RPGamer's Reviews
Sakura Wars has always been about the characters, interacting via L.I.P.S., and experiencing some insane, over-the-top anime antics. In that respect, the new Sakura Wars recaptures the spirit of the earlier entries and is a perfect bit of RPG comfort food to brighten your soul.
Though — as is normal with the genre — there isn’t too much interaction required from the player, it makes great use of both the medium and its storytelling to provide an experience that sucks one in and keeps the engagement level high until the very end.
Nihon Falcom didn’t rush into making a sequel to Zwei, but seven years later did produce what XSEED Games localized as Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection. The result is a sizable improvement over the first game and a title that has jumped into what I would deem the higher echelon of the company’s work.
It would be easy to dismiss it merely as a novelty, as other peripheral-based games certainly have been in the past. But that would be doing a disservice to the ingenuity with which the designers have found a way to get players to try out a workout routine and, even more impressively, stick to it.
Even though it has the ability to propel foes into the air and keep attacking before they can land, along with the ability to gorge on sweets and get stronger, this isn’t among Falcom’s stronger titles.
Like many powerful, unique titles, Sunless Skies leaves the player with the desire for more, not because it’s lacking but because it appeals to the mania to solve every mystery, plumb every depth.
Returning to Midgar has been a much more fulfilling experience than I expected going in. Seeing all of these characters, and the world, fully realised in 3D has given me a whole new appreciation for them and I’m very much looking forward to what’s next in store. Exactly how successful the full project is remains to be seen, but the first part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake has done everything it could in getting me incredibly excited for the second.
Wide Ocean Big Jacket is for those who love curling up with a good book, or love seeing sweet summer romances blossom. It’s a funny, light-hearted experience that will take very little of your time and offer something that is sweet and reminiscent of summer.
Though the combat holds up, it’s just too difficult to find a way to recommend Element: Space as a whole. There’s not much of interest from a narrative standpoint, while all of the good points about the gameplay are offset by the technical problems. It’s a shame, as there’s a good base underneath it, but even with giving leeway based on the small size of the development team, the annoyances currently outweigh the good.
There are a lot of things to admire about Mistover, and it’s an impressive title in certain respects. I never fell in love with it though, and rarely felt like playing it for long stretches without a break.
Persona 5 already made an incredible mark when it released, and Persona 5 Royal just adds to Atlus’ richly deserved reputation among RPGamers.
In the end, Ara Fell isn’t showing off anything that hasn’t been seen in games for many years, but the full package comes together well; while the adage “greater than the sum of its parts” is sometimes overused, Ara Fell is an excellent example of the way a game can come together and simply be fun.
There are some foundations of a good game here, but the characters could be better fleshed out, and the game could offer more incentive for the player to keep progressing in the form of a more compelling plot, more character growth, and more varied missions and mechanics.
There’s no question that both of these titles are first-rate tactical experiences though, and the ability to actually play Langrisser II legally in English is a massive boon to the RPG world. Any players with an affinity for tactical action should look them up immediately, especially since good sales might prompt the rest of the series to finally make its way elsewhere in the world.
Hero Must Die offers a fascinatingly different approach and is well worth checking out just for that. All of the RPG building blocks used are of the most basic sort, but the game manages to combine them effectively with its wilder ideas to ensure that there’s always a sense of building towards a bigger picture and a final goal as well.
The game is an interesting experience purely for its world and general atmosphere, but ultimately it fails to come together due to the lack of depth in its mechanics, character development, and world lore.
Underneath it all lies an engaging combat system, though it’s a shame the story and writing under-serve what could have been an interesting world and cast of characters.
Azur Lane: Crosswave doesn't harbour ambitions to be more than it really is and, though it may be a bit underwhelming, it at least doesn't outstay its welcome. It's perfectly happy to just provide some hours of mild entertainment without trying to reinvent the wheel and that may be enough for some, but certainly not all.
The writing isn’t going to win too many awards, and I could’ve done without the unnecessary anachronisms, yet there was still some magic to be found in my journey through the Deepwood.
While I wish some of the subject matters like prejudice, family, and culture could have been tackled with a little more depth, there’s still plenty to enjoy at this little coffee shop, so stop by for a warm beverage on your preferred console.