(s) Archive
2020-04-07
Fans of 2018’s retro action game, The Messenger, take note! A prequel is on the way in the form of Sea of Stars; a gorgeous turn-based RPG set in a beautiful oceanic world with gameplay heavily inspired by Chrono Trigger. If you missed out on the original, never fear; while long-time fans may be delighted to see some familiar characters and enjoy the nods to the shared universe, this new title is being developed as a stand-alone experience, perfect for newcomers or those who struggled with the action-focused gameplay of the first installment.
2020-04-05
Michael Sollosi I didn’t play Tokyo Mirage Sessions until this year, in large part because I never owned a Wii U and the Switch port was exactly the opportunity I was waiting for. I was hesitant at the pastel rainbow of a game cover and the promise of a soundtrack loaded with J-Pop, but the… Read More »
2020-04-01
ate·lier | \ ˌa-tᵊ l-ˈyā \ (noun)1. An artist’s or designer’s studio or workroom. | 2: Workshop. In 1997, the small Japanese development studio Gust accidentally stumbled onto a formula (and franchise) that would grow into something they could not have imagined. Prior to the first game in that series, Atelier Marie, they had released… Read More »
2020-03-24
It is my firm belief that one should spare a bit of time each day to look at handsome cat-men in suits. Thankfully, Nekojishi: Lin & Partners will make this task significantly easier. Taking place in a modern-day Taiwan where folklore and legends are real, the game follows college graduate Liao, a young man who has the ability to see spirits and gods. In a delightful turn of events, these supernatural beings predominantly take the form of anthropomorphic, attractive, and often muscular men. Golly!
2020-03-18
Yakuza Kiwami‘s gameplay is built on power, even at the expense of reality. Whether that’s the duck and recovery present in Call of Duty‘s multiplayer or Link experiencing a momentary stun after a bomb to the face in The Legend of Zelda, video games have always struggled with depicting violence’s impact. Kazuma Kiryu, our protagonist,… Read More »
2020-03-14
Editor’s Note: This review contains major spoilers for seasons 1 and 2, as well as minor spoilers for season 3. Bring your holy water and crosses, if you dare. How do you adapt a video game series like Castlevania? With a heavy focus on platforming, level design, atmosphere and (sometimes, for our sake) leveling up,… Read More »
2020-03-11
There have been a lot (and I mean a lot) of Pokémon movies over the years, but perhaps none of them have had quite the same impact as the very first one. Originally released in 1998, Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back holds a special place in the hearts of many fans, having been… Read More »
2020-03-10
Zach Wilkerson I don’t replay games much anymore. Sure, when I was younger, I’d play every RPG I got my hands on at least half a dozen times. But now, I have papers to grade, new games to review, and the occasional dish to wash. As the cliché goes, there’s just too much to play,… Read More »
2020-03-08
The relationship between anime/manga and JRPGs goes back to the beginning of the genre, with Dragon Ball creator and artist Akira Toriyama acting as character designer on Dragon Quest. After that, most early JRPGs played on the tropes and storytelling beats of anime and manga. Seriously, go watch Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and… Read More »
2020-03-04
Sometime last year I had a dream where I was playing a Pokémon dating sim; though our main characters are considerably larger, Kaichu: A Kaiju Dating Sim feels like the closest thing yet. A short and adorable game, Kaichu follows the love lives of a pastel-colored array of giant monsters, featuring charming Pokémon-inspired designs and a narrative filtered through two plucky news anchors eager to spill all manner of kaiju secrets.
2020-02-28
If the grey February weather has you feeling grumpy, Rose of Starcross is sure to elicit at least one modest smile. Following the adventures of young witch Viscera and her best friend Annie, the game is an adorable open-world RPG set against a stylish pixel graphic backdrop full of neon-pink clouds, sparkling cityscapes, and mischievous, pumpkin-faced demons.
2020-02-26
Surprise is probably the word I would use to describe The Witcher‘s first season on Netflix. I was certainly surprised when Netflix announced they were working on a Witcher TV series back in 2017. I was even more surprised when we found out that Henry Cavill (known for his role as Superman in the current DC… Read More »
2020-02-24
Level-5’s Ni no Kuni franchise has always flirted with cinema. The original game features animated cutscenes from the acclaimed Studio Ghibli, as well as music from composer Joe Hisaishi, creating an audiovisual landscape that hearkens back to classic animated films. While Ghibli didn’t return for the game’s sequel, Ni no Kuni II still adheres to… Read More »
2020-02-19
Given Dragon Quest’s huge popularity in Japan, it’s surprising that, other than one OVA-length manga adaptation from 1996, there hasn’t been another film based on the series. Last year, that changed with the release of Dragon Quest: Your Story in Japan, a film version of the 1992 Super Famicom classic, Dragon Quest V. I played this for… Read More »
2020-02-18
Greetings! I am here today to tell you about my deep admiration for the art of Moebius, and my joy in discovering a new game inspired by his style, alongside other sci-fi favorites such as Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa. Let us dance and rejoice!
2020-02-08
All of us remember the first RPG that “clicked” with us. Maybe we played a few and they didn’t work, or maybe it was your first. But regardless, since you’re here reading this feature, there probably is that one game that started your love affair with the genre, and if you’re anything like us, you haven’t looked… Read More »
2020-02-03
Leona McCallum It’s no secret to anyone who knows me well enough that Suikoden might just be my favourite JRPG series of all time. Political plots, fantastically nuanced characters, and addictive game mechanics are just the perfect combination to me, and Suikoden V does not disappoint on that front. Following what I would consider the… Read More »
2020-01-17
Dear reader: Do you happen to be an ardent admirer of cute animals and deckbuilding (cards, not patios)? If so, you may want to make room in your game library for Tangletorn, a roguelike set in a beautiful hand-painted medieval world, featuring card-based combat and enough anthropomorphic characters to pique your cat’s interest in addition to your own.
2020-01-14
Welcome to yet another year of the most anticipated games for the upcoming year! And what a year it looks like it will be. Look, we say this every year, but 2020 is just loaded with huge titles that we can’t wait to play. When we sat down to make the list, the number of available titles… Read More »
2020-01-03
Do you aspire to be a politician one day? Personally, I don’t recommend it, and will instead direct you to this delightful pixel-graphic adventure/RPG by Herbarium Games, a small studio based in Moscow.
2019-12-07
Hear ye, hear ye. RPGs here are pretty great I guess. Hopefully, we didn’t miss too many. Happy reading. Or skimming, for you terrible people only looking for the top 3. The past decade in RPG releases has been fascinating to watch. Early in the decade, even as many other games were adopting keystones of… Read More »
2019-11-22
Generation 8 is finally here! Pokémon Sword & Shield are the first mainline console games for Game Freak’s monster-collection RPG behemoth. In the 21 years since Red & Blue released in the West, Pokémon has been through a lot of changes; Sword & Shield arguably bring some of the biggest and, at times, most controversial… Read More »
2019-08-04
Final Fantasy VII Remake is real, and it’s looking to be extremely special. Aiming to please fans of the original 1997 PlayStation game and newcomers who’ve either started the Final Fantasy series recently or never even played an RPG, Square Enix have tackled this massive task head-on and are creating something that looks and feels… Read More »
2019-08-03
KeyForge For those not in the know, KeyForge released last year with a gimmick that I sneered at. I’m not sneering anymore! After earning the Origins award for Best Collectible Game (which I voted for), Richard Garfield’s latest creation is here to stay, and fans couldn’t be happier. I have a lot to say about… Read More »
My wife and I made the big decision to attend Origins as new parents this year. We wanted to bring Zoe to her first gaming convention and share with her something we found incredibly important to us. Although she was only nine months old at the time and probably incapable of remembering anything about the… Read More »
