Ash of Gods: The Way is a solid strategic deckbuilder; its strength very much lies in its ability to generate a puzzle-solving feel through a straightforward base ruleset and a wide variety of combat scenarios and conditions. While it ultimately may not last too long in the memory after the fact, the time spent with it is enjoyable and it makes for a pleasing mental workout.

Hunt the Night is a great example of what a first-time developer can accomplish. It ticks almost all of the expected boxes, while nailing the balance and cohesion between its melee and ranged fighting techniques, and how one relies on the other. The game is a solid challenge, particularly in its boss fights, without ever feeling unfair. The times it doesn’t fully score a win at least show enough potential to hint at what could have been. Its relatively short runtime offers a tight and enjoyable experience that could do with a little bit more content and world-building to iron out the well-intentioned content provided. With a very solid presentation backing it up, it’s an easy recommendation for dark action RPG fans.

My Time at Sandrock certainly doesn’t skimp on the content, with players able to expect at least a hundred hours before they hit the credits. It uses those hours well enough, with an absorbing gameplay loop that always gives players the feeling that they are progressing in one manner or another, even when it might be categorisable as busywork. Despite a weaker presentation than contemporary titles and a last third that meanders without the urgency of what came before, the game is a pleasing experience and one that those with even just a passing interest in the life and crafting sim genre are likely to enjoy their time with.

This year has already been a strong one for RPGs, and NEO: The World Ends with You just adds to that case. The opportunity to return to Square Enix’s take on Shibuya has been far too long coming, but now that it’s here, it’s immensely pleasing to say that NEO: The Worlds Ends with You does everything I was hoping. Despite some repetitive combat, the rest of the experience more than makes up for it, with the narrative, audio, and visuals combining excellently to make the game enthralling for the length of its forty-plus-hour runtime.

Like its predecessors, Fable III manages to improve upon the last title while simultaneously falling short on the new elements it brings to the table.

Yo-kai Watch 3 will offer most RPGamers plenty of hours of fun. The game makes good use of the 3DS’s dual-screen in its final entry on the system with Yo-kai Watch 4 already confirmed as a Switch title. There are some annoyances, mostly related to a bit of unnecessary padding and a few potential roadblocks, and there’s a bit of sense of quantity over quality in some of its side content, but its general upbeat attitude towards everything is very welcome and on the whole successful.

Far Cry 4 takes the best bits of Far Cry 3, puts a new spin on them and drops its troubling racial politics and constrained mission design. The story and characters a bit more lightweight, but the core remains the same. Overall, this is a leaner, meaner Ubi-style open world experience and the best iteration on the franchise.

At the end of the day, despite some presentation and interface issues, Pokémon Conquest does a splendid job of combining two seemingly uncombinable franchises.

It was and still is an absolute must-play for any JRPG fan, and a master class in slow-burn world-building that should be mandatory gaming, and if a modern-hardware remaster puts it into the hands of even more gamers, I can’t help but be all for it. If the original release was already a modern classic, then this improved version is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Dark Arisen is definite a play to Dragon's Dogma's strengths and it turns out well for it. There is still work to be done for the series, particularly in bulking up the story and world, but there's lots of highly addictive fun to be had from exploring Bitterblack Isle's depths.

Atelier Ryza 2, while not a bad game by any means, did not live up to what it could have been. There are several things that sat wrong, many of them due to fixing things that were not broken to begin with or adding in too many extra features without giving much reason to mess with them. Balance of both gameplay and plot suffered some for this, and it’s sad that this game had enough bleeps on my Disappoint-O-Meter that I can’t say it ends up as much more than an average title review-wise.

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening serves as a good stopgap between major releases, but it doesn't fully satisfy the Dragon Age craving.

While Lufia II on the SNES might have been a rising star, this title is clearly cursed. The game's problems get in the way of enjoying almost everything.

Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 is functionally the same game found everywhere else, and though the remaster of Persona 3 Portable is playable on the system, this is a more refined way of experiencing one of the most memorable stories in gaming and a seminal title for the RPG genre. The inconsistent frame rate will be unnoticeable to some and inexcusable to others, but the added perk of portability may be enough to make up for its graphical shortcomings. Moreover, it wouldn’t be right for a game that aims for excellence to be shot down for the few targets it missed, just as how a life of many highs shouldn’t be defined by the times it stumbled and struggled. Persona 3 Reload is a beautiful game, and it being on the Switch 2, imperfect as it may be, means that more people will get to see that beauty for themselves and come away from it with a greater love for what games can really be.

The Last Story's preferred focus on combat and characters puts it far enough apart from Xenoblade, with its focus on exploration and the wider world that there's more than enough space for both games to carve out their own identities and stand proudly together.

While the gameplay provides a strong loop that makes it easy to jump in, it’s the immersive atmosphere that grabs hold and keeps players engaged for multiple runs. The emotional struggles of the characters resonate, and there are important messages about how helpful the support of others can be. Reaching its proper conclusion may require more work than is warranted, but the overall experience of Dreamscaper is such that it remains a strong recommendation for those looking for an atmospheric hack-and-slash title.

I think the largest issue with Pro is its price point. Those who have played Dragon’s Crown in the past will not find anything new here other than it being on a different console. While it’s a solid game through and through, it’s hard to recommend given this game released in 2013 and it’s essentially the exact same title from before.

As it stands right now, the loot-gathering is outstanding and the combat, with the full character progression system supporting it, is faster and more responsive than any other RPG out there.

Perhaps one day gamers outside Japan will be able to appreciate the full scope of this series, which takes time to develop pieces of its world in detail. Until then, at least the two Trails in the Sky games show how rewarding the series can be, and the upcoming Cold Steel shows that more is on the way for non-Japanese speakers.

I have reviewed a ton of life-sim titles here at RPGamer, but I can say with certainty that Consume Me is a unique one. I found myself both completely invested in Jenny’s story, wanting to help her find success, and yelling at myself whenever I failed her goals. While the gameplay has some blemishes, the overall experience is as stressful as it is fun, especially in its short runtime of six hours to complete. Consume Me is a heartfelt look at personal struggles, finding courage, and finding compassion in a world obsessed with physical appearance. Consume Me is a difficult, hopeful experience worth playing, reminding anyone going through these motions that they are not alone.

This game cuts right to the heart of the matter. Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a fun, albeit simple, ride from beginning to end.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink doesn’t offer anything complex, the storytelling is simplistic and combat doesn’t have a ton of depth, but it delivers it all excellently. The presentation is high quality with gorgeous cutscenes, epic battles, easy to pick up combat, and vivid storytelling. There’s nothing that ever knocks the wind out of its sails and always looks ahead to the vast blue skies, wondering what other stories there are to find.

Although Silver Star Harmony is not a perfect remake, it's one that definitely received a lot of tender love and care.

If the original Atelier Rorona's major drawbacks and barriers to entry were its difficulty and time-consuming crafting, then Rorona Plus fixed one and made the other less relevant.

My time with Lies of P was exactly the intense and gratifying experience that I hoped for. As one who holds Bloodborne in the highest regard as one of FromSoftware’s finest achievements, I found myself absolutely enamored with Round 8 Studio’s unique, clever take on the formula. While the game broadly functions similarly to the best the Soulslike genre has to offer, Lies of P‘s tweaks and refinements are so masterfully planned out and implemented that they make every moment of gameplay a pleasure. From the dopamine hits provided by exploring the labyrinthine level layouts, to the extreme elation of finally besting a challenging boss, there’s nary a moment of Lies of P‘s meaty campaign that feels wasted or unsatisfactory. With a post-credits teaser hinting at a second incredible twist on another literary classic lying in wait, the future looks bright for this new addition to the genre. Lies of P, welcome to the top!

Ultimately, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon succeeds at a lot of what it’s going for, and it cannot be overstated how successful the adaptation of the Arthurian legend is. Not everyone is going to resonate with the creepier, darker tone, and the game’s technical state leaves much to be desired. However, those that do resonate with it will find an interesting, complex, intelligent narrative with the player being used both as a framing device and a driving force.

There’s a lot packed into Ys X: Nordics, making for a thrilling ride. Quick-paced features make sure something exciting is always happening during gameplay, but the cast is given an appreciated chance to breathe and stand out in their own way. Combat gives players many different ways to tackle enemies, with the vast array of skills available making every fight enjoyable. The action choreography during boss fights is breathtaking, making it easy to get fully wrapped up in the battle. Ys has always been about adventure and this injection of added character work just adds a new layer of finesse to this grand stage.

Virgo Versus the Zodiac does a fine job of standing out from the crowd. Its ideas and characters remain engaging throughout, aided by the highly enjoyable music and varied designs. There are times when its inscrutability comes to the fore, but the game pushes past those quickly enough to remain enjoyable. It’s an easy recommendation for anyone who either wants to try something a little bit different or just wants a strong RPG experience.