Review by Matt S. I never thought that I would struggle with a Level-5 JRPG. From Yokai Watch to Ni No Kuni, White Knight Chronicles (yes, I was a rare fan), and right back to Dragon Quest VIII and Dark Cloud, the company has been nothing if not a consistent,…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Three Yakuza games in one collection is a big ask of a player. A very, very big ask. For “open world” experiences that take place in the smallest of open worlds, each Yakuza title has a habit of sprawling and becoming the most labyrinthine crime dramas…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Arc of Alchemist is Idea Factory’s first title for 2020, and there’s a lot to like about it: it’s charming, it respects the player’s time (in fact, at around 15 hours in length it’s one of the briefest JRPGs I’ve played in quite some time), and…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Idea Factory’s first JRPG of the year is a fast-paced, action JRPG, about a small group of people searching desperately for a miracle that will halt a creeping apocalypse. It’s probably not a game that has been on many people’s radars, but it should be, because…
Read MoreReview by Pierre-Yves L. You would be hard pressed to find a series that has the mass-market appeal of Dragon Ball. Having started back in 1984, the Dragon Ball series has seen a giant manga run, anime series, video games, movies, and with the more recent Battle of the Gods…
Read MoreEssay by Matt S. Persona 5 is one of the bigger name JRPGs of the past generation. With luxurious production values, rich characters, and a superb sense of style, it’s hardly surprising that people would commit to the game’s 100-odd hour run-time. There’s a new version of Persona 5 coming,…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Kemco sure does churn the retro-themed JRPGs out. Sadly, most of them are just not very good, and more closely resemble RPG Maker projects than anything. Seek Hearts is the new one and… well, it’s actually better. It’s not great, but from the first couple of…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Almost two years ago, we first reported that a Chinese developer, Azure Flame Studio, was building a fascinating-looking tactics RPG. Banner of the Maid, it’s called, and it’s about the French Revolution and Napoleon, with one exception… all the characters are women. That’s right. You’re going…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. It is my pet theory that Nintendo, desperate for content on the ailing Wii U, went and had a meeting with Atlus. There, Atlus showed some clips of a discarded Persona game… or perhaps an internal concept demo. Nintendo then said “we’ll give you some money.…
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Review by Matt S. Wizardry is the elder dungeon crawler. The first one, developed by Sir-Tech, came out way back in 1981. It’s older than I am, and there aren’t many properties that are still around and in active development that can claim that.. For context: Final Fantasy 1 was…
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