While still a bit dated in some areas NieR Replicant ver.1.2247448713R9… improves upon nearly every aspect of the original and helps it shine as one of Yoko Taro’s signature works.
SaGa Frontier Remastered’s new content and visual upgrade make it a must for series fans and those who love classic RPGs but newcomers will be wary of old design decisions.
Root Film features a great mystery filled story with plenty of twists but some poor exploration and a few predictable mysteries hold it back.
The implementation of “makers” and poor optimization may hinder Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town but it still remains a solid entry in a franchise that is still going strong 25 years later.
Persona 5 Strikerstakes the RPG elements and fast-paced combat of Warriors games and fuses them together to create a worthwhile sequel that will please fans of both games.
Little Nightmares II offers another dive into its twisted horror-filled world with satisfying puzzles and enough new mechanics and monstrosities to keep things fresh.
Gal*Gun Returns goes back to its roots and is simpler than what fans of the franchise are used to but remains an enjoyable fanservice filled rail shooter.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy has seen improvements across the board that may move it further from what older Atelier games may have been but offers a great upbeat RPG that will delight anyone looking for a fun, almost relaxing, time.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV pulls off a highly satisfying conclusion to this long running saga but character bloat and lack of improvements hinder the experience.
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin manages to deliver some great farming and solid action gameplay but falls short in both areas in different ways.
Cyberpunk 2077 has most of the makings of a great open world RPG but an avalanche of bugs and crashes prevent most of this potential from shining through the grime.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim’s combat may only be serviceable at best but incredibly handled story more than makes up for this shortcoming.
Immortals Fenyx Rising takes what may have seemed like a mundane concept and created an open-world adventure game that relishes in Greek lore and comedy all while providing great combat and solid puzzles.
The Falconeer may not nail the “perch” as well as one may hope but this unique air combat game offers enough unique combat and flying mechanics to make it worthwhile despite its story and mission variety issues.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla offers perhaps the biggest most content filled world to explore yet in a lore filled land where combat is king while stealth still takes a step back compared to previous entries.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope is a noticeable improvement as it spins a mysteriously horrifying tale that still ends up lacking in some areas.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon takes big risks and becomes a slightly flawed but highly enjoyable RPG that takes the over-the-top nature of the Yakuza series and turns it up a notch.
Undead Darlings ~ no cure for love ~’s story outshines its dungeon crawling but this unpolished gem of a visual novel RPG proves to be well worth delving into.
Watch Dogs: Legion tries something new and it serves as both the game’s biggest strength and a small weakness as the amount of variety at every turn makes this a game players will constantly want to sink time into.
Nexomon: Extinction features a great story and some unique changes to a familiar formula that both help and hinder the experience, making it something great for fans of the genre but not quite up to the level of a certain series.