Reviews
Monark Review
Japanese publisher Furyu has long been working together with NIS America, releasing a number of JRPGs that deal with complex psychological subjects of reality and identity. Not all have reached the Western shores. Those that did, however, presented some interesting design choices. Among those are 2019's The Caligula Effect and 2017's Lost Dimension. For 2022, we have Monark, developed by Shinjuku studio Lancarse. It features real time dungeon exploration, turn-based combat - and a smorgasbord of characters that've gone off their rockets.
Cards’n’Castles Review – The Grim Battlefields of France
The wheels of the siege engines creak and rumble, as the heavy machines slowly advance towards French fortifications. The grim warriors march forward, over the pools of blood and through a hail of enemy bombardment. The horsemen ride ahead - eager to break through the ruined battlements and smash into the opposition. The dark walls rise over the swamps and bogs of the foreign land - the land that will soon become England.
Ignited Steel: Mech Tactics Review
Ignited Steel: Mech Tactics is a turn-based combat game with mechas, drawing heavy inspiration from Subset Games titles FTL: Faster Than Light and Into the Breach. So, how does it compare against its older counterparts in the genre? Discover the answer in this review!
Campaign Series: Vietnam – Review
A long time ago, there was a great series of turn-based strategies. It began with East Front, and then continued through a number of games, built on the original's chassis. They were released during an era when the turn-based style was still popular - even if losing ground to the RTS. As such, the games sold well and spawned many similar works. Eventually these evolved into the famed and venerable John Tiller engine, that you can see, to this day, in the Squad Battles series. Those are definitely still worth a look.
Field of Glory 2 Medieval – Storm of Arrows Review
Rejoice, fans of Field of Glory 2: Medieval! The trumpets have sounded - and all roads now lead to Paris. The Storm of Arrows DLC brings the battlefield to the green fields of France, allowing players to re-fight the Hundred Years War - albeit in tiny pixel form.
Miyamoto S – Review
Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) was a renowned Japanese swordsman from the early Edo period. In the West, he is most famous as the author of the Book of Five Rings. However, he was also a talented artist and a devout Buddhist; While his two-sword fighting style earned him widespread recognition, despite his status as a ronin (a wandering warrior, without a lord): He remained undefeated in the 61 duels he fought over the course of his life.
Hero’s Hour Review
Remember those days, back in the 90s, playing the classic turn-based fantasy strategy RPGs? There were quite a few of those! There was the famous Heroes of Might and Magic series, of course; and I also remember spending some very quality time with Age of Wonders and its sequel. But why all these vintage fantasy references? Because it seems like Hero's Hour has set out to take the best of those experiences, trim the fat and serve the player only the juicy meaty parts.
Chroma Squad – Super Sentai Show Game Review
To say that Power Rangers, as well as their Japanese counterpart Super Sentai, were incredibly popular in the 90s is an understatement. Those shows had millions of fans, sold tons of merchandise, and had dozens of imitations and parodies. All despite, or maybe because, their simple formula, that felt more and more generic each time it was ripped off by yet another franchise.
Home Behind 2 Review
Published in 2016, the original Home Behind was an RPG with survival mechanics and turn-based combat. The player's task was to save a refugee and his family, trying to reach the safety of Europe. Six years later, Asian studio TPP goes back to that very same formula, for a sequel. This time, however, it's not about finding a safe refuge anymore. Instead, it's about bringing freedom to a fractured country.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All — Pokémon Legends: Arceus Review
Time for some truth; I've never played a Pokémon game until now. Okay, I lie, I played maybe 30 minutes of one of those on Game Boy Color - but that was it. For some reason, I never got into the series, as it never appealed to me as a child; it was also a time when I wasn’t a fan of turn-based games. Luckily, I changed that mindset, enjoyed some turn-based games, and now I am a fan of the genre. But there was still one thing I had to correct. I had to play a Pokémon game. And with the new Pokémon Legends: Arceus I finally had a chance to do it.
