Tanushri Shah
While it clearly takes inspiration from the greats, make no mistake, Sea of Stars doesn't capitalize on nostalgia and has its own set of traits to talk about.
Venba is a tale about an Indian immigrant family in Canada that does most of its storytelling through cooking and leaves you wanting seconds.
Terra-Nil is a short and sweet relaxing builder game about restoring barren lands.
Octopath Traveler II outdoes its predecessor and adds in a lot of missing features as well as new mechanics, making it feel like a grander journey to embark on.
Although treasure hunting in Dragon Quest Treasures is fun and the monster recruitment system is robust, it falls short in terms of diverse combat and quality-of-life features.
All in all, Lightkravte is a good start to the prequel arc in the fault series, and is a decent introductory game for newcomers. You can expect a decent 7-9 hours from the game, but replay value isn’t something you can expect from this sort of straightforward story. Although it lacks quite a few quality-of-life features you’d expect from a visual novel, its art and story makes it worth the playthrough. Lightkravte is available on the Nintendo Switch eShop as well as Steam.
While a cozy management game, Bear and Breakfast still needs to polish some of its "bare" necessities.
A horror narrative with stunning pixel art visuals, Mothmen 1966 tells a wild story albeit with some lackluster puzzles and frustrating text-based menus
Although it has an incredibly addicting gameplay loop and a charming cast of characters, Cat Cafe Manager has quite a few glaring flaws and bugs.
Drawing inspiration from classic Legend of Zelda titles, Tunic makes heavy use of its in-game instruction manual, but the mysterious language can sometimes prove to be restrictive.
A beautifully handcrafted JRPG, The Cruel King and the Great Hero is more great than cruel.
Ocean’s Heart feels like a mixed bag for a number of reasons. It has great dialogue and side quests but features a lacklustre protagonist and a world brimming with unexplored potential. It riffs off of 2D Zelda combat but fails to execute it nearly as well. While it borrows elements from the classics, it doesn’t always stick to the landing. It feels so close yet so far to being a great top-down RPG, but overall leaves a lot to be desired.
A fun platformer that offers quite the challenge, Grapple Dog scratches that nostalgia itch but is still pretty ruff around the edges.
While GTFO is a blast with friends, once you get a good feel of the game, going solo can be a less than ideal experience
While a fun puzzle platformer in terms of gameplay, Where Cards Fall's plot can become a bit of a chore, and it's controls leave more to be desired.
Moonglow Bay offers is an escapade to a seaside fishing town, but at times, it gets a little fishy.
While Astria Ascending adds some flair to traditional turn-based combat, it has a lot of gaping flaws and too much going on for it.
Garden Story is a ripe take on Zelda-like ARPGs, but falls short in a couple of aspects.
Although clichéd and in need of some sharpening, Monster Hunter Stories 2 offers a fun and lighthearted take on the world of Monster Hunter. At the same time, it improves on the Pokémon formula and is much more than just another clone.
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a little getaway that lasts for a few hours, but its flaws make the trip a little less than memorable.