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I have to say Granblue Fantasy: Versus exceeded my expectations by miles. There is a great amount of single player content. RPG Mode is a ton of fun. The story is pretty basic but it’s fun for old players to see some of their favorites in a new adventure and a great introduction for new players. The gameplay is easy enough for anyone to pick up on and deep enough for advance players to still have fun with. This game is just simply a lot of fun. If you have a passing interest in Granblue Fantasy you should pick this up. If you’re a fan of fighting games looking for something different I think you will find a lot to love here as well!
Overall, I loved Nioh 2 as it provided many of the same positives as the first game. I am having a hard time deciding which I prefer, since both have their own merits. What this game has over the previous is a better tool set, be it the yokai abilities or the tinkered abilities lending to neat attack chains, and a better assortment of yokai to face. With twenty main missions and numerous sub missions to go through, the $59.99 price tag is well worth it. After all, I put in over 40 hours total and that number will only continue to rise. If future DLC allows the game to evolve to even greater heights, then this could become one of my personal favorite games of the year.
Overall I very much enjoyed my time with Afterparty. The world was gorgeous and filled with likeable, interesting characters. It tackled themes I found particularly compelling, and the dialogue options offer a lot of replayability. I would actually love to go back and see if I can’t get some different outcomes from the ones I got my first playthrough. It’s light on gameplay, but this is a game I would definitely recommend for those who enjoy narrative experiences.
Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha is one of the best collections like this I’ve seen. The port work was all quality and you can tell the team really wanted these to come out as close to perfect as possible. Fans of classic Shmups should be all over this one. They will definitely find a lot to love here. These game are pretty short and you can run through them in a few hours, but there is a ton of replay value as you challenge yourself to do better at each game. The $39.99 price tag might be a bit steep for casual fans, but I feel like the quality is here. This one is worth your coin if want to get into some classic Bullet-Hell goodness.
Overall, I am happy that NIS America brought new life to two classic games in Langrisser I & II. Sure, it’s not perfect, and there’s many archaic oddities, but I had a good time. My biggest complaints were a lack of a timeline or registry showing your achieved endings, and something that made it more apparent how to recruit certain characters. In my 36 hour playtime, I probably encountered only 16 of the total 33 playable characters and approximately half of the 50 classes. Even then, for $49.99 you get good bang for your buck, and tons of replay value in Langrisser I & II.
It’s clear that Shenmue III is a game that wants to please the fans and it’s clear a lot of effort was put in ensuring this experience is the one we would have had on the Dreamcast back then. They even bothered to get Corey Marshall to reprise his role as Ryo for the English audio track. However, the game trips over itself in its execution. Shenmue III is so stuck in the past and in its own bad habits that it forgot it needs to move on. Shenmue III is very much “more Shenmue” in that it’s certainly a continuation of the story, but its also not taking many significant steps in moving it or the gameplay forward. Yu Suzuki had a rather grand vision for the future of the series but for fans to have waited this long only to get a small glimpse of that vision and continue to be teased about it is incredibly disappointing. It feels like him and his team are constantly building hype for things we can expect in the future games without ever actually delivering on it. And while it’s true that in the past, he wasn’t entirely at fault due to the fate of the Dreamcast, I have a very hard time excusing it here.
Despite some qualms here and there, I overall enjoyed my time with Banner of the Maid. It’s not exactly the best in its genre, but it manages to carve out its own niche. Its a rather unexplored time period in video games. Most RPGs and SRPGs tend to just go for a medieval fantasy setting, or sci-fi setting, so something like this manages to stand out. It’s $17 on Steam, which is a very fair price for this. I could recommend this if you’re wanting a SRPG and can forgive a rough localization.
Eredia: The Diary of Heroes is indeed quite the memorable epic and very much a hidden gem. An intriguing set of dramas intertwining, some fantastic characters whom I look forward to revisiting, stellar writing with plenty of humor, and a jam-packed journey that will never leave you bored, Eredia’s entire experience is an impressive one. Although it’s a long way from perfect, it’s most definitely on its way to becoming an exceptional story and series. Eredia: The Diary of Heroes absolutely captivated me, spurring my excitement and desire for its next chapter.
Arc of Alchemist has all the ingredients of a good game, but something went very wrong in the cooking process. The characters are all pretty well written and I think they are the most interesting part of this title. The main story is rushed a bit in places and very predictable. The combat itself isn’t bad, but it’s pretty basic overall and gets stale quickly. The graphics look decent and the open areas fit the the story well, but the performance takes a huge hit in later areas. The game is pretty short, most folks will probably wrap this one up in around 10 hours, and you can add some time to that if you decide to go new game+ or get the true ending. The flaws make this one pretty hard to justify at its $39.99 price tag, but if you’re looking for a decent adventure with some funny and interesting characters, this would be one to consider during a decent sale.
Altogether, the Contra Anniversary Collection is still a hell of a bargain. As a gamer that grew up playing many of these games, it’s nice having a bunch of them together in one place. I probably spent 12 hours or so playing through the entire thing. I’m a bit dissatisfied that some of my other favorite games in the series aren’t here, such as Shattered Soldier and Contra 4. But even without those, this Collection is a great deal for only $19.99. If you love over the top mayhem, giant bosses and lots of challenge, look no further.
But other than that, Lumini is a very nice surprise in a deceptively small sale package. It’s beautiful, interesting and in its quest to become one of the most relaxing games of all times only falls short in the technical details. For the asking price of $10, you really couldn’t go wrong here. Especially when it goes on sale. It took me around 2 hours to complete a play through, it’s perfectly adequate for your relaxing game needs. Huge props to the art department with this one, you’ve all outdone yourself!
While it didn’t quite reach perfection, Dead End Job was a very fun jaunt. I spent about 6 hours and took 2 playthroughs to save Beryl, and only managed to miss two ghosts. For $16.99, you get a creative and colorful game that’s available on pretty much every console. That said, it runs great on Nintendo Switch. If you want a simple, fun yet repetitive twin-stick rogue-like, you should definitely check this game out.
Being a huge fan of the mobile game I really enjoyed my time with Azur Lane: Crosswave. It gave me a chance to spend time with my favorite characters and experience a new story with them. Combat is fun, but much like in the mobile game it’s very repetitive. I pretty much expected this going in, and I didn’t mind it. It was worth the grind to level up all the girls and see all of their marriage scenes. If you are a fan of the mobile game I feel like you will get your money’s worth at $49.99 price tag. I spent around 20 hours in game so far, and finished the main story and most of the extreme battles. While I do think fans of Azur Lane will get more out of this, Azur Lane: Crosswave is a great introduction to this amazing world of Kansen that I think anyone with a mild curiosity should try out. You may just find the characters and world irresistible and want to see more of it. I know this has certainly became one of my favorite franchises over the past two years, and I am thankful for it.
Despite my complaints, I really did enjoy playing The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics. As a fan of the genre, I found a lot to appreciate, despite my lack of familiarity with the source material. Though I can’t say this with certainty, since there’s no in-game timer, I estimate I spent about 22 hours playing through the game. Once you beat it, you unlock a New Game+, though I didn’t have enough time to test that out. Though it’s relatively linear, I felt I got my money’s worth for $19.99. If you’re a fan of tactics games, I’d say AoRT is worth the price of admission, even if I hope it gets some DLC to flesh things out and fix the quirks.
TRINOLINE is a visual masterpiece with a dramatic story that’ll leave you in tears. Regardless of the few glaring issues, this is undoubtedly a must-read. It will take a lot of stamina to power through the low points of the story, but once you get there, you’ll experience something truly incredible. My game clock informs me that I spent 33 hours reading this which justifies the $34.95 price point. Pick it up today on MangaGamer and Steam and once you’re done prepare yourself mentally for the next endeavor.
I have to say I really had a blast with Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. The combat is fast and fun. The gathering and alchemy work more seamlessly and the story and characters are all top notch. If I had a minor complaint, I just felt this story wasn’t quite as strong as some of the others in the franchise, but it’s still top notch. I spent about 35 hours with the game and with post game you could easily get another 6 hours or so. It’s well worth the $59.99 asking price. If they built off the great mechanics found here for the next game, this series will only get stronger and better for years to come. I personally think that’s a wonderful thing, and very much look forward to the next adventure.
Sparklite is a fun little game lifting inspiration from games like The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past and Rogue Legacy. It’s not a particularly hard game unless you’re not strong enough for something just yet. After a while, you’ll have seen most of the screens the game can generate in the world, and then the world will start to become a bit less interesting and repetitive. I’ve had a fun time with Sparklite anyway, though. It is an interesting spin on Zelda-esque gameplay. I say Zelda-eque, because this is not really a Zelda clone. It just borrows a few core design ideas from that series rather than trying to be that series. It basically melds some bits of the classic Zelda formula with a bit of rogue-like and other elements. I’ve spent nearly 20 hours in Geodia at this point, and have mostly completed the game (minus a few side quest things and achievements). Sparklite is available on Steam for $24.99, or you can get the Deluxe Edition for a little more if you want the soundtrack and digital art book. You can also get Sparklite on Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. This review is based on the PC version. Can you overcome the obstacles ahead and save Geodia from the greedy baron?
In summation, I still rather enjoyed KUNAI. I just wish it was a longer experience with a more coherent plot. That said, there’s tons of charm and humor here, and plenty of challenging and satisfying gameplay. Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong for only $16.99. I admire TurtleBlaze for this first Metroidvania, and even though it’s not perfect, I think it could be the starting point to many other tremendous projects. If you’re a fan of the genre, I’d say you owe it to yourself to pick this up.
Black Future ’88 surprised me quite a bit. It’s a very rewarding and addicting game, and you’ll catch yourself saying “just one more run” every time you die. Its short length and fast pace makes it very conducive to replaying, and unlike some rogue-likes, it’s fun to play pretty much immediately. Even in a genre where a game like Dead Cells stands tall, this can certainly stand on its own merits. If you like rogue-likes and platforming action games even a little bit, this is an easy recommendation. It’s $20 on Steam and the Nintendo Switch eShop, and even though a successful run lasts 18 minutes or less, you can easily sink 10+ hours into it.
If you are a fan of Shmups buying Jamestown+ is a no brainer. The game looks and plays like a dream. The soundtrack is one of the best you will find and having local multiplayer makes this a joy for folks that like to play games with their friends. I do wish this had online multiplayer since not all of us live close to friends we can easily snag up to play. I played this for around 5 hours and I was able to beat all of the stages the game had to offer, but I could’ve invested a lot more time if I wanted to unlock everything the game had to offer and complete all of the challenges, making it well worth the $17.99 price point. If you’ve been looking for a Shmup to test your skills or just a good game to play with some friends, you really couldn’t go wrong picking this up.