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Great Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is the fittingly excellent final collection for this franchise, bringing over two spinoffs, including one that was never officially localized. That alone deserves celebration, but this sequel is at the franchise's heights, while its predecessor doesn't particularly stand out by comparison.
Following in the footsteps of the Castlevania Advance Collection, the Castlevania Dominus Collection continues the precedent of being a must-play, masterful collection. The three main DS games included here are all exceptional action RPG experiences with lite metroidvania components that make progression and exploration increasingly fulfilling. Moreover, the inclusion of Haunted Castle and its impressive remake, alongside the numerous customizable options, extra features, and strong handheld and docked performance, only add to the positives this package boasts.
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club revives the classic mystery series with a thrilling new adventure. This game features meticulously crafted storytelling, immersive character interactions, and stunning Live2D animation. Players take on the role of a teenage sleuth, investigating a chilling urban legend while solving puzzles and piecing together clues.
Crypt Custodian offers a delightful Metroidvania experience where players control Pluto, a cat exploring the Afterlife with a trusty broom. The game shines with its unique world design, fluid combat mechanics, and challenging dungeons. While it occasionally suffers from performance issues, its charming story and memorable characters make it a must-play for fans of the genre. With a variety of puzzles, upgrades, and collectibles, Crypt Custodian is a game that will keep players engaged for hours.
Gundam Breaker 4 marks a triumphant return to the series' roots, offering fans an intricate and rewarding Gunpla-building experience. While the story may not be the game's strongest aspect, the detailed customization options, engaging combat mechanics, and creative features like Diorama and Painting modes more than make up for it.
Visions of Mana marks a triumphant return for the Mana series, offering a richly detailed world with deep lore, an intricate combat system, and robust customization options. While the early pacing may deter some players, those who persist will find a rewarding RPG experience filled with compelling characters, challenging gameplay, and a wealth of content, including a post-game chapter and a New Game Plus mode. Visions of Mana successfully blends classic RPG elements with modern innovations, making it a standout title in Square Enix's lineup.
Star Wars: Outlaws introduces players to a vast open world where they can truly live in the Star Wars universe. Following the journey of Kay Vess the game excels in exploration, combat, and its unique reputation system. While the narrative has its shortcomings, especially in character development, Outlaws remains an engaging and expansive adventure for fans of the franchise.
Fairy Tail Dungeons creatively adapts the beloved Fairy Tail anime series into a compelling game experience. With its unique gameplay mechanics, character-driven story, and polished visuals, the game offers fans a fresh take on the Fairy Tail universe. While the dungeon design can feel repetitive, the engaging combat and deckbuilding elements make up for it, providing an enjoyable and addictive experience for players. Fairy Tail Dungeons is a must-try for fans of the series and those looking for a unique indie game.
Bakeru is a delightful modern 3D platformer that captures the essence of classic titles like Goemon. With its vibrant world, challenging combat, and engaging exploration, Bakeru stands out as a must-play for genre fans. Despite some minor shortcomings in its combat mechanics, the game’s overall execution and nostalgic appeal make it an unforgettable experience.
Black Myth: Wukong delivers a visually stunning action-packed adventure deeply rooted in Chinese mythology. While the combat system is engaging and the world is expansive, the game is hindered by a disjointed narrative and repetitive environments. Players looking for a challenging action experience will find much to enjoy, but the lack of a cohesive story and navigational tools may detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite its flaws, Black Myth: Wukong stands as a unique and ambitious title that is worth experiencing.
Natsu-Mon! 20th Century Summer Kid transports players to a nostalgic summer vacation in Yomogi Town, where they join Satoru in his carefree adventures. From bug catching to heartfelt interactions with town residents, this cozy game offers a charming escape from reality.
Closer The Distance is a unique life simulation game that challenges players with time management mechanics and an emotionally charged narrative. Set in the quaint village of Yesterby, you guide a family through the aftermath of a tragic loss, balancing their emotional and physical needs. With stunning visuals, exceptional voice acting, and a melancholic tone, this game offers a deeply immersive experience. While the time constraints and challenging objectives may be stressful for some, the game's replay value and narrative depth make it a must-play for fans of the genre.
Fate/stay night Remastered is an excellent official English debut for visual novel and Type-Moon fans worldwide after a two-decade limbo of existence. The well-implemented script, gorgeous 16:9 visuals, and in-depth customization options make this debut of the Fate series its best iteration yet.
Cat Quest III offers an exceptionally charming and captivating adventure that redefines the series with stunning visuals and engaging gameplay. The game features interesting quests, a lush overworld map, and a fun local co-op mode. Despite some issues with NPC impact, broken equipment systems, and balancing, the experience remains rewarding and approachable for players of all skill levels. Perfect for a joyful weekend adventure, Cat Quest III stands out as a delightful addition to the series.
Magical Delicacy is a delightful blend of platforming and cooking, wrapped in a charming pixel art style. Despite some progression challenges, the game excels with its engaging exploration, memorable characters, and rewarding cooking mechanics. It's a cozy game that brings a unique twist to the "Metroidvania" genre, making it a must-play for fans of enchanting adventures.
I had no idea what to expect from Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, but it will undeniably be another hit under Capcom's growing catalog of critically acclaimed successes. On a personal level, this title echoes some portion of the developer's past that I've missed dearly, and sincerely hope it sticks around and grows. The gameplay shortcomings here may fail at encourgaing the incentivized repaly value enough, but they don't detract from the quality present here.
Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is a must-play 2D platformer that shines with its sublime movement mechanics and excellent level design. Despite a few narrative and comedic missteps, the game offers fulfilling exploration, captivating combat, and stunning visuals, making it one of the standout titles of 2024.
Spy x Anya: Operation Memories is a charming family game directed towards gamers wanting to hang out with the Forgers a little longer. The writing provides a nice dose of character interactions to satisfy fans, and players can take pictures of plenty of adorable scenes. Further, the constant stream of unlockables makes playing the surface-level mini-games tolerable after exhaustion sets in. I found fun in the overall gameloop, and I consider this a mission accomplished as far as anime games are concerned. I hope to see more games based on this series that present creative ways of telling stories through this medium.
Anger Foot will be a game brought up in the same conversations as Hotline Miami and Ape Out. It’s an experience that will go down in arcade FPS history as something that existed when we needed it. And maybe I didn’t know that I needed to unwind with a game where my primary form of attack was to kick, but that’s what this turned into. It’s nice to play a game that knows how to be a game. Your skills will be tested, but like me, you’ll keep returning for more.
Dawntrail may not be as much of a reinvention of the wheel as it was made out to be. However, it also proves that this formula is still capable of featuring incredible stories and taking us to places that can surprise and challenge our understanding of the world, both in and out of the game. It represents a huge step forward in the worldbuilding of Final Fantasy XIV and its gameplay, giving the player appropriate challenges for the hundreds of hours they likely poured into it to get to this point. If this is any indication of what’s to come, then FFXIV’s next decade is looking as bright as dawn.