Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is easily my favourite game of 2017 regardless of it only coming out in December. If you like Persona and enjoy the break up of action with social elements such as getting to know your colleagues and walking around doing day-to-day stuff whilst preparing, then this is the game for you. To put it into perspective, Persona 5 took me 241 hours to platinum, Tokyo Xanadu eX+ took me 196 hours to platinum – so it isn't quite as long and it is possible to complete it faster if you skip things, but where is the fun in that?
PixelJunk Monsters 2 is a masterpiece, it looks amazing, it plays buttery smooth, and the core mechanics are solid. If you just aim to 'finish' the game and play through all 15 levels, then you're looking at about five hours, but if you aim to achieve a 100% completion on all 15 levels at each of the three difficulties, then expect over 20 hours easily. The length, in combination with the low price and the brilliant, and cheap, DLC which has been announced basically makes this the easiest game to recommend which I have played to date. Fans of tower defence games need this title within their library and are only letting themselves down if they don't grab it.
428: Shibuya Scramble is, by far, the best narrative based visual novel you’ll ever experience. Sure, there is no voice-overs and the text is presented as a ‘wall of text’ from the point of a narrator, as you would see within a book, but the whole presentation, delivery, emotion and overall narrative is simply amazing. You’ll laugh, cry, shout, become emotionally attached, and pray for each and every character throughout their ten-hour adventure. However, even though it’s ten hours for them, expect many more hours on your side as you work your way through over five separate stories which are all connected in some form to one another, even if our protagonists aren’t 100% aware of this.
If you don’t buy Death Mark then expect to wake up tomorrow with no memory and a scar on your arm. This visual novel is among the best I’ve played this generation with its dark themes, horrific imagery, disturbing sound effects and overall feeling of uneasiness. The whole experience, from start to end, will last you around 20-25 hours if you read all the dialogue options and play it blind from beginning to end. Add about 3-4 hours on top of that if you unlock the bonus chapter and even more if you have to replay the game to unlock the other ending to each chapter. Death Mark is an adventure visual novel so expect puzzles, riddles, exploration and traps.
Zanki Zero: Last Beginning is the best Dungeon-Crawling RPG I’ve played to date, you need to buy this game! As soon as you begin to play this masterpiece, you’ll become absorbed by the beautiful environments, addicted to the combat, obsessed with uncovering 100% of the maps, and in love with the banter being thrown about within the narrative. For a game with so many parts to it, such as survival, combat, exploration, puzzles, and narrative segments, every aspect is presented perfectly to create a rock-solid experience.
Judgment is basically Yakuza crossed with Ace Attorney, the perfect combination of Power, Corruption, Crime and Mystery. Expanding upon everything we’ve seen the developer do previously, what we have here is a game which is so familiar yet different at the same time – familiar surroundings and places combined with new games, events and people to interact with. Although the game is heavy on the tried and tested mechanics of the Yakuza series, Judgment brings a lot of its own unique gameplay elements such as investigative segments as you stalk your prey, searching for evidence, and even dressing up in various disguises. Judgment has a deep and intriguing story encased within a multitude of separate narratives, not many games can pull that off yet Judgment did it flawlessly. I honestly can’t recommend this game enough to both Yakuza fans and people new to this style of game.
If you're looking for something different and enjoy platforming, puzzles and rhythm games, SongBird Symphony is for you! Each new area and species of bird you meet has its own soundtrack as well as fun and entertaining song-battle for you to take part within. I couldn't help myself from singing along, cheering for our small protagonist's achievements, becoming heartbroken when bad things happen, and cheering him on when all hope was lost. I've not been this emotionally attached to a video game for a while, I wanted to step into the game and give Birb a massive hug and never let go.
If I was able to award a game more than a perfect score, AI: The Somnium Files would be one of the few which would easily break the barrier. Everything from the brilliantly scripted narrative adventure, to the frustratingly fun time-management Somnium segments, are beyond what I was expecting. I couldn’t stop playing until I had the platinum trophy on my account, which I achieved at around fifty hours, very few games grasp me like that yet the humour and narrative direction drew me in and had me hooked instantly. I don’t think I’ve played a game this generation (bar the Zero Escape remasters) which changes the storyline, interactions and outcomes quite as much as I experienced within AI: The Somnium Files – this game is a masterpiece and needs to be played by all fans of Spike Chunsoft and Kotaro Uchikoshi.
Raging Loop isn’t just one of my GOTY titles, it’s one of my favourite Visual Novels of all time. The brilliant combination of horror, thriller, comedy, excitement and mystery all combines into a perfect package which I never wanted to end. KEMCO has done an outstanding job of turning a party game into a branching Visual Novel experience which fully immerses you within its world of beasts, Gods and fantasy. For the squeamish out there, the game relies heavily on verbally describing the horrific deaths rather than visually showing them, so don’t worry about it getting too traumatic! All I can say is, Visual Novel fans need to buy this game – it’s bloody brilliant!
Voxelgram is a brilliant 3D Picross game, exactly what the Switch has been waiting for. Whether you wish to use your Joy-Cons and play on the TV, or utilise your fingers and touch the screen, the game is very simplistic and intuitive in its design, ensuring that everyone can simply pick it up and play without any issues. My personal preference was to use the official Nintendo Stylus as it filled me with nostalgia for similar games back on the Nintendo DS and 3DS. If you’re a fan of Picross puzzles, or simply logic-based puzzles in general, Voxelgram is a no-brainer – you should buy this game.
Jenny LeClue – Detectivu is one of the best adventure games I’ve played on the Switch since buying one. The beautiful visuals, brilliant voice acting, thrilling and mysterious story, and intuitive gameplay all combine to create an experience you’ll instantly become hooked to and unable to put down. Although this is only part one of two, it doesn’t feel like anything was cut or removed – it tells the story it set out to tell and builds up your excitement and hype for the next episode. If you’re a fan of adventure games, either the modern Telltale style or old-school point-and-click ones, you should certainly check out Jenny LeClue – Detectivu today. It’s a funny, mysterious, spooky, and heartwarming adventure you’ll never forget.
The Legends of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV delivers the perfect conclusion to the epic saga of Class VII. All our questions are answered, we get to reunite with every character we’ve bonded with over the years, and it all comes together into a spectacular finale which won’t disappoint fans of the series. There’s so much to see, do, interact with, and ‘collect’, the world is massive and the game actively encourages you to explore and investigate every location as if it’s your last chance to do so – providing addictive mini-games and funny events to keep you occupied between slaughtering enemies. If you’ve played any of the previous games and you liked them, this game is an essential purchase.
Root Double: Before Crime * After Days – Xtend Edition is easily the best visual novel I’ve read all year, I love how all four routes come together to reveal new perspectives and truths behind the events which have played out previously, blowing your mind and both answering and creating more questions at the same time. It’s a very long narrative, easily taking over fifty hours to experience all four routes and most of the endings, but the time invested is worth it as the experience is quite something! I personally recommend using an ‘endings guide’ to ensure you pick the right options to see everything the game has to offer, as the SSS mechanic is quite confusing as to what outcome you’ll get, but even if you don’t then the game offers hints on how to avoid the inevitable ‘bad ending’ you arrive at.
So far we’re six months in 2022 and AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative is already at the top of my GOTY list for this year. The story is very funny, mysterious, and exciting, the gameplay is intuitive, there are a lot of things to look out for and unlock, and there’s a great balance of serious and immaturely pervy humour throughout. If you liked the first game, you’re going to love the sequel – although they aren’t related so prior knowledge isn’t required. My only disappointment is that there’s no current-gen version, the loading times and low-resolution visuals would have really benefited from it.
Yakuza 6 may not be the most feature-rich title in the series, but it delivers the perfect final chapter to one of the most memorable protagonists on Sony's console. Despite my initial reservations regarding the lack of abilities, weapons, locations and minigames, Yakuza 6 proved to me that quality beats quantity any day and I soon forgot about the absent content. Be sure to have a box of tissues near you as you approach the conclusion to the Dragon of Dojima's story as it's a rollercoaster of emotions coming at you from all angles. It seriously had me very emotional more times than one within the final few chapters. Experience fun minigames, serious action sequences, and crazy sub-stories as you wrap up the series and bring the curtain down on this beloved franchise.
Phantom Doctrine is the best tactical RPG I've played this generation so far. It takes heavy influences from the rebooted XCOM series yet adds it's own spin and design onto the whole game in order to make it it's own with new mechanics and possibilities. Focused more on the realistic over the fantastical, Phantom Doctrine delivers three similar yet different storylines which will keep you engaged for over 40 hours per faction as you delve into their respective perspectives of the same events and beyond. There is very little not to like with this game, the Investigation Board can get a bit monotonous after a while but every combat section is as engaging and exciting as the last one.
I honestly doubted that Trails of Cold Steel III could topple the incredible experience I had with the previous two games, oh how I was wrong. Taking everything which made the last two games great, Nihon Falcom has created a more advanced and enhanced version of the game we all know and love. There’s little to fault when a game manages to keep me invested and hooked for over 120 hours on my first playthrough, sat on the edge of my seat with each and every revelation and event, both cheering and getting emotional along with the characters. JRPG fans have to buy this game, it’s mandatory if you’ve played the previous two and enjoyed them as you’re guaranteed to simply love this game without any doubt.
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is yet another masterpiece from the team behind the amazing Yakuza franchise. When you’re not making your way through the 25+ hour main story missions, you’ll be getting lost within the abundance of sub-stories, mini-games, and even spending many hours running a hostess club and serving at a cocktail bar! There is never a dull moment within the apocalyptic wastelands, as you encounter hordes of enemies, cause a lot of internal combustion, and beat the living crap out of each and every delinquent you come across. If you’re hungry for more Yakuza, but want a splash of anime with the insanity cranked up to 11, look no further. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is nothing short of the best anime-based action-adventure game I’ve ever played.
Paradise Killer is easily one of the most memorable and mesmerising games I’ve played this year, sucking you in with the request to solve a mysterious murder, yet keeping you hooked with the awesome soundtrack, brilliant narrative, and casual yet intuitive exploration of the soon-to-be destroyed Island 24. Despite potentially spending hours simply walking around as you talk to the inhabitants and seek out hidden items, the time will fly by without realising it – you’ll be absorbed within the world, building bonds with friends and potential criminals alike. If you have any love for games such as Danganronpa, Ace Attorney, or any visual novel with a focus on solving crimes, you’re gonna love Paradise Killer.
Cat Quest is a great top-down cute Diablo style game which anyone of all ages can enjoy. It has a solid combat mechanic, a great story and a decent amount of content. After a while, some of the requests can get a bit re-pet-etive but this is quickly resolved by the game throwing in new enemies and abilities to play with.