RPGamer's Reviews
Like a fresh sip of caffe latte on a cool morning, it’s been a good pick-me-up for the rest of the season.
When push comes to shove, there’s just no way to ignore the terrible blow dealt to the game by its one-of-a-kind translation, evident in everything from the philosophical musings of the plot to how character arcs unfold. And if that alone wasn’t the deathblow, then the frustrating and plain unfun balance issues that made me beg for credits certainly did the trick.
While the localization offers many belly laughs, I wish more had been done to update the experience and bring in newcomers to this wonderfully zany series. As delightful a game as Rhapsody II is, there’s just not enough of an update to invite anyone new to join in the fun.
Remnant II is fortunately an improvement in nearly all respects, expanding on the the first game in interesting ways that push greater player agency and cooperative engagement while maintaining the same tight gun play. In that same breath, the problems from the first game are still present, though to varying degrees of annoyance.
To stretch an analogy worthy of the game, South Park: The Stick of Truth is much like its “magic” burritos. It is far tastier than it has any right to be, taking a solid, meaty system for combat, beans and cheese for field interactions, and then wrapping them up in the tortilla of South Park.
Fiction Factory Games adds another fun tale to its catalog of games, with every character’s story worth exploring. Fans of visual novels will find a lot to love and laugh about, as Penny Larceny steals hearts and your wallet.
This refresher course on the game that started a decades-long series may not be sitting at the top of the class, but it still earns high marks.
There is no game out there like Stray Gods, and while its execution has some flaws, its originality shines through. Summerfall Studios has crafted a memorable experience with loveable characters and catchy songs to boot.
It’s abundantly clear that the developers of Venba poured their heart and soul into crafting this love letter of a game to share the hardship and adjustment period that comes with being a new immigrant.
Most importantly, Atelier Ryza 3 is a game that fulfills its purpose as the capstone to a trilogy. It does its best to provide closure to the series and its characters, and by the end sequence most of the cast has some sense of growth in themselves and their relationships.
Fans of tactical turn-based RPGs will find familiarity with how the game plays through the customization of job classes and equipment loadouts. Its simplicity of gameplay and pacing of events through themes of treason and overcoming adversity emboldens the medieval story Arcadian Atlas tells.
While exploration is fun enough, it’s the combat system that is the real standout here, simple enough to be quickly learned but intricate enough to provide plenty of variety, particularly during the fun boss fights.
While its cases might not quite have the same level of twists and zaniness as its obvious inspiration, Tyrion Cuthbert still offers an enjoyable romp through its five cases across a little over a dozen hours.
The collection can easily be recommended to both those that enjoy a good dungeon crawl but have somehow missed this series previously, and to those that have spent some time away and would love to revisit the origins of the series.
While the game offers nine routes for the player to explore, they vary in quality that ends up leaving Charade Maniacs a mixed experience from start to finish. That is not to say the game isn’t worth playing, but if you are someone who plays otome games for the romance aspect, those elements take more of a backseat to the game’s messy overarching story and it’s quantity over quality approach to storytelling.
Its spellbinding story, emotive soundtrack, spectacular visuals, and fast-paced action combat make Final Fantasy XVI a must-play action RPG.
The creative combat mechanic that skill swapping offers is, unfortunately, the only meaningful source of entertainment value this game offers.
While some of the deeper world-building feels increasingly convoluted, and it's time for the series to move on to new pastures, it is great to have one final episode of glory with most of the cast as the game celebrates the series's combat evolution and at least partially ties up some of its numerous unresolved plot points.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective creates a rewarding experience for all fans of the mystery genre and is a must play for those that love challenging puzzles with a supernatural flavour.
The world-building and presentation offer much to take in and enjoy, while the combat is deep and sound, with tons of variables to constantly keep up with that can turn the tide of battle at a moment’s notice.