The Gunvolt series has fantastic music, and GUNVOLT RECORDS: Cychronicle feels like a natural spin-off. It also plays pretty well. I’m just disappointed in Inti Creates excluding so many tracks to sell separately and the final 3D model designs for the three heroines. If you enjoy the series’ songs, it’s probably a good idea to check the tracklist to see if ones you enjoy are in the base game and maybe pick it up if they are.

The most heart-wrenching aspect of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree comes when you successfully complete a run. You’ll have to sacrifice whichever character you designated as your Kagura, and seeing your eight dear friends slowly disappear one by one actually hits hard. The theme of sacrifice is strongly woven into the narrative of this game, and it’s probably the most powerful thing about it. If more of the game’s beats hits as hard as this one, it would be easier to recommend. Ultimately, this is just another decent roguelite action game, albeit one with a couple of interesting ideas and a lot of personality.

The idea behind Dosa Divas is sound and I like Amani and Samara as individuals, but the overall experience is so uneven. The narrative structure feels off, with poor pacing and an odd way of trying to tell the story and foster connections. The QTEs for combat and cooking can get demanding in some situations, though in others they sort of exist and always feel the same. By the end of it, I found myself wondering if maybe it would have all worked better as a graphic novel that could have better told the tale instead.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a release held together by sentiment and atmosphere, partly because that aspect of the game is so good and partly because the remainder of the game is so devoid of merit. Like NES Remix before it, it lives in a liminal space between viable gameplay ideas. If it were supposed to be a punishing speedrunning challenge, it would give players one try in the weekly championship and offer more long events. If it were a WarioWare-like fun time, it’d have a faster pace and a lot more variety. If it were a weekly Nintendo Switch Online diversion, it’d be a lower-commitment free download built around a real-time experience. And, well, it’s none of those.

And I think this is largely reflective of what the Disgaea series is now, underdeveloped and lackluster when compared to previous entries. It feels like a lot of the production costs were cut for Disgaea 6, as the game only features voice acting during specific moments and largely isn’t present for even a bulk of the story events. Disgaea 6 isn’t a bad game, but it has definitely suffered due to the waning popularity of the series.

This game features one of the best single player modes for a Dragonball Z game ever. The mode also has enough depth that you will get a decent amount of gameplay playing through it. Future developers take note, this is how a Dragonball Z game should be made. [JPN Import]

Over a decade after its release, Freedom Wars Remastered is a competent action RPG with a surprisingly engaging gameplay loop and combat system.

I wanted to like Biomorph more than I did. Despite good visuals and a strong start, it eventually neglects its most interesting mechanic and becomes tedious. In the end, despite its best efforts, it ends up being just an average attempt at an already crowded genre.

Cassette Boy is at its best when challenging you to rethink your perspective to solve puzzles in this The Legend of Zelda and Fez style adventure. There are times when it can really test you and make you think! The minimalistic design direction is also a highlight. However, some combat elements can occasionally feel finicky, especially when the bow is involved. It definitely can be quite clever, and it’s well worth at the very least trying the demo if you also enjoyed games like Fez.

A lot of fun to play. The game captures the spirit of the Dynasty Warriors series and improves on them. Although, the game does suffer from the same technical problems that many old NES games suffer from slowdown and lack of graphical detail.

Etrange Overlord is packed with personality, with a story and songs that show love for the shojo trope where the villainess is actually the good guy. Etrange herself is a standout, and it’s silly and over-the-top without being ridiculous. But as delightful and refreshing as the narrative and soundtrack can be, the battles get boring fast. It’s incredibly repetitive! But at least those stages tend to be short, so you can race through them and get back to the campy story.

The Crush House is an interesting game that combines FPS elements with exploration, time management, and strategy, all with a narrative that makes you want to marathon the game all the way to the season finale. It’s a game that can only ever be a game, as the impact of the story wouldn’t be the same in another format. While enjoyable, I do suggest having something else to do on hand. Once the audience gets what they want, the drama of reality TV loses its luster, leaving nothing but vapid and repetitive content behind.

Another Code: Recollection doesn’t make huge changes to the overall formula of the games, as they’re still very introductory and in one case short adventures. However, these Switch remakes look fantastic and are quite impressive in terms of how well they adapt the titles. If someone is looking for games with solid stories or is looking for a first adventure game for someone, this collection is a good fit.

Haven is a game that tries and sometimes succeeds. Its gameplay loop allows for ease of access when picking up and putting the game down. However, it doesn’t break any kind of mold or improve on any story that hasn’t already been told. While the narrative may resonate with some, others may bounce off of it hard. The artstyle will please those who have an eye for cel-shaded character models and environments, and the combat will be satisfying for those interested in something a little more interactive. If you’re looking for something to fill the space between upcoming releases, Haven might just be what you’re looking for.

Garden Story feels like the game you get when you’re aiming for a relaxing action-RPG. People need your help, and they’d like to assist you too if they can. There’s a colorful, arboreal world that needs restoring. It will take time to recover and set things right. But as long as you go at your own pace and make time for people, you can help people in this game.

While Let’s School is a lot of fun and has a lot of cute ideas, its implementation can sometimes be rough. It definitely feels more for people who want to play a business simulator, rather than a more hands-on one. Though easy to pick up, it can turn monotonous fairly quickly, even after you unlock new mechanics such as talking to other schools or exploring the regions around you. There are victory conditions you can work towards. However, you can go about it passively since all three of them are so linked to the way the game naturally encourages you to play. Let’s School does not feel like a game you can enjoy for hours on end, but you’ll certainly have a good time while you’re in the early stages. In that sense, it feels more like being a student than being a headmaster.

An engaging action game from start to finish that is a blast to play. [JPN Import]

Dragon Quest Treasures is a lot! It offers tons to do. Players get diverse islands to explore, many quests to complete, and an ample assortment of monsters to collect. It is clearly the sort of game someone is supposed to pick at for weeks. The downside is, it can almost be too overwhelming when it comes to how many tasks fall into your to-do list. As long as you take your time (and regular breaks to rest your thumbs after all the digging), it’s a manageable and sometimes even memorable experience.

The best part is the fever mode, which adds a fresh element of counterattacking to the puzzle fighting genre.

UNBEATABLE absolutely offers tons of style and an exceptional soundtrack, but sometimes I felt a bit let down by the execution of the story and its rhythm game elements. The idea behind the narrative is amazing and I love the plot, but I hated the sharp transitions that sometimes made it feel choppy. The traditional rhythm game moments are fantastic, especially in the arcade mode when you can savor all the tracks and take on challenges, but sometimes the rhythm minigames missed the mark for me. It very much feels like a title where, while it’s quite enjoyable now, I think it will be even better in a few weeks after some patches.

If you already own and like "Samurai Warriors," Xtreme Legends is something you will love. However, if you're expecting it to be a solid stand alone title, it doesn't have that much to offer.

I was still incredibly impressed with Atomfall. Dense maps filled to the brim with things to discover. A strong delivery of world-building and storytelling. Engaging gameplay that wasn’t afraid to ask more of me. Not to mention impeccable sound design! It kept me on my toes as much as it convinced me of the spaces I was travelling through. In the end, I was thoroughly happy. I wanted more of this world and its secrets. If that phone ever starts ringing again, I will definitely answer.

Boyfriend Dungeon is satisfying and very good at making you care about its weapon-people (and cat). The gameplay loop is among the most addictive I’ve seen, especially since it is constantly rewarding you with more scenes with its characters and opportunities to get stronger. Which does put a damper on the elements that aren’t quite perfect. Jesse and Olivia could have been handled better as NPCs, only having two dungeons right away makes it feels like things end too quickly, and I hated having to be the bigger person and keep dealing with an antagonist. That said, when the heavily teased additional characters and dungeon come out, I absolutely can’t wait to return to Verona Beach.

With two different quests, multiplayer support, awesome graphics, and rock solid gameplay this game is a hands down winner. [JPN Import]

Kingdom of Paradise has a solid combat system, which makes it an entertaining diversion from meatier RPGs. [JPN Import]

Generally, it is easy to dig into Ground Divers. Yes, it gets very difficult very quickly. Sweltering Sand Wasteland is a wake-up call after Secret Bamboo Springs. However, the game is manageable if you pay attention and wisely direct Tsuruhashi. There’s a charm to it. Not to mention the different difficulty levels and additional challenges for each region offer a reason to go back and get the three stars to fully “complete” them.

Darwin’s Paradox can be a lot of fun, but how much you enjoy it depends on how much you enjoy stealth games where dangerous enemies chase you. It’s short and sweet, saying all it needs to in its brief runtime. It can be exceptionally clever, especially in its first half. However, after the halfway point there are some absolutely obnoxious sequences with some real baddies chasing Darwin and a few particularly annoying stealth segments in certain chapters.

It’s not a radical reimagining of the original Wii Sports, but Nintendo Switch Sports does a good job of translating a lot of the fun to a modern system. But the fun is largely about playing with friends. The three same-y court sports drag the collection down a bit, but we’re hopeful that the good parts will be augmented by further development support in the future.