Stardew Valley is an excellent game that let me quietly relax and enjoyably lose myself in for hours on end.
While never achieving the “great” part of its title, the game at least isn’t too far from hitting the “good” part.
While Dancing in Moonlight feels like half a game, the half it presents is quite good.
While Tavern Story might never reach the level of fandom that the Atelier series enjoys, its entry into the crafting RPG sub-genre should not go unnoticed.
Adhering to the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, Nexus takes the tried-and-true Etrian Odyssey formula and does well with virtually all of its components: music, battles, interactions, and world-building.
In taking a standard save-the-world RPG tale and populating it with fascinating characters dealing with relatable issues in a beautifully rendered world and adding an addicting, customizable battle system, developer Image & Form has created a true gem of a game for the Nintendo Switch.
While those looking for a deep, story-heavy RPG might find Octopath Traveler lacking, the game is a hugely enjoyable modern take on traditional turn-based games of yesteryear with a collection of short story, rather than novel-length, narratives.
From gorgeous graphics to deep crafting and combat systems, Lulua is an impressive game.
For those who have previously enjoyed the tales of Neptune and her crew, it's possibly worth a try, but for those uninitiated, this won't create any new Nep Nep fans.
With a solid story and an amazing, beautiful world to explore, the White Witch on Switch is a port that many JRPG fans will enjoy, especially those like me who are getting to play this for the first time.
Employing a fun battle system similar to the developer’s previous titles and written with as much good humor and charm as one could possibly hope for in a game starring a squid-headed god intent on saving Christmas only to destroy the world, Cthulhu Saves Christmas is a bite-sized adventure worthy of a playthough any time of year.
Rune Factory 4 Special is an easy recommendation to any RPGamer who enjoys farming and life sim games, as well as for those casual Stardew Valley fans that wished for more variety in the combat aspects. It’s been long enough since the 3DS release that this game can be enjoyed fresh again, and for those who missed it the first time around, now’s the perfect time to give it a try.
While this Episode 1 shows promise of something perhaps worthwhile in the future, at this point it’s nothing more than a paid prologue.
The game can be a lot of fun as a humorous, simplistic RPG, but the slog gets real too soon and too often. There are indeed bright spots in the title, mainly those created by the characters that players assign to roles in the game, but the title far outstays its welcome.
The game is just missing too many staples that other farming sims feature. There is little main story, no NPC interaction, a near featureless battle-system, no side quests, and barely any small intermediary goals throughout the game.
While the first title proved that VEWO could do a nostalgic monster collecting game, Extinction shows that the developer is willing and able to push the genre forward in more modern ways.
Players looking for a short romp that doesn’t overstay its welcome will want to pick up this title before tackling the sequel, which has many gameplay improvements that would be sorely missed when returning to the original.
All these average systems lack any standout hook for the game to hang its hat on and set itself apart from the indie pixel-game scene.
Rune Factory has always been a chill experience with some light action RPG elements to it, and that’s exactly what the newest title delivers.
Packed into a pleasingly tight seven-hour experience, This Way Madness Lies is an excellent blend of disparate genres, solid gameplay, and humorous writing.