In conclusion, Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is the pure strategy experience I never knew I wanted. And that is without having even mentioned all of the other modes the game has to offer besides the two campaigns; such as the Design Room where you can make your own maps, and the various ways you can test your CO skills against opponents – whether they are CPUs or humans, both locally and online. These are nice extras that I'm sure other people will enjoy more than me, but none of them were needed to make me a new fan of Advance Wars. I want more of this – more of this genre, and more revivals of franchises that were thought to be dead. Simply put, if you like strategy games, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up.
Atelier Ryza 3 certainly does have depth below its pretty surface – having said that, it is unfortunate that you'll be diving into that depth without adequate assistance on the gameplay side of things. It's funny how in some way, playing the game actually brought me right back to my uneducated thoughts about the series before experiencing it – the characters and aesthetics really are the best parts, or at least the easiest parts to like. For better and for worse, the backbone of the Atelier Ryza 3 experience is its complex crafting system – so if that sounds appealing, I think you'll have a good time with the game. Even when taking that away though, it's still a pretty decent JRPG with fun characters, a beautiful overworld to traverse and a good amount of content to keep you busy.
I had high expectations for Octopath Traveler II, and yet it somehow managed to meet basically all of them. It certainly doesn't deviate much from Octopath Traveler I's formula and thus will probably not convince detractors of that game, but they managed to improve upon every aspect of it while also making a beautiful self-contained experience that doesn't require any knowledge of said predecessor to be enjoyed. The battle system is expertly designed and incredibly fun, the characters and their stories are wonderful, and the presentation is top notch – there's really not much more I can ask for in a JRPG. So if you like that genre even a little bit, this game is one of the easiest recommendations I can give.