Well-rounded SRPG built on a solid gameplay foundation and guided by an interesting story premise.
+ great skill stone mechanic that enables unit flexibility and is satisfying to progress
+ reasonably challenging difficulty with accessible ways to grind
+ charming characters in both design and personalities
+ unusual setting that blends history and fantasy well
+ frequent animated cutscenes between stages
+ uniquely melancholic soundtrack
+ a small amount of side and post-game content
- some visibility issues in spite of the rotatable camera
- tiresome early antagonists who just won't die
- several slow animations that repeat constantly

Uniquely humorous JRPG that tells a serious story with inspired frivolity:
+ one-of-a-kind protagonist characterized by confident stupidity rather than competence
+ charming visual direction making the dated graphics hold up well
+ huge number of distinct recruitable characters (177) plus a significant narrative branch offering decent replayability
+ lively setting that is enhanced by various gimmicks (ability to kick anything, meaningful passing of time, etc.)
- barely serviceable action combat with noticeable input lag
- random difficulty spikes that necessitate a lot of grinding
- labyrinthine environments with a map that rarely helps
- lackluster quality of life (unskippable cutscenes, slow animations, rare save opportunities, poor menu, etc.)
- frequently unclear objectives that require waiting or stumbling upon an answer

Constructive story prequel that could have been a masterpiece with more playtime dedicated to its actual narrative instead of obvious padding.
+ significantly better designed and more mature cast that retroactively enriches some old characters
+ engaging combat with the addition of a brilliant player switch mechanic
+ no more annoying gacha rolls and thus imbalanced skill checks
+ slightly expanded and still amazing soundtrack
+ welcoming eastern-themed city to explore
- relatively few and small areas ruining plot pacing and the sense of adventure
- lack of nuance in antagonists compared to the main game
- removal of specific difficulty options making inflated enemy health bars a real problem
- forced side quests that add up to at least 3-5 hours of uninteresting content (out of ~15 hours total)

Tepid puzzle adventure game that ultimately boils down to a superficial sight-seeing tour of pretty but soulless environments.
+ generally great-looking realistic graphic style with a few caveats: poor close-up textures, frequent clipping, and a lack of individuality
+ classical piano- and string-based soundtrack that accompanies every step as pleasant ambiance
+ no difficult hurdles to delay progression
- clunky controls hindering the constant platforming
- crude level design with a main path that is either too open and empty or overly narrow with invisible walls
- uninspired hidden collectibles
- not the least bit of interesting story or lore to be found
- wholly unsatisfying conclusion

A modest exploration game that delivers exactly what the title suggests in a wonderfully charming package.
+ straightforward premise in a small open world filled with amiable characters
+ many noticeable movement upgrades
+ cozy presentation from visuals to sound
+ neat collectibles and short side quests that encourage straying from the main path
- ugly pixel filter enabled by default
- no narrative, technical, or emotional depth

Purely fun-oriented alien wave shooter that uses spectacle and scale to make up for what it lacks in depth.
+ endearingly stupid dialogue with iconic voice acting (special shoutout to all the incompetent army command transmissions)
+ constant escalating battles giving a rather authentic war impression
+ excellent mindless multiplayer experience
+ hundreds of distinct and powerful weapons
+ fittingly grand soundtrack
- barely passable graphics
- pathetic mobility for three out of four classes
- no progression sync between local and online modes
- no weapon drops for other classes preventing spontaneous switching
- significant mission bloat with repetitive enemies and forgettable objectives

One of the better top-down survival shooters out there that is worth trying for its clean visuals and solid gameplay.
+ genre-suited, color-coded art style with almost perfect clarity
+ distinct upgrade paths and satisfying synergies
+ good number of visually appealing characters who play differently enough
+ quite imbalanced but nonetheless fun weapons
+ decent game settings including difficulty and aiming style
- a few bugs when using controller
- messy display of chosen upgrades
- underwhelming bosses that are barely worth paying attention to
- lack of variety in environments
- some obviously overpowered choices in a fairly small pool of upgrades

Delightful adventure game that displays an abundance of creativity and hardly any objective flaws.
+ great sense of identity with a consistent presentation and attention to detail
+ one-of-a-kind art style that makes traveling and purifying the world a joy
+ inspired ability system that is used well throughout
+ large open world featuring interesting locations and little backtracking
+ extensive and rewarding optional content including fun mini games
+ light-hearted humor in most interactions
+ enjoyable if rarely challenging action combat
- trivial puzzles (except for a few obscure ones)
- slow start and excessive length for such a straightforward story

A simple interactive visualizer for your own music library that doesn't provide the challenge most rhythm games do.
+ quick and always playable song conversions
+ functional albeit basic presentation
- frequently delayed timings (which is somewhat mitigated by the generous input judgment)
- annoying loss of control after failing an obstacle
- very low difficulty ceiling that usually translates to almost perfect first tries regardless of the kind of song or settings
- unvaried and somewhat unclear (all centered) hit note sequences

One of the grandest JRPG adventures out there that is held back by its deeply flawed gameplay and questionable main party.
+ another incredible soundtrack that ranks among the best in any game
+ fantastical setting just like its predecessor (if a bit less conceptually inspired)
+ remarkable amount of diverse content
+ impressive environmental design
+ solidly written antagonist faction (even if they are individually annoying)
+ ambitious story that often gets silly or corny but still delivers its themes well
+ interesting active combat system with enjoyable timing elements
+ freely adjustable difficulty settings
- a lot of barely explained mechanics
- generally unhelpful map
- memorably bad main character designs
- nonsensical enemy pathfinding and hitboxes
- very slow beginning not helped by the disagreeable initial cast
- bothersome gacha mechanic that promotes grinding for battle effectiveness
- tedious menu navigation that is constantly forced upon the player (field skills...)

Traditional JRPG that does everything serviceably well and displays just enough unique ideas to establish its own identity.
+ exceptional replayability because the story is immediately split into two paths with different casts, focus, and tone that rarely cross and only join at the very end
+ interesting weapon system to share skills between characters
+ solid balancing that makes the heroes feel appropriately strong while letting enemies hit hard
+ beneficial speed-up button (if only it worked outside combat...)
+ helpful maps to navigate the often labyrinthine areas
+ not amazing but generally decent soundtrack
+ creative albeit few enemy designs
+ adult main cast on one side
- mediocre writing especially for the story conclusion
- poorly integrated ending requirements
- excessively drab environments even in the few "towns"
- bad antagonists who never seem threatening or even entertaining

Outstanding sequel that builds an ambitious narrative over the previously laid foundation.
+ excellent additions to the main cast along with well-written characterization for everyone else
+ serious plot about the future of a nation as well as more intimate stories
+ intricately developed and constantly changing region that can be explored quite freely
+ great execution of the usual "Trails.." gameplay loop with relatively minor repetition
+ spirited soundtrack as expected
+ small combat refinements and a balanced difficulty
- only decent ending that could have been elaborated upon

Silly rail shooter with speed-typing controls that is quite fun to play through in spite of its age mostly due to the lack of similar games.
+ entertaining one-hour-long "story" mode with quick pacing
+ obviously dated yet fitting visuals featuring grotesque monster designs
+/- super cheesy writing and hilariously bad voice acting
- a little obnoxious music (which is fine for a short time)
- no space inputs or capitalization required
- unintuitive main menu
- words sometimes obfuscated by the HUD
- randomized sentences with frequently disproportional difficulty
- no persistent save data

Slow fox running simulator wherein you seek out glowing objects while listening to a couple's childhood stories.
+ nice music that gives the game a meditative nature if nothing else
+ decent voice acting (excluding the recording quality)
+ very short playtime (1-2 hours for non-completionists)
+ neat ending sequence due to a vocal song and slight community involvement
- useless collectibles strewn about
- bothersome pop-in of trees and grass
- boring environments in terms of design (needlessly large and arbitrarily filled with generic assets)
- trite narrative that is told in an awkward dialogue format
- incredibly simplistic gameplay with floaty movement — the only thing you'll be doing

Ambitious sequel that reaches far greater narrative heights at the expense of gameplay:
+ intriguing large-scale story divided into four distinct parts and told from different, often opposed perspectives
+ brilliant closure to old plot threads along with purposeful new ones
+ solid graphics enhanced by brisk animations
+ several great cutscenes (aside from the iffy voice acting)
- varied but often poorly designed maps with an overabundance of NPCs
- diminished support system lacking proper conversations
- minimal appearances for most of the cast
- generally high and erratic difficulty that switches drastically without warning