To be honest, I was disappointed shortly after I first started playing Mirror's Edge Catalyst as I was put off by the open world approach that quickly got boring and repetitive.
Another Code: Recollection is laidback storytelling with likeable characters, the odd puzzle, and a little sci-fi sprinkled in for good measure. I'm glad that I got to play through these lesser-known adventure games all of these years after their initial release although they certainly don't do much to stand out from the crowd. 💧
Even though Exist Archive is a pretty game that blends Metroidvania stages with traditional JRPG elements very well, it simply fails to deliver when it comes to variety.
The Entropy Centre is a difficult first-person puzzle platformer that will reward you for thinking ahead and remaining patient so make sure you're prepared for quite a challenge as well as some needlessly frustrating footwork.
Process of Elimination is a fun detective game with an interesting cast and story as well as a unique board game twist on investigating. As long as you're prepared to read a lot of text, you'll enjoy unraveling the mystery of The Quartering Duke.
DRAGON QUEST TREASURES is fun for a while and any series fan will be happy to see the return of many familiar monsters. However, the gameplay loop gets repetitive quite early and it failed to keep my attention as well as the other DRAGON QUEST spin-offs do.
Potion Permit is an attractive life sim with plenty of chemistry but its gameplay could really do with more variety and challenge to keep things engaging. I also hope that a big patch is on its way to remedy all of the odd bugs on display.
Lake is a short and enjoyable story-driven game with interesting mail delivery gameplay that drives you to get to know the townsfolk. The story and interactions provide much lighthearted fun so if you can get past the graphical issues and bugs, there's plenty to make you play Lake over and over so you can see how your decisions influence the people of Providence Oaks.
Lego Builder's Journey presents a challenging and attractive puzzler that you'll keep coming back to although you won't be at it long as it'll be over well before you'd hope it would be. Plus, it lacks replay value and hints to help with the more unintuitive puzzles.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a faithful remake of its previous iterations. However, there's simply too much missing when it comes to story and gameplay which holds it back from being a must-have game in the series.
The Last Remnant has a less traditional approach to combat, having you command unions of allies to take down enemy forces with strategy, luck, and patience.
.hack//G.U. Last Recode shines in its engaging story, eclectic cast of characters, and unique ability to handle the concept of a game within a game.
Toukiden 2 manages to stay interesting by providing a wealth of abilities that can be used in exploration and fighting.
Kitaria Fables is an adorable feline-filled action-adventure RPG with an enjoyable battle system, detailed scenery, and lovely character art. However, multiple quality of life issues prevent this good game from being a great one.
Fans of escape rooms and puzzle-solving games that don't mind a more adult and dark tone will have a lot of fun with Zero Time Dilemma.
Tales of Zestiria offers something new in the form of a unique, more element-focused battle system and an interesting new race.
DYSCHRONIA: Chronos Alternate is a mostly fun investigative VR adventure that sets the stage for hopefully more games in the genre. Physically standing inside a crime scene and finding clues is surprisingly thrilling but I just wish it had a more interesting world to explore.
I had a ton of fun with Forager for the first 10 hours or so but once I got to the point when the pacing becomes tedious, that fun quickly came to a halt.
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles delivers an imaginative and colourful atmosphere that's contained within its own unique fantasy land.
If you're a fan of Persona or RPGs in general, you'll definitely have some fun with Persona 3 Reload but don't expect it to reach the heights of the latest game in the series. 🏫