Thomas Knight's Reviews
Kirby’s Dream Buffet was a pleasant surprise. It's budget-priced, and a lot of fun. It’s certainly no epic adventure like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but it’s a great party game that’s kept casual and competitive enough for all ages to play.
I enjoyed Digimon Survive as a visual novel and would highly recommend it if that’s all it was. That said, there is some frustration in trying to access all routes, the SRPG combat gets old after a while, and there are a multitude of small issues that do bring the experience down.
If you enjoyed Kinkoi: Golden Loveriche, I’d certainly recommend Kinkoi: Golden Time. While it might not reach the same high points that Golden Loveriche does, it’s consistently great throughout and explores some new characters that we didn’t see enough of the first time.
If you enjoyed Moss, then certainly get Moss: Book II – it’s a true sequel, sticking close but making improvements along the way. If you’ve not played Moss, go and play that, then come back and play Moss: Book II. Just try and play them on a platform with decent tracking.
While minor storytelling and other issues persist, I had a great time playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It’s a story of friendship, family, and betrayal with constant twists and turns, set in an intriguing world. It’s all set in a city with tons to do, so it never gets old – or if it does, then you can just hop on a go-kart or go to the arcade for a while.
Touken Ranbu Warriors might be a surprising entry to the Warriors franchise, but it’s a welcome addition. I’m not sure that it’ll be a hit due to its niche appeal and unusual targeting, but there’s plenty of fun to be had here.
Nintendo Switch Sports isn’t perfect, but there are certainly improvements to the original formula such as the inclusion of online and the addition of features or modes in some sports. While I doubt it will have the same cultural impact on gaming, it’s certainly still worth picking it up to play with the family or to keep yourself active by challenging others online.
I struggled to rate Café Stella and the Reaper's Butterflies. It does a lot right, but it also does a lot that I didn’t like too. I mostly enjoyed the experience, but I can’t say it left much of an impression on me. It had a few great moments, but no standout plot. Many of the characters I really liked, but some routes fell flat. It has the high quality of a Yuzusoft title in many ways, but it’s the weakest of them that I’ve played. While it’s worth playing, unless you’re particularly into cafes I’d say to wait for a sale.
Dōkyūsei: Bangin’ Summer isn’t perfect, but it does a great job at bringing a classic into the modern era. The remake fixes most of the issues that would make it seem incredibly dated, along with updating it with some beautiful graphics.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga kept me hooked with its huge variety of worlds to experience, activities to do, and things to collect. The humor provided plenty of laughs, and there were plenty of in-jokes for franchise fans. It’s a great way to experience Star Wars all over again.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a far more successful venture into 3D than I first expected. What it lacked in a challenge, it more than made up for in sheer fun and the enjoyment of exploration. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do in the future.
Is Chocobo GP going to knock Mario Kart 8 Deluxe off its pedestal as the best Nintendo Switch kart racer? Certainly not. But it’s certainly a well-made title and plenty of fun, despite some questionable decisions and a lack of anything truly innovative. It’s a pity that many people will overlook it.
I enjoyed Cyberpunk 2077. The story told and moreover the world it built was truly interesting. I’d certainly recommend playing it, but wish it wasn’t held back by gameplay and technical issues, even if it's still fun despite these. I’m glad I waited for the 1.5 update, as it does sound that this is a rather better experience than the one on launch.
KamiYaba: Destiny on a Dicey Deadline is essentially a story about love and getting closer to a heroine. Beyond that, it shows a touching friendship that grows between a group who at first just occupied the same space. While it won’t win any awards for the plot, there are some great characters who I enjoyed spending my time with – and that’s often what people enjoy behind this type of visual novel.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires isn’t the best game in the series, but it’s a solid entry that gets most things basically right. While there are certainly plenty of points to pick at, I still enjoyed taking over the country.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus wants to be the best – and it’s certainly the best there ever was when it comes to Pokémon games. It is slightly held back by the issues on the technical side, but the gameplay kept me invested throughout. I’ve been a fan ever since the original Pokémon Blue, but I’ve never had so much fun with this series before.
Hello Lady! - Complete Edition contains an excellent mystery. It unfolds slowly, builds up, and comes to a great ending – if we ignore the ‘true end’. The protagonist is a big personality who can overshadow other elements though, so whether a reader enjoys Hello Lady! may depend on whether they like him, rather than how much they enjoy the heroines as in some other visual novels or the mystery itself.
Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a great way to keep your mind active, as well as a way to fairly compete with people of all ages. As someone who rarely has to use math beyond basic addition, I could feel the skills slowly coming back to me as I continued to play. It does have some limitations such as direct multiplayer being local only and a limited selection of minigames, but considering the budget price and accessibility, it’s worth picking up.
I feel like The Humbling of a Holy Maiden will be most appreciated by a niche audience – those particularly interested in the kinks on display here. That said, there’s still certainly a lot to enjoy about it. It has an interesting setting, wonderful art, and some great voicing. It is a bit short, but it packs a lot into that time.
I went into Dohna Dohna ~ Let’s Do Bad Things Together with some skepticism. I’d mostly heard about the adult scenes including forced prostitution and rape, which isn’t my type of content. Alongside that though, I found a genuinely interesting story with fun characters, surprisingly great gameplay, and amazing art. There are certainly a few issues that bring it down, but I enjoyed it a lot more than expected. As long as you know what you’re heading into and aren’t put off by those aspects, it’s one to play.