Perhaps the most affirming praise to offer Slay the Spire is that instead of writing about it, I would prefer to be playing it instead. The game has an addictive quality where all the little choices made can pay off in big ways down the road. The combat is straightforward enough for anyone to grasp while also offering incredible depth, and the simple act of deck-building is entertaining in and of itself. Where the game needs to exceed it does so by multiple degrees, more than enough to outweigh the minor quibbles it garners after hours of play. Any opportunity to even try the game should be greeted with enthusiastic expediency.

Kingdom Hearts III is most assuredly one for the fans. For those who have enjoyed the past entries, the issues have already proven themselves to be readily surmountable and the way the game wraps up the lingering plot points will be very much appreciated. However, for those who haven’t yet been sold on the series, it’s a much more varied proposition. The disconnect between the final quarter and the rest of the game is jarring, and the gameplay, while certainly enjoyable, doesn’t offer much to distinguish itself from many other action RPGs.

A lot of time has passed since 2009, and I find it harder to unreservedly gush about games now than then. Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story was an unexpected delight when I first played it, while now the game is less surprising and more familiar. That doesn’t detract from its quality in any way, and anyone who missed it the first time and has even the slightest inkling of interest should immediately track down a copy. There really hasn’t been an outright bad Mario and Luigi game, but this one lays a worthy claim to being the strongest of all.

It’s a lovely place to spend time in, but My Time at Portia overestimates just how long players will want to spend there. Crafting, collecting resources, and interacting with the townsfolk is all a lot of fun and a very appealing prospect but by the time I was around two-thirds of the way through main missions I was more than ready to be done. The artificial extension of the main story as players have to wait for NPCs to decide to do something is nothing but an annoyance, while the combat is generally unappealing. In the end, it’s a game that has some incredibly strong points that was very enjoyable for the majority of the time spent with it, but the significant weaknesses mean it’s not a universal recommendation.

Marenian Tavern Story: Patty and the Hungry God is a spiritual successor to the developer’s previous Adventure Bar titles; while no previous knowledge of the series is required, it may motivate those who previously overlooked titles to give them a second look. While I’d not heard of the series before playing Tavern Story, my enjoyment of this game was such that I purchased Adventure Bar Story for 3DS immediately upon completion! While Tavern Story might never reach the level of fandom that the Atelier series enjoys, its entry into the crafting RPG sub-genre should not go unnoticed.

Despite concerns about the battle system and general interaction, YIIK is well worth a look. In under thirty hours, it introduces a cast of characters and an uncaring universe that use a poppy, hallucinogenic ‘90s to speak to contemporary issues, bounce off games past, and just hang out, man. The narrative takes risks with the later acts and Alex’s unlikeability, but if it clicks it’s potent stuff. The audio/visual experience works exceptionally well for this mood, elevating YIIK into the ranks of games that may not be for everyone, but will be there for someone who needs it. Come for the surreal take on contemporary Americana, stay for the chill music, and maybe even learn something.

I can’t think of any other games in which I deliberately shrank my protagonists so that they could each fit in a stack between two other creatures, so World of Final Fantasy Maxima definitely gets credit for exploiting an unseen niche. Actually playing it was also entertaining, though every time I progressed with the overall narrative frustration resulted. Square Enix’s track record in recent years has been a highly mixed bag of quality, and World of Final Fantasy Maxima fits right in.

Yo-kai Watch 3 will offer most RPGamers plenty of hours of fun. The game makes good use of the 3DS’s dual-screen in its final entry on the system with Yo-kai Watch 4 already confirmed as a Switch title. There are some annoyances, mostly related to a bit of unnecessary padding and a few potential roadblocks, and there’s a bit of sense of quantity over quality in some of its side content, but its general upbeat attitude towards everything is very welcome and on the whole successful.

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.

Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is the kind of mash-up property that by all rights should have the right ingredients to hit that sweet spot. By all accounts, the original property actually does manage to do just that. But the digital adaptation lacks on several fronts, not the least of which is the unfortunate underusage of the occult element of its namesake. The grindy battle system with little enemy and environmental variety is also nothing to write home about. Cthulhu Tactics sounds like an intriguing mix of its two titular elements, but fails to deliver on the promise of either.

For those looking for an investigative adventure, The Council is worth checking out. It makes good use of its setting to create the initial intrigue, even if it veers away from it a bit too much at the end. The use of RPG and skill elements gives players a sense of progress as Louis learns more about the situation and becomes more adept at dealing with the other characters. While not all-powerful, The Council certainly has some interesting things to say.

For what is supposed to be the next step forward for Pokémon, Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu! feels like it has taken a few steps back. While there are aspects of the game I do enjoy, there are also glaring issues that I cannot just ignore. Ultimately, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! needlessly simplifies core mechanics in a series that does not require such streamlining.

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.

It’s difficult to recommend Sacred Earth – Promise as a standalone title, though certain aspects are definitely laudable. Perhaps once sequels are created to flesh out the world more it will be seen as the precursor to a venerable series. I enjoyed many of the witty lines and appreciated the combat’s intentions, but this is not the rare indie title which will immediately garner acclaim from everyone.

It’s a good game on its own merits, but pales just a bit when compared to its forebears; the added Dark Souls combat mechanics aren’t a problem, but what feels like slight moves away from the Zelda-esque puzzle solving and Metroidvania-style exploration are noticeable.

Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix is another small step forward as Rideon continues to slowly refine what is already a very strong base. It has great combat that incorporates ample customization and depth without being intimidating or getting bogged down with needless subsystems that ultimately add little. While the story may not match the heights of the genre, the characters are likable and it’s well-paced to keep moving toward the next mission. Simply put, Mercenaries Wings is strategy RPG comfort food for any RPGamers hungry for a fix.

OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes is a decent supplement to the cartoon series. It appears to achieve what it set out to do, but never sets its sights particularly high. There’s some good fun to be had and plenty of enjoyable moments, but it’s not a game that’s likely to stick in the memory for very long.

While it’s not as polished in its graphics, it’s an enjoyable game that’s more accessible to newer fans of the genre, yet with deep enough combat systems and a difficulty slider that might make the dungeon crawler expert take notice as well. Stormseeker Games has put forth a strong debut title and will be worth keeping an eye on from this point forward.

Weird enemies, fast combat, and tank customization don’t save Metal Max Xeno from being an unbalanced disaster. The game also manages to end on a particularly poor note with an ill-conceived boss-rush followed by a monstrous final battle that requires expertly tuned tanks not needed anywhere else in the story. I spent nearly as much time trying to beat the final boss as I did on the rest of the game. It’s just another in a host of bad design decisions. There are some interesting parts that could have formed the basis of a good game — the tank battles against giant monsters festooned with cannons are fun — but those parts are buried by all the other terrible decisions.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is unlikely to create masses of new fans for Gwent, and its adventure mode effectively admits this. However, it allows those looking for an entertaining tale to enjoy one without letting CCG elements and other gameplay elements get in the way. Meanwhile, fans of Gwent should appreciate the opportunity to apply the game to a wider adventure and be tested with the special scenarios. To those ends, Thronebreaker is a worthwhile endeavour that will please many, if perhaps not delight.

It took me about five hours to reach the final mission of Moonfall Ultimate, only to be confronted with what appeared to be a glitched set of mission instructions at the end. I tried going through the game again using a different class, and encountered the same glitch, except this time I ignored the text and just plowed through everything as best I could. There are plenty of hack and slash titles available, and this one doesn’t stand out in any particularly positive way.

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.

For those who missed The World Ends with You originally, the Nintendo Switch version is a great way to see what all the fuss was about. Its gameplay, style, characters, and story are still perfectly fresh even ten years following its original release. Meanwhile, those wanting to try it again will find plenty to like about its adjusted gameplay and particularly some of the new ideas brought about in A New Day. The new conclusion doesn’t offer the answers to story questions that existing fans will have, but if Final Remix provides the success the game deserves, perhaps those answers will come.

Overall, The Greater Good is a decent enough game, with graphics being the main mark that often hinders the game rather than helping it. They simply didn’t work at times as I didn’t know where to go because a rock formation that seemed part of the background graphics was actually something to jump on, or the entrance to a tavern was between two other background images. Other than that, the battle system is tried and true, with a decent amount of strategy raising the difficulty. The story has an interesting premise, sees a satisfying conclusion, and even has a small epilogue.

Cosmic Star Heroine is far more than a simple send-up of some of the genre’s most beloved classics. It may imitate a similar art style and plot development, but it shows a good amount of innovation in some key areas. Particularly its combat system is packed with new and interesting ideas that require a good deal of attention paid during even rote battles. The variety of combat systems end up being as much of a drawback as an advantage late in the game, though, when lengthy skirmishes seem needlessly protracted. What still remains is a fun, if not terribly demanding galactic romp to save the cosmos alongside a crew of colorful, if not terribly deep pals.

Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption couldn’t get everything absolutely perfect, but no game ever really does. Instead, it got a whole lot of things just right, which was enough to counterbalance most issues. I am looking forward to seeing what the Coles do with their next endeavor into this world.

Valkyria Chronicles is considered one of the greatest RPGs of the last generation, so this true sequel coming ten years later always had some lofty expectations to look up to. The combat significantly improves upon the original and RPGamers that value interesting, strategic battles will be extremely pleased with Valkyria Chronicles 4. However, it doesn’t quite manage to emulate the same interesting, thought-provoking plot that dealt with delicate themes in a mature manner. Nevertheless, while the narrative of VC4 doesn’t reach those lofty heights, sixty hours quickly disappeared in the course of playing it. Perhaps that’s more indicative of its quality than comparing it to something it’s not.

Torna ~ The Golden Country manages to offer both a similar and distinct experience to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 at the same time. The prequel builds superbly on the main game’s lore, providing a fantastic experience for fans just looking to see more of the world. Meanwhile, those looking for a more mature story and cast will absolutely get on board with Lora, Jin, Addam, and the rest of the crew. It’s almost a shame that the time we get to spend with them is so short in comparison. Monolith Soft has created another excellent experience for Switch owners to get stuck into.