Derek Heemsbergen's Reviews
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.
Technically messy and relentlessly shallow, The Caligula Effect is one taboo better left unbroken.
Exhaustingly trite and mechanically shallow, A.W. Phoenix Festa is a waste of memory card space better occupied by something like Steins;Gate.
Oceanhorn is a passable-at-best adventure that just made me want to go back and play the games it took everything from, because they did it better.
A dense and impenetrable creature-management simulation that relishes in gut-punching the player every time they make progress.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is an affront to the Final Fantasy legacy whose superficial beauty fails to obfuscate its complete lack of substance.
A visually appealing but ultimately trite series of references to much better games.
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.
A limp, repetitive gameplay loop and uncomfortable characterization rob Blue Reflection of the magic it tries so desperately to create.
Cat Quest is a mobile phone game turned Switch RPG that has an adorable facade, cat puns, and not much else.
Tokyo Xanadu is a surprisingly generic Persona wannabe from a developer that I know can do far, far better.
It's a shame that Root Letter has such abysmal writing, because there truly are some fascinating plot threads to unravel throughout this brief journey.
This anime-styled fighter goes plus ultra for fans of the My Hero Academia franchise, but its lackluster single-player content feels phoned in.
While indisputably overflowing with cartoonish charm, the more tedious aspects of The Swords of Ditto's design prevented me from fully engaging with everything it has to offer.
Lost Sphear's classically-styled RPG bones can scarcely bear the weight of its uninspired narrative.
Exist Archive is an intriguing follow-up to Valkyrie Profile, but its deficiencies in some major areas make it a hard sell in a season already packed with stellar RPGs.
A novel, thematic conceit is the most interesting element of this repetitive experience; the rest is weighed down by crybaby characters and vague, unsatisfying gameplay objectives. Atelier is overdue for a revamp.
The clumsiest Atelier title since Rorona, Atelier Firis lacks the heart, soul, and polish of its predecessors.
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.
Romancing SaGa 2 is an alluring blend of esoteric and impenetrable that is as vexing as it is fascinating.