Pierre-Yves Lanthier's Reviews
Overall though, a complete run with side quests and puzzles should run about ten or so hours showing you how one set of decisions pans out before going back in for the other set. Hosting a solid combat system and visual presentation followed by a good musical track, I look forward to seeing what comes next from 40 Giants Entertainment as I don’t think they are quite done yet with Reverie Knights Tactics.
Overall though, Eternal Radiance was enjoyable. Being able to take the Switch from its dock and read through the visual novel portions before settling back into the TV for the action adventure RPG segments to have more visual real-estate, it was fun even if it wasn’t perfect. While still having some room for improvement from the hands-on gameplay side, I’m looking forward to sitting down to Visualnoveler’s previous Visual Novel work as both their visual art style and their writing for Eternal Radiance was easy to sit down and I enjoyed the time spent with Celeste on her journey of knighthood.
Overall though, Drakkar Dev and Blowfish Studios’ science fiction action adventure platformer mech based hack & slash Blackwind is a fun little adventure. You trek through the various areas that you’ll get to explore on the planet Medusa-42 as you play James Hawkins as he looks for his father.
Launching at a great time of the year right before the holidays where people may not still be getting together because of the latest twists and turns of the pandemic, Grim Dawn is a great excuse to get together with others for some online co-op to tackle the forces of evil from the safety and comfort of your own living rooms. With plenty of classes to try and combine and loads of content between Grim Dawn, the Ashes of Malmouth and the Forgotten Gods, the console edition of Grim Dawn: Definitive Edition is a good choice. Score: 8 / 10 ---- Grim Dawn: Ashes of Malmouth – PC Review https://chalgyr.com/2017/11/grim-dawn-ashes-of-malmouth-pc-review.html 2017-11-29 Overall, Ashes of Malmouth is a great addition to Grim Dawn and the care that Crate Entertainment have put in since the beginning of their Early Access is still there. They still listen to feedback, they still improve the core content all the while adding in new adventures to that map that still has some space that looks like it could be explored later down the line. Score 8 / 10 ---- Grim Dawn - Better with a Partner - PC Review http://www.chalgyr.com/2016/07/grim-dawn-better-with-partner-pc-review.html 2016-07-19 Crate Entertainment has put enormous effort into Grim Dawn since they've started which was clear to see throughout the various stages of its Early Access development. As it stands now there are still constant updates and the Crucible or even Custom Game option have yet to be implemented*. With a great game already in place for a solo or coop experience, it's entirely possible to see more added as a quick look at the world map shows that only a portion has thus far been used. Regardless of the case, Grim Dawn is up there for Hack and Slash RPGs. Score 8.5 / 10
Overall, fans of H.P. Lovecraft and Lovecraftian lore as well as fans of Cyberpunk and puzzles should check out Stormling Studios and publisher Iceberg Interactive’s Transient: Extended Edition. Plenty of crazy visuals with pieces of lore scattered about and a variety of puzzles made this Lovecraftian Cyberpunk thriller set in a post-apocalyptic future great to experience near the end of the gaming year.
So overall, while I do wish that there was more narrative and storytelling as I think Tandem: A Tale of Shadows could have really benefited from that addition, what’s being presented in terms of gameplay was both fun to play and challenging. From alternating points of view and visual presentations over to some creating puzzle solving, I think that Monochrome Paris and Hatinh Interactive have created something worth looking into.
Overall, if you were a fan of the original Blue Reflection I would suggest checking out its sequel, however fans of JRPGs in general should find plenty to love here. Various cast of characters each with their own quirks, multiple locations to explore and an interactive battle system will make the hours easily pass on by as Blue Reflection: Second Light is an enjoyable adventure taking the series into a new direction from the original Blue Reflection.
Overall though, The Lightbringer by Rock Square Thunder is a light hearted and maybe even entry level adventure for those thinking of getting into the style or for veterans needing something low key for an afternoon. Soft and bright colour palettes with an easy to pick up gameplay, it’s a relaxing game if you’ve been needing a break from forty hour adventure or daily grinds.
So overall, fans of RPGs, fans of the occult, fans of aliens, ghosts and crazy science experiments, I would seriously recommend checking out Cococucumber’s Echo Generation especially over Halloween which is the perfect time for this kind of story. Well written dialog and an interactive and engaging combat system supported by an amazing soundtrack, this is going onto my Game of the Year list.
"As a final statement, I have to say I’m incredibly pleased with the progress that has been made on the Skelter gameplay since I first picked the first title up on Vita and binged it for 3 days straight. Many a function have been refined, the combat feels smooth, if not a bit unfair at times, the tower exploration is fun, and the characters are all unique and interesting. There’s a reason the Mary Skelter series has cemented its place as my favorite dungeon crawler, and you really don’t want to miss it." – Richard "So overall, between all of the elements new and old, the dungeon crawling between various parties and having to think in more than just what’s in front of you alongside the amazing massive amounts of dialog to tell the story, Mary Skelter Finale closes the book on this amazingly and macabre fairytale series." – Pierre-Yves
So overall while Xuan Yuan Sword 7 doesn’t really do anything new mechanically, it’s still enough of a solidly built title especially if you’ve been needing a break from the open worlds that have been all the rage of late. With a duration of a dozen plus hours, the world looked great on the Series X and there’s enough bad dad jokes from Zixu to his sister to make you either laugh or groan while they explore the lands to get her real body back.
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1: Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered – Switch Review https://chalgyr.com/2021/09/review-switch-nisclassics-vol1-phantombrave.html "So overall, even if the quality of the sprites have not been updated to be as clear and crisp as the rest of the world and the interface, Phantom Brave alone is a worthwhile reason to pick up this package especially if you’ve never sat down to it. With a well written story and a great combat system that has a variety of quirks to master, there’s more than enough strategy here alone before getting into the second half of the package Soul Nomad & the World Eaters." Score: 8 / 10 Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1: Soul Nomad & the World Eaters – Switch Review https://chalgyr.com/2021/09/review-switch-nisclassics-vol1-soulnomad.html "So while Soul Nomad & the World Eaters hasn’t been upgraded from it’s PS2 version and is a direct port over to the Nintendo Switch, it’s an SRPG that I had wished had sat down years ago. As a whole package alongside Phantom Brave though, I wish that the graphics had been polished up in order to better suit the newer platforms. Both are incredible titles offering countless hours of strategy and combat and I look forward to what we can come to expect with Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2. " Score: 7.5 / 10 Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1 Total score: 7.75 / 10
Overall, I can’t recommend Falling Squirrel Inc.’s The Vale: Shadow of the Crown enough. It’s more than just a video game, it’s an experience that blends in a real world issue with a well balanced gameplay system that just works. Well written and narrated story mixed with an easy to pick up yet hard to master combat system all while seeing nothing more than particle effects on a screen, it’s a reminder that there’s still so much more we can do for those with disabilities.
Overall, Kitaria Fables is a fun little adventure which will clock in at about a dozen hours as you explore this cute medieval world. With plenty of side quests in order to help out the local people, several different magic spells to help you out and a giant plot of land to farm on, there’s enough to keep you busy for a little while without the vast time investment that Rune Factory or Harvest Moon would require from you.
With plenty of gameplay elements and areas to keep things interesting it was also nice that the adventure was kept short enough as to not fall into the repetitive trap that many others fall into once the elements keep getting added in. So overall, if you’ve been looking for a quick and fun 3D platforming Metroidvania with a bit of mystery added in then I would suggest looking into Phigames’ Recompile either here on the PC or over on either the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 where it’s also launching if consoles are more your thing.
So overall, WitchSpring 3 [Re:Fine] – The Story of Eirudy is a shorter and often enjoyable RPG that shouldn’t take too long to go through. With other entries into the series both before and upcoming, I’m curious to see if we’ll see more of these or not down the line.
Overall, fans of metroidvanias, 2D platformers and 3D action adventures will have plenty to look forward to even if you’ve never dipped your toes into the world of Blaster Master Zero. For returning fans? The finale is worth it and the upgrades to previous systems and the addition of new ones was just simply fun.
So from the Prologue to Early Access and then to full release, Afterbuner Studios’ Dreamscaper has been an amazing adventure. With multiple easy to use systems, an intuitive combat system and plenty of upgrades to be discovered and unlocked, there’s more than enough dungeon crawling and rogueliting to keep anyone busy for a long while. If it gets too easy? Just add in some extra modifiers and see if you’re still swinging the same tune or getting kicked out of the record store for not knowing what Math Rock was.
All in all though, Fallen Knight even if it has a higher entry point due to the learning curve for boss battles is one worth looking into. It’s not very long but it does have separate paths for our two Knights of the Round Table as they fight to protect the city and its people from those currently attacking it.
So overall, Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is going to most likely find itself as more of a novelty experience than one that draws new fans to the series being the precursor to Akiba's Trip: Undead and Undressed. It's not a bad brawler or beat 'em up, but it does show its age in its mechanics especially when compared to its sequel that we've had our hands on for much longer.