Looking back on my time with Pyre, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. The game is a beautifully wrapped package, with great gameplay and deep lore and plot to delve into if you want to. The gameplay is enjoyable enough to make the multiplayer mode worth taking a look at, lack of online features aside. Pyre really grabs you early on and doesn't let go until the very end, where you learn of the effects of your decisions throughout the game. This is Supergiant's best title yet, and I cannot stress this enough - this isn't a game to miss.

What Dream Daddy has to offer is pretty good, but ultimately it feels just a bit unfinished. It feels like this visual novel could have used a bit more time in the oven, fleshing out events and backstories, and providing proper epilogues for the Dads. For a visual novel subgenre that's underrepresented in the West, Dream Daddy is a decent title worth your time, but I can't shake the feeling that it could have easily been so much more.

The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind is a great nostalgia trip for those that experienced the original main series game. Other than that, though, what it has to offer is outclassed by better, more popular games. However, if you do want to experience the oft-talked about Morrowind setting in a more modern game engine with more modern gameplay mechanics, and are able to look past its flaws, this might be a good time-waster for you.

Western players are in for a treat with all of these adjustments and improvements made from the original release of Final Fantasy XII - many of which are old but never made their way West originally. The job system adds another level of interest to party coordination, elements like fast-forward and map overlays add a considerable amount of convenience, and the game looks and sounds great too. This remaster may not change the mind of everyone, but it is no doubt one of the most intriguing entries in the franchise and clearly the definitive version of a truly brilliant game.

This original release is still a bit of a disappointment and leaves a mixed impression. If you are looking for a solid JRPG for Vita, this is a fully complete game, but for those wanting the absolute entire package, I would recommend waiting for the definitive version.

Episode Prompto is a significant improvement over Episode Gladiolus, and fans of Final Fantasy XV will enjoy the additional light character development. It's still a bit awkward in places both narratively and mechanically, but it works well enough to fill a gap in Final Fantasy XV.

Ultra Despair Girls may not be as great as the first two Danganronpa titles, but it's still a worthwhile experience for fans of the multimedia franchise. There is plenty to look forward to in this entry, especially since Another Episode takes a wider look at the world than its predecessors. Getting through some of the shooting bits may be a little rough, but overall Another Episode is a game worth playing through.

God Wars has a surprisingly cohesive job and skill system under the hood. However, the rest of the game falls short in too many places to make it an easy recommendation in the genre. If you can't get enough tactical RPGs, God Wars can be worth checking out but it's not a stand-out in the genre.

Across its campaign of forty to fifty hours, Dark Rose Valkyrie tries to be many things and fails to excel or be memorable through any of those attempts. Perhaps it would have worked better as either a traditional RPG or as a visual novel, but it simply doesn’t work as a combination of the two. The story seems promising at first, but it’s average and marred by significant pacing issues. It stars a cast that is likable but not one that you will remember as anything groundbreaking in terms of characterization or development. Its battle system is restrictive and feels unbalanced, and as a result it makes battles have little enjoyment. The voice acting and character designs are great, but those positives aren't enough to compensate for the flaws this game has.

When Zeboyd Games initially took the idea of Cosmic Star Heroine to kickstarter, they knew they were in it for the long haul. About 4 years have passed since then and a lot about the games industry has changed. Retro throwbacks are even less novel now than they were in 2013, but all the same, I think the studio has succeeded in all that they set out to do. The game has a fantastic combat system, feels distinct from its peers, and never leans on nostalgia too much. If you’re looking for a fun space adventure that’ll remind you of the JRPGs of the 16-bit era, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more fitting experience than Cosmic Star Heroine.

ClaDun Returns might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it will definitely fill a void for players who want a throwback to something from the retro days that displays strong fundamentals towards its dungeon crawling roots. The game is loaded with content as there are tons of stages, and its compact brevity is ideal for portable playthroughs. Unfortunately, this same feature is also holding the game back, making it an extremely repetitively and somewhat flawed experience.

Birthdays is particularly disappointing in that I really enjoyed the concepts and ideas it brought into the game, but the poor execution does it an injustice. It feels over within an hour of play, but with the various modes and challenges it drags on and on. Birthdays the Beginning is an idea I don’t want Wada to give up on, but until the formula has time to be polished and expanded upon, I would rather sit out on any further celebrations.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception was a pleasant ride from beginning to end. While the pacing can be off with how infrequent the combat is, the story more than makes up for it. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments intermingled with the dramatic punches found within. Combined with the excellent voice acting and the charming art design, and fans of this genre will discover a lot to fall in love with.

Dragon Quest Heroes II is an odd mix. It has some super smart enhancements to gameplay but is bogged down by a terrible, messy storyline. There’s a lot of fun to be had, but you may be best served just not paying attention to the story. The game’s expansive gameplay options may feel overwhelming at first, but mastering its systems will reward you with a great action RPG to play.

Prey may borrow heavily from its predecessors but also blends them in a way and tackles a subject that comes across as refreshing and new even if the mechanics underneath are functionally derivative. The systems in place are familiar and recognizable but the machine built from these components is new and worthwhile. In this way, Prey follows up on its own primary theme in the most straightforward way: it takes common ideas and designs but out of these ingredients, still manages to form its own unique identity.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is unlike most other game in its series and offers a fresh take on the series' usual formulas. It's an interesting mix of seemingly weird components that all come to together in a delightfully satisfying way. It may not be for everyone, but Echoes is definitely an intriguing entry in a great franchise that might be just up your alley.

If you own the PS4 version of Disgaea 5, there isn't a strong reason to get the Switch version unless you want to play it on a handheld device. Now if you haven't picked it up yet and need a dose of an amazing strategy game, I would highly recommend picking up this version over the original release. Disgaea 5 Complete also doubles as the best portable experience of any Disgaea game to date. Unlike the Vita version of its predecessor where certain things had to be removed to fit in the cartridge, nothing has been cut. You get the full experience wherever you decide to play it.

As a dungeon crawler, Operation Babel is basically more-of-the-same. It's a competent entry into the genre, even if it's not a terribly interesting one. Fans of dungeon crawlers won't mind adding it to their collection, but it certainly doesn't stand out from the rest.

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.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd's different gameplay structure and shifted narrative focus can take some getting used to, especially when coming off the formula from prior Trails in the Sky entries. However, once I was acclimated to the new radical shifts in structure and gameplay, I found that the 3rd carries all the charm and strengths of the previous game and goes beyond that. Trails in the Sky the 3rd is an excellent conclusion that not only sends off the Liberl arc on an exceptionally strong note, but also serves as a great teaser of the overall Trails world.

The Caligula Effect is a functional game, and some of the Japanse vocal music is fun to listen to. But it's actually difficult for me to give praise to much else the game has to offer. It's a diluted experience on a potentially interesting concept with some gameplay mechanics that are better off ignored. I can only recommend this to diehard Vita fans who are simply curious about the game, regardless of quality. Otherwise, this one is easily skipped.

You'll struggle to find a more complete, self-assured, forward-thinking, and simply joyous example of the modern JRPG than this. Persona 5 knows what it is and is unashamed about it. The result is a game that, for all its themes about imprisonment and societal slavery, is free of shackles itself. That freedom makes it series-defining, genre-defining, and a must-play.

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.

All-in-all, Operation Abyss' PC port is nothing fancy, but it doesn't need to be. It's a solid an functional port that gets the job done with a couple odd quirks.

While it may not go far enough to vastly improve on its previous entry, this series continues to offer plenty of appeal for someone like me who could not get into Monster Hunter due to how it skimps on the story. Bottom line, Toukiden 2 is a great option for those looking to get into this type of genre. It doesn't even feel as much of a chore this time to take down an Oni. And really, considering Monster Hunter hasn't been on consoles in a very long time (not counting the online-only game), it's certainly worth a look for that alone.

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.

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight won't light the action platformer world on fire or usurp the greats of the genre like Castlevania, but it's got a lot of heart. I don't consider myself a complitionist, nor am I particularly good at this sort of game, but there is something about Momodora's bleak atmosphere that kept drawing me back to it. It's a strong example of how great art direction and solid game design can come together to make well-trodden paths feel fresh.

Trio of Towns is an installment that does justice to the legacy of the series, and hopefully one that's on the road of better things to come. I loved the characters, and the art style certainly ranks up there as one of my favorites yet. The tell-tale sign I enjoyed any Harvest Moon game is that I’ll pick it back up after months of neglecting my farm. I think I can safely say, Trio of Towns will be one I revisit. With planned DLC, recipes to be made, and the overwhelming need to pet every dog in this game, I’ll be back to it soon.