Solid survival horror game that wears the PS1 inspiration on its sleeve. The gameplay here is pretty solid with a well designed map with lots of keys to gather and puzzles to solve. Like classic games in the genre it rewards paying attention to your environment for clues. There’s a fair amount of backtracking required for some puzzles but the house isn’t so big that it ever takes more than a couple minutes. By the end of the game you’ll unlock various shortcuts that come in clutch when you need to save before a boss fight.

Speaking of boss fights and combat in general, it’s a mixed bag. The first boss arena is pretty annoying as you’re on a rotating platform so you’re mostly fighting the camera rather than the boss. Later bosses are better and I appreciate that they have a visible health bar. Alisa really leans into resource management as the pillar of its difficulty so there are some fights where you have to restart since you’ve used all your ammo. Having that visual on damage done helps you gauge your progress.

I really liked the resource system here. When enemies are defeated, players collect gears. These are used at the merchant in the save rooms for both resources such as weapons and ammo, as well as being the resource required to save your progress. I like that this forces you to decide between fighting regular enemies or running past them and weighing not only the risk involved with combat but also if the currency earned is worth the ammo required. The only negative I see is that players using the auto aim option get less gears.

The biggest annoyance with the game is that there are some moments where you’re dropped into a situation, sometimes quite literally, where you have a puzzle or boss fight begin with no way of exiting and failure means a game over. I understand that managing saves and losing progress is part of the genre but some moments in Alisa felt like I was blindsided. One puzzle in particular just really feels like there should have been a checkpoint for that one instance.

Plot line here is not interesting and the intentional (?) bad voicing acting doesn’t do the game any favours. It nails the PS1 aesthetic however and I really like how the game looks, even going as far as being in 4:3. The dollhouse inspiration felt pretty unique however the game isn’t scary. There’s some creepy elements and enemy designs but nothing that actually ever scared or even startled me.

For a game mostly developed by one person I was pretty impressed. It scratched the classic Resident Evil itch I had to help tide me over until the next release. Would definitely check out another title from this dev.

An ambitious and impressive game with a scope that is at times too big for its own good.

The combat system here is among my favourite RPG systems ever. It builds upon Remake while adding new elements like Synergy Skills and removes some of the annoyances of its predecessor. I love turn based RPGs but Remake/Rebirth are so good that if Square Enix uses this as the base for FF17 onwards I am fine with turn based never coming back to mainline FF.

Without going into spoilers I think the plot mostly works. There’s some messy scenes and moments where the game will leave you questioning what happened but I think that’s intentional. The characterization of the party is so good though. I’ve always liked the cast of 7 but the updated script and especially the performances bring these characters to a new level. Absolutely loved them.

The problem with Rebirth is that it’s too big and the open world sections fall into a very defined formula. Some maps are annoying to navigate, Chadley doesn’t shut up and MAI is insane, and not all of the side activities work. Look, I love Queen’s Blood and would legitimately play a stand alone client of it, but herding Chocobos and climbing Ubisoft towers aren’t working for me. When I was doing my 4th proto relic side quest and Gears and Gambits was introduced my eyes glazed over. Thank god they had an auto program option. Remake was a lot tighter in this regard and I really hope the next game reins it in a bit.

So scoring this for me is difficult. I think the combat is much improved, the story and characters are fantastic, music is amazing etc. Some of the side activities work for me and others don’t. I think I just hate open world busy work and my completionist brain worked against me. But when the game is doing its linear, main story line missions it absolutely rules. I’ve seen a lot of commentary online saying that this is the best Final Fantasy since the PS2 days, and if you don’t play 14 I’d have to say that’s accurate. Easy GOTY contender.

An excellent remake of a beautiful game.

For years the fans have been requesting a remake and I think we all had different reasons as to why. My main wish in a remake was to implement the improved gameplay changes made to the series in P4 and built upon in P5. Reload absolutely delivers in this regard and results in my favourite combat in the series.

I like that Theurgy takes the showtime special moves from P5R but gives the player visual info on when these moves can be used in addition to letting them be saved for subsequent turns or even battles. The only downside of this mechanic is that the meter tends to build quite fast, and saving the meter for boss battles on all your party members is extremely overpowered and can trivialize these moments. They’re still extremely satisfying to pull off though and I would love to see these further refined.

My favourite addition to combat though is how they’ve changed the navigator role. By giving Fuuka her own SP meter and suite of moves that can be used in both battle and dungeon navigation, it not only adds another resource to manage, but it makes them feel closer connected to the party as a valuable member.

The music of Persona is so important to me, and like many others I felt trepidation about the new vocalist and arrangements. I think in many cases the new versions are excellent and an improvement. The Tartarus boss battle themes don’t land though. I think they just lost some edge. That being said, the new original songs are excellent.

For many players this game failed to deliver the definitive version of P3, but for me this isn’t the case. The lack of the female protagonist is disappointing for sure but not a deal breaker personally. The Answer coming later as a DLC is a little ridiculous but I’ll pass judgment on that when it drops later this year. I still think this is the definitive version though. Combat is fast and fluid with tons of QoL improvements, you get the improved presentation and full 3D gameplay, all the social links are voiced now etc. Unless playing as the female protagonist is absolutely critical for you, this is the version to play.

I love this game. The cast of characters are unforgettable and the performances are great. It’s the type of game that sticks with you for years and despite having played the other versions many times, I still cried like a baby when the credits hit.

A really fun expansion even as a roguelite hater. Wish there were a few more objective types here but what’s presented is fun. I appreciate that you can set the difficulty level to what you’re looking to get out of it. If you want to make it as challenging as possible you can do a no hacks run and pick hard stages, but if you want a relaxing time you can choose easier stages and build your character quickly. Pretty short if you just want to clear it once but there’s reason to go back to unlock content for use in multiplayer. Easy recommendation.

I seem to have enjoyed this more than most of the community. While I think the plot and symbolism in the environments are a little clumsy, it’s an earnest attempt to tell a story around the impact of social media on mental health. Some of the late story beats come out of nowhere though, and while they are unsettling I don’t think they develop Anita as a character.

Despite my issues with the plot I really enjoyed some of the other elements here. The use of live action footage was unique, the environment and monster design were pretty good, and while the one puzzle they include is very simple I appreciate that the entire experience wasn’t just walking.

My god though, I’m so exhausted with horror games using enemies that chase you and insta kill you if you get too close. In every single game that uses this enemy type, the first encounter is tense and then as soon as you die the first time you don’t care and it just becomes annoying. The last chase sequence here is amongst the worst I’ve ever played.

Expectations were pretty low for this one, especially when it was announced beside two dream games for me in P3R and the re-reveal of Re Fantasy. Gotta say though, it was pretty fun!

The plot is similar to the other spin-off games like Arena or the Q series. The cast is pulled into a mysterious world in the middle of the main game’s plot and everything gets wrapped up nicely so that it doesn’t impact the original story at all. It’s no different here, but Toshiro and Erina have a good arc. It helps that the Phantom Thieves aren’t fighting for screen time with SEES and the Investigation Team like in PQ2.

Gameplay is really fun here though. I haven’t dabbled in many TRPGs outside of Fire Emblem, but the closest comparison I can think of is Mario + Rabbids. Stages are pretty short and the challenge can be low, but the way mechanics like One More and All Out Attacks were integrated here can lead to wild combos that extend your turn and are satisfying to pull off. The short levels help with pacing and creates a pretty addictive gameplay loop.

Enjoyed my time with this one more than I thought I would and would recommend to fans looking to fill some time before P3R launches. Maybe check it out on GamePass if you’re on the fence.

Great narrative, environments, and atmosphere. Really impressive from a presentation and graphical fidelity perspective. Environments are packed with detail and character models are excellent, plus the usual Remedy live-action footage intertwined with gameplay is still interesting and unique. There are a few set pieces that I’ll never forget, just incredible moments.

The combat is pretty weak. Gunplay feels very standard, the dodge mechanic is sloppy, and enemies just hit like a truck. Thankfully there’s not a ton of combat. The game is much better when you’re exploring and experimenting with the mind place and writing mechanics to shift environments and solve puzzles. Seeing entire rooms change in the blink of an eye was really cool, and jumping from the mind place back to gameplay instantly was always impressive.

My god though, the over reliance on jump-scares became so grating. The first few times are fine, but one of Saga’s chapters is so unrelenting in throwing them at the player every 30 seconds that they become a nuisance rather than scary. It’s a shame too because the settings and enemy designs do a good enough job of building a sense of dread as it is. Easily my biggest gripe with the game.

I’m a New Super Mario Bros. defender but Wonder is such a delightful game and easily the best 2D entry since World. It doesn’t quite top that for me, but the creativity seen in nearly every level is so much fun. I love the art style they went with and the animations are fantastic. My only real complaints are that some of the levels feel too short and the local multiplayer can be frustrating with the game constantly switching which player is in control. Excellent game, highly recommended, and Switch GOTY.