SMT3 Nocturne HD Remaster realises that the less time we can spend with the cobwebs of the past by opting into the new Merciful difficulty, the more time we can enjoy this world and its story anew.
After 14 years, the best soundtrack on the Nintendo DS has been met with its sequel – now the best soundtrack on the Nintendo Switch. Delightful deja vu, this sequel revives everything that works and delivers it all over again with vibrant new life. Just excuse the disappointing new cast and technical hiccups for one of the year’s most stylish surprises.
A surprisingly complex and mechanically perfect condensation of the Soulsborne experience into the boss rush genre. Eldest Souls not only joins the ranks of its genre champs Titan Souls and Furi, it defeats them.
Humankind is an impressive showing of what Amplitude can do with historical turn-based strategy but is edged out by the series that clearly inspired it. The promise on the box of building a culturally diverse empire is not yet fulfilled, with successive playthroughs showing the moral choice and culture systems as being underdeveloped.
A sensory achievement for nostalgic JRPGs left without any enjoyable game under the hood and falls short of an already exceptional 2021 JRPG roster.
Opening up the gruesome and adult world of Conan to school-aged children is a hilarious surprise but Chop Chop’s greatest feat is lowering the rogue-lite barrier of entry for the curious solo adventurer or group only to slay them mercilessly.
A twist-filled return to the mythology of The Taken King should lure back lapsed series veterans in Destiny 2’s most focused and challenging campaign yet.
Playing in this Western sandbox is a joy when it is rewarding your exploration and moral choices with strange outcomes and interesting characters. A lack of late-game variety brings its flaws to the fore.
Bloated, buggy and with its best ideas in the back half, Neocore's grimdark tactical King Arthur spin-off is halfway decent might and magic.
Rebellion treads little new ground, however Sniper Elite 5 remains the chief among WW2 stealth action games.
nirvanA Initiative combines the best of AI: The Somnium Files’s presentation with the sharpest puzzles and best writing across Team Zero Escape’s catalogue.
Repetitive combat and exploration pad out this wonderfully remastered cult JRPG experience that falls just short of a recommendation.
For the small audience looking for a romantic World War 2 satire featuring a harem of loli leaders, My Little Dictator will entertain for dozens of hours. Just skip the combat.
Charming, witty, and hard to put down, Two Point Campus scores an approachable A for the armchair administrator.
Lean, light, and pleasingly presented, this is a perfect snack on the Switch when travelling on your next exciting adventure.
Unambitious, dated, and dreadfully lacking in polish, only series fans eager for more classic Saints gameplay need apply.
Riko and Reg's descent to the netherworld is a classic in existential dread and worldbuilding. Playing in this broken world imparts an even worse sense of dread.
The best video game adaptation of the wildest manga property gets a better-than-average port. For Jojo's fans only, though.
The DioField Chronicle's interesting mix of strategy and tactics just barely keeps afloat a bloated package of repetition, achingly dull characters, and eye-rolling writing.
Soulless yet almost serviceable as a light hack 'n slash Valkyrie Profile spinoff, Elysium is a 15-hour chore of ugly visuals, repetitive combat, and a mundane plot.