Derek Heemsbergen's Reviews
Mercenaries Saga Chronicles is about as straightforward as a strategy RPG can be, its greatest asset being an impressive volume of content that eclipses its meager asking price.
Curiously lean on the magic that made Secret of Mana a seminal classic, this remake is serviceable in a pinch, but revisiting the original is probably a better use of time.
Smoothing out the wrinkles, Perfect Chronology evens out to an experience of roughly the same calibre as the well-worn original.
Calling The Longest Five Minutes a deconstruction of 8- and 16-bit RPG tropes is only half-true, as it turns around and reconstructs those same tropes by journey's end. Still, it's a brisk and amusing adventure that knows how to play to its strengths.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is an affront to the Final Fantasy legacy whose superficial beauty fails to obfuscate its complete lack of substance.
Lost Sphear's classically-styled RPG bones can scarcely bear the weight of its uninspired narrative.
Romancing SaGa 2 is an alluring blend of esoteric and impenetrable that is as vexing as it is fascinating.
Is it the dream sequel we've been waiting for? My gut says that while it's an excellent RPG in its own right, it's going to fall just shy of measuring up to Shulk's magnum opus.
A charming throwback to 32-bit era JRPG aesthetics, Zwei's quirkiness and polish make it worth playing in spite of the repetition at its core.
Cat Quest is a mobile phone game turned Switch RPG that has an adorable facade, cat puns, and not much else.
.hack//G.U. Last Recode is a fascinating novelty, but makes a better impression as a time capsule than a compelling video game in 2017.
Chaos;Child is a grim, gory murder mystery that could have been brilliant with some judicious edits to its content and pacing.
Etrian Odyssey V is a digital adventure that leans analogue, with pen-and-paper sensibilities that delight far more than they frustrate.
Bad Apple Wars' lean tale of passionate teenage love in purgatory is, in a word, fine. But "fine" doesn't leave a lasting impression.
A limp, repetitive gameplay loop and uncomfortable characterization rob Blue Reflection of the magic it tries so desperately to create.
Danganronpa V3 unravels the series' tightly wound coil of bloody intrigue in spectacular fashion.
Ys SEVEN remains a hard-rockin', wall-crushin' paragon of the action RPG genre.
Ys VIII is a smooth and speedy action RPG that is weakened by a curious proclivity to pander to trends instead of carving out its own niche in the space this series helped to define decades ago.
Tokyo Xanadu is a surprisingly generic Persona wannabe from a developer that I know can do far, far better.
Dream Daddy is a sharp and humorous visual novel that unfortunately erases the notion of queerness from male-male relationships.