Jack Move’s ten-hour campaign is sure to please many fans of cyberpunk RPGs. Its short adventure is not only a journey into a futuristic world but also a tribute to games and inventions of past decades. Jack Move is recommendable for those who want a short turn-based game and don’t mind a story full of commonplace twists.

Lost Eidolons shows a lot of promise, especially as a debut title. Its combat ensures that tactical aficionados will get plenty of enjoyment from both the challenge and depth available to them, while Ocean Drive Studio has also ensured that there’s enough to get the more casual fans on board as well. While the game’s story ends up fizzling out a bit, there’s plenty to look forward to should the studio elect to return to Artemesia in future.

While I loved Escha & Logy the first time I played it, this time around I did see more blemishes than perhaps I wanted to admit. While it's fun to have a Dressing Room feature where I can make everyone look like pirates, I am still frustrated at how Gust hasn't ironed out the wrinkles in these versions. Flaws aside, I still loved replaying this game, imperfections and all.

I have to admit how pleasantly surprised I was by how much I enjoyed my time with GrimGrimoire OnceMore. I didn’t anticipate how much I would love the game’s overall atmosphere and real-time strategy combat. It’s also appreciable that the game doesn’t outstay its welcome, clocking in just shy of ten hours, though this can vary based on the difficulty and how much of the trial content is completed. It’s definitely not a game for everyone, but it has such a unique charm to it that it’s worth checking out.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a fascinating and very worthwhile new title from Tango Gameworks. While there’s plenty of room for improvement in the main narrative and in establishing its antagonists, the content of the side missions ensures the game remains interesting throughout. Its ability to transport players into its supernatural Tokyo is not to be understated, and uncovering the different Japanese spirits while helping those unable to move on gives the game a thoroughly engaging loop that is hard to put down. In an already strong gaming year, Ghostwire: Tokyo is another title absolutely worth investing time into.

The Rise of Digitoll may look cute and accommodating at a glance, but don't believe it. It would be one thing if the game was trying to be a brutal dungeon crawl, but a massive revision to its mechanics would be necessary for that to work.

River City Girls 2 is mostly a refinement of the first game, and there’s honestly nothing wrong with that. While there are new characters and stories to enjoy, the core combat and gameplay remain relatively identical. However, some of the quest glitches and the game’s high price point hurt it at launch, making it a tough sell to purchase at full price for what amounts to a ten-hour experience. Even so, River City Girls 2 is a fun game to knock out over a weekend, especially with a good friend, and I hope Wayforward Technologies considers giving Misako, Kyoko, and friends another whacky adventure in the future.

For those planning to pick up one of the versions of Tokyo Xanadu, eX+ would be the recommended one for the extra event scenes and character interactions that come with it. Its improvements — including an assortment of minor quality of life upgrades — mean that it is the better release, but those who prefer to play on handheld shouldn't feel at all shortchanged by the original; the extras are more a bonus than anything and players are getting a substantial and greatly absorbing experience either way. Nihon Falcom's charm permeates throughout and its incredibly easy to get attached to Morimiya City and its residents.

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is an entertaining and creative diversion while it lasts. It certainly sets itself apart with relative ease but it does suffer a bit from diminishing returns. It’s by no means lacking in merit and feels like much could be built around its robust framework in the future. But it is an experience limited by its own arbitrary boundaries, like the negligible challenge and the disproportionate amount of time one will needlessly spend in repetitive battles for few worthwhile rewards, particularly once all skills have been learned and levels are maxed out. Still, there are many lovely ideas at work here, and the package in which they’re presented is even lovelier, leaving me eagerly looking forward to further tales of this style that can be told down the road.

It’s difficult to say if Chernobylite is worth someone’s time or not. At about twenty hours, the game never overstays its welcome and none of its composite elements are major detractors. There’s a pleasing amount of fun to be had executing the heist at the end and in interacting with the cast. However, it is a game that sets out to do a lot of little things, none of them deep or meaningful. As an RPG it’s a fairly light endeavor, but the workmanlike quality and some cool decisions will do enough to keep plenty interested throughout its whole runtime.

Fans of Organization XIII will enjoy some insight into their favorite characters' daily lives, but many fans of the series may be turned off by the lackluster controls and odd story directions taken with this portable spin-off.

Overall, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Times is an enjoyable game with a few noticeable faults.

If you crave an exploration-heavy, open-ended, lore driven game Serpent in the Staglands will satisfy that craving like few other games today. But take care to brace yourself for the jarring impact that will bring it all crashing down in the end.

Chroma Squad is a very enjoyable love-letter to tokusatsu series. Things are by no means perfect; it's easy to see the gameplay falling a bit flat when taken on its own without the oodles of fun that comes in the story, premise, visuals, and audio. However, those who grew up watching Power Rangers and its ilk will greatly appreciate this opportunity to relive the memories and have a small hand in the creation their own version.

Playing through Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was an addictive and wonderful experience. When I stopped playing, I was constantly thinking about the characters, story, and the world-building that Rabbit & Bear has created. The game is very much a love letter to JRPG and Suikoden fans, and while there are a lot of similarities, I personally didn’t find that detracting. After putting more than fifty hours into the game, it reminded me of both the joy of being in one of Murayama’s worlds, and the sadness that he will never pen another game in this series. While there are elements of the game that needed more time in the oven, I cannot deny the happiness I felt every time I booted up the game.

Overall, while Moero Crystal H has its ups and downs, it’s a noticeable improvement over Moero Chronicle Hyper and provides ample opportunity for gameplay outside of the traditional first-person dungeon crawling experience. For those who enjoy, or at least aren’t put off by, the copious near-nudity, lewd imagery, and colourful characters, Crystal stands out as one of the better dungeon crawlers on the Switch. Just maybe don’t play it in public.

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.

Drakensang is ultimately a rich and polished experience, and fans of the old party-based PC RPG design will find the same virtues and flaws that come with this type of game.

While not all the game’s references have aged well, I applaud Shadow Layer Games for bringing Breath of Death VII: The Beginning back into the RPG universe, adding a needed polish to the original and allowing newcomers to experience the game that launched Zeboyd Games into becoming the indie darlings that our community fell in love with.

Evoland 2 came up with a good way of integrating its graphical changes into the narrative, and succeeds at being a full-fledged game that shifts between the eras of RPGs.

Its combination of inspirations means Tokyo Xanadu may sit in an odd place for RPGamers. The deliberate pacing of the story more in line with The Legend of Heroes focus may frustrate those who want a pure action RPG. However, coming from the other direction, I very much appreciated how the game divided its time between the great charm that one expects from Nihon Falcom's narrative and quick but highly enjoyable dungeon experiences. The game is another excellent showcase of the PlayStation Vita, and the latest strong offering from a developer whose reputation is deservedly at its peak.

Romancing SaGa 3 looks and sounds just like the very best RPGs the 16-bit era had to offer, particularly with its rerelease facelift. But its approach is far different from what many RPGamers of that time are used to, and it takes quite a bit of adjustment, research, and grinding to make the jump. Changing gears mid-race is made more frustrating than it needed to be, particularly since the game itself is built around tinkering with party builds, and then scrapping it all and going the route of New Game Plus if it doesn’t work out. Underneath it all, however, lies an engaging combat system, though it’s a shame the story and writing under-serve what could have been an interesting world and cast of characters. Romancing SaGa 3 is certainly worth a shot, but it’s best enjoyed by those who come prepared.

If you had a brother or sister growing up, then Costume Quest will speak to you whether you like it or not, much like that pesky sibling. Not only does it capture the spirit of Hallowe'en, but it perfectly encapsulates the brother/sister relationship into a short, six hour period.

Admittedly, Atelier Meruru lends itself well to a portable platform. While there's no touch controls, the game is great to play in episodic chunks on the go. For newcomers, this is a great way to experience the series, but for veterans this is ground that has already been tread, without any true improvements to speak of.

Those who weren't fans of the previous games are unlikely to see anything in Inazuma Eleven GO that'll change their minds, but fans who getting a little tired of the original cast and systems should find that the game once more successfully injects its winning combination of charm and bonkers.

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.

Trying to combine peanut butter and jelly into a delicious sandwich, tri-Ace instead takes two very different battle systems and combines them into something like ice cream with poached eggs on top. The tactical parts alone are decent with lots of customizability and strategies to ponder, and the Valkyrie Profile system is about as good here as it is in the first two games in the series, but instead of meshing and working together, they pull against each other as the player is left wishing he had just one system or the other.

There’s a lot to appreciate about The Thaumaturge and that’s the stuff that will stick around. The weaknesses in the combat prevent some cool ideas from ever fully taking off. The rushed ending, whether the result of running out of time during development or an awkward playthrough, means the plot trips at the finishing line. But the uniqueness of the setting goes a long way toward making the game an interesting sell and the characters are fun to spend time with. So while far from perfect, there’s enough care in this project to make it a worthwhile visit.