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Metal Saga: Hot Tank Action

This is not a typical JRPG. There is barely a narrative at all, being almost entirely dialogue-less or dialogue-minimal sidequests. The characters are given a line or two of characterization before joining your party, after which point they remain almost entirely silent. The game is essentially a wide sandbox with secrets for you to uncover, most of them being tank-related. Oh right, the tanks. Metal Saga is all about its tanks. Characters have their own weapons and armor, even skills to learn for use outside the tanks, and there are times when you will be forced to explore an area or fight a boss without your tank. This is… fine. Character combat is acceptable. Tank combat, however, is exceptional, bordering on perfection. If I’m being honest, this is almost entirely due to the vibes of tank combat. Fighting in your tank just feels heavy. Each shot from you or the enemy hits with a satisfying metallic clang or explosive boom that makes tanks feel visceral and exciting in way...
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Sea Fantasy Review: Fish the World!

There are many fishing minigames in the wonderful world of JRPGs. You can fish in Final Fantasy XV , a minigame so deep, fun, and engaging they spun it off into its own game. In Nier: Automata , you just toss your robot friend into the water; maybe you get something, maybe you don’t. Not quite so engaging, but a diversion nonetheless. In Stardew Valley , you attempt to keep the bobber within a bar until you catch the fish. Many people have no love for this one, but it’s always been a personal favorite of mine, particularly as a means to start the game and get some early cash. The developers of Sea Fantasy asked a simple question: What if the fishing minigame… was the game? That’s really all there is to it. Let me be clear: Sea Fantasy is not an all-time great JRPG. I’d be hard-pressed to honestly even say it’s very good in that department. The story is bland and mediocre, the characters could hardly be described as even one-dimensional, exploration is simple and short (you could t...
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Astral Chain Review: ACAB Includes Neuron HQ

Astral Chain kicks ass. There really is no other way to say it. All the differing elements of combat flow together in such a way that it makes the player feel like they’re kicking ass, and that’s such an important thing for an action game like this. First, you have the Legions, the creatures at the end of the eponymous chain which work at your command. You are slowly given access to new and varied Legions over the course of the game, each of which operates in completely different ways and change the approaches you can take towards each new battle. The initial Sword Legion you’re given access to plays wildly different from the later Beast Legion and Arm Legion, and switching between them as need arises becomes a core part of the gameplay. The Astral Chain is another tool in your kit, as well. As skills are unlocked via your Legion, you gain the ability to wrap the chain around enemies and bind them in place, to jump through enemies and deal damage as you do, and even to electrify t...
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Live A Live Review: A Beautiful Mess

This review will contain spoilers for Live A Live . I almost immediately bounced off Live A Live as soon as I booted up the game. I chose the Present Day chapter and was caught off-guard by the fighting game-esque setup with Mega Man qualities where the abilities you gain by defeating one boss will be extra powerful against one of the others. I had a level (level 2), but I was not gaining experience by defeating my enemies. Nor was there any exploration element. “How is this a JRPG?” I asked myself. Luckily, the experience only lasted maybe an hour or so, and I was free to choose my next chapter. This time, I chose The Wild West. I almost bounced off the game again. There was more exploration this time, but contained towards the back end of a very short chapter. There was only one real battle against the boss at the end of the chapter (one before it ends with a single hit), and once again, while I had a level (this time 9!) I was not gaining experience. Then the chapter ended, and...
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On Your Tail: A Summer Vacation Gone Wrong

On Your Tail is a tough one for me. I truly enjoy the summer vacation vibes of the game, the town of Borgo Marina is absolutely beautiful, every character design is on point. I could spend hours wandering the streets, knocking on doors, speaking with people. I especially like the companion characters, who you take on strolls about town and who become genuine friends with the main character, Diana. In my time with the game I only really spent a significant amount of time with Paun and Chea, both of whom are introduced to you on the first day, but both are a delight (even if spending time with Chea can be confusing, as she’s angry with you in the story for accusing her of a crime but during hangouts she’s chipper and flirty). They open up to you in pretty natural ways and the friendship feels real. Unfortunately, most of the game is outright bad. The main thrust of the game is the detective role Diana takes on upon her arrival in the village, and while the first couple aren’t too ba...
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Unicorn Overlord Review

Unicorn Overlord is not just one of the best games I’ve played in recent memory, or one of the best strategy RPGs I’ve ever experienced. It is one of the best games I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy, a game that consumed my mind even when I was not playing, that begged me to return and continue freeing the world of Fevrith. It engrossed me in a way that no game has in years (the last time was probably Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which I played close to release), and in a way which rarely occurs regardless. It would be easy to make this a game about revenge, about Alain reclaiming the throne that is rightfully his and following his path towards that. And while that is something that happens in the game, the story is more fully one of liberation, of making each place you go better than you found it, of forgiving those who trespass against you. This is made clear in the early hours of the game- you can unlock the final battle within the first 10 hours, before you’ve even stepped foot wit...
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Making the World a Better Place, One Step at a Time

A recent gameplay element I’ve found myself particularly attached to in a couple of games, namely Okami and Unicorn Overlord , is the effect the player has on the world around them, represented in a very visual and impactful way. These games excel at making you feel as though not only are you on a grand quest to save the world, but part of that quest is improving the lives of the souls that inhabit that world. Take Okami , as my first example. At the beginning of that game, the world is shrouded in darkness, nature is decaying, and people and wildlife alike suffer greatly. But as Amaterasu regains her abilities, she is able not only to defeat the imps that serve Orochi, but bring life back to the landscape, both in massive waves of regrowth when she revives a guardian tree sapling and in minor ways as she revives small groves of flowers and individual cherry blossoms. What really caught my wonder, however, were the animals. As you revive nature, animals will return to roam the world. D...
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