RPGamer's Reviews
Fire Emblem Engage emerges as a decent but ultimately fairly forgettable entry in the series. It seems like a game undecided whether it wants to spend its time celebrating the past or leaving its own mark on the series, and doesn’t really do either.
Tales of Symphonia deserves to be available to the widest audience, yet the lack of attention or care demonstrated here is troubling. Remastered feels like a cheap and lazy port, and that alone makes this version disappointing, despite the strengths of the game itself.
If you are looking for a visual novel that is entirely focused on story rather than choices, and you enjoy a grittier story and world, Vengeful Heart easily fits that bill.
Neither gameplay style is likely to wow anyone on its own merits, but they are used in good balance to make for an engaging 25-hour experience.
It successfully sets out to reinvigorate the well-worn turn-based combat formula found in many games of that era while adding many smart and well-considered elements to the mix, ultimately creating a bold and involving combat experience that feels classic and fresh at the same time.
While the difficulty isn’t perfect and the platforming is consistently frustrating, the shortcomings are balanced by an enjoyable combat system and one of the most timeless stories found in gaming.
There’s plenty to offer that makes the gameplay loop addicting: tons of weapons to craft, a balanced difficulty curve, and an amazing soundtrack.
With an amazing story, great characters to bond with, and an extraordinary turn-based battle system, Persona 3 not only created fertile ground for the subsequent releases, but is back to captivate newcomers.
Overall, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope does a fantastic job building on the original’s success while retaining its laid-back and humorous approach to RPGs.
It was always going to be tough to follow-up Golf Story in an interesting manner, and one certainly can’t say there was a lack of ambition in what Sidebar Games was trying to achieve in Sports Story. However, fulfilling that ambition is another matter entirely, and ultimately the game leaves a sense of what could have been.
Friends of the Great Kingdom is a great game to chill out with, providing so much whimsy and silliness that it’s hard not to grin like a fool when playing it. Even though not all of the new content is a home run, it feels like the Doraemon Story of Seasons series has finally found its footing with room to blossom even further.
The result is a game that, despite the notable effort put forth into its writing and storytelling, is constantly dragged down by technical issues and an unrefined combat system.
Harvestella somehow manages to pull off some highly ambitious storytelling, accompanying with it a highly satisfying gameplay loop that is hard to put down. The game has a much stronger and widespread appeal than many may have been lead to believe heading into its release, and is an easy recommendation.
The game in its core is short and simple, with a massive amount of side content that isn’t very inviting to complete, but the effort put in the remastered version managed to make it a good addition to the series.
The action RPG combat is enjoyable, if not outstanding, and the world and storytelling are really engrossing.
This ease and accessibility may be welcome for newcomers, but for veterans the main appeal ends up being the nostalgic views and sounds, while character development and overall plot are hindered by sparse words that leave little impact on their own. For a Vast Future feels like a fun walk down memory lane, albeit a breezy and brief one.
While the first entry in this long-running series is showing its age, Front Mission 1st: Remake is a gritty, unflinching story of war and the scars it leaves both on and off the battlefield.
Dragon Quest Treasures is a fun game for those looking to just wander around a Dragon Quest world and dig up treasure. Long-time series fans and those used to deeper ARPG combat systems might find the game to be too feature-lite though, with a dearth of monsters being the primary culprit from a series with more than a thousand to choose from.
While it is hard to figure out a balanced path in its open world, it will also bring hours and hours of fun to those who want to fully explore it. Despite adding some fresh ideas, the story isn’t memorable, but the great variety of Pokémon, the art, and the turn-based battle system will surely please fans and newcomers alike.
Some of the puzzles and challenges are good fun and satisfying to complete, but there are also many that are made more frustrating than they need to be. With a flawed match system that becomes trivial once its workings have been figured out and technical issues that stack up as the game progresses, it’s incredibly tough to recommend.