Shin Megami Tensei V is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch, which may come as a surprise to longtime fans of the series. The gap between SMTIII and SMTIV was a substantial nine years, jumping from the PlayStation 2 to the Nintendo 3DS. The advancements between these two titles were few, with the latter actually taking a step back in representing its monsters as 2D portraits, but SMTIV was still very much a gargantuan Role-playing game, featuring 70-90 hours of gameplay, a fully-voice-acted story, and many monsters to obtain and unlock.

Pokemon is arguably one of the most popular and widely recognized Role-playing games in the world, which is quite a feat for a genre with relatively low sales. Its addictive monster-catching gameplay is by no means revolutionary, but it is bolstered by an approachable battle system and strong core mechanics that have more or less endured the span of twenty years through the introduction of additional wrinkles. For newcomers, these can be seen as a gimmick- something new that appears in each new generation that may appear frequently during the course of a playthrough. For high-level and professional players, they are aspects that define and shape the competitive metagame based on their permanence- or lack thereof, if you consider the weather wars of generation five.

With an HD port in Code of Princess EX and characters appearing in the soon-to-be-released Blade Strangers, it seems that this delightful little action-based Role-playing game is getting some love. Whether or not this is warranted, however, is another story. Code of Princess is, in many ways, a conundrum. Featuring absurd character designs, a wacky localization, incredibly extensive online functionality, and a slew of customization options, this game also suffers from terrible performance issues on the Nintendo 3DS, punishing difficulty, and a bland soundtrack. It is far from a perfect experience, which is perhaps why the prospect of co-operative play and altered enemy A.I. are large pushes- and welcome changes- in the EX package.

Like all forms of media, games are easily replayable, given the individual's access to the proper hardware. If a particular game happens to scratch that itch you have for a particular storytelling device, or perhaps a gameplay mechanic or motif that strikes your fancy, you can either return to it or hold out for a future title that utilizes similar concepts. Where a film ca utilize twists and turns that can be rediscovered upon a second viewing, however, games are somewhat different. While dialogue can be utilized in games to similar effect, the idea of creating a twist through gameplay is somewhat different. While the amount of content present in games can certainly cause certain segments to be forgotten, the rules of gameplay often give the player all they need in order to tackle new or unfamiliar situations. If gameplay is merged with story, then the memory will likely keep. On the other hand, if a game's aesthetic is repetitive or the story nonexistent, the player must rely...

What sensible 90's child didn't love Pokemon? As the years have gone by, this franchise has sustained its momentum with minor improvements to its gameplay and major increases in the number of catch-able critters. One of the finest examples of polymorphic content, Pokemon comes in all shapes and sizes, and more than a few titles have used its iconic character designs in various different ways. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon turns each monster into a rogue-like procedural dungeon crawler. Pokemon Conquest applies an isometric strategy twist to the fold. Hey You, Pikachu! uses a microphone to make a little critter into your Tamagotchi buddy. Detective Pikachu is a stupid thing that shouldn't exist. But one subseries of Pokemon that stands out as both bizarre in concept yet wildly addictive in execution is Pokemon Rumble. While none of the titles in this series are particularly fantastic, the idea of smacking around hundreds of weaker Pokemon with one's super-powered, highly a...

Most of the role-playing games I've talked about on this site have been narrative-driven, linear affairs. There's nothing wrong with this, and I've mentioned before that the appeal of these kinds of games is inheriting a role- being an active participant in a story. If this is the reason you play these kinds of games, you have an incentive for engaging in combat on a regular basis- you need to be strong enough to take on the next foe, so that you can progress the story, etc etc. The most frequent method of incentivizing a player is by crafting engaging narratives and allowing them to inherit a crucial role in the narrative. This leads a player to want to discover more from a narrative perspective, rather than through compelling gameplay. This is not to say that this model cannot have compelling gameplay- it largely depends on the sorts of organic progression the developers place in their way, as well as combat motifs and core mechanics. However, this can often present a...

Strategy games, whether turn-based or otherwise, are a huge time commitment. The momentum present is largely based on proficiency and awareness, and even then, players can have lengthy amounts of downtime and planning, especially in systems-rich titles. This is partially why finding the right entry point for the genre is a difficult task, and also why real-time strategy is more inviting- it is far more active and challenging, not to mention spectator friendly. But real time strategy often involves resource management on a larger scale than that of more traditional strategy games, as unit production is a major aspect of thoughtful strategy and execution. While some strategy games utilize weapon durability and unit movement as "resources" to manage, very few games are able to neatly and straightforwardly communicate the importance of this kind of gameplay, let alone implement it so that it takes a central focus. This is why Code Name S.T.E.A.M., Intelligent System's thi...

I have no particular love for Final Fantasy, a statement that would strip my status as an RPG fanatic in the eyes of some. I had very little exposure to the series in my youth, however, and my first Final Fantasy would actually be a spinoff, the first entry in the Crystal Chronicles series. The action-based, cooperation-focused role-playing systems were extremely appealing to me, and its unique races and more straightforward lore were easy to grasp, serving its rustic sensibilities nicely. I would go on to play each title in the Crystal Chronicles series, witnessing the refinements of its cooperative structure and eventual regression into something utterly weird, before vanishing off the map completely. In its place, I would find another coop ARPG to fill the void: a little series known as Monster Hunter. Its focus on precision movement, intense preparation, and dedication to equipment and weapon builds would enthrall me in a different way than Crystal Chronicles, which featured dung...

Having recently played the demo for The Alliance Alive, I have been reflecting on the sheer amount of RPGs I have played on the 3DS. The Alliance Alive is likely to be one of my last purchases for the system, unless Nintendo decides to smash us with some worthwhile new addition late in the system's life. Regarding demos, however, I can safely say that I have not played some RPGs based on the way their demos operate. Sometimes a good demo can highlight the best parts of a game, and sometimes they don't. I recall my time with both the Etrian Odyssey IV and Legend of Legacy demos rather fondly. Both are extremely open-ended due to the nature of the gameplay of their full-retail gameplay motifs and systems, offering a great amount of potential for a player, and a figurative head-start, to boot. On the other hand, a demo can also be an extremely lackluster experience, either failing to sell the concept of a full-retail purchase, or simply because its something of a mediocre effort,...

Death in video games is tricky- it usually serves as a punishment for not playing the game "correctly," although it is more often used as a save-state reload. Essentially, if the player is doing something wrong, death is a way of resetting incorrect or sloppy play and allowing them the chance to approach from another angle. How does this factor into Skipmore, a Japanese independent developer whose three action-RPG titles have appeared on both the 3DS and Switch eShops? Though the small size and simple graphics of Fairune, Fairune II, and Kamiko may look low-budget and lacking depth, there is something lurking beneath the surface of these three titles that allows for continuous revisits and a greater level of complexity. Although Kamiko is much more transparent in the way that it encourages speed-running, these games treat death as a means of complicating their gameplay and encouraging precision and strategy.

For those with an interest in Japanese Role Playing Games, there are a number of iconic developers who have been churning out new and exciting releases. Square Enix, Atlus, Falcom, and others have contributed a great deal to the landscape of this current console generation. But FuRyu might not be a familiar or memorable name to many, and that's admittedly because only a few of their games have made it over to the West. On the 3DS, FuRyu has released two particular titles of note, with a third on its way- Unchained Blades, a first person dungeon crawling RPG with an emphasis on story, and The Legend of Legacy. The latter of the two possessed an impressive pedigree, with a number of veteran creative forces working on the title, in particular, Masato Kato and Masahi Hamauzu, writer of a number of classic JRPGs and the ambient composer for several titles, respectively. Kyoji Koizumi, a longtime veteran of the SaGa series, was also a lead game designer, which can be felt in a great deal...

Much like its predecessor, the Nintendo 3DS has amassed a number of high quality role-playing games in its library. With its backwards compatibility with Nintendo DS game cards, however, stating the system may have one of the best comprehensive JRPG libraries is not a bold statement. Remastered versions of old classics, new and exciting series and installments, and the occasional singular entry that stands well on its own. Something the 3DS benefits from is its eShop, a place where independent developers could flex their muscles and release smaller titles at affordable prices. In its early days, the eShop was a saving grace for the system's somewhat starved retail library, but as the 3DS grew to prominence, the eShop became a stage for experimentation. Nintendo and third parties could take risks with less-familiar intellectual property and toy with small scale concepts.

The title of this series is Really Passionate Gaming, and with initials like those, the most obvious subject of my analyses would probably be “action-adventure games,” which, you know, is what Nintendo likes to call Paper Mario nowadays. There are some who would argue otherwise, however, as the first two installments of the series were structured more like light Role-Playing Games rather than puzzle-solving-centered, superfluous combat exercises in tedium that evoke nothing but disappointment... Sorry. I got a bit ahead of myself, there. See, the Paper Mario series in general is one that I consider to be “good,” and yet, its best installment has one of the most satisfying turn-based combat systems I have ever encountered. Sadly, this combat system appeared in the second of the five games released, The Thousand-Year Door (TTYD). Before I get into the features of TTYD's combat system, I'd first like to talk about Paper Mario's identity crisis. I'm not just talking ...

Jools Watsham is one of the most underrated faces in independent video game development. Co-founder and former employee of Renegade Kid and current founder of Atooi Games, Jools has created a number of quality DS and 3DS titles that have found their way to other platforms. In particular, his most recognizable Mutant Mudds and its Super Challenge sequel happen to be two of my favorite platformers of all time. However, Watsham has been vocal in highlighting disappointing sales figures for a number of his more recent releases like Chicken Wiggle, a basic, yet absurdly polished platformer with a built-in level designer for 3DS, as well as the Mutant Mudds Collection, recently released for Switch. Before either of these, however, the then-still-existent Renegade Kid published a small Metroidvania on the 3DS called Xeodrifter, the subject of this article. In short, Xeodrifter's own stubby captain takes players on a brief, but enjoyable ride that is comprised of brutal surviva...