A Space for the Unbound is a brisk 15-hour story that is full of surprises and potent emotional beats. While it doesn’t offer much in the way of replayability, it’s a hugely memorable experience nonetheless.
New Tales from the Borderlands is a vapid vision of its remarkable predecessor, bogged down by exasperating choices from beginning to end.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force isn’t the best in the series, but a revamped battle system and a charming cast of characters at least make it feel like a return to form.
Everything in Requiem is bigger, bolder, and better than Innocence was. There's more variety in which players can approach situations and it plays and looks great. It offers a fantastic narrative with bigger stakes and conflicts, as well as a bigger cast of characters and complementary tools. And it only leaves you wanting more, which is good, because by the end of the game, you'll wonder where A Plague Tale goes from here. After the events of Requiem, the possibilities seem abundant.
Valkyrie Elysium feels much more like a spin-off entry in the Valkyrie Profile franchise than a full-fledged new main title. Its smaller scope, budget, and design lend it a “PlayStation 2 game” feel. The game’s combat is its saving grace, alongside some fun character interactions. Without the Valkyrie name and branding, Elysium could’ve very well been written off as a somewhat generic action game.
The DioField Chronicle includes a lot of setup for potential sequels, but it does a solid job of laying down the proper foundation to make that work long-term.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero puts together a politically engaging story, fun gameplay, and likable heroes into one epic RPG.
Temtem is a fun monster-catching game that offers plenty of twists on the well-worn Pokémon formula.
There’s a lot to like about “Soul Hackers 2.″ Ringo’s upbeat personality makes her a phenomenal protagonist, along with both the engaging combat and fun characters keeping players absorbed within the minute-to-minute gameplay loop.
Digimon Survive isn’t awful, but longtime fans of the franchise will likely come away feeling a little disappointed. If the tactics gameplay was up to snuff — or eliminated entirely — the experience would’ve been better overall.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is an amazing JRPG, with a deep story and fun gameplay that will keep players engaged for many hours.
Live A Live is a high-effort remake from the presentation side, though the base game remains an uneven RPG experience.
Stray isn't just a game about a cat trying to get home, but one about an even greater adventure. And doing cat things.
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games can't quite find the right narrative justification for its intriguing gameplay hooks.
AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative boasts a compelling story, along with some great plot twists that caught me completely off guard. Its investigations are intriguing, and its Somnium dungeons are both colorful and foreboding. Nirvana Initiative is an incredibly eccentric game, bursting with vibrant characters, mind-bending puzzles, and an abundance of strange sci-fi detours. And once it builds momentum, it doesn’t let up. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say I love it.
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an engaging mystery that involves murders that span over a period of 100 years.
A gorgeous game with frustrating combat and glitchy exploration, Trek to Yomi is the definition of style over substance.
Chinatown Detective Agency is an engaging point-and-click adventure with gorgeous art direction that falls just a bit short.
'Ghostwire: Tokyo’s vision of Shibuya is eccentric and captivating. Exploring every nook and cranny to learn more about the Japanese myths and legends that inspired the game makes for a compelling gameplay hook. It’s a shame that despite some interesting ideas, parts of the story campaign feel like they were left on the cutting room floor.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an incredibly fun game, filled with bombastic combat, which also expands on the existing lore of the original Final Fantasy.