October2023
Mini Review CRYMACHINA (PS5) - Interesting Worldbuilding Can’t Save This Dull Action RPG
It’s the end of the world as we know it
The end of humanity has finally happened; partly due to disease but mostly due to war over a scarcity of resources. In one of the last acts of a dying species they created a vast structure in space, known as Eden. Outfitted with eight self-evolving artificial lifeforms known as Deux Ex Machinas, the hope was...
September2023
Lost and bound
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an action RPG with platforming elements that started life on the PSP all the way back in 2012. And as is the case with so many of Falcom's lesser-known titles, it was never released outside of Japan. This new PS4 version, then, is a remaster of what some would consider to be a bit of a...
July2023
Review Trails into Reverie (PS5) - Action-Packed Epilogue Is a Brilliantly In-Depth RPG
Everybody's here
Trails into Reverie is essentially an epilogue to the Trails of Cold Steel series. It brings every character — and we mean every character — back for one last hurrah as yet another threat casts a shadow over the continent of Zemuria. Just to get it out of the way: if you haven't played through the four Cold Steel games, as well...
May2023
Not quite haute cuisine
Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook is a turn-based, strategy RPG roguelike that sees a group of adventurers in the wrong place at the wrong time, stuck in an increasingly difficult dungeon while on the brink of starvation. Picking your primary character, you’re instantly thrown into a whole host of customisation...
March2023
Review Trails to Azure (PS4) - Amazing Sequel Has Some of Trails' Best Storytelling
SSSpecial
The second and final game in the 'Crossbell' saga, Trails to Azure executes on everything that Trails from Zero meticulously built up. It immediately goes without saying that you simply must play Zero before jumping into this direct sequel — but don't let the daunting prospect of playing two 60-hour RPGs put you off. When viewed as two...
November2022
Mini Review Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (PS5) - Falcom's Fantastic Action RPG Is Still a Joy
Adventure, at a price
Considered by many to be one of, if not the best game in Falcom's long-running action RPG franchise, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is still a joy to play six whole years after its PS Vita debut. Series protagonist and lifelong adventurer Adol Christin gets shipwrecked on an uncharted island, and has little choice but to gather his...
September2022
Review Trails from Zero (PS4) - Classic JRPG Finally Comes West, and the Wait Has Been Worth It
From Zero to hero
For the longest time, we thought that this review would never happen. Originally a 2010 title for the PSP, Trails from Zero never left Japan, despite plenty of campaigning by Western fans. Demand for Zero only grew following the Trails boom a few years back, when sequel series Trails of Cold Steel was localised on PS3, Vita, and...
June2022
Review Disgaea 6 Complete (PS5) - Once More Unto the Netherworld
A statistician's dream, a completionist's nightmare
Disgaea has always stood out among strategy RPGs due to the sheer spectacle of the thing. Ludicrous characters, absurd tactics, and insane damage numbers: it's a franchise that has always taken things to the next level. Disgaea 6: Complete, we're glad to say, continues that trend, and somehow even...
February2022
Review Monark (PS5) - Tedious JRPG Grinds to a Halt
Shin Megami Tensigh
On the surface, Monark looks like any number of other Japanese role-playing games that star high schoolers like Persona, Trails of Cold Steel, or some Shin Megami Tensei titles. But Monark differentiates itself from that crowd by leaning into horror, with a slick gothy vibe throughout — it's a bit like Persona 3 going through a...
October2021
Mini Review The Caligula Effect 2 (PS4) - Rough but Intriguing JRPG Has a Lot of Cool Ideas
No regrets
If you're on the market for a rather unique Japanese RPG stuffed with reasonably interesting ideas, then The Caligula Effect 2 is certainly worth a look. You play as a high school student who comes to the sudden realisation that the world around them isn't real. In a Matrix-esque twist, it turns out that you're part of a simulation of...
April2021
Mini Review R-Type Final 2 (PS4) - One of the Greatest Shmups Ever Gets a Timely Sequel
Blast the Bydo, again
When you’re taking time to consider the true greats of the shmup genre, a few names tend to crop up with alarming regularity. Darius. Gradius. Space Invaders, if you’re feeling particularly bookish. However, few shooters have had the same degree of impact that R-Type achieved when it hit arcades way back in 1987. The savvy...
January2021
Review Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (PS4) - Adol's Darkest Adventure Doesn't Quite Hit the Highs of Ys VIII
This cursed city
There's something dodgy going on in the foreboding stone city of Balduq, and seasoned adventurer Adol Christin finds that out the hard way when he's abruptly arrested upon arrival. Our red-haired hero escapes his captors with the help of a mysterious woman, but her assistance comes at a cost. Now saddled with a curse that prevents...
October2020
A Class VII act
Have you played through Trails of Cold Steel III? If not, take our advice and don't even think about trying Trails of Cold Steel IV. Apparently, the two games were originally meant to be just one big instalment in Falcom's long running The Legend of Heroes franchise — but the sheer scope of the saga forced them apart. Put simply,...
April2020
Review Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories - Incoherent Disaster Sim Fails on All Fronts
Disaster la vista, baby
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is an odd title, isn't it? Ostensibly, the game is about surviving a gargantuan earthquake, so that's the "Disaster Report" bit covered. But "Summer Memories"? It sounds more like the name of a sickly sweet K-Pop song than anything to do with cracked pavement or crumbling buildings. As it...
October2019
Sharpened steel
The story of Rean Schwarzer continues in Trails of Cold Steel III as the often obnoxiously nice protagonist finds himself back at school, only this time, he isn't a student. After graduating from Thors Military Academy following the events of the second game, Rean now leads the all-new Class VII as an instructor at a freshly...
September2019
Review Utawarerumono: Zan - A Hack and Slash Retelling That Feels a Little Flat
Fan service
It's not often that we see games get remade in an entirely different genre, but that's essentially what Utawarerumono: Zan is. The Utawarerumono (you better believe we have that name copied and ready to paste) series typically focuses on strategic, turn based and grid based combat, but with Zan, Utawarerumono steps into unfamiliar action...
March2019
Review SNK 40th Anniversary Collection - Four Decades Young
A delicious selection box of ancient gems and curios
Have you ever played a game from your youth, ready to relive those glory days with rose-tinted glasses firmly in place? Ever rip those rosy specs off and throw them against the wall in a fit of rage shortly after? Some retro "classics" just don’t stand the test of time and others are designed...
October2018
Review Disgaea 1 Complete - Dishing Out 1,000 Damage Never Looked So Good
DOOD! What a remake!
Walk in the shoes of Daemon Prince and antihero Laharl as he awakens after the passing of his father in hope of fighting for the title of Overlord of the Netherworld. In this remake of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Nippon Ichi Software spoils us with reworked graphics and a new 'Etna Mode' all carefully intertwined into the same...
September2018
Review Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk (PS4)
Tractie-cal warfare
Nippon Ichi’s latest release Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is a first-person dungeon crawler where you play Tractie – that is, the Tractatus de Monstrum – a mysterious book with a soul trapped inside, able to communicate by filling out its pages. Tractie is under the control of a witch named Baba Yaga, or Dronya as...
June2018
Put the kids to bed
The first twenty minutes or so of The Lost Child set up an intriguing mystery, but once the game settles into a comfortable rhythm things become decidedly less compelling, and at times, an outright slog. The game begins in a Tokyo subway station with an investigative journalist who specialises in the occult named Hayato looking...
April2018
Review The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 (PS4)
A witch's curse
A year after its Japanese release, The Witch And The Hundred Knight 2 has finally made it to Western consoles. Following the story of sisters Amalie and Milm, you play as the Hundred Knight – a doll brought to life by witchcraft to do the evil bidding of the young witch who has taken over Milm’s body after she contracts Witch’s...
March2018
Review The Longest Five Minutes (PS Vita)
You can pack a lot into five minutes
Become a hero, face down the origin of all evil, and try to cope with the crippling loss of all your memories and abilities. This is the unique concept of The Longest Five Minutes – a new Vita adventure from NIS America. There's something really engaging and accessible about this old school Japanese RPG,...
January2018
A heavenly kingdom?
Republished on Wednesday 31st January 2018: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Grand Kingdom is a good looking turn-based battle-'em-up that sees you getting to pick and command a group of mercenaries in...
November2017
Review Tokyo Tattoo Girls (PS Vita)
Tattoo nightmares
Tokyo Tattoo Girls is definitely a strange game. If you’ve taken a look at any of the trailers for it then you can be forgiven for assuming that it’s going to be some kind of JRPG – even the opening cutscene feels like typical JRPG territory. But ignore your initial preconceptions, Tokyo Tattoo Girls is actually a...
October2017
Review Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle (PS4)
Touhou want to fight?
If you’ve ever wanted to make super cute anime girls beat the living daylights out of each other for fun but balked at the Dead or Alive series, then NIS America has just delivered what you’re looking for with Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle. This is a twist on the arcade fighting games that gives you guns as well as swords...
