinning its wheels, while its few contributions to the overall series largely fell flat.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a great-looking open-world game with impressive landscapes and cinematography. However, the checklist collectible open-world still needs some work to feel truly engaging, and combat is too tedious and too frequent to be compelling. As a lapsed fan of Assassin's Creed trying to see if I can click with the series once again, Valhalla didn't quite hook me as I was hoping it would.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Plus is rife with little problems that come as a result of porting such a large and CPU-heavy PC game to a pocket system like the Vita, but even in the same breath as acknowledging that it's hard to say that if you've no other way to play XCOM it isn't worth it: the game is that good. This definitely comes recommended behind the PC and console versions of this classic game and has a lower score as a result, but if the Vita is your main or preferred way of experiencing games, this port is still easy to recommend.

Ys VIII on Switch is a polarizing experience. It does some things so well, such as offering the full breadth of PS4 content on the go and a mostly solid framerate - but resolution woes, a translation that still leaves a lot to be desired despite seeing an overhaul, and more makes it somewhat hard to recommend this version of the game.

I jive a lot of what Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin sets out to achieve conceptually as it juggles between tight fast-paced action RPG combat and thorough rice farming mechanics. Edelweiss unfortunately fumbles on key areas to an otherwise charming title. Platforming is a hassle most of the time, especially in later areas. Every system feels a step too steep into resource micromanagement, and it made me feel as if I was always playing on a tight schedule rather than being able to progress at my leisure. I wish I loved this game more, because there is a lot of heart, but sadly I came away merely lukewarm from the experience.

Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is an easy game to recommend for those that are nostalgic for the Final Fantasy Tactics games but also want to try something new over simply revisiting that series. A competent game in its own right, I enjoyed my time with Fell Seal, though it's not likely one I would revisit over many of its contemporaries simply due to how derivative it can feel at times. Still, its a solid experience that strategy RPG fans should be able to find some enjoyment out of for the same reasons that left many of us wanting more games of this style in the first place.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is destined to be a title the fans are going to be split over. The game has a very clear message it wants to rub off on the player, and it’s the sort of thing you’re going to have to mull over for a while to determine whether or not it earns its thesis. For me, it all just felt like desperation laced with fatigue. When the game wasn’t dragging me through incredibly long-winded exposition and plot bits, it was disappointing me with the direction the story took. If Spike Chunsoft wanted me to get a sense of closure from the series, they may have succeeded, because I’m not sure I’m up for another one.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza is difficult for me to evaluate. The aspects of the main narrative it chooses to dwell on seems unevenly paced, and strangely misguided at times. Its combat system is slick, especially with all the tools that the brand-new Sea Dog style brings to the table - yet the balance of power feels lopsided in Majima’s favor to the point that enemy AI can’t keep up. A lot of its pirate-oriented systems feel like a jack-of-all-trades; they’re all competent and serviceable, though only provide a surface-level layer of satisfaction. I like a lot of what Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is putting down, but I can’t ignore the numerous significant misfires either.

Despite everything, I enjoyed my time with Borderlands 3. Not to say that the game as a whole isn't good – but rather despite all of the game’s numerous technical troubles, I do believe that once everything is said and done, Borderlands 3 will be a game that most series’ fans will be more than happy with, and a title that is more than worthy of recommendation. I just don’t think that day is today.

I was, if not confident, hopeful that the lingering issues that I found myself grappling with in Cold Steel I and II had been mitigated when I played through Cold Steel III. However, now that I've seen the whole story, I can only say that those issues never went away. Even if they appeared fixed for Cold Steel III, they were always there, just below the surface. At this point, if I wasn't already in too deep, I'm not sure if I would even want to continue playing the Trails series. I have very little confidence that Falcom will learn their lesson with how to pace their games, and with the scope of both the world and the series as a whole constantly growing I have no confidence that future games won't run into these self-same issues, but to an even greater degree.

Assassin’s Creed: Origins offers an engrossing and deeply satisfying open world in the lands of Egypt. Gorgeous visuals make it a lovely place to explore with rich environments. Still, the excessive amount of bugs at launch are devastating and hampered my experience significantly. Add to that a poorly paced narrative devoid of substantial character development and a battle system that fails to meet its full potential and I can't help but feel something important is missing, Regardless, Assassin's Creed: Origins has a lot to offer new and old fans alike - though the state of its technical performance at launch is highly questionable.

The Disgaea series offers a slightly different flavor of strategy RPGs that you can't find anywhere else. The sheer flexibility available is staggering, and anybody interested in this genre should give these Disgaea ports a try, as long as you don't mind the cookie-cutter story and characters.

Narrative nitpicks and shortfalls aside, Stellar Blade is an action RPG that excels where it matters most: Looking gorgeous and facilitating supremely satisfying combat interactions. Bolstered by the capable fusion of its inspirations, its weaknesses keep it from transcending them. But those willing to make their peace with those disappointments will find a nearly stellar experience.

A delightful RPG experience. Though there are problems around its edges with prolonged battles and a weak overall narrative, its ability to maintain a deck-building card game inside a RPG in inventive ways continually is nothing short of awesome. Once it clicks with you, it’s hard to not stop theorycrafting, experimenting, and optimizing your deck.

A game with peaks and valleys like this is, as I've stated throughout the review, frustrating. I can see a 10/10 in this game somewhere, but multiple questionable-level design and game design choices combined with a hefty amount of performance issues and bugs unfortunately drag it down. Black Myth: Wukong is a beautiful, somber, fascinating tale to experience — you just have to muddle your way through a forest of problems to enjoy it.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined still encapsulates much of what makes Dragon Quest VII resonant, but with every possible edge sanded off. It succeeds at streamlining a lengthy adventure at the expense of player discovery and friction. Besides being able to reach the credits more quickly, I find it difficult to declare this version as an improvement on what came before.

Tyranny is another showcase of Obsidian’s penchant for quality world-building and writing prowess, but limitations in the game’s scope and length as well as repetitive gameplay prevent Tyranny from being a must-play title even for fans of western styled RPGs. That said, it is an interesting enough experience that those who decide to undertake the role of Fatebinder will experience a mostly memorable tale of conquest and rebellion.

In its current state after the first major post-launch update, Assassin's Creed Shadows is worth your time handheld on Switch 2 all things considered. If you already own it on another platform, I recommend it on Switch 2 to play on the go and complement the TV experience you get elsewhere. I hope to see some of the performance issues when playing docked addressed and will be revisiting this for the Claws of Awaji expansion in the future.