Tales of Arise was definitely overhyped, but overall, a solid and enjoyable JRPG.

The only other Tales game I had played before this was Berseria, which I adored. In comparison, Arise looks miles better and has more engaging combat. The combat still isn't my favorite (I'm one of those weirdos who enjoys turn based), but it felt less like button mashing than in Berseria, thanks to a mechanic where you can use certain party member skills to counteract specific monster attacks.

Arise's biggest flaw was its writing. Several times throughout the game, something would happen in the plot, then the following skit would have your party explaining exactly what happened. Other times, there seemed to be translation issues. For example, one character told another character something like: "You can't atone for what happened; you have work to make things right!" which, in English at least, is the same thing. And finally, tone. The game's drama was always dialed up to 11. It makes sense, given the trauma all our characters face, but still, there weren't enough light or funny moments, and, when there were, the humor just didn't land.

Yet, despite the writing, the overall story was very good. The premise of fighting oppression is always wonderful, and it was clever how each realm used a different means of controlling its populace from physical violence to religious-like brain washing to Stasi-like paranoia to a facade of equality. Much of the time, characters pondered how to overcome prejudice and hatred and rebuild their world, knowing that just killing the oppressors wasn't enough. This type of subtlety was fantastic.

As for other RPG things... The side quests were mainly fetch quests, but I didn't mind since they usually helped develop the world and your characters. The ample fast travel points also helped immensely. The crafting system, in which you collect materials in dungeons to make accessories to boost your stats, was pretty boring. I just ignored it. The skill tree is fun, especially since your characters unlock new skill areas from plot beats, side quests, or other moments of character development. However, for one character, many of her skills were locked behind a fishing mini-game. So if you don't like fishing, you can't fully develop her.

I made fun of this game a lot as I played it. It's extremely anime, with characters shouting "I won't forgive you!" to mindless monsters and pulling flaming swords out of breasts. But, honestly, I love this shit and will take it over Elden Ring any day.

This is a deeply flawed game, but, miraculously, it somehow works. It does all your Final Fantasy shit, but you also go camping with your boys!

Let's start with the good, the characters don't really grow as people, but they are charming as hell and I like them all. The combat is also fun, especially with Noctis's teleporting magic. This is particularly notable, as modern RPGs still seem to struggle with balancing turn-based and active combat. The world is gorgeous, and somehow blends the fun of camping and joy of exploring magical places. The story isn't as bad as people say. The plot has a rough time getting started, but if you can go along with it, it fulfills all the tropes you know and love (evil empire, fickle gods, prophecies, crystals, etc.). Speaking of, the summons are super cool, and actually feel like the gods are helping you. I also found the ending genuinely affecting. And after that, there's an incredibly cool bonus dungeon.

Now for the bad. Let's start with fucking Cindy. She's the first woman you meet, and her job is to rub her tits on your car. Awesome. There are better female characters throughout, but what the fuck, Square Enix? Second, the game struggles to balance gameplay and story. This didn't bother me too much, since I'm the kind of person who completes every side quest before the end, but it is odd to learn that your kingdom's been destroyed, then spend 10-15 hours camping instead of trying to fight the bad guys. Speaking of, the villains of the game are either generic generals or this smarmy, fedora dude. Finally, and this is a weird complaint, I know, but the monsters in this game are a problem. There are demons that come out at night or lurk in dungeons, they're fine and fun to kill. But there are also big, beautiful, fantasy animals peacefully hanging out and you're expected to go hunt and eat them. With the camping vibe of the game, it was just weird. It's like if you went to Yellowstone, saw some majestic bison, and decided to go run up and hack at them with swords. It just didn't work for me.

But all in all, I say that despite the legitimate complaints about this game, if you can just go along with it and accept it for what it is, it's amazing.

It still feels weird to pay for a mobile game, but I went ahead and splurged. Final Fantasy VI is one of my favorite games, and this is a fine port. The quality of life improvements like autobattle and the ability to quick save any time were very welcome, but best of all was the gorgeous remaster of the soundtrack, including real vocals in the opera scene. So cool.

I do have a few minor critiques. The first I think is just an iOS thing, but if you minimize the game and open another app the game will stop and you'll have to reload. This is a bummer for RPGs, where you often want or need to consult a walkthrough. Second, the font is ugly (which is forgivable) and tiny (which is a bigger issue due to accessibility and just the fact that phone screens are already small). Third, Gau's Rage ability didn't work with autobattle. Finally, the game didn't include any of the GBA add-ons. I've never played this version so I didn't miss it too much, but it still would've been nice to have.

But, as I said, minor issues. Overall, this game holds up really well and hits different post-Covid and post-Trump. I hope FF6 gets a FF7-style remake down the road.

As others have mentioned, the rhyming conceit is profoundly annoying. Just really a huge mistake. But other than that it's a nearly perfect game. The art and music are phenomenal. The gameplay is engaging with elements of exploration, crafting, leveling up, and a surprisingly engaging combat system. The story is a bit simple, but it fits with the fairy tale motif and focuses on character growth (maturity, accepting responsibility, etc.). I also love the world-building. For example, there is a race of capitalist mice who live on a walking stone giant. I wish there were more games like this.

The design of this game is completely charming, and I was pleasantly surprised by the writing/localization. The jokes actually landed, and it was rewarding to rescue countless toads just to hear what they had to say. The major flaw of the game is the combat, which fluctuates between boring and frustrating. It's like the gamemakers were trying to combine multiple game genres in the combat and failed at all of them. It's like a puzzle, except there's a time limit, which you don't usually have in puzzle games. It's also like a classic RPG in that there are unavoidable battles with minor enemies, but in those types of games the combat mechanic is usually quick and requires minimal energy (just choose 'attack'). But here, even the easiest enemies require a careful set up and a few minutes of time. It really is a shame the combat is so flawed, because this game is so damn adorable. Olivia is the best!

As a huge fan of Oxenfree, I was excited for Night School's next game, Afterparty. The TL;DR is that this is a creative, ambitious game that didn't quite hit the mark.

The game follows Milo and Lola, two lifelong friends who have just graduated college and are anxious about going on their separate paths. That's the least of their worries though, when they suddenly find themselves dead and in hell. However, they might be able to escape if they can out-party Satan.

The world of the game is fantastic. It's colorful and funny, with snarky demons and humans bar-hopping in the after hours (the torture only happens 9-5, like any other job). The dialogue is clever and funny, though a bit too self-aware at times.

The gameplay is a bit limited. You mainly choose dialogue options. Your drink of choice gives you fun new dialogue options from witty vaudevillian, to flirty lush, to...pirate. It's fun, but your choices seems to have little impact on the story. Beyond that, there are mini games like beer pong, stacking cups, and dance-offs.

A small aside, I played the Limited Run edition for Switch, and there were a few glitches. For example, one time the map didn't load correctly, so I couldn't choose where to go next until I reloaded the game.

Finally, without getting too much into spoilers, Afterparty playfully questions the mythology of hell and how we judge ethics. For example, you run into the soul of a woman who murdered her brother because she was insane. She wonders if she was truly culpable for her actions due to her mental illness, which is a compelling question. Not answering this question is fine. It's a big one. But we never learn why Milo and Lola were condemned to hell, at least in my playthrough. That question does need to be answered. The game tiptoes right to the line of saying this whole ideology is bullshit, but doesn't want to cross it. I get it. Religion is a thorny topic, but this unwillingness to address the central problem ends up being a major narrative flaw of the game.

Overall, as I said, this was a fun and inventive game and still worth playing, but sadly, it needed a little more work.