Fernando da Costa

“Coral Island is a diamond in the rough that may be caked in dirt, but a good spit shine can bring out its true majesty. What’s already here is amazing, and the foundation is sturdy. No features are offensively terrible, and while the relationship aspect isn’t up to snuff, the customization is fantastic.”

“Still, as a package, this title is stellar. The music is superb. I love that it’s emulating the look and feel of a Game Boy title, and the writing is delightful. I don’t think the roguelike angle meshes with the JRPG one seamlessly, but that’s on me. When the narrative is important, having to rehash plot beats is tiring. Regardless, I still recommend In Stars and Time, but not if you’re like me.”

“In conclusion, Yohane the Parhelion: BLAZE in the DEEPBLUE is fun, but it fails to stick the landing totally. Several mechanics felt disjointed. For every crafting system that I lauded, there’s a hiccup to balance it out. Nitpick or not, the slight delay to melee is annoying. I’m known for my kamikaze ways, and I’m invigorated by panicked kills, but I can’t do that here. I did enjoy the homage to a renowned indie gem, though.”

“Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue is the definition of a hidden gem marred by choices made. Where the art’s gorgeous, and the still CGs are beautiful, the pacing is bothersome. I wouldn’t recommend it to a casual player of VNs. It becomes evident that, unless you love exposition that gives everyone dimension, mileage will vary but likely veer towards boredom. It’s a shame because it’s delightful, and the majority of characters are memorable, but it takes too long for the nitty-gritty to begin.”

“Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles is a product of the late 90s, and it shows. Sure, it’s painfully easy, but man, if it isn’t super fun and quirky. It’s like comfort food, something I can play and immediately have the expectation that, yeah, I’m in for a delightful romp.”

“The silliness isn’t where it wants to be, thanks to wackiness having no substance. The graphics are moderate, and I find the Chibi models adorable, but that won’t negate how boring my session was. I’m disappointed by it. In its current state, I can’t, in good conscience, recommend you buy it.”

“Greatness is so close, but until a few patches fix the blunders, it will never meet the standards it could. The inspiration it takes from Slime Rancher proves hurtful, too. Alchemic Cutie fails to emulate it, making me want to jump to the better choice.”

“NIS Classics Collection Vol. 3 continues revisiting the vault, but this time, it fails to grab hold of a pair of winners.”

“Idol Manager is a riveting hidden gem buried underneath piss poor performance. The way mechanics actively attempt to sabotage each other is quite the head-scratcher, too.”

“Blossom Tales 2 continues what the first set out to achieve – paying respects to the golden standard and not only accomplishing that, but killing it too. It’s a masterstroke of unadulterated glee, with nods to its inspiration and other unrelated genres.”

“Super Bullet Break is on the cusp of being a silly, addictive good time. I was having a blast when I had to decide the optimal strategies to advance without taking maximum harm. That excitement flushes down the drain when I’m effortlessly slaughtered with one hit.”

“Metal Max Xeno Reborn is unsatisfying. It tries to reinvent itself from its original release but ends up retreading the same systems, only now with shinier paint. My hopes were high when I came into it but with each minute spent playing, it all plummeted. It got to the point that I’d dread having to continue.”

“Deadcraft is an amalgamation of inspirations coming together to create something distinct. And you know what, the various fascinating ideas and mechanics are enough to assure there’s fun. What ends up bogging down the session are odd decisions.”

“What I suspect will become the biggest hurdle to conquer, though, is the subject matter being alienating. In no universe are people not going to criticize groping an unconscious woman – it’s revolting. Even if it didn’t include such a heinous act, the crashes are the perfect deterrent. Seven Pirates H is the equivalent of being egregiously creepy on main. Compared to others in the Genkai Tokki series, it’s also the weakest. I don’t recommend it.”

“Demon Gaze Extra fills a niche, ideal for those with a grind fetish. Most of its systems revolve around going out and infinitely killing. Sure, it’s a tedious affair, but the quality of life factors, such as speeding combat up, helps with that.”