All told, Blades of Fire is a mixed bag. I by and large enjoyed my time with it, warts and all - but I'd be hard-pressed to recommend the game in its current state. Worse, without some heavy retooling of the map I don't know if I ever could recommend the game at all without significant caveats. On the bright side, the game's PC port is rather good with a notably good HDR implementation. It's even playable on Steam Deck, if you can bother to get the Epic Games Store running on yours. I definitely appreciate any game that doesn't have traversal or shader compilation stutters these days, and from a technical standpoint MercurySteam has delivered a very good experience.

These are games that anyone that has ever considered themselves a Pokemon fan deserves to play; but not today, and not in this state. One can only hope that a day will come when that recommendation can come easily; I’d like nothing more than to be able to do so.

Star Trek: Resurgence goes boldly, but the refit Resolute’s shakedown cruise can be a bumpy one. Yet, for all the game's faults, Jara Rydek and Carter Diaz won me over in full, and I bet they’ll win you over, too.

Overall, World of Final Fantasy: Maxima has a handful of new features to differentiate it from the base game, however outside of the ability to carry an additional two monsters in your party their inclusion is fairly minimal. Maxima doesn’t offer anything of any real substance beyond this as an expansion - as the inclusion of Noctis generally feels like fanservice for fans of Final Fantasy XV and the colosseum challenges are fairly easy with a properly leveled party. However, those who enjoyed the story and gameplay of World of Final Fantasy may find value in this expansion.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is almost an impossible game for me to recommend to anyone with the expectation that it'll click. I can tell you it's a very unorthodox RPG, compelling in its unconventionality, and a delight to figure out. There's not much else like it at all, and it's even somewhat of an oddball within its own series. SaGa offers a certain flavor of RPG not seen often elsewhere, and maybe it's one you'll like, though it's a bit of an acquired taste.

When I hit the credits of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, I felt a little bit bummed out. I don't regret my 25 hours spent playing the game, but it never elevated beyond just being an acceptable action roguelike. Many of the game's unique components in the combat & structure feel either inconsequential or insignificant. The overall presentation is stellar, and the Shinju Village NPC stories are endearing. However, stale combat, underbaked sub-systems, and a mediocre overall narrative bring down a game that I wish left more of an impression on me.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an exceptional game in almost every way. I want to sing the praises of this game far and wide, yet its “gameplay” sections largely hold it back from being an absolute masterpiece. The story it presents is gripping and tragic. Its cast is marvelous in delivering their performances, even when faced with the monumental task to play entirely separate characters in different time periods. Everything about its music is stunning. There are so many amazing aspects to this high-budget FMV mystery adventure, but its execution on what it has players do to solve its various mysteries is truly its biggest Achilles’ heel.

The story is enjoyable, the characters are likeable, and the new mechanics that have been introduced work together to create a far more engaging experience from a gameplay perspective. While it may not go far enough to appease those on the other side, people sitting on the fence may do well to give it a purchase.

The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep has a satisfyingly deep and flexible battle system, surrounded by heavy puzzle exploration and a narrative that doesn't manage to stay interesting. There are some really neat systems at play here for those looking for intricate combat, but performance issues and a lacking storyline make it a hard sell to a larger audience.

For anyone who prefers pure farming and enjoys the Story of Seasons franchise, this can still be a game for you. Everything that the series is well-known for is present in this game. However, it doesn't seem like the series has really taken any real steps forward since I last played a Story of Seasons game back in 2007. For now, I think I'll stick to Rune Factory.

These are games that anyone that has ever considered themselves a Pokemon fan deserves to play; but not today, and not in this state. One can only hope that a day will come when that recommendation can come easily; I’d like nothing more than to be able to do so.

I’d recommend Momodora for anyone that’s looking for an old-school experience with a coat of new-school paint. It’s a beautiful and unforgiving game, but with patience and practice, you’ll be able to see this Metroidvania’s end and dive in for another playthrough to find all the stuff you missed. It’s a well-crafted title that fits in perfectly with the Switch’s library.

As a whole, I’d feel bad not saying this: Nioh 2 is one of the best games you could play this year, and a weak narrative in its trilogy of DLC won’t change that. The First Samurai might disappoint but this is still Nioh 2 and, in a way, that’s enough.

Asterigos: Curse of the Stars is a better experience than I expected it to be. Despite its shortcomings, such as excessive dialogue, translation oddities, quest issues, and some awkward area design, for those looking for a comfortable action RPG with a satisfying story & competent combat, Asterigos deserves a chance.

With the 3DS port of the remake coming out soon, there is no reason to pick up the Steam version of Corpse Party unless you're a hardcore fan of the series. There are simply better ways to play this title.

Unlike the Neptunia series, where the whole game has the luxury of playing with anime tropes and parodies, Death Re;Quest tries to rely on the merits of Idea Factory's own strength of mixing in Neptunia like gameplay and a more serious Visual Novel story, but sadly I think the game would have worked out much better as a standalone visual novel than a JRPG.

If you can manage the noticeable gameplay design flaws and the eyesore that is the user interface, Romancing SaGa 2 is still an excellent experience culminating in a highly eccentric entry for the series. Thanks to its sheer density of content, I would still recommend giving this one a try, regardless of the platform you go with.

In the end, I don’t think God Eater 3 will leave much of a mark in the genre now that Monster Hunter World seems to completely dominate it, but my time with it was fun nonetheless. Thanks to its engaging and interconnected systems, it’s ever-present anime aesthetic, and its lovable although underdeveloped characters, the game ends up overcoming many of its flaws. In all honesty, I never thought eating gods would be such nice comfort food.

If Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising had to stand on its own, it would probably only be a forgettable, average RPG at best. Fortunately it doesn't have to, nor was it designed to, as it explicitly places itself as merely an introduction to a hopefully more fully-fledged adventure - one that a certain group of RPG fans has been waiting for for a long time. Considering Rising's more glaring flaws are with its gameplay and not with its characters or writing, I find it still ultimately works well enough as a respectable introduction it set itself to be. Hundred Heroes can't get here soon enough.

If you’re willing to put up with the rather uninspiring combat and a few frustrating design decisions, Cyberdimension Neptunia is an achievement for the franchise. Thanks to its fast-paced combat and eye-pleasing splendor, this is one niche JRPG fans will love. For the rest, it may take more convincing from the developers.

I like a lot of what Death’s Gambit has to offer, but controlling it is vexatious. The game does a decent job establishing a small, captivating story wrapped in a melancholically exquisite world. I wish Death’s Gambit found more of its own voice, since it truly does shine in the moments it tries something new and refreshing. Although it doesn’t necessarily take the concept of adapting the 2D Souls formula to the next level, Death’s Gambit is another solid shot at it.

Andromeda has a spirit that I don’t want to see squashed by technical failures and a few questionable design decisions. Andromeda is ambitious and above all else it has heart - the deeper I got into the game, the more glued to it I became. Had it been anything less I would’ve sat my controller down and given up, but the journey most certainly made the struggle worth it.

It’s pound for pound the best the series has been, illuminating all of its strong points in a more robust and better-looking package. While a few of these changes won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, fans will appreciate the added interactivity and quality of life improvements. I just have a hard time recommending this if you already beat the original Megadimension VII.

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders is a good enough SRPG that misses the opportunity to really stand out from the crowd. It doesn't excel in any particular facet, but it provides an interesting look for fans of the genre. If you can't get enough of SRPGs, give Summon Night a shot, but it's not going to click for everyone

For the fans of that series and its comedic tone, you will find the same style of comfort here. For newcomers, if you can put up with how contrived the story can be, it may be worth a shot thanks to the exclusive content.

If you’ve played the original recently, I wouldn't suggest playing this port straight away, but for newcomers it is absolutely the best version, that I can definitely recommend it as a beginner friendly RPG. As a fan of the original I’m glad I got to play it again with much better visuals and fun new features, but they failed to tune some of the annoyances to make my jaunt more jolly.

Atlas Fallen is an average action RPG with some interesting Momentum combat mechanics, a respectable open-world design, subpar presentation, and a disappointing narrative. In some ways, it feels like a step down from The Surge titles, and I'll always look forward to what Deck13 works on next, but Atlas Fallen didn't land as strongly for me as I hoped it would.

God Eater Resurrection provides a wealthy amount of content for fans to delve into. The weapon count has doubled, the . Whether this is your second go-around or your first time with the franchise, it’s hard not to ignore how impressive the game can be. I am far enough removed from my review of Gods Eater Burst that I found a lot to appreciate.