The fun, fast paced combat, complimented by the wonderful chemistry between the two leads and an intriguing story that culminates in a final boss that is my favorite of the entire franchise thus far, Ys X: Nordics is easily one of the best entries in the long running series and an easy recommendation to anyone that enjoys ARPGs.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a fantastical adventure, brought to life in expert fashion by a team with all the experience and talent they needed to achieve a vision which truly feels like a culmination of the many lessons learned throughout their storied legacy.
With an interesting premise and a solid combat engine, Reynatis has the foundations of a good game. However, the myriad of questionable game design choices, ugly visuals and an uninteresting story makes for a hard sell for anyone but the most enthusiastic action RPG fan.
Even though I still want Capcom to go the distance and really take the remastered Ace Attorney games to the next level by adding some level of VOs, the effort put into this remaster impressed me more than their previous attempts. As the games have aged very well, I’m just glad that all those that skipped Ace Attorney Investigations games or missed out of its sequel due to lack of official localization will now have the chance to experience a wonderful story that deserves to be remembered.
While Visions of Mana did not end up being the title that will take the series to the next level due to its issues with clunky combat, pedestrian difficulty and lackluster story, it’s still a solid entry to this long running series and a step in the right direction for what I hope will be continued to be improved upon for the next entry.
Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- is a remake handled with expert care and fully realized without losing any elements that makes the original a legendary classic of the genre. It stands as one of the pinnacles of the genre and makes me feel truly fortunate that the original to this wonderful remake is the title that kicked off a love affair with visual novels that endures to this date.
As a first-time console and genre effort from a developer best known for making the self-proclaimed, “one handed shooting game”, Stellar Blade is an extraordinary effort that impressed from beginning to end with an expert mix of story, combat and exploration. Despite the few shortcomings that prevent it from allowing it to stand shoulder to shoulder with the giants of the genre, it’s one that has painted Shift Up in a completely new light, and I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on what they have in store next.
As a remake of one of my favorite games of all time, Persona 3 Reload had a lot more to live up to than it was reasonably expected to accomplish. Despite the lackluster PC port and not including all the desired content in the original package, P3R marks a significant improvement from the original across the board, providing the best way to experience this timeless tragedy for the first or fifth time.
It’s really quite a shame because at its core, Uni 2 is a wonderful fighter with incredible depth and plenty of style to spare. The sheer amount of freedom in how I can control my character is second to none in all the fighters I’ve played but the awful PC port and the numerous game breaking issues on launch that have resulted in a dwindling player base makes it harder to recommend than it should be.
Despite its tumultuous development cycle, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a grand achievement that impressed from beginning to end with its fantastic presentation and thrilling set pieces- brought together as a total package with a cast of unique playable characters and satisfying combat that I can see myself continue to “Zeta Dive” back into for many more hours to come.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a compilation title that succeeds thanks to the quality and quantity of content on offer more so than the effort it has been given to remaster each individual game. Having said that, it’s a great way for veterans of the series to revisit these classics as well as a nice way for those who have been following up on these re-releases to finally catch up to all the mainline entries released thus far. Surely, this means we’ll get a new Ace Attorney game in the near future, right? RIGHT?! CAPCOM!?
Despite its few shortcomings, Fate/Samurai Remnant is a great addition to the Fate media empire that can be enjoyed by hardcore Fate fans and newcomers alike.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is a redemption and course correction that the series sorely needed to compete against some fantastic FGs out on the market already. If not for the overpriced DLC and lackluster single player content, it could have been “THE” anime fighter to beat. As it stands, it’s one I’m sure to go back to play from time to time and eager to see played at a high level during the majors coming later this year.
Lords of the Fallen is a marked improvement over the original and the mechanic of traversing between two realms makes it feel unique among its contemporaries. If not for a handful of questionable design choices and an overall lack of polish, this could have been something special.
The very worst offense of it all is that normally, when a game is bad, I would have to suffer through it once and get to move on. In the case of Loop8, it forced me to experience the same exact terrible content over and over again by its very design, breeding a sense of resentment towards a game I haven’t felt in a very long time.
Circling back to the question that I pondered for all those years- with all the great new talent and abundant resources in tow, FromSoftware has brought Armored Core back in glorious fashion with their finest overall entry in the series history yet. Whether you’ve never heard of Armored Core before or are a die hard fan that’s been waiting a decade for a new release, this mission to Rubicon 3 is one not to be missed.
While not quite reaching the heights of the Danganronpa series, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is great spiritual successor to the cult classic and whether this is the beginning of a new franchise or if it will be a stand-alone title, it marks a return to form for Tookyo Games.
As an epilogue to cap off a series spanning a whopping NINE games, Trails into Reverie delivers in all the areas that makes this one of the best RPG series on the market, featuring impeccable world building, compelling, nuanced characters and an enjoyable combat engine with plenty of room for experimentation. In a way, this entry feels like a reward for all those who have stuck with the series thus far and as we look towards Calvard and the future of the series as a whole, we can rest easy knowing that we’ve sent the heroes off in style, without any regrets.
While not quite living up to the “Advance” moniker in its title, Advance Wars provides a satisfying SRPG experience with its solid strategic combat and a wealth of content- making it a worthwhile addition to the library of any die-hard SRPG fan.
SFVI’s launch marks an impressive effort by Capcom, having learned from previous failings and while the lackluster World Tour mode and gross battle pass stains an otherwise spotless package, it still shines brightly as the new standard for fighters to come.