oprainfall
Homepageoprainfall's Reviews
At the end of the day, Final Fantasy XVI is an ambitious attempt to iterate on the series’ combat and story formulas, and for the most part is largely successful. Battles are frenetic and fun, with a combo system that feels simple to use but offers plenty of customization through Eikonic abilities. The world is unique and interesting, with varied character motivations and complex political landscapes. While darker than most of its predecessors, XVI‘s themes of acceptance, self-actualization and friendship resonate just as strongly as anything the series has offered thus far, and this is one of the strongest casts in recent memory. There’s a lot to love here, despite some of the game’s shortcomings and rushed ending. If nothing else, it’s given me a lot to think about, and for me, that’s well worth the price of admission.
In the end, I’m very happy to have had the chance to play Atelier Marie. I was really looking forward to it as I said before and it turned out to be quite the fun and cute little adventure like I hoped it would be. Well, maybe it was a bit shorter than I realized, I’m not sure I would pay full price for this one, much less the Digital Deluxe price. Regardless, the fact that the Digital Deluxe Edition lets you play the Plus version of the game, which as far as I know is much more like the original with just a few extras – not a modern remake – is a nice little bonus. I may have to get myself the Digital Deluxe someday in the future. Anyway, if you like Atelier games, or you’re a fan of really basic and short little slice-of-life type RPGs, then I would highly recommend Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg. But if you prefer a much longer game, or specifically a more in-depth Atelier title, then this one might not be for you. Or, perhaps it’s something you’ll wanna snag on sale.
Overall, I have had a blast reading through Charade Maniacs. The cast is large and varied, but not overwhelming, and the overarching mystery of what the Other World Stream is and why it exists keeps me going back for more. What’s up with the Arcadians? Why specifically wipe out the memory of people who died rather than just kill them? Why was this cast chosen to have such a drastic imbalance between male and female members? If you like mysteries, you can’t really go wrong here.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is an outstanding RPG with a rich story and memorable characters. The turn-based combat is well polished and the music is amazing. It easily places in the top three of my favorite Trails games along with Trails in the Sky the 3rd and Trails to Azure. I highly recommend fans of the series to play this, they will definitely enjoy the journey. Unfortunately, some issues hold this game back from reaching that coveted perfect score, but this should not deter you from picking the game up. Trails into Reverie was worth the wait and a satisfying conclusion to the Erebonia and Crossbell arcs. It is a bittersweet feeling, however, as I know future games will be moving away from these regions and characters I’ve come to know and love so well.
Ultimately, STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life wasn’t as charming as I had hoped and imagined it would be. It did get some more charm added in when I got to the second chapter and started my family. Still, I don’t think this Bokujō Monogatari game aged as well as some others, it ended up being super average. It’s not at all a bad game, I enjoyed my time with it. Nonetheless, I think this is mainly one for fans who have that nostalgia for it and will be going back to an old fave. If you’re new to it like me and really want to try it out, I’d suggest waiting for at least a small sale.
Pixel Ripped 1978 is technically the third game in the series, but can easily be played without having played the other games. It’s fun, intuitive and a nice trip down memory lane, especially for those of us who grew up in the early days of gaming. It’s available on PSVR2, Meta Quest 2, and SteamVR, and well worth the $24.99 USD.
So yeah, I think the game’s biggest issue was scope creep. It needed more focus as there are just too many gameplay and system elements fighting for attention to really spruce things up at an individual level. If we are talking about FPS games from smaller devs, this is competing for attention from titles such as Dusk, Prodeus, Metal: Hellsinger, and Cultic. That is some heavy competition to be going against in this day and age. It doesn’t help that Nightmare Reaper is $24.99 on Steam, and $26.99 on console. It’s far from bad in the end, even if I recommend the PC version exclusively, but the competition it has is particularly high. Look into this if you are interested in a game with random layouts, events, and a lot of bonus content to be had.
This is really just a taste of all the different things you can work with in Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook. If I explain all of this thoroughly, this review would be way too big, and at first, I wasn’t sure this was going to be a game for me. By the end though, I really was enjoying myself. I don’t think I would’ve had as much fun on the higher difficulties since you would be at the mercy of the game’s RNG as it generates the floors and materials. There were times I didn’t have enough to make food for my party for a few floors, and things got dicey quickly. At the $49.99 price tag, I think there is a good amount of content here, and if you like rogue-lites with some inventory management and survival mechanics thrown in, this will be a pure joy for you. Playing on easy difficulty would be a good way for someone to get into games like this, or old folks like me that want a decent challenge without it being a total stressor. I’m not sure I would say this one is for everyone, but I’m happy that NIS tried something different here. In the end, I think there is certainly a lot of flavor here, even if it’s not to everyone’s tastes.
As can be expected, if you’re still with me reading this review, no I cannot and do not recommend Loop8: Summer of Gods. It’s a shame because I really thought this would be a fun summer adventure and was pretty disappointed that it wasn’t. Not only that, but I know XSEED Games does some really nice physical editions. Maybe you want to pick it up if you collect XSEED’s physical releases. Still, I would suggest you wait on a good enough sale for that, because this game is not worth it. Although, if this game were to ever be made into an anime instead, one where all the repetitive nonsense is skipped over, I could see myself potentially enjoying it.
While Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord is a very basic Strategy game, I had a lot of fun with it. I know this is mostly because of these characters and setting, but I think this would be a great starting point for newcomers to the series as well. The combat is fun, graphics look nice and music is exceptional. I played about 40 hours to get an ending on this one, and there are more things I have left to explore. I feel like this one is well worth the $49.99 asking price; it may not be anything fancy, but it’s good food for the fans.
In truth, I highly recommend both titles. The original is available on Steam at a very affordable price with said version having all of the content added over the various releases such as Separate Ways and Assignment Ada. There is also the VR port which offers a new way to play the original that is surprisingly well made. Considering the remake is $60, with a free update adding Mercenaries, it is almost criminal. I am happy to say that this remake is a new favorite of mine, when the original is already one of my favorite titles ever in the first place. In a world where most remakes try to rely on the original, it’s refreshing to see one that stands on its own terms.
At the end of the day, this is probably the best release of Mugen Souls we’ve got here in the West. The content is complete, and while the game doesn’t run perfectly on the Switch, I don’t think it’s terrible either. The story here is still pretty solid, but I would’ve liked to see the localization get more of an update. The personality names really bother me, and this would’ve been a good time to fix this. The excuse of “folks wouldn’t know the anime terms” is weak. Anyone buying this game would know exactly what they were. At the end of the day, even with my gripes, I feel like this one is well worth the $39.99 asking price. I still had a lot of fun with it, and having all the content from the Japanese version is a big plus. I hope EastAsiaSoft decides to port Mugen Souls Z next, since I feel like it plays better than this release, but I always liked this story just a bit better.
Trinity Trigger isn’t a bad game, but it isn’t the best game either. Its strong points are its simple combat, loveable main cast, and charming graphics. However, it could use some work in the story and sound departments. I do hope the game’s development staff continues to stick with this world they created, as there are some interesting concepts, they just need to be expanded upon. I think newcomers and veteran action RPG players can find something to like about this game, just don’t come in with super high expectations. Due to the short playtime, I can’t recommend purchasing this game at the price of $49.99 (digitally). I suggest waiting for a sale before picking this one up, if you’re interested.
Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate is available on the Meta Quest 2 and PlayStation VR2, with an expected Nintendo Switch version coming later this year. Buying Episode 1 and 2 will cost around $35 USD for Meta Quest 2 and $40 for PSVR2, and you can’t go wrong with either. If you’re a fan of VR games, this is a must buy.
At the end of the day, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & The Secret Key is everything I could’ve hoped for. It’s a fantastic end to this amazing series, the gameplay is fantastic and I love this cast almost as much as the Arland crew, which is quite a lot. I would love to see them revisit Ryza someday as she takes an apprentice just to see how things changed down the line. This game is worth every penny of the $59.99 price tag and I would highly suggest everyone check out all of Ryza’s titles. They are all amazing in their own ways, topped off by this truly amazing final chapter.
Overall I really enjoyed my time with Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix. The combat is a lot of fun, the characters are great and the customization here will keep you busy for hours. I spent about 10 hours and competed each of the girl’s story modes at least once. I feel like at the $29.99 price tag for a digital copy, this one is a nobrainer for fans of anime with cute girls or action game fans. You won’t be disappointed.
Overall, Cions of Vega is an average Walking Sim. The game only lasts a couple hours and even though I feel like the story is lacking a bit, it did keep my interest. The music is very good the few times it plays and while this isn’t a great looking title, it’s not a terrible one either. At the $6.99 price tag, fans of the genre will probably like this one, or XBOX users looking for a quick 1000 points to their Gamerscore might wanna jump on this as well.
If you are looking for a game for that feeling of martial arts and feeling untouchable once you get deflection down, this is the game for you. Even if you like to have games with nuanced use of game mechanics and deep character building, the combat feel of Wo Long is still something it does exceptionally well. If nothing else, this is a good way to branch out into the older titles, despite it having a higher floor to overcome. At full price or not, it is hard to not at least respect what the developers offered.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played, and one of my favorite games in the Trails series. The thought provoking story is memorable, the characters look fantastic and are full of personality, the turn-based combat is polished, and the music is phenomenal. Trails to Azure absolutely lived up to the bar Trails from Zero set, and surpassed it with flying colors. I did run into a couple bugs, and there were some issues with the translation, but those were not enough to bring this one down too much. I highly recommend this game to fans of the franchise and RPGs. However, since this is a sequel, you should at least play Trails from Zero before getting into this one. Trails to Azure will set you back $39.99 digitally and $49.99 for a physical copy, and I say it’s worth every penny.
Overall I had a blast with Grim Guardians: Demon Purge. The gameplay was very solid and a ton of fun. The writing here is great, and there are plenty of things here to keep fans of both Castlevania style games and Gal*Gun happy. My only real complaint is there is no way to pull up the castle map while in the stage. This makes looking for some of the hidden rooms more a pain than it should be. The game will take you around 8 hours to complete an ending. There are a three of these in total and some extra things to collect once the credits have rolled. I feel like this one is well worth the $24.99. It’s rare to find a game that would please these two very different fanbases, but this one will certainly do just that!