Chris Gollmer
I was surprised by Omega Quintet, and extremely happy to say that this game has fixed a lot of those particular issues in my experience. Omega Quintet still has its flaws – mainly involving story and battle balancing – but it's one of the better titles that I've played from them and enjoyed. This game is a very welcoming addition to the Playstation 4's library and I really hope any avid JRPG player will enjoy this title.
Etrian Mystery Dungeon has a few good twists on the roguelike formula but could have strived for a little more diversity in the dungeon experience. There were a few kinks in gameplay, which are minor issues they will hopefully fix. The classes are fun and diverse, allowing for interesting combinations. This is not a revolutionary title, but it will be a great experience for people unfamiliar with rogue-type games or for those who want an easier time of it. Purists may not be as happy with its challenges.
The battle system is a well-thought-out tactical setup that brings all necessary attributes to a minimal core but, for me, the choppy flow, the time required, and the harshness of the ridiculously skewed battles yielded too little reward to continue progressing enthusiastically.
I think they got a great slew of character's that mesh well (maybe not Pippin), on-point music, fun combat, customizable upgrades and with a decent story that doesn't go incredibly outlandish which some of their titles do. The main gripes I have are mostly the zoomed in camera feel from dungeon navigating, frame-rate issues when moving the camera around alongside actions, and lack of world exploring, and lastly – the game can also get easy when going midway on in the game.
Suffice to say, this game produces with guns blazing. It's a refreshing take on roguelike games that adds multitude of learning paths and difficulty curves. Crypt of the NecroDancer has rewarding gameplay and amazing, intelligent music-oriented gameplay which makes this game stand out amongst most rogue-likes. The game has a ton of potential to grow, even more of which I am excited to see what Brace Yourself will produce more with this title.
Luckily enough, I find that with Akiba's Trip being a slightly watered down Way of the Samurai, it's a lot easier for anyone to get into it. With a direct story and no time limit, the game allows the player to take in the experience of a delightfully weird, quirky, otaku-crazed story coupled with fun, engaging gameplay, in the immersive world of Akihabara.