All in all, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a unique experience. If you love worldbuilding, modernizing fantasy worlds, and urban fantasy, you should check it out. If you’re allergic to long cutscenes and extraneous infodumps, you should avoid it. Love it or hate it, Trails from Zero clearly knows what it is and what it’s doing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy all of Trails of Cold Steel so I can find out what happens in Zemuria next.
Sucker for Love: First Date may be a niche title with a weird premise, but it does that premise incredibly well. If you’re a fan of Lovecraftian horror and anime, or if you think dark romantic comedies are great, this game is for you. Akabaka’s weird creation definitely isn’t for everyone, but if it’s for you, you’re gonna love it. I know I did.
While the game does a good job of establishing the agents of Aion as emerging AI, Soul Hackers 2 tells a deeply human story. This isn’t a shock to me, as Shin Megami Tensei spin-offs have always been more character-focused than the mainline games. I like Soul Hackers 2’s anime noir approach to character building. I recommend it to anyone who likes RPGs or cyberpunk.
All in all, Digimon Survive knows exactly what it’s trying to be and does it well. Unfortunately, this means it’s not a very interesting strategy RPG. If you’re a Digimon fan, you’ll either love or hate it. And if you’re looking for a fun, story-heavy title, I definitely recommend checking it out. But strategy RPG fans may want to find something else with fewer cutscenes.
Does Klonoa’s age show? Yes. Do these games still have a lot of charm after twenty years? Also yes. If you enjoy retro platformers, you really have no excuse for not playing Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series.
If you’re just here to play Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny on a platform you actually own, by all means, go for it. The game is a delight that series fans shouldn’t miss. But if you own a PlayStation, buy Disgaea 6: Complete on that and not PC. Your eyes and fingers will thank you for it
All in all, AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is another complex and twisting murder mystery with a strong cyberpunk flavor. If you crave bizarre philosophies, high-tech conspiracies, and mind-bending puzzles, add this game to your list. Just make you aren’t photosensitive first.
All in all, Kaiju Wars is not a revolutionary experience, but it sure is a good time. I recommend it to fans of challenging SRPGs, retro gaming, and the kaiju genre alike. Plus, it includes several public domain giant monster movies, including multiple Gamera films, the 1925 film The Lost World, and the North Korean monster film Pulgasari. If you’re interested in old-school monster movies, that alone might be worth the price of admission.
All in all, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim’s Switch release is a strong success. This game is an incredible experience that doesn’t require you to be a brilliant RTS player–but will reward you for being one. If you enjoy complex storytelling and retro anime, you’ll have a great time. If you prefer games that don’t have required reading, maybe play something else.
All in all, if you enjoy anime and story-heavy JRPGs, you’ll probably enjoy this title as well. If you prefer games that feature better gameplay to cutscene ratios, you should probably play something else.
All in all, Young Souls is a charming coming-of-age story that veers much darker than I expected. It’s a world I was happy to lose myself in, even if the characters weren’t always happy themselves. I’d recommend it to any fan of beat ’em ups and modern fantasy. Those button-mashing minigames are incredibly frustrating, though.
All in all, this review finds Infernax to be a bloody good time. Again, though, be sure you know exactly what you’re getting into. Also, be wary of the platforming.
All in all, if you like atmospheric roguelikes, you’ll probably like Castle Morihisa. If you’re not that fond of the genre, this game doesn’t have much to offer you.
All in all, Demoniaca: Everlasting Night is a heavily flawed game, but still very enjoyable. Just make sure you know what you’re getting into with both the game’s mature content and its platforming elements.
Shin Megami Tensei V is an incredible achievement. While it comes off as less of a horror game than previous entries in the series, its sheer scale and eerie presentation more than make up for the lack of dedicated scares. In some ways, I feel that gaming technology has finally reached the point that it’s able to convey the tone and feel that Shin Megami Tensei has been trying to capture since the 80s. There’s a lot packed into this game, especially if you play on a higher difficulty, which I definitely recommend doing. If you’re allergic to grinding, there is an optional Safety difficulty that will let you focus on the story instead, but you’ll still probably spend a lot of time exploring the expansive game world and getting lost between buildings.
All in all, Inscryption is a great–and spooky–game that is constantly expanding and re-inventing itself, and I recommend it to anyone who loves horror. As long as you approach it with an open mind, a strong stomach, and the willingness to keep trying, you should have a great time with this title. Just remember: if you think the game is over in the first few hours, it’s time to hit the New Game button and see what you’ve unlocked.
All in all, Death’s Gambit: Afterlife is a tough but rewarding exploration of a grim fantasy world populated by ruthless immortals, mindless constructs, and weary civilians whose lives have been horrifically twisted by forces beyond their control. The revamped movement options made traversing the expanded world a treat, though I would’ve liked a fast travel system that didn’t clash with my hoarding instincts. If you like Metroidvanias and Soulslikes and always wanted to know what it would be like if the two genres fused, then Death’s Gambit: Afterlife is for you.
All in all, I had a great time with Steel Assault and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes action platformers, especially retro ones. However, it is modeled directly off of old-school arcade games, with all the difficulty and strategic planning that entails. If you don’t enjoy replaying levels over and over trying to get everything just right, or games that challenge you relentlessly, Steel Assault probably isn’t for you. You’re supposed to struggle. That’s the point of the game.
All in all, BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites is a solid title for anyone who’s into hack ‘n slash. If you’re concerned about the balance, it’s still a punishing game, but once you work out the controls, you should be all right in Standard mode. After mastering that, Classic mode will put you through your paces. However, it has basically nothing to do with the existing BloodRayne storyline, and I really don’t recommend playing the raven levels more than once.
If you like weird games, play El Shaddai. If you like games with incredibly creative visuals and great music, play El Shaddai. If you like games where half-naked men beat the crap out of each other for very poorly explained reasons, play El Shaddai. The only reasons you should skip this title are if you hate platforming or you need the plots of your games to actually make sense.