Adam Vitale's Reviews
Redemption Reapers is a strange, sometimes admirable, and sometimes frustrating tactical RPG. It has several intriguing components conceptually, both in its narrative and mechanics. But in places it falters in execution, leaving behind an uneven though interesting experience.
Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society is an admirable follow-up to Labyrinth of Refrain, with polished gameplay systems, an intriguing storyline, and a lengthy runtime.
Despite a paper-thin narrative, shallow one-note characters, and a kitchen-sink approach to its many subsystems, Fire Emblem Engage is the best-looking 3D Fire Emblem title with excellent tactical gameplay.
Romancing SaGa is not for everyone, but if it hooks you, it may hook you *hard*.
Batora: Lost Haven is a boring RPG with tedious dialogue and lackluster level design, saved only by adequate combat, respectable art, and a mercifully short runtime.
Despite its rough edges, Asterigos is a solid action RPG with a satisfying story and competent combat.
Despite its various shortcomings, The DioField Chronicle is a refreshing take on strategy RPGs with satisfying gameplay systems and bold narrative design.
Spiders Studio tackles a different sub-genre of RPG with Steelrising, going for a Souls-like experience this time around. While competent, it doesn't achieve much to stand out from the crowd.
Soul Hackers 2 is an adequate, experimental Megaten entry with some bright spots, but it doesn't quite come together as well as I hoped it would.
Between an exceptionally well-written cast, a deeply satisfying combat system, and an amazing adventure that remarkably earns its very long run time, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a JRPG masterpiece.
Rising is a satisfactory introduction to the world of Eiyuden Chronicle, with great characters, writing, and art. However, the game structure and combat have a hard time standing on their own.
Wildermyth's procedurally-generated storytelling is genuinely impressive, and its tactical combat is solid, petting together a novel table-top-like RPG experience.
Dungeon Encounters is a certain type of RPG for a certain type of person. If you are a numbers-nerd who favors battles over story, this might be for you.
Atlus has never made a game like Shin Megami Tensei V before, for better and for worse. Despite some changes, the fifth entry is a solid continuation of a long-lived series.
A pixel-art Metroidvania-like action game that looks great, and plays well, but has a few odd design components.
This love letter to classic JRPGs has a lot of heart & charm, but is a bit rough around the edges.
When it comes down to it, Poison Control fails to do anything interesting in any manner. There's nothing about the game that is outright broken, but there is just no substance to anything at all. A forgettable nothing story, forgettable gameplay, tedious maps, all lead to an experience that is an easy skip.
SaGa Frontier Remastered is almost an impossible game for me to recommend to anyone with the expectation that it'll click. I can tell you it's a very unorthodox RPG, compelling in its unconventionally, and a delight to figure out. There's not much like it at all, and it's even somewhat of an oddball within its own series. SaGa offers a certain flavor of RPG not seen often elsewhere, and maybe it's one you'll like, though it's a bit of an acquired taste.
Returning to the Assassin's Creed series after a decade away, some things seem to never change.
The Outer Worlds - Murder on Eridanos is a sizable DLC offering that exhibits some fun murder-mystery hijinks with the same Outer Worlds flair you've come accustomed to in the rest of the game. With some niggling quest issues and an unsatisfying conclusion, I'm not sure if it is excellent enough to convince players to spend $15 and dust off a game they've already completed more than a year ago, but there's still fun to be had for those looking for more.