RYAN JOHNSON
Escape from Ever After Review
Escape from Ever After is a cute RPG that mechanically flies very close to Paper Mario with a tongue-in-cheek take on fairy tales akin to the first Shrek movie. It offers an excellent, witty story and challenges for people who are familiar with the Paper Mario series.
Neon Inferno (Switch) Review
Neon Inferno is from an alternate dimension where pixel side scrollers are king, and polygons fell to the wayside. This game shows off the rose-tinted glasses you wish most sidescrollers had, offering modern lighting and dynamic effects, complex battle systems, and the old school shoot-em-up action you know and love.
Rally Arcade Classics (PS5) Review
Rally Arcade Classics is a year-old Steam game making it’s way to home consoles. The title delivers what it states, as arcade-style rally gameplay with classic vehicles. It may not provide as much depth as other racers, the budget price makes it an easy recommendation.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (Xbox Series X) Review
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is another Soulslike game that is able to stand out from the crowd with a few RPG-gamer friendly progression systems. It may be confusing to some, but will hit the itch just right for fans of progression akin to Final Fantasy X.
Vessels of Decay (Xbox) Review
Vessels of Decay is an intriguing story steeped in Scandinavian folklore that is very interesting, but some of its graphical and control scheme issues make it difficult to work through. If you approach it with a very Dark Souls “Git Gud” mentality, you may be able to overcome some of the frustration and appreciate the quality work underneath.
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (Xbox Series) Review
Ender Magnolia is a sequel to Ender Lilies, and a wonderful Metroidvania that respects the time of the player by allowing for fast travel. The beautiful artwork and creative way that you can build your character using the abilities of the Hominculi make for an engaging video game that is worth a look.
Saviorless (Switch) Review
Saviorless is a game from a Cuban development company seven years in the making, utilizing beautiful hand-drawn art to create a puzzling yet action-packed game that tells a beautiful story in a unique way. The grim tale unfolds as you take control of three uniquely different characters.
Super Crazy Rhythm Castle (PS5) Review
Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a neat little game so long as you see it as a party game akin to Overcooked or Moving Out instead of a true rhythm game. Reviewed on what it is intended to be, it’s a quality, fun little title for plenty of laughs for up to four friends.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless (Switch) Review
Disgaea 7 offers more of what fans of the series already love, and then some! The “Jumbofication” system turns an average peon character into a massive area-of-effect beast that can decimate an entire play field. If you love the huge numbers and leveling strategy inherent in Disgaea, this seventh entry won’t disappoint.
Rhapsody: The Marl Kingdom Chronicles (Switch) Review
Rhapsody: The Marl Kingdom Chronicles brings two sequels to a musical RPG that graced the PlayStation 1 to the USA for the first time with an official translation. The series as a whole is a nice, easy going RPG for someone wanting an easy game or a beginner who is just starting in the RPG genre.
Super Dungeon Maker (Nintendo Switch) Review
Super Dungeon Maker is exactly what it says on the box: a dungeon maker. Many have clamored for a “Zelda Maker” in the past. While this isn’t exactly it, this budget title does it’s section well: create amazing customized dungeons and have a lot of fun! But the limitations involved in it (even outside of the copyright avoidance) might help you see why Nintendo hasn’t done it just yet.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (PlayStation 5) Review
Ys IX: Monsltrum Nox gets a native PS5 release, with updated graphics and a full DLC baked in. It’s a great option for fans of the series, but if you’ve already played the PS4 version it may not be worth your time unless you really want to delve through the same story again.
R-Type Final 3 Evolved (PlayStation 5) Review
R-Type Final 3 Evolved is an exciting sidescrolling SHMUP title, but it is quesitonable as to whether this PS5 exclusive is worthy of a full sequel name or should have stayed an expansion. Fans of the genre need look no further for quality gameplay, but just make sure you know what you are buying into.
Disgaea 6 Complete (PlayStation 5) Review
Disgaea 6 was a bit controversial when it came out due to the leap to 3D graphics and the limitations that came with it. This complete edition offers all the downloadable content from the original release, and the improvements of putting it on a more powerful system.
GrimGrimoire OnceMore (PS5) Review
GrimGrimoire OnceMore is an upgraded edition of a Vanillaware Real-Time Strategy game from 2006 where a school for witches is set for destruction, however a new recruit continually goes through a five day time loop in an attempt to undo the evil within the school. The beautiful art and updated control scheme make this game a gem to play.
Sonority (Switch) Review
Sonority is a unique music puzzle game where learning pitches will help you solve puzzles and unravel the mystery to find the music that can heal your friend.
Hello Neighbor 2 (Switch) Review
Hello Neighbor 2 provides more for fans of the series, but can feel obtuse for gamers who are visiting this little neighborhood for the first time.
Dragon Prana (Switch) Review
Dragon Prana is as 16-bit retro as you can get, and a wonderful trip back to Nostalgiaville for anyone pining for the 16-bit era. Sadly, it brought some Mobile Game Traditions along with it. If you can ignore these temptations, Dragon Prana gives you plenty of classic, retro-style gameplay.
Game Type DX (Switch) Review
Sometimes, someone brings up an old joke that you’ve heard a million times. It may be good, but it may no longer be relevant. Whilst Game Type DX is a fun little indie shooter, the meaning and history behind it makes me wonder why we are revisiting it without any major refreshes.
Sam and Max Save the World Remastered (PS4) Review
Sam and Max Save the World Remastered has been around for a while, but finally gets it’s release on PlayStation systems, where it has been the standard episodic version for a while. Boasting improved widescreen visuals and new music, this is the definitive way to play the game, although there’s not much in the way of replay value, as is normal for adventure-style games.