An amazing array of excellent features carried over from the first title, as well as multiple improvements both asked for by fans and added by the creative team at Acquire, lead Octopath Traveler II to be one of the most enjoyable lengthy titles I’ve played in years. Even during some small moments of grinding needed during my 70+ hours, the battle system, sidequests, and character customization always kept me fully engaged in the story and what I was experiencing. There’s little doubt that turn-based RPG fans will find incredible satisfaction from the title, and those who enjoy expansive lore and deep, customizable job systems will fall head-over-heels in love.

Far from an unqualified win, Wo Long does manage to be an entertaining ride. When it leans into the strength of its combat it’s a joy. But much like that combat, there’s a push and pull to the changes that never quite coalesce. The inclusion of jumping makes the levels more fun to explore but the addition of Morale blunts any surprise the exploration might yield. The level of freedom given to customizing weapons is admirable, but when parrying is always the most powerful option everything else feels flatter as a result. Still, with top notch combat and a good amount of player experimentation there’s a lot of fun to be had. Just don’t expect to be blown away.

There are some solid bones in Ishin that I want to see in other Like a Dragon games, such as the inclusion of Another Life in different forms, and its ability to transport players into a different historical timeline is both unexpected and well executed, even if there’s still room for growth. Where Like a Dragon: Ishin shines its brightest, however, is its reminder that video games can be both serious business and absolute fun. It’s what the series has made a name for itself doing, and this newest entry does not disappoint in that regard.

One Piece Odyssey is a blatantly predictable and run-of-the-mill experience. While it may seem obvious that an anime game is targeted to an audience familiar with it, one may wonder why to waste an opportunity to make it more democratic and attract new fans. The tweaks to the classic turn-based battle structure are welcome but fall short due to the game’s unchallenging difficulty and easy-to-break equipment system. Die-hard One Piece fans will be able to appreciate the game as an interactive reminiscence of its arcs with minor redesigns. Yet, those looking for a bold and unique game may need to look elsewhere.

So, Meg’s Monster is not a long game. It could have been, and substantially longer at that, but its creators chose to focus on the presentation of the narrative by paring away all non-essentials, and what is left is an adorable and occasionally heart-wrenching story of loss, regret, and found-family issues with fun combat and puzzle interludes. While it only takes a few hours, the blend of narrative, plot-essential battles, and occasional puzzle elements was fun to work through. Anyone in search of a short but satisfying experience should consider this one at some point.

8-Bit Adventures 2 deftly finds a way to combine nostalgic charm and heart in a manner to make everything feel alive. Combat never outstays its welcome and vibrant visuals combine with old-school music to create unforgettable moments on their own. The real heart of the game lies with the character work and depth to its story. These are characters that feel important and matter to the world around them, as every action is taken with purpose. There is a great adventure built on the foundations of the past that harnesses a story so full of personality that it stands alongside classics of the genre.

Fire Emblem Engage emerges as a decent but ultimately fairly forgettable entry in the series. It seems like a game undecided whether it wants to spend its time celebrating the past or leaving its own mark on the series, and doesn’t really do either. Combat is definitely its strongest point, and here tactical RPG fans will find much to appreciate, but other systems feel like they are there out of sense of obligation rather than being designed to fully complement it. It’s still a good and enjoyable game, but with a firmer direction it could’ve made more of an impact.

Tales of Symphonia deserves to be available to the widest audience, yet the lack of attention or care demonstrated here is troubling. Remastered feels like a cheap and lazy port, and that alone makes this version disappointing, despite the strengths of the game itself. Why should gamers reward these tactics when there are remasters of PSP games and more recently, other GameCube games, that are truly modernized? There was an opportunity here to release the definitive version of Symphonia on modern consoles for fans and first-timers. Instead, Bandai Namco has doled out an inferior port of a decade old re-release at double the price it is sold elsewhere. If the math doesn’t add up to you either, don’t worry: the PC version is still available.

It’d be easy to simply compare Chained Echoes to some of the classics that clearly inspired it and call it a day. But the game brings to the table a lot more than simple callbacks to Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, or Suikoden. It builds on the impressive groundwork set by these household names in such impressive ways that it easily establishes its own identity. Even those who have never played any of the above titans will be able to get into Chained Echoes without any trouble, and all that take the plunge are sure to be quite happy they did so.

As the debut title from a very small development team, Path of the Midnight Sun is a fine effort. It manages to find a decent spot where its visual novel and RPG trappings balance out without one overwhelming or undercutting the other, and the story and characters make for an interesting tale with enough that holds up for its length. It’s a game that allows players to take it at their own pace, to its benefit.

Replaying Valkyrie Profile after a decade of dear memories was such a joyful experience for me, and I’m elated for everyone who will finally get the chance to play this classic. While I wish Square Enix had put more effort into this release, I also recognize that it was a pack-in with Valkyrie Elysium. While the difficulty isn’t perfect and the platforming is consistently frustrating, the shortcomings are balanced by an enjoyable combo system and one of the most timeless stories found in gaming.

Persona 3 Portable is a classic that all RPG fans should play. Its features aren’t as polished as they are in the latest entries of the series, but it has a peculiar charm that makes it unique and irreplaceable. With an amazing story, great characters to bond with, and an extraordinary turn-based battle system, Persona 3 not only created fertile ground for the subsequent releases, but is back to captivate newcomers.

Overall, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope does a fantastic job building on the original’s success while retaining its laid-back and humorous approach to RPGs. Smart design choices bolster the game in terms of accessibility, graphical presentation, and characterization. Outside of a few flaws, fans of strategic turn-based RPGs or just Mario games, in general, will find a lot to love here.

I was pleasantly surprised when I heard that there was going to be a sequel to Doraemon Story of Seasons, and Friends of the Great Kingdom was a decent experience overall. It’s clear that it has learned from the previous game’s mistakes, fixing pacing issues and offering more activities to keep the experience varied. Friends of the Great Kingdom is a great game to chill out with, providing so much whimsy and silliness that it’s hard not to grin like a fool when playing it. Even though not all of the new content was a home run, it feels like the Doraemon Story of Seasons series has finally found its footing with room to blossom even further.

It was always going to be tough to follow-up Golf Story in an interesting manner, and one certainly can’t say there was a lack of ambition in what Sidebar Games was trying to achieve in Sports Story. However, fulfilling that ambition is another matter entirely, and ultimately the game leaves a sense of what could have been. Sports Story still has its moments and those who enjoyed Golf Story will be able to find some enjoyment at least. The game ultimately overshoots the green, but hopefully useful lessons will be learned in time for the next approach.

I am not such a purist that I can’t enjoy a lower-budget indie take on the Souls-like formula, and the team at GoldKnights shows its chops in several of The Last Oricru‘s aspects. The writing and world-building are enjoyable, and the vision of giving the player lots of choice in how the story should unfold has been well realized. But when it comes to combat and performance, the game is a mess. Even if one is lucky enough to avoid game-breaking bugs, combat is executed so poorly that it spreads its taint onto the rest of the experience. When having to restart a game completely due to a bug isn’t even the worst issue encountered, I think that about says it all. In the end, the development team has much to prove to bring the gameplay in line with the good elements it showed it is capable of.

While Harvestella’s combat is certainly not the strongest, its supporting elements provide such a strong base and structure that the game still readily rises up above the large crowd of titles released this year. Harvestella somehow manages to pull off some highly ambitious storytelling, accompanying with it a highly satisfying gameplay loop that is hard to put down. The game has a much stronger and widespread appeal than many may have been lead to believe heading into its release, and is an easy recommendation.

I finished Sword and Fairy: Together Forever after 35 hours of playtime, including a great deal of the sidequests and activities. With so many of the big modern RPG releases often requiring a massive time sink, it’s always nice to experience one that feels meaty without feeling bloated. The action RPG combat is enjoyable, if not outstanding, and the world and storytelling are really engrossing. While some aspects have room for improvement, the game left me optimistic for the future of the series, hopefully with more attention paid to the quality of the translation next time.

For a Vast Future has some interesting ideas in its combat system, but the balance of options just makes everything too easy. This ease and accessibility may be welcome for newcomers, but for veterans the main appeal ends up being the nostalgic views and sounds, while character development and overall plot are hindered by sparse words that leave little impact on their own. For a Vast Future feels like a fun walk down memory lane, albeit a breezy and brief one.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion is a game that fans of Final Fantasy VII and its remake will enjoy since many loose ends are tied up and beloved characters make a triumphant appareance. The game in its core is short and simple, with a massive amount of side content that isn’t very inviting to complete, but the effort put in the remastered version managed to make it a good addition to the series. The game can work as a hype-increaser before the arrival of the highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or as a motivator to revisit the story of Cloud.

Front Mission is a venerable SRPG series that appears to be turning a corner in the West. Front Mission 1st: Remake is a solid effort at remaking the first game in the series without modifying too much of what makes this game a classic. With announced remakes of Front Mission 2 and 3 forthcoming, it is an exciting time to be a Front Mission fan. While more effort could have been taken in actually modernizing and upgrading the game’s mechanics for modern sensibilities, Front Mission 1st: Remake preserves the integrity and depth of the original’s complex systems, even if these metal joints are starting to feel a bit rusty.

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.

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.

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.

Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered brings all the non-linearity of the franchise with some welcoming quality-of-life additions. The combat’s brutality will present a challenge even to hardened veterans and will be merciless to those who are just strolling by. The game isn’t for everyone; it requires both time and patience to learn how everything ticks. However, those willing to engage in the game, particularly across multiple playthroughs, can find a title packed with nuances and peculiarities that still stand the test of time.

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.

There’s a solid narrative foundation that can be built upon in The Divine Force. D.U.M.A is an overall delight that provides the best aspects of the narrative as well as the most interesting features in combat and Bohld’or is an excellent antagonist that ties in perfectly to hammer home the intriguing themes. This foundation is weakened by the many gripes with the execution. For a game with the theme of evolution, many of the game’s systems are stuck in the past or never grew to be competent, creating an uneven experience that by the end makes it frustrating to finish.

Shadows Over Loathing very much picks up where West of Loathing left off. The two games have a very similar appeal, focusing on fun first and foremost but providing plenty of depth in their puzzles and exploration to ensure players are well engaged throughout. Exploring Ocean City offers plenty of rewards for players, be it satisfaction from solving a tough puzzle or challenge, or simply a good chuckle at the strange goings on.