The constant gratification of loot and bite-size gameplay chunks of Book of Demons make it inherently easy and gratifying to pick up and play — a good first step for this ambitious undertaking. But the game, though having a clean and perfectly adequate presentation, doesn’t do very much to put its best foot forward to wow the player presentation-wise, and the finger-numbing clicky gameplay might be just a bit too underwhelming for some to ride this train all the way to its final stop.

Neverland Card Battles is indeed unique and the first game to accurately combine a CCG with a TRPG; however, although it is not bad, the execution has just enough holes in it to keep the game from being fun.

Criminal Girls quite ably eats up a good few hours early on, but simply fails to provide enough of a lasting experience to recommend. There are some interesting aspects, and it helps cater to a niche, but it's hard to find any area in the gameplay where things haven't been done considerably better elsewhere.

Overall, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is more trouble than it's worth. While there are a few things to enjoy about it, the game is all over the place, and the banal plot and ridiculously neat ending make it impossible to take seriously.

It looks, runs, and plays fine with the main downsides being the story and script and anything related to them. The problem is that everything Risen 3 does decently has already been done better. It's Assassin's Creed IV without the assassin mechanics or ship battles.

Ultimately, Skyhill is best played in short doses, well past bedtime. Its psychological strengths are enhanced, while its more soporific mechanics become less vexing.

Ultimately, Conception Plus feels like its skating by on the curiousness of its premise rather than using it to build a strong experience. The Star Children are easily the most interesting thing about the game, but it gets bogged down with gameplay that doesn’t provide any reason to stick around longer than necessary. The characters are given nothing useful to do in a predictable and irreverent main plot, and though the dating sim aspects are more interesting, it’s still hard to call them any better than ok. Conception Plus works best as something to do while having something else going on at the same time, but it’s simply not strong enough to warrant full attention for long stretches of time.

Morbid: The Seven Acolytes could have been a highly enjoyable foray into the 2D side of Souls-like action. It features a compelling world, presented through stylish pixel art and good sound design, and really nails the highly entertaining bits of lore sprinkled throughout the world to make it come alive. However, some rather important missteps with the combat make the experience far too toothless, annulling the sense of fast-paced action and dramatically lowering stakes upon defeat. Rather than rising to the level of its loft inspiration, it instead feels buried alive, flatlining into a state of rigor mortis due to its plodding combat.

Maglam Lord has enough that some will thoroughly enjoy their time with it, particularly those looking for an enjoyable story and cast. However, it’s brought down by uninspired missions and poorly realised combat. It’s certainly not a bad title, and thankfully the issues that are there are such that they don’t create an active barrier to progress, but the entertaining parts are steadily diluted enough that the experience as a whole misses out on being something to be fully celebrated.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light may have been a decent game from 30 years ago, but even with the added quality-of-life improvements and a good translation, it has aged more like mouldy bread rather than fine wine. It still has a good strategy system and is playable overall, but there are loads of better games, including just about every other Fire Emblem game in existence. This is definitely not a game for newcomers, but die-hard fans of the Fire Emblem series may find enjoyment, along with gaming historians who simply want to experience a time piece of how the whole tactical RPG franchise started.

Featuring a good story with the incorporation of interesting new characters and a mystery to solve, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- The Prophecy of the Throne has the components for an ejoyable game. However, the gaming elements are greatly lacking, and though some may be fine with just reading their way through it, those hoping for a more interactive experience will be sadly let down. Going through dialogues for hours without battling, solving mysteries, or having the freedom to explore just doesn’t live up to the billing as a tactical adventure. Fans of Re:ZERO and players who enjoy good stories and don’t mind having a passive role could give this game a chance, but shouldn’t get their hopes up too high.

Overall, Corruption 2029 will mainly appeal to the hardcore fans of Mutant Year Zero or those tactics fans desperate for a new game. This game feels like a watered-down Mutant Year Zero without the plot and charm. Depth is lacking as mission objectives, enemies, and maps are put on repeat, and the tactical stealth gameplay mechanic constantly acts to slow down completing mission objectives by slowly sneaking around and waiting to pick off enemies. There are some foundations of a good game here, but the characters could be better fleshed out, and the game could offer more incentive for the player to keep progressing in the form of a more compelling plot, more character growth, and more varied missions and mechanics.

What Tides of Numenera offers is a rich experience in learning lore and then making a final multiple guess at the ending, all the while never being fully satisfying in terms of presentation. There's more playability to this take on this game, but it might be better off being used for a title that has far less baggage.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered presents players with an enjoyably short yet not overtly memorable single player experience with enough restrictions and issues to multiplayer matchmaking that only the most dedicated of fans will want to overcome. In an attempt to bring the game to a wider audience with a less cumbersome barrier of entry, Square Enix has over-complicated the experience once again.

In short bursts or with a group of friends, there's certainly a lot of fun to be had, but it's the sort of mindless, arcade-style fun you'd find in Zombies Ate My Neighbours. Players looking for a complete package had best look elsewhere.

While Grand Bazaar can be considered a solid entry to the Harvest Moon DS titles, its problem is that it doesn't really do anything new other than the bazaar.

All of the problems listed here are clearly something to take into consideration when looking at Ragnarok Odyssey, but this game is not a typical start-to-finish RPG. It's best played in chunks with occasional bouts of co-op thrown in for good measure.

Despite its flaws Rainbow Moon is a decent option for fans of the SRPG genre at a very approachable initial price.

It tries to do a lot of things, and definitely has a distinct personality from anything else I remember playing. Layering everything with needless profanity is not the magic bullet to become amazing though, and using the game’s real bullets is often more complicated than it should be. If a sequel should come to pass, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Elohim Eternal II: Son of Man has some good elements, but it is constantly at odds with itself. The combat tries to make the most of what it has and can be climactic, but is entirely optional. The story is too often telegraphed and cookie cutter, with any interesting uses of its setting and building connections to the first game coming far too late to be of any worth. Elohim Eternal II: Son of Man is unfortunately left bereft of any engaging sparks, and while perhaps future titles will provide some payoff, it is stuck in a dull routine that it never quite escapes.

With a dearth of decent western RPGs as of late, players desperate for something new might find that Mars War Logs scratches that itch, but don't expect anything amazing.

I played some of the original Final Fantasy Adventure but never completed it. Now that I've played Adventures of Mana, I don't think playing the original again will ever be necessary. Square Enix originally made this version for mobile phones, which perhaps explains why not much was changed. It's still a minimally-altered rendition of something I wasn't enthralled with in the first place. Many others have much more affection for the original than I do, and will doubtless be overjoyed that Square Enix allows them to play it on a modern platform without rendering any memories of how to progress inaccurate through alterations. Those hoping for something more akin to certain acclaimed later installments of the series, or a title that plays in a fashion better taking advantage of the Vita's capabilities, will be disappointed.

Ragnarok Odyssey ACE is a good game to play in bursts because it doesn't demand a lot of one's attention or time. It's even more enjoyable when you have a friend to share it with. Unfortunately, there's just not enough variety in terms of missions or gameplay to keep the game engaging.

Crymachina is continually plagued by its imbalance. The emotion can be impactful, especially with the relationships forged between the characters, but it is bogged down by a convoluted story. Combat is snappy and fast, but slowed down by an excessive upgrade system and grueling grind. Lighting and effects are gorgeous and colorful, while areas remain repetitive and bland. It takes too much work to get to the good of Crymachina and only those desperately itching for a sci-fi action RPG will enjoy completing it. It’s a shame because the concept it uses to explore humanity is an interesting one, but too many issues dampen its emotional punch.

It is a shame that more time and effort weren’t put into the monster variety and ensuring better performance at launch. With the ability to create traps and other constructs on the field of battle, Wild Hearts has created a new hunting experience that could certainly stand toe to toe with a more well-established series. Future patches and DLC could certainly iron some of these problems out, but as it stands upon release, Wild Hearts is difficult to recommend in its launch state to all but the most hard-core of hunters. With that said, the foundation laid out by this title is quite solid, and could certainly lead to greater things in the future.

Unfortunately, while the original game really had a fairly interesting story, this game fell a little short of it.

Making it to the big top is a mechanically sound journey with a lot of great characters to choose and varied enemies making each combat fun. Unfortunately, the journey to each combat is fraught with graphical gaffes, sound repetition, and story doled out in odd intervals. Good old Uncle Jack can’t save this from falling out of the spotlight making The Amazing American Circus worth a look only for those that enjoy circus acts or deeper than expected card battlers. Everyone else can pull away from this mediocre performance.

Those expecting an experience from Ragnarok Tactics on par with Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre are likely to come away disappointed. While the game doesn't suffer from any major issues or grievances, there just seems to be a general lack of inspiration or anything to make the game stand out. However, Ragnarok Tactics is a decent time-killer that should at least be able to satisfy any tactical RPG itch, albeit one unlikely to make an impact on many favourites lists.