I have to say, Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ is one of the best games in the series. The characters are wonderful, the story while not unique is still very interesting and the combat is a pure joy. I played this one for around 45 hours and could’ve easily gotten more finishing up quests, doing post-game stuff or trying for one of the other endings. If you’re a fan of series, the game is well worth the $59.99 price tag. If you haven’t picked one of these games up in a while, now is the perfect time to jump back into this great franchise.
Vambrace: Cold Soul is certainly a not an easy game, but I feel like you are rewarded with a pretty good story for putting in the work. Exploring the dungeons and managing very limited resources is both challenging and fun. The multiple endings do encourage you to play through the game more than once, at around 10 hours a run. this makes it well worth the $24.99 price point. If you’re up to the challenge there is a lot to love here, but if you’re a more causal RPG gamer, you may want to pass on this one.
Attack on Titan 2 was already a pretty massive game and this Final Battle version only sweetens the pot with tons of new content. You could easily spend 50 or more hours unlocking and exploring everything this game has to offer. If you haven’t picked up the base game I feel this one is well worth the $59.99 price tag. You can upgrade the base version to the Final Battle version for $39.99. I think for the amount of new content here it would be well worth it. The Nintendo Switch version of the game does have some slowdown when lots of Titans and characters are on screen moving at the same time. I didn’t encounter this too often, but on a couple of missions it is very noticeable. I wish they had added a few new mission types to the game as well, just to add a bit of variety. Those are really the only two complaints I can find with this outstanding title. Fans of Attack on Titan, buy this game today. You’ll be very happy you snagged it up. If you aren’t a fan of the series or found the anime’s pacing too slow, you should pick this up as well. I was not a fan of this until I played the first game back in 2016 and I’m very glad I decided to give it a chance.
I had put off reading The Song of Saya for years and I can safely say I was missing out one the most thought-provoking and well-written visual novels of all time. This is one of the most gory and violent games out there, but none of this is done for shock value, it all has a point. I know some of the more extreme elements here such as cannibalism and rape will turn off many readers, but for those willing to take the plunge you will find something much deeper here. This is a very short visual novel clocking in at around 6 hours, but it is worth every penny of the $19.99 asking price. In fact I am very tempted to order the Limited Physical Edition over on JList for $24.99 + shipping just have to a physical copy and the amazing soundtrack. If you’ve not read this one and can get past its very disturbing aspects, you find a one of kind experience that will leave you with the question – how far would you go for love?
I spent over 40 hours with Omega Labyrinth Life and had a blast. While the game isn’t perfect, the dungeon crawling is fun and the over the top aesthetics really make this stand out. I completed the main story during my playthrough, but there were two 100 level dungeons I have yet to explore. If you love Rogue-Like Dungeon Crawlers that have tons of Ecchi, you should pick up the game today at the $59.99 price tag. I know that sounds pretty steep, but there is a lot of content here. If you’re a casual fan of this genre this is a good title to get your toes wet with, since I didn’t think the difficultly was too steep for anyone to enjoy. I hope D3 Publisher figures out a way to bring us the sequel. If it’s as good as this one, we’re missing out on something great.
While I do feel the gameplay in Crystar is simple, the story and aesthetics truly make this a one-of-a-kind title. I really want to gush about all the great twists and turns in the story and about how these characters grow as the game progresses, but that’s all spoilers and I think everyone should play this one for themselves. I played around 30 hours and completed all of the main story. I did feel that making you run some of the latter stages three times with just a few story changes was a bit much, but there was a good payout on in the end so I can let that slide a bit. I feel like this game is well worth the $59 price tag if you’re into games with a deep and meaningful story. I feel like this one might get buried by bigger releases this generation, but I hope people don’t overlook it. Crystar is a very special title that I feel everyone should give a shot.
I enjoyed Code Vein a lot more than I thought I would going into it. The combat is challenging without being frustrating most of the time, the Code system allows you to mix and match jobs to your liking and the overall look of the game is outstanding. The maps could’ve used a little more detail in certain areas and some variety would’ve been welcomed. That’s honestly a very minor complaint, since of the game looks great. The music is outstanding and with three different endings and New Game+ there is a decent amount of replay value here for the 60 buck price tag. If you are a fan of Souls games, this is a must have title, and folks that wanted try out a Souls game but wanted something with a bit more story and character should definitely pick this up. You will be glad you did!
Gun Gun Pixies isn’t a bad game, but it’s certainly not for everyone or without its share of issues. The biggest issue here is the camera. It’s by far the hardest boss you fight in the game. It gets stuck on corners and wonks out every once in a while. It’s much harder to fight what you cannot see. The enemy collision detection is very much in their favor, you can be way back from a spinning tentacle and still take a hit. I think the over the top fan service is balanced out by the great story, but if you’re not a fan of these types of games or Idea Factory’s wares then this isn’t going to change your mind. I spent about 12 hours completing the story and there are tons of post game options to play round with, so the $49.99 pricetag for a physical edition with that awesome artbook is totally worth it. In the end if these games are your thing you should pick this up. You’re going to have a great time with it despite its flaws.
Battle Planet – Judgement Day is one of those game that I don’t think is bad a game and is very reasonable at the $14.99 price. I do however think it was made with a particular kind of gamer in mind. Fans of these types of games may think well I won’t need to get upgrades, I can use my luck and skill to wing my way through the 40+ waves the game has to offer. I have serious doubts anyone can do this since the damage you take from a single hit on the higher waves is substantial even after unlocking many perks and upgrades. This makes the game grindy since you will have to run the first waves quite a few times to power up enough to handle the more challenging levels and bosses. I spent around 5 hours with this one. Some of that time was solo and some was co-op with a friend and having two players does make the game a bit easier, but even then it is no cakewalk. I was only able to complete 35 waves for this review. It was just too difficult for me to handle solo past that and I had no one local to help me out. That being said, if you’re into this genre and love a good challenge you’ll like want to give this one a go.
Utawarerumono: Zan is not a bad game, but it is a game made for fans of the series exclusively. If folks go into this with no knowledge of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception’s story they will be completely lost. The combat is solid and tons of fun. I really enjoyed unlocking all the different modes and watching all my favorite characters grow stronger along the way. The story mode is well done, but it does skip around a bit too much, and some will find its length a bit on the short side. However, I do think fans will find plenty of content here to justify the around $50 price point. In the end this game is the very definition of a fan service game, and I think that’s perfectly fine.
All and all I had a great time with Pokémon Sword. The game runs very well docked or in handheld mode, online features work great aside from the slowdown and the gameplay is quite addictive. I loved all of the characters and some of the theme music is the best I’ve heard in a long time. I felt like the game was easy enough for a casual player to get into, while it still had plenty of depth for veteran players to explore. This is exactly the balance you want in a game like this. I played this for around 55 hours for this review and finished the main story and bit of post game content. I feel like this game is well worth $60 price tag. There is plenty of content and I feel like old and new players will find a lot to love here.
While I didn’t touch on everything found in VenusBlood Frontier International I feel this is a pretty good overview of how the game flows. While this combat sounds complicated it’s really not once you start playing and is actually highly addictive. I haven’t had this much fun with an SRPG in many years. The story here is top notch and I loved all of the characters found here. This is one of the few times I can say a game truly met my expectations, and I sincerely hope Ninetails will bring more of these titles to the West. For the $40 you’re getting 100+ hours of solid gameplay and story in a game that has some of the best music and artwork I’ve seen in a long time. This is a must own for visual novel fans and SRPG players alike.
I have to say overall I had a great time with GENSOU Skydrift. The racing was fast, fluid and just a lot of fun. The graphics and artwork are outstanding. The game runs at a solid framerate no matter if the Switch is docked or in handheld mode. I polished off the campaign mode in just a few hours, but I spent about 4 or 5 more playing around on all the tracks with friends and CPU racers. The $23.99 price tag might seem a little steep, but this is a quality racing game. If you’re a Touhou fan I think you will find a lot to love here, and if you’re a racing fan looking for a solid title this might just be your cup of tea as well.
If you are a fan of Shmups buying Jamestown+ is a no brainer. The game looks and plays like a dream. The soundtrack is one of the best you will find and having local multiplayer makes this a joy for folks that like to play games with their friends. I do wish this had online multiplayer since not all of us live close to friends we can easily snag up to play. I played this for around 5 hours and I was able to beat all of the stages the game had to offer, but I could’ve invested a lot more time if I wanted to unlock everything the game had to offer and complete all of the challenges, making it well worth the $17.99 price point. If you’ve been looking for a Shmup to test your skills or just a good game to play with some friends, you really couldn’t go wrong picking this up.
I have to say I really had a blast with Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. The combat is fast and fun. The gathering and alchemy work more seamlessly and the story and characters are all top notch. If I had a minor complaint, I just felt this story wasn’t quite as strong as some of the others in the franchise, but it’s still top notch. I spent about 35 hours with the game and with post game you could easily get another 6 hours or so. It’s well worth the $59.99 asking price. If they built off the great mechanics found here for the next game, this series will only get stronger and better for years to come. I personally think that’s a wonderful thing, and very much look forward to the next adventure.
Being a huge fan of the mobile game I really enjoyed my time with Azur Lane: Crosswave. It gave me a chance to spend time with my favorite characters and experience a new story with them. Combat is fun, but much like in the mobile game it’s very repetitive. I pretty much expected this going in, and I didn’t mind it. It was worth the grind to level up all the girls and see all of their marriage scenes. If you are a fan of the mobile game I feel like you will get your money’s worth at $49.99 price tag. I spent around 20 hours in game so far, and finished the main story and most of the extreme battles. While I do think fans of Azur Lane will get more out of this, Azur Lane: Crosswave is a great introduction to this amazing world of Kansen that I think anyone with a mild curiosity should try out. You may just find the characters and world irresistible and want to see more of it. I know this has certainly became one of my favorite franchises over the past two years, and I am thankful for it.
Arc of Alchemist has all the ingredients of a good game, but something went very wrong in the cooking process. The characters are all pretty well written and I think they are the most interesting part of this title. The main story is rushed a bit in places and very predictable. The combat itself isn’t bad, but it’s pretty basic overall and gets stale quickly. The graphics look decent and the open areas fit the the story well, but the performance takes a huge hit in later areas. The game is pretty short, most folks will probably wrap this one up in around 10 hours, and you can add some time to that if you decide to go new game+ or get the true ending. The flaws make this one pretty hard to justify at its $39.99 price tag, but if you’re looking for a decent adventure with some funny and interesting characters, this would be one to consider during a decent sale.
Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha is one of the best collections like this I’ve seen. The port work was all quality and you can tell the team really wanted these to come out as close to perfect as possible. Fans of classic Shmups should be all over this one. They will definitely find a lot to love here. These game are pretty short and you can run through them in a few hours, but there is a ton of replay value as you challenge yourself to do better at each game. The $39.99 price tag might be a bit steep for casual fans, but I feel like the quality is here. This one is worth your coin if want to get into some classic Bullet-Hell goodness.
I have to say Granblue Fantasy: Versus exceeded my expectations by miles. There is a great amount of single player content. RPG Mode is a ton of fun. The story is pretty basic but it’s fun for old players to see some of their favorites in a new adventure and a great introduction for new players. The gameplay is easy enough for anyone to pick up on and deep enough for advance players to still have fun with. This game is just simply a lot of fun. If you have a passing interest in Granblue Fantasy you should pick this up. If you’re a fan of fighting games looking for something different I think you will find a lot to love here as well!
At the end of the day I feel like Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire is well worth your coin. It’s a fun and customizable Shmup that anyone can pick and play and that vets will be able to challenge themselves with as well. The story is pretty insane at times, but I had a blast with it. The music is really good and there were no technical problems here that I could find. If you’ve ever had a passing interest in this genre, do yourself a favor and pick up this gem.