The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is an absurdly ambitious, delightfully over-the-top and genuinely enjoyable game to play. It captures the same raw insanity of Danganronpa but has a level of raw excess that makes it stand out from the shadow of its big sibling. It does have missteps, including some content which is a tad too uncomfortable for its own good, and the RPG elements end up subsumed by the visual novel gameplay, but if you're a fan of Danganronpa, then this spiritual successor is well worth a look.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is about as ideal of an Indiana Jones experience as you can hope for, and it's easily one of the best adaptations of a film franchise. It captures everything that made the best parts of the franchise shine, while avoiding the pitfalls and missteps of its weaker parts. It's a love letter to everyone's favorite whip-wielding, fedora-wearing adventurer, and the game shows why he still has a place in video games, even among the Nate Drakes and Lara Crofts. Only some slightly weak stealth elements bring down the game a tiny bit. It's a cliché, but ... well, this game belongs in a museum.
Lunar Remastered Collection is exactly what it needs to be: a comfortably nostalgic revisit to a comfortably nostalgic pair of games. Neither breaks the mold, but they remain charming and fun enough that they don't overstay their welcome. The remastering is done with a light touch, and there are times when I wish it had gone further, particularly with the translations. It does well enough to make it the best version of the games to pick up. Sometimes you just need an adventure, and Lunar delivers that in spades.
Overall, Promise Mascot Agency is a charming combination of small-town drama and Yakuza crime politics. The absurdity of the setting gives it a flavor all its own, and it neatly threads the needle between ridiculous and serious. The actual gameplay is by the numbers and mostly serves as a delivery vehicle for the story, but it does well enough. If the game sounds appealing, you'll enjoy it quite a bit. Just make sure not to tick off Pinky. She's scary.
Everything about The First Berserker: Khazan is entirely competent. It's a fun and well put-together Soulslike that would serve well as someone's first dip into the genre, especially if the stereotype of high difficulty usually frightens them off. At the same time, Khazan doesn't do anything particularly new that makes it stand out from the crowd. This isn't necessarily a problem, especially if you're a fan of the DFO universe, but it means you need to be in the right mood and mindset to play Khazan.
Overall, I really like most of the changes in Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land. There are a number of rough spots that keep it from being perfect, but it's a very solid attempt at shaking up the franchise without losing what makes it successful. I can see it being a controversial entry in the franchise due to the shift in tone and gameplay, but it does a lot of things right. I had a great time wandering around, collecting items, and crafting items and weapons. In general, it felt like I was on an adventure. It might not be the Atelier I was used to, but it was plenty of fun.
Knights in Tight Spaces is a very worthy sequel to Fights in Tight Spaces. Not every new gameplay mechanic hits the mark, but there are enough fresh cards, fresh features, and fresh concepts to make it a genuine delight to play. The party opens up a whole new degree of freedom, and creating a Rube Goldberg machine of chained attacks is fun enough that it could be a game all on its own. Besides, who doesn't like hitting evil skeletons with lightning?
Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune & Dunan Unification Wars is an excellent updated port of two great games. Almost all of the changes are for the better, the translation is massively improved, and it still maintains all of the charm and flavor of the original games. Whether you're a longtime fan or a newcomer to the franchise, there's genuinely no better place to start than the Suikoden I & II HD Remaster. Even if you're just a fan of RPGs, it's well worth a try, if only to see what all the hype is about.
Monster Hunter Wilds is a fantastic new entry into the franchise. For the most part, I feel like every new feature feels good and works well, and the monsters are certainly a delight to fight. The only things that might hold it back slightly are some performance issues, but even those don't get in the way of the core fun of smashing monsters, looting gear, and repeating. Fans of the franchise should have a fantastic time with this latest entry, and I hope it becomes a blueprint for future games in the franchise.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii gives players exactly what they expect from the title. It's a rollicking, funny, and enjoyable side story that lets fan favorite Goro Majima shine in a way he hasn't since Yakuza 0. The main plot is a little thin, and the pirate mechanics are bare bones, but beneath that, it's a darn fun Yakuza adventure, and it contains perhaps the best iteration of the game's brawler mechanics to date. Any complaints boil down to, "It's more of Like a Dragon," and that's always good.
Avowed is a game full of fun exploration, an interesting story tied to lackluster combat, and an annoying equipment system that keeps it from reaching its full potential. When I was engaged in Avowed, I would spend hours wandering around, talking to NPCs, and completing quests. However, when the game wasn't firing on all cylinders, I was frustrated and frequently bored. It's a game of high highs and low lows, but the highs were enough to keep me engaged despite the flaws.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a case of one step forward and one step back. Mechanically, it's the best put-together Trails game to date, as it fixes the problems in the last game and introduces enough new mechanics so it's fun to play. It also retains and refines the likable cast. Unfortunately, the lackluster time travel mechanic and plot structure weaken the experience. It's still a fun game but ends up feeling weaker than its predecessor.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is a surprising sequel that does a good job of living up to its predecessor, but it doesn't exactly tread new ground for the franchise. A cute but forgettable plot, solid gameplay, and a near-infinite amount of grinding potential give the game a solid amount of value. The only thing holding it back are the unimpressive visuals and poor performance. If you're a fan of the Nippon Ichi games or the original Phantom Brave, there's a lot of fun to be had in this sequel.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD on the Switch is by far the best way to play the game; it avoids the awkwardness of the Wii's controls and doesn't have the visual compromises of the 3DS version. It makes it difficult to be impressed with it as a remaster, especially a full-priced one. There's a lot that could've been done to improve the visuals or add more features to the game, but as it stands, you're basically getting the same game as before. It's still an absolutely fantastic game and well worth playing. If you've already played Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze and are hankering for more, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is well worth picking up. If you haven't played its predecessor/sequel yet, it's better to start there.
Overall, Tales of Graces f Remastered is a strong remaster of a solid game. The plot is relatively weak but handily carried by its extremely strong combat system, which makes the game worth playing on its own. The additions to the remaster are all genuine improvements, and even the bundling of cheat-mode DLC is only a problem if you let it be. If you're a fan of action-RPGs or the Tales franchise and haven't given Graces f a gander, this is the ideal way to play it.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a solid addition to the franchise. It's not the newest numbered game in the series, but I enjoyed it more than Dynasty Warriors 9. It has a solid core set of mechanics and some really excellent level design. The only thing holding it back is that the focus on a single character and a relatively smaller number of weapons makes it feel empty compared to the games it will likely be compared to. If you're a fan of the franchise, there is a lot to like in Origins, and it's the ideal starting point for newcomers who want to get into the Romance of the Three Kingdoms part of the Warriors franchise.
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is a solid but unexceptional remaster of a fun but dated game. I still love Oath, and it remains one of my favorite Ys games, but you need to feel some nostalgia for the days of simple, button-mashing RPG action to get a lot out of it. If you're curious about the older Ys games, this is absolutely at the top of the list, but it might fall short compared to some of the more recent games. Ys is still Ys, and Oath is a great example of how being simple can still be fun.
Much like Bravely Default, Fantasian: Neo Dimension is functionally a Final Fantasy title that doesn't bear the Final Fantasy name. It has a very similar tone and atmosphere to the older SNES titles in the franchise, but it has enough modern elements to stand on its own merits. The story can sometimes be simplistic in a very charming way. The game's only flaws are a difficulty level that might be a touch too high for some and the lingering remnants of its mobile release heritage. If you're a fan of older Final Fantasy games, you owe it to yourself to try Fantasian.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code+ is a neat approach at taking Danganronpa's core concept and taking it outside of the Battle Royal Death Game world. There are a lot of extremely strong concepts, and when they come together well, it's easy to see how this could've eclipsed even its ancestor. Unfortunately, things are a tad too muddled, too simple, and too divorced from one another to be a cohesive whole. If you're a fan of the Danganronpa titles, then it's worth a shot. Otherwise, I'd recommend starting with one of those before Rain Code.
Fairy Tail 2 seems like a perfectly lovely RPG for fans of the franchise. It doesn't break any molds, and it leans heavily on fan service, but if all you want is a chance to play an RPG with your favorite cast members, it does the job. The over-the-top combat styling keeps things interesting in what would otherwise be a generic button-mashing experience, and there are enough RPG mechanics to provide the satisfaction of tricking out your favorite characters. It's not a game for people who are unfamiliar with the series, but Fairy Tail fans will be quite delighted by the experience.