Pokémon Violet is a highly enjoyable game. While it is hard to figure out a balanced path in its open world, it will also bring hours and hours of fun to those who want to fully explore it. Despite adding some fresh ideas, the story isn’t memorable, but the great variety of Pokémon, the art, and the turn-based battle system will surely please fans and newcomers alike.

Players who are in search for a satisfying first-person dungeon-crawling experience will find themselves at home with Vaporum: Lockdown. Surrounding a somewhat by-the-numbers story is an enjoyable combat system that keeps a constant sense of progression and multiple puzzles that will test anyone’s mettle, all immersed in a steampunk-inspired setting.

Despite the fact that Undertale didn't tick all my boxes, it was still an enjoyable game. Its visuals and music brought to mind some of my most cherished memories from my formative years, and are top-notch even for games that try to evoke that retro vibe. Its narrative is tongue-in-cheek and consistantly sends surprises the player's way. The game excels at asking players to enjoy it in ways that are incongruous with the traditional way RPGs are designed. Unfortunately, those looking for a more traditional experience may feel short-changed here. The lion's share of the game's character, lore, and emotional impact is experienced by challenging yourself to play the entire game in a completely different fashion.

Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen is an ideal opportunity to get into the series and learn what it’s all about. It won’t be for all; those unable to deal with the slow pace of visual novels will get unstuck in the many events that try and build relationships at the expense of driving the plot, something that is almost omnipresent throughout both this game and the Mask duology. However, for those who enjoy winding down with a deep story and some enjoyable tactical combat, the game provides that in spades.

Pokémon Violet is a highly enjoyable game. While it is hard to figure out a balanced path in its open world, it will also bring hours and hours of fun to those who want to fully explore it. Despite adding some fresh ideas, the story isn’t memorable, but the great variety of Pokémon, the art, and the turn-based battle system will surely please fans and newcomers alike.

Dragon Quest Treasures is a fun game for those looking to just wander around a Dragon Quest world and dig up treasure. Long-time series fans and those used to deeper ARPG combat systems might find the game to be too feature-lite though, with a dearth of monsters being the primary culprit from a series with more than a thousand to choose from. The main narrative can be breezed through in about 20 hours, but there are easily several times as many hours of fun to be had for those that enjoy a game with sidequests galore and post-game content. For a series with upwards of three dozen titles to its name over more than 36 years, it’s been a surprisingly long time since fans received a Dragon Quest console release. Mobile games aside, Dragon Quest Treasures is the first new release since 2019’s Dragon Quest Builders 2. While not as feature-rich as that preceding spin-off, Treasures forges its own way with a mountain of treasure to find and an expansive world that’s endlessly fun to explore.

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.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos has no fear of pointing out the absurdity within conventional fantastic stories while offering an enjoyable game with many possibilities that can invite players to have more than one playthrough. The battles and puzzles both offer a fun challenge, and the dungeon has plenty of rooms to explore. For those who enjoy constant satire, subverting expectations, and enchanting voice acting, there’s no better place to stop and use the toilet.

Compared to the original release, the Sandras now also boasts a faster travel speed while on the high seas. Apart from that and the new island of Öland, there is also the new post-game Muspelheim dungeon for players to tackle. All previously released cosmetic DLC, namely costumes for Adol and Karja and decorations for the Sandras, are included, as are some tweaks to specific game mechanics like naval combat and mini-games, and some graphical and performance upticks. All told, this package is certainly worthy of being deemed the game’s definitive edition. The Ys formula, while certainly evolved over time, has always been focused on more action-oriented mechanics, and there are enough bells and whistles here to keep it generally engaging, if a bit repetitive, while the storytelling has taken on a more and more prominent role over time. It may not be up the alley of those looking for deeply engrossing gameplay, but for players with a passing interest in the franchise who have not yet committed to this installment, now’s the perfect time to dive in and get their feet wet.

All in all, Lost Dimension is a fun and worthwhile experience. Despite the finale lacking punch, the story and premise are on the whole very interesting and ably supported by an engaging and enjoyable battle system. It's just a bit of a disappointment after the fascinating setup that the game doesn't quite seem to have enough behind it to get that one final push towards greatness.

Heroland is a game that won’t be for everyone, as the gameplay loop is fairly short and the music as well as combat can quickly become repetitive, but it remains worth the price of admission. It is ultimately saved by a strong, witty localisation that isn’t afraid to embrace the silly premise and run with it full tilt. The game made me outright guffaw multiple times, and even when I was chasing a frustratingly rare drop, I was still having a lot of fun raising affection levels and crafting the best strategies for different party formations. For those who don’t mind oft-repeated gameplay, there’s tons of fun to be found in Heroland.

For those who want to see how it all started, Ys I & II Chronicles is the way to experience it. Ys I lasts just over five hours and Ys II boasts a little longer playtime at around eight, but with the game's fast pace, it doesn't outstay its welcome.

Ar tonelico Qoga is a worthy finale to the series... providing you can find the true ending, of course. Its strengths are many, and NIS America has done its best to keep a polished localization.

The pros and cons of Might and Magic X: Legacy are more straightforward here than they tend to be for the series.

Despite its mostly average base components, Crimson Gem Saga is a surprisingly good game.

Phantom Doctrine may not quite fully follow through on its early promise, but the game is still a lot of fun and will readily supply lots of hours of enjoyment. The difficulty options are such that newcomers looking to get into the style of game should find themselves welcome and given a bit of license to experiment without being punished too harshly, while those with experience will be able to find a challenge. Anyone with even just a passing interest in either an espionage-focused or XCOM-style RPG will find Phantom Doctrine well worth checking out.

Ys Origin is a great gateway into the Ys series, as well as another high-quality entry for those who are already sold on the series. Its streamlined approach offers a perfect combination of being able to showcase what Ys is all about without demanding too much of time commitment. Those looking for an engaging experience of combat and exploration should check it out.

Tyranny, is fun little throwback to an older style of game. It does it well and it does it without having to cash in on a particular brand or nostalgic sentiment. It presents a brand new world in a compelling and understandable way. It showcases a much more nuanced take on being the bad guy than games tend to do. I found myself reminded more of Unrest than Baldur's Gate while playing this game and that is a good thing.

Fate/Samurai Remnant makes its mark with a strong story and setting, though the gameplay isn’t quite enough to make the most of it. It’s still enjoyable to work through, but the repetitiveness of everything begins to grate by the time a first playthrough is done, running counter to the game’s clear intention of getting players to revisit it for the additional story elements and endings. Fans of the series will certainly be able to appreciate its take on the formula and how it connects to the wider series, and despite the game’s weaknesses, its story should be more than strong enough to get new fans into the franchise.

All in all, Fairy Tail is a fun experience, and while it is mainly designed for fans of the franchise, the game isn’t entirely unapproachable for new players. The battles are pretty and fly by quickly enough that they never drag on. There is a lot to like about this title, despite a few hiccups such as the unresolved finale. It feels very much like it recreates scenes straight from the show, and while some quests can bog down the experience, the main story kept me engrossed and wanting more.

Mercenaries Saga 3 is just about as enjoyable as its predecessor, though the slight difficulty increase would make me place 3 above 2 by a narrow margin if forced to choose. I also remember the lead mercenary's name of Marion Balbastre thanks to its constant repetition by one character, though whether this is a positive I can't really evaluate. Both of these games offer entertaining packages to be found by rooting around in the 3DS's digital library, and deserve to be experienced by more people.

It's a fun game that fans of the original two are sure to enjoy, but there's absolutely no reason for anyone not fond of the first ones to play The Baconing, nor is there any reason for new players to jump in at The Baconing rather than the original game.

Any Metroidvania title’s bread and butter lies in how much fun it is to explore its environments, constantly unlocking new abilities along the way that make returning to old areas just as full of discoveries as the first time through. While the game certainly isn’t shy about doling out new abilities to maneuver around with, it’s the actual areas themselves that are just not much fun to poke around in, in some cases seeming to stretch out interminably with one lengthy platforming challenge after another. Expertly executed designs, visuals, voiceovers, and musical score still make Indivisible a great joy to behold, but its shortcomings do take away some of the triumph of actually playing it.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a very solid first foray into the Metroidvania/action RPG space for developer Primal Game Studio. Combat is enjoyable and provides many options to tailor the experience to one’s personal taste, even offering some replayability for those wanting to try a wholly different character build. Combat is generally challenging, with a noticeable increase in difficulty coming from some late-game bosses, so this one is not for the casual crowd. A handful of drawbacks must be taken into account, such as a tendency for too many bosses to make palette-swapped repeat appearances, and the Switch port did exhibit some occasional lagginess when transitioning into menus as well as lengthy loading times between areas. But the quality of the gameplay, in addition to a considerable layer of polish in its presentation, easily make up for the occasional technical hiccup, producing a fine overall package that is well worthy of a place in its crowded niche.

It hits all the right buttons that Grand Bazaar and Island of Happiness couldn't, and gives the player tons to do without ever feeling stale. Two Towns is polished, and shows that the Harvest Moon series can stay fresh when given a nice shell to work with. It provides endless hours of entertainment, and with there being so much content to explore, the time flies by.

Dragon Quest III laid the groundwork for a lot of modern Dragon Quest norms, such as class changing, spell and weapon variety, and world building. It’s also a clear product of game development of the era, where game length is inflated by mandatory leveling up paired with little story direction. Leaving it up to the player to figure out where to go and what to do next, as well as how much time to spend beating up foes to acquire all-important spells, is an artifact of NES-era development; whether this is attractive or repulsive is highly subjective and makes the game a problematic recommend. Still, I have no regrets about having gone back and finally having the chance to play, and for Dragon Quest fans who haven’t yet done so, it’s worth a look.

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.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin attempts to fuse the original’s sensibility into a fast-paced action RPG. For the most part, it is successful with intense action gameplay and beautiful music. Adjustable difficulty options and online co-op make the game accessible to a myriad of gamers without diminishing challenge or sacrificing replayability. It’s somewhat fitting that in this topsy-turvy action spin-off, the only thing that’s truly upside-down is the presentation of the original game’s story. Even as the narrative stumbles, the core gameplay is strong enough to motivate to see this story through to completion, no matter how chaotic.