SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky stands as the first coming of the Memories Off franchise to the west, but, unfortunately, it leaves something to be desired in a crucial aspect: the English localization, which severely compromises the enjoyment and understanding of the story. Maybe it's not the best way to promote this brand-new content on this side of the globe, but the product is a great recommendation for those who love a more mundane, believable and down-to-earth narrative.
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For those who love indies filled with good ideas, Eternights brings established formulas from various notable titles to tell a story about the end of the world with teenagers that only wanted to live their lives. There's definitely room for various improvements but this action RPG is one of the best picks for those who want a well established plot and an almost exclusive focus on character development.
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Simple at its surface, complex in execution, Refind Self: The Personality Test Game is an experience that manages to explain how our decisions in many situations mold us as people. It's not a 100% accurate personality test, obviously, but it definitely helps clear many doubts we have about ourselves.
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Betting on themes that go beyond traditional romance, 9 R.I.P. is yet another excellent pick for visual novel fans, especially for people who enjoy the otome demography. Even with a slightly more mature approach compared to other Otomate titles I've reviewed, the game is an invite to a narrative in which the supernatural and human emotions intertwine in an exceptionally well-made manner and without leaving loose ends.
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Reynatis deserved more polish, that's undeniable, especially with the price tag on eShop [...] For enthusiasts of the genre, especially fans of Square Enix's titles, this RPG is a good pick and it's far from being one of the worst in the hybrid console library despite some caveats.
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Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU doesn't substitute a real training routine, especially not boxing, but trying to follow the moves and rhythm precisely helps us work up a sweat no doubt. There are some issues that can't be ignored for sure, and maybe the main games in the Fitness Boxing series (especially the second) are more complete than this Vocaloid crossover when it comes to exercising sessions and instructor customization. However, for those who prefer [to work out in] the comfort of their home and having virtual avatars during exercises, for whatever reason, this is a good pick to keep the body moving even if your routine doesn't allow for frequent gym visits.
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Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, with a mystery much closer to our reality than the other two games in the series, surprises with its narrative quality. It is quite difficult to reach a concrete conclusion about this title, but I dare say that, in addition to being the best entry in the Famicom Detective Club series, it is, above all, a solid recommendation for fans of suspense stories. Don't be fooled by the text adventure label and gameplay that harks back to the last century: even with its small flaws, the case of the smiling man is promising from start to finish. And honestly speaking? I hope this is not the end of Famicom Detective Club, but if it is, we have here a golden ending.
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Beyond romance, Lilja and Natsuka Painting Lies discusses empowerment and breaking stereotypes. The chapters also explore how difficulties and traumas we've faced affect and shape our lives; in this sense, it's impossible not to praise the visual novel for putting empathy as the main agent in transformation and personal growth. In sum, the relationship between Lilja and Natsuka exemplify how different perspectives and approaches contribute to something bigger when there's comradery and cooperation between people. Though some fights may be individual, that doesn't mean we need to refuse the help others offer [to us].
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The Star Named EOS, and its unusual approach, introspective narrative and stunning audiovisual presentation, is an excellent choice for people who prefer short games to relax and think. The Switch version trips up on a few details and the experience can be severely compromised by the lack of hints for the puzzles but, as they say, "it's not the destination but the journey."
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Moonless Moon is more of an immersive and introspective experience than a game, though there are some gameplay elements for us to intervene with during the reading. Sometimes I felt that it lacked a little more "dare" to develop the themes more or to make it so the riddles could have made the story less linear but we can't take away the merit of the excellent narrative in ANMC's debut title. Overall, this is a visual novel where the biggest appeal is its audiovisual, especially the ambiance and the immersion the excellent soundtrack offers. The only thing left is to know if Yomichi's trips to different worlds will have the same impact for you than it did for me
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Mixing up daily life, folklore and supernatural themes (and some more miserable ones due to the characters backgrounds), Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch delivers a narrative that manages to pique our curiosity. Even with some conveniences in the plot, the story as a whole is well developed, and much of it comes from the characters that are part of it. The audiovisual limitations, as well as a lack of polish to the English text localization, may displease some people but, sincerely, those who do not give a chance to this incredible story will be missing out because of an erroneous judgment.
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In addition to being an excellent and immersive narrative adventure, Minds Beneath Us is a title that makes us think and challenges our own concepts of morality with every choice we make. Its concept of a dystopian future controlled by machines and artificial intelligence doesn't seem so far from our reality — could it be that, in a few decades, the world will be like the fictional Wanpei depicted in the game? But, more than presenting a hypothetical scenario about the future of humanity, the plot brings us very current and pertinent questions and thoughts. Honestly speaking, it's hard to put into words the emotional weight I felt while playing this title; perhaps this isn't the conclusion you expected for a review, but Minds Beneath Us is the famous “seeing is believing”.
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Tokyo Xanadu eX+ may have come late to the Switch but even seven years from its original release it manages to be as good as the more recent RPGs in the Nintendo console library.
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When we put the pros and cons on a scale, this is a software with more appeal to nostalgia and may hardly be interesting to the current generation due to the charming Sparkster games difficulty. At least, the bonus in Re-Sparked! nay attract those who are real fans of the opossum knight.
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Though it may err in aspects that can undermine the whole experience, Times & Galaxy is a game created to translate, even if in a simplified fashion, the daily circumstances in a newsroom and certain journalistic nuances to a sci-fi context accessible to a diverse public. With smart choices and a charismatic, colorful universe that feels alive, it's very hard not to immerse yourself in the journalist robot while looking for the best way to cover the facts.
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Monster Hunter Stories is a title that is sure to please fans of both RPGs and Monster Hunter. Those who have already played on the 3DS may not see much point in reliving the adventure on the Switch due to the inferior graphics; however, for those who want a less intimidating experience from the Capcom franchise, Stories is a great option that should not be left aside. With an engaging story, dynamic combat system and excellent customization options, this is a work that deserves to be on the radar of any RPG fan.
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C.A.R.D.S. RPG: The Misty Battlefield is a product that tries to sell itself as a well-done and polished package but it's extremely shallow and empty as far as content goes. It tries to draw inspiration from a genre with ever more representatives in the market but fails to bring a satisfying, compelling experience. In sum, it's difficult to recommend this title unless at least the combat difficulty is properly rebalanced. Extremely strong enemies right at the start of the campaign force us not to look for new strategies to win but to give up on the game in its entirety.
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For fans of stories revolving around occult, urban legends and supernatural experiences, Other Side Of Mist And Mountain offers approximately 10 hours of immersive gameplay without appealing to cheap jumpscares and mixing visual novel, exploration, stealth and puzzles. With an excellent audiovisual presentation, especially the soundtrack, we have a title that definitely deserves to shine. However, various bugs and text issues weigh against the experience, making it necessary to have patience to understand what's being told in the story at certain points and to solve the puzzles along the way.
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Sincerely speaking, Hatsune Miku - The Planet Of Wonder And Fragments Of Wishes would have everything it takes to be a strong recommendation for fans of minigames and Vocaloids, were it not for the absurd price for this collection. This charismatic title can please a vast range of people, especially those who love relatively simple experiences with a focus on unlockable achievements, but, if not acquired during a sale, its content doesn't justify the price.
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Even with caveats, Tales from Candleforth is a title that can please point-and-click fans besides offering a good horror atmosphere and varied puzzles. However, even with its compelling and immersive story, the big issue of the game is that it seems incomplete, so I hope that little by little we get other tales that are part of the fictional town Candleforth's folklore book.
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