I worry that the wonderful folk at the developer, Gust, have lost their creative thrust with Atelier. That’s not to say Atelier Ryza 3 here is by any means a poor game, because it is lovely and comforting, but the last five Atelier titles have been a nostalgic return to the Arland (Atelier Lulua) series, Ryza, a second attempt to…
The difference between a very fine game, and an inferior, derivative pastiche can at times be very slim. Mato Anomalies is an excellent example of just how fine this line can be. Clearly inspired by Persona, and a novel attempt and bringing a kind of neon-noir approach to the genre,…
There is a problem when you make something subversive: how do you…
Koei Tecmo is no stranger to the classic Chinese novel, Romance of…
I have reviewed Persona 4 Golden twice at this point. The last time I did – the PC release – I wrote 2,000 words about it. I’ve also penned several essays about the game’s themes, and enthused about it to just about everyone that will listen for the past decade.…
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Magical rings are such a well-trodden fantasy trope that they’re now at the point of clichéd symbolism that would score you an “F” grade in your creative writing course. With rings being the focus of Fire Emblem Engage, and Engage itself being a loving homage to everything that came before…
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Mystery. Romance. Monsters. These are common elements of JRPGs. And they are all part of Path of the Midnight Sun, a new indie entry to the genre that has just released. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to preview the game last month. Even in my brief (two…
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Starting in 1977, the legendary rock musician David Bowie produced the Berlin Trilogy of albums. In a surprising move, he chose the avant-garde, ambient artist Brian Eno as a songwriting partner. One of Eno’s biggest contributions to the albums was his “oblique strategies” – a deck of cards with different…
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One Piece Odyssey is a particularly impressive game for one reason in particular: You don’t need to be a fan of One Piece to enjoy it. So often anime tie-in games consolidate the main anime plotline to an extreme degree, just so the developers can squish some form of it…
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This one has been a long time coming, but NISA has finally given the world a release date for Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. It will land on May 9 in North America, May 12 in Europe, and will have all DLC baked into it. You have, of course, been able…
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Bushiroad (the company behind the likes of Cardfight!! Vanguard) has established a console games label, Bushiroad Games, and overnight announced a bunch of games. These are largely early in development, but there’s a lot here to get excited for – if nothing else, Bushiroad Games seems committed to supporting the…
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Embargo on preview for Fire Emblem Engage has lifted, so I can show off a little of this utterly magnificent game for your viewing pleasure. I’ve been a deep fan of Fire Emblem for decades now. I bought the Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem on the day of its release…
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Given how big the Fire Emblem series has become, it’s amazing to think that it has now been four years since the previous “proper” Fire Emblem (Three Houses) was released. That’s been the largest gap between releases in quite some time. I’m not complaining – I would rather the team…
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My Mad Scientist Roommate Turned Me Into Her Personal Robotic Battle Maiden?!? Is a ridiculously long name for a game. It fits, though, because My Mad Scientist… is also a ridiculous game, and I mean that in the most delightful sense. It’s the latest release by Lachlan, of Lached Up…
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