Overall, while there were some flaws to my time in Terra Memoria, I'm glad I was able to experience this captivating world which was full of great ideas, beautiful art, and an entertaining combat system. Some aspects felt not fully realized, but hopefully this means the developer is just getting started.
Ultimately Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a flawed but interesting game that is wildly creative yet doesn't always live up to its ambitions or other Konami rhythm games. Still, this was a fun experience that I'm glad I was able to try. I'm hoping this game is only the first of more rhythm game experiments by Konami (or other developers!) because I'd love to see this Castle more polished or with a better tracklist.
Fashion Dreamer is, I'm sure, something that could appeal to a certain person. If all you're looking for is the freedom to play dress up with thousands of items and create cute outfits, you might want to pick up Fashion Dreamer. However, if you're looking for a satisfying gaming experience, you'll need to keep dreaming.
Ultimately, Bilkins' Folly is a game you should definitely pick up if you are an adventure game fan or want to dip your toes into that genre. This is a fun puzzle game with charming writing and great mechanics that feel very satisfying when you figure out. Some solutions may be difficult, so if you don't want to feel frustration you might want to sit this one out. However, if you enjoy puzzle games and are looking for a charming adventure game, I'd recommend Bilkins' Folly.
This is a review-in-progress due to some technical errors that were fixed prior to launch. At this point I believe I'm about halfway through the story and wanted to fully progress through the story before making my final, scored review.
The song list is largely inoffensive, and it's likely you'll find at least a handful of songs you might like. There are some fun additional modes and options to try that, while imperfect, add more playability to this game. I'm eager to see future song packs added, because the ones that exist are already pretty entertaining. I can only dream that Sega will release a maracas peripheral like they had for the Dreamcast.
Rune Factory 3 Special isn't going to be for every farming game fan and won't dethrone Stardew Valley as the most popular farming game, but its charming characters and setting make for a very enjoyable experience. I was surprisingly pleased at the quality of the writing and the depth of some of the crafting systems, and those propelled Rune Factory 3 Special forward to make it both relaxing and engaging. This is a worthy addition to the Switch library, and one I might return to in the future, if only to spend some time with some of my new favorite characters.
I certainly enjoyed my time with it but there were a number of frustrations that made it hard to be an instant recommendation. It doesn't add anything particularly new to the genre while also not being polished enough to perfect the genre. That said, it's a solid game that makes me want to see more from this studio, and one I would recommend to fans of these shooters who want that welcome satisfaction of triumphing over a stiff challenge.
Dordogne is an interesting, imperfect game with some phenomenal design and visuals. The watercolor graphics make for one of the most stunning games I've seen for a while, and some of the interactive choices worked incredibly well, such as the activity of putting photos and poems together to make the binder Mimi longs to rediscover. While there are certain areas of frustration, I ultimately enjoyed my time in exploring Mimi's childhood memories (and my own) through art.
In fact, if NIS decided to put out a sequel, I might be inclined to check it out because they have made a number of excellent RPGs in the past. It just feels like they threw in so many systems, meters, and mechanics that they forgot to put in something to compel you to keep playing. There are many better games out there in all of the genres that this one borrows from that despite interesting ideas, Monster Menu can't come together to provide a satisfying meal.
Arland, Dusk, Mysterious, Ryza/Secret) is self-contained, so it's not necessary to play Marie before those other games. However, for fans of the series it's fun to see where it all started and how much Gust got right from the start, considering this is still a very fun, breezy JRPG to play. It makes me hope that other games in the series can be brought to modern platforms and that the Atelier series can continue to thrive!.