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For 1,240 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 26% higher than the average critic
  • 7% same as the average critic
  • 67% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 7.6 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
Lowest review score: 20 Mugen Souls
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 413 out of 1240
  2. Mixed: 696 out of 1240
  3. Negative: 131 out of 1240
1245 game reviews
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    • 72 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Metal Max Xeno Reborn
    Metal Max Xeno: Reborn is allegedly a refined experience of the initial game, but there are simply too many under-baked mechanics thrown in for anything to stick. At the end of the day, Reborn feels more like a tank management simulator with occasional forays into combat and exploration of an empty, generic-looking wasteland. Players are simply dropped into Dystokyo and left to their own devices. While some gamers will find themselves engrossed with monster hunting, others will find themselves frustrated by how Metal Max Xeno: Reborn is still unable to get things right, even after being fully reconstructed. A campy sense of humor can only carry a game so far. Unfortunately, this second chance at life is inexplicably held back by the same quality issues that plagued its progenitor.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Haunted Dungeons: Hyakki Castle
    For as simple as a game it is, the game runs fine on the Switch. The draw distances of the levels and the pop-in is noticeable but really doesn’t impede gameplay in any meaningful way. The music and sound design is as bland as they come, leaving so little an impression that all that’s left is the admittedly fun creature design. But engaging with enemies isn’t entertaining and the levels offer no fun secrets to explore. Hyakki Castle promises an interesting premise but can deliver on little else besides some pretty loading screen concept art.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll
    While Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll has a lot of potential in its varied battle system, decent story, and wonderful soundtrack, it falls flat in other unforgivable areas. The repetitive and pointless missions combine with the pointless text-only overflow of dialogue to pad the game two or three times longer than it needs to be. If only the fat had been cut and more variety was offered, the game might have been decent. As is, Trinity is drowning in missteps.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Rime Berta
    This gets the job done for those who desperately need a new tactical experience and can't find anything else to play, but it's a hard recommendation to make even so.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Penny-Punching Princess
    There’s nothing inherently wrong with its focus on button-mashing action; in fact, the addition of the calculator to bribe enemies into joining you is a welcome idea that has merit. But each time the game hits its stride and lets the player feel a sense of fun, it’s quickly dashed by repetitive gameplay, dull story, or another crushing difficulty spike.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The Good Life
    The Good Life has a name behind it in SWERY, and as such, the story brings all the insanity and the confusion one has come to expect from his previous titles. There is scope for the humour to work, but factoring in fighting with the camera and struggling with the controls the whole experience is just not worthwhile. In a self-fulling prophecy, Naomi points out a lot of faults in games that The Good Life just blithely repeats itself. Throwing a crazy ad-lib together and keeping fingers crossed the game works may have worked in the past, but this game has none of the fun or the charm to be successful nowadays.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Seven Knights -Time Wanderer-
    With the release of Seven Knights: Time Wanderer, Netmarble attempts to replicate their free-to-play title’s success with this console offering. Unfortunately, the game underserves both the source material and players on the Switch. While fans of the Seven Knights mobile game may enjoy this title, there are scores of more fulfilling experiences available on the console.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Soccer Story
    Soccer Story provides some enjoyable basic entertainment that comes from just kicking the ball around and taking on the challenges and targets as players explore. Some of the puzzles and challenges are good fun and satisfying to complete, but there are also many that are made more frustrating than they need to be. With a flawed match system that becomes trivial once its workings have been figured out and technical issues that stack up as the game progresses, it’s incredibly tough to recommend.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
    The seven to fifteen hours required for completing Fighting Fantasy will be a by-and-large frustrating experience.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven
    I felt no real desire to spend any more time in Lord of Magna, and will likely forget most of what I experienced in a few months. While it's not quite at the level to warrant George Carlin's famous comparison to the act of viewing a golf game, getting anywhere near that area is not an accomplishment a developer should ever want.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World
    I don’t feel like Nelke was the best version of itself, especially when players are reminded that this cheaply made game doesn’t exemplify what makes the Atelier series great. Nelke lacks the spark and unfortunately reminded me that perhaps my love of the series has truly come to an end.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Necromunda: Underhive Wars
    Necromunda: Underhive Wars is its own worst enemy; no game should be in a constant war with itself to be playable. Instead it should show off its map and objective variety with a completely capable combat system. While it is possible the game can be redeemed with multiple patches and quality-of-life improvements, for now it is a rushed and half finished experience with only faint hope that anything can be salvaged.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Stranger of Sword City
    I've enjoyed a number of dungeon crawlers over the years, but never have I felt compelled to go back and experience the earliest renditions of the type. Stranger of Sword City gave me some uncomfortable flashbacks to The Dark Spire while I played it, and one deliberately-archaic title in that mold was plenty to last me a very long time.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity
    In the end, there doesn't seem to be much reason to think of Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity as more than a left-field oddity. Newcomers to the established universe will be nonplussed by its cast of characters who lack all introduction and its fly-by-night story. Repeat visitors to Gensokyo will still be hard-pressed to locate any challenge or semblance of fun within its dreary gameplay and level design.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Black Rock Shooter: The Game
    The best indicator of whether a given gamer will appreciate Black Rock Shooter is its visual style. The game offers moderately entertaining combat and sad girls in snow, but these can be obtained elsewhere at a fraction of the aggravation. At its core, the story is a familiar one that isn't able to justify its retelling with a new twist. There is something to be said for a game that embraces zoning out and rhythmically blowing things up, but it's not always a straight-up compliment. Look, but don't touch.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time
    Chamber of Time is an incredibly uneven experience. It’s an amazing recreation of the Little Witch Academia universe with impressive art and fantastic voice acting. However, that accomplishment is squandered by how tedious the navigation of the academy becomes, bland fetch quests, poor AI, bad boss design, and sub-par combat. This could have been a good game with better choices, but instead it’s difficult to recommend to even the most rabid Little Witch Academia fan, much less the broader RPG-playing public.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
    While I love the idea of Pokémon spin-offs that try to add a new layer of depth to the tried-and-true formula, Gates to Infinity leaves a lot to be desired. It definitely will have its audience and those who are willing to overlook many of the game's major flaws, but there are plenty of more interesting dungeon crawlers out there to explore.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Arcante
    Despite all the problems Arcante has, it offers a fair degree of entertainment. The steam runs out after a few hours when players reach the second town, and by the end of the game, everything just falls apart due to the lack of depth and story to compel RPGamers to explore more of the lifeless world. However, for those who have nostalgia for the computer RPGs of the ’80s and ’90s, this may partially satisfy that craving — just don’t go into this game expecting much, because it feels incomplete. At least the journey is very short and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    River City: Rival Showdown
    River City: Rival Showdown isn't a strong or memorable title in this franchise, especially when compared to Tokyo Rumble, which is by far the more quality game. With the lack of direction, the difficulty spikes, and the time it takes to upgrade skills and equipment, Rival Showdown is an exercise in frustration more than anything else.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story
    Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san! can easily be completed in under two hours, and the online rankings indicate that under ten minutes is readily doable once upgrades have been purchased. The game features multiple endings, though these are anticlimactic involving a tiny interaction based on those initial created character choices. There is a “true ending”, which is achieved by defeating the bosses in numerical order, though this order is only revealed in the text when meeting the bosses for the first time, so it is incredibly unlikely to get the first time. In the end, I’m not even sure if the game was even worth those few hours, and is one best left forgotten.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Biomutant
    Despite some interesting ideas, Biomutant commits the cardinal sin of media — it’s boring, and that ultimately seals its fate. The game has a gorgeous world and adorable character designs, yet it’s soulless and falls far short of its ambitions. What makes it even more depressing is that, although it has potential, it’s plagued by too many poor gameplay elements plus a story that’s bloated with exposition and undermined by poor character development, as well as the rampant technical issues. Offering a main story that can easily be completed in less than fifteen hours, Biomutant is a quick experience but the dullness still comes in that short amount of time. Ambition is a beautiful thing to have, but if you cannot fulfill it, it’s nothing but wasted potential and time.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
    Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny took me over eighty hours to complete and only twenty of those hours actually felt fun and exciting. The game has way too many unpolished elements that keep it from being a fantastic successor to Rune Factory 3, and in the end falters from its problems described above.
    • 40 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Excave II: Wizard of the Underworld
    At the ten dollar price tag, Excave II is highway robbery. There's just nothing here for RPGamers that they haven't seen and/or experienced in a better form.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Monster Harvest
    I’d like to be able to say that aside from the bugs, Monster Harvest is a great game, but that’s just not true at this point. The game is just missing too many staples that other farming sims feature. There is little main story, no NPC interaction, a near featureless battle-system, no side quests, and barely any small intermediary goals throughout the game. Even beating the final boss is greeted with a single line of dialogue and zero fanfare. Publisher Merge Games has repeatedly claimed additional content will release when debugging is complete. It would be worth RPGamer’s time to wait for both of those events to occur.
    • 32 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Magus
    The more one looks back on it, the more it feels like Magus' primary purpose was to acquaint a new development team with the tools at hand while building up a few skills.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    The Denpa Men 3: The Rise of Digitoll
    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.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Skautfold: Moonless Knight
    Moonless Knight is a meal with an interesting assortment of ingredients, but they entirely fail to come together into the intended dish. The compelling Japanese-Lovecraftian fusion just cannot be executed with this rough, lazy script. It’s a failure of a Metroidvania, and it’s a bad and clunky action RPG as well, with progression mechanics that fail to synergize with the rest of the gameplay and ultimately drag the experience down even further. The experience is wholly disappointing, and Moonless Knight is simply not worth a player’s time.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    The Witch and the Hundred Knight
    It's hard to imagine just what the developers were thinking when creating The Witch and the Hundred Knight. Metallia is so immediately distasteful that most players will be turned off in the first hour, and players who stick it out longer will likely grow bored and annoyed.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Fate Seeker II
    There’s a good premise locked behind bad execution in Fate Seeker II. There’s plenty to explore and everything is connected to something. The detective work is meticulous and the awful translation makes reading for any amount of time a headache. Combat is sprinkled in as a highlight, but when most of the game is dialogue heavy, it is not enough. The poor presentation magnifies every weakness so avoid this headache at all costs.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet
    Saying that Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is at least playable is the best compliment I can give it, as there's occasional fun to be had from running around and shooting things, though not nearly enough. Almost everything else about the game amounts to a sterile waste of time. The story is vapid, the variety of locations and enemies is practically non-existent, and everything you do in the game feels completely pointless. It's not even content I'd recommend to diehard fans of the series, as there's not really even enough of that here to matter. Fatal Bullet was a chance for the game portion of the Sword Art Online franchise to step up and shine under a new developer with a new gameplay focus, but instead the entire thing shamefully fell flat on its face.
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