RPGFan

Monster Hunter Rise is a wonderful addition to the series and one of the best ways to lose a couple hundred hours of your life.

Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space can be quite playtime intensive given that there are so many chapters to complete and the game isn’t even finished yet, not to mention its numerous optional quests, episodes, and side content. Still, at least it is entertaining! I can’t say I’ll ever be someone who invests a lot of time and money into Another Eden, but I’d like to stick around with it for a little while longer to see where Aldo’s journey takes him next.

Flawed but engrossing, I could have definitely played Ruined King: A League of Legends Story for several more hours. The characters, their relationships, and their combat prowess are addictive both in their simplicity and crisp design. Appreciating Ruined King for what it is is important: this isn’t The Witcher, but it knows its identity and leans into it with finesse.

Overall, despite its age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still an incredibly solid game and easily one of the best ports I’ve played on the Switch. If you’re like me and haven’t had the chance to play this title yet, I’d easily recommend doing so to any Star Wars fans who happen to enjoy RPGs, too. The Force is still quite strong with this one, and it gives Switch owners something to bide their time with while we wait for more news about Aspyr’s remake!

The thing is, routine will always get disrupted, and it’s often difficult to come back from that in real life, too, for some people. Perhaps that’s what Loop Hero‘s endless apocalypse is all about. Learning to try again, try something different, or approach something in a different way to get back on track and re-experience the familiar. It’s easy to get lost going in circles, but once you find something you’re comfortable with, it’s easy to slip in, forget about your problems, and focus—even if the world’s secrets are enshrouded by an apocalypse.

Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX modernizes these classic games’ gameplay and makes them more accessible and enticing than they’ve ever been before! Lovers of Pokémon or other monster-collecting games would be remiss to skip this collection.

Dungeon Encounters is a thought-provoking experiment directed by a titan of game development and its minimalist presentation allows the player to stare straight into the face of the craft of game design. While not for everyone, anyone with a shred of interest owes it to themself to check this game out.

Arcadia Fallen is an immensely enjoyable visual novel for those who enjoy fantasy tales with quite a bit of character growth sprinkled throughout them. It isn’t a completely perfect experience, but I fondly remember the time I spent playing the game and I loved how the decision-making was implemented. Those looking for a choice-heavy and ultimately satisfying visual novel would do well to look into Arcadia Fallen, as the outcome of its hero’s journey can be quite memorable indeed.

It continues a tradition of strong and creative character designs, music, voice acting, and deduction gameplay alongside a twisting and suspenseful story filled with quirky humor and high stakes. There are some small cracks in the gameplay where a slight bit of tedium can sneak in, but these moments are vastly outweighed by the game’s overall quality. Much like the first game, you will likely remember some of the characters and plot twists long after playing it and find yourself humming the music as well.

Even ten years after its initial release, Danganronpa is an entirely unique experience whose imperfections only promise room for growth in subsequent series entries.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are extremely faithful remakes that provide a great entry point to the Sinnoh region for new players and a trip down memory lane for established fans, but a lack of new features or content will leave some players wanting more.

I can’t say I was compelled to explore the board with every single character, nor was I enamoured with the story or the writing. If anything, I felt a bit weird playing this after V3. And while the main games are rarely longer than 30 hours, I can see people grinding forever just to get something satisfying out of Danganronpa S. Unless you’re a hardcore fan, I don’t think it’s worth it. But if you’re picking up Danganronpa Decadence, it might be worth a peek.

Overall, Pokémon UNITE is a MOBA with a lot of potential. It’s already great as a casual game with friends, but I believe with some tweaking to Zapdos and removal of the “pay for held item upgrades” option, a strong competitive MOBA lives in Pokémon UNITE. Until then, it’s hard to call it much more than an above-average entry in the crowded MOBA space.

The game is far too short, simple, and easy to maintain your attention for long, and its plot remains unmoving well beyond the point at which you’re likely to lose interest. Nonetheless, its compelling late-game narrative, charming graphical style, and superb score leave me cautiously optimistic about what a sequel can bring to the table. I just hope that the next time this dragon lands, it has learned lessons from its first, flawed foray.

I would’ve deemed Epic Seven nothing short of a perfect mobile game if it had come out a couple of years earlier while I was grinding legendary drops in Borderlands 2. In many respects, it’s the cream of the crop in the mobile market — especially when it comes to its aesthetics, combat, and fair monetization. But its design choices, such as the excessive grinding it puts you through late game, take away from the shine.

Overall, I quite enjoyed my time with Ys IX. It is a generally fun and entertaining game, with action elements that are wonderfully honed. It is a shame that the graphics in the Switch port diminish the experience as much as they do, because otherwise the title fits rather nicely on a handheld system thanks to its polished control scheme and wealth of content.

Final Fantasy V has a unique spirit amongst the other Super Famicom/SNES titles. VI does have some elements of customisation, and IV has its moments of silliness, but the core of V is to embrace the fun and experimentation and lose yourself in the adventure. Sometimes, I forget to do that when I’m playing a video game, particularly a Final Fantasy game. So, for that alone, I’m glad I gave the Pixel Remaster of Final Fantasy V a chance.

Ultimately, The Caligula Effect 2 is not a game for everyone. This is something the developers are keenly aware of. It’s not a flashy, high-budget, big-name, auteur-laden, AAA RPG that’s gone through the gauntlet of playtesters and focus groups. It’s a scrappy, low-budget underdog that’s full of heart and empathy, and it has a message to share. Though the game is a sequel, those interested can certainly start with this version, as its predecessor is vaguely recapped.

While by no means the pinnacle of the series, it’s a more than worthy successor to Vigil Games’ legacy and a very enjoyable action-adventure title that fans will get a kick out of. I can only hope that Airship Syndicate will one day be able to finally give us the conclusion to this epic saga of Heaven, Hell, and the Balance between them.

Though Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was the first entry to truly embrace 2D exploration and non-linear progression, it was in these three GBA titles that the “-vania” was permanently affixed to the “Metroid.” Individually, they are fantastic games, and together, they offer an irresistible package to fans of the series and genre. Our reviewers very much enjoyed each game in the collection, and we highly recommend it to those looking for engaging, challenging, and expertly crafted Metroidvania games!

Blue Reflection: Second Light is a beautiful game in every way. It looks fantastic, plays great, and sounds incredible. It’s challenging, rewarding, and a unique experience through and through. It has a hopeful, positive message and the story is a fun and winding ride. The presentation is top-notch, and the game itself demonstrates what Gust has learned in the past four years from their Atelier games.

Alchemic Cutie is an adept of adorableness that's in need of an elixir to smooth out the bugs, improve tutorials, and make it that bit more manageable and engaging.

Cupid Parasite is a lengthy game with a decent-sized common route and suitor-specific routes that tend to be just as long. Given that there are five suitors initially and a secret character route once you’ve completed the others, along with the various alternate outcomes you can uncover, there is quite a lot of replayabilty to be had here! The sheer amount of energy in the story, combined with a likable cast of characters and well-written developing romances, makes this a rom-com worth perusing if that happens to be your thing.

Mary Skelter Finale is an incredibly dense game. Dozens of unique gameplay mechanics, intriguing characters, and gigantic dungeons make up just a small portion of this gigantic dungeon crawler.

Shin Megami Tensei V is a premiere JRPG that can’t be missed. Don’t let worries over difficulty (the game has four difficulty settings, one will work for you, I promise!), legacy (this is a whole new direction for the series), or performance (it can get a bit sluggish at times, but the developers have utilized a lot of tricks to make the game run smoothly most of the time) stop you from playing one of the best games of the generation.