Wombat's Corner

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...

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...