RPGamer's Reviews
The game initially presents itself as a colorful retro adventure, but beneath its eye-catching aesthetics lies a deeply unsettling exploration of trauma and escapism. By intertwining its RPG mechanics with emotional storytelling, particularly by shifting the boundary between dream and reality, the game transforms familiar genre conventions into a means of expressing its protagonist’s internal struggle. It is a game that understands grief better than most, one that resonates in a way that is hard to shake and even harder to explain.
The teams at Game Freak and Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force not only show that the series has plenty more to offer players than Pokémon battles, but they convey it with so much conviction that Pokémon Pokopia has set a new precedent for the level of craftsmanship that I want to see in the Pokémon series going forward.
DIRGA’s Thysiastery builds on the sub-genre’s basic concepts with the wrinkles of roguelike gameplay, unique skill progression, and random character creation. Its roguelike nature makes the gameplay fast-paced, and building parties is enjoyable even in defeat, making for a fun yet basic loop.
It is crunchy and combat-driven, with narrative as an afterthought, and it makes no apologies about that. It is, was, and shall remain a mid-tier JRPG, but sometimes that’s just what an RPGamer needs. To anyone looking for a game that lets them tune out and wreck monsters without high drama attached, it’s certainly worth a look-see.
As a full tome, Ariana and the Elder Codex has quite a lot of potential, but among its genre and the RPG landscape as a whole, it doesn’t stand out too starkly on the shelf. While it has some charming visuals, lore, and some good voice acting, its gameplay and story are only ever serviceably engaging, and predictable twists and excessive endgame lore dumping dull the adventure.
After forty hours in Mewgenics, it is easy to see how this is a “dive-in and lose track of time” or “just ignore it” title, as it is really hard to stay in the middle ground. Trying to experience everything will take hundreds of hours, which makes this a cautionary tale for perfectionists.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection doesn’t aim to completely reinvent what’s been established in the previous two entries in the series. Instead, it smartly tweaks and iterates on what worked and what didn’t work to create a much more refined and enjoyable monster-catching experience.
While Esoteric Ebb certainly doesn’t try to avoid the direct comparisons to Disco Elysium’s style, it manages to stand out through its original setting and entertaining set of mysteries. The ingrained usage of skill checks to help guide conversations and what the game reveals to players helps keep them engaged, with plenty of highly enjoyable quests and interactions to be had all the way through.
It may not be up the alley of those looking for deeply engrossing gameplay, but for players with a passing interest in the franchise who have not yet committed to this installment, now’s the perfect time to dive in and get their feet wet.
While the perfect product wasn’t synthesized, Lydie & Suelle was a step in the right direction for the series, blemishes and all.
On the whole, Resident Evil Requiem is a game of contrasts: Grace vs. Leon, panicky rookie vs. grizzled veteran, micro trauma vs. macro trauma, survival vs. action, but all of these contrasts serve one overarching purpose: fear. Whether I was fleeing some horrific mutant or perilously being pushed against the wall by zombie hordes, Requiem scared the daylights out of me.
The puzzle-solving elements — including the boss fights — are easily where the game is its strongest, but it never really steps out from the traditional top-down adventure template, and the lack of any substantial narrative and mediocre overall combat prevent it from distinguishing itself from the crowd.
While I wish the puzzles and platforming were more refined, I can also see the follow-through and how others may not have had the same issues as I did. What I won’t deny is that Sleep Castle Studio has created a genuinely fun game that has brought new life into fairy-tale properties and given them an original spin.
Although Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse is less dark in tone, focusing a bit more on mystery than outright horror, it nonetheless provides a fascinating and thoroughly engaging tale, very much leaving a desire for further mysteries to solve in the future.
Calamity Angels: Special Delivery is an ambitious title that took one-note jokes way too far, and its constant source of manufactured tension sadly overshadows most of the good on offer here. This courier is anything but dull, but the chaotic frustrations will cause many prospective clients to look elsewhere.
Temirana is one of those otome games I can happily recommend to anyone who enjoys intricate, interesting world building and a strong cast of characters who love swoonworthy romances.
The remake offers a lot of new goodies in the form of side content and a whole new story starring antagonist Yoshitaka Mine as he moves up the ranks in the Tojo Clan. However, the game ends up feeling quite bloated, the main story’s pacing takes a huge hit, and a lot of the changes made for Yakuza Kiwami 3 simply don’t land.
Kasey Ozymy has crafted such an intriguing, yet sinister world that makes you want to follow the game’s mysteries to the very end. While the combat is serviceable and the puzzles are passable, these are not the elements that will attract players to pick up the game; rather, it is the absurdity, humour, and sharp writing that will keep them exploring.
It does maintain ferocious, ruthless, fast-paced action combat, punctuated by blood-pumping compositions, and it has a generally competent story and world built around it. Just don’t expect it to excel in every dimension.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is about new beginnings and, speaking as a relative beginner to the franchise, it is a great adventure. The artwork and character designs are just a treat, and it’s always worth getting to the next island just to see what big bad resides there. The combat system is snappy, making it a fun way to fight to the next heartfelt story beat that runs the whole gamut of emotions.