Miguel Moran's Reviews
The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is a fun and polished JRPG full of the most electrifying JRPG combat I've ever experienced, but it fails to weave its own compelling narrative, relying on filler to plug the gaps.
Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos is not the follow-up that Hyperdimension Neptunia fans want or deserve. There are specks of charm and fun to be had here, but you'll have to dig deep, and after just two or three hours of digging, it'll all be over.
Synduality Echo of Ada is the ultimate extraction experience - sanding off rough edges and putting a shine on the most exciting elements of the genre. Bundled together with cool mechs, customizable characters, and tight combat just makes this sweet experience even sweeter.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero is an absolute gem that shines whether you're a returning fan or a newcomer. It takes a while for the very many mechanics of the game to make sense and click, but once they do, you're in for an unforgettable experience.
Tales of Graces f Remastered represents the absolute best of what the Tales series has to offer - and this version is easily the best way to experience such a charming and fun JRPG.
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is like a finely aged bottle of wine opened at just the right time for just the right celebration. It's exactly what I wanted and needed right now, and the shamelessly simple yet satisfying old-school combat and adventures had me hooked instantly.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a wonderful new version of perhaps the single most influential JRPG. It isn't a top-to-bottom remake or a surprising meta-retelling – it's classic Dragon Quest, brighter and better than ever.
Ys X: Nordics maintains a lot of the qualities that this series has come to be known for. Some of those qualities aren't necessarily a positive, like the familiarly linear dungeon encounters and the less-than-impressive visuals of the game, but a lot of it works great. Combat is the best it's ever been, naval gameplay is a fresh and welcome addition, and Ys X: Nordics introduces refreshing character moments with Adol and Karja that I'm desperate to see more of in the next entry.
Arco is an artistic achievement, blending the struggles of gameplay and narrative into each other seamlessly as it draws you into the depressing but important stories of Mesoamerican natives struggling to carve out a space for themselves, in a world that grows more and more hostile by the day.
Playing Kill Knight feels like what happens if you gave a medieval peasant a bottle of soda. It's violent, and unexpected, and adrenaline-charged and fun as hell.
Reynatis is a game full of heart that reminds me of the golden age of PS2 RPG adventures, for better and for worse. It's full of interesting ideas, but is lacking consistent execution. If you can see past that, I do think that the charm of the game – the strong character writing, the living city of Shibuya, and angsty JRPG vibe of it all – will really resonate.
This will make waves purely for being the most feature-rich and accessible way to play Marvel VS Capcom 2 that the fighting game community has. At the same time, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is also packed with the games that led to that defining moment, and loads of impressive art-gallery content for each of them makes this ride so much sweeter.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash is an absolute gift for horse girl fans everywhere. The game isn't without fault, though, and there's some technical issues and slightly underbaked gameplay, but fans will probably come galloping anyway.
WitchSpring R is a cute, comforting, and delightful RPG packed full of charm, passion, and so much stuff to do. I'm excited to see what's next for the series.
Tavern Talk is a wonderful window into a high-fantasy world that I never wanted to leave. Despite some repetitive gameplay, the unique tabletop spin on world-building and character interactions was an absolute delight.
Frontier Hunter: Erza's Wheel of Fortune would be easy to appreciate as a unpolished but obviously heartfelt metroidvania experience, if it weren't for the poorly executed and far too frequent cutscenes.
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder is a charming metroidvania with a unique world that's ultimately undone by its overstuffed and underwhelming storytelling.
Anger Foot is loud, gross, punishing, and funny as hell. It's a crime-fueled fever dream sprinkled with moments of genuine silly sincerity, and it's all connected by fast and fun foot-first combat that I couldn't get enough of.
Panzer Knights has some fun tank combat and a wealth of customisation options, but it's ultimately held back by some frustrating gameplay quirks, and a story that takes itself far too seriously without the rich writing or polished grammar it needs to back it up.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is the spark that this series needed, and an incredible new chapter for such an iconic franchise. The shift in tone for the story and the addictive dual-mode combat had me hooked from beginning to end. If you play any game in this series, make it this one.