Des Miller
Atelier Ryza 3 feels like a generational leap due to the expanded world, refined battle mechanics, intensive alchemy system, and overall scope and direction.
La Pucelle: Ragnarok offers plenty of tactical depth and whimsical charm while serving as a great look back at Nippon Ichi Software's history before Disgaea.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a return to greatness thanks to a new and exciting spin on the action RPG combat the series is known for, the endearing dual protagonists, and a solid story that manages to dodge the pitfalls of its predecessors.
An overall impressive port of one of the best games in the medium.
While Lost Epic doesn't fully execute on its ambitious ideas, it's still an enjoyable ride.
Valkyrie Elysium's character action combat and usage of Valkyrie series themes and elements make it an above-average action RPG, but it sometimes lacks ambition.
Atelier Ayesha DX is by far the best version of the game to date and a perfect place for newcomers to start.
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is a charming and fun little game that looks and sounds great but lacks any challenge or mechanical depth whatsoever.
A wonderfully dark visual novel that handles madness and psychosis in grim yet humanizing way.
Sunbreak adds a much needed challenge to Monster Hunter Rise, introduces great new mechanics, and brings with it a whole new world of build and playstyle variety.
Great writing and endearing characters are the highlight of this charming, dark horror RPG, though the poor performance of the Switch port makes this the worst version of the game by far.
A great cast and a deep job system make Relayer an endearing strategy RPG that is sure to delight mecha fans.
Atelier Sophie 2 is an incredibly high quality and wonderfully crafted follow-up to the original, and one of the best Atelier games to date.
The Caligula Effect 2 is a dramatic improvement over its predecessor in every single way and punches well above its weight.
A fantastic game overall and one of Gust's best games to date.
Mary Skelter Finale is an incredibly dense game. Dozens of unique gameplay mechanics, intriguing characters, and gigantic dungeons make up just a small portion of this gigantic dungeon crawler.
With improved performance, previously-paid DLC included, photo mode, and new content exclusive to the DX version, this is easily the best way to play Atelier Lydie & Suelle.
While Atelier Firis has a big heart and grand ambitions, it's held back by how 'stitched together' everything feels.
Samurai Warriors 5 is a breath of fresh air that breathes new life into the long-running series. The new coat of paint and new mechanics make the game fun to play and pleasant to look at.
My time with Osteoblasts was a mixture of confusion, frustration, intrigue, challenge, and laughing at the absurdity of what was going on or what I was battling with. While I had fun in some instances, I spent much of my time sighing as I missed yet another attack that would extend battle for another minute or so. There is a lot to like in the game, but it feels like it’s laser-targeted at the crowd who enjoys wandering around dungeons in a masochistic rage. As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of dungeon RPGs, Osteoblasts didn’t quite click with me. That said, despite being a game about skeletons, it certainly has a lot of heart.