NookGaming

“Sadly and not so shockingly, Ebola Village isn’t going to be the title that dethrones any of the kings of horror. And looking at it, did any of us really think it would be? There are flashes of good in the game, but for the most part, it just feels like a painfully phoned-in Resident Evil Village clone with a poor excuse for a story and some unintentionally shocking and funny things going on in the rather short run time. I knew I was in for a ride when the game gave me an option to watch a movie. I assumed it was the intro, so I chose to watch it, and the game just opened up my browser and started playing a bizarre live-action short film based on the game, which was oddly hosted on a Resident Evil fan channel on Youtube rather than implemented in the game itself. ​Whatever strange puzzle-coded apartment you live in, I wouldn’t recommend you leave to venture out to Ebola Village, not even to save your family. Instead, save your money and pick up literally any other bigger-name horror game, and you’ll have a better and more cohesive time. Now, excuse me while I go get hepatitis and try to immunize myself from this series.”

“While full of comedy and amusing situations which are enjoyable in their own right, Ren'ai 0 Kilometer has some moments where we get a real insight into the characters and their relationships. It’s an interesting look at the bond between sisters, the forms that familial love can take, and the odd bit of drama to spice things up. The visual novel itself is quite dated in some ways, and the modern release of it by kawaiinium certainly has some issues that I would’ve liked to see ironed out. Despite this, it’s still worth experiencing.”

“Fragile Feelings is a somewhat different take on the common yuri setting of a girls’ school, focusing on a young assistant teacher and school nurse. Despite failing to immediately grab my attention and a slow feeling through much of the visual novel, the relationships between the characters and writing kept me interested enough to want to find out more until it started to become more and more interesting. While I have some minor gripes, by the end I felt like it was certainly worth reading through Fragile Feelings.”

“FOCUS on YOU is a short experience, but a very pleasant one. It’s very easy to recommend, especially to fans of titles like dating simulators and romance visual novels, except for one big point: it’s significantly overpriced for just over an hour of a very limited experience, even if just how niche this is justifies it to an extent. Still, Yua is adorable, and it’s a great showcase of what can be done with romance games in VR.”

“LOVEPICAL-POPPY! doesn’t miss a beat with its comedy, and it’s a fun time whenever spending time with any of the heroines or the other members of the dorm. There are plenty of romantic moments as you get into the heroines’ routes, and the gameplay systems are used well to see their inner thoughts as they fall in love. The routes and heroines all feel distinct, and while I’d consider some better than others, each has something that I enjoyed about it.”

“A Maiden's Serenade explores Takumi's relationships with five very different heroines and grows together with them. It has plenty of amusing moments and a particularly fun friendship dynamic, but it also explores jealousy, family issues, and the difficulty of understanding each other. Some parts were a little lacking, but overall, it was a good read focused more on relationships than anything else.”

“Dirtbag Mahjong is a relatively casual little single-player Mahjong game with a fun little twist, starring an irreverent sitcom-esque basement full of largely sapphic/LGBTQ+ goofs. The story mode is hit and miss in its humor and gameplay, but I enjoyed enough of it for what it was. It’s a relatively casual little game best enjoyed at your own pace, where it can be decently fun.”

“Last Command is a master class in taking an idea to its creative limit. The game’s concept of “Snake meets bullet hell” is simple yet surprisingly novel, and it constantly demonstrates new ways to incorporate additional twists on its ideas. It has its share of limitations in narrative areas and an unfortunately weak translation, but it makes up for that with some brilliant, inventive combat and boss design, which is where you’ll be spending most of your playthrough. The game became one of my favorites of 2022 from the sheer number of times it managed to do something that impressed me and left me awestruck in spite of its seemingly humble exterior.”

“R-Type Delta: HD Boosted to me feels like a game laser-focused toward existing fans of the R-Type franchise who may have missed out on it when it first came out. While certainly enjoyable, it isn’t the title I would say would most appeal to newcomers; rather, the value comes from wanting the next challenge in an incredibly challenging series. With a slightly done-up lick of paint, a new soundtrack, and the chance to play this title on newer systems, R-Type Delta: HD Boosted is going to be one for the Shmup masochists to sink their teeth into and for fans of retro to gush over while repeatedly hitting the walls of the stages. It’s good to know going in that this game will kick your teeth in and that progress is going to take time; once you do, you’ll find yourself with a rewarding and infuriating retro shmup that finally has its chance to shine outside of its original PlayStation prison.”

“Galaxy Princess Zorana is a worthy successor to Long Live the Queen and a great game in its own right. The combination of stat management, tons of potential paths to explore, and secrets to find even after I was crowned kept me playing it for hours. Just be aware, the path to the throne is not a simple one, but through trial and error, you’ll soon hear those important words; All hail Zorana, Empress-Elect of the Celestial Empire.”

“Purely off the charm of its setting, commitment to its motif, and a relatively fun combat system at its core, I can almost recommend Kingdoms of the Dump. Unfortunately, it just feels incredibly unpolished and undercooked. It’s littered (no pun intended) with incomplete sections, massive swaths of graphical issues, major design problems, and many bugs of the bad variety. The farther in I got, the less polished the game felt, such that by the final act I began to doubt if even the non-buggy parts were properly playtested. The story and characters also just don’t elevate the game past these issues. I had a share of fun despite navigating around these issues. There are plenty of cool ideas here. This game is an obvious love letter to the great JRPGs of old. Sadly, the handwriting of that love letter is very messy in a few too many places.”

“Home Sweet Homecoming (E School Life) is a romance visual novel that leads you through the experience of high school love. It lets you peek into common troubles that everyone experiences such as anxiously confessing your feelings, sharing various kinds of firsts, and planning an ideal future with your partner. The way it frames its characters' interactions is personal and intimate, making it quite an endearing title for those who might wish to try and relive that specific part of their youth. On the other hand, it is almost a blank slate when it comes to creating a moving and entertaining story. Most of the scenarios depicted in the visual novel are mundane in nature, and hence, are relatively tame in both stakes and possible opportunities for conflicts. While there are glimpses of inner character motivations rooted in their personalities and circumstances, the narrative does the bare minimum to acknowledge this, and as such, keeps them relatively inconsequential for their individual character arcs. This also means that Ryoutarou as a protagonist falls largely flat, having been deprived of big opportunities for character growth or change. Ironically, this makes him an ideal protagonist for self-insert stories, as his presence is largely negligible due to a lack of unique, impressionable traits. Hence, if you’re seeking deeper, meaningful connections and conversations between characters in a story, then this title is not for you. Given the amount of time it takes to finish its story, you’d be better off picking another title from your never-ending backlog.  Should you be craving a small reminder of what was or what could have been, feel free to pick up Home Sweet Homecoming as your next title to read! It’s a light and enjoyable way to spend time without becoming overly invested, as it’s mostly a feel-good story with lots of cliches that help depict the excitement of young love. Don’t work that brain too much though, you might find yourself disappointed once you start seeking out the specifics of their loving relationships.”

“As a free to play game, Sonic Rumble is fine. It provides a Fall Guys-esque battle royale platforming experience with just enough Sonic flavor to distinguish itself adequately as its own thing, though not enough to quite capture the distilled essence of the blue blur. The developers have also been working on implementing new ideas and improving the experience, which is welcome for a live service game. Unfortunately, almost every positive with this game has some sort of caveat, which makes me question its long-term prospects. Ring Survival is a bit lacking in variety at present and doesn’t feel very winnable if you don’t place really well in its first stage. Its monetization can feel almost predatory especially with purchasable upgrades that provide tangible advantages in stages, and the restriction on game modes availability is disappointing. I don’t regret my time playing Sonic Rumble and had a share of fun, but I also don’t see myself coming back to this game years down the line. I don’t love drawing comparisons to competitors on the market, but it’s hard to find a reason to keep playing Sonic Rumble over its generally superior competition.”

“Harmonic Reflections is a refreshingly grounded drama with thoughtful characters and an appropriately contemplative atmosphere. It could have been more impactful with a stronger protagonist and more developed climax, but it’s worth the read if you’re in the market for a short, focused visual novel.”

“The biggest barrier to recommending Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is not really a functional one. The game wasn’t made to be the most balanced experience and it has many of the issues that typically limit crossover titles in their ambition, but it’s still made with the goal of fun in mind, and it’s chock full of goodies. This is also far from a rush job of a port to modern systems, as refint/games did a lot to make the game play well and feel fitting among these franchises’ existing western releases, given the game featuring dual audio, maintaining a consistent English voice cast, and the work that went into its online features. Indeed, as someone who played the original PSP title many moons ago, this is more than I could have hoped for with a 2025 rerelease of this title. Some minor hiccups aside, it is a genuinely excellent remaster of a rather niche game. Rather, it’s the fact that this game conceptually feels made for a fairly small number of people. This one is for Falcom fans specifically, and there’s a lot of appeal to them here, even if it doesn’t break a ton of ground for either series. For anyone outside that space, it’s significantly harder to recommend this game. Which is a bit of a shame, because this game is genuinely quite fun for what it is. The implementation of 3D Ys mechanics into a fighting game works better than it perhaps should, given this is a company not known for making fighting games, and it has perhaps the best assembly of music of the company’s illustrious catalog. If you aren’t already a fan of Ys and Trails, this game can be a tougher sell, much as I recommend getting into those series already with all my heart. If you are a fan of Ys and Trails already, this is a worthy title to fit into your collection. It’s a neat little time capsule of Falcom’s history, and a fun experience on its own for what it is.”

“Mamorukun ReCurse! has so much in common with G.Rev’s other title Under Defeat HD+ in that initially it had enough to interest me but didn’t quite grip me. Switching to the twin stick controls sold the game to me more, and I found myself losing hours to just trying to get further up that scoreboard, engrossed by its visuals, unique aspects, the soundtrack.  The game won’t be for everyone, it’s very much unabashed as a cute ‘em up and the timed nature of the arcade mode will put off some of the purists. But for those that can adapt or are happy enough to lean into the goofiness of the title, you’ve got a fantastic package full of content, and in my eyes, the definitive way to play the game. This is absolutely recommended for score chasers needing their next fix.”

“Heroic Songs: the Remix! is an incredibly casual experience. The story is fairly minimal and laid back, the city-building gameplay is far too easy, and the concerts require no effort and are over in a flash. However, there is some charm to the characters and amusement to be found in their antics.”

“Hold Me Tight All Night, Onii-chan! is a sweet visual novel with plenty of loving moments between siblings. The adult content is plentiful, and there's not much in the way of a solid plot, but there's a lot of love on display here.”

“Waning Flowers of a World Eternal - The Rainbow Appears After Flowering Rain feels like it’s trying to say something, but often can’t really get the right words out. It sets up for plenty of drama, but a lot of it doesn’t land. It has a handful of salient and thought-provoking parts, and the brief bits of levity are actually pretty sweet, but they’re somewhat in the shadow of a rather repetitious story and often unremarkable cast of characters that don’t do enough to make it truly earn its emotional punches. Waning Flowers is an okay but rather flawed nakige that doesn’t really excel or stand out in any particular area.”

“With a charming main cast of characters that’s sure to keep you giggling, Yomegami: My Sweet Goddess! is proof that at the end of the day, as long as you focus on what you’re good at, you’ll definitely be a hit for the right audience. For prospective readers of this title, be wary of frequent references to actions that might be foreign to you or appendages that you might prefer to keep under cover. Take time to finally relax and turn the brain off so that maybe, just maybe, you’ll find yourself having a heavenly good time.”