PEAK is, well, the peak of climbing games. Aggro Crab and Landfall Games' combined talent resulted in an incredibly tactile, aptly challenging and delightfully chaotic puzzle platformer. With lots of colour, whimsy and charm, every pitfall or plummet to your death on the trying climb is just another opportunity for you and your friends to pick yourself up off your feet, and get moving again. It's dangerous to go alone, take this plush alien toy, healing balm and your best pals with you. You won't regret it.
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a wonderful return to a game previously locked behind the 3DS. With it, history is repeated: there isn't all that much of a reason this should only be confined to the Switch 2, limiting audiences for an RPG classic once more. Yet it is. Still, A great game is a great game. My first journey with the Warriors of Light has been fantastic and magical, depicting beautiful environments full of rich tapestries, a classic fantasy story with some surprise twists and turns and an incredibly robust, creative and experimental combat system with oceans of depth. Whether returning to Luxendarc or a newcomer like me, this is one of the first no-brainer RPGs for the Switch 2.
Survival Kids doesn't take any big risks in its kid-friendly approach to survival games. Yes, it is technically kid-friendly in mood and scope, but that's also underselling the maturity and capability of children playing games. Its level-based approach doesn't evoke a sense of wonder and exciting exploration that its counterparts are known and beloved for. Its tasks are monotonous and very quickly become repetitive, almost as if they're not trusting you to understand the same thing they're teaching and showing you every few minutes. With only nine levels, but with rough pacing in those missions, it's an experience that somehow passes you by in a flash, but also feels like a slog. There's fun to be had if you're with friends in the silly and chaotic gameplay moments, also working together as a refined, well-oiled survival production machine. Still, at the end of the day, Survival Kids isn't all that much of a successful return, remaining hardly a splash in the ocean.
Robots at Midnight is a solid enough romp for the action RPG space. The robot infested world of Yob is a curious and colourful place infused with retro nostalgic futurism, dusty droids and bright purple stormy skies. A lot of flowers should be given to Finish Line Games for making a palatable Soulslike that can be played by all, even offering some engaging play in the supercharged MITT abilities that have you soaring around environments or sucker punching bots. Thanks to other elements, such as a lot of stock standard combat pacing and flawed exploration, Robots at Midnight doesn't necessarily do a lot to significantly distinguish itself in the hugely populated genre crowd, but it is a different flavoured experience for the space if you're looking for yet another to eat up. It's not quite a home run, but it's a damn solid swing and crowd pleaser nevertheless.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is amazing and well worth the wait, and Level-5 bringing it to multiple platforms to experience it in all its whimsy and wonder was an incredibly smart and measured decision. I'd struggle to find anyone who wouldn't gel with how effortlessly endearing it is, with its vibrant world and charm, dopamine-providing levelling system, a bounty of activities and things to see and do. The side-games that feel like their own games, whether that's exploring a Breath of the Wild-like open world or creating a cute and cozy village of locals à la Animal Crossing, are substantial and meaty, adding to the fun and delight that awaits around every corner. Even the most monotonous task of chopping down a tree is suddenly super exciting. The Fantasy Life series, and The Girl Who Steals Time, are just that magical and effective in doing so. This is a level up for Level-5. Job complete.
Strange Scaffold have done it again and has made another wonderful romp that is well worth your time, this time adapting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles name and world. Dispel any doubt: the indie studio's writing chops and style transfer well to the universe of the team of amphibian martial artists, bringing over so much charm and pizazz from the IP in its first-ever turn-based affair. With plenty of visual and audio flourishes and delights, you're transported to the franchise's heyday and better yet, while you're at it, you're engaging in some good old-fashioned tactics fun, using the turtle brother's skillsets to take down wave after wave of thugs. It might not be the most mechanically deep or hardest of the genre, but it's all worth it to see those lovable crime-fighting teens back in action.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is still a good game, like the original was all those years ago. The excitement of wandering the open world of Cyrodil is still there, getting into shenanigans with goblins in caves, doing away with the undead coming through Oblivion Gates, and getting into thievery and tomfoolery across the great unknown. There are meaningful changes to how skills work and how to read the world, making it the cleanest and smoothest run through Bethesda's great RPG yet. However, it is bogged down by the change in art style, where fidelity disappointingly removes any colour or substance that was once found. A blemish on one of the greats. Much like an old car that's been plodding along a little too long, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered mostly still runs, and a new coat of paint helps some, but don't be surprised by the sensation of feeling like things are going to fall apart at any moment.
The Midnight Walk is undeniably a big stab at both a moody experience and a satisfying puzzler. MoonHood's debut stumbles a bit at the latter, running into some lacklustre puzzle design and monotony with how scarcely it mixes this up, but it makes up for it in setting. There are a lot of cool, eerie horrors that await on the mountain hike, depicted and animated to unbelievable detail, all the more striking than the last. Backed by enthralling 3D sound design that has you dreading every little footstep of those creepy crawlies, it's a fairy tale horror adventure that is more than the sum of its parts.
LUNAR Remastered Collection is a warm and welcome return to the important and severely underrated '90s JRPGs. Within are those iconic anime cutscenes, a charming cast of characters and a magical universe that spans a millennium. Though more could've been done to modernise the pair of adventures, including minimising the frustrating difficulty spikes and at times disorienting level design, it's worth it for how this special and unique collection is enshrined today. The LUNAR games are an endearing and wonderful affair that shouldn't be lost to time and are begging you to play them. If you make the right decision to do so, the rest will be history.
Many Nights A Whisper is another magical story and experience from Deconstructeam, now with the added co-development of Selkie Harbour. Though some could take issue with its brief foray, it's worth it for the incredibly pragmatic lens of teaching players to be okay with the unknown, while also questioning rituals and the everyday norm. How much stir and bubble you want to put out into the world is entirely up to you, and through controlling the protagonist known as The Dreamer, you get a microscopic look at what it means to put good out into the world, but also what implications that could have. Backed by an entrancing lo-fi soundtrack from the wonderful fingerspit, along with a colourful vignette of a greater world, Many Nights A Whisper reminds us that there is hope yet for this world. Through it all is that fiery, bright shining beacon of light in the distance.
Blasting the door down and becoming an instant masterpiece classic, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 defies all expectations and ambitions and then some. Looking at decades of genre refinement and somehow still managing to innovate, creating immensely tactical, thought-provoking and rich combat is nothing short of a miracle achieved at the hands of Sandfall Interactive. Accompanying it is an entirely fresh and magnificent world full of wonders and beauty, even despite its intricate and often harrowing narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and so many RPGs that have come before it, the little expedition that could will be plastered across history with the greats. Bravo.
Proving once more that Strange Scaffold is the indie king of weird, creative titles, Creepy Redneck Mansion 3 is another joyous romp under the studio's now 10-titles-deep belt. Continuing the current Match 3 renaissance with meaningful turn-based battles with countless implementations of strategy, it's only let up by the occasional frustrating encounter and not all that fun ending chasing in the game's last act. Still managing to find the time for topical commentary on the state of game development amongst its kooky world, it's a venture that's more than the sum of its parts and with a surprising amount of bite for a puzzle game… just be wary they may very well come from that creepy Pclowntadactyl awaiting you around the next corner.
The Talos Principle: Reawakened is an already incredible game made more amazing thanks to meaningful quality of life additions, stellar graphical remastering and insightful new content in the new campaign and developer commentaries. It's beautiful, tranquil and pensive. Filled with philosophical platitudes, brain-wrinkling puzzles and sheer tranquil vibes in all the environments, Croteam have masterfully reworked their beloved puzzle game to be as quintessential as ever.
Much like the titular protagonist having to restore his name and save face, The First Berserker: Khazan overcomes doubt that there is room for new, great big beasts in the Souls-like space. It may not be the most original experience and may be overflowing with too much loot, but despite that, it provides incredible play variety, meaningful character progression, spectacle, and exciting boss encounters to boot. Bathed in blood and dripping in metal-as-hell edge and angst, The First Berserker: Khazan is another unbelievably fun and great action RPG for the books.
More could have been done to make Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars a more momentous release for the series' 30th anniversary. Quality of life additions such as a prettier look and cleaner HUD to the first game in particular could've made the two games stand together better in this collection, but two great games from thirty years ago are, unsurprisingly, still great games today. There's a lot of magic, charm and gusto to recruiting your dozens upon dozens of friends and allies, all in the hope of overcoming a greater, more powerful looming threat. This beautiful but also simultaneously terrifying world full of injustice is incredibly timely for both returning fans and newcomer RPG enthusiasts like myself. So gather your friends; it's time to take on the world.
Look Outside is a moody horror RPG that is greater than the sum of its parts. Despite having a frustrating level design at times, a lack of map and being a little too breezy, what's forefront and centre is the vibes and setting. Francis Coulombe nails this, providing richly detailed pixel art that depicts grotesque beasties and monsters. Amalgams are made of teeth and limbs. Guys with eye clusters poring out of their torso. The designs are the whole nine yards. It's also a quality little bite-sized RPG with lots of charming systems and tidbits to flesh out the experience. Just, whatever you do, do not think too hard about the flesh monster that is knocking at your door. I promise all is OK.
Wanderstop remains incredibly sincere and thoughtful with its biting story cooked up by Ivy Road without being overly sentimental or too delicate. Not afraid to show its teeth (including occasional gameplay obstacles), within is a stellar story about learning self-care and slowing down, a refreshing narrative departure for Davey Wreden in particular, bolstered by the co-writing of Karla Zimonja and moving performance by Kimberley Woods. Present also is a vibrant, whimsical and pragmatic take on the familiar shop-running and farming hybrid genre, told all through the lens of helping out a quaint tea shop with thoughtful and bespoke mechanics and interactivity. It's dangerous to go alone. Why don't you stay a while and have a nice cup of Earl Grey?
Warriors: Abyss wastes no time giving players a tangible story and also appears to lack depth in its opening moments, but that also doesn't matter. Instead, it focuses on translating the Musou experience into a tactile and fast-paced roguelike adventure and it excels at doing just that, rewarding players the more they put into it. Providing a thrilling and refreshing take on the Warriors series, it is not to be missed.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a thoroughly enjoyable sea-faring adventure filled with delightful ship combat and hectic brawling and swordplay encounters. Though it might rank somewhat lower in the series thanks to its weaker story and somewhat disappointing substories, it won't bother players all that long when they merely engage in some of the open-world chaos that comes with living out a pirate's life. Yo-ho, Yo-ho, a Mad Dog's life for me.
Though not quite as strong as its predecessor thanks to its narrative devices, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is another incredibly strong RPG under Nihon Falcom's long-running belt. The party is stacked this time and serves as a warm-found family. Perhaps one of the best in the RPG scene. With this, there are a lot of exciting combat shenanigans and party DNA to engage in, joyously laying waste to beasties and mysterious figures. Better yet, the city of Edith feels more lived and breathed in than ever thanks to the bountiful list of activities and completion metrics to engage with. Though their journey is slightly rocky, at least Arkride Solutions has and always will have each other.