Rune Factory 3 Special is mostly just an HD mask thrown onto a beloved entry in the series, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's been over a decade since Rune Factory 3 hit store shelves on the DS. Returning fans of the series will be delighted to play the game on upgraded hardware, and it does make a good entry point for anyone looking to experience this series for the first time. Longtime fans will likely prefer the Switch version for its original control scheme as the PC version has a couple of buttons swapped from the DS controls. For fans of farming sims or those looking for a relaxing RPG, Rune Factory 3 Special has you covered.

Going through Baldur's Gate for the first time is a reminder of what makes a classic RPG -- It’s hard to miss the ways it influenced the genre two decades years ago and how its impact can still be seen in games today, but as a modern experience, it does require a new player to meet in the middle a bit in terms of quality-of-life and the slightly-dated presentation. Despite that, this is the perfect game for a fan of the genre like me to finally play and having an updated version of the game available to a wide new audience is an opportunity for new fans to see exactly why it remains so highly regarded to this day.

Yakuza Kiwami isn't my favorite Yakuza game, but it is still an excellent entry in the series, and a very good entry point for newcomers. Revisiting it in 2024 on Nintendo Switch played handheld has been a fun experience that makes me hope SEGA brings Yakuza 0 to the system next. This conversion bringing in some quality of life features like auto-save and licensed music including Receive You [Reborn] is also great to see. While there are noticeable cutbacks to visuals and performance, Yakuza Kiwami is an easy recommendation to play on the go on Nintendo Switch with its low asking price.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life has an incredibly bittersweet ending, and the narrative twists and turns that brought me there, left me feeling satisfied with the close of Kazuma Kiryu’s story.

At its best, Grand Bazaar represents the best of what makes Story of Seasons so great, and reminds me of how much I loved the series when I was younger. Even if the game's balance feels like a glaring issue, I can't deny that all the changes big and small have made this remake feel like a more complete and fulfilling experience, one that makes all the time spent investing in Zephyr Town feel engaging. At the end of the day, that's what I choose to focus on. If this is a sign of things to come for the series, I have faith that its in good hands.

There are challenging moments in the game that only make it more aggravating. It really tests your patience especially near the end where you experience a number of trial-and-error moments. However, I can’t say it bothered me as much this time around only because I had already dealt with it previously. On the other hand, it was fascinating being able to observe the fate of two different girls and see the plight from their individual perspectives. The visual and audio design shine brightly in this bleak journey that never breaks from its ambiance and distressing frame of mind. This carries all the way through to the ending which sets a somber mood. So if you’re looking for a frightening adventure that subverts your assumptions, and if you can get around the checkpoint system, the unnerving atmosphere of Yomawari: Midnight Shadows may do you in.

In the end, I had a fantastic time with the Astlibra: Cave of the Phantom Mist. The price tag of $9.99 is a complete steal for the amount of content it offers. However, I would only recommend this title to players who really enjoyed the original; newcomers who haven’t played the original might not find it as compelling.

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.

In this Advance Wars starved world, Wargroove is the sustenance that keeps fans going. It’s a charming and difficult game, and while Wargroove is not perfect, it’s a great strategy title that strategy and SRPG fans will get a lot of fun out of.

Microbird Games delivered a strong debut project with Dungeons of Hinterberg. While limitations to maneuverability may seem off-putting at first, its numerous dungeons have been carefully designed to utilize different magical spells’ environmental interactions to traverse them. There are some understandable design constraints, such as a lack of variety in its enemy designs, that help illustrate where Microbird Games’ priorities lie - and there’s a beauty in that. This is a development team that had a clear vision in what they wanted to achieve with Dungeons of Hinterberg and I think they succeeded brilliantly.

Despite my misgivings, I still had a lovely time with this game. If you’ve stuck around with the series up until this point, I certainly recommend this version of Atelier Shallie. However, if you’re a newcomer, you will definitely want to start with Atelier Ayesha Plus.

Since it hasn’t been too long since the main game’s release, The Frozen Wilds knows what makes the main game as fantastic as it is, and it effectively capitalizes on its breathtaking visuals, heavy lore, interesting characters, and exciting fights. It plays it relatively safe; the expansion is very good at doing what the game has always done well, but it doesn’t do too much more than that. Even so, Horizon Zero Dawn is a great game, and this expansion achieves its purpose of reminding you that in a year with a plethora of spectacular releases, this new franchise can certainly hold up its own.

There’s a framework of a great game here, and the changes and additions to the formula belay what feels like an even more significant step forward for the series than Monster Hunter: World. But that promise hasn’t yet come to fruition. I’m sure that one day Monster Hunter: Rise will be my favorite game in the series, but the road to reach that destination has only started. As for now, we’re left with an entry that ticks almost all of the boxes, but with some glaring exceptions. Monster Hunter: Rise is a great game; but it can, and should, be a fantastic one.

Destiny 2 isn't perfect, and I hesitate to recommend it for solo players, but for anyone that hopes to play in a group - there really is nothing else like it. I can't say if there's enough new here to draw returning players to the game, but Bungie has done nothing if not craft one of the most beautiful engaging co-op experiences of 2017.

In every way, Intermission is simply more of the same - just with an exciting new character to get to grips with.

I would fully recommend Subsurface Circular to anyone that enjoys purely narrative games. It’s a short game, but one that gives you a fully realized world in its short playtime. The storytelling method is a bit unconventional and is done well when other games could have easily made it too long. It’s a perfect title for a rainy afternoon play, or for a breather in between longer adventures.

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.

Etrian Odyssey V knows what it does well and sticks to it. There are enough small changes from previous entries to give the game its own flavor, but it's not going to reinvent the core framework that makes the series tick. Fans will definitely want to check out this latest entry, and quality-of-life improvements make the game accessible to newcomers as well.

Lunacid felt like a revalation of what sort of games we could receive if developers opted to borrow from more than just Dark Souls, by looking back at some of From Software's earlier titles. It's proof that games like King's Field can and should be lauded just as much as the games that came after; and, indeed, that these esoteric experiences still have a place in today's gaming landscape. Lunacid was one of my best surprises of the year, and it gives me hope that others might follow in its footsteps. While not without its faults, Lunacid is an RPG well worth setting aside time for.

Dragon Marked for Death surprised me, even knowing I'd enjoy it after my time with it at Anime Expo last year. Quite a bit has changed since I last saw it, but that's not a bad thing. I'm not sure if I could recommend the game for anyone looking to play it without a group without a giant asterisk next to that recommendation, but there's really nothing else like it, and what it tries to accomplish it does so in spades. It's certainly not for everyone, but Dragon Marked for Death left its mark on me.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - The Sith Lords feels and plays (mostly) great on the Switch. After revisiting the first game last year, being able to continue on with the nostalgia here was a pleasure. Aspyr has once again done a good job reintroducing classic Star Wars games to brand new audiences with these ports, and honestly, this has become my preferred way to play Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2.

Overall, Summer in Mara has an incredibly strong narrative with character art and light music that only strengthens it. It’s youthful and vibrant, but it also has more somber notes that aren’t always found in farming sims. The only downside is that music and a character driven plot aren't enough to get through all the tedious parts.

Etrian Odyssey Nexus embraces nearly everything that the series has established so far in one final farewell package. It doesn't do anything new or unexpected, but it's a nice nostalgic bow on what has been a standout series on the DS and 3DS, and the systems are as solid as ever.

Monster Hunter: World is a staggeringly interesting game, with a breadth of content and plenty complex mechanical options, it's a perfect fit for the PC gaming enthusiasts that like like to lose themselves in a game for months at a time. The port may have come a good tick after the console versions, but the wait was largely worth it. While the slight performance issues and crashing are a disappointment, Capcom has already committed to fixing these problems. If you have been eagerly awaiting this version of the game, don't let some slight technical issues hold yold back from picking it up.

All in all, The Forgotten Sanctum is a strong way for Deadfire, and possibility Pillars of Eternity in general, to end-- at least for the moment. It lacks a certain level of gravitas that perhaps would usually be expected out of a proper conclusion, but its strengths lie in the same places that Deadfires' always have - motivated character writing, a solid sense of cohesion between gameplay mechanics and narrative, and the events within hold proper sense of significance as part of the world put forth. Fans of Deadfire who have been let down by lackluster additions so far should definitely not let that steer them away from this final entry.

Despite some glaring flaws around the edges, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is still a decently updated release of one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Much of that is attributed to the strength of the original core game experience, though. In the context of 2021, Nocturne HD Remaster almost feels like the student that does the bare minimum in class to get a passing grade. When I look around and see these great re-releases of SaGa Frontier Remastered, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, and the work put in for the first Mass Effect in the very recent Legendary Edition, I wish that this re-release of Nocturne was able to finally rectify some of its long-standing problems - especially the audio compression during combat. I also think about the outstanding work Atlus put in for last year’s Steam release of Persona 4 Golden and how this feels lackluster even compared to that. I still quite enjoyed my time with Nocturne HD Remaster, but it is great because the core game is already phenomenal; aside from adding skill inheritance to demon fusions, most of the updates in this remaster aren’t all that remarkable.

Despite its numerous shortcomings, I can’t shake the feeling of how much I loved playing Bloodstained. It scratches an itch I didn’t think I necessarily had. It’s fun leveling up, crafting bizarre weapons, upgrading my spells, getting sidequests done, and filling out more of the map bit by bit.

I’d recommend this trilogy for anyone that really enjoys laid-back, slice of life titles. Rarely are you going to go out there and save the world, but you’ll enjoy a happy life creating items and making people happy… and sometimes, that’s all you can ask for.