Rice Digital
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Etrange Overlord as a game is merely alright at best, and it feels like I’m experiencing the worst version of it. The original webnovel features the story without any gameplay interruptions, and the manga adaption is much nicer to look at with expressive artwork.
Nioh 3 is a solid sequel, reworking the level-based formula in a way that generally works well. I’d imagine some wont be that happy with the reduced difficulty, though if previous games are to go by, the DLC is where things will really get crazy.
Ys X: Proud Nordics, like the original, is a pretty good game. However, with no real way to upgrade – Ys X: Nordics owners on PC get a slight discount – I really cannot recommend picking this up. It doesn’t offer enough to justify releasing so soon after Nordics, even if you’ve not touched either version before.
Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive is far from the worst action game I’ve played, and its existence means that it’ll still live on even after the main game goes down. But rather than fully reworking progression into something a little more player-friendly a-la Octopath Traveller 0, or going for a companion game like Atelier Resleriana, Arise Overdrive finds itself being held back by a lack of changes in the switch to a paid game.
Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack on Switch 2 is a good port that I’d easily recommend for people new to either the trilogy or Atelier altogether. There’s a lot to get through even ignoring the extra stories, with the bonus content being more of a cherry on top than truly essential.
There’s still a lot to like here — I appreciate combat and alchemy systems that make you think at least a little bit. I just wish this had either been a direct adaption of Forgotten Alchemy & the Liberator of Polar Night, or a completely original game instead.
I really want to like Sushi Ben, and I perhaps might if I ever pick up a VR headset later down the line. Everything about it is created with VR in mind, and I just don’t think it offers a fun experience without it. I’ll definitely revisit this if I end up moving into VR, though for now it’s hard to recommend Sushi Ben if you only plan to play non-VR on PC.
Barring my qualms with the localisation, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is still going to be the best way for most new players to experience the start of the Trails saga. Its story remains faithful to the original, with gameplay tweaks offering a more modernised experience. I just hope that, even if it doesn’t happen for 1st Chapter post-launch, 2nd Chapter gets a more consistent localisation that doesn’t clash with future games.
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion still has the customisation potential of its predecessor and some decently fun combat. But the switch to open areas and a story that still fails to deliver anything lead to an experience that often isn’t very memorable. Perhaps patches and the upcoming DLC will fix things up, but for now I’d recommend waiting — especially if you want to play on Switch 2.
Dear me, I was… is a short story that barely skirts the line of being called a game, but that doesn’t matter at all. With its low price (£6.73), there’s little reason not to play this if you’re after a charming narrative experience that doesn’t try to drag things out.
Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy‘s story is a mostly enjoyable time, even if the jokes can fall flat on occasion. The same can’t be said for its dungeon crawling, which becomes stale fast and never recovers as time goes by.
Ruffy and the Riverside has heart, but this isn’t enough to make up for what is otherwise a rudimentary platformer with a main gimmick that is underutilised. Here’s hoping the swap mechanic ends up finding its way into a game that offers more opportunities to use it in creative ways.
Labyrinth of the Demon King nails its creepy PS1-era vibes and dungeon crawling combat initially, but can’t carry this all the way through its short playtime. It’s still a unique experience, but one that could have been so much better.
Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is, at best, an incredibly average roguelite. It works, but fumbles its story, gameplay, and meta progression. Even if you prefer the Japanese setting over Greek mythology, there’s just nothing here that Hades (or even Hades 2 in Early Access) doesn’t do far better.
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- is both what you’d expect from a team-up of Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi and something that stands out on its own. There are almost multiple game’s worth of endings to get through, with the story carrying some weaker gameplay aspects.
Blade Chimera is far from a bad game, but it’s one that doesn’t fully play to the metroidvania genre’s strengths. Exploration is mostly linear, and the game’s unique gimmicks are underutilised in some unfortunate ways.
Earth Defense Force 6 is another fun entry, but one that might be a little close to its predecessor for some players. You’re still going to have a great time, especially if you vibe with the weird direction the story goes in early on. Just don’t expect anything wildly different
Despite a weak original story, Dynasty Warriors: Origins still manages to breath new life into the franchise. The main battles are better than ever, and I love the idea of giving more time to parts of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that Dynasty Warriors usually glossed over. Origins is a good base for future entries, and hopefully the start of a strong return for mainline Warriors games.
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning: Reanimated is a strange re-release, one that I assume mostly just exists as a passion project for the newly formed Shadow Layer Games. It’s cheap enough, but by that merit you can pick up the original for even less. Even as someone who has fond memories of the Xbox 360 digital library, this just didn’t make for a particularly enjoyable experience.
It’s incredibly relaxing and doesn’t outstay its welcome — well, unless you plan on going for every achievement. With how much I enjoyed this, I’m definitely planing on checking out Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation some time soon!