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As an interactive museum exhibit, Atari 50 is quite successful. As a labor of love, it’s filled to the brim. Whether it transcends “well-crafted curiosity” status? That’ll depend on your nostalgia.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a remaster of a remake. It’s a game that persists through the wheel of time as it is ported from generation to generation, breathing life into the Ogre Battle series.
Yes, it is a farming life-sim and action-RPG, but Harvestella is more enjoyable when you're not comparing it to its contemporaries.
Like comedy, horror is subjective. Some people prefer the thrills that come with a jump scare, whereas others prefer a slower and more psychological horror. In that sense, Yomawari: Lost in the Dark can satisfy both camps. The majority of it is atmospheric, building up dread as you explore eerie locales. Then, right when the tension starts to reach a fever pitch, it throws you into fast-paced action sequences during which a second of hesitation can cost you your life.
Lonesome Village feels like a low-stakes game for people who want to solve easy puzzles and interact with cute characters.
SIGNALIS uses these elements to passively tell a story of an authoritarian regime extending its power beyond the stars. It speaks of exploitation and oppression using Cold War era imagery, and of the arms race that left behind nuclear waste that irreparably changed our own real-world environments by using its own analogies and visuals to create a layered experience that leaves you wanting to know and understand more.
Kratos and Atreus set off on yet another great adventure. This time the stakes manage to be even higher, and we get to watch both characters continue to develop into some of the most interesting and well-written figures in gaming. PS5 version reviewed.
Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher does a good job of infusing Ultraman essence into an established series, all without potentially putting people off of it.
All the same, despite iffy monetization choices and the general feeling that the game might not last long enough to become a permanent part of your rotation, Dragon Ball: The Breakers is a frantic and fast-paced interpretation of a genre otherwise saturated in horror movie tropes.
It almost feels like Star Ocean: The Divine Force’s existence is some sort of miracle. Even more so because, while there are some elements that can feel a bit dated and it isn’t exactly perfect, it’s generally a joyful and solid experience.
When you pick up an otome visual novel for your Switch, you figure you are getting a game that will feature intricate romance stories with detailed characters, but Paradigm Paradox doesn’t exactly fit into the typical mold. Which is fine! The problem is, the game as a whole feels rushed, with the world’s lore and characters’ relationships speedrunning their way to good (and bad) ends.
Bayonetta 3 is over-the-top in every possible way, and I get the feeling newcomers and long-time fans of the series will appreciate that.
Stretch your legs, clean your whiskers, and dive into Nine Noir Lives. Enjoy a "point-and-lick" comedy-noir adventure, full of humour, crazy characters, and intriguing locations. A punny detective game with visual novel elements and a surprisingly earnest core beyond its snarky exterior.
Explore the mean streets of Skopp City as Ann Flores, a lone-wolf combat specialist on a mission to find her missing brother. Sample the cyberpunk city life in 2D/3D exploration segments and fight off threats in an agile side-scrolling combat areas. Switch version reviewed.
While there is a simple and undeniable pleasure in the simple act of raising parameters and figuring out the best way to schedule Chilia’s time, Lair Land Story hasn’t aged gracefully. Its combination of raising sim and visual novel works in theory, but not in practice due to the overwhelming and frankly shoddy story, and lack of emotional beats to keep the player hooked. Individually there are two good tastes to be found in this game, but their combination ends up lesser than their sum.
Playtest an entire crafted world with your school buddy Kenta, an aspiring game designer with his own RPG! Switch versión reviewed.
Explore a supernatural RPG with stylish summoners and dark dangers lurking under the neon lights of a cyberpunk Japan. It is up to the agents of Aion to decrypt destiny and save the world from apocalypse! PS4 version reviewed. A dungeon crawler strung together by a flimsy story, but serves as a good entry point for SMT fans.
While it's unlikely to transcend genre preferences, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a gift for those who love JRPG trappings. There are lands to explore, combat systems to optimize, and lore implications for longtime franchise fans. And at the very least? You certainly get your money's worth.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is a monster of an expansion and proves the series will remain a mainstay among international audiences.
Last Call BBS is a collection of games that may or may not seem familiar. After all Exapunks’ Hack*Match and Eliza’s Kabufuda Solitaire are both here. There’s also a take on Solitaire called Sawayama Solitaire. But they’re all puzzle games designed to make someone think.