Even now, looking at the Kanto region on Switch still leaves me in awe at how far the series has come. We'd always known that Game Freak had created a world that was truly special when the original games first released on the Game Boy, and that vision's finally been brought to life with Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee.
It's strange, because Odyssey barely even feels like an Assassin's Creed game. Take away Layla Hassan and the "Assassin's Creed" brand from the title, and I'd just look at this game as a really strong, standalone historical fiction video game.
Octopath Traveler feels like a much more personal collection of tales that might go against what you'd typically expect from a JRPG. More than anything else, the way the characters fall together feels like coincidence rather than providence, and the game is far more concerned with telling intimate stories about grief, friendship, adventure, and redemption. You might not get to save the world, but there's joy to be had from just helping out someone in a bind and learning more about the deep history of Orsterra as you go.
As you've probably expected from FromSoft at this point, Sekiro is a game that relishes in its ability to challenge and punish the player with little to no room for error. The developer's methods of storytelling may start to feel a tad stale at this point, but the game still manages to capture that immense feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment like no other.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection is everything I could've asked for from a proper Switch port. The graphical downgrades are noticeable in handheld mode, but it doesn't detract from the experience at all, especially when it runs so smoothly.
The Resident Evil 2 remake is, indeed, the best Resident Evil game ever released. I see that now. It brings back everything that fans loved from the PS1 classic, and presents it in a fresh way that's both exciting and nostalgic in a modern age. Survival horror isn't dead, inform the press that Resident Evil really is back.
The wait has been worth it; Wargroove is absolutely a must-play title for fans of the genre and just Switch owners in general.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is, quite possibly, the most ambitious JRPG you’ll play this year. And perhaps the most impressive part about the whole game is that it actually manages to deliver on that ambition.
If you’re looking to play the purest modern video game about fetch quests and filling up bars, yes. If you’re looking for a unique gameplay experience and great acting, also yes.
Disco Elysium is gritty and unapologetic, witty and bleak, and forces you to deal with your darkest demons and self-doubt. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The additions introduced in Royal allow Persona 5 to become the excellent JRPG it was always truly meant to be, and it’s a wonderful effort that will surely be appreciated by fans.
Hades feels like a small, but masterful step forward for the roguelite genre as a whole. Maybe there really is no escape from the Underworld, but that’s just fine by me; this is a cycle I don’t want to end.
Looking at my death count at the end of the game, it was a little shocking to see that I’d died that many times. But Celeste constantly reassures the player that it’s not something to be ashamed of. Every death is a lesson learned, and with every lesson comes improvement. As long as you don’t give up, there’s always a path to success. Even if you have to fail 2,649 times to see it.
Loop Hero is yet another stunning gem that fans of the rogue-lite genre will enjoy. It’s a blend of so many different types of games that it becomes a completely unique entity on its own, and it’s hard to think of anything else that offers an experience quite like this one. It’s a game that forces you to trust in your own decisions, commit to them, and either reap the rewards or face the consequences. There’s no control, and that’s the beauty of this game.
I can’t recommend Monster Hunter Rise enough. The new gameplay additions are few, but very impactful and have pretty much changed the way I look at the series now. While World really brought the series to the next level in terms of graphical capability and level detail, Rise takes a solid step forward in evolving Monster Hunter’s gameplay. It’s still a tricky game to play with a high skill floor and ceiling, but the series has truly never been more accessible than it is now.
Playing through NieR Replicant felt like a fever dream at times, in the same way that NieR: Automata’s reveal at the very first E3 I’d attended felt like a fever dream. It’s a testament to how special NieR is for it to have endured solely in the hearts and minds of its most dedicated fans for a decade, only to explode into a phenomenon that has kept the video game community talking and debating over it long after the credits have rolled. The rough edges of the original release are still present in NieR Replicant, but it’s clear that this game and the series as a whole will no longer just be another faded memory.
Episode Intermission builds upon the already solid foundation of Final Fantasy VII Remake and delivers a new story chapter that is both a comedy and a tragedy at the same time. It adds to the mythos of Remake’s world, gives us a new look at various side characters we only spent a few minutes with in the base game, and most importantly, sets the stage for the next crucial party member we’ll meet in the second instalment. It’s a good time all around, and I couldn’t recommend this more to fans of FFVII Remake.
Even with the absence of Phoenix Wright, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a bold step forward for the series and a crystallization of what makes it so special.
Twelve Minutes is bold in its artistic choices in every aspect of the game. From the top-down camera perspective to the deliberate lack of instruction from the very beginning, Twelve Minutes wants you to figure everything out for yourself and see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. There are drawbacks to this, as exemplified by my own shortcomings when it comes to puzzle games, but it’s also elegant in its simplicity and minimalism. Twelve Minutes is a deliberately introspective game that doesn’t waste its breath on unnecessary exposition or dialogue. Wanting to see all it has to offer may take some effort on the player’s part, but it’s well worth the hard work and investment.
Death Stranding Director’s Cut continues to impress with its fearless commitment to fetch quests on top of fetch quests, and again, it’s not going to change your mind if you didn’t already buy into what it was selling back in 2019. But if you did, the Director’s Cut enhances and enriches that original experience, and you’ll be happy you jumped back into this one.