Donald Theriault


124 games reviewed
72.8 average score
75 median score
52.5% of games recommended
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Apr 25, 2021

The House In Fata Morgana had a profound effect on me: I now have an answer to the question of "what was the last game to leave you in tears", and they went from tears of sadness to joy after the main story's stinger. I'm not sure there's going to be another visual novel on Switch that hits me this hard - but I'd love to see someone try.

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Nov 30, 2015

Wii U owners and role playing fans, we have your White Whale.

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9.5 / 10.0 - SteamWorld Heist
Oct 26, 2016

Image and Form has been on their game with the SteamWorld series for years, and this is the definitive version of their best game to date. SteamWorld Heist is one of the best things any download service has to offer.

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9.5 / 10.0 - Persona 5
Jun 28, 2022

undefined.While I can't hold the choice of platform against Persona 5, I really wish I could have played this portably – for whatever reason, PlayStation Remote Play doesn't work in my environment and it would have saved me a week of real time. But I asked for a PlayStation 4 for Christmas largely so I could play it under the best circumstances, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Fingers crossed that Persona 5 takes after 3 and 4 and gets a portable version because by then I'll be ready to return to Tokyo.

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Oct 23, 2018

Since Into the Breach hit at the end of August, there has been a barrage of quality strategy games on the Switch, so it can be tempting to skip Valkyria Chronicles. But don't do it. It's a brisk game, and there are some things like the graveyard for fallen troops that I wish were carried into future titles. War may be hell, but Valkyria Chronicles is a little slice of heaven.

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9 / 10.0 - Stella Glow
Nov 13, 2015

As we come to the end of the year, I figured there'd be an Atlus-published strategy RPG on my game of the year list; I just never imagined there'd be two. But Stella Glow made beautiful music with my heart, and you definitely need to pick it up and get that soundtrack CD. Good night, Imageepoch – sadly, there will be no encores.

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Jun 27, 2017

Some of the meta-humor in Half-Genie Hero had to be explained, since this happened to be my first Shantae game. It definitely won't be the last – I've got all four now on various Nintendo systems, and I'll definitely dive into the ones I've missed. But you never forget your first, and I'm definitely "RET-2-GO" if WayForward brings it back.

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” I had several of the PS3 entries, including the remake of Symphonia, but they all ran together, so I tended to float away from them after 5-7 hours. Tales of Vesperia is the first Tales game that I've put significant time into since the original PlayStation, and frankly the Switch has made it so I can't finish super-long RPGs without some sort of portability. If you're looking for a jumping-in point for the series, Vesperia is the way to go.

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Jun 3, 2019

The end credits for the 3DS started rolling on March 3, 2017 and Persona Q2 is basically the post-credits scene. And it's a good scene that really makes me hyped to hopefully see more of the Persona series on Switch in a fashion besides musou and Joker in Smash. For now, make sure your 3DS is nice and stable, and start mapping those dungeons.

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Nov 4, 2020

After the exhausting dev process of Cosmic Star Heroine, I can see why Zeboyd Games went with a smaller project for this round. It's a simple game, with a hilarious cast of characters and it's about the length of the Home Alone duology. Cthulhu Saves Christmas is a nice way to wile away a snowy November day while trying to figure out how to convert to J.... planning your Christmas holidays.

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Mar 23, 2021

I put about 280 hours into Generations Ultimate and was playing it even up to the time this review goes live, but for mostly lack-of-PC reasons I never got into World. Monster Hunter Rise has enough content that I feel like I'll be able to go all the way with it, and be able to take on the new hunts as they're delivered. Even those who are just looking for a good action game, and have no history with the series, should jump in. If nothing else, I could use some help with Rathalos.

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Nov 4, 2021

Now that we've finally closed the book on the 2017 Switch presentation, I think Shin Megami Tensei V might be my favourite game to emerge from that show. That's not a comparison I make lightly given the other games that appeared that night, but for my money and time it was worth the wait. Pokemon might be ending the year of RPGs on Switch, but SMT V is the best monster catcher for your buck yet.

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Jul 5, 2022

My main Monster Hunter Rise file went into Sunbreak north of 230 hours, and I put another hundred into a hunter on an alternate profile that was used for review purposes. I don't think I'll double that time on my main before the next Monster Hunter comes out, but it might get close. Sunbreak is a must for anyone who's ever stared down a Rathalos and lived to tell the tale.

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9 / 10.0 - Persona 5 Royal
Oct 17, 2022

undefined.I have had some variation of "Port Persona 5 (Royal) to Switch you cowards" in my writing for years now, since it was my favorite game of 2017 - and given the company it'd be keeping in Nier Automata, Super Mario Odyssey, and the original Mario + Rabbids that's a high bar. It took me five and a half years to get a second playthrough for Persona 5, but the third might be faster than that if I can get through January's gauntlet quickly.

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undefined.It might be tempting to skip Trails to Azure, but even set apart from the exceedingly large franchise it's still another great RPG for the Switch. I'm looking forward to possibly replaying it with more knowledge of the events and try to take on more of the side content, since I had to take a hard critical path to get the review done. If I don't decide to fill in some of those Trails story gaps this spring….

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Aug 15, 2023

It seems as though the Zeboyd partnership is going on hiatus for a bit to recharge the batteries, but This Way Madness Lies is a nice game to go on break with. It's more of a sonnet than a full-on Shakespeare play, and the Switch definitely needs something short in this realm after some of the absolute marathons I've had to deal with recently.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Pokken Tournament
Mar 28, 2016

You start to grasp and understand it, which will make you a better player as a result. While there are things that local play and Ferrum League could have done better, I was just impressed with this game throughout. Pokemon is a delight already, but mixed with fighting? Well, that is a match made in heaven.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Toto Temple Deluxe
Oct 6, 2015

If you've got access to a group of friends who are down for some weird concepts and Capra-based shenanigans, Toto Temple Deluxe should definitely be on your radar. There's something just plain fun about hurtling yourself into a goat from three-quarters of a screen away in order to sneak out a one-point win. It's ludicrous, but it works, and I hope Juicy Beast has more of these concepts because I'm down for whatever they've got.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Tadpole Treble
Aug 16, 2016

My own lack of creative ability is keeping me from getting in and writing a great song in Composition, but even going back and getting the bubbles I’ve missed during the first playthrough will keep me hopping to Tadpole Treble. Definitely look into it if you have a creative spark or just love rhythm games.

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Mar 9, 2018

Although Magical Drop III isn't at the top of the Switch's tier list of puzzle games - Puyo Puyo Tetris and Ironcast are fighting for that spot - it's still a high-tier product. Even if you'll want to punch that stupid raven after losing for the 35th time, you'll want to try again. The Neo Geo wasn't really known for puzzle games, but this is the best that system had to offer.

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