Switch

Games habitually incorporate structure. Loot-driven games like Diablo and Borderlands goad us into the incessant search for new gear. Deadlines in the Atelier and Persona games ensure we don’t dawdle. And almost any role-playing game ...

Across its three-decade long history, the three-dimensional dungeon crawler has been surprisingly resistant to change. Take a look back at 1989’s Dungeon Master or 1991’s Eye of the Beholder, and you’ll find a framework that ...

The Switch’s popularity has propelled publishers to reach into their back catalogs, with the hope that a re-issue can pad the company coffers. Occasionally, that means players receive a second-serving of a lackluster title or ...

Unsurprisingly, VIZ Media’s inaugural interactive publishing extends a chatty narrative conveyed through manga-like character portraits. What is unexpected is the ingenuity behind The World Next Door’s real-time mechanics, which offer an innovative twist on match-three ...

Sometimes, a single smart design decision can catapult a game to success. With the release of Galak-Z: The Void: Deluxe Edition onto the Nintendo Switch, developer 17-Bit makes several shrewd choices, resulting in an experience ...

Few role-playing franchises are as plentiful as the Atelier series. Dating back to the 1997 release of Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg, the prolific property is comprised of eighteen successors, sixteen spin-offs, as well ...

Like most developers, Nippon Ichi Software frequently creates follow-ups for their successful titles. But far more interesting are the developer/publisher’s divergences. From Phantom Brave’s melancholic reworking of Disgaea, to the evolution of rogue-like mechanics across ...

With lore which traverses several mediums and revolves around different universes, the Fate franchise might seem impenetrable to newcomers. Paradoxically, that’s part of the allure. Immerse yourself in Type-Moon’s well-liked visual novels, manga, anime, games ...

We tackle rudimentary hex-based strategy across the Braveland compilation before sending a heap of trash blocks to rivals in Treasure Stack, as we look at two recent indie releases for the Nintendo Switch. Braveland Trilogy, ...

Japanese role-playing aficionados know that allegory is a frequent storytelling strategy. Whether it’s Hyperdimension Neptunia’s spirted take on game console competition or the Persona series’ ruminations about our inner psyches, there’s something rather potent about the technique. Pleasingly, ...