Tag Archives: RPG

Sporadically, a team of renowned developers unite, and the results are splendidly synergistic. Largely, that’s the case with Dark Rose Valkyrie, a game was released last June on the PlayStation 4, and has now made ...

Japanese role-playing games are often criticized for following formula too closely. But all too often, the person making this claim hasn’t played an entry in Gust’s Atelier series. After nineteen iterations across a twenty-year span, ...

The twilight era for gaming systems routinely brings about a software schism. On one side, there’s an abundance of shoddy shovelware that has curiously eluted quality control standards. Prompting by the size of the install ...

While many games might suffer a misfortune or two, 2014’s The Witch and the Hundred Knight faced a perilous number of tribulations. Development of the title was anticipated to take a year and a half. ...

Media sequels can fall victim to their own version of middle-child syndrome. Whereas inaugural efforts revel in world-building as well as character backstory, and concluding episodes are elevated by contributing a sense of closure, middle ...

To combat stagnancy in the crime, thriller, and romance genres, the directors of Pulp Fiction, Memento, and (500) Days of Summer shirked chronology. Each film ditched the traditional, linear approach to storytelling, inviting innovation by ...

Steadily, Nihon Falcom’s body of work has been transported stateside, cultivating a legion of fans with expertly crafted franchises like Ys and Legend of Heroes. In turn, critical and commercial success has prompted publishers to ...

Like many otaku-Americans, my upbringing had a strong Japanese influence- with video games, manga, and tokusatsu occupying the bulk of my recreational hours amidst the 80’s and 90’s. Moments along the way pointed to a ...

In the West, Nihon Falcom’s output is tarnished with the rare blemish. Notably, The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion and Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch– the first two entries in the Gagharv Trilogy. Released out of order, both ...

Gamers didn’t always have it so good. For years, only a fraction of Japanese titles made the journey West, leaving first-rate efforts like Secret of Mana 2, Mother 3, and Valkyria Chronicles III accessible only ...