Earthbound Beginnings Remake

A fan project that began life nearly two decades ago and finally saw a release in 2026.  Earthbound Beginnings Remake (part of the Earthbound Collection project) is a modification of 1995's Earthbound, utilizing that game's engine and quality of life improvements (with a few of its own, like a run button and buying multiple items at a time) to recreate Earthbound Beginnings' world and gameplay.  Sometimes to a fault - the game's difficulty is still quite uneven, with some downright difficult enemy-packed areas, overly strong attacks and debilitating status effects hampering you seemingly every step of the way.  It definitely still feels like a punishingly hard NES game as you play it.  There is clearly a lot of care put into the presentation too - the sprites are faithfully recreated from the original game and given a 16-bit facelift, and while some music tracks are modified or carried straight from Earthbound (including the unused haunted house theme), others are recreated expertly in its sound font.  Despite a few rough edges, this is a high-quality project and well worth a look for any serious Earthbound fan.  It's also very easy to play - there's an online patcher on their website, so all you have to do is provide an unmodified ROM of Earthbound and then run it with an emulator or flash cart of your choice.

Developer: Earthbound Collection Team
Publisher: Earthbound Collection Team
Released: 2026
Platform: SNES

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

With the franchise's ninth mainline entry, it seems the Yakuza moniker has been dropped from its title entirely and it's to be known by the same moniker as its Japanese counterpart from now on.  It retains the turn-based style of the previous mainline game and introduces many improvements, tweaks and additions, but does it all add up to a more substantial game, or does Infinite Wealth just lack that special spark?

Despite some high and low points, Yakuza (or Like a Dragon now, I suppose) continues to soldier on as a franchise, offering a unique blend of quirky humor, crime drama, relatively small but immersive locales to explore and a lot of surprising humanity in spite of its general concept.  Many fans were worried when the eighth game introduced a new protagonist, changed up the style of the gameplay and seemingly left all the old drama of the series behind, but the tale of Ichiban Kasuga quickly won its share of fans as well.  Its likable cast of characters, inventive take on turn-based combat and being a general affectionate parody of RPG tropes while continuing the same high-quality storytelling and immersive design the series became known for.

Infinite Wealth continues a few years after that story, starring Ichiban and friends as they try to start new lives but ultimately get swept up in another criminal conspiracy.  They deal with some surprisingly relevant issues throughout, finding themselves out of work after becoming targeted by the internet rumor mill and the character assassination that follows.  It's nice to see this handled in a surprisingly realistic way - the heroes have no real way to fight against their haranguing in the court of public opinion without making it worse and just try to make the best of their bad situation.  Even moreso when they encounter their share of opportunists and grifters who don't even care whether the allegations against them are true and just want to punch down even further to score cheap brownie points with whatever clique they're beholden to.  It borders on fourth wall breaking at times, especially after the big gross love letter to mob justice that was Persona 5. 

Granted, it does get undermined a little as the whole hit campaign against the protagonists turns out to be part of the wider conspiracy driving the game's overarching plot, the masterminds of which are the typical straw men supervillains with no redeeming qualities or motives other than just "Being evil".  But still, it's nice to see a modern-day game where real-life problems aren't just made light of with trite speechifying, and some warped form of vigilantism is presented as the perfect solution to all of society's woes.  But even though it fails to stick the landing and veers too hard into sappy nostalgia in its final act for my liking, infectious good nature and silly side-missions and over-the-top moments add levity keep it from getting too grim and depressing.

While Yakuza: LaD's combat and RPG class system was fun for the most part, it also felt a little rushed in some respects; there was some awkward balancing at times and relatively little of the brutal environmental interactions and improvised weapon actions the series became known for.  Infinite Wealth features both new and returning classes, with each character getting at least one exclusive class and male and females each getting classes exclusive to their gender.  Many other mechanics are added too to make the combat feel more dynamic.  One change, noticeable right away, is that you can actually move around a bit before taking an action within a small circle near the spot that character's turn begins.  This not only allows you to move near breakable objects (bicycles, signs, traffic cones etc) to utilize them on your turn, but getting in close to an enemy before launching an attack will award a Proximity Bonus and do slightly more damage.  In addition, many attacks, now knock enemies around, so proper positioning before attacking becomes vital to getting the maximum effect from that.  Knocking enemies into one another (or environmental obstacles) can quickly deal heavy damage to multiple targets, and propelling them into an ally will award a free hit.

In addition to elemental strengths and weaknesses, other mechanics are adopted too.  Enemies can be "on guard", greatly reducing all the damage they take until a character manages to break their guard, either by attacking them from behind or with a throw move.  Character bonds factor into combat more too; once a character has reached a certain affinity level with another, they will sometimes do a free followup attack after that character's move.  If both characters are in close proximity when one's turn begins, they may get the opportunity to do a Chain Attack, where both characters attack in tandem while only using one character's turn. 

Kiryu is now a playable character, and his gameplay style is heavily modeled on the games where he starred in the past.  He can switch between his three fighting styles while in his default class, effectively trading some stats for others.  Brawler style is the most balanced, and allows him to perform his signature Heat Actions in specific contexts; bashing enemies into nearby cars or railings for example.  Rush Style gives him more movement range and speed at the cost of overall damage per hit, though to prevent abuse, you only get the movement bonus if you start a turn in this style and don't switch during it.  Beast style is the opposite, trading speed and movement range for raw power and making his default attack a throw-type move to break guards.  Later in the game he even gains the ability to temporarily break free of the bounds of turn-based combat and beat up on foes in real-time for a few seconds, which is pretty amusing (and fun).

 As usual, many of the skills in Ichiban's default class run off his social stats, which in the previous game are primarily raised through dialog interactions and the odd side mission.  Here, you have many more options - completing the game's many milestones will give you points toward at least one stat, as will taking certain combat options, building bonds with allies, doing various side-stories and even partaking of completely optional diversions like minigames; each round of Poker or Mahjong or Shogi or whatever else you fancy will boost your social stats by a small amount.  It does still take quite a bit of effort to max each one out, but it's less restrictive this time around.

One of my complaints about the original game was its overpriced downloadable content.  That certainly returns here, with things like costumes, item packs to level up quicker, and bonus fights being tied to paid add-ons.  Other things like item packs and experience boosters are paid extras now too, as are bonus songs to play on jukeboxes or on Ichiban's phone while strolling around town.  But one especially scummy edition is that physical releases of the game do not include a New Game Plus option; you either have to buy the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate editions that are only available as digital downloads, or purchase an upgrade pack to effectively get one of those at extra cost.  Unfortunately locking basic features (and pacing-boosting items) like this behind paid upgrades has become a common practice in Sega's games, and it doesn't look like these lame anti-consumer practices are going to abate (or get much better) anytime soon.  I certainly don't condone the practice of making games grindier just to encourage people to shell out more cash to bypass it, and the New Game Plus change is just lame, especially since it was free in numerous earlier LaD games.  If you can get the Ultimate Edition when it's on sale at a steep discount it's not as much of an issue (I got it for about $33 during one), but at launch you were effectively paying at least $40 extra on top of an already $70 price tag, which just felt predatory.  And more than a bit like they're trying to use sales of their RPG as some terrible precedent to justify price hikes in general.

Despite that major hangup, though, I can't deny that I've once again had a lot of fun playing through a Yakuza Like a Dragon game.  Ichiban and friends are just a fun crew to hang with, being some of the most relatable, earnest, down-to-earth video game protagonists out there, and always trying to do right by others no matter what kind of bad hand life deals them.  Their adventure here once again shows that there's good to be found even in the darkest corners of society and not to judge others at a glance; there's always an actual person and a story to be told behind initial appearances.  That's honestly way more mature and interesting to see unfold than about 90% of stories out there in the realm of gaming, and Yakuza does an excellent job of it, highlighting the genuine passion of its writers and developers in every tale they spin.  The overall plot is the usual corny series fare, but it's still compelling and fun to experience.  So while I'd still say to wait for a discount and pick up a digital edition even as an avowed physical collector, it's a game that's worth that wait and putting up with the scummy corporate baggage undermining its message and themes.

 

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Released: 2024
Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, XBox One, XBox Series
Recommended Version: All versions seem to be the same in terms of content, though the XBone and PS4 versions seem to have some performance issues.

Demon's Crest

The third (and ultimately final) spinoff in the Gargoyle's Quest sub-franchise of the greater Ghosts n' Goblins franchise, the game was a commercial failure for Capcom when it launched, even generating negative sales one week according to Nintendo Power.  But is Demon's Crest a hidden gem that was neglected in its time, or does it really deserve its rare and obscure status?

Capcom's Ghosts n' Goblins series was a hit in the '80s and '90s, with a few scattered games and spinoffs coming in later years, but also attained notoriety for its extreme difficulty.  Not only does it require precise movement and attacks with a rather sluggish character, but you must complete each game twice in order to win, with the second run often requiring you to use a specific weapon in order to complete it.

Gargoyle's Quest was a short-lived spinoff series comprised of three entries on the Game Boy, NES and SNES, starring Firebrand, one of the famously annoying Red Arremer type enemies that appear throughout the main series.  They were mostly side-scrolling action games with a few light elements of RPGs and Metroid style exploration, gradually upgrading your character as the game progressed.  Demon's Crest was its final entry and leaned the most heavily into this element, with numerous forms with differing abilities to swap between, spells to cast, potions to purchase and use, and stages laden with many secrets, necessitating later returns to find everything and overcome certain challenging bosses.  A bit like Capcom's own Mega Man X series on the SNES.

Case in point, Firebrand now has five forms to switch between, all themed after elements and all sporting different abilities.  His base form is fire-themed, can hover in the air indefinitely (but not gain altitude) and gets a variety of different projectiles that can do things like create temporary platforms, light torches or break bricks, as well as a headbutt move that can smash certain background objects.  Earth form launches projectiles that travel along the ground and can charge to smash (or move around) large obstacles.  Water form can travel beneath water without taking damage, Air can gain altitude while in the air, and Time is simply powerful and takes half damage from enemy attacks.   All come in handy at different points in the game and for defeating certain enemies; for example, the Buster power in Fire form can damage armored enemies, whereas other forms simply knock them back or do nothing at all.

Other things that aid the player are pickups that boost maximum health and  Talismans that bolster one of Firebrand's attributes when equipped, though only one can be in use at a time.  Enemies drop more health or money, or Firebrand can gain a higher rate of fire, damage or defense.  Urns can  be collected and used to store potions, purchased at shops in the game's town with money.  These have varying effects like letting Firebrand instantly exit a stage, reviving after a death or restoring some or all of his health; all quite useful to have, and when things start getting difficult late in the game you'll definitely want as many healing potions as you can carry.  Spells are another addition, requiring the player to find Vellums hidden in the stages and then purchase them at a shop; these are considerably less useful though, and do things like stun enemies, summon an imp to fight alongside him (though it requires payment), or do a powerful screen-clearing attack.

While the game does feature progress saving, one slight annoyance is that it's done via a 16-digit password system, which the game only dispenses after you die and choose to end your game.  However, you can then choose "continue" on the title screen and it will retain your password, so you don't have to punch it in each time as long as you don't power off the console.  If you're playing on an emulator or on the Switch Online service, this isn't a problem owing to the save-state features those possess.  There are also three endings in the game depending on how much completion you've achieved.  Facing the final boss before collecting all the crests results in the worst ending, collecting all the crests but not the other collectibles (Health boosters, Vellums, urns and talismans) gets a neutral ending, while getting full completion gets the best ending.  Perhaps as a nod to its parent series a secret fourth ending can be found by getting the best ending, punching in the password you get afterwards and facing down a secret superboss, which also gives you access to an otherwise-inaccessible ultimate form for Firebrand to meet the challenge.

Per franchise standards, Demon's Crest is an aesthetically appealing game, with a dark and foreboding, yet charming visual style, Capcom's usual gorgeous animation and equally moody music and sound effects.  Even small touches like the elaborate death animations for the enemies (and Firebrand) complement the mood perfectly.  While definitely challenging, Demon's Crest is not nearly as frustrating as its parent franchise and is a much more enjoyable experience overall; some areas and boss fights will definitely give you a challenge, but it never feels cheap or unfair, just requiring some practice, pattern memorization and using the right tools for the job (or going to find them if you don't have them yet).  Well, aside from a rather obnoxiously hard minigame that requires precisely timed headbutts and has an extremely short time limit to get one of the health powerups necessary for full completion.

So, all told, Demon's Crest is a well-made game in most every respect.  A quality open-world 'vania style adventure with a good amount of length, enough depth and challenge to keep you engaged, and some delightfully dark atmosphere and gorgeous aesthetics.  It really is the shame it ended up being the last of this particular subseries, but at least it went out on a high note.  Definitely one of the Super Nintendo's more overlooked titles.

 

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released: 1994
Platform: Super Nintendo (with rereleases on Wii Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console and Switch Online)
Recommended Version: N/A

Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined

The fourth iteration of Dragon Quest VII to get a release is also the first to make the leap to HD, with a charming art style based on digitized models and many quality-of-life improvements over previous editions.  But does this notoriously slow-paced game benefit from yet another upgrade, or does it fail once more to invite new fans to the franchise?

Dragon Quest VII is arguably the series' most divisive entry, earning both praise and criticism for the slow pace of its story and its copious amount of backtracking.  It was also the last to retain the series' noted low production values, still using simple text-based menus and minimally-animated sprites right up to the end of the PS1 era; definitely a stark contrast to more visually impressive CGI works of the era like the Final Fantasy series.  The later rereleases on the 3DS and mobile platforms tightened it up and gave it an updated look, though it did little to improve its perception in the west.  In 2026 Square Enix commissioned Hexadrive to try again with another updated version, hoping to ride the wave of success they had with their remakes of 1, 2 and 3 in recent years.

The most notable element right away is the visual upgrade.  While the original was very bare-bones 3D environments and spritework with minimal animation (aside from a few scattered FMV cutscenes) and the 3DS version was essentially the same idea with 3D models, Reimagined... well, reimagines things.  The character models are based on dolls that were actually made and digitally scanned, and are surprisingly well-animated and expressive. Environments adopt a more photorealistic, diorama-like look to match the models, giving it a style that's a comfortable blend of realism and cartoon.  Voiceover was added too, bringing it in line with the recent remakes of 1-3.

Some other improvements from later Dragon Quest games were added to this one too.  Enemies are now visible on the map, giving you a chance to evade or battle them at your convenience.  You can also land a preemptive attack on them to get some easy damage before a fight starts, or if an enemy is significantly weaker than your party, instantly defeat them.  The UI is substantially improved over the usual text-based Dragon Quest menus, sorted into tabs for inventory, equipment, options and so forth, all visually represented.  Rather than having individual character inventories it's now unified, so you don't have to distribute items to each character ahead of time.

Another added mechanic is the ability to get "Worked up" and "Let Loose" - a bit like Pep from Dragon Quest XI, getting Worked Up gives a temporary (and semi-random) boost to your character's core stats, while "Letting Loose" allows them to unleash a powerful ability.  Unlike XI, however, these are tied to your character's current Vocation; each character gets a unique default class (and ability to go with it), while the more generic Vocations get abilities of their own.  These range from boosting a chance to land a critical hit with spells to negating the next attack taken to allowing you to cast spells at no cost for a turn or two.

The vocation system has been reworked once again too.  As mentioned, each character now has a unique default Vocation exclusive to them.  In addition to that, one can now only use skills from Vocations they currently have equipped; they can now also equip two at once with the new Moonlighting system, allowing them to create powerful hybrid Vocations and level up two at once to cut down on the grind.  This version adds an item that allows class changes at any time, cutting down on trips back to Alltrades Abbey.  Being able to train two classes at once helps with a major shortcoming of the older versions too, namely that two of your party members come late in the game and far behind on vocation levels; that's still the case here, but being able to train up two at a time cuts down on the grind considerably.  Monster Hearts are also reworked; rather than being used to unlock more Vocations they now serve as accessories, granting small bonuses like a higher chance to land critical hits or survive a fatal blow with 1 HP.  They also are no longer dropped in random battles, instead being found in chests or earned by defeating souped-up monsters that appear in specific spots on the map.

Other quality of life improvements are introduced too.  In addition to tightening up the pacing (again), the player now has the option to make granular adjustment for difficulty, damage taken and even the amount of XP, gold and vocation points you earn to speed up the gameplay (or slow it down, if you prefer).  So the game can appeal to newer and less patient RPG players as well as those more suited to the old-school challenge and grind.  Many portals back to the main island exist too, allowing for substantially less travel time as you progress through the story and main goals within.  On the other hand, there is a substantial amount of cut content compared to previous versions; there are significantly fewer islands to explore and the monster sanctuary/Traveler's Tablets mechanic from the 3DS is entirely removed in favor of generic postgame boss challenges and timed arena fights, both of which require substantial seed farming and level grinding to overcome.  Luck too, since said arena challenges are on a turn counter and enemies within them can heal you back to full and disable your party for long periods with debilitating status spam.  Not exactly my idea of fun.

Dragon Quest VII is still unapologetically long, generally slow paced and old-school in its core design, and while I can't say any of them are flawless, Reimagined is definitely its most accessible iteration to date.  It does still require quite a bit of revisiting areas to progress and it's still tens of hours of gameplay before you get a full party and access to the Vocation system, but the pacing is considerably quicker now and there's substantially less backtracking to max out classes and get through the story. All this, plus the charming visual style, captivating story it tells and the many new tweaks and additions, may finally make this the game that puts Dragon Quest VII on the map in the west.  I certainly hope it does; it's a great, epic RPG that deserves more recognition. Even better, maybe it will inspire people to go back and check out the earlier versions that have more to offer in the way of significant content.

 

Developer: Hexadrive
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: 2026
Platform: Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, XBox Series, PC
Recommended Version: All of them seem to be on level with one another; although the Switch 2 version does come on a Game Key Card (full download with the cart simply serving as glorified DRM), so if you're opposed to that you may want to spring for another one.

Infinity

A canceled RPG for the Game Boy Color brought back after two decades by Incube8 Games, Infinity is certainly noteworthy for being a long-lost piece of video game history.  But was this a title worth reviving, or should it have stayed an obscure footnote in the long history of portable RPGs?

Infinity is a standout among portable RPGs, as it's not a relatively common case of a new game built for a retro platform.  Rather, it began development in 1999 for the Game Boy Color - a short-lived upgrade to the original Game Boy that launched in 1998 and was supplanted by the Game Boy Advance in 2001.  With that platform's launch, the development team at Affinix Software reluctantly canceled the game, as they figured it wouldn't find much of an audience on an outdated platform.  It largely faded into obscurity for many years until its developers released an incomplete prototype online in 2016, piquing fan interest.  Incube8 games, a developer and publisher largely known for publishing niche games on retro consoles, launched a Kickstarter campaign to complete and release the game, and in December of 2025 they finally did just that, releasing it as a digital ROM with physical cartridges to come at a later date.

It's easy to see why the prototype garnered the interest it did when you play it, though; this is quite a solid '90s style RPG.  Combat is somewhat reminiscent of games like Ultima, Fallout and Krondor, with turn-based battles on a hex grid.  It's also surprisingly light on UI elements - to move you simply press toward an open space and press A; doing the same to a space occupied by an enemy attacks.  B defends, and pressing A without holding a direction brings up the menu to use spells, items, gems, or attempt to run from combat.  Similarly, items and spells are indicated by icons and selected by pressing a direction and the A button in conjunction (with neutral A cycling item pages).  As one would expect, normal attacks can only target adjacent spaces, while spells (and most techniques) can reach longer ranges.  Admittedly this is a bit strange for the archer character, who must use a (1 MP) technique to target distant spaces with his weapon.

Gems are a unique feature to the game, and can be equipped and activated in battle to achieve various effects (boosting attack damaged, reduced physical damage, buffing elemental spells).  However, they do run off a finite resource called "Gem Points", with each turn they're activated consuming one point whether you use a corresponding skill or not.  In order to recharge them, one must unequip the gem and fight battles to replenish their supply of points.

The game is very reminiscent of many '90s RPGs, though, in that it's not simply a matter of equipping the "strongest" gear - on several occasions I found elemental gear that was less effective than a weaker weapon against an area's enemies.  Similarly, trading heavier armor for that which provides more magical defense is often a wise move, particularly against hard-hitting bosses.  Finally, you will have to stop and gain a few levels at times in order to progress - each new dungeon is a significant leap up in danger, random encounters are frequent and the bosses in general are quite challenging.  Having a couple of escape ropes and a good supply of healing items on hand is all but required.  Thankfully you do get a decent amount of XP and money per fight so it's not overly grindy, and being able to save on the overworld at any time with a simple press of the A button is quite handy.

The game easily ranks among the most visually impressive Game Boy color games I've seen, too.  Each character has quite a few combat sprites that are all fluidly animated; even the mundane enemies and their moves all feel distinct, to say nothing of the bosses.  The overworld map isn't a simple top-down view but is seen at a slightly isometric angle, scrolling a bit diagonally when you move along the Y axis.  Environments are also laden with subtle visual effects, such as heatwaves in the desert areas/lava caves and grass and flowers being blown by the wind.

The story is a step apart from many RPGs seen on portable platforms, too.  This is no light-hearted adventure; instead it's a ruthlessly grim tale of a world ravaged by war, plague and immoral magical experiments, with something truly wicked and maleficent brewing beneath the surface as a result of man's hubris.  Its characters are often embittered, vengeful or even self-loathing, with a majro one of note being the main protagonist Connor; he's a very depressed, embittered character, grieving the loss of his wife and regretting the atrocities he took part in during the wars waged by his king, and he very much carries a death wish for much of the game.  Other characters are equally complex and often harbor dark secrets and grudges of their own.  Basically it's much less Dragon Quest and much more Game of Thrones, which for the late '90s/early '00s was not a common sight, especially on handhelds.

Infinity is clearly a game with a lot of passion and polish behind it, doomed by having the rug pulled out under it as it neared completion.  I could easily see this game becoming a hit had it been released before the GBA's launch; for an early '00s RPG on a portable platform it has quite a bit of content and a surprisingly good, dark storyline; a common sight for Playstation games, certainly, but a relatively rare one on Nintendo consoles.  With the circumstances of its release in 2025, though, it's probably just going to remain a little-known niche curio for die-hard retro RPG fans or Game Boy enthusiasts.  Still, for the tiny audience it was Kickstarted, finished and released for, this is a fine title and well worth a look.

 

Developer: Affinix, Incube8 Games
Publisher: Incube 8 Games
Released: 2025
Platform: Game Boy Color (Digital ROM and physical releases)
Recommended Version: N/A

Dragon Quest I/II: HD-2D Remake

The logical followup to the 2023 remake of Dragon Quest III, Dragon Quest I and II: HD-2D Remake revives the two earliest Dragon Quest games, adding a substantial amount of new content and of course updating their graphical styles and quality of life features to modern standards.  But does this revisit of two genre staples prove worthy of the name, or does this quest just get dragoned down?

Dragon Quest III was a definite game-changer in its time, bringing the JRPG genre to a new standard of quality, and it remains a beloved classic even today.  The first two Dragon Quests are not quite as well-beloved; while they did of course introduce the series to the world and sell like gangbusters in Japan, the first is a very short, fairly primitive game mostly occupied by farming experience and gold to progress and only a single party member, limiting your strategies overall.  The sequel is regarded as overly difficult, with three extremely specialized party members, some punishingly hard dungeons and an infamous dead stop at the end where you end up having to grind well over ten levels to have any chance at all of completing the final dungeon.

Artdink's remakes do attempt to address these shortcomings while at the same time adding a lot more in the way of narrative and design. The first game now has a considerably more involved narrative, with a lot of in-engine cutscenes, character interactions and a more standard progression - while you're still largely free to roam, you are gently steered in the right direction so as to not get wiped by enemies well above your current level, with many high levels areas also now being locked off until you find a particular key.  It also carries over many of the spells and abilities from the 3 remake, giving you a much wider repertoire of moves to utilize in combat; and you will need them, as there's more boss fights added and they are substantially harder than anything in the original.  Other things get carried over from their remake too, like the little hidden glades and random items on the world map, three difficulty settings and of course the series staple of Mini-Medals that can be traded for prizes.  Some skills are learned by finding scrolls hidden throughout various towns and dungeons, and reading them permanently adds them to your repertoire.  Overworld spells and skills can also be assigned to shortcuts accessed by holding R1 and pressing a directional key, which is a quick and handy way to access commonly-used utility spells.

The core plot of Dragon Quest I remains largely unchanged and fairly simplistic, though many more subplots, cutscenes and characters are added.  Some add more to the lore like a subplot about Zalen, the descendant of the legendary bard Galen, and some are just for levity, like the subpar adventurers trying to save the land independent of the protagonist and constantly falling prey to their own incompetence.  Some other objectives are added in too, with the most prominent being the Sigils.  There are five magical items of power strewn throughout the game, and turning them over to the fairies to craft into sigils will as adding benefits like regenerating some MP while defending.  Some will allow you to access "Souped up Skills" - more powerful variants of abilities only accessible under certain conditions, such as being at low HP or having a particular buff active.  These are incredibly useful in some fights (in fact the final battle is nearly impossible without them), so learning how to activate and use them is key.

So, in contrast to the original game which is a very short experience once you strip out all the grinding (I once finished the Game Boy Color version in about 4 hours), Dragon Quest I's HD-2D remake is now a pretty substantial RPG.  There's more towns, there's sidequests, there's an ongoing narrative throughout with voiceover and even a couple of clever twists, and in general it's considerably more strategic and challenging.  It's still recognizably the same game beneath the new stuff, but it's enough of a new spin to feel fresh even to fans who played the original decades ago on the NES.  And at about 20 hours from start to finish, it gives you plenty of bang for your buck as half of this package.

As for Dragon Quest II, the main protagonist (the Prince of Midenhall) still doesn't utilize any spells (a unique trait for the series), but does get MP and can use physical attack techniques; generally the ones geared toward dealing extra damage to specific enemy types.  The Prince of Cannock gets a combination of mostly-defensive spells and martial arts moves, while the Princess remains a fairly squishy caster, albeit with a more rounded skillset containing utility spells and some healing.

In addition, there's now a fourth party member to recruit; the princess of Cannock joins, and has a handful of offensive and utility spells and random "Goof Off" actions like Torneko that can be surprisingly powerful.  There's a fair bit of new story and side content (with some notably taking place under the ocean), effectively filling in the dead stop in the final stretch from all the prior iterations.  There are some more story threads added and the protagonists have more personality, which gives more of an ongoing narrative than the original version; one notable one being that the Dragonlord's castle is now a story-relevant area and not just an optional location to visit (and the Dragonlord's descendant is a tough optional boss fight later).  The five sigils are a plot point again in this game too, conferring Souped-up Skills and other bonuses as they do in the first HD-2D remake.

 

These HD-2D Remakes are definitely a different experience from the first one.  III's remake felt like they kept largely faithful to the original design and concept while adding more content.  For I and II, it feels more like they used the original games as a basis while largely doing their own thing; not dissimilar to Final Fantasy VII Remake or the numerous versions of Ys IV, which were all very different interpretations of the same core concept.  The battles are definitely more of a challenge, and the abundance of extra content and cutscenes, as well as some welcome balance tweaks, definitely help with the slow pacing and rigid design the originals had.  If you want a different take on the first two Dragon Quests with some clever new twists, this is one HD-2D remake worth considering.  If you want a more authentic '80s RPG experience with all the awkward balance and primitive quirks, though, check out one of the earlier ports instead.

 

Developer: Artdink
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: 2025
Platform: PlayStation 5, PC, XBox Series, Switch, Switch 2
Recommended Version: All versions seem to be more or less on level with one another as far as I can tell, though the Switch 1 version obviously runs at a lower resolution and framerate.  Curiously the PS5 version (at least) has a toggle between Performance and Graphics modes, though it made no visible difference as far as I could tell.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution

 This one has a bit of an odd story behind it.  It began development in 2002 as a followup to the first Shantae game on Game Boy Color, but was shelved when WayForward wasn't able to secure a publisher.  Many years later Matt Bozon streamed the unfinished prototype to see if fans would be interested in seeing the game get a wider release, and positive reception led him to dust off the twenty-year-old source code, polish and finish the game and finally release it, both as a limited-printing Game Boy Advance cartridge and an enhanced digital version across modern platforms.  So while it's the sixth game to be released, it's the second game in the chronology.  Fittingly it feels much like Risky's Revenge, though with a slightly different gimmick - you cross through doorways that take you between foreground and background layers, and there are large actuators you can hit that rotate the foreground and background to change the layout of the levels.  Transforming is also considerably quicker (you just hold down the button and press a direction), and each of your forms also gains several upgrades throughout.  With all that on the table, it's more Shantae - charming Zelda-likes with a solid (and often risque) sense of humor and some very polished gameplay and animations, and more of that format is never a bad thing in my book.

Developer: WayForward
Publisher: WayForward, Limited Run Games
Released: 2025
Platform: PC, Switch, Playstation 4, PlayStation 5, XBox One, XBox Series, Game Boy Advance

Shadowrun: Hong Kong

 The third and (to date) final entry in Harebrained Schemes' Shadowrun series.  It's definitely lighter in tone than the previous entry; not quite an uplifting game per se, but there's certainly more moments of levity on the usual dark fantasy-cyberpunk backdrop, and it overall has a more optimistic tone than Dragonfall - a game where every choice you made felt like the wrong one.  A few improvements were added, like the Cyber Affinity skill allowing for the player to have 'built in' and quite powerful melee weapons, and being able to lend out equipment to your allies for missions so they'll have more of a fighting chance.  Magic has also been tweaked a bit, with "dragon lines" to boost spells and new totems that grant passive bonuses.  Aside from that, the game plays very much like its predecessors, with turn-based tactical combat and multiple solutions to each problem a la Fallout, albeit with considerably more linear progression.  Basically if you like a good tactical RPG with Shadowrun's unique blend of weirdness, Hong Kong won't let you down.

 

Developer: Harebrained Schemes
Publisher: Harebrained Schemes
Released: 2015
Platforms: PC, OS X, Linux, Switch, PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, XBox One, XBox Series

Star Ocean: the Second Story R

A remake of a PS1 semi-classic, Star Ocean: the Second Story R keeps the elaborate design of the original while giving its presentation and performance a massive upgrade and adding in some new content.  But is this Second Story worth revisiting, or is it best left in the past?

Star Ocean is a game I remember playing in the Playstation 1 days, but didn't really enjoy; while it had a good concept in trying to bring western-style character skills and crafting mechanics into the JRPG format, it was plagued with a really dopey script, serious performance problems (including numerous post-battle freezes), a generally buggy and unbalanced combat system and some pretty heinous sound design, including some infamously bad voice acting and audio mixing even by the standards of the time period.  So I just kind of forgot about it and never really bothered checking out its sequels for the most part (other than briefly trying out the third game).  But after seeing it had gotten a remake on modern platforms by Gemdrops (and was on sale for exceptionally cheap during 2024's Black Friday sales), I figured it was finally time to give it another chance.

Well, having now played some of the remake I can state that the script is still pretty dumb, with a lot of really dopey dialog, childish humor and a general campy tone, but it's made considerably more bearable by the surprisingly high voiceover quality.  Spike Spencer and Eden Riegel voice the two main protagonists Claude and Rena, and they perform their parts with the same high quality they put into any project.  The rest of the cast gives their all too, so it becomes a much more bearable experience.  Combat is much faster-paced and considerably less buggy now, though there's still some dumb quirks, like stopping short while pursuing a running enemy and swinging at air over and over again until they finally decide to stand still long enough to be hit.  Your caster allies blow through their MP at a terrifying speed, resulting in me telling them to just avoid damage and cast only when specifically instructed to.  Another new mechanic is Break Gauges - basically enemy now has an "armor" bar alongside their health, and once it's broken they'll be stunned for a little while and take extra damage until they recover.  Bosses likewise have these, and when broken they'll unleash a shockwave that also stuns any another enemies in the battle it hits, making it a good strategy to target them first.  Formations are a bit more practical now - there wasn't much point to them in the original owing to the real-time and chaotic nature of battles, but now they grant cumulative bonuses as you land hits on enemies and avoid sneak attacks and stuns, which vary depending on the formation you choose - everything from bonus experience and money to extra damage.  Seemingly taking notes from The World Ends With You, up to five encounters can be chained together back-to-back, granting substantial bonuses to your gained experience, money and items if you manage to survive them all.  Hitting various milestones in battles (number of enemies fought, damage dealt, et cetera) fulfills a list of Combat Challenges, which often give rare items or experience/skill point bonuses when fulfilled.

But of course, the selling point of Star Ocean is its incredibly elaborate skill and crafting systems, and there's definitely a lot to unpack in Second Story's case.  Not only can you upgrade character stats and combat skills to enable things like faster casting, doing extra damage, shortening stun time or automatically dodging attacks, but there are a ton of non-combat skills as well - everything from Mineralogy to Herbal Medicine to Music to Biology to Aesthetics to Cooking, which lend themselves to item-based utilities and/or stat boosts for anyone who learns them.  Some more abstract ones (like Poker Face) lend themselves to higher-level skills like Pickpocketing, so even if it does nothing on its own, it usually serves a higher purpose.  Even some that seem pretty useless at a glance have surprising utility, like Bunny Call - this summons a giant rabbit you can ride on the overworld over virtually any terrain (just excluding the ocean), allowing you to both avoid random battles and reach many treasures that are otherwise out of reach.  Unlike in the original version, you don't have purchase skills at shops - everybody has all of them available to purchase at the start.  Instead, skill guilds now offer various missions you can complete for rewards, usually in the form of money, items or extra skill points to spend.

Many of these do of course pertain to random battles and powering up, and I found these to be quite a lot of fun to tinker with.  Scouting can raise or lower the encounter rate, Training allows you to take a penalty to your stats to boost experience gains, and Effort lowers the amount of experience needed to gain levels.  All of these combined with an experience-boosting Formation and the aforementioned chained battles mechanic allow you to power up at a surprising speed, and the Enlightenment skill lets you get less money rewards from battle in exchange for more skill points.  Determination lowers the point cost of all skills (so yeah... always max that first), and Purity bizarrely just gives an escalating cash payout each time you take it.  As you can imagine, all of these are quite abusable early on in the game, though as Star Ocean famously has a quite steep challenge curve on the highest difficulty setting, so they're pretty much necessary to make any headway in that mode.

Crafting is an enormous part of the game too, and there's a lot to cover under that umbrella.  Making new weapons and armor and combining weapons with materials to transform them into other weapons is of course present, but one can also create musical works, cook meals with various effects, boost the effect of mundane healing items with Herbology (boosting their low 22% heal to a whopping 52% at max), transmute materials into stronger stuff, raise Appraisal to get better prices in shops, and paint portraits to sell.  Perhaps most broken of all is Writing, which allows a character to create skill books and teach them to other characters at minimal cost, saving tons of skill point farming in the long run.  There is of course a substantial random chance to all of this, with cooking in particular being somewhat annoying - rather than choosing what you want, you simply get one of a list of random items based on a particular ingredient you're using.  So if you're after a particular type of food for some reason (like completing a mission), you just have to keep buying ingredients and rolling the dice until you get it.  Failed rolls occasionally get you bad items too, like Bounced Checks (which cost you money to sell and continually deplete your cash as long as you have them in your inventory), so that's something to beware of too.

Several modern conveniences are added into the game as well.  As mentioned above, the game's presentation is massively improved; not just with the voice acting, but by giving its audio and visual design a massive overhaul.  Like many of Square's modern titles it utilizes a blend of 2D sprites for the characters (the same one as the PS1 version, in fact) and 3D backdrops, and it works surprisingly well here - the environments are gorgeous to look at and a joy to explore.  Another addition is fast travel - one can quickly zip to not just any town they've previously visited, but any shop or even mundane house within that town, and even to the entrance of most dungeons.  Private Actions (unique dialogs to build up affinity with characters) are now activated with a press of a button while you're in town, rather than on the world map, and items that can be created with a particular skill are now given convenient in-game lists so you don't have to go digging through an online guide every 5 seconds.  The Voice Selection is now actually completable, unlike the original PS1 game, and there is indeed a trophy for doing so.  There are a total of 99 possible endings to achieve based on the affinity you've built up with characters by the end, though you only need 15 to get the trophy for it, and it's fairly easy to just restart, use items to build up affinity with a different character and finish the final boss again to get new ones.  There are also trophies tied to getting each and every recruitable character, though, and some characters are only recruitable if you choose to begin as Claude or Rena, so you will still need to do at least two playthroughs.  Finally, my personal favorite new addition is a fishing minigame.  Yes, you can indeed fish at just about any body of water on the overworld, and even trade in fish for various unique rewards with an NPC named Lure.  Plenty of fun.

So, with all that said, Star Ocean: the Second Story R is an excellent update of a flawed PS1 title, upgrading pretty much every element I disliked about the original while keeping everything good intact.  The story is still nothing special (and the dialog pretty moronic a lot of the time), so don't come in expecting intelligent science fiction or any particularly deep characterizations. But there's no shortage of elaborate mechanics, challenging battles and intricacies to discover, and the quick pacing of the gameplay and strong soundtrack make it a fun journey to undertake.  Gemdrops did a fantastic job updating the game, and I wouldn't mind seeing them remaster some other forgotten games under the Square Enix umbrella.  Like say... Bahamut Lagoon or Treasure of the Rudras?

 

Developer: Gemdrops, Tri-Ace

Publisher: Square Enix

Released: 2023

Platforms: Playstation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Switch

Recommended Version:  I have only played the PS5 version but they all seem to play pretty much identically.

NetHack

One of the most famous names in roguelikes and one of the longest continually-developed games of all time, NetHack is a legendary title in many ways; not least of which is its unflinching difficulty level.  But does this minimally-presented adventure still hold merit today, or is there little reason to visit it now with the surge in other well-known, fiendishly-tough dungeon crawls?

Arguably the most enduring RPG of all time, NetHack debuted in 1987 and is still under active development today, continuing to get bugfixes and new features with each patch that comes out.  A fork of an early game simply titled "Hack" that was a clone of genre-definer Rogue, Nethack features similar, yet much deeper gameplay.  You make your way through a 50-floor dungeon seeking an artifact in the name of your god, hoping to escape the dungeon with it and achieve transcendence.  But of course while you can make anything sound easy, getting the task done is a pretty monumental achievement; so much so that people who have played hundreds or thousands of rounds of NetHack can count their victories in single digits.  Even being able to call upon divine intervention from your god only gets you so far; it's something best saved for when you're in a very dire spot, as calling them too frequently or frivolously will anger them and possibly bring down their wrath upon you.

Yes, NetHack is legendary for its extreme difficulty.  In addition to cursed and unidentified items to deal with, you also have to manage your character's hunger; get hungry and you start fainting, which puts you in extreme danger; go too long without any sustenance and you die.  You start with a few rations and can occasionally find more, but for the most part you're reliant on eating slain enemies.  Only specific ones, though - eating critters like rats or bats will poison you, while undead can cause food poisoning, which is almost always fatal.  Partaking of cannibalism or eating cats or dogs will likewise aggravate all monsters in the game, making you an easier target.  The flipside is that some critters will also grant you resistances or temporary benefits like invisibility, but the only way to know is to experiment (and die a lot) or look up a spoiler list online.  Meat also spoils fairly quickly unless you store it in tins, so it's not something you can easily hoard in large quantities either.

That's just one aspect of the game's difficulty, too.  There's plenty of traps waiting to snare you, dump you to lower levels or poison you and no shortage of monsters with nasty tricks to inflict on you, like being poisoned or paralyzed or cockatrices turning you to stone or werebeasts infecting you with lycanthropy, causing you to uncontrollably morph into one of them; all of which will severely hamper you or bring your run to a quick end if you're unprepared for them.  Similarly, going around equipping items willy-nilly is a very quick way to screw yourself.  Find a nice weapon or piece of gear that seems too good to be true for the stage you're at?  Yeah, get that guy identified before you even think of putting it on.  Oh, and be sure to carry backups, because metal equipment rusts and falls apart when exposed to acid, water and other hazards.

Something else Rogue didn't really have was character classes - you just started up the game and went for it.  This is definitely not the case in NetHack - you get to pick your gender, your alignment, and, based on those, one of thirteen different classes.  Some fit into the usual Dungeons and Dragons inspired archetypes like the Knight, Priest, Monk, Rogue, Wizard and Barbarian, while others are a bit more silly.  Cavemen, for example, are not penalized for cannibalism or eating tripe rations, but have relatively weak weapon and armor options.  Archaeologists are very clearly modeled on Indiana Jones, starting with a bullwhip, leather jacket and fedora and a few convenient items.  Tourists can be considered the "joke" class of the game, as they generally have a lot of money to start but very lackluster equipment and low stats, plus shopkeepers charge them more and give them less money when they sell items.  Each class has very distinct capabilities and strategies to employ as the game progresses, so learning their quirks, advantages and disadvantages is key to success; or at least, not dying so quickly.

Each class is optionally accompanied by a starting pet ally; some (like the paladin's steed) can be ridden, while others have useful traits like detecting traps or helping you find cursed items.  They also fight alongside you and require food to stay alive, and can even change into new forms if they live long enough to gain experience.  Monsters of all sorts in the dungeon can also be tamed, charmed and controlled, which goes a surprisingly long way in keeping you alive - after all, enemies attacking them aren't attacking you.

Another thing you can turn to your advantage are shops, where you can of course sell various items, identify things and buy others to give yourself an edge.  It may also be the first roguelike with the badass shopkeeper trope - if you anger the shopkeeper by attempting to steal things, damage his goods or outright attack him, he'll go hostile, wielding his arsenal of items with lethal force (including wands that cast Death and other nasty things), or summon an enormous horde of Keystone Kops to attack you.

I've only covered some of the basic elements of NetHack's gameplay in this review, but it serves to highlight my point: there are hundreds of variables and endless possible permutations thereof, and figuring out how to deal with them is mostly down to trial-and-error and learning to utilize subtle clues, with one slip-up putting you at serious risk of death.  But that's also the game's strongest trait.  Nethack's dense and addictive design, solid sense of humor and endless replayability gave it strong appeal in 1987, and its ongoing development ensures it will continue to do so for years to come.  It may not have top-notch voice acting, movie-like cutscenes, achievements, epic music, amazing sound design or even graphics (unless you install and enable tilesets), but it's got tons of depth and timeless design, and that's enough to give it a fanbase that's endured for nearly 40 years.

 

Developer: The NetHack DevTeam
Publisher: The NetHack DevTeam
Released: 1987+
Platforms: PC, Linux, Mac OS X, Windows CE, OS/2, Unix, BeOS, VMS, Haiku

Recommended version: They're all based on the same source code so they all play pretty much identically at their core.  I'm personally most fond of the MS-DOS build since I can run it in DOSBox on virtually anything.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Continuing the Castlevania franchise's very successful outing on portable platforms, Portrait of Ruin once again serves as a direct followup to an earlier game in the franchise - in this case, the Sega Genesis outing Castlevania: Bloodlines.  But does its new two-character gameplay and a heightened focus on puzzles and sidequests add to the experience, or does the Portrait get ruined by its own ambitions?

The "Metroidvania" style Castlevania games were of course quite popular on the GBA, so when Nintendo's new handheld system rolled around it wasn't long before they began to appear on that platform too.  The first, Dawn of Sorrow, was a direct sequel to Aria of Sorrow, utilizing similar gameplay with a couple new features mapped to the face buttons (being able to swap between two soul and equipment sets on the fly being the notable one) and some touchscreen gimmicks added; most annoyingly requiring you to quickly draw out a seal on the bottom screen or the bosses would regenerate a big chunk of health and continue the fight - a pretty annoying thing when the battles were already pretty difficult to begin with and fumbling with a stylus while focusing on dodging and attacking got to be pretty frustrating.

Portrait of Ruin thankfully largely exhumes the touch screen gimmicks (only utilizing them in a couple of bonus game modes) and instead builds on the idea of having multiple movesets, though this time it's in the form of two separate characters to control.  Jonathan is the more archetypal Castlevania protagonist, utilizing various melee weapons and sub-weapons like throwing daggers, axes and boomerangs (as well as temporary stat-boosting "stances"), while Charlotte is more of a mage-type character, with a weaker primary attack and generally lower physical stats, but with the ability to cast spells that can really lay on the damage (and be charged up for greater effect).  Not all of her spells are offensive, though - some can also heal, cure status effects, buff your characters' stats temporarily or even morph them into different forms.  Both characters share experience levels and the same health and magic meters, but have separate stats and equipment pages, with many items usable by one character but not the other.  Jonathan's subweapons gain SP when enemies are defeated with them, getting a power upgrade when you earn enough points.  These can be a bit grindy if you want full completion, but most players can get by just picking one or two that they like and focusing on using those.  Ironically I found the Shuriken to be one of the most useful sub-weapons despite it being among the quickest to master.

As in some earlier Castlevania titles, you can swap between Jonathan and Charlotte on the fly by pressing the X button, letting you adapt your strategies to traverse certain obstacles or deal with enemies a particular character is more suited to.  However, Portrait of Ruin expands on the concept by giving you a variety of ways to utilize both characters in tandem.  You can call out your partner briefly for one quick attack with the R button, or press A to have both characters active at once - generally to solve various puzzles by having them do things like stand in one spot to activate a switch, help push a heavy object or jump off their shoulders to reach a high ledge.  Pressing Up + A also does a team-up attack that generally drains a large chunk of your magic gauge and roots you to the spot while it's active, but can deal heavy damage when timed well.  While both characters are out only the one you're actively controlling takes damage, though if the other is hit they'll deplete some of your magic gauge instead; if the magic gauge hits 0 they'll be stunned for several seconds, locking you out of any ability to swap out or use any special or team-up moves until they recover.

Shops return once more so you can buy new equipment or potions for the boss battles, but new to this game are sidequests.  These are given to you throughout the game by the "Wind", and are rather bizarrely referred to in the menu as "studies" (and the act of working toward completing one is "studying").  Most of these are optional (you must do the first one to progress as it unlocks a key move), but they are are worth doing because they earn you powerful equipment, items or new skills.

Something else relatively new to the series is that there are multiple areas to explore now; not just one huge map.  Portraits serve as portals to sub-areas, giving the game a wider variety of locales than just "another big labyrinthine castle".  There's nine of them in total, ranging from a twisted circus to an Egyptian pyramid to a medieval village with numerous houses and shops.  Something slightly confusing is that rather than giving each map its own completion percentage, it simply accumulates them all together on the menu; so by the time I was most of the way through my first Portrait the completion counter was over 100% and kept going up as I continued in the game.  It tops out at 1000 once you've explored all ten maps, though you'll have to return to some areas to get items that aren't accessible the first time through, so backtracking is a definite requirement if you want full completion.

Portrait of Ruin is a game I didn't really pay much mind when it released, but giving it another shot on the Dominus collection made me realize I was missing out on something great.  It's a solidly designed game, and unlike Dawn of Sorrow, the new gimmick actually complements the gameplay quite well - swapping between two characters and tactically teaming up to take down foes and get past obstacles is surprisingly fun and intuitive.  The series of course maintains its usual high standards for visuals and music too, with the dark yet fun atmosphere of Castlevania fully represented even in the strange new locales you visit.  Even the voicework is surprisingly good, and of high quality for the DS.  Koji Igarashi strikes gold once again.

 

Developer: Konami

Publisher: Konami

Released: 2006

Platforms: Nintendo DS.  Also rereleased as part of the Castlevania Dominus Collection for PS4, XBox Series, PC and Switch.

Recommended Version:  The Dominus Collection port is an emulation of the DS game, with right-stick (or touchpad) emulation for the touch screen features.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

The first in the Zelda franchise's nearly 40-year history to put the title character in the leading role, Echoes of Wisdom is also seemingly an attempt to reconcile the newer, more immersive style of Zelda with the classic dungeon crawling format that made it a hit to begin with.  But does it strike a solid balance between old and new, or is this a surprisingly unwise outing?

Breath of the Wild (and its followup, Tears of the Kingdom) were of course highly successful and well-reviewed games, but to many long-time Zelda fans they felt like a departure, stepping away from the tightly designed puzzles, gadgets and dungeon-oriented design in favor of something open world and based more on emergent design.  I can certainly understand that - I found Breath of the Wild a bit underwhelming myself - but Nintendo proved they weren't abandoning the old format entirely with a remaster of Skyward Sword and a full-3D remake of Link's Awakening.

Echoes of Wisdom is a game that utilizes a very similar visual style to the Link's Awakening remake, though it's made clear pretty quickly that it's not a full return to form - while you do play the intro as Link, utilizing a very familiar arsenal of weapons and moves, the game quickly shifts to you controlling Zelda and the gameplay changes up dramatically.  The main gimmick this time is utilizing the Tri Rod to create "echoes" - by scanning objects or the icons left behind by defeated enemies, you earn the ability to make duplicates of them.  Each object has slightly differing properties to utilize, while enemies behave much like their normal counterparts; just that they target and harm other enemies instead of you.  As you move through the game and complete dungeons, you also unlock new abilities.  One is that Tri allows you to pick up and move objects as though they were weightless (much like the Ultrahand ability in TotK), while completing dungeons earns you upgrades, like being able to have more active Echoes at the same time or create them at further distances, opening up new avenues to explore and overcome obstacles.

The central gimmick is certainly a clever one, and being able to improvise with the tools you're given to solve various problems makes the gameplay quite fun and rewarding.  That said, I think they made a mistake by making one of the first powers you get a limited time transformation to essentially just become Link again.  You even start out with his sword and unlock his bow, hookshot and bombs as the game progresses, like they were afraid to stray too far from the old staples despite the game ostsensibly starring a new character with a very different gameplay centerpiece.  Granted it doesn't completely upend Zelda's gameplay - it runs off a fairly short timer and you still need to use Zelda's toolset to expose boss weak points - but it feels like a bit of a copout that Zelda's first adventure still basically has you play as Link.  I found the game most enjoyable when I used the Link morph only when it was absolutely necessary to and just stuck to improvising clever solutions with echoes whenever I could; it gives the game a charm similar to doing a swordless run of 1986 Legend of Zelda.

While the game does return to a linear style of storytelling and progression by requiring you to complete dungeons in order to progress to new areas, some trappings of the open world style Zeldas remain in Echoes.  One is that there are many optional areas to explore and side-missions given to you by NPCs, which often have useful rewards.  BotW's cooking system returns in a more limited format - rather than being able to cobble together almost anything into a potion or a meal, you now combine two ingredients to create "smoothies" with various effects like elemental resistance, temporary damage reduction or restoring some of your energy.  Outfits also return in a more limited format, divided into Clothing and Accessories that grant various beneficial effects or are just cosmetic.

As in the Link's Awakening remake, performance does gets a little choppy in places (particularly when there's a lot of water effects) but I never found it severe enough to hamper the experience; a constant framerate is certainly necessary for games like fighters or racing games that require frame-perfect inputs, but in a leisurely, slower paced adventure like Zelda it's not a serious hindrance.  Something the game could have used is a Favorites list for your Echoes; having to scroll through a single-file list that runs dozens deep gets pretty tedious, and the various sorting options you're given only alleviate it to a point.  Being able to set a few Favorites in designated slots at the top of the list (or a separate list entirely) would have helped quite a bit.

So, is Echoes of Wisdom a return to the classic style of Zelda?  Yes and no.  It certainly returns to the more linear, puzzle-oriented format of the classics, but the core gameplay is more of a hybrid, taking the emergent approach to puzzle design from BotW/TotK and downplaying direct combat in favor of finding creative ways to outwit and defeat foes.  So if you like to make your own fun but want a more straightforward approach to dungeon puzzles and storytelling while you do it, Echoes of Wisdom is one you'll probably want to pick up.

 

Developer: Nintendo EPD, Grezzo

Publisher: Nintendo

Released: 2024

Platforms: Switch

Recommended Version: N/A

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

A spiritual successor to Suikoden by series creator Yoshitaka Murayama, who tragically passed away only a couple months before the game's release.  But does Eiyuden Chronicle prove to be a worthy successor to a cult classic franchise, or does Murayama's final project simply fall short?

Hyped up years before its launch by Suikoden Fans owing to a Kickstarter campaign and a general lament over a lack of good "old school" RPGs, Eiyuden Chronicle certainly built up a fair bit of hype during its lengthy development.  Launched four years after the Kickstarter's successful completion (and about a year after a short prequel game), it certainly seemed to be a successor to Suikoden in just about every way possible, for both good and ill.

Indeed, the Suikoden influence is unmistakable, with numerous elements copied straight over from those games.  You have a six-person team active as you explore, with three in the front row, three in the back, and optionally one providing a support ability.  Some larger and more powerful characters also take up two slots (a front and back row space) rather than one.   Characters gain levels after earning 1000 Experience points, with lower-leveled characters catching up much faster as XP gained is divided by their current level.  Combat is once again turn-based, with each character able to use runic abilities and spells and "Hero Combos", which function similarly to Suikoden's Unite Attacks, with both/all characters involved spending SP to perform a powerful combo.  Characters still upgrade their weapons at blacksmiths rather than replacing them with new equipment, though armor and accessories are still found and/or purchased.

Things do change up in some other ways.  Runes return, though in a slightly different form - each character now has up to eight slots which can fit different types of runes - from stat boosters to spells to special abilities, restricted by a "rarity" ranking from one to four, with more unlocking as characters gains levels.  However, some rune slots have fixed runes (usually special moves) that cannot be reassigned.  Spells run off a more traditional MP system rather than having different tiers with limited casts per tier, and MP can accordingly be restored with potions purchased in shops.  Special moves, on the other hand, are fueled by "SP", which recharges each turn in battle.  Some characters also benefit simply by having stocks of SP on hand - for example, Mio's attack damage increases by 2% for each SP stocked.  Items no longer have to be equipped to character inventory slots to be used in battle - anyone can use them from the bag, though they're still broken up into predetermined stack sizes that depend on the item type and bag space is limited.  

Shields are an interesting new mechanic.  They're armor pieces mostly equipped by front-line characters, but don't just boost defense - they actually provide "armor" that reduces damage, and once they 'break' by taking damage, they're gone for the rest of the battle.  Blunt attacks seem to damage this armor more, while magic attacks ignore it entirely.  It's used quite often by bosses as well, so having a character or two in any given party that can weaken armor is a good idea.  Another unique strategic element is that rather than giving each character a generic "Defend" command to reduce damage, some characters' have different effects - some will boost their own evasion or even attempt to parry and counter an enemy's attack.

Another unique twist to many battles is the Gimmick command.  Mostly appearing in boss fights, these operate somewhat like the combat gimmicks in Final Fantasy X's boss battles, allowing you to gain an advantage over the boss or avoid some of their more dangerous attacks.  A couple examples include having characters take cover behind rubble to avoid a dangerous beam attack, or activating one of two spellbooks to summon a giant hammer to stun a sandworm boss.  The Gimmick command can also show up in certain random encounters in the form of Battle Chests - sometimes there will be a chest in the background of a fight, and you must use the command to retrieve it before all of the enemies are defeated.  This is only way to get some items (and full completion for the trophy).  Thankfully none seem to be permanently missable, but getting a specific enemy formation with the chest to appear is entirely up to chance and can be pretty annoying at times.

The old Suikoden war epic gameplay staples show up again too, with large-scale, grid-based war battles and duels.  War battles operate in an interesting way - you and your opponent choose all of your moves at the top of each turn and then all of your units move at the same time, so it's not always easy to outmaneuver your foes.  As with the old Suikodens they're mostly vehicles for storytelling rather than being very in-depth, but it is pretty cool to see so many autonomous sprites onscreen duking it out all at once; something that the PS1's limited capabilities wouldn't be able to do.  Duels work similarly to the rock-paper-scissors clashes of the old games, with you trying to guess your opponent's moves based on what they say, though it's more cinematic in nature - once you succesfully attack or counter enough times, you choose to "Break", which moves the storytelling within the scene to a new stage and changes up the dialog.  It takes a bit of getting used to, but is an interesting new spin on it.  Building up your castle town is now a more in-depth process too - rather than simply recruiting people and watching your castle grow on its own, you take a more active role by collecting resources in the field and spending them on various amenities and shops.  Some can't be built until you recruit specific characters, while others serve a more utilitarian purpose, slowly generating more resources for future building projects.  It reminds me a bit of Ni no Kuni II's town building mechanic, though not quite as in-depth as that game's was.

Eiyuden Chronicle clearly isn't the biggest-budget game around, but they still managed to make it look and sound very good given what they had to work with.  The game utilizes some gorgeous 2D-animated characters on imaginative and gorgeous full-3D backdrops, and it all looks good (and period-authentic) enough to put Square Enix's tacky "HD-2D" graphics to shame, highlighting some beautiful spritework and 3D animation alike, particularly in the large-scale boss fights.  However, I'm not terribly fond of the simulated "camera focus", which blurs out objects in view when they're not in close proximity to your character.  The voiceover shows quite a bit of quality too, with every dialog scene and character having voice talent behind them; even nonessential characters in your party get the odd voiced line here and there, which avoids a common pitfall of a lot of other large-party RPGs.

So, fans of '90s style RPGs have quite a lot to like in Eiyuden Chronicle, but like I said at the top, it does carry over a few less-savory elements from that time period as well.  The camera in the game can be a bit annoying in places, as it's a fixed view in indoor areas but fully rotatable on the world map, and it doesn't always point north by default, so until I figured that out I was getting disoriented pretty easily trying to reach new destinations.  The fixed camera can block your view of certain pathways and hidden treasures in some cases, and while there is a handy minimap to show you inobvious paths, some hidden ones aren't always shown on it, so you'll have to pay careful attention to both views if you want to fully explore each area.  There are also several instances of annoying railroading - I often found myself wanting to go back and get a character or just explore, but the game would insists I go to do the next quest first.  It's also a good ways into the game before fast travel becomes available too, so if you're not extremely diligent in exploring each area it might be a good while before you get another chance to.  A small handful of characters are also reportedly permanently missable, which is always frustrating in a 50+ hour RPG.  Random encounters are still very much a thing too, and while the rate you get battles is pretty decent for the most part, it can still be irritating at times; particularly when you're seeking out a particular enemy group to try and get a Battle Chest or trying to solve a large-scale dungeon puzzle.  There are also side missions aplenty, some with annoying random requirements (like getting a rare drop from a specific enemy) as well as minigames - a collectible card game that plays somewhat like Caravan from Fallout: New Vegas (introduced by a character who looks and sounds a fair bit like Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh, no less) and a Beyblade-esque minigame about battling tops, which mostly seems to boil down to counter-picking your opponent through trial and error (or using a guide).  You'll be seeing quite a bit of both if you want full completion, so be ready for that.  At times it's not always clear exactly what you're supposed to do next either, even with a quest marker system in place; I had to read a walkthrough a couple of times to hit the next plot beat.  And of course there are a fair number of well-hidden sidequests and obscure items to track down to complete many of the game's side-objectives, so all in all I'd recommend having a guide handy.

All told, Eiyuden Chronicle delivers what it promises - a spiritual followup to Suikoden with all the trappings of a late '90s/early 00's RPG.  It has a runtime of about 50 hours (substantially more if you want full completion, a great deal more if you try to grind out all the grindy trophies), a large world to explore, over 100 characters to recruit, and a story that's one part war epic and several parts anime-styled silliness, all built around turn-based battles, random encounters and equipment management.  It's about as authentic an experience as you can get considering it was made by someone who was made three acclaimed RPGs in that time period; it's just a shame it ended up being Murayama's final game and that he never got to see it get a proper release.  He reportedly had a script for a sequel planned out though, so if it sells well enough we might just see an Eiyuden Chronicle 2.  If not, though, it was at least nice to see one last game from the franchise's creator carry on the Suikoden format, even if it had to happen without the name attached.

 

Developer: Rabbit & Bear Studios

Publisher: 505 Games

Released: 2024

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, XBox One, XBox Series, PC, Switch

Recommended Version: Avoid the Switch version, at least for now; there are numerous reports of bugs and poor performance, though the developers have said they are planning a patch to address them.  All the other versions seem to be fine.