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“I walked away impressed, but also wishing there was a little more meat on the bone. The Emerald Rush mode is a genuinely fun and creative twist that adds surprising depth and replayability. It’s addictive, fast paced, and fits the Donkey Kong vibe perfectly while also branching out into new gameplay territory. The roguelike elements don’t feel forced, they complement DK’s moveset and the series’ rhythm of discovery and reward.”

“Discounty isn’t trying to reinvent the management sim genre, but it doesn’t need to. It knows exactly what it wants to be: a cozy, addictive, and surprisingly deep game about running your own small-town discount store. From the satisfying daily routines to the playful chaos of a busy day, from the charming townsfolk to the rewarding progression, it all comes together into a package that kept me grinning the whole way through.”

“After spending time with Class of Heroes 3 Remastered, I’m glad it finally made its way west. It’s not a game I’d recommend to everyone, it’s too niche, too old-school, and too willing to let players flounder without guidance. But if you already love this style of dungeon crawler, or if you’re a fan of series like Etrian Odyssey, there’s a lot to dig into here. The customization is top-notch, the relationship system adds depth, and once the story picks up, it becomes surprisingly engaging.”

“Iwakura Aria may not be Mages’ best visual novel, but it’s still a strong, memorable entry that showcases what the studio does so well. Compelling characters, painterly art, and a story that balances grounded emotion with larger mysteries. The quality of life features make it easy to explore multiple endings, the soundtrack and voice acting elevate the writing, and at 14 hours, it’s a digestible yet substantial experience.”

“Despite its flaws, Hogwarts Legacy on the Nintendo Switch 2 is an incredible experience. It’s the definitive way to play the game on a handheld device and a must-have launch title for the new console. The technical upgrades, the seamless exploration, the richly detailed world—it all comes together to finally deliver the Harry Potter game fans have been dreaming about for decades.”

“After 14 years, it’s surreal to finally have another Bleach game to sink my teeth into—and Rebirth of Souls doesn’t disappoint. It’s a love letter to the series, packed with great storytelling, fun combat, and an impressive presentation that captures everything I love about Bleach.”

“Going into Never 7, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I knew it had a reputation as the weakest entry in the Infinity series, but I was still eager to experience it for myself. After playing through all the routes, I can see why some fans feel that way—certain aspects, particularly the pacing and some weaker romance routes, hold it back from reaching the heights of its successors.”

“Ultimately, Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity is a must-play for fans of visual novels, especially those who love intricate, thought-provoking narratives. While it starts off slow and requires patience, the payoff is more than worth it. The remaster does a great job of bringing this classic to a modern audience while preserving what made it special in the first place.”

“I’ve loved the resurgence of FMV games in recent years. It’s really refreshing to play a quality game with engaging story that can be enjoyed and completed in just a few hours. If you like ‘choose your own adventure’ style stories and tales full of twists and turns, I highly recommend you check out Death Come True. For the price of going to the movies, you can enjoy Kazutaka Kodaka’s over and over from your own home. Death Comes True certainly has me excited to see what will come next from TooKyo Games, as we know they have a number of projects in the works.”

“YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World is a great, time-bending visual novel and after playing through it, I can see why it was such a hit in Japan over 20 years ago. It’s characters are well explored, fun and witty and I’m always a sucker for a good time travel story. While it does have some pacing issues with it’s story delivery I still very much enjoyed the tale it told and loved how the A.D.M.S system allowed you to fully explore what the story had to offer and cleverly manage inventory.”

“Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist was already one of the highest regarded games when it came to current Yu-Gi-Oh! titles, but now with the game making it’s way to the Nintendo Switch with the Link Evolution version it’s hard to argue that this isn’t the definitive version of the game. It’s packed full of value, including all of the previous add-ons, 5 full campaigns, over 9000 cards and it’s all playable on the go. I think Yu-Gi-Oh! fans are going to get a real kick out of the game, but it’s also extremely friendly to newcomers that may have never tried Yu-Gi-Oh! before.”

“Final Fantasy 7 is considered an iconic classic for a reason. It’s story is deep and ahead of it’s time and features well developed characters and world lore. You’ll easily be able to sink over 100 hours into the game if you want to see everything that’s on offer, so there’s no arguing with the amount of value on offer for the asking price. Even though there are a few visual problems with the HD remasters I was willing to look past it and still thoroughly enjoy the game. This port is also the first that allows you to take the HD Final Fantasy 7 experience on the go.”

“Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn closes the book on Final Fantasy XV by giving us some much needed insight into it’s main villain. I really enjoyed seeing the alternate perspective on events and wish more stories would use this form of story telling. The episode will take you around 2 hours to beat but you can easily double that if you want to see and do everything on offer in the episode, such as finding and beating the secret boss.”

“Catherine Classic is a great port that treats the core game with respect while also implementing some optimisation features to get the most out of it’s target platform. It doesn’t bring anything new to the game, content wise but we still have Catherine: Full Body to look forward to for that later this year.”

“Bendy and the Ink Machine is a great horror/thriller game that is now available on home consoles. It will have you trying to piece together the inner workings of Joey Drew Studios to solve it’s mysteries and uncover it’s true story. While the home console ports have had some slight graphical tweaks all of the content from the complete edition of the PC version is present and ready to play here. If you’re looking for a short but interesting thriller title that will have you on the edge of your seat at times you should definitely check it out.”

“The Knowledge is Power series continue to be my favourite in the PlayLink library of games and if you enjoyed Knowledge is Power then you’re going to have a great time here with Decades. It expands upon the systems introduced in the first game with new mini games and Power Plays but stays quite safe with the overall framework of the game. If you’re having friends over and want to play a really enjoyable quiz game you can’t look past Knowledge is Power: Decades.”

“Chimparty is a welcome addition into the PlayLink library of games. There’s some real fun to be had when playing through the board game with a bunch of friends. But if you’d prefer to play alone the option for solo mode is there for you as well. It’s one button design choice is both it’s blessing and it’s curse. It’s simplicity opens the game up to a wider audience but also makes some of the mini games hard to control and follow. For it’s price point though it’s a worthwhile title to jump into if you want to have an entertaining night with a bunch of friends.”

“When not playing it I wanted to get back to it to try and better my scores for the tracks I hadn’t earned a ‘Brilliant’ rating on yet. And possibly best of all I got to spend more time with Makoto and the other members of SEES, seeing the characters develop more via the game’s many social scenes. If you’re not a fan of rhythm games or the Persona series this game definitely isn’t for you as it’s a niche genre spin off of an already niche franchise. But if you are a Persona fan there’s a lot here for you to love.”

“The music in the Persona series has always been one of the highlights of the franchise so I’m so glad it’s been given it’s time to shine via the now 3 released Persona Dancing titles. The dancing gameplay is easy to pick up and is extremely fun and addicting. When not playing it I wanted to get back to it to try and better my scores for the tracks I hadn’t earned a ‘Brilliant’ rating on yet.”

“Black Clover: Quartet Knights is in a bit of a tough spot. Black Clover fans are the most likely ones that would go out and pick up the game but they’re also likely the group that will be most disappointing in the game in it’s current form due to it’s short story mode, multiplayer issues and the growing difficulty of finding a full online match.”