RPG Fan's Reviews
Crown Trick boldly combines turn-based RPG and roguelite gameplay to offer an addictive, thought-provoking experience that fans of either genre owe it to themselves to check out.
Samurai Warriors 5 is a breath of fresh air that breathes new life into the long-running series. The new coat of paint and new mechanics make the game fun to play and pleasant to look at.
I had a great time playing Xuan Yuan Sword 7 and can only hope that Western gamers will get the chance to experience more games in the series at some point. We’ve clearly been missing out on a compelling series if this entry is any indication! It might not have reinvented the action RPG wheel, but Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is a well-rounded and incredibly solid take on the genre with a phenomenal story at its core.
Overall, Death’s Door is an enjoyable homage to 2D Zelda games with some additional quirky flair thrown in. It is a satisfying experience whose main drawback is its overall safeness, plus a lack of replayability. Some may also be turned off by the lack of extreme difficulty, which can be another source of replay value for many similar games. I would recommend Death’s Door to those looking for a nostalgia fix that won’t try your patience or just want to enjoy a memorable and contemplative audiovisual style.
An ambitious first game that stumbles occasionally but ultimately impresses with fun gameplay and extensive world-building.
It's a good game that takes inspiration from places you might not expect. For its specific blend of genres and its low price point, you can't do much better.
A fitting finale to a phenomenal trilogy, Impostor Factory explores life with depth and accessibility that respects the audience.
UNSIGHTED deserves recognition and exposure not only for the crisp design, beautiful world, hypnotic tunes, and abundant secrets, but for the unique concepts it introduces to great effect, namely the NPC death timers. The stakes in games often lie in winning or losing a fight and having to expend more personal time on a fight that bruised our egos. Here, we have the added layer of humble automaton friends’ lives hanging by a thread. Even though I found several secrets throughout my initial trek, I am absolutely certain more can be uncovered; I just might take a rare plunge into New Game+.
A fascinating effort from a writer who's delivered some of the most beloved JRPG stories has too many flaws to be another classic.
Black Panther - War for Wakanda is easily the strongest additional content for the game yet.
Gamedec is an interesting and constantly evolving cyberpunk RPG.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a fine entry of the Yakuza series, but a poor way to end the story of Kazuma Kiryu.
All the pieces of Olympia Soirée work together seamlessly like the colors of a rainbow naturally drawing together. Just as we all comprise multiple roles, some given to us by family or tradition and others that we seek out ourselves, Olympia Soirée takes its roles of comfortingly traditional and refreshingly modern otome with pride and executes them with great skill. The welcome mixture of seeking out a soulmate and working towards societal change bestows great merit on the game’s storytelling as a whole: just like how looking for love in real life doesn’t have to get in the way of your other goals, an emphasis on romance doesn’t have to get in the way of an interesting story. Olympia Soirée is proof positive that an emphasis on romance, or that being “a game for the female audience,” should never by itself be used as a point of contention against a game.
In poking fun at RPGs of old, Artefacts Studio elicits laughs, but it loses sight of what makes those classics special: an engrossing narrative. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk’s threadbare story does little to help you stay engaged beyond its opening hours, and inexcusable technical failings dampen the fun thereafter. I recommend The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk to fans of the source material and anyone with a high pain tolerance in desperate need of SRPG combat goodness. But for all others, you’re better off picking up one of the RPGs this one mocks.
Lost Judgment proves that, not just because it’s a sequel, but because it’s a damn good game that feels like it contains all the elements that have made the Yakuza series great while maintaining its own identity. The detective gameplay still needs some work, and the plot stumbles a bit from time to time, but I have never been happier to dive back into this world, nor sadder to leave it once the game is finished.
Life is Strange: True Colors opens phenomenally well and then somehow loses its way, never really knowing if it wanted to tell a cheesy conspiracy story or dive completely into slice-of-life territory. I wish it chose an identity. Most of all, I wish it took some chances. I don’t want to say the series is growing stale, but there’s certainly a careful balance needed between giving fans what they expect and reinventing some aspect of itself. This is a cool world to get lost in over a weekend, but it may float on by as a passing phase.
Morteshka’s deal with the devil has paid off, as Black Book delivers a captivating story and engaging gameplay full of strategy and variety that should keep you busy for over 40 hours. Being in league with Satan usually comes with a great price, but players should be able to overcome any curses handed down to them. With strong character development and narrative, this wicked book is a page-turner that’s worth a read.
Even 30 years after release, Final Fantasy IV still shines as brightly as it did in 1991. Its genre-defining story and combat system coupled with the Pixel Remaster’s reorchestrated soundtrack and quality of life updates make this an iconic game you’d be a fool to miss. Much like Cecil struggles with his unwitting role as a killer for his king, I struggle to let go of Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster after spending a few dozen hours wrapping up its main quest. If you have even a modicum of affection for JRPGs, you will too.
OPUS: Echo of Starsong was a complete surprise to me in several ways. The gameplay was enjoyable without ever becoming too frustrating or boring, the visual presentation was beautiful, and the focus on audio was implemented well. But what ultimately stood out to me most was the creativity and care put into the story. This was an absolutely touching and memorable sci-fi tale with an endearing cast of characters, and it left quite the impression after I finished the game. Much like the echoes of ephemeral sound that the characters follow throughout the stars, OPUS: Echo of Starsong might just leave you with a lasting impression.
A casual speedrun to just get to the end will run about two hours, but if TOEM is played how it’s “intended,” then expect to get a few hours out of it, while completionists might hit five or more. If content’s your concern, there it is, but if a high-quality, easygoing experience to escape the anxiety of these pandemic times—or whatever ails you—then TOEM works wonders. The world needs more TOEM, and it’s been a pleasure to get to live in this meditative place, even if only for a short while.