The Vita Lounge

Salt and Sanctuary is a hard as nails action platformer that wears its Dark Souls inspiration with pride and comes with a lot of the same caveats. Whether it's something for you depends on your taste, but those Salt and Sanctuary suits will find a very solid game to spend their time on.

Some rough presentation hides a decently fun game underneath, but a plethora of technical issues serve to pretty much completely ruin the experience. In its launch state, this isn't a Vita title I can recommend.

Akiba's Beat is an enjoyable RPG with an interesting plot and some nice characters; the only problem is that it also comes with cheap presentation and repetitive gameplay.

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is a fantastic otome title with an interesting story and solid, attractive characters. That said, as this is only the first half of the story they're retelling, Kyoto Winds doesn't have a solid conclusion in any of its routes. What it does have going for it however, is double the pathways - and the privilege of being arguably the most content-filled, definitive version of the game.

Overall, Spellspire is a solid time-waster on Vita. If you’re into brain-teasing spelling games you’ll have a fun time, but otherwise some frustrating issues with progression and an overall lack of any particular ‘wow’ factor keep me from recommending it whole-heartedly. At least the small file size means it’s something you can keep on your memory card and dip into every now and again, as that way you might actually end up finishing it one day.

Period: Cube has an interesting setting and gorgeous design, but is weighed down by some odd choices in content. Refreshing mechanical additions to the visual novel genre are much appreciated, but after fully completing the game you probably won't be itching to come back for more.

The Legend of Dark Witch is an indie action platformer with fun characters and beautiful pixel art. While it is short in length, it rewards multiple playthroughs - but still won't be likely to last anybody playing it seriously more than a weekend. The most glaring flaws here are the high initial entry point and unfortunately blurry graphics, but if you can grab the game on sale then it comes recommended.

Toukiden 2 - like most games in the hunting genre - is filled to the brim with content. Featuring tons of equipment to craft, Mitama to collect, and quests to complete, it easily ranks among the top of the genre. Plus, it certainly doesn't hurt that while it's easy enough that newcomers can pick it up, it can also provide enough challenge to entertain genre veterans.

Dino Dini's Kick Off Revival fails to recapture the magic of old, and the outdated gameplay combined with a lack of features means this is simply a forgettable arcade football game. Those with nostalgia for the original Dino Dini games might get a few kicks out of this for old time's sake, but most people are probably happier avoiding this one.

Lichtspeer takes a simple idea and makes it colourful, challenging, and fun. Its quirky humor will win you over, and there's some addictive high-score chasing to be done, but some frustrating encounters may detract from an otherwise impressive package.