Overall, Roguebook is a great addition to both the roguelike and deck building franchise. The combat system is well fleshed out, the map exploration is fun and thought provoking, and the game isn't purely reliant on luck to get you through. While you probably won't be doing a lot of runs in one sitting, each run is short enough to not feel like a drag, and you can save your progress and leave to come back to it later, or just abandon the run altogether if you need to. With nice graphics and explanations for all the card effects you may not know, simply by hovering your mouse over it, Roguebook is really easy to get drawn into.
Overall, Hentai vs. Evil was better than I was expecting. It definitely wasn't good, but it certainly wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. On the plus side, it's also pretty dang cheap. The game has a lot of room for improvement, but it isn't broken or unplayable. If you can stand the potential embarrassment of having this title in your library, you may as well take a look at it!
Overall, I have to say I'm really impressed with Edge of Eternity. While it does have some misses here and there, with a few moments of cringy or campy writing or general trouble, the adventure as a whole is well thought out and put together. The battle system feels more fresh than I expected, and the addition of the puzzle challenges really shows that the developers were putting a lot of thought into how to work it. Edge of Eternity provides a great experience for those looking for a new RPG to try out.
Overall, I quite enjoyed my time with Atelier Lydie and Suelle: the Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings DX. While it was disappointing to be the only title in the trilogy without English voiceovers, the changes to the battle system and alchemy synthesis were very well appreciated. Combat was fun, synthesis felt good to perform, and the recipe book was a lot nicer than what you had to contend with in Firis. The increased battle speed was a welcome gift, the returning characters were great, and it was wonderful to see Hagel again after such a long time. While I would suggest playing the previous two titles before this one if you haven't before, you still won't go wrong picking this title up on it's own.
Overall, I quite enjoyed my experience with Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey. I can't really say I liked any more or less than Atelier Sophie, but that isn't a bad thing. There were some good changes, and some changes that frustrated me. I liked the more open world concept, but the skimpy container and the looming time limit put a bit of a damper on things. If you enjoyed Sophie, I can basically assure you you'll enjoy Atelier Firis with its sprawling landscapes and more in-depth alchemy process. So get the cauldron stir stick back out, cuz it's time to do some magic.
Overall, Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Book DX was a lot of fun. The combat had an interesting take to it, the alchemy was really well done, if not incredibly daunting for the first half of the game, and I really liked the trait conferral and effect creation aspect. While there is a really low character level, it is supported by a stat increase system, although limited, to supplement you if you can't create the equipment you want or need. While late game alchemy may start feeling like a bit of a slog, the ease of which you can gather materials by that point makes it more reasonable than would first seem. The characters may be a little bland in personality for the most part, but are varied enough to at least be entertaining. No time limits allow you to craft freely, but does result in a sense of little to no urgency to actually carry on the plot. While I wouldn't be able to recommend the DX version to somebody who has already completed Atelier Sophie previously, especially not someone who has purchased the DLC, it definitely won't feel particularly lacking in the lineup of Atelier titles I have on my shelf.
Ultimately, Kingdom of Arcadia feels more like something you'd find on a random internet website as opposed to a console title. It isn't bad, but it definitely doesn't do anything to really put itself out there as particularly outstanding or interesting. While the gameplay is rather smooth, levels begin to feel tedious after a while, and I found myself quickly losing the drive to really explore the locales. You don't really feel fulfilled walking away from Kingdom of Arcadia. If you want to introduce your kid to platforming games or something in those lines, sure why not, but don't go expecting this to fulfill any craving or empty hole you may be feeling.
All in all, I have to say that Super Meat Boy Forever felt like a step back from its predecessor. It felt clunkier, there were some collision detection issues, and it felt a lot less refined. That being said, it's by no means bad, although it is a drastic difference from the original style. While I wasn't fond of the gameplay changeup, that is entirely personal preference and should be taken with a grain of salt. While you should come in to Super Meat Boy Forever expecting a vaguely similar feeling to the previous title, it is still by and far a different experience. A few collision detection patches and maybe some time requirement adjustments for those a little too casual to make the cutoff for the dark world stages, but who are better with the platforming, could really go a long way.
Overall, I have to say I had a lot of fun with Godstrike. It scratched that itch I didn't really know I had. While some of the hitboxes are wonky at best and table-flipping awful at worst, that's only for a select few bosses really. The gameplay was smooth, and it was fun to make different skill compositions. Godstrike definitely isn't for everyone, and it still has a few kinks to work out, but still promises to be a lot of fun.
Overall, I had quite a lot of fun with Poison Control. The ARPG aspect was pretty fun, the characters were interesting, and the poison cleansing was actually fun to balance against attacking enemies. While Poison Control does get a little repetitive after awhile, but thanks to the smaller instance size for cleansing the souls, it is fairly easy to pick up for a mission or two, and then put down for a bit. The writing was well done, and the localization team did a really good job translating, which is also nice to see. Poison Control definitely won't be for everybody, but that doesn't mean it's specifically niche in its gameplay either. If you're okay with the anime stylized art style and an abundance of female characters, I'd say take a look at Poison Control to see if it interests you.
Overall, Monster Hunter Rise is a stellar addition to the franchise, introducing quality of life improvements, some really great new monsters, doggos, and a really well functioning online mode. The new Rampage Quests are pretty neat, and are really fun as a group, but can get a little frustrating depending on how many and what type of monsters are introduced at the same time. While Rise definitely feels “short” in comparison to other titles, there is a lot to love about the direction Rise has taken. As a veteran player, there are some mechanics that have been simplified or removed, like hot and cold drinks, that I feel bitter about seeing gone or “oversimplified”, but looking back on it, it's pretty much all stuff I would constantly complain about anyway. The takeaway is that Monster Hunter Rise is a great title in the franchise, hands down.
Overall, Touhou Gensou Skydrift is an absolutely great racing game. While combining the feel of both a Mario Kart title with closer to F-Zero style gameplay, challenging yet fun courses, and an amazing soundtrack, Skydrift will definitely meet your racing needs. No prior Touhou world knowledge is needed either, and with a large cast of characters to choose from, it's really fun to figure out what tag-team combo you like the best. Although the number of courses may be on the smaller side, they're all really fun, especially once you've had some time to practice on them. If you're looking for a tide-over between Mario Kart titles, or just want something a little different from them? Touhou Gensou Skydrift is definitely for you.
Overall, Root Film is a great mystery style Visual Novel with some Phoenix Wright style interrogations, just with only words instead of evidence. The characters are all quirky and entertaining, the mysteries are usually quite reasonable to figure out, and if not the interrogation is a little easier on subjects that may be unknown. There are some localization issues, but those can be fairly easily overlooked for the story. Could Root Film have been better? Yes, there's room for improvement, perhaps making the animations a little more dynamic, or adding a little more player interaction to keep the viewer entertained, but Root Film certainly does provide a mystery tale worth exploring.
So, how does Taxi Chaos stack up? Well, it's definitely not going to make you go praise it out on the streets. It was certainly fun for a period of time, that period being about an hour, after which it loses its novelty. I never really played Crazy Taxi as kid, but Taxi Chaos doesn't really instill in me a desire to play Crazy Taxi. Taxi Chaos isn't very chaotic, but there are taxis. There is a bit of personality in the interactions your chosen cabbie has with the passengers, but these get reused so quick you'll know them by heart after about twenty minutes. There isn't nearly enough draw for the game to really warrant much attention. Yeah, I might have had fun with it for about 15 to 20 minutes, but it isn't something I would suggest for anyone looking to really invest themselves in.
Loop Hero may be rather basic in its appearance, but you will soon find yourself rooted in the simplistic gameplay. There's planning, strategy, and enough luck to make you want to kick yourself some runs. The graphics certainly aren't anything special, and the music is only really catching when the boss appears, but you get rather invested in creating your own unique layout. While it can be frustrating in a game to have to repeat the same thing over and over, Loop Hero thrives in this environment. While there may be some frustrating moments when the RNG doesn't go your way, it's really rewarding to see the hero survive through your fabricated gauntlet.
Ultimately, Virtual Stars is a really timely take on the current state of social media and gaming, and just how digital interactions work nowadays. Very relevant given what has recently happened with some JP Vtubers, it's great to see some of this talent reaching Western audiences, even if only as a few snippets. There's even a TV in the main hub that plays Vtuber clips you can watch. If you enjoy the Neptunia franchise, Vtubers, or just looking for an anime inspired shooter/hack and slasher, I really do implore you to check out Neptunia Virtual Stars.
Overall Undermine is a really good roguelike with a lot of well implemented mechanics. Is it breaking any molds? Not really, but the implementation was well done. The environments are large enough that you don't feel guided, but stages are small enough that you don't start getting frustrated being in the same location. There are plenty of randomized power boosts, and the upgrade system is pretty fair about when you need upgrades vs. How much they cost. While my luck may have screwed me over, there wasn't a design choice that did. I was really pleased with Undermine as a roguelike, and with the shorter nature of the stages, it lends itself really well to the Switch and its portable nature.
Overall I found that Kowloon High School is a great combination of genres rolled up in a nostalgic Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider style package. Yes it might be a little dated looking, and it may be a little clunky and awkward here and there, but it has a real charm that just can't be denied. Everything from combat, to ruin exploration, to puzzle solving has that right feeling to it that kept me coming back for more. I seriously suggest picking this up if you are any sort of fan of dungeon crawlers or puzzle solving games with combat mechanics, because this was a really great adventure that felt exactly like that: an adventure.
Overall, Fallen Legion Revenants provides a bit of a mixed bag. Sure it has some improvements over the past titles, but it also feels like it took some steps backwards. The battle system has some nice dynamic movement added and the guard/parry mechanic isn't infuriating, but the system can get extremely overwhelming, especially for new players to the series. The story is told partially in loading screen info which is a little annoying, and the storyline felt a little awkwardly told, as you aren't really getting the whole picture in the beginning, but was still rather engaging. The adjustments that have been made to the Exemplars and how they work are really nice to see, and I was happy to note the old art style was kept. In the end, Fallen Legion Revenants feels like a bit of a missed chance. The story is too interspersed between occasionally drawn-out battles that the pacing gets messed up a bit, and the action wheel graphics felt like a weird and awkward contrast to the rest of the art style. As a whole, Fallen Legion Revenants didn't really do anything wrong, but given how long it's been since the previous titles, I can't say I'm not a little bit disappointed. Is ti worth the price? If you enjoy engaging battles filled with strategy and tactics, yes, I'd say so, but there is definitely room for improvements.
Overall, Tadpole Treble Encore is a cute title that is about as sweet as it is short. While less of a game to sit down to for an extended length of time, there is a sort of old-school cartoon nostalgia from the art style, and the music tracks are well arranged. Despite a few quirks with the gameplay, the progression is rather smooth and fairly intuitive. Tadpole Treble Encore is definitely a niche title, but not one you should shy away from. Yes it may be short, but it's rather endearing and maybe a good starter if you're interested in getting into rhythm style games.