Lapis x Labyrinth is for those looking for some straightforward enjoyment. The swift progression through levels and missions, combined with a highly appreciable visual style and polish provides plenty of satisfaction. It won’t do much for those looking for a strong challenge or deep gameplay, but it succeeds in what it sets out to do.

The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily can be rough going at times, and especially in the final act of the “Happy Ever After” path, but it’s also an entertaining adventure with plenty of strategic twists all the way through. It’s colorful in more than one sense, as well as modern in its themes and mechanics, and the overall package is cuter than the wrapping on a birthday pipe-bomb. It’s still just as explosive, though. RPGamers interested in giving more strategy-oriented titles a try will have some fun with this one.

At twenty-some hours to completion, Children of Zodiarcs can feel like a long row to hoe. The weight of the story drags it down a bit, as it increasingly becomes obvious that the only character who isn't fundamentally broken in some fashion is the weird foreign kid who only appears in the side story. Everyone else is a bundle of neurotic fears and psychotic motivations, shaken hard and unleashed on an unsuspecting narrative. But negatives for characters aren't always negatives for the game as a whole, and Zodiarcs puts it all together well. It's a good game, and I'm glad to have finished it, but I cannot stop wondering if certain points weren't actually branching paths or plot flags in disguise, if there weren't some way to eke out a happier ending from it all. That may be wishful thinking on my part, but it's a small hope nonetheles. In a city as messed up as Torus, we need all the hope we can get.

On the whole, Black Book is a fun adventure that does enough to stand out from the crowd. The combat and card play are different enough from its contemporaries that those looking for a more traditional entry point into deck-building can give it a shot, even if the game begins to wear out its welcome by the end of its thirty or so hours. The real reason to stick with it is the great attention to detail regarding Slavic folklore and how it weaves into the gameplay in ways that can make the player feel clever. It won’t be the flashiest game anyone plays this year, but there is a good time to be had.

With all the Arland and Dusk games re-released on PlayStation Vita, I am happy to have completed this journey all over again. Replaying the Dusk series in particular reminded me why I enjoy this series so much, and Atelier Shallie has a lot of wonderful qualities, even if it isn't the wrap up to the subseries that it needed to be. I still maintain that if you are a newcomer, the Dusk subseries is a great way to start, as the learning curve isn't as high as the Arland games. Atelier Shallie isn't the perfect conclusion, but it offers so much heart and a grand adventure that it's almost forgivable.

In the end, Guardian Heroes, despite showing signs of age in the graphics department, plays just as well as it did back in 1996. More of a brawler with RPG elements than an RPG, it provides quick and fun entertainment, with plenty of features to encourage many rounds of replay. With the addition of online play for the story and versus modes, the multi-player elements of the game can finally show their worth. The remix mode provides updates to the original gameplay, meaning that those both new and old to Guardian Heroes will find plenty to love.

Overall, Black Myth: Wukong is a good game. Developer Game Science delivered on its promise of high-quality graphics, though some of its greatness was lost on the PlayStation 5. The action gameplay is entertaining and easy to learn, but despite its clever attempts to innovate, it still feels repetitive after dozens of hours. Crafty players can alternate builds to modulate and refresh their battle experience, but it’s only a temporary solution.

Affogato was an entertaining romp for me to end my summer gaming season with, and while I had some hang-ups with the late-game battle maps, I only experienced one major bug–in the final boss battle of all places. That bug failed to occur on the second attempt, and overall I’ve enjoyed my time with this game. Like a fresh sip of caffe latte on a cool morning, it’s been a good pick-me-up for the rest of the season.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I booted up Sand Land, but I was surprised by my experience. While I had no familiarity with the property, I found myself loving the quirky characters, the charming narrative, and the wide world to explore. On the other hand, the combat and the game’s side content leave a lot to be desired. At no point is Sand Land a bad game, it’s a quick, charming romp full of humour, but definitely has room to improve should a sequel be made.

I’ve had a soft place in my heart for Sakura Wars since I was first introduced to the series a decade ago. I personally lament the change to an action game, especially since it seems to make it feel a bit more dialogue-heavy without the lengthy strategy sections to balance out the gameplay. However, Sakura Wars has always been about the characters, interacting via L.I.P.S., and experiencing some insane, over-the-top anime antics. In that respect, the new Sakura Wars recaptures the spirit of the earlier entries and is a perfect bit of RPG comfort food to brighten your soul.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia was a fun experience, and with six different campaigns to explore, there is plenty of room to replay and enjoy multiple playthroughs. This game definitely scratches that strategy RPG itch, and even offers an adjustable difficulty to match just about any player’s desired challenge level. The Switch could certainly benefit from more proper strategy RPGs in its library and Brigandine feels right at home. Fans that enjoy planning out total domination should certainly check out this one.

VED is a very ambitious title. It takes a lot of hand-drawn intricacies and combines them with strong, thought-provoking character building and interesting storytelling. The first playthrough is rather quick at around six hours and subsequent ones finding new information are even quicker. The lower caliber of its voice acting and lack of depth to combat prevent it from becoming a full indie darling, but seeing how industrial and magical ideologies mix with the lawful and chaotic mindset in a fun fantasy world is consistently exciting. The game will do well with those who appreciate its visual novel tendencies, and the gameplay holds up well enough overall to encourage others to explore the mysteries of Micropolis.

Beyond Galaxyland is a welcome addition to the RPG cosmos. Its audiovisual mixture is both distinctive and effective, while the gameplay and narrative keeps everything moving along nicely. The combat may get a bit rote towards the end, and there are some frustratingly unanswered story questions when all is said and done, but there’s no denying it’s a positive experience all the way through. It’s a game that’s easy to recommend in general, but for those whom a speedily-paced RPG that offers enjoyable exploration, some engaging sci-fi mystery, and a solid turn-based system sounds appealling, Beyond Galaxyland should be right up their alley.

River City Girls brought me so much joy, and playing it with my roommate we beat it in two days without taking too many breaks. It’s fantastic to have a couch co-op game that takes all of the classic elements of beat-’em-ups and gives them an upgrade that feels modern and fresh. I can’t remember the last time I played a beat-’em-up that had both a fun and entertaining story, but was also great to play, even with its few frustrations.

Cassette Beats is generally a good game that takes the classic Pokémon formula and tries to iterate upon it in almost all areas. For the most part, the ideas are indeed a step up from the first few Pokémon generations, but the execution doesn’t quite come off in the pace of battles and its more obscure puzzles. The double-battle nature of the game and the beast customization offers players a great deal of strategy to engage with while listening to an excellent soundtrack. With such a broad open-world setting, RPGamers will likely find themselves immersed far beyond the fifteen hours of mainline content the game has to offer.

Nioh 3 feels weighed down by its own scope. There’s a lot of space, and not quite enough content to fill it all adequately. If Nioh as a series was going to move towards an open world, there definitely could have been a better balance between scope and content. This is a game that could have benefited had it traded at least one of the time periods for more unique yokai and more missions. If it had to be this big, the performance issues and eventual repetition indicate it needed a bit more heat and time in the crucible. That said, it does maintain ferocious, ruthless, fast-paced action combat, punctuated by blood-pumping compositions, and it has a generally competent story and world built around it. Just don’t expect it to excel in every dimension.

Ultimately, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth emphasizes gameplay at the expense of story and bows out a touch too early. An abundance of weapons, abilities, and playstyles combine with a dazzling audio and visual presentation, producing a challenging, fair, yet brief experience that is sure to please both Record of Lodoss War and Metroidvania fans alike.

A fun and entertaining roguelike with a few troublesome stumbles along the way. Fans of 16-bit style adventures will certainly enjoy its audio and visual style, and a number of post-game dungeons and challenges will keep players entertained for a long time beyond the game's initial running time.

Inazuma Eleven 2 definitely stays true to the simple charm created by the first game, providing what is very much more of the same. An engaging premise sets the early theme of simple but enjoyable fun, which the gameplay is more than happy to uphold. Those looking for a challenging experience won't find that here, but there's plenty of enjoyment to be had by those prepared to sit back and enjoy the wacky adventures of the Raimon team.

Even though Black Legend uses a lot of common features, they are blended in an original way. With the addition of alchemy, battling never gets boring, even when it takes hours of gameplay to be proficient in it. The background folklore offers ingenious classes and enemies, as well as a solid basis for the visual style. Players would do well to avoid the madness-inducing fog trying to make them overlook this game.

Although Destiny isn't the brilliant start to a franchise that many had hoped for, it's a great game for those who can push through its flaws and enjoy the ride.

Inazuma Eleven 2 definitely stays true to the simple charm created by the first game, providing what is very much more of the same. An engaging premise sets the early theme of simple but enjoyable fun, which the gameplay is more than happy to uphold. Those looking for a challenging experience won't find that here, but there's plenty of enjoyment to be had by those prepared to sit back and enjoy the wacky adventures of the Raimon team.

I’m an antisocial recluse and took no advantage of the features available by connecting to the Internet, but the presence of such things in addition to the core experience means Wargroove has an enormous amount of content. Even without going through all the internet-enabled content, this game has plenty of material to keep anyone interested in a tactical experience invested. It’s not a game in which every element is effective, especially for those who demand a powerful narrative, but Chucklefish has made something worth investigating for those thinking Nintendo has let Advance Wars sit around without a follow-up for too long.

While Keep Driving has its flaws, I can’t deny how addicted I was to the game overall. With short playthroughs that clock anywhere between an hour or two, I became obsessed with obtaining all of the endings, trying different hitchhiker skills, and just enjoying the ride through pixilated backgrounds with my Swedish indie pop in the CD player. While the game’s story is minimal, it’s a point in its favour as it allows the player to create their own road trip adventure. Even though elements struggle — the writing needs another editing pass and the awkward UI made for some sticky situations — there is a lot to love that kept me coming back for more.

However, for what it is, Van Helsing II provides another very fun way to spend some evenings reducing numerous monstrous creations to their component giblets.

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate offers a tough challenge that rewards those who are up to learning the game’s many intricacies and mechanics. It is a tight package bursting at the seams with loads of content, but it is also a game that asks the player to be in a certain frame of mind, one in which losses aren’t regarded as just a waste of time but opportunities to learn for the sake of future success. Even then, there is definitely an addictive feeling in brushing the dust off after the latest defeat and stepping once again into a dungeon to reach for a brand new goal, be it finding more useful items, upgrading Shiren’s gear, or managing to reach the last floor and reap the rewards.

All in all, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers successfully distinguishes itself as worthy of attention for multiple reasons. Beyond its riveting gameplay and exceptional character customization, Wuchang crafts a vibrant, mystical, and interesting world deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Sadly, the game’s awful quest progression, storytelling mishaps, and occasionally overbearing level design keep the promising concepts, plot premise, and beautiful world from shining like they should. Nevertheless, Wuchang’s sheer excitement is too attractive and makes for a gameplay experience that fans of action RPGs and especially Soulslikes will not want to miss.

There are a lot of odds and ends one discovers over the course of the game, for better or worse. The game is packed with content, quite a bit of it extending beyond the main campaign's runtime. Capcom and Marvelous wanted to turn over a new leaf, and Monster Hunter Stories certainly is that, a departure from what has come before, it just wasn't enough of a departure for my taste. The franchise faithful will probably still feel at home here, but others may need to decide if they can stomach the guesswork combat system or rote mission structure before committing to this game.