DragonSword: Awakening lands at a strange moment for the hobby, between console makers acting like the villain of the story and physical media getting phased out one release at a time. It’s genuinely nice to see something take a normally predatory genre, strip out the predatory part, and sell the rest for thirty dollars. It’s not without its seams.
Ultimately, Blue Reflection Quartet isn’t something I’d recommend to most RPG fans. It’s more for those seeking a light, character-focused visual novel about heroines balancing high school life with a looming world-ending crisis, leaning far more into the former.
Splatoon Raiders is a real tonal shift for the series, and it works far more often than it falters. Splatoon Raiders holds its own alongside the grind-heavy RPGs it draws from, but there are still a few blank spots to fill before it can claim a spot at the very top.
Disgaea Mayhem isn’t broken, and it’s fine for short play sessions. But it plays it incredibly safe, borrowing the series’ style and humor while stripping away most of what made the main games unique.
Endless Ragnarok doesn’t reinvent Granblue Fantasy: Relink. It’s the same core game, just with some extra content tacked on to keep veteran endgame players grinding for a few more weeks.
Voidling Bound cleverly reinvents the creature-collector formula in combat, but is hampered by a limited species count and a difficulty system that demands nothing from you while offering little reward for pushing yourself.
The Adventures of Elliot comes close to nailing it when it lets you loose and explore a world across eras at your own pace. There’s a lot to like; it looks great, exploring is fun, and it feels good to play. It falls short when it comes to likeable characters and having a story to care about.
Minor flaws aside, LumenTale: Memories of Trey is very fun and feels like the real deal.
There’s a lot to like about Rise of the Tomb Raider if you ignore the rehashed story and average gunplay.
Gothic Remake proves it is still possible to build one, and to build it without a soulslike label, without hand-holding disguised as inclusion, and without ever once doubting whether the player can handle what is being asked of them.
Calamity Angels: Special Delivery is a game that shines more in concept than in execution.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is a pretty good and gripping experience, but there is no doubt that it fails to escape the long shadow of Disco Elysium. It’s not as funny or deep and comes across as a bit lightweight.
Starbites has the nostalgic heart of a long-lost PlayStation 2 classic. Play it, assemble the Heroic crew the right way, then relax and enjoy roaming through the world of Bitter. Lukida is doing good, give her a chance!
Nitro Gen Omega was a delightful surprise in 2026, especially since the year’s midpoint hadn’t offered much for fans of this genre to celebrate.
Pragmata is a nearly flawless achievement. It is a game built on a bold mechanical concept, executed with precision, and elevated by a central relationship characterized by extraordinary emotional intelligence.
While Kingdom’s Return isn’t a bad game, at Inti Creates, “not bad” simply isn’t good enough.
It’s important to compare this to Ys X: Nordics, a game that also made a significant impact. While Nordics is a solid title, Revelations in Celceta, presented here at its best, is truly exceptional. Returning to Celceta is a journey you owe to yourself.
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Combat lacks depth, customization lacks variety, and multiplayer fails to deliver beyond its surface promise. What remains is a conveyor belt adorned in charming visuals, moving at a pace that never allows the experience to evolve into something greater. Etrange deserved a stronger game, and so do we.