RPGamer

Beast of Reincarnation rewards patience. RPGamers who venture further will find an adventure that becomes increasingly engaging, thanks to excellent traversal, satisfying combat, and a memorable companion in Koo. Although the story is underwhelming and technical issues can disrupt the experience, its focus on exploration and movement remains its greatest strength. Its combination of atmosphere and discovery, even at the expense of a little jank, ultimately gives Beast of Reincarnation a distinct experience that more polished games lack. There is plenty of room for refinement, but Game Freak has nevertheless delivered a solid action RPG.

Disgaea Mayhem, even with the large variety of side experiences, is a pretty short game, with a campaign that can easily be completed in under ten hours. There are certainly lots of systems that players can dive into to extend, especially for those to wish to reach the maximum possible level. There is no real post-game content, however, though there will be some downloadable content available after launch. That said, the game is still a pleasant experience. Battles are fun to blast through, and power-leveling a character before cranking up the difficulty can be a blast. Like the main series, it’s not something that everyone will enjoy, but fans of Disgaea will find it an enjoyable spin-off that stays true to the series’ fundamentals. It may not ultimately be as delicious as the dessert it revolves around, but it is a tasty experience while it lasts.

For fans of board games or the Culdcept series who enjoy playing with others, the online multiplayer and local multiplayer—available via the Nintendo Switch 2’s GameShare feature—make Culdcept Begins a worthwhile pickup. For the solo player, however, the predictable narrative tropes and the inherent randomness of the gameplay make it difficult to justify the time investment. Culdcept Begins is a competent, if slightly dated, strategy experience; it serves as a functional return for the franchise, though one that occasionally relies too heavily on the simplicity of its past.

Despite several years lying between the two games’ release dates, Echo Generation 2 manages to tie in really well with its predecessor, creating a one-two punch of indie games that can be perfectly experienced together without too much of a time investment. That said, the game is far from a rehash of the same ideas presented last time around. First and foremost, the developers have opted for some pretty significant changes to the simple turn-based combat of the last game, resulting in card-based combat that’s still paced to flow a lot like a turn-based system. But the choice to insert multiple standalone protagonists, with wildly different settings and nuances to the card-based combat, doesn’t pay off in a satisfying way, and in fact introduces just a little bit of frustration near the end and information overload at the beginning. These changes mean that some will undoubtedly prefer the first game in the series, but the difficulty curve is gentle enough and there’s enough overlap between the games to make it absolutely worthwhile to still give this one a go.

It may not manage to do anything particularly spectacular, but Tales of Seikyu is nonetheless a fun and charming game. Its yokai-themed setting, alongside its heartwarming and welcoming nature, goes a long way to giving it its own character, even if much of the gameplay fundamentals do little to stand out from the rest of the genre. Those looking to spend their time in a welcoming setting while building up their own ranch and exploring some underground ruins will find an enjoyable experience here.

Smash It Wild is a wholly original title that sticks the landing most of the time. The gameplay is fun and engaging, each team feels unique and challenges the player in different ways, and it blends what feel like two opposing genres together excellently. It is frustrating that the game is so short, especially when the options to make it longer feel so obvious. The final difficulty spike, combined with the roguelike elements, could frustrate some players, but that cannot detract enough from the strengths of the game to stop it from getting my recommendation. The game feels tailor-made for Switch with its bite-sized, pick-up-and-play nature and, although the playtime will likely only clock in at just under ten hours, the brief time with the game is time well spent.

STARDUST: Wish of Witch succeeds with stellar details in its presentation and when the narrative focuses on the two protagonist. It fails in its slow gameplay pace, lack of mission variety, and confusing UI that turns it into a chore. These problems turn a charming tactical adventure into an incredibly difficult recommendation, as even the best animations can’t save a game from being a slog to play.

Ultimately, Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent delivers a solid mechanical skeleton, but it lacks a soul. While strategy enthusiasts and fans of the original tabletop game will find plenty to love in its deep tactical combat and rewarding gameplay loop, those looking for a compelling fantasy narrative will likely come away disappointed. It is a technically sound translation of a tabletop classic, but one that fails to breathe true life into its world.

Combat is fun enough, but rather basic. The story isn’t anything to write home about. Then the final stretch of the game is marred by underdeveloped final areas and mandatory side-quests with poorly communicated updates. At the very least it should still leave an impact with its concept, and that’s a good thing. After all, if a game is forgotten, does it cease to exist?

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales proves HD-2D works brilliantly as the foundation for an action-adventure game. Its engaging combat, rewarding exploration, clever customization systems, and gorgeous visual presentation combine to create one of Square Enix’s strongest action-adventure games in recent years. The story may be predictable, and the enemy variety is rather lacking, but neither issue detracts from an experience that consistently rewards exploration. The Adventures of Elliot shows the HD-2D formula can thrive well beyond the realm of turn-based RPGs. If this is where the style is headed next, the future looks incredibly promising.