Demon Gaze II is only one or two tiny steps away from breaking away from its genre trappings to be a game that is so good that people who don't usually like the dungeon crawlers should give it a play. The developer has done a great job in making the game more accessible (while still leaving plenty of ultra-difficult stuff there for the really committed), and the art direction for the characters and monsters is so vivid and vibrant that you can't help but admire them.
This release is perhaps an anthology that could never hope to appeal to any but the nostalgic, but I have to hope that one or two people out there might be twisted just enough to enjoy the way that these games seem to enjoy messing with their heads.
Dungeons 3 looks and plays simply compared to some of the other strategy games out there, but there's a definite depth of challenge to the game that, coupled with its sense of humour and excellent co-op mode, make for the perfect game to kick back with on a lazy weekend afternoon and some beers. It's hard not to love it for that.
About the best thing I can say about it is that it's not overly long, which in itself will sound like a criticism to some, but after witnessing Persona 5 ruin itself by being fifty hours long, I've come to admire JRPGs that know not to outstay their welcome. Revenant Saga at least knows that its ability to hold my attention is limited.
You need to be patient and committed to get much out of ELEX, but give it a chance, and there's a soul in there that should grow on anyone who enjoys their RPGs.
Numantia has really impressed me in the way that it has inspired me to learn more about the conflict it depicts, and it has done a really good job of accurately recreating the surprisingly varied range of battles, locations, and twists and turns that occurred through the war.
It's the humour and presentation that makes No More Heroes VR worthwhile in the end.
This is the best game in the Assassin's Creed series.
A much larger roster of characters build on the gorgeous lore and setting established in the first, and solidify Nights of Azure as one of the most distinctive and original JRPG franchises going around. Keep building on this, Gust. It's going well.
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows looks like a game that would be easy to make. But telling a horror story this effectively with so few words takes a mastery of the genre that very, very few possess.
It's not an original game by any means, though it also doesn't do anything wrong. I'd be surprised if this game was still finding new fans at this stage, but it's not a bad one to have on the Nintendo Switch for playing on the go either.
I never managed to actually get someone to play this with me. They took one look at the single player game, with all its misfiring attempts at nostalgic glory, and begged me to play something else instead.
I don't actively dislike Don't Knock Twice. I just find it painfully bland and generic... and really, it's harder to forgive that in the horror genre than almost any other.
There's quite a few levels to work through in Jydge, so you'll get your money's worth.
The whole experience feels so utterly soulless it's hard to really care about any of it.
Fire Emblem Warriors is, for my mind, the best of the licensed Warriors titles. It was Arslan previously, and I really love Arslan still, but the respect that Fire Emblem Warriors has for its roots, and the way that it's cleverly melded the tactical atmosphere of that series while keeping the pacey action of the Warriors formula, is truly impressive stuff.
Echo is a resounding win.
The social commentary in this game is pretty spot on and I got more than my own fair share of laughs, even at my own expense at times as some jokes hit close to home. The fact that this is an RPG that plays really well and has a solid and surprisingly deep battle system is just the icing on the cake.
Chaos;Child is a smart crime fiction/ science fiction mix that might be a little too subtle for its own good. It's a demanding game, not because it's difficult or has gamey elements, but rather because it asks for complete focus and imagination from its players. Thankfully, with a core theme that is both poignant and fundamentally interesting, this is a game that I've been more than willing to make that commitment to.
Red Lantern have proved themselves to be masters of both narrative and game design, and nothing would make me happier than for the whole world to come and appreciate the unique Taiwanese flavour that Detention brings to the indie game scene.