Des Miller
Stellar Blade excels in its gameplay, breathtaking visuals, and unforgettable soundtrack yet delivers a disappointing story with too little character development.
Despite being a mobile gacha, Atelier Resleriana is a solid entry in the Atelier series with flashy visuals, a darling cast, gorgeous soundtrack, and simplistic yet fun combat.
Rhapsody III is a serviceable entry that manages to maintain its humor, whimsy, and charm while experimenting with a few new ideas with varying degrees of success.
Crymachina serves as a visually striking and thematically intriguing action RPG that is dripping with style yet feels a bit too small for the story it wants to tell.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a fantastic, gorgeous, and extremely fun over-the-top action RPG that raises the genre standards.
An adorable, hilarious, and charming little gem of a game that punches above its weight in nearly every regard.
With a great story, rewarding combat, and endearing characters, Fate/Samurai Remnant proves there is still room for single-player story-focused RPGs in a world where mobile gacha games dominate the market.
Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess is a vastly improved sequel that is full of fun, charm, and whimsy while offering a much-needed challenge with its fresh take on a familiar battle system.
A charming art style, modern UI, and many quality of life improvements make this the best way to experience the origin of the Atelier series.
Ib is an indie horror adventure darling that still holds up over a decade later thanks to its beautiful and unsettling aesthetic, unique world design, and breezy yet engaging puzzles.
With fantastic art, beautiful music, and a wildly experimental concept, LIVE A LIVE is a wonderful remake that feels like taking a time machine back to the golden era of RPGs.
A fun and charming monster collecting game with an eye-catching aesthetic and wonderful soundtrack that is dripping with style and personality.
Atelier Ryza 3 feels like a generational leap due to the expanded world, refined battle mechanics, intensive alchemy system, and overall scope and direction.
La Pucelle: Ragnarok offers plenty of tactical depth and whimsical charm while serving as a great look back at Nippon Ichi Software's history before Disgaea.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a return to greatness thanks to a new and exciting spin on the action RPG combat the series is known for, the endearing dual protagonists, and a solid story that manages to dodge the pitfalls of its predecessors.
An overall impressive port of one of the best games in the medium.
While Lost Epic doesn't fully execute on its ambitious ideas, it's still an enjoyable ride.
Valkyrie Elysium's character action combat and usage of Valkyrie series themes and elements make it an above-average action RPG, but it sometimes lacks ambition.
Atelier Ayesha DX is by far the best version of the game to date and a perfect place for newcomers to start.
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is a charming and fun little game that looks and sounds great but lacks any challenge or mechanical depth whatsoever.