It’s not a perfect title, but it’s wonderfully memorable, and I highly encourage anyone and everyone to take a chance on Star Overdrive. The beauty is simple, in the end: Bios and Nous are one, and that drives their entire future to the stars and beyond.
Not every sequel is going to outstrip its predecessor, but it’s so bizarre and self-sabotaging to implement choices that defy what made the previous game work. Grim Guardians, for better or worse, married the twin protagonists and swapped necessity with a solid storyline and a well-built gameworld. Comparatively, Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark seems to have sacrificed something that wasn’t broken to begin with in order to add…nothing.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is still a horrifying, upsetting, and engrossing experience, even today. Few things have struck me as strongly, and being able to relive the trauma and the painstaking moments of discovery are satisfying as they ever were. For new players to be able to delve into something that is such a phenomenal interpretation of a great story, crafted by the author himself, cannot be overstated.
There’s enough lore constructed about the royal history and alliances with other kingdoms that the world feels lived in without overwhelming you with Three Kingdoms levels of complexity. Lan is genuinely a solid lead and her support from Collette, Yuriana, and Ignis is so uplifting. When you have encounters, you get a flutter because it’s both sensual AND romantic, and that’s some incredible work to hit a dude who has no interest in dating a twink at a magic school. In short, Battlefield Waltz is an absolute victory.
You can forgive the glossiness in favor of dedicating countless hours to exploration, reading and grinding, and I will continue to do so gladly. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this deep into a game, and, in many ways, it’s like coming home.
Glover isn’t particularly long, and most of the challenge comes from the handling of the game itself. If you’re really into 3D platformers, especially ones that are experimental in controls and execution, then you might find some investable enjoyment from this not-exactly-beloved title. If you were hoping for something that worked in the same field that Mario 64 was able to operate in, you’ve got to keep shopping. This glove doesn’t fit, so we all have to quit.
You don’t have to clear your backlog. Go ahead and put aside some time, every day, but don’t hurry. You won’t finish Ever 17: The Out of Infinity today, or tomorrow, or maybe even in a week. But you will finish it. You’ll consume the whole thing, bones and all, and you will be sated. You’ll remember words and phrases. You’ll recall stellar voice performances and marvel at how the story unfolded.
I still had a fabulous time, don’t get me wrong, and I absolutely recommend this cornerstone visual novel to better understand the history of Uchikoshi and all of his subsequent works. Never 7: The End of Infinity sets certain ideas in motion for future works: fantastical sci-fi passed off as normal, deceptively innocent ideas that grow into massive plot points, and the darker nature of humanity when it comes to curiosity and experimentation.
Recall: Empty Wishes does a phenomenal job of telling a tale and giving players agency within how the story turns out. Though the “good” ending might be a clear shot for some players, the time you take to explore, to talk and decide upon the consequence of your own and others’ actions, makes it an engaging and provocative experience.
The core ideas of Undying are what keep me coming back and what makes me want to see it through again and again. Sure, there are some translation errors, but the beating heart of it all – to make a future for your child against the screaming of the blade of time – is what makes itself most well known. It’s bleak, it’s sad, but it’s a microcosm of what we do in the every day now. Carry it on your Nintendo Switch, play it on your PC, encounter it however you’d like. It’s not perfect, but it’s damn fine and has good intent.
Wizardry: The Five Ordeals must be applauded for what it brings and how it brought it. The ports of these games were made for the original audience (Japanese Wizardry enthusiasts) first and everyone else a distant second. The price is right, and the option to add even more titles to this collection for a small fee is a smart move. The Switch version, sadly, has no level editor or option to add fan created dungeons, so keep that in mind and consider the PC version if you’re interested in home cooking.
On a scale from gum to feast, Find Love or Die Trying is one of those bags of chips that your parents would pack you on a field trip. It’s definitely tasty, and it’s not too filling, but it’s also over way before you want it to be. Additionally, it’s Lays Original flavor potato chips: you really wanted a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, but those went first and mom isn’t buying another snack pack until you eat all the other flavors as well.
Fans of the genre should absolutely dive into Blade Chimera. Tight, brutal and engaging, I could spend another two thousand words singing the praises of the combat, the items and the overall world building. But I think seeing is believing, and you won’t believe what you see. PCor Switch, you should go ahead and gear up: Blade Chimera is ready for you, even if you’re not remotely prepared.
I like it, not love, and I’m not confident I’ll even think about it after a couple of weeks. If games were still in rental shops, I’d say pick this up for a rainy afternoon and return it the day after, but, with such a low price, I’d just say grab it when you’re ready for a slice of melancholy. It’s a clever bit of frission, but I don’t think it’ll leave a mark on your soul.
There is not a single positive thing about Night Shift Nurses as it exists. It’s a horrific concept with the execution of someone diving into an empty pool. The graphics are fine because you don’t have to see anything, the writing creates a desire for illiteracy and the moral of the story is that God is dead and visual novels killed Him (or Her!). I would rather spend twenty dollars to have someone fly a drone with a box cutter on it into my stomach, because it would hurt less and be a more interesting story.
Combine all this with a solid soundtrack, excellent voiceover work and the trademark silly humor of Compile Heart’s ridiculous character creations, and Tokyo Clanpool is one of the better dungeon crawlers I’ve gotten on the Switch. While exposition can take a while and the plot is a little run of the mill, it’s got heart and it’s cute, and I seriously thought the added mechanics were inventive. It takes a lot to run right alongside an Atlus mechanic and not be too samey or grotesque in your inspiration, and Tokyo Clanpool has done it.
Being one of the lowest of the Mario and Luigi games is still like scoring a C+ in sushi quality in the heart of Tokyo. It’s not that your product is bad, it’s that other products are far, far better. Brothership is decent and has some really fun concepts, but there are others, already in place in other games, that I like far more and detract from my interest in continuing to explore Brothership beyond the end game. I celebrate the return of the series, and hope that the sales and the acclaim from others foster another chance at bat for wherever Nintendo steers its ship next.
This is for the gaming veterans. This is for the folk who had processors that ended in 86 and marveled at how much faster 28.8mbps could be once you upgraded your modem. For the keyboard cowboys who swapped tips on BBSs, for diehards who couldn’t imagine not having a floppy drive, for the survivors of Space Quest, Police Quest, King’s Quest and other Quests. If you have any love for those impossibly, wonderfully frustrating adventures that came before Broken Sword, The Crimson Diamond is a magnificent work of art.
Maid Cafe on Electric Street does its best to veer away from simulation into very, very relaxed adventure game as soon as possible, and then you can experience the treat of Osaka’s geekdom haven in your own time. It’s not a game you should rush to finish, but it’s definitely not directionless. Instead, take your time, figure out what you need to do to succeed, and treat certain deadlines with respect (the issuance on day 33 should not be trifled with). If you do all that, you’ll have a lovely time, even if you just end up walking the streets, collecting figures and eating combini food. Which, to be honest, doesn’t seem like a bad life at all.
So here’s to you, Leo, and to Leo’s Fortune. The game may be older than my children, but it found purpose in coming back to the public eye a decade after release, and now floated its way onto the Switch in the long shadows of the console’s twilight. If you’re remotely curious, the price is right and the Switch is where it should be played, giving players an opportunity to enjoy the mobile aspect but with full console support. You’ll have a good time, even if not a long time, and who knows?