RedDavidson
Dragon Quest 4 is my favorite DQ, it got me into the series, and while I haven't played much of the DQM games (I played a good chunk of the first one in anticipation), I had a feeling that the format of a Monsters game would take the wind out of the sails of the promise of a retelling DQ4 from Psaro's perspective... which it did. But that's okay, the game is fun fan fiction of DQ4 with lots of interesting wrinkles in the lore of Zenithia, and I did enjoy the fan service given, even if it was all a bit hamfisted. It helps that the core of the game is a satisfying, frictionless gameplay loop of ascending your roster of monsters to newer heights. Don't regret my time at all with this one, even if it wasn't quite what I wanted from the premise.
2010
2023
2023
2023
Beautiful little game. It's quite linear despite its Metroidvania trappings, and there were some questionable design decisions that made some of the non-boss combat a bit more tedious than it should've been, but the movement and bosses made up for it. The music, graphics and art design were all impeccable though. Perhaps the most gorgeous pixel art I've seen in a game like this, buoyed further by its originality. I'll remember my time with this game.
2021