Review by Matt S. For all its success, very few developers have attempted to emulate From Software’s “Souls” franchise (Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne); perhaps because developers realise what a monumental task these games are. It’s easy to chalk them up as just super-challenging action RPGs, but in reality it’s…
Read MoreArticle by Matt S. When Nintendo announced that it was producing a Fire Emblem game for mobile devices, I more-or-less guessed the form that it would take. Earlier in the year, gumi had localised Phantom of the Kill for mobile devices, so I knew the genre would work, and I…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. The recent Tales of Berseria really, really impressed us. For a series that has, traditionally, struggled to appeal outside of its core audience, Berseria represents the best opportunity that Bandai Namco has had in some years to develop a new audience around the venerable franchise. Related…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Wow. Just… wow. I figured, going into Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers, that I would enjoy myself. Koei Tecmo so rarely disappoints me with anything to do with Dynasty Warriors – or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, for that matter – that I just assumed that a tactics…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. The retro-throwback JRPG has been a genuine trend in recent years, and it’s not just in the indie space, either. I Am Setsuna and Bravely Default, for example, are games published by the godfather of the genre, Square Enix. Related reading: Our interview with the developer…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. I’ve played all the Kingdom Heart games at some stage or another, but even so, I’m no longer sure I actually know what’s going on with the series. The continuity between one title and the next is obtuse, and I’m not sure whether it’s deliberate or…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. The latest attempt to recapture the magic and nostalgia for classic JRPGs is Earthlock: Festival of Magic, a game that comes from an outfit in Norway, of all places. We’re talking the full experience here; puzzle-filled dungeons, an overworld to explore, and intense, strategic, tight turn-based…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Of all the venerable JRPG franchises, the Tales series is the one that I have the most complicated relationship with. The truth is that I simply don’t enjoy them all that much. While I do appreciate some of the series’ hallmarks (they tend to represent inter-character…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. In Yakuza 0, a typical night out starts with a wander through a red-light district, eventually dropping in at an adult video hire place that allows you to watch softcore gravure videos of your favourite ladies. Then you’ll wander over to the other side of town…
Read MoreReview by Matt. C I’m surprised there aren’t more monster-collecting tactical RPGs. The genres go together perfectly; TRPGs put huge emphasis on party composition and team strategy, and monster collecting games give you a huge range of characters from which to build your party. It’s a match made in heaven.…
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