With Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon out on the Nintendo 3DS last year and Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate gracing Vitas two weeks ago, you may have developed a taste for tough-as-nails dungeon-crawlers. Roguelikes are on the rise. But then, when it comes to these Spike Chunsoft joints, they always have been.
Read more
Have you ever wondered why so many of the virtual board games coming out of Japan seem to all have the same sort of feel to them? You go around a colorful board, throwing dice to move your avatar forward. Different notable locations can appear, with there being rewards for reaching certain places. These tend to always have a theme, perhaps involving Final Fantasy or Super Mario character. Plus, they all come down to chance. Well, the similarities aren’t a coincidence. All of these are sugoroku games.
Read more
Etrian Odyssey is was born into the world once Atlus had the opportunity to experiment with what the Nintendo DS could do. First-person dungeon crawlers where players completely customize parties aren’t terribly uncommon, and they all tend to have a map that fills in as you explore environments. Etrian Odyssey always kicked things up by making mapping feel as important as adventuring. With the end of the 3DS lifespan and journey into new frontiers, Etrian Odyssey Nexus acts as a celebration of everything the series did in its first eleven years.
Read more
It is a good time to be a Luigi fan. Mario’s little brother not only has a place in Super Mario Maker 2, but 2019 brought his adventure series back. Luigi’s Mansion has returned! But, what if someone didn’t play it on the GameCube? What if a person missed the handheld releases? Here’s why everyone should help Luigi suck up some unruly spirits.
Read more
A Professor Layton game is coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2019! However, it is one people may already know about, as it is a port of Katrielle Layton’s first adventure. This might get folks to thinking, “How can I start solving mysteries with members of the Layton family?” Well, Michibiku is on the case!
Read more
Atlus’ Persona series has exploded in popularity. This means there are not only mainline installments, but also ports, updated releases, reimaginings and spin-offs. There are all interesting games that do cool things with elements from the series, but it is also a series where you probably shouldn’t go and begin with the very first game. Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to find a good starting point.
Read more
Thanks to Monster Hunter World, the series has exploded in popularity. People might experience it, go through its Iceborne expansion, then wonder what’s next. While moving on to another entry in that series is a possibility, it isn’t the only option. The series is so popular, it has inspired a whole collection of contemporaries who do similar things. Best of all, some of them explore the space to try and improve on areas Monster Hunter doesn’t touch.
Read more
Games can be used as a means to address important issues. While players may not be able to directly influence the real world they inhabit, they can make a virtual world a better place. Some games can be a bit heavy-handed with messages, such as Final Fantasy VII and the fight to preserve the planet. With The Alliance Alive, things are slightly more subtle. Issues relevant to the ones facing the world today constantly appear, giving people a chance to deal with inequality among different races and climate change in a game that shows things in black, white, and shades of grey.
Read more
Like your Mario games with a bit more story and progression? You’re not alone! Here’s our guide to the many permutations of Mario RPGs, from the SNES days to now.
Read more