It is fun, has some interesting ideas, provides a challenge at times and is surely worth five bucks, especially if you like puzzle games.
The $39.99 price tag may bring pause to some gamers, but the length of the main scenario justifies the price. The gorgeous art, choice fan service, enthusiastic voicing and compelling overall story make the game an easy sell for those who like visual novels, although the appeal ultimately won’t be as great as something like Zero Escape or Phoenix Wright.
Yet the game fails to genuinely engage most of the time, leaving the player to observe when they should be making choices and doing things. It lacks clear objectives and direction, never making you feel like you've made any progress or done anything important. It's just plain boring too much of the time to recommend whole-heartedly.
MeiQ really isn’t that bad of a game. The beautiful artwork, fresh spin on combat, guardian building and elegant solution to power leveling are all strong elements. The environments are vast, though lacking in substance, and the shallow narrative is held up by likable characters with lots of… plot. However, with so little nuanced challenge, harshly repetitive gameplay, mindless combat, unexciting story progression, no class or otherwise deep customization systems, barren maps and unrewarding exploration, item creation and character building in general, it falls far short of the genre’s best and barely executes, much less improves upon a seemingly simple formula.
Despite all that it’s lacking, such as an interesting stories and characters, sophisticated or innovative combat mechanics, and compelling game-play outside of the dungeon, Dungeon Rushers can provide an entertaining experience for genre fans. It’s chock full of humor, has a colorful nostalgic visual style and has solid combat mechanics offering a decent challenge.
The artwork is simply stunning, so fans of Japanese animation or games in general have something to come for. Unless you’re a hardcore genre fan, it may also go far enough to scratch your rail shooter itch. If then you’re also allured by the story and getting to intimately know all of the main cast members, then I think you’ll love this game. Again, it’s packed to the brim with Japanese fan service which I myself generally love. In a sequel though, maybe it can add some interesting gameplay to supplement that.
If you are someone who loves the source material or just generally can dig the quirky, light, and very Japanese appeal of this kind of title, Phoenix Fiesta is worth a shot. If, however, you came for a deep JRPG or a sophisticated action game or a thrilling, edge of your seat visual novel, be aware that you will most likely come away feeling disappointed.
There is fun to be had here, a good deal perhaps, especially for fans of visual novels. The beautiful visuals, compelling dark atmosphere and interesting story and dialogue are all strong reasons to give this a go. Be aware though that the jarring combat breaks up the flow of the game and sends the fun factor plummeting. It’s unfortunate that it would be so much easier to recommend as a simple visual novel.
I like how the game continually adds new challenges and mechanics up through the campaign. Having to retry various parts pads the length of the game, which is actually relatively short. Lumo has some bright moments with interesting puzzles but it doesn’t have much else.
There is definiteley some value here for those who would recognize all of the characters and events, but even that elite will have to navigate the gameplay, which for all its playable characters is about as deep as a puddle and just slightly more fun.