RPGamer's Reviews
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a journey that blasts the senses from beginning to end. The melancholic and bleak moments are balanced by the characters' perseverance, which makes their triumphs shine much brighter. There's a profound sense of style and substance that only expands as more of the world is uncovered. What results is a true work of art that ties its brilliant components together into a complete package, which is awe inspiring to come from a freshman developer.
Although the game has some smaller issues in its localization and the lack of extra content, it’s a wonderful game where it’s easy to lose time while playing it because it wants you to get to know everyone in such a deep and intimate way. This is definitely one café worth hanging out at and spending time in.
While these remasters are welcome on new platforms, the effort regarding how much was remastered is a bit of a debatable point. Regardless of Konami’s bare-bones efforts, both games still hold their own as being must-play classics.
Although the game adheres to a strict philosophy of medieval realism — and, as such, includes some trying sections, particularly for certain builds — there is just nothing else quite like it. Steeped in historical fact, and allowing for a deep level of role-playing immersion, the continuation of Henry of Skalitz’s tale is a masterclass of storytelling filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, many of whom are pulled straight from the pages of history.
Dice ‘n Goblins offers players a mixture of dungeon-crawling and turn-based combat that blends strategy and luck through its use of dice and skills. On the whole, it provides a largely fun experience with well-put together dungeons and a combat system that gives players plenty of ways to cater the dice to particular strategies.
Despite the lack of bells of whistles to make it feel unique, the game deserves reward for how it utilizes its strengths. Dark Deity 2 is like picking up comfort food in that it’s perfectly enjoyable as something easy to digest for tactical fans.
As a parkour potion princess leaping through her open world, Yumia fills the alchemist role while stretching the mold, offering something new, much like many other aspects of her game. As the Alchemist of Memories, she offers an excellent start to what I hope will continue to be a fun new trilogy, or longer, for Atelier fans to enjoy.
AI LIMIT doesn’t quite reach the same heights as its inspirations and is held back by some notable technical issues. However, some small but key innovations in the combat system and an enthralling setting more than make up for the game’s shortcomings to make the game an enjoyable and worthwhile experience overall.
All in all, The First Berserker delivers an uncompromisingly tight combat experience that is further buoyed by an interesting, if somewhat unevenly paced, plot and a gorgeous presentation that is equal parts relentlessly grim and oppressive.
It’s a blast to play, reducing a lot of the friction in the RPG mechanics while gaining strides in the action department. It feels good in the hands in ways that its contemporaries don’t, zipping the player all around the map.
The science fiction storytelling of Ever 17: The Out of Infinity makes this an extended thought provoking adventure that is full of many layers. Despite how packed the story is, things are presented in a manner that is generally easy to follow, which helps broaden the scope in a wonderful way.
The game is cute and charming, and seeing this wonderful property in all its LEGO glory makes for a fun experience. It’s a great co-op game, and it has the perfect runtime without outstaying its welcome.
When Ender Lilies came out, it was a game that captured that side-scrolling feeling perfectly. Ender Magnolia hits all the notes as well, but it follows a game that was more original with a more engaging story.
While the game pays homage to the educational games of the past, Gameloft swings and misses as this iteration lacks the charm and camp of what made those games such classics.
The game pays a fair homage to several of its influences such as some Atlus entries and also brings some good new ideas to the table. Learning Japanese is optional, but even for casual players vaguely interested in learning, some words will linger on their minds, and the didactic approach is a great idea.
With its compelling monster designs, riveting fights, and amazingly lush world, it’s bound to thrill and fill players with intrigue and wonder as they smoothly and effortlessly traverse beautifully crafted environments on their Seikret mount.
While it may not be the most meorable entry in the series, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II still has plenty that series fans thoroughly enjoy. Spending more time with the memorable and delightful cast is never a bad thing, and even though there are elements that don’t quite hit the same or feel a bit superfluous, there’s never any point where the game is in danger of becoming grating.
Everything in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Like a Dragon series dialed up to a hundred, and while other series would long ago have gotten stale, sometimes injecting a large dose of stupidity can go a long way.
Ultimately, Tales of Graces f Remastered is a game of peaks and valleys. For some, the combat alone will be enough to carry the experience while they ignore the narrative. For others, the characters will carry an otherwise average and unsatisfying plot.
Tails of Iron 2 is the poster child for a game that’s going to have a hard time winning over anyone who wasn’t already sold on its predecessor, not due to any lack of quality but because it essentially is its predecessor.