APickle

Best dedicated handheld JRPG, ever. The difficulty is spot on, I beat the boss of the game with literally my last attack after running out of "summons", magic, healing items and well.... A basic attack doing 100 damage fell the boss with 100,000hp+.

Underrated hidden gem. We should praise RPG's when they are as dark and mature as Drakengard. If you don't play this game, at least read the synopsis because the events of Drakengard 1-3 lead toNicer.

Underrated hidden gem. We should praise RPG's when they are as dark and mature as Drakengard. The point of the game is that you make a blood pack with a captured and dying Dragon (who loats humans for making her race nearly extinct), in order to stop an enemy from commiting genocide. You then literally kill 1,000's to change the direction of war. Yet somehow, saving this dragon leads to a plague that wipes out all of humanity in a few centuries and Neir is born. No other franchise has such interlocked story.

One of the best RPG's to have released in the last 10 years. Being on switch, you can literally play for 10 minutes and put it in sleep mode. What other 100+ hour RPG is this convenient?

Passable, sort ****'s a pretty poor, unfinished tactics RPG, but there are some levels that are pretty decent and the fanfare is so ridiculous it might make you laugh a little....until you get bored of the same animation. A few (~20%) of the levels are decent and had thought put into them. You cannot walk by enemy units in this game, so levels with branching narrow paths, levels where you need to avoid enemies or levels where you need to rescue new recruits/purify a few enemies are actually fun. However there are not very many of these, and between them there are a lot of "filler" levels (Some of which you can pass by doing nothing at all and waiting 12 turns....) The fanfare - If you don't appreciate the TnA, then don't bother with this game. Almost every level a new character is introduced with a ridiculous outfit. Hand drawn images in cutscenes and special attacks can be quite nice too, but there is only 1 hand drawn animation per character, so don't expect anything new with a promotion or new attack. Cute animations - The special attacks and enemy death scenes are cute little chibi scenes. They are done decently well. Bland plot - The overarching story is rather basic, you basically just meet a new character, go to where they tell you to go, meet another character and repeat. In between, not much happens, about 15% the mandatory story is an arena because you literally have nothing to do. Unclear level design - Many sub-ojectives are not obvious (e.g. level is complete when you reach your goal. Sub objective is to open all the chests, but the level ends if you defeat all the enemies, even if you don't reach the goal). Poor Design - The game tells you that using a different character on the world map will open up different side quests, but I never saw this.- Side quests also don't tell you if they are for recruiting new characters or just grinding for a random summon for 1 character to use.- Final Tier character upgrades are locked behind side quests, which aren't labeled. You you either do them all, or don't bother. The game really pushes you to do them all because the end of the game, while doable, is really annoying as you will do ~150 damage per turn o bosses with 2,200 HP to 4,900 HP, and they can instantly kill you. You basically need to rewind a turn a few **** do all the side quests and be OP.- There are really useful features (such as rewind) that are hidden in a sub menu. It took me 15 hours before I knew about rewind, could have saved a lot of stupid deaths from not understanding the game.- You can purify "Namtars" (aka possessed people) to fight for you, but later in the game, even when you successfully purify "Namtars" they suddenly no longer become allies and stay as enemies. This game is just really sloppy, it never tells you when new game mechanics are introduced or changed, nor does it explain why. Inconsistent difficulty - Some levels are really easy, and boring. Others will require you to bring specific characters to make the level easier (e.g. a water user when fire enemies are around), but the order is random, and you don't really know who is best for which level. You might get 3 easy levels in a row, a random hard one, then more easy levels. The end of the game approaches the difficult side, but in a poor way (damage sponge bosses). Poor AI - Later bosses can one shot kill a party member. Sometimes enemies will gang up and take out party members one at a time. However other times they just attack completely randomly. Most of the "harder" levels come down to, did the enemy AI try? Yes, you have a challenge. No, you win easily. Inconsistent pacing - I actually did enjoy chapters 3 & 4 (of 6) because I felt there was a plot, the levels weren't too generic, and new characters joined your group in an authentic cooperative way. Then blamo, back to bland Boring, repetitive and grindy - This is not a hard game, but some levels just drag on. Bosses become damage sponges, and it might take 10 turns of doing the same attack to beat it. Why? It's just not balanced well. Really boring - It's not a good tactics game, a lot of levels you can just go "Leeroy Jenkins" and plow through without any strategy. Unskipable attack animations - While decently well done, you do get tired of them after a bit. Being Unskipable 10s attacks, this really disconnects you from the experience. The only option to skip them, is to always skip them, which also isn't ideal. I just want to press b to skip.... Poor Language options - No option for English or Japanese voices (just Chinese) and even if you choose no volume for voice acting, you still hear Chinese on the character menu's. I mostly played on mute. It crashes - Crashed on me **** overall, just avoid this game. If it wasn't for the fanfare I would have given it a 4/10.I bought this game literally because the store owner said this was an underappreciated tactics RPG, but no.....just no, it's terrible.

The worst Zelda game.--- Actual in game quote "It's no fun not being able to play using the +Control **** I have one regret, it's being so stubborn and saying such a thing...." --- Nintendo should have allowed optional button controls. -- Basically, a lot of bad decisions. Touch controls feel like a gimmick, especially when changing weapons while fighting enemies.-- The world map feels small and unpolished. Normally Zelda games have really detailed and layered maps with sections locked until you get the tool needed to reach those locations. In Phantom Hourglass, you just aren't allowed to sail to certain areas until you progress the story. Hidden items are usually just places to dig...pretty lame.-- No heart pieces, but instead there are just 6 heart containers, and you get them by completing mini games. No finding them....pretty lame.-- The Ocean King Temple is just really poorly designed, and you need to repeat it 6 times, repeating the same puzzles.-- The trading sequence is just 4 trades long, and you can't start it until you are about 90% done the game.-- Music is really bad, no Hyrule theme or anything memorable.-- Sailing is also really boring.-- However the boss fights are really good, and the graphics are reasonable, but regular combat just scratches up your screen (Bought a screen protector specifically for this game).-- My friends told me to skip this game......I should have listened.-- My Zelda Ranker-- -Best- Breath of the Wild Majora's Mask Ocarina of Time Link's Awakening Oracle of Ages Oracle of Seasons Twilight Princess A Link Between Worlds Skyward Sword Wind Waker Minish Cap Zelda II The Legend of Zelda A Link to The Past Phantom Hourglass/Triforce Heroes -Worst- Still to play, Spirit Tracks & Tears of the Kingdom Wind Waker

5/10 for the first 14 hours 7.5/10 for the last 5 hours Considering this because it's GameFreak? Don't bother. You like Studio Ghibli? Okay, this might be worthwhile, but it's only ok. This is a very short and boring game that only really comes alive near the end. The entire game takes place in a "little town" which you can walk fully over in under 5 minutes. The best way of describing the gameplay would be a card game where your job is to read the fine print. Basically you and the enemy hold a hand full of 5 cards, which have defence/offense values or do specials. Pretty simple (and it is), but enemy cards always have a fine print which you can view by clicking the right analog stick. Why it's not viewable with the attack info? I'm not sure, poor design choice. Either way, every turn you spend a minute or two reading the fine print of enemy attacks, and plan accordingly. Some of the "fine print" would be like the card destroying your card regardless of defence, or it switches your card at random, or not destroying it makes it automatically turn into a weaker card/destroying it damages your health. Basically, it's a very slow game, and it's slower by having long pauses between turns and unskipable repetitive 2-3s animations.What makes the game really boring is that there are less than 20 cards in your deck, so the game is very slow, and very repetitive. Most bosses require you to use cards in a very specific order, which is boring and it takes out any real strategy component. So, I wouldn't recommend this game. I largely only beat it because it's GameFreak. However, after the no turning back point in Ch 6 of 9 (14.5 hours in), the story progresses rapidly and it's actually sort of fun. But this 4 hour sliver of actual plot is not enough to salvage a very boring game with only 8 side quests total...

10/10 game in 1996, and still fantastic today. If you haven't played this yet, stop reading and go play. Would be a 10/10 in 2023, but they made minor changes that made the game easier. One reason why this game was so great in 1996 was because it was reasonably challenging. Now with "!" To help you with timing, more experience, a lower encounter rate and trio special attacks, they made the game easier. Only "breezy" and normal difficulties at the begining. Other than that, this is a classic, and hopefully encourages more remakes of 90's era JRPG's. Fingers crossed for Chrono Trigger and FFVI.

One of the last 3DS games I played, and I loved it. Very polished, classic JRPG, that feels like playing a good 90's JRPG. This is a very lighthearted JRPG with really good gameplay. Easy to play for hours at a time, and easy to come back to if you leave it for months. If you're looking for a low commitment JRPG that you can just play and enjoy, without worrying about what happened last you played, this is it. Also the art style is really cool with the drawn in map as you explore it. With some of the developers having make Chrono Trigger before, you know this is a great game. Enjoy!

If you like Super Mario RPG, you will enjoy this for sure. The first level isn't polished, the camera can be a bit rough, but once you get to the 1st town the game comes into full swing. There are about 50 pieces of equipment and 40 different magic attacks, each with their own "perfect" timing mechanic. Some of the spells require random and really fun button combo's. Story wise, it's got the same type of humor as SMRPG, but at the same time still unique. The main character is "mute" and only nods his head like Mario did on the SNES. However unlike Mario, he is actually mute, so when new characters talk to you, you always get funny dialogue. There are also a lot of puns, worth taking a screenshot for. E.g. there was a chest on a roof, and the nearby NPC says "I can jump, but I'm not Italian plumber." Another time you are forced to go through a mine to reach the next town, and one of your allies says "Do we have to go through the mine? Of course we do, it wouldn't be much of an RPG without conflict." There are tons of little jokes like these in the game, it's really well written. The plot itself is nothing special, but still good. I don't want to spoil anything, but just like Mallow and Geno give SMRPG a unique story, this game does the same. This game feels like an 90's RPG, as it should. The graphics themselves are really cool too. I keep telling myself this is a Geno centered sidequest. The levels (after the first one), are really good, and they get better as you progress. The snow level in particular had a puzzle that legitimately made me have to think. Without spoiling anything, you have to hit the switches in a certain sequence, but some switches (and the goal) are well hidden, so I had to go back and take another look. The game is also difficult, and satisfying. Often times you will lose on the boss, but going back to town and restocking your items, and maybe grinding a level is usually enough to progress. So forgiving, but still challenging. As for drawbacks, it can feel a bit unfinished at times. I think the developers rushed to release this BEFORE Super Mario RPG released. Nothing big, but in the swamp platforming sections specifically, I felt that the landing pads had poor detection and were hard to jump between. Everywhere else, the platforming sections are a bit more generous. The begining of the game is rather boring, there isn't much dialogue with 1 mute character and with 1 party member the combat is meh. The camera can also be choppy (especially in the 1st level). Some hallways lead into rooms from a different direction (e.g. you enter a north facing door and come out westward). Other times when you exit a building, the camera zooms really quickly and it feels rough. The game could do with an update to fix these small issues. Reading other reviews, the game seems to have had a few updates already as I've never fallen through a floor (There is a hidden crystal on a secret path over an invisible floor, but.....I'm pretty sure this was intentional, as there is an obvious door to nowhere). All in all, this is probably an 8/10 for non Super Mario RPG fans and a 9/10 for us Super Mario RPG fans. It's a solid game, that is definitely inspired by SMRPG, but at the same time still unique. I strongly recommend playing this before the Super Mario RPG Remake comes out.

If you like Super Mario RPG, you will enjoy this for sure. The first level isn't polished, the camera can be a bit rough, but once you get to the 1st town the game comes into full swing. There are about 50 pieces of equipment and 40 different magic attacks, each with their own "perfect" timing mechanic. Some of the spells require random and really fun button combo's. Story wise, it's got the same type of humor as SMRPG, but at the same time still unique. The main character is "mute" and only nods his head like Mario did on the SNES. However unlike Mario, he is actually mute, so when new characters talk to you, you always get funny dialogue. There are also a lot of puns, worth taking a screenshot for. E.g. there was a chest on a roof, and the nearby NPC says "I can jump, but I'm not Italian plumber." Another time you are forced to go through a mine to reach the next town, and one of your allies says "Do we have to go through the mine? Of course we do, it wouldn't be much of an RPG without conflict." There are tons of little jokes like these in the game, it's really well written. The plot itself is nothing special, but still good. I don't want to spoil anything, but just like Mallow and Geno give SMRPG a unique story, this game does the same. This game feels like an 90's RPG, as it should. The graphics themselves are really cool too. I keep telling myself this is a Geno centered sidequest. The levels (after the first one), are really good, and they get better as you progress. The snow level in particular had a puzzle that legitimately made me have to think. Without spoiling anything, you have to hit the switches in a certain sequence, but some switches (and the goal) are well hidden, so I had to go back and take another look. The game is also difficult, and satisfying. Often times you will lose on the boss, but going back to town and restocking your items, and maybe grinding a level is usually enough to progress. So forgiving, but still challenging. As for drawbacks, it can feel a bit unfinished at times. I think the developers rushed to release this BEFORE Super Mario RPG released. Nothing big, but in the swamp platforming sections specifically, I felt that the landing pads had poor detection and were hard to jump between. Everywhere else, the platforming sections are a bit more generous. The begining of the game is rather boring, there isn't much dialogue with 1 mute character and with 1 party member the combat is meh. The camera can also be choppy (especially in the 1st level). Some hallways lead into rooms from a different direction (e.g. you enter a north facing door and come out westward). Other times when you exit a building, the camera zooms really quickly and it feels rough. The game could do with an update to fix these small issues. Reading other reviews, the game seems to have had a few updates already as I've never fallen through a floor (There is a hidden crystal on a secret path over an invisible floor, but.....I'm pretty sure this was intentional, as there is an obvious door to nowhere). All in all, this is probably an 8/10 for non Super Mario RPG fans and a 9/10 for us Super Mario RPG fans. It's a solid game, that is definitely inspired by SMRPG, but at the same time still unique. I strongly recommend playing this before the Super Mario RPG Remake comes out.

Ambitious, but unfinished. If they fix the online and lag, this could be the best 3D Pokemon game. Pro: Open World, can take on gyms in different orders, and trainers are finally optional. Can play at your own pace, skip Team Star if you want, even skip gyms and just go for Titans. 400 Pokemon, and some of the new ones aren't lame. Cons: NPC's more than 30m away literally move at 1 FPS, it's actually really bad. Shadows from mountains also "jump" past you in a very noticable and distracting way. Online raids are broken, rooms take 30s to join and are usually filled. It's also really short at 28 hours to beat, but then again I skipped most of the trainers. Overall, a really fun and ambitious Pokemon. Geometric texture mapping make the scales and fur on the Pokemon look more real. This feels like a natural evolution for the Pokemon franchise and I enjoyed it, but it just feels incomplete. I love exploring and riding my Pokemon while catching new Pokemon, but I'm not a fan of the academy theme.

This game is a step up from Fire Emblem Fates, but overall really disappointing compared to older games in the series. They really over did the whole Harry Potter Hogwarts theme. Plus if you want to 100% the game you need to beat it 3 times, once per faction. Not a problem, but when the first half of the gane is identical in all 3 playthroughs, it's very frustrating. I beat every Fire Emblem game released, including Geneology of the Holy War and Thracia 776. Overall Three houses is among the worst Fire Emblem games, but it's still Fire Emblem. So if you like tactics games, you'll enjoy this. Just don't expect anything as grand as Awakening or Mystery of the Emblem.

Among the best Tactics JRPG's out there along with Fire Emblem Awakening, Shining Force 3 and Tactics Ogre Let us Cling Together. The story is a bit dark compared to other games in the JRPG genre, very comparable to an actual war. Without making any spoilers past the into cutscene, the purpose of the game is to find your fiance who went missing and while looking for her you build up an army and get deeper and deeper into enemy occupied territory. Gameplay, there is a lot of micromanaging. This is a game for experienced tactics gamers, but not quite as hard as FE Geneology of the Holy War or Thracia 776. Expect to spend up to an hour between levels to optimize your equipment. The actual combat is fantastic, you really need to be careful. Push too hard and your repair bill next level will be over the top. Too conservative and you become overwhelmed and lose anyway. This game is also much better than the other Front Mission games. I never understood why people liked Front Mission 3 so much when you only had 4 playable characters in that game. If you enjoy tactics JRPG's like Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy then give this game a go. Front Mission 1st is easily among the best Squaresoft games of the 90's. Honestly a 10/10, but for a niche genre. The only reason this Squaresoft classic is getting low score is because people can't handle 1990's tactics micro managing and are upset that it costs so much when the changes are minimal. If Chrono Trigger or FFVI was remade like this, people would love it. Tactics games were at their bests in the 90's, and this is one of the best. Expect a classic 90's Squaresoft JRPG if you pick this up.

Among the best Tactics JRPG's out there along with Fire Emblem Awakening, Shining Force 3 and Tactics Ogre Let us Cling Together. The story is a bit dark compared to other games in the JRPG genre, very comparable to an actual war. Without making any spoilers past the into cutscene, the purpose of the game is to find your fiance who went missing and while looking for her you build up an army and get deeper and deeper into enemy occupied territory. Gameplay, there is a lot of micromanaging. This is a game for experienced tactics gamers, but not quite as hard as FE Geneology of the Holy War or Thracia 776. Expect to spend up to an hour between levels to optimize your equipment. The actual combat is fantastic, you really need to be careful. Push too hard and your repair bill next level will be over the top. Too conservative and you become overwhelmed and lose anyway. This game is also much better than the other Front Mission games. I never understood why people liked Front Mission 3 so much when you only had 4 playable characters in that game. If you enjoy tactics JRPG's like Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy then give this game a go. Front Mission DS is easily among the best Squaresoft games of the 90's. Honestly a 10/10, but for a niche genre.