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.
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.
While Mugen Souls Z does have some issues, it’s still a really fun game. The combat is still very unique, the story is great with a lot of fun interactions between the characters, and the bath minigame finally being uncensored is a great addition to the game as well. I spent about 40 hours with the game and got the true ending. I have also done some of the absurd post-game battles thanks to the crazy amount of included DLC that will make you very OP starting out, but these post-game battles are still a big challenge. I feel like this one is well worth the asking price of $39.99. It’s not perfect, but fans will find a lot to love here.
Sugar Sweet Temptation isn’t a deep visual novel that will have you pondering many of life’s crazy questions for hours, but it is very much comfort food for those looking for a laid back sweet experience. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of substance here: the routes here cover topics like following one’s dreams and figuring out exactly what makes you happy in life. I feel like we all should take more time to search for these answers rather than delving into darker areas of life. The game will set you back $24.99 and will take you about 12 to 15 hours to cover all of the content offered here. Players opting for the Steam version will need to download a patch to access the H-scenes, and you could fully play this one without them, but I feel like you wouldn’t get as much out of it, especially in Kōri’s route. I have no issues recommending this one to fans of laid back visual novels or those looking to spend some quality time with some cute girls. You will find this sugary sweet purchase well worth your coin.
All in all I had a good time with Master Detective Archives: Rain Code. The game really has a focus on death, which is pretty much what you should expect from this team, but it went a little hard for my personal tastes. Those who loved Danganrompa and the other works of this team will be right at home here, and there is nothing wrong with that since they are the target audience. If you love mystery games that have a wild twist to them, you would probably want to check this one out as well. I feel like it is well worth the $59.99 for those into this, and the DLC cases will likely add icing to this already wonderful cake.
While Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord is a very basic Strategy game, I had a lot of fun with it. I know this is mostly because of these characters and setting, but I think this would be a great starting point for newcomers to the series as well. The combat is fun, graphics look nice and music is exceptional. I played about 40 hours to get an ending on this one, and there are more things I have left to explore. I feel like this one is well worth the $49.99 asking price; it may not be anything fancy, but it’s good food for the fans.
Overall I really enjoyed my time with Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix. The combat is a lot of fun, the characters are great and the customization here will keep you busy for hours. I spent about 10 hours and competed each of the girl’s story modes at least once. I feel like at the $29.99 price tag for a digital copy, this one is a nobrainer for fans of anime with cute girls or action game fans. You won’t be disappointed.
Overall I had a blast with Grim Guardians: Demon Purge. The gameplay was very solid and a ton of fun. The writing here is great, and there are plenty of things here to keep fans of both Castlevania style games and Gal*Gun happy. My only real complaint is there is no way to pull up the castle map while in the stage. This makes looking for some of the hidden rooms more a pain than it should be. The game will take you around 8 hours to complete an ending. There are a three of these in total and some extra things to collect once the credits have rolled. I feel like this one is well worth the $24.99. It’s rare to find a game that would please these two very different fanbases, but this one will certainly do just that!
Overall, I think Neptunia: Sisters Vs. Sisters is a fine entry in the franchise. The new characters are a lot of fun, the story is well written and feels like a Nep game, and combat is really fun as well. I got some help from a friend on Twitter, so I was able to get the true ending during my playthrough. There is the endless tower you could challenge and an awesome photo mode here to play around with for hours as well. I feel like this one is well worth the $49.99 asking price. I think it’s pretty insane that IFI has decided folks who want the swimsuit DLC should have to buy the Digital Deluxe Edition at $69.99 with no way for anyone buying a physical copy to obtain these, and I probably wouldn’t be as pissed about this if there were any alternate costumes in the game, but that’s not the case. I hope something they do in the next entry is bring those back. Doing that and adding some more CGs to unlock would go a long way to making this an even more solid Neptunia title. That being said, fans shouldn’t miss this one, the sisters are still as cute as you remember, and this a fantastic adventure.
While I’m not sure I liked This Way Madness Lies more than their previous releases, this is still a really solid RPG, with witty humor, deep combat and fun story. This isn’t a very long game – you can wrap it up in about eight hours on the standard difficulty – but it’s quality and well worth the $9.99 asking price. If you are a fan of Zeboyd Games’ other releases, you should snag this up ASAP. You will find a lot to love here. If you haven’t played any of their other offerings, and love humorous RPGs, you should certainly give them a shot. You’ll be glad you did.
Overall, I feel like Dusk Diver 2 is a solid title. There is plenty of great fighting action, the story is entertaining and the game looks great. The only real complaint I have with this one is even if you’re leveled and upgraded properly, some enemies feel like damage sponges. This makes some random encounters drag out a bit too long for my tastes. If you’re a fan of 3D Beat-em-Ups with some good world exploration and fun characters, this one is well worth the $49.99 price tag.
I didn’t really know what to expect out of Touken Ranbu Warriors, since I knew nothing about this franchise, but what I found here was a very competent Musou game. The missions are fun with just enough variety to keep things interesting. The characters are a lot of fun, and while the combat here is pretty basic, it felt great as fan of this genre. The game looks and runs great on PC, but I think this one might be a little on the easy side for seasoned Warriors players. Though I feel like most of them will enjoy it anyways, since the gameplay is so smooth. You get around 20 hours of story missions here for $59.99, and probably a dozen or so more hours if you want to unlock everything this one has to offer. If you are a fan of Touken Ranbu, then you should probably pick this one up ASAP. There is a lot of fanservice here for you to enjoy from one of your favorite franchises. Fans of Musou games in general should probably give this one a look as well. I know I certainly had a good time with it overall.
Overall, I have to say I had a really good time with Trek to Yomi. The combat was fun, the story was great, and I loved the overall aesthetics here. It was great to explore all the unique areas the game has to offer, discovering interesting collectibles along the way. The game is a bit on the short side at just 7 hours playing on the normal difficulty level, but with multiple endings and challenge levels to choose from, there is plenty of replay value to justify the $19.99 price tag. If you’re a fan of older samurai movies or just love a good sword based action game, you can’t really go wrong with this one.
Overall, Seven Pirates H is a solid release for EastAsiaSoft. There is a great story here with some fun characters, a unique and spicy minigame for fans to enjoy, and the combat is solid as well. The only thing I feel holds this back is its length. I would’ve liked a few more hours with the girls just to flesh out their personalities a bit more. If you liked the previous releases in this series, this is well worth your coin at the $39.99 price tag. Players wanting to jump into these fan service filled beauties are in luck as well, since you need no prior knowledge of the previous releases to have a great time here. Hopefully, if this games does well for EastAsiaSoft, they will consider bringing over the last game in this series, Castles Panzers, at some point down the line.
The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a simple game, but it has a lot of heart. The characters here are wonderful, and they tell a great story with messaging I think we can all appreciate today. I think this one is well worth the $29.99 asking price, even with my few minor complaints. The physical Storybook Edition of this one is great as well. It will set you back $59.99, but it comes with a nice hardcover artbook, a soundtrack download and very cute Yuu Plushie. The artbook is really neat because it has a great design and contains the illustrations you can unlock in game. I am very glad I decided to review this one. I had a lot of fun here, and this wonderful story will stick around with me for a while. If you’re fan of storybook adventures, RPGs or just want a good to experience a good story, this one is well worth your time.
Overall, I felt this was a wonderful Nintendo Switch port. The game runs great, the graphics are good and the inclusion of all the DLC at the $35.99 price tag with the launch discount for this whole package is a great deal. It only takes a few hours to complete one run of Gal*Gun: Double Peace, but there is a lot of replay value here in seeing the story bits for each of the girls, unlocking all the hidden goodies the game has to offer, and there is even a score attack for those looking to challenge their personal best. PQube and Inti Creates have done a great service to Switch gamers by porting the last of this amazing franchise to their console. This gives them a chance to experience the entire Gal*Gun saga for themselves! Now if you will excuse me, there is a cute angel from the first game I must hunt!
I have to say, I had a lot of fun with Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. The level of customization here is crazy, the political parts of the game are easy to understand, it’s fun to stroll around with officers, and the combat here is great. I feel like if I were playing this on a higher difficulty the strategy part would get insane, but there are a few different levels to choose from. This means every player can adjust this until it feels right to them. It took me around 10 hours to do one campaign and see a good bit of the events this one has to offer. There is still plenty of gameplay on the table here for me. If you are fan of these games, this one would certainly be worth the $59.99 asking price. There is a lot of meat here to keep players happy for a long time. If you want a graphically stunning version, the Switch version probably isn’t the way to go, but it runs well enough that if you want to have it on the go, it certainly isn’t a bad choice.
While Neptunia X Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is one of the shorter spin-off titles, clocking in at around 12 hours to complete the main quest, I still had a lot of fun. The combat is easy to pick up, but has a enough depth to keep you coming back for more. The story and writing are very entertaining, and the soundtrack is pretty nice as well. I do think the mouth flaps during the visual novel sections are pretty rough, but that’s not really enough to keep this from being one of the better spin-off games in the franchise. If you’re a fan of Neptunia or Senran Kagura, this one is a no brainer at the $49.99 price tag. If you’re not a fan of either of those, this one would be good to pick up down the line once you’ve played some of the other games in the respected franchises.
At the end of the day, I have to say I had a great time with Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle. The characters and story are great, and the game is very easy to pick up and play. The online modes will let you battle with your friends online and this adds a ton of replay value to the game as well. I think some of the later boss battles are completely unfair and will frustrate some players. You just have to stick with it and change your deck up accordingly until you take them down. I put right around 35 hours in this one and there is still some post game stuff I could take on. If you’re a fan of the Shadowverse anime, this one is well worth your coin at the $49.99 price tag. Fans looking for a good collectible card game to pass their time with on the Switch would do well to snag this one up as well.