Final Fantasy XVI was Almost My Perfect Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy XVI almost gets it completely right. It continues the franchise’s recent trend of action gameplay and moving further away from its turn based roots. The developers have chosen to make Final Fantasy XVI more in line with other AAA third person affairs in hopes of finding a larger fanbase. It largely succeeds at that but not without making some pretty major missteps.

A tale of Fire

The plot of Final Fantasy XVI is a dark and twisted tale of the world of Valisthea. You take on the role of Clive Rosfield, crown prince to the kingdom of Rosairia. His brother, Joshua, is the Dominant of Phoenix. In this world the summons we’re familiar with from the franchise dwell in certain individuals and they are their respective country’s nukes, so to speak. Because Clive can use magic without being a Dominant, he is what is called a bearer. Bearers are treated as if they are less than human, the same mutants are treated in the X-Men.

In the prologue, Rosairia is attacked by one of the neighboring nations and we see Clive’s father killed and his country left in ruin. From there, Clive is branded so that the rest of the world can see that he is a bearer.

The story takes some interesting turns, with some side quests touching on subject matters you wouldn’t expect. The cast that you meet during this epic journey is filled with so much personality and character. There were moments where I legit would have to hold back tears. I had gotten to know these people for over 80 hours and I felt both their pains and their joys.

Now, the story wouldn’t have as much impact if it wasn’t for the strong presentation. I’m talking about the visuals, the performances, and the music. Creative Business Unit III, the division of Square ENIX that does FFXIV, put their all in making sure this tale would be an unforgettable one. If you any love for anime at all, you’ll feel right at home. The marketing before release was touting inspiration from western fantasy juggernauts. Unfortunately, that’s not my thing. Fortunately for me, however, it was a very Japanese take on those influences. That means big over the top fights and melodrama galore.

Since the driving force of the story is titanic beasts, you have to expect some epic stuff happening. There are moments that felt ripped right out of my favorite shonen manga. The story is even structured like one. The game is separated into multiple arcs each with its own story and villains. The various foes you face have their own reasons for doing the things they do. One look at the key art for Final Fantasy XVI will have you think that Clive is a brooding and emotionally distant character. That’s true actually but he’s not as social awkward as cloud was in Final Fantasy VII. He actually holds conversations with people, expresses emotions, and even smiles. The only major drawback, narrative-wise, is that FFXVI can be a bit too serious. Its not as narratively balanced as other games in the franchise.

No longer turn based

Final Fantasy XVI continues SQUARE ENIX’s trend of pushing the franchise into a more cinematic and action packed experience. And here is where FFXVI This game is a straight up action adventure game with light role playing elements. It has way more in common gameplay wise with Sony’s first party output than games in the franchise that came before. Combat is like a simplified version of Devil May Cry’s combat. I found the action gameplay fun in the beginning but it doesn’t really have enough depth to carry an 80 hour game. You get all of your basic combos at the start of the game and that’s it. Each Eikon has a set of moves you can equip but it’s only just two at time. During the endgame, I found myself avoiding combat because it just felt tedious.

Once you get deep into the combat, it becomes more about managing your cooldowns from your Eikonic abilities of different elements. So wind, fire, water, and so on. The elements don’t really play a role in combat so you can play with whatever you like. Since you’re not forced to use certain Eikons, you may find yourself with a load out early on that’s adequate at wiping out whole squads. The problem with that is it’s easy to fall into the rhythm that lead to my boredom of battles.

Is it Final Fantasy

Other players have been arguing if this game is RPG enough to call itself a mainline Final Fantasy. I would actually argue that the franchise doesn’t have the strongest mechanics in the genre. A lot of Final Fantasy titles have very basic role playing elements. That being said, however, Final Fantasy XVI is actually missing some of those elements.

One thing I feel like Final Fantasy has handled well since the beginning is party members. You know, your traveling companions who help you throughout your journey. Except here, you have no options over them except your faithful hound, Torgal. There’s no finding cool armor or spells for them. My favorite thing to do in Final Fantasy endgames is to hunt for everyone’s ultimate weapons. Unfortunately, you can’t do that here because you can’t change your party members’ gear.

Also, there’s crafting because what’s a AAA RPG without crafting, right? Again, since everything revolves around Clive, it doesn’t really matter too much. You craft swords or accessories that add slight advantages in battle. Every treasure chest you open contains some kind of crafting materials and because I didn’t interact with it, I finished the game with a ton of materials that I never ended up using.

Final Recommendation

Is this my favorite Final Fantasy? It could’ve been but no. There are so many nitpicks with design choices they made that prevent that for me. I don’t even mind that they hued close to Sony’s first party way of designing games. For me personally, I just wish there was more there to add variety to my eighty hours of gameplay. Fun minigames, dungeon puzzles, something to give me more to do in the game besides just mashing the square button.

The other question is would I recommend Final Fantasy XVI and the answer is yes. It’s a great game if you can accept it for what it is. There are pacing issues after the halfway mark, for sure. Im talking a full on Naruto style filler arc in the middle of the main story arc. But if you can forgive it for that and the things I mentioned, you’ll be treated with one of the best scores this year, epic boss fights, and a gut wrenching story. What more could you want from a video game?

Final Fantasy XVI is available exclusively on PS5.

God of War: Ragnorak is amazing but…

God of War: Ragnorak is a remarkable video game. Honestly, it has everything that I want in a video game. It’s just not enough for me, personally. I feel as though it doesn’t push the formula of 2018 enough. And in doing so, I feel less impressed with it. That’s not to say Sony Santa Monica didn’t do a great job with it. They absolutely did. In fact, I think Ragnorak is a better game than the 2018 iteration. However, in some ways it still feels way too familiar for its own good.

Presentation

Hands down, God of War: Ragnorak is one of the most beautiful and stunning looking games ever, full stop. I mean that from a technical level and an artistic one. The character models are gorgeous and the world they inhabit is breathtaking. One of the reasons why I love these linear, single player games is because they can design these worlds in very specific ways that encourage you to explore them. Every time I entered a realm, I was like, “Man, I can’t wait to see what’s around that corner.” The worlds feel some alive and full of history and lore. There’s a reason why a tree is placed where it is or snow is covering this ledge so you have to find another way. It’s just so natural.

Speaking of natural, the Sony Santa Monica brought these characters to life is really natural. These characters just look so life like, especially in the cutscenes. All of the programmers, writers, cast, and crew who worked to bring the life had a lot of love for this project. It absolutely shows. There’s so much subtlety that conveys more than a character simply telling you how they feel. You can see it in their faces or hear it in the voices. Their mannerisms helped to sell the emotion the story. Also, special shoutout to the music from Bear McCreary. While not one of my favorite video game scores, it did the job. Anytime the music ramped up during combat, I would instantly feel like a badass warrior god.

It’s More God of War! Plus More!

If you played God of War (2018), you know what to expect in turns of gameplay. The pacing of combat is generally the same, and a lot Kratos’ move list returns as well. Unlike the first game, in Ragnorak, you start off with both the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe from the very beginning. You’ll face off against the various monsters stand in your way of preventing Ragnorak. If you just finished a recent playthrough of the original Norse adventure, then it’ll just feel like you’re picking up right where you left off. It isn’t until you make it late in the game that a new weapon reveals itself. You’ll see the gold markings in the different realms but you won’t be able to interact with them. I feel that the new weapon is a good representation of Kratos’ heritage and his role in the conflict against Odin.

Where this game changes things up is the sheer variety in the enemies that you slay. Much was said about God of War (2018) and the lack of boss fights. Here, Sony Santa Monica went all out and through an incredible amount of boss fights your way. You’ll battle Norse gods, dragons, Valkyries, and so much more. I was amazed by how different these fights could be. The story boss fights were the standouts for me. They felt like huge moments you would normally see in blockbuster movies. It’s these moments that I feel the music score really ramps up.

The Adventure

My favorite part of playing God of War: Ragnorak wasn’t the combat or the story. It was actually just simply exploring the different realms. To me, it feels like the level design is many times better here than it is in the prequel. At first its just snow covered lands, then you’re quickly whisked to a different land. There’s just so much to see and do. Each side quest you complete adds to the overall narrative of the game. Going off the beaten path may lead to a character finally finding the closure they didn’t know they needed.

Another of my favorite additions to this game is companions. I play a lot of role playing games and my favorite elements of the general is dungeon crawling and the party members. While your main companions are Atreus and another character who I will not spoil, you still will get access to others. Some times you’ll go on adventures with Sindri or Brok or maybe even a sentient sword. There are even other companions who you don’t have any control over whatsoever, but its so nice to have them there. This is honestly an element I feel Sony in general has pretty much nailed.

What I Didn’t Like

So partway through the game you finally given control of Atreus. Now, get me wrong, I liked playing as him and he had a pretty cool move set. I just feel like his sections kind of ran too long for my liking. Especially, since my favorite part of the game was exploring the different regions. Because he couldn’t be upgraded too much, Atreus’ treasure chests never had any cool loot that got me excited. All of his skills were pretty basic as well so grinding skill points for him also felt kind of pointless to me. Each time I played as him, I felt myself going through the motions waiting to get back to Kratos.

Speaking of Kratos, I don’t feel like they changed up his gameplay enough. In the older games, Kratos had a wide array of magic tools in his arsenal. Here its three main weapons and two of them play similar to how the played just one game prior. I also feel as you do more of the side content, combat against multiple enemies kind of falls apart. I found it difficult to have Kratos aim for one particular enemy and then switch focus to another. It almost felt like I was fighting with the aiming system in some of the more difficult encounters.

My Final Thoughts

God of War: Ragnorak is a must play for sure. If you’ve ever enjoyed an action adventure game from any of Sony’s first party studios then you owe it to yourself to pick it up. Many will argue if its better or worse than its 2018 prequel but to me none of that matters. Both are great games that together make up one of gaming’s best video game sagas of all time.

God of War: Ragnorak is available on both PS4 and PS5.

The DioField Chronicle Review

The DioField Chronicle is an interesting game. It sits in a genre Square Enix rarely plays with and its not part of any of the company’s existing franchises. In the middle of what some could say the company’s strongest years, it could represent the future of Square Enix. A company looking to embrace its former identity as a home for experimental rpgs when it was split between SquareSoft and Enix Corporation. If that’s the case, I happily welcome that future. The DioField Chronicle proves the company can do more than just Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.

The DioField Chronicle is developed by Lancarse, developers of one of my favorite games of the year, Monark. Like Monark, its a strategy role playing game but instead of taking turns, the combat is in real time. It doesn’t really share much in common with most other real time strategy games though. Where more traditional games in the genre feature a heavy emphasis on resource management, DioField is clearly sticking to its JRPG roots.

Presentation

I’ll be honest: I don’t think the presentation of The DioField Chronicle is that great. While I love the designs of all the characters, I feel as though the 3d models don’t capture the style all that well. Most pivotal story moments are conveyed through walls of text rather than actually showing them. Its pretty evident that this game was made on a budget. There are some moments with actual cutscenes and I find those to be pretty good. They’re just far and few between.

The music is pretty standard fantasy fare. None of the tracks are offensive but they also aren’t memorable either. The voice acting is the strongest thing presentation wise DioField has going for it. I found the voice cast to be well casted and likeable. The only annoying thing is that soldiers on the battlefield tend to yell the same generic death cry over and over again.

Story

Before playing, I heard a lot of reviews mentioning how predictable the story for this game is but I have to respectfully disagree. You’ll be put in control of Andrias, leader of the Blue Foxes. The Blue Foxes save a duke and are then thrown into a political war for the island of DioField. Every character has their own plots and schemes that they’re working towards and sometimes it leads to conflicts withing the group. Some of these characters dream of democracy, others are trying to make a bid for the throne. The story really kept me at the edge of my seat as party members came and left the group.

Gameplay

The DioField Chronicle decided to set itself apart by being a real time strategy rpg. Unlike other games in the genre, you only have control over four units at one time. Each party member can fall into four different class types which can also be differentiated by what weapon they use. You can upgrade each class types special skills using skill points. Skills play a huge part in the combat much like a traditional jrpg. My only gripe with the skills is that there are only a handful of skills and since they’re shared between classes it makes the individual units less special.

During battle its important you keep track of your four units and what they’re doing at all times. There are times when I would have two units focused on one set of enemies while the other two are getting attacked by another group of enemies. I played on the normal difficulty and I found it fair for the most part. If ever things got too difficult, I just replayed older missions to level my characters up more. There’s a recommended level for each mission and I found leveling up my party a level or two above that made each mission more manageable.

Conclusion

The DioField Chronicle represents what we may expect from Square Enix following the sale of its western studios. While, I wish that the sale didn’t happen, I am happy that the company is willing to invest in new i.p. With more of a budget, I think the DioField Chronicle can grow into a strong franchise for them. Hopefully, this isn’t the last partnership we’ll see from them and Lancarse.

The DioField Chronicle is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox, and PC.

Sonic Frontiers is my Dream Game

Sonic Frontiers is great. It takes me back to a time where I was a Sonic fanatic. Archie was making comics, Sonic cartoons were all over the tv, and there was always a new game coming out. Now in 2022, we have a new cartoon coming, two Hollywood adaptations, IDW making comics, and of course, Sonic Frontiers.

Early preview coverage looked worrying, I must confess. The first preview video left me with a feeling of boredom. Watching the gameplay without context and without any of the story stuff inserted, it just felt empty to me. None of the personality of a Sonic game was present. Actually playing the game is a different story.

Flawed Execution

Look, I won’t sit here and lie and say Sonic Frontiers is perfect or a masterpiece. It’s far from it. But what Sonic Team has done is build a foundation for future games in the franchise. To me, this game feels like a further progression of Sonic Adventure’s adventure stages. It’s just now there’s actual adventuring you can do in the game. For the first time in a Sonic game, I can know the freedom this character is known for.

Like I said before, it’s not all good. On the third island, exploration becomes more of chore than it is fun. Multiple sections on this island will lock you into a 2D section, locking you out of the freedom of movement. It’s annoying that it keeps happening because sometimes you’ll see a collectible that you want to go for but the game fights with you to keep you away from it. Beyond that, the controls can just glitch out on you in the middle of a high speed section. You’ll be scaling up a wall and Sonic will suddenly stop and fall. These are issues that have been present since Sonic shifted to 3D. It’s disappointing to see this still be an issue.

Actual Combat

For the first time in the franchise, there’s actual combat. And not just using the homing attack on multiple enemies. That’s still there but we’ll get to that in a moment. In the “open-zone” sections of the game, you’ll encounter many different enemies. Sonic now has combos he can unleash, like a character action game. Sonic Frontiers is missing the depth that is associated with the genre but it’s more than what the franchise is known for.

In the games before, combat was often just using the homing attack to defeat enemies in your way. Sonic Team found a way to stop players and set up encounters in a way that feels natural. Because you’re exploring these huge spaces, you don’t feel like the battles get in the way of the game’s pacing. My only critique is that I hope future games add even more moves to Sonic’s repertoire.

Cyberspace

I’ll be honest, the “Boost Era” Sonic games weren’t really my jam. The only one I actually enjoyed was Sonic Unleashed. To me it just felt like riding a rollercoaster rather than playing an action game. We see a return to the “Boost” levels in the form of Cyberspace levels. They work pretty much like the paintings in Super Mario 64. You need a certain amount of currency to unlock them.

The Cyberspace levels are pretty short. You can finish most in under a minute. These serve as more of a change of pace instead the crux of Sonic Frontiers. Having them not be the main gameplay loop made it a lot easier for me appreciate and enjoy them.

Presentation

Presentation is probably the biggest mixed bag of this whole package. Graphically, this isn’t the best Sonic has looked, probably due to the open zone nature of the game. The environments you explore look good for the most part but not what you’d expect from a game that spent five years in development and released on PS5 and Xbox Series. The character models during cutscenes are a lot more stiff during cutscenes as well. I feel they were more expressive in Sonic Forces.

Sonic Frontiers also sees a change up in voice direction. The voice direction is a bit more grounded this time, I guess to match the somber story. Roger Craig Smith returns to the role of Sonic with a deeper voice than the one he’s used before. It throws you off the first time you hear it. Even Mike Pollock, who’s voiced Eggman for twenty years now, has pulled out a new rendition of Eggman. The new approach is a welcome one and helps signify the change in SEGA’s approach to the Sonic franchise.

Inarguably, the best part of Sonic Frontiers is definitely the music. Music has always been the franchise’s strong spot but here Sonic Team really capitalized on it. The music in the open zone is perfect to explore to with light piano tones that help you feel relaxed. The titan boss fights feature awesome vocal tracks that really get your blood pumping.

Conclusion

Sonic Frontiers isn’t a return to form for the franchise, instead it represents its potential future. A solid foundation that could finally help push one of gaming biggest mascots to becoming one of the greatest. Sonic Frontiers almost has it all for me: solid visuals, amazing music, engaging combat, and compelling level design. The only thing missing is a bit more polish and a little something special to push it further.

Babylon’s Fall: Where Did It Go Wrong?

Babylon’s Fall has got to be Platinum Games’ biggest failure. This was to be their biggest project. A Destiny styled action role playing game that fell flat on its face at release. The game did so poorly that Square Enix is pulling the plug on it eleven months after release. I spent a week obsessively playing the game so I can get the platinum trophy before its shuttered. Let’s take a little bit of time to go over what I think was its downfall and why it didn’t click with the market.

What I Liked

So, I spent a week playing this game so of course, in can’t be all bad. The thing that kept me coming back was exactly what I expected it to be: the combat. Platinum Games’ strong suit has always been combat. This game was directed by Kenji Saito who directed the criminally underrated Transformers: Devastation and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Both of those games have fantastic combat and that is carried over here. There are issues with it but I’ll talk about that later. Just know that the bones of the combat are solid.

You have control over four weapons at the same time just wailing on your enemies. And they can be different types of weapons, like a sword or a bow or even a hammer. It’s such a strange idea but they were able to find a way to make it work. Depending on how you equip the weapon, it can perform different functions.

I also really liked the music in this game. There are some pretty epic moments like the final boss fight that I really loved. This is another area Platinum usually always excels in. I also thought the voice actors did a commendable job bringing the cast to life.

What Didn’t I Like

Babylon’s Fall was never like this…

So what didn’t I like? Pretty much everything else. The live service nature of Babylon’s Fall is really what kills it. Everything in the game is a grind to get through. I said I enjoyed the combat above, but I didn’t start having fun with it until I grinded to be 10 power levels above the suggested level. Since this is a game as service all the enemies are balanced for groups of players. That means each enemy, no matter if its a boss or a grunt, is a damage sponge. This makes each encounter longer than it has to be. It also leads to groups of enemies with projectiles taking cheap shots while your back is turned. I guessing because the other players are suppose to be watching your back.

And speaking of grind, don’t get me started on the boss fights. Usually, in Platinum game, the boss fights are a highlight. You’re learning all these cool skills and now you’re about to be tested. Problem is since no one is playing this game you’ll mostly be taking them on by yourself. Even being 10 power levels above the suggested level doesn’t help with this because it’s meant to be a challenge for a group. When the whole game is already a challenge it just turns these fights into massive slogs. I didn’t even use skill to when these boss fights. I powered my way through.

There’s an epic showdown setup between you and a dragoon, which is something I always wanted in another Square Enix game besides Final Fantasy IV. In a single player game, I’d be ranting and raving about it especially since it was accompanied by great music. Instead, I just powered my way through it because it was meant to be played in a group.

Nitpicks

I don’t like the leveling system. You get experience and level up but that doesn’t really do anything meaningful. Platinum went with the Destiny approach to how you approach stats. Your gear has a bunch of smaller stats and has a power level associated with them. They don’t call it power level but I don’t remember the official nomenclature. It’s essentially Destiny 2’s Light levels. That’s how the game determine’s if you’re strong enough to face the mission you’ve selected. Like I said, I don’t like it. It’s too confusing.

Another thing Babylon’s Fall does that annoys me is the game structure. They went with a Monster Hunter approach where you’re in this small hub and you go to the mission board. There are a few options on the board like quick play or you can select your own missions to queue up. The quick play option rarely worked for me. It would normally crap out on me. If I wasn’t partied up with someone then I would just play alone.

And my biggest nitpick: Babylon’s Fall is just ugly. The paint smear asthetic they were going for just looks absolutely horrendous. The character models look cheap and the hair textures are horrible. How any publisher looked at this game and said let’s put it out the way it looks. Words cannot describe how ugly I think this game looks and I normally like the styles of both companies’ games.

Also, the cast is forgettable. And they don’t tell you what the combos are…

Final Thoughts

I actually liked to Babylon’s Fall but I’m sure I would’ve loved it as a single player experience. This also Square Enix’s second failed attempt at live service games. This is by far a worse failure with the game going away permanently while Marvel’s Avengers had a second campaign added and new characters showing up. However, the disappointing sales of both Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy lead to them shedding most of their western divisions. I’m interested in seeing what the outcome is of this latest debacle.

Recently, the heads of Platinum Games have spoken about the company needing to change in order to survive. I guess that means diving deeper and deeper into multiplayer experiences. This could possibly be why Scalebound got canceled as it may have proved too difficult for them. Platinum is in need of a hit. Not just an acclaimed game but a big hit that’s financially successful as well. They need another NieR Automata. I hope the company figures out what it’s next move is because they make some of my favorite games.

Just for both their sakes, I hope they don’t put out another stinker like this one. Yeesh.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu No Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles Review

The Hinokami Chronicles is one of the best video game adaptations of an anime. There, I said it. A retelling of the first season and the Mugen Train arc, the game beautifully adapts the story into an engaging video game. Those who’ve played CyberConnet2’s previous anime games already know their prowess with faithfully recreating a passive experience into the interactive medium. I want to be clear that what I’m reviewing today is merely the single player portion. Maybe the Hinokami Chronicles isn’t a properly balanced fighting game but that means nothing to me. In my eyes, this game is the anime equivalent to what Naughty Dog does.

Presentation

What CyberConnect2 always gets right about anime games is the presentation. If you look at any of their games, they look just like the shows their adapting. I’ve yet to see another developer able to emulate style like CyberConnect2 does. They aren’t just taking what exists already. The studio has created a work that’s additive to the experience of Demon Slayer, similar to how an anime adds to a manga or light novel. Instead of purely mimicking what came before in the source material, they’ve created their own camera angles and choreography unique to Hinokami Chronicles.

One of Demon Slayers strongest assets is its score from Yuki Kaijura and Go Shiina. Because Aniplex is the producer of both the anime and the game, we get the original score in Hinokami Chronicles. This isn’t something that happens on a regular basis. Heck, you’re lucky if you can get any of the opening songs. The two composers even created unique tracks just for the game.

Gameplay

Like I said before, I won’t be judging this game based off of how good of a fighting game it is. Instead, I’d like to focus on how it made me feel during the story mode. Honestly, I thought this was one of the best feeling anime games I’d ever played. The way Insomniac’s Spider-Man makes you feel like Spider-Man, I got that same feeling here. I actually felt like I was playing a Demon Slayer game. Each battle I felt like I was playing as Tanjiro and when I was forced to play as another character, they controlled completely differently.

The story mode does a good job of making sure you’re engaged with the action the whole time you’re playing. All of the big moments you know from the series are here and include quick time events. These events made those moments soar even further than they did when I first watched the show. In between all the big story beats are small exploration sections. I felt like they help break up things without the game being boss fight after boss fight. You can find secrets and have predetermined battles with no name demons.

Story

So the story of the Hinokami Chronicles is an abridged telling of the first season of Demon Slayer as well as the Mugen Train arc. It follows the story of a boy named Tanjiro who hunts demons in search of a cure for his sister who was turned into a demon. The game covers a lot of ground but it does leave a lot of the smaller moments on the cutting room floor. CyberConnect2 tries to include some of those smaller moments as unlockables in the exploration section. These are told through stills from the anime with voiceovers on top. I was surprised to see a lot of the emotional moments still in the main story.

This was also my first time hearing the English dub as I watched the show in Japanese. I have to say, the actors do a good job of being over the top and keeping the earnestness of the show. There’s a lot of melodrama in Demon Slayer and the actors make it work.

Conclusion

I had an amazing time playing and getting the platinum. The Hinokami Chronicles does a good job of making me feel like I’m playing a Demon Slayer game and not just some anime brawler. While I wouldn’t introduce someone to the franchise through this game, if you’re fan, you have to check this game out. It’ll make you fall in love with the franchise even more. Just don’t play the multiplayer portion of the game.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles is available for Xbox, Playstation 4 and 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Backlog Chronicles: Three Games You May Have Missed

Having a backlog is inevitable. We live in an era with more choice than ever before. Fall is just around the corner and you know what that means. The year’s biggest releases are about to hit store shelves. Before things start getting crazy, I have three games I want to talk about that deserve your attention. They came out earlier in the year when everyone and their mommas were talking about Elden Ring.

Monark

I’ve already spoke about Monark in the review I did earlier this year, but I still wanted to highlight. I mean it did consume over a hundred hours of my life as I worked to beat it and get the platinum. If you need something to hold you over until the next big jrpg release, look no further. Monark has a story that takes place in single school campus but don’t think this is some small scale game. This strategy rpg will keep you hooked for hours on in in battles that test how well you know the systems. Not only that but I really fell in love with characters as they bantered back and forth in the classroom. It was almost like the Tales series skits.

Monark is available on PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC.

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2

Here we have two games, one of which is near and dear to my heart. Here we have ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs DarkDeath Evil Man and Makai Kingdom: Reclaimed and Rebound. ZHP is special to me as it’s the first game I ever played from NIS America way back when. Both games are PSP titles brought to Switch and PC with no extra features. These are the games exactly as they appeared back in the day. That’s no problem for me but that may be an issue for others. One thing I love about these earlier games was the localization. The dubs for these are top notch and they feature voice actors who aren’t as active anymore.

I’ll be honest, unless you’re nostalgic for pixel art, the presentation of both games won’t knock your socks off. I like the look just fine but the music is pretty forgettable. Gameplay is the reason why you’re playing these games. ZHP is a roguelite while Makai Kingdom is a strategy rpg similar to Disgaea but without the grid. It’s interesting to see how Nippon Ichi Software was able to interpret the mechanics of Disgaea into two different experiences. Also, they fit right at home on the Switch and Steam Deck. You can easily knock out a run or episode of each game before bed or during a lunch break.

Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 is available for Switch and PC.

The Cruel King and the Great Hero

Finally, in our backlog, we have The Cruel King and the Great Hero. This game will probably sit in my backlog for awhile for one simple reason: I want to share this with my daughter. It has the style and presentation of a storybook. The story is told through a voiced narrator, who also reads all of the characters’ dialogue. One of my gripes however is that the narration wasn’t dubbed into English which can be easily remedied with me playing the role for her.

It’s a cute game about a girl being taken care of by a dragon and helping whoever she comes across. So far, all the npcs that I’ve encountered happened to be monsters and I’m curious as to why. Gameplay takes pages out of the Mario RPG handbook. You have companions who can help you out with traversal and combat. Other than that, it features a fairly standard turn based battle system. If you have kids too, this seems like the perfect entry level jrpg.

The Cruel King and the Great Hero is available on Nintendo Switch and PS4.

Disgaea 6 Review: Heartwarming and Funny but Missing Something

Disgaea 6 is the first game I’ve beaten in the franchise and that’s a real shame. I’ve always had an interest in the franchise and I’ve played a few of the games here and there. I’ve enjoyed them all fine but was always pulled away by something else. When I was younger, I really didn’t finish many games. As an adult, I’ve been a bit better with that but I don’t really have much time to go back to games I didn’t finish. With Disgaea 6 Complete coming to Playstation and PC, it just felt like the right time to play the latest entry. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be the strongest entry to start with.

The Writing

Let’s talk about the best part of the game: the writing. Disgaea 6 is laugh out loud funny. It features the type of writing I’m not used to seeing in video games anymore. There are moments where the game will parody other media. I caught a line referencing 4Kids’ old dub of Tokyo Mew, “Mew Mew Power,” which caught me completely off guard. Props have to be given to both the original Japanese writers and the localizers.

Not only is Disgaea 6 funny but it also has an engaging story. You play as Zed, a zombie trying to kill the God of Destruction to save his sister, Bieko. Along the way, he meets up with different companions who help him get stronger and learn more about himself. From what I know of Disgaea before, I didn’t quite expect the heart this game had. I actually felt something for these characters as the story went along. You will, however, get tired of hearing about the God of Destruction.

Gameplay

Unfortunately, I feel where this title fails the most is in the gameplay. The Disgaea games use the tile based battle system made famous by Final Fantasy Tactics. Battles can be challenging and diverse. There will be some stages where enemies are at a higher vantage point and you need to figure out how to get to them. Others, will have spots on the field with both buffs and debuffs.

Now, I enjoy a good strategy game but this game can get ridiculous with the grinding. I’m not sure if this is normal with the franchise but you can level up to some obscene numbers. By the end of the game, one of my units was capable of doing twelve million points of damage. I get that it fits with the game’s humor but it makes it hard to relay what level I need to be take on certain challenges. There are so many systems at work, it’s also hard figuring out what I really need to do to be battle ready.

The Tedium

Disgaea 6 marks the first time in the franchise that Nippon Ichi Software used 3d models instead of 2d sprites and it shows. This is definitely a title made on a budget. Most of the battles are filled with the same units you’re used to from previous titles just reskinned. These are also the same units you can recruit for yourself as well. This leads to a game with a lot of battling the same twenty or so enemies over and over again. There just isn’t enough substance here to overcome that.

To make matters even worse, most of the bosses of the game are reskins of units you’ve faced multiple times. That’s bosses for the main story and for the item world, your place to grind out levels. The only boss character is the afore mentioned God of Destruction and he shows up at the end of every chapter. I had such a not fun time during these fights because he’s easy to beat. Its literally him by himself as your party just wails on him until he dies.

Presentation

Now, I know I said that this game looks like it had a pretty low budget and that’s still true. However, the character portraits do look amazing. The 3d models also have a charm to them during gameplay. The animations that play during special moves are pretty fun to watch. I wish they could’ve use the 3d models for the cutscenes the same way they used to do with the sprites. I get that that probably wasn’t feasible but it would’ve went a long to selling the story more for me. What we got was something that was more akin to a visual novel.

Recommendation

I really can’t recommend Disgaea 6 at full price. Though there is a lot of content and the story is pretty engaging, the lack of budget really hold it back. Pick this one up later on in the year when there’s a sale.

Square Enix Has a Strong Second Half of 2022

One of my favorite game publishers is Square Enix. They work mostly in the JRPG space but they always find a way to make games that take the genre in interesting directions. With the first half of 2022 done, I wanted to take a look forward at what they have coming in the future…and boy is it a lot.

Live A Live (7.27.22) – Switch

Live A Live is one of those SNES games that SquareSoft refused to publish back in the day. I’m not sure what the reasoning was but sometime in the early 2000s fans took upon themselves to translate and release the game to the emulation community. For many who played it, myself included, it was one of the most beloved rpgs for the SNES. Now, decades later, Square Enix has decided to give the game a full HD2D remake for the Nintendo Switch. That makes sense seeing as just like in Octopath Traveler, you can pick a protagonist to follow and see their story through. What makes Live A Live special is that you’re between protagonists in different time periods.

Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (7.27.22) – Mobile

Octopath Traveler is getting its own mobile game spinoff this summer. Square Enix has claimed that this will be a full console experience, something I really hope to be true. It features 64 characters to recruit and a simplified version of the established battle system. I don’t normally stick with mobile games for too long but hopefully there’s something here to keep me interested.

The Diofield Chronicles (9.22.22) – PS4, PS5, Switch, PC

The Diofield Chronicles is an interesting new i.p. from Square Enix and not because of its weird title. I believe this is Square Enix’s first console real time strategy game and its being developed by Lancarse. Lancarse is the same studio that brought us the excellent Monark and are known for their awesome strategy games. I find the world design quite interesting with its blend of medieval and modern influences.

Dragon Quest X Offline (9.15.22) – PS4, PS5, Switch, PC

Unfortunately, for the time being this is a Japanese exclusive but I wanted to include it anyway. Dragon Quest X Offline takes the popular MMO and finally gives old school fans what they want. A chance to play the game like a more traditional entry in the series. They’ve also changed the artstyle to a more chibi look that kind of harkens back to the sprites in older 2D entries. Combat also goes back to the classic turn based system of older games as well. Square Enix has awesome been careful in maintaining a lot of the side activities from the online version.

Valkyrie Elysium (9.29.22) – PS4, PS5, PC

Continuing Square Enix’s move away from traditional turn based combat is Valkyrie Elysium. Valkyrie Elysium is the latest entry in the Valkyrie Profile series. It’s also the first game in the series not to be developed by Tri-Ace, who also work on Star Ocean. We’ll get into why they probably couldn’t work on this but it is being developed by Soleil. Soleil is a relatively new company with a few notable titles under its belt such as Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers and Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time. The combat looks cool and the story seems it could be engaging. Also, on the day of release, Square Enix is putting out a port of the PSP port of the first game, Valkyrie Chronicles: Lenneth.

Nier Automata: The End of YoRHa (10.6.22) – Switch

Just when you think Square Enix is done releasing Nier Automata, they go and surprise you with one final platform that the game isn’t available on. This action rpg was developed by Platinum and directed by the enigmatic Yoko Taro. Come for the cool and flashy combat and stay for Yoko Taro’s crazy narratives. This version of the game comes with all past dlc and some exclusive costumes.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force (10.27.22) – Xbox, PS4, PS5, PC

Tri-Ace is putting together what looks to be the biggest Star Ocean game yet. Star Ocean is a series of Sci-Fi action role playing games. Many of your typical genre cliches are still present just with the added caveat of space. Fans of the recent Tales of Arise should feel right at home with this new game. In the last entry, it was possible to have all seven party members on screen in battle at the same time. For The Divine Force, we’ve gone back to only having four but with added verticality. It seems you call fly around these huge enviroments which is another change from the fifth entry.

Harvestella (11.4.22) – Switch, PC

Another new I.P. from Square Enix in a genre they don’t typically dabble in. Harvestella is a farming simulator action role playing game. Think Stardew Valley or Rune Factory but with a dash of Final Fantasy. You’ll get to farm crops, take care of livestock, and do a bit of dungeon crawling as well. I think the only thing you can’t do in this game that those games are known for is romancing. The battle system utilizes the Final Fantasy series’ job system and you’ll be able to party up with some of the town’s residents.

Dragon Quest Treasure (12.9.22) – Switch

The newest Dragon Quest spinoff is here. Erik and Mia of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age star the franchise’s newest monster tamer. The monsters this time around are key to you travels. They’re both used for traversing the land in different ways and for throwing down with those who’d keep you from your treasure.

Forspoken (01.24.2023) – PS5, PC

Recently delayed, but I still wanted to include it on this list. Forspoken is the first game from Square Enix’s new division, Luminous Production who feature key members from Final Fantasy XV’s development team. I’ll be honest, everything I’ve seen from the game hasn’t impressed me so far. Forspoken is an open world action adventure game where you use magic to aid you in combat and traversal. The traversal stuff looks cool and I think all the particle effects look nice. My issue is that I’m not sold on the story or characters just yet. Hopefully, getting my hands on it myself will help me understand it more.

Front Mission 1st: Remake (2022) – Switch

Technically, this isn’t from Square Enix but I still wanted people to know about it. Forever Entertainment entered an agreement with Square Enix to develop remakes based on an older i.p. That i.p. turned out to be Front Mission. Front Mission is a series of strategy role playing games in warfare is done using mechs called wanzers. This remake of the first game stays incredibly faithful to the original game. The only changes made are to the graphics themselves. It was supposed to be released in Summer 2022 but there’s been no word on it yet. I think its best to assume that the game was delayed till a bit later.

Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis (2022) – Mobile

Square Enix is putting out a new mobile game this covering the entire story of Final Fantasy VII. That’s including Advent Children, Before Crisis, Crisis Core and anything else Final Fantasy VII related. So if you didn’t care for the remake (let’s be honest, how could that be) or wanted to experience the whole story again then you have this to look forward to. I really like the artstyle they decided to go with here. Also, different weapons you can equip to your character have different costumes assigned to them.

Romancing Saga Minstrel Song Remastered (Winter) Xbox, Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, Mobile

Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song Remastered is a remaster of the PS2 remake of the original Super Famicom Romancing Saga. The original game is probably the first nonlinear role playing game. The story you get can change based off the character you pick and the choices you make.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion (Winter) – Xbox, Switch, PS4, PS5, PC

For years fans have wanted to play Crisis Core on modern hardware and now we can. This game is a prequel to the Final Fantasy VII starring Zack Fair. In a way it spoils future developments for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and in a weird way it doesn’t. Anyway, besides all the story stuff, it has a fun combat system. This is one of the earliest cases of the Final Fantasy franchise dipping its toe into action combat. Some of it hasn’t aged well so the developers have made slight modifications to the battle system to make it feel more modern.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Review

Stranger of Paradise sounds like it should be a dream game for me. Combine the fast paced and thrilling combat of Nioh with the story and depth of Final Fantasy. To an extent, that’s partly true but a few missteps keep from being the dream collab that I expected.

The Origin of Chaos

For as long as I could remember, I’ve loved Final Fantasy. The story and the worlds of each game always found a way to grab my imagination. Stranger of Paradise is the first game in the franchise that I was disappointed by on first sight. Before it was announced, there had been rumors that Square Enix was set to announce a Soulslike game from Team Ninja that was to be a prequel for the original Final Fantasy game. I couldn’t contain my excitement; a new Final Fantasy Soulslike game from the guys that did Nioh! That excitement soon left when we were shown the announcement trailer. I thought we were getting a medieval style with knights and armor but instead we get Jack, who is dressed like a Rue 21 model and the birth of all those “kill Chaos” memes.

Later on we would learn that this would be a Final Fantasy by way of Tetsuya Nomura. Nomura probably best known to Square Enix fans for his involvement in Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII. Games with his creative touch to blend fantasy and modern style. Normally, I’d be fine with that but after playing so many games in the franchise with that type of style, I was just ready for some traditional high fantasy. Later on that same day, Square Enix released a demo for players to try out and to give their feedback. It was here I was finally able to see the game’s actual merits, instead of looking at what it wasn’t.

Killing Chaos

So, do you remember when I said this was rumored to be a Soulslike? Well, it isn’t. What Strangers of Paradise actually is is a fast paced character action game with some role playing elements baked in. It takes some of the bones and systems of a game like Nioh and simplifies it. This is weird for me to say about a Final Fantasy game but Nioh is more of a role playing game than Stranger of Paradise is. It has the same mission structure as well. You pick your missions from a world map and after you’ve finished that mission, you unlock side missions that repurpose that same level do some other objective.

Stranger of Paradise does a good job of being accessible to a variety of different play styles. You have your choice between easy and normal difficulty with a hard mode unlocked after completion. Gameplay is exactly what you would expect from Team Ninja. What you get is a fast paced character action game with a wide variety of moves you can pull off. I think the only thing that changes with the difficulty is maybe the aggressiveness of the enemies. It all felt very manageable. Also, when you die you don’t lose anything, adding to the game’s approachability.

The Right Job for the Occasion

Tying in to the franchise’s history, Stranger of Paradise features the job system. Each job gives you access to different skills and weapons. This gives you the opportunity to tailor the game to your particular play style. But don’t think you can make it through this game without experimenting. Quite a few times, I found myself against a brick wall because my great sword just wasn’t cutting it. Certain weapons work better against certain enemies so you can’t be married to the idea of using a specific playstyle.

Something that makes Stranger of Paradise standout in the Soulslike genre is the use of party members. You can go venturing out with two other companions who help you out in combat. I have to admit, though, you party members can be a little brain dead at times. There are times when I’m fighting a brutal battle and need to be healed and for some reason they just won’t. Or you could be getting jumped by a bunch of imps and your friends will be standing on the sidelines looking at you.

The Origin of Chaos, Revisited

As stated above, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a prequel to the original Final Fantasy. You play as Jack who for some reason wants to kill Chaos. The only issue is he can’t remember much else. He goes after his goal with such a single minded focus that it can at times come off as comical. Eventually you find out that there’s a reason for his and his party members’ strange behavior. It’s just that until you reach that point of the story, the writing comes off as a bit absurd. Seeing as this is a Nomura joint, having a story told in such a fractured manner should be familiar territory. It’s just Final Fantasy as a franchise tend to feature a more straight forward manner of storytelling.

Throughout most of the adventure, you’ll be reliving some moments from the original Final Fantasy. Having recently finished the first game last year, I felt that this prequel story actually added more depth to the original. What use to be a group of one note villains, now have actual motivations for the things they are doing. I also really enjoyed the banter between party members as well.

Nitpicks

One of my biggest gripes with Stranger of Paradise is in its design. Like Nioh before it, Stranger of Paradise features a loot system similar to Diablo. Your overall level is determined by the gear you have equipped and you can get some skills that are tied to certain gear. The problem with the gear system, however, is that you’ll everything you do in the game yields gear. Beat a mission: gear, kill an enemy: gear, open a treasure chest: gear. There’s no currency or items or even an item shop to buy from. Very early on, opening treasure chests becomes not exciting because you’ll be collecting the same gear over and over again for more than 40 hours. There’s just not enough unique loot to kind of justify this loop.

My other nitpick? This game can be ugly as hell. While I find the cinematography to be good and some of the character models to be decent, you can tell this isn’t Square Enix working on this. I played on PlayStation 5 and it run pretty smooth. I know some PC players were complaining about frame drops but I didn’t notice that in my playthrough.

Verdict

All in all, I would recommend Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin but its not a strong recommendation. I enjoyed the game enough to platinum it, though. If you’re a fan Team Ninja’s other work and want to see what they would do with a Final Fantasy game then you should definitely give this game a shot.

Stranger of Paradis: Final Fantasy Origin is available on Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox, and PC via the Epic Game Store.