Ys has always had some of the most entertaining combat married with some of the best soundtracks in the RPG genre. However, Monstrum Nox manages to improve upon that already solid base with the titular Monstrum powers that elevate the exploration and boss battles thereby making both the moment-to-moment gameplay as well as the crowning encounters all the more entertaining.
Sakura Wars has always been about the characters, interacting via L.I.P.S., and experiencing some insane, over-the-top anime antics. In that respect, the new Sakura Wars recaptures the spirit of the earlier entries and is a perfect bit of RPG comfort food to brighten your soul.
The combat continues to improve — it’s incredibly fun taking down huge groups of yakuza — and the story and characters really shine.
Final Fantasy IX is an amazing experience, with a fantastic cast and story — it’s truly a masterpiece of the PlayStation era. This upgrade means that fans don’t have to wait years to experience it again without all the pitfalls of the original.
Simply put, Mercenaries Wings is strategy RPG comfort food for any RPGamers hungry for a fix.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is tasked with recapturing the magic of the first and return the series to a firm footing. In this it mostly succeeds, with exceptionally engaging strategic combat that is a considerable improvement over the original incarnation.
Simply put, Kiwami 2 is the new pinnacle for the series and any RPGamers with a passing interest in brawlers or wanting to make a virtual visit to Japan should seek it out.
This could have been a good game with better choices, but instead it’s difficult to recommend to even the most rabid Little Witch Academia fan, much less the broader RPG-playing public.
While there may be a few interesting ideas in the story, it’s not worth suffering through the dungeons and needlessly verbose scenes to experience them.
Overall, Demon Gaze II is still a strong and enjoyable dungeon crawler, albeit not without some flaws.
The game isn’t without fault — greater variety in characters and levels along with more meaningful customization would be welcome — but most of the issues are minor in comparison to how much fun the game is to play.