Year: 2021

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

I have never played a “souls-like” game before. With that said I immediately started a play through on the hardest difficulty. Why? I hate myself obviously.  The good:Gameplay is pretty good. You get punished for being sloppy even by freaking goblins. Combat was fun and addicting and when I died I wasn’t mad, but more
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Mercenaries Blaze: Dawn of the Twin Dragons

The latest entry into the indie turn based strategy series Mercenaries brings some quality of life improvements that bring the franchise closer to greatness, but still falls short in execution. The biggest upgrade from the previous entries is the introduction of fully rendered 3D maps. This means you can spin the view around to get a
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Dead Cells

Sometimes a game just doesn’t jive with you. It’s sad when it happens but you have to accept it. 3 Dead Cells is a metrodvania rogue-like with fast paced action combat and beautiful pixel art graphics.  While I completely loved the combat, and enjoyed the difficulty curve, Dead Cells felt like it was missing something for
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SaGa Frontier Remastered

SaGa Frontier initially released as the series first entry in 3D in 1997. Just shy of 24 years later it gets a remaster that really helps it find a new audience. Initially a very niche game with a small cult following, this remaster follows on the heals of previous SaGa releases of classic games getting released
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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

This is game nine in a continuous story viewed from multiple angles, spanning almost two decades of releases. Cold Steel IV is the conclusion of the third story arc, and brings the previous two to a final close as well. I felt fine right up until the final credits rolled and I turned off my Switch.
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Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Where to start with this one? I’ve never played a Yakuza game before, but when I saw they were coming out with a JRPG it piqued my interest. I played Like a Dragon on my Playstation 5 and it does just about everything right. This game has easily proven that you don’t need fantasy and a final boss
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Ys Origin

Let’s take a journey back. Back before Adol Christin was born. Way back. Like… centuries. This is when Ys Origin takes place. Built on the same engine as Ys: The Ark of Napishtim and Ys: The Oath in Felghana this game runs extremely smooth and handles very well. Controls are tight and responsive, and you always feel that
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Pokemon Sword

So I decided to stop letting my preconceived notions about this game from before launch continue to keep me from playing it. I’ve been a fan of Pokemon ever since I chose Bulbasaur on Pokemon Blue back in the late 90s. I’ve played every generation since, and have always loved the charm of the series,
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Persona 5 Strikers

What is Persona 5 Strikers? Well, even though it was made in conjunction with Koei Tecmo, it is not a warriors game. This is a fully fledged entry in the Persona series. I wouldn’t even consider it a spin off. Taking place directly after the events of Persona 5 (not Royal, so no Kasumi here), we once again
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Cosmic Star Heroine

Cosmic Star Heroine at heart is a love letter to the SNES era of JRPGs. The influences of Chrono Trigger are clearly seen in the beautiful art style and the framework of the battle system. Cosmic Star Heroine offers a quick RPG, some fresh mechanics, and a witty sense of humor. I’m excited to write about it
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