I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was expecting to maybe get a few hours out of it and then fall off it, but the campaigns retain their intoxicating addictiveness from the GBA days and were a joy to play through.

I'm not a fan of the unit visuals but after a few hours you stop noticing them as you're so focused on actually playing the maps. The rest of the visuals I actually thought were quite nice and well polished. The story is... well, almost non-existent - if you're expecting this to be "Fire Emblem with tanks" then you'll be disappointed. The characters are one-note but do their job of being likeable and cool. The updated music is fantastic re -imaginings of the original tunes (Sensei's theme a particular standout) - the music was a highlight of the originals and I'm so glad that they nailed it here.

There is also just a ton of content. I got around 50 hours out of the game with the two campaigns, and then there are bonus War Room maps and the challenge level campaigns if I want to hop back in later. The online is pretty lackluster so if you're looking for a mutiplayer experience then you'll want to look elsewhere.

Overall if you're looking for raw single-player strategic fun then I don't think you can go wrong with this version.

Though the "your choices matter" narrative-driven adventure game genre is old hat at this point, I still think this one is a worth a playthrough. The mystery itself is engaging enough but shortlived; where True Colors really shines is in its character interactions. Alex is a delightful character to be in the shoes of - both fantastically written and performed. It's also worth a shout out to the facial animation in this game which looks really good and adds a layer of dynamism to the character interactions.

Though there aren't a huge number of environments and the game is pretty short, it's clear the game was put together with a lot of care and attention to detail. Wandering the environments never feels like a chore as there's always lots of little nuggets to find. Also worth noting is the wonderful LGBTQ representation on display in the game, it's really nice to see queer people just existing in the world that the devs have built. Definitely worth the few hours a playthrough takes.

The big reason to play Paradise Killer is for the vibes - and that's not a bad thing.

The mystery itself is enjoyable and the collectathon first-person platforming is decent enough (if a weird combo with the VN detective bits) but that's not the reason this game will stick in your mind.

The reason this game stuck with me is the worldbuilding - and uncovering just how fucked up Paradise really is, with its obsession with reviving evil gods and violent rituals, whilst the game itself is submerged in vibrant vaporwave is really the core of what makes Paradise Killer stand out. It's one of the few games I stopped to read the flavour text and take in the environment - there's a whole Pantheon of Gods and lore surrounding them that really help you buy into what could otherwise have been a fairly routine detective-style mystery game.

Because of that unique worldbuilding though, it makes this one an easy recommend.

I'll see you on the Perfect 25.

Do not play Granblue Fantasy.

It's not like the game does not have redeeming features - the music is good and character designs are frequently appealing, and some of the storylines are nice (Society is really the only one that grabbed me personally). I've also met some great people through the game. But there is one thing that ties GBF players together and that is that they do not want to be playing GBF.

The "gameplay" in GBF is just one huge Skinner box, where you grind for an upgrade to your power, which will allow you to access the next grind for more power. 99% of this grinding is completely mindless, with just a handful of endgame content requiring thought. And once you have figured out that endgame raid - guess what? You've still got to grind it for tens of hours at least.

The UI is horrible and clunky. It's web-based, so if you don't live in Japan you're gonna have shitty ping slowing everything down even more. And the game's flagship event runs on JST, so if you live in NA or Europe you're going to be sleeping and/or working through it.

And yet, so many cannot escape it. The designers have figured out how to release just enough endorphins through the perpetual grind and gacha rolls that despite wanting to leave, people will keep coming back. How much of "hating" the game is ironic, and how much is a genuine wish to leave the timesink behind and spend your time on other games? You won't know until you leave. And that's why the best thing to do is to never go in to begin with.

I had an absolute blast reading through this, it really scratches that mystery/suspense VN itch in a way I've not experienced in a long time! The characters are fantastically unique and well written, especially Hedwig who is an extremely interesting protagonist to be in the head of. On top of that the soundtrack has some real bangers.

Really can't recommend this enough if you're into mystery stories, especially if you like stuff like Umineko (there's When They Cry vibes but it's enough of its own thing to distinguish itself also!)

My only complaint is that I'm going to be all impatient in waiting for Volume Two to come out!

As someone who has never played Monster Hunter, I was unfortunately left pretty cold by this. I did get a few hours out of it before it was clear it wasn't for me.

+ The character creator system is fantastic and in depth.
+ The actual combat itself was pretty fun for a few hours once I got into it.
+ Variety of weapons and playstyles seemed very cool
- The tutorial system is beyond awful. The game throws 200 screens of text at you before you've even as much as unsheathed a weapon. The result is, for someone new to the series, that the systems appear impenetrable and convoluted. The game appeared designed with veterans in mind with little attempt to onboard someone new to the series.
- The number of quests and material systems seemed to indicate this game would require a lot of my time grinding for upgrades - something I personally am looking to avoid. I was already repeating quests a few hours in.
- Didn't seem to have any kind of narrative to pull me in from that end.

Overall I get why this is a popular game but I'm filing under the "not for me" section.

Umineko is unlike anything else you will ever read. It is hard to recommend due to its length, often poor pacing, and number of content warnings (read: it contains every cw known to mankind), and yet it is my favourite VN of all time.

My advice for anybody on the fence about reading Umineko:

1) Read Umineko
2) Go into Umineko as unspoiled as physically possible
3) Engage with the mysteries it presents you and you will be rewarded far more than reading it passively
4) Without love, it cannot be seen