As an actual game, Risen 2 is mediocre. The gameplay is primitive and the technical problems alone are more than enough to recommend shying away from it. However, as an experience, Risen 2 is highly entertaining. Players willing to overlook the issues with the gameplay will find themselves sucked into a sweeping, high-seas adventure that's rare for the RPG genre.

While there's some good fun to be had from the gameplay, the localisation and narrative issues make Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment a difficult recommendation.

While Monster Racers is an enjoyable way to while away a car trip or fill the time between longer, more substantial games, it is ultimately an inessential addition to most game libraries.

Fairy Fencer F is an enjoyable way to spend the roughly twenty-five hours it takes to complete.

For those looking for a retro RPG to indulge in without the numerous flaws of unnecessary grinding and unbalanced difficulty of the older games, Pillars of Dust offers a fast-paced, well-balanced option. There’s enough humour in the writing to keep it engaging. Although the gameplay gets repetitive and the overall story never takes itself seriously, the game is short enough that it does not overstay its welcome, lasting under ten hours even for the most casual players. It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s not an unpleasant stroll for those who want to take a brisk walk down the retro path.

It's a rough ride, but ultimately a fun one. FORCED is a twitchy thinker's punch-drunk romp that wears its scars with pride.

Cris Tales is a joyous love letter to JRPGs, but limits itself to imitating the classics instead of attempting to elevate the genre. A plodding battle system ultimately causes the game to suffer. Cris Tales falls short of its lofty aims, but the zeal and indelible spirit of the game make it more than the sum of its parts.

Overall, Atelier Sophie is a mixed bag with many ideas that will hopefully be refined in future installments of the Mysterious series.

For every step the series has taken forward with this game, a step is taken back. The brevity of the game cuts into the enjoyment one may derive from the improved graphics, interface and plot. The mediocre boss characters and fights almost overshadow the interesting changes made to the hero roster.

Ar Nosurge is an interesting game that suffers from a lack of tender love and care on the localizer's part.

It’s hard not to be impressed with some of the things Midgar Studio achieved with Edge of Eternity. The stunning environments and soundtrack will greatly satisfy any JRPG fan. Combined with its engaging combat system, this should have been enough to make it a well held together experience, but the story’s lack of focus causes things to fall apart. The poor pacing, particularly at the beginning of the game, results in enough pointless running around enough so that it’s easy to look past some of the best features of the game. Edge of Eternity will scratch the itch of those looking for a classic JRPG with a modern touch, but past that, it doesn’t provide enough to create a truly great experience.

Despite its numerous small annoyances, Phantom Brave: We Meet Again is a fun game -- albeit hardly essential.

Somehow, despite the game’s flaws and technical hiccups, something manages to pull me back towards just one more run; if there’s any sign of success a roguelike can aspire to, that’s certainly a good one. There’s no fancy math that calculates the ephemeral fun factor some games manage to capture that makes them better than the sum of their parts. Curious Expedition 2 won’t be for everyone; there are problems not all RPGamers are going to tolerate. But for those willing to try their luck on this engaging adventure, there are treasures aplenty on those islands to uncover, just consider adventuring with the sound off.

Despite the numerous flaws, Kararot still offers a wonderful retelling of the main story, above-average graphics, and a great soundtrack, so it’s worth picking up for established and new fans of the series alike.

Sticker Star is an odd beast, and its RPG aspects are actually the most problematic. Many of the most enjoyable parts come when it can be played as a straight platformer, only to be interrupted when aggressive enemies force the player into another battle without a worthwhile reward.

Last Word is a game I would recommend to try out even just for novelty purposes; it's certainly an interesting enough experience to while away an afternoon or evening.

The Long Journey Home doesn’t outstay its welcome. A successful journey should take most players around ten hours, which is a good length for those who just want to get home and enjoy the accomplishment while the gameplay cycle remains enjoyable. Meanwhile, the way the universe is generated with seeds means that those who are interested in seeing everything the game has to offer as well as find new challenges have many reasons to keep coming back. It never offers the most in-depth or exciting gameplay moments, but the overall experience of The Long Journey Home is an enjoyable one.

I wish that I could call Atlas Fallen an overlooked gem from an overstuffed year of games, but it doesn’t quite reach that bar. It’s not an unsalvageable project and with some refinement in the gameplay, a stronger script, and some better performances this could be a solid action RPG. I didn’t even have a chance to try out the game’s co-op, which could potentially go some ways to opening up the game’s RPG elements. That doesn’t change that what is there is a fine attempt at something new but one that never fully rises to the occasion.

There’s an audience that will be very appreciative of what Arcadia Fallen achieves. It gives players a pleasing opportunity to play themselves as they see it in another world and characters that welcome them for who they are. The game won’t be for those who like to be involved in their character’s actions, but for those wanting a relaxing visual novel, it certainly fits the bill.

Always Sometimes Monsters falls short of its potential.

River City: Tokyo Rumble came to me at a perfect time when I needed both a pick-me-up and a throwback, and it was successful for those reasons alone. While the game is quite easy, even on Normal, I still think it was a blast to play — repetition, silliness and all. River City: Tokyo Rumble feels like a safe game in every regard, but I don't feel like that should be held against it. There's nothing more satisfying than kicking some punk gangsters and chewing bubblegum.

While I certainly enjoyed being able to play through the game again, it's difficult to figure out whom Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters: Daybreak Special Gigs might be for. The option to have it on PlayStation 4 is welcome and if players missed the original game for whatever reason, this is the version to pick up. However, there's not enough new content for those who did enjoy the original to justify buying it again, and for those who did have issues, virtually all of the likely turn-offs remain.

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force manages to succeed despite itself, though not without some misfires along the way.

Death end re;Quest is one of those games wherein I wavered as I played through it. The story was engaging overall despite my issues with the game’s use of violence for shock value, the unnecessary fanservice, and a combat system that made parts of the game a chore to play. The Switch port is also probably not the ideal way to play the game due to the poor optimization though it is serviceable if players can’t access it on either the PS4 or PC. Despite the issues, I would have a hard time denying that I was compelled by the experience more often than not. If asked whether I like the game or not, my answer is yes…but not without some serious caveats.

Dragon Is Dead has a solid foundation with incredibly fun combat and an addictive loot grind. Unfortunately, the game fails to implement systems that successfully utilize the repetitiveness inherent to its genre, and without a satisfying narrative, it becomes simply another action roguelite in a long list. RPGamers that enjoy loot systems and roguelites in general will certainly find something to appreciate here, but the game is unlikely to sway those who don’t already enjoy the genre.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is one of those games that has some great ideas such as building the farm from the ground up and engaging crafting as a focal point. While these risks are welcome and are great additions to this long-running series, there is no excuse for the technical issues that afflict the game, or the gameplay choices that require players to have their farm overrun by ugly makers. Those who love the farming elements will fall into the gameplay without trouble, though I wish the game had done a better job of balancing all of these elements in a way that respected the player’s time a bit better. Pioneers of Olive Town is a good game, but it is hard to recommend when Stardew Valley continues to dominate the farming sim genre.

Ghost of a Tale is and does a lot of things, some impressive but not all of them great triumphs. The game’s stealth mechanic, before it’s traded in for a suit of armor at the cost of greatly-decreased movement speed, is hardly enjoyable, and many aspects of navigating the world are tedious and cumbersome. But the game does put its best foot forward with the world it constructs, especially for those willing to dig through all available lore, and how it presents this world both visually and by incorporating some lovely original music. There’s room for improvement for future chapters — Tilo’s quest is far from over — but what’s here is an impressive, if not flawless, first effort for a new, intriguing IP.

Mystery Dungeon fans will see a few familiar aspects, but constant safety nets and easy combat will not hold the attention of the challenge-seeking for long.