The game's cheesy tagline captures it perfectly: every second is a story. I couldn't have said it better myself.
It aims to plunge you into a charming and childlike fairytale world where you battle the darkness to save the light. With the subtle and soothing melodies of its outstanding soundtrack and the lovely visuals, I'd say this game has accomplished exactly that. Child of Light is a solid coming-of-age bedtime story for both children and adults alike. It's just simply enchanting, is what it is.
It is a shining example of what RPGs should be: an experience that makes you believe that you're truly part of a game's world and that you have a very real stake in it. That's exactly what Wild Hunt has achieved here.
As the final game in the series, Dark Souls III delivers a fantastic, no holds barred, 30-hour experience that will satisfy longtime fans. Dark Souls III polishes its gameplay mechanics to a shine, and delivers the lore in droves to those who hunger for it – the perfect mix for an action RPG. Praise the Sun.
Though the game does have its shortfalls, like a lackluster tutorial zone and some infuriating boss mechanics, Undertale is undoubtedly a real stroke of genius. The game plays around with conventions and tropes normally associated with RPGs and subverts them in clever ways, all while telling a deeply personal story that everyone can relate to at some point in their lives.
NieR: Automata isn’t without its flaws. The game could’ve done away with its fetch quests completely, and the combat could’ve been a little more balanced.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is raw and savage, and it's easily one of the best RPGs we've played this year.
Persona 4 Golden is comforting, it’s warm, and so lovingly inviting. With its bright color palette and relentless optimism and hope, it’s summer incarnate and a beautiful reminder of the rose-colored past. Summer has begun.
Is this the best FromSoft action RPG ever made? For now, perhaps. It’s definitely up there with Bloodborne. But given the company’s track record, I’d no longer be surprised if they come back in another six years with a new IP that surpasses all expectations yet again.
The Old Hunters could not have dropped at a better time. After months of being away from Bloodborne, the game has once again wormed its way into my life, and once again, it's all I can spend every waking moment thinking of. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more new weapons to hunt down.
Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest is a must-have gem for the 3DS. While some of its battles may feel exceedingly unfair at times (thanks for one-shotting my avatar at full health with a 1% crit chance, game), the satisfaction of overcoming a tough battle is as sweet as ever.
Danganronpa is the sort of game that requires you to have a taste for the absurd, to be able to suspend your belief as you take in all of the insanity this game throws at you. Don't be turned away by its linearity, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is one of the best visual novels you'll play. And now, even PC users will be able to enjoy this crazy ride.
Thankfully, we do live in the brightest timeline – the one where this lovely gem of a game does exist.
Still, Nioh’s few flaws aren’t nearly enough to offset everything else that the game got right. This game feels so polished with its satisfying combat and its insanely deep loot and crafting system, along with the hundreds of hours of content it has on offer.
All in all, though, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is yet another fantastic game you should have in your library if you own a Nintendo Switch. It's clear that Ubisoft respects the sanctity of these iconic Nintendo characters, and the game certainly does them justice. Kingdom Battle might not be the most challenging tactical RPG around, but it does offer a satisfying combat flow, and provides ample opportunities for players to come up with interesting strategies and team compositions to complete a map with.
Despite that, I've found myself completely drawn into Tamriel over the past week. Being able to play such a massive RPG like Skyrim wherever you want is truly a technical marvel, and I'm thoroughly impressed with what Bethesda's been able to pull off here.
If you're not a fan of linear games, you should probably play A Way Out anyway. The game's presentation of a truly co-operative story is sublime, and it makes full use of the video game medium as a method to punctuate the dramatic moments and develop its characters. Like Brothers, A Way Out presents a unique twist to the cinematic story formula, and it sticks the landing.
Dark Souls Remastered is still a masterclass in level design, and it remains the pinnacle of third-person action games. Longtime fans will be pleased with the improved performance on both consoles and PC. And if you're a newcomer wondering if you should get your feet wet with this entry, the answer is an absolute, resounding ‘Yes.'
Into the Breach is brilliant in how it approaches the strategy game genre. By giving the player all the information they need, it's easy to see where exactly you went wrong, and what you could've done to prevent it.
Frostpunk is an extremely polished city-builder game that builds upon the genre's core mechanics with meaningful innovations. Despite the steep learning curve at the start, it manages to be captivating every step of the way while never forgoing that rush of adrenaline you get when the game strips away your power and complacency with yet another ethically conflicting challenge.