It may have the Fate name in its title, but it doesn't present itself like a Fate title. The Umbral Star tells a bonkers story that only a Fate franchise can produce. The game itself is fun and features some awesome animations, but it’s instantly dragged down by terrible team AI and almost no sense of accomplishment.
The Final Station is yet another example of an Indie title with great ideas but not the best execution. The world is well crafted and its simplicity can allow anyone to get into it. But it's more important features like maintaining your train feel shallow and are a definite missed opportunity.
Assault Suit Leynos is a fun game and a decent remake of a title that a lot of people may not have even heard of. It oozes with retroness with its great soundtrack, character designs, and overall feel. It’s just unfortunate that its exploitable boss fights and confusing controls (which will take you the entire hour length of the game to learn how to use) hold it back. Keeping a game’s purity is always a plus in my book, but the lack of content once finished will make you question the $19.99 price tag.
Exploration can get very boring when you're just doing the same thing over and over again, but the intriguing game world, soothing soundtrack and unfolding story ensure Submerged keeps its head just above water.
The Surge started off great. The combat was fun, the story seemed interesting, and the crafting was enjoyable that is until I got a dozen or so hours into it where everything went from being doable to insanely hard, grindy, and uninspiring.
Omega Quintet's solid combat and J-POP soundtrack are great and well utilized, but it's held back by its story where its invading forces don't seem to matter as much as the everyday lives of the teenage Maidens you control.
There was so much potential with Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League; for the most part, it's a fun game with a fun story. Unfortunately, it falls short with repetitive missions and gameplay. Its story holds it up until you reach the endgame, which rehashes the mission structure you've already experienced. Though Metropolis is a fun city to explore and with plenty of Easter eggs to find, there just isn't much here to keep going for a long period.
Gargoyles Remastered is a good addition to the growing library of classic remasters. It's faithful to a fault to its original release. Though I praise the developer for keeping the game as true to the original as possible, that doesn't mean it couldn't have used some extra updates. The visual upgrade is tremendous in recreating the animated series visuals, and the rewind function is excellent. Still, that doesn't keep the combat and platforming from being incredibly frustrating at times.
Trails Into Reverie should have been the best sendoff one could ask for in this great franchise. Unfortunately, it's the complete opposite. The duality of its story takes away from the narrative, and the introduction of every gotcha mechanic present in most mobile RPGs hurts more than it should. Though its combat and writing remain stellar, the rest of the game fails to capture the greatness of the titles that came before it.
Trinity Trigger plays it as safely as possible with an all-star development team. It's a shame it didn't try harder to elevate the genre like the Y's franchise constantly does with every entry. Trinity Trigger isn't a bad game by any means. It has a decent story, and exploration and combat can be fun; it just doesn't do enough to be a memorable title in a crowded genre.
Dyschronia Chronos Alternate - Episode 1 is a nice start to visual novels in VR. It delivers a grand story that is held back by the lack of actually solving anything on your own. Most of the game has you interacting with objects just to leave the protagonist to figure out what to do with those objects for you. It simply holds your hand for its entire experience. There just simply wasn't enough interactivity with the medium of VR, and when the most important aspects come into play you're simply an observer.
Stranger of Paradise is the perfect example of gameplay towering above the sum of its parts. I loved the combat and job system, which allows for dynamic battles and strategy. It's just a shame that the rest of the game feels low budget and unfinished. If you're looking for an origin story to the original Final Fantasy, you'll get it here, but chances are you may want to forget it as soon as you're done.
Monark has many great ideas, and some of them are executed well, but the game falters when it requires you to grind for hours just to stand a chance against the next story battle. The exploration and puzzle-solving keep things exciting, and the use of the Seven Deadly Sins for character personalities is a unique way to develop your characters. All in all, though, Monark may have been a better adventure or visual novel game than an RPG.
Transient creates great settings but doesn't utilize either one very well. Its story should have been its most substantial aspect but instead ends up being its weakest. Through its puzzles are solid, the game holds your hand when solving them, leaving almost zero need for critical thought. What ends up being the best part of the game are the mini-games that transport you to other titles that Transient took inspiration from.
Satisfying and frustrating at the same time, Pathfinder Kingmaker does everything right when it comes to its character creator, story, and combat. However, it falters in its Kingdom management and the constant game crashes that start to feel more like a gameplay feature than an actual issue.
Daymare: 1998 is a great alternative to the Resident Evil Remakes. Though it feels a little dated by today's standards, it nonetheless ends up holding its own with some great atmosphere and exploration. It's just a shame a lot of its mechanics are unnecessary and quite honestly questionable.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout makes some fundamental changes to the core mechanics that may get under the skin of long-time fans but are welcome for those looking to jump into the franchise for the first time.
Override: Mech City Brawl is as fun as your attention span will last. There just isn't enough content to keep players coming back for the long haul.
Episode Prompto is a better experience than Episode Gladio but not by much.
Confusing story-line leaves you muddled, though there's plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and entertaining combat to enjoy amidst the head-noddingly cool soundtrack.