Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is by no means a mainstream horror game, is the point that I’m making through this review. However, it is incredible. In the context of the broader Project Zero series, it’s going to be fondly remembered. It’s hard to look past Project Zero 2 as the masterpiece of the series, but the intensity of the atmosphere and strength of the narrative in this one means that this one isn’t far behind. More importantly, however, is that in 2023 this is one of those surprisingly rare attempts at a Japanese horror game, as opposed to a horror game made by Japanese developers. They’re different things, and this game is not only an excellent piece of entertainment, but it is also an enormously useful resource for anyone that wants to understand the aesthetics of horror outside of the western mainstream.
With the exception of the poor localisation, Ruku’s Heart Balloon is the epitome of good-naturedness, and has actually been built with confidence and expertise around that. Whether this is the very first game you’ve ever played (I can’t imagine too many toddlers read DDNet, but hey, welcome!), a parent looking for a way to connect with your kids, someone with a non-gaming spouse or an esports professional that is looking for something that’s going to give them a break from those toxic communities, Ruku’s Heart Balloon has a little something for everyone.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a really majestic epic, and a stunning new interpretation of a book that has already been interpreted so many times in video games. It’s a compelling telling of the story, backed up with one of the fastest and most entertaining takes on Soulslike combat that we’ve seen to date. Just make sure you’ve got your energy drinks to hand. You’re going to need some serious focus thanks to the sheer speed and precision that this game demands.
I do appreciate the effort that went into Remorse: The List. The developers had a strong vision and did their best to execute on it. On a technical level, I also found it to be quite impressive for the Switch. There are much bigger games that struggle to lift to this visual and mechanical quality on that hardware. But, unfortunately, at the end of the day, this is a horror game where its enemies – which it relies on far too much to carry the experience – are more likely to make you giggle than sweat. That’s a death knell for any horror experience.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is Inti Creates at its safest, working in a genre it is most comfortable with. That’s not a criticism, given how talented the developer is at this stuff. If you enjoy the older Castlevania games, you’re going to love this. At the same time, as confident as this production is, it’s hard not to wish that the team at Inti Creates had pushed themselves a little further for this outing. It’s just a little too safe for broader appeal beyond its main niche.
Spy Bros. is fun. It’s by no means a classic arcade title, but it’s the kind of thing that you can pick up and have fun with in short bursts of time, particularly in multiplayer. Some will find the “all-ages” revision to be appealing too, precisely because this is the kind of game that everyone in the family can play, and enjoy together. It won’t last you like some other great arcade games, but it’s also priced nicely as an impulse buy and a chance to discover (half) of one of the more obscure titles in Toaplan’s history.
Octopath Traveler II’s core strength is its characters, and this bunch of eight heroes are some of the finest you’ll find in the genre. There’s a real emotional rollercoaster built into the way you’ll experience their stories stacked on top of one another, and it’s backed by some amazing worldbuilding, a slick and strategic combat system, and, of course, those stunning HD-2D aesthetics. The original was already exceptional. This is even better.
Like A Dragon: Ishin is an almost stunningly intelligent game and in so many ways it is superior to the (already brilliant) series that it has spun off from. The historical setting really does the formula favours, and the development team have done such an exceptional and highly refined job of balancing authenticity and entertainment, serious storytelling and humour. At the same time, they’ve also maintained the core action and gameplay structures that we all love about the series. It is, simply, impossible to put down, and will be a strong contender for the best thing you’ve played this year.
There’s not much else to say here. I am an Air Traffic Controller – Airport Hero Haneda is a simple, straightforward and clean simulation game, with a healthy hit of challenge and some delightful presentational qualities for the target audience (people that like airports and plains). It’s an incredible niche game and, without a doubt, most people will look at it and wonder what the appeal is. The tiny audience that will click with it, however, will absolutely love it.
Given that the only issue with Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is that the JRPG elements are superficial and unnecessary for the game (while not actually undermining the underlying rhythm game action), it’s hard not to see the effort as a monumentally successful project. With nearly 400 music tracks out of the box, excellent underlying rhythm game mechanics and, of course, the music being so good, this is a game that’s going to last even the most casual Final Fantasy fan for months. And then there’s the DLC with music from games outside of the Final Fantasy series to look forward to. That’s only going to add even more to the biggest value game on Switch.
That’s all it really needs to be to be worth your time and single dollar. Playing a bunch of matches in a row against random opponents online is a great way to spend an hour or two at a time. The online infrastructure is robust, matches are quick and sharp, and the time flies. You can’t ignore that eBaseball is a bigger (and better) series than this, and it is disappointing that it’s going to be the first introduction to it for a lot of people, but the fact it happened at all is such a positive sign of Konami’s intentions for the future.
Again I need to emphasise that Brave’s Rage does nothing wrong. It’s a perfectly competent game that belongs to a sub-genre that has become popular for a reason. There’s even a clever design element or two in the combat, and it’s clear that the developer (and I do believe the studio is a solo dev) has a talent for the craft. Unfortunately, the lack of identity or personality ultimately lets the game down. What could have been charming and bright quickly becomes mired in a loop of mediocre repetition that wears out its welcome well and truly before you get to the end.
Nonetheless, I had a very enjoyable time with the game. It’s like the “dark side” alternative to Port Royale 4 from a couple of years ago. In that title, you were incentivised to play the “nice guy” and exploit the Caribbean’s resources in establishing trade routes that lined your pockets with gold. In Tortuga, you’re taking all that back (for yourself, not because you’re a Robin Hood), and it acts like the other side of a coin that, combined, does a great job of encapsulating one of the most dynamic, dangerous, and fascinating periods of world history.
If you land within the niche it’s targetting, it’s difficult not to love Risen, warts and all. Piranha Bytes has, throughout its history, been really quite effective at capturing an “X-factor” that elevates its games to be something more than the sum of its parts. These are games made by people that love RPGs, for people that love RPGs, and while they’re not of the same scope or refined as something that comes from a BioWare or Bethesda, they are made by people who have clearly played so many sessions of Dungeons & Dragons. They know how to keep an RPG fan playing on, and Risen is an excellent example of that. I’m very glad it had a release on Nintendo Switch, finally got to play it (even if I needed to source it from overseas).
I’m sure Pocket Card Jockey started out as a fun side project for the people at Game Freak that wanted a break from Pokémon. What they delivered was a slick and cute hit, and hopefully, this time around it gets the attention it deserves.
It’s not the longest game, at about ten hours depending on how quickly you puzzle through it. However, there’s a haunting quality to Hob’s Barrow that will stay with you long after you finish playing. It’s a fine example of literary and gothic horror being brought to the video game medium, and that’s something I’ve been asking for more of in video games for quite some time now.
The action combat system in Sisters VS Sisters is a disappointment, and while it’s not so bad that it will prevent you from finishing the game, it is incredible that the developers at Idea Factory don’t just stick to a turn-based system where they are able to deliver a something of a much higher standard. However, combat has always been the secondary consideration with this series, and Sisters VS Sisters is in many ways a return to form in everything that matters to it. The satire is sharp and relevant. The characters are entertaining and endearing, and despite the sheer number of Neptunia games that have been released by now, Sisters VS Sisters finds a way to meaningfully contribute to and build on what has come before.
Fire Emblem Engage is everything I love about Fire Emblem, bundled up in a way that does justice to both the classics that got me into the series, and the production values of modern gaming. Brilliant.
Again, it’s important to understand that this isn’t a criticism of The Last Of Us. The game achieves what it sets out to achieve, admirably. However, as someone that enjoys poetry, philosophy, and layered meanings within texts that look beyond the literal story, I personally look to something like Persona 4 Golden. This is my kind of narrative and experience, and indeed, Persona 4 Golden is one of the best we’ve ever seen in this approach to storytelling. It’s a true masterpiece, and now it’s on your Nintendo Switch.
It’s unfortunate that Lone Ruin came about two years after the jokes about every indie doing a pixel roguelike became exhausting. It’s well-made and undeniably entertaining, but there’s so much competition in this space and the developers didn’t seem overly concerned with doing something that would actually differentiate their game. So yes. This is a mechanically very solid production that I can recommend to people that like difficult action roguelikes. Unfortunately, I’ll also likely forget about it by the time the next one of these comes along, and that’s probably sometime next week.