Endless Ragnarok operates in a unique spot. While there is quite a bit of volume to the content, it is purely locked as a late-game expansion. It is not even accessible unless the player has beaten the first game, but it adds new characters, weapons, and other systems for the late-game boss rush. Ultimately while the combat can be fun, the grind and length of battles wears on a player, and the lack of any interesting character development or expansion story makes this a very limited niche of DLC.
Playing Final Fantasy Resonance, one is repeatedly struck with the feeling of how much better the games it references are than this game. The sprites are absolutely awesome and the ‘job’ system is pretty cool, but that is about the limit of its good points. Combat is frequent, long, grindy and repetitive. The story goes nowhere, and it’s sad when the two-minute vignettes of the heroes from past games are far more interesting than the actual story taking place.
Shape of Dreams is much more of a "long game" roguelike/lite and within that confine it is well done. While not as beginner friendly as many others in the genre, there is a lot of depth and staying power for someone that wants a longer experience out of their game. This has its pros and cons, and needs to be weighed, because the package overall is good, but a player has to know that they need to invest some time rather than a quick 20-minute session and move on.
Truxton Extreme is a shoot 'em up through and through, and that reason alone is largely going to determine the fan and the reception. Within the genre itself, it is very bland and safe, which is a negative given that there are hundreds to pick from. One redeeming feature is a largely enjoyable short story mode that elevates the experience beyond just average, which gets into surprisingly heavy implications about the cost of interstellar war and personal sacrifice.
Fans of the Alien series are often forced to deal with subpar experiences, and this comes in as one of them. Not withstanding various design decisions brought on by the new team, the quality is simply lacking on many aspects. Combat quickly becomes dry, and at how high of a price this game is, it is not recommended, even to fans of the series.
While the premise itself doesn't stand up to much scrutiny, Opus: Echo of Starsong is loosely interesting from a soft sci-fi perspective. The problem is the story doesn't go anywhere and most of the characters are annoying. For a story based on character interaction, when the interaction leaves the reader put off by the plot, there isn't much left.
For an indie game, the boss fights are really, really good. It's fun having the boss go "movie mode" on the player when they catch them in an attack, and the parrying feels really enjoyable. The fighting to get there, though, is average at best, and the platforming borders on horrendous for how often buttons don't prompt on a teleport-jump, or the dash falls slightly short, leading to unnecessary frustration. At the current price point, Homura Hime is a bit tough to recommend, but will be worth it on a sale.
BlazBlue: Entropy Effect X is one of those rarities that hits all the key elements very well. The core experience is great, possessing incredible depth that adds to the urge to replay. For fans of either the source material or the roguelite genre, this is an easy recommendation. From the art to the fun of making overpowered builds, players will keep wanting to have just one more run.
There are several high points of Code Vein II, ranging from graphics, different environments, and the character creator. The major complaints that detract from higher praise are bad pacing issues and a story that often takes a back seat. Combat is faster and more fun than the first game, and the much more open world is a needed change from the endless alleys of before. Despite a lot of positive points, though, there is a sense that the entire thing doesn't mesh together to make a better experience.
Dark Auction falls into a rare spot that the plot and writing is actually pretty interesting but the story is still tough to recommend. The characters feel real, and the tension and mystery is very good, but it goes nowhere fast. There are certainly some other problems such as the auction puzzle parts being a big letdown, and the main mystery not being as big as it first seems, but mostly it is just that more needs to happen. The overall plot meanders, and it really grinds down what should have been a brisk and interesting story that could have been told in half the time or less.
This is a series that has far more iterations and versions that anyone could possibly imagine. While a huge contributor to the 'grand strategy' genre, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8, even remade and expanded, is too dense with too little payoff to highly recommend to anyone except series fans. General strategy gamers will be put off by the death-by-menu gameplay and lack of interesting things happening for what amounts to playing small hands of poker and shuffling Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
A fairly by-the-book platformer where gameplay never goes to any great heights or depths. Certain small aspects regarding platforming and combat can occasionally become annoying, but these negatives aside, the art and general charm of the game is quiet compelling. The story hints at some dark sci-fi plots, and exploration is satisfying, if sometimes annoyingly difficult. The characters are especially attractive with their highly animated visual novel portraits, which gives a sense of life this genre often doesn't have. Overall, though, Kotama and Academy Citadel feels like it needed more cohesion to really come together.
Action roguelikes are a tough genre to screw up, yet Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree manages to do that. From lacklustre in-run upgrades, to permanent progression that is boring, to perhaps the biggest problem of how utterly dry combat is, it drops the ball in many locations. The better parts, such as the banter and voice acting, are not enough to carry the woefully lacking core gameplay.
Axiom Verge 2 is a completely average platformer with a lot to criticise. The first game had its problems but it brought many cool things to the table including a very memorable plot about being trapped in an alien world. On many levels this game isn't even a technical successor. Between that reason and the abandonment of the former's plot, it is tough to recommend in the genre.
Katanaut delivers a stylish cosmic horror atmosphere and hints at an intriguing story inside a space station full of mutated horrors, but those elements never get enough room to grow thanks to the game’s relentless, fast-paced combat. While swordplay and gunfights are satisfying, the speed and constant action kill any sense of tension or dread that the setting tries to build. Players looking for scares or deeper lore may wish the game was slowed down to explore its world, but fans of quick, action-heavy roguelikes will find the mechanics solid and replayable. It’s a technically impressive indie with promise, though its horror gets overshadowed by non-stop adrenaline, making it a slightly above average experience in general.
The root of the story is legitimately interesting, but the problem is that there is a lot of work to get there. Between various platform issues and a meandering plot, the payoff often isn't worth it - which is unfortunate as some aspects really stand out. While the overall premise of the story is memorable, everything it takes to get there is not.
Shuten Order is a unique and stylish murder mystery visual novel with wild narrative ambition, but its lack of consistent execution, pacing issues, and underwhelming gameplay variety keep it from reaching the heights of its inspirations. It could have been really good if it was about a third as long. Each side branch takes 5-10 hours when about two is the max they should have ran. Mystery fans and visual novel enthusiasts may appreciate the experience, but most players might wish for a more focused, narrow adventure.
Some of the ideas and mysteries in Master Detective Archives: Rain Code are pretty interesting at first, but far too often they fall into the realm of fantastical, which decreases the punch they might have. Further, the amount of deaths and heavy reliance of it really decreases the punch of anything having meaning or interest.
DLCs are often targeted at those wanting to expand the core game. Ashes of Elrant, though, is largely more of the same. Problems in Chained Echoes' main quest, like the grind of battle, lack of player progression or questionable ending, are not addressed in the slightest. Those looking for a story-adjacent experience will be interested, but anyone after something new is going to want to pass.
While the story’s complexity and ambition shines, and the new art is serviceable if generic, the remake’s user interface actively hinders the experience. Long, sometimes tedious navigation and the absence of meaningful quality-of-life upgrades make appreciating Yu-no's legendary narrative much harder than it should be. Players looking for polished modern visual novel experiences may find these issues particularly grating.