Aside from framerate issues and a lack of truly meaningful exploratory content, the series has never been more impressive from a technical perspective. Any fan of the Atelier games will be captivated with what’s in store, and newcomers may just find something to admire as well.

Fire Emblem Warriors has some good gameplay to prop the experience up, but the focus here is to play as your favorite Fates and Awakening characters in a new setting and genre. If you don’t know these characters or don’t like them, Fire Emblem Warriors will be more of a case of “what could have been” than what the game actually is. This is a title made for a certain fanbase, and those of that fanbase will undoubtedly enjoy what Koei Tecmo has on offer.

There are small glimpses that Kamiko could’ve been something more. I liked the rapid gameplay flow it’s going for. Stages are quick to get through and that works for me on the Switch. I just wish there was some variety to them between each of the characters though. For example, a stage could’ve had a new layout and objects in place that only the archer can hit. There’s no harm giving Kamiko a try because of its low price point, but there are much better alternatives.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a solid game, but the Switch performance really detracts from the overall experience. If you have the ability to grab this on another platform, you should do so. This is otherwise a very enjoyable game with a decent amount of depth if a bit lacking in difficulty due to poor enemy pathing. If you're into SRPGs, it's worth a look into if you have the time.

Though not a lot of the time spent felt like I was really playing an RPG, I enjoyed the slightly over seven hours I spent playing. The focus of this game is largely on style, but it’s not entirely devoid of substance. It is however held back a little by some annoying controls and Kenta’s railroading. RPG Time: The Legend of Wright is nonetheless an enjoyable journey both inside and outside of the pages.

Peril on Gorgon is largely more of the same as what's found in the original game, with a bit more of a focus on exploration than questing. It's a fine addition for those who just can't get enough, but I feel it is not enticing enough on its own to spend $15 to revisit the game if you already completed The Outer Worlds months ago.

At the end of the day, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth isn’t a bad game, but it’s undoubtedly Team Ladybug’s weakest work. Even the weakest from their output is well worth playing, but unlike with Touhou: Luna Nights I wouldn’t go out of your way to make time for it. Maybe some of the game's faults, like its uneven difficulty, can be alleviated with updates. Even then, other problems just run too deep; hopefully the team can stick the landing with whatever their next project ends up being.

Frustrations aside, Famicom Detective Club still manages to captivate all the same. It’s a miracle that these two Nintendo classics were ever localized, let alone as a global simultaneous release with these remakes. It was a blast to join the Detective Club after so many years, and I can only hope one day we can see a similar remake for the series’ 3rd game, sales permitting. If you’re at all a fan of either the Visual Novel or Japanese Adventure game genres, you owe it to yourself to experience this vital part of their history.

What’s here is mostly fantastic, but what’s missing feels like it could have pushed it beyond greatness.

Silent Hope is a decent budget title that can scratch your itch for a quick action RPG. If Diablo IV's price is a bit too steep to pull the trigger on and you want a quick fix, Silent Hope will satisfy you. While Silent Hope's light story and simple gameplay may not be the most exciting, it's a charming game that can still hook you with its gameplay loop.

Harvestella is the type of game that’ll just simmer in your brain the further you get from it, I’m convinced this will be a beloved cult classic for years to come. There’s so much here that feels like an experiment, and it’s surprising how much of it comes together into a great package despite its shortcomings. When your greatest sin is being maybe a tad too simple, I call that a success.I think there’s a lot of room for growth in a hypothetical follow-up with a larger budget, and, hopefully, Square Enix agrees with me.

Through the animations alone I can see there was a lot of care put into creating this game, with some serious attention to detail (even down to Sanji refusing to damage the sole female enemy in the game). But there are some very basic design decisions, especially regarding game progression that hamper the experience greatly. The backtracking continues throughout even all the way to the very end, to the point that I really wondered what the extra padding was for. I’m not even interested in the post-game quest of fighting tougher opponents since all the boss fights prior were so basic. The great cast just isn’t enough to not make certain parts of the game feel like a chore. For the One Piece fan who can handle a bit of tedium and lackluster bosses, I can recommend it, for anyone else I wouldn’t suggest it.

Coromon is a game filled with potential but past sinking sands and perplexing puzzles it starts to fall flat. Fans of the genre will be delighted by the levels of customization thanks to the potential system and easy skill switching. Though, once you beat the roughly twenty-three or so hour campaign you'll find little to do. While some elements are stated to be getting worked on, two months after release, the game is still the same. Hopefully those who are waiting on the delayed Switch and mobile release will get them at the same time as any major updates to the game. For the PC and budget gamer, however, this is still a fine choice, and there is an accessible demo letting you play the start of the game. The shake-ups do let Coromon stand on its own and create an enjoyable experience, but it could’ve evolved to be something a little more.

The game itself is solid, but just not quite there enough to be a strong recommendation as of this publishing.

Demonschool works because it trusts you. It doesn’t over-explain or lean too hard on creaky nostalgia. You solve the weirdness and enjoy the ride. Strategic, puzzle-like combat replaces grinding, and seeing multiple endings is devilish fun. The only scary thing is how fun it is.

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian is a decent game that is good for short bursts of gameplay. If you're a longtime Atelier fan, this likely has more meaning for you, seeing your favourite characters come together for another adventure. For people not familiar with the series, there's not a lot here to hook you.

At the end of the day, I find myself conflicted with Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord’s very existence. It’s not a bad game, it’s actually a solid TRPG - but it’s not the follow-up that I believe many Fairy Fencer F fans had been hoping for. Taken on its own merits I’d still give it a recommendation for fans truly looking for more out of the franchise, but it’s hard to not think about what could have been. Refrain Chord is a good Fairy Fencer F game, but perhaps not what the series needed right now.

If you're looking for a Persona spin-off, Persona Q is a much better use of your time and money. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a rhythm game first and foremost, there are much better options for you to pursue. Persona 3 and 5 Dancing aren't bad, but in today's rhythm games climate - they needed to offer a lot more to stand out from the crowd.

Dread Delusion succeeds where it counts, even if bits and pieces still have some polishing left to do. For a crowded year for RPGs, Dread Delusion can still stand out from the crowd.

Ashes of Ariandel is by no means a drop in quality from the base game of Dark Souls 3, just one that lacks defining properties to help it stand on its own.

Project X Zone 2 is a brilliant follow-up that rectifies the sins of its previous game, even if it still shares a few of its flaws.

Technical issues aside, Stories: The Path of Destinies is a fantastic outing for Spearhead Games. Whether it’s the exciting combat, beautiful visuals, or branching narrative, there is plenty of value to be had in this low-priced title. It has fun betraying the player’s expectations, and that’s the biggest compliment I can give this gem of a game.

At the end of the day, I can't help but feel that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl offer a bit of a disjointed experience - and while some parts make sense (I'm sure the buggy nature of the release comes due to the double-whammy of this both being ILCA's first attempt at a Pokemon release, as well as a direct result of the pandemic), I'm still left wondering why they chose to keep things so rigidly close to the originals. A more liberal reinterpretation of the game's map would've done wonders for the game feel on its own, for example. Were the games held back in scope to not step on Arceus: Legends' toes? I don't know, and I doubt we ever truly will. It's a shame either way - when it's firing on all cylinders, ILCA's first outing shows loads of promise and offers one of the most engaging Pokemon releases in years. I just wish the game itself didn't feel like it was constantly running up against limitations of its own design. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are good, but they could've been so much more.

In a way, it betrays your expectations, even if the result isn't always a positive one. It may act as some sort of premium app experiment, but anyone who is interested in trying something different from a pedigree developer owes it to themselves to give Egglia a try. You may love it as much as I did.

Virgo Vs The Zodiac is quite unique, and for the most part is better for it. Personally, I don’t see how a game that lets you ride an alpaca and purge heretics could’ve gone wrong. The morality system isn’t super complex but it does change what boss fights you can experience, as well as who lives and dies. Meaning the changes aren’t quite enough that I want to get right back into the game but I do plan on experiencing the perhaps more righteous paths myself in the future. The combat is a fun system that requires good timing but doesn’t force you to shake up your tactics on more than a few occasions. For fans of eccentric little rpgs or someone hoping to experience a story with a main character who is less personable than average, Virgo VS The Zodiac is a fun time.

Disgaea 6 makes a lot of changes, not all of which are for the best, leading to a somewhat unsatisfying experience. The autobattle system is useful in some aspects but could cheapen the experience for those who don’t restrain themselves. Parts of the campaign, like constantly having to fight the God of Destruction at the end of each chapter, got extraordinarily tiring. Due to streamlining, the systems in and outside of battle shouldn’t be hard to grasp for new players. Yet I feel a lot of returning players will find this entry inadequate and not just because of missing classes.

I have done my best to avoid the inevitable comparisons to the genre-defining Diablo series, as, thanks to the developer staying true to the license, Warhammer: Chaosbane manages to stand apart and succeed in forging an identity of its own. Still, it's hard to ignore the regrettable fumbles and clear shortcomings that detract from the experience, even though I hope that the post-release updates will make some headway to address those in time.

At its core, Freedom Wars is still very much the same game as the PlayStation Vita original, warts and all. It has the same frustrating pacing, the same story that while conceptually interesting maybe doesn't fully deliver on that promise in practice. As fun as the high-speed action combat can be, it's still very limited in what you can actually do; and the scope of missions and the areas they take place in certainly betray the game's history as a handheld title from a decade prior. Still, even if it was merely a time capsule - I'd still be glad that Freedom Wars got to be remembered. It's a real treat, then, that this remaster has done an admirable job to polish up a game that for many Vita fanatics was the high point of the system's life. I can't say that Freedom Wars: Remastered is worth playing for those who never had the chance to play the original, but it would be nice if this wasn't the last we see of the world inside the Panopticon.