Deck-Building games are my bread and butter, and I love it all the more when a developer pushes to experiment with the gameplay format in new ways. The roguelike deck-builder has become the norm for adapting this style of gameplay, but games like Baten Kaitos and SteamWorld Quest have used its foundations to present more linear, story-driven role-playing experiences. While SOULVARS, the newly-released Switch title from publisher SUEISHA GAMES, might have originally been released as a mobile-only title, it is by no means a quick and dirty port, or a low-effort affair. There’s some strong tactical foundations and expansive customization to be found here, if you can hand wave some of the game’s weaker elements.

Strap in, folks. This is a roller coaster ride of a retrospective, which may or may not show a maturity of thought. Definitely not maturity of composition.

Chances are, if you are a video game enthusiast, you likely don't need me to tell you what a looping path is. If you're a video game developer, the notion of explaining such a fundamental part of environmental design may seem laughable. Many exploration, adventure, and role-playing titles utilize this technique in order to create satisfying gameplay loops out of their game worlds, rather than just their gameplay mechanics and systems. It is one of the textbook ways to perpetuate a feeling of momentum within a video game world, making sure traversal does not become tedious by slicing off chunks of backtracking.

In terms of variations upon the foundations of role-playing games, the monster-catching sub-genre is arguably one of the more appealing and accessible of the bunch. Claiming ownership of a party member is an enticing prospect, but the ability to customize both the individual and whole party, as well as the completionist mindset, allow for multiple layers of enjoyment. This sub-genre is one that has been around for a while, some games utilizing the concept as more of a combat motif, while the more recognizable titles use the idea to inform their aesthetic, narrative structure, and longevity. While we can all agree that the wildly popular and long-standing Shin Megami Tensei series acts as both the face of the sub-genre and a shining example of player accessibility and universal appeal, many other titles have risen to challenge and attempt to profit off of the monster-catching framework. Some, like Digimon, offer unique combination methods and multiple character routes, while others, lik...

Hand of Fate 2 plays nothing like any other Role-playing game I have encountered, yet very clearly is a Role-playing game. The depth of its combat mechanics and the variations that it layers atop the foundations of its progression and narrative structure are smart and nuanced. The way it challenges the player to continuously achieve and succeed while tackling its chapters is commendable. The difficulty present in its scenarios is intense and unyielding. These phrases could be applied to a number of different titles, and this has something to do with the nature of personality in video games.

For a long period of time, I believed that Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was as close to perfect as a Mario RPG could get. Its turn-based, action-command combat, light and varied atmosphere, and translation of many fundamental mechanics found in the Super Mario platformers into Role-playing concepts were just delightful, and the game served as a perfect entry point for a fledgling Role-playing fan. That being said, I understand how some contemporary gamers might look back on this title and scoff. With more recent Paper Mario titles being focused on aesthetically gorgeous titles that unfortunately lack in substance, the modern Nintendo fan might not understand why a Role-playing game with customization, multiple levels of depth, and a heartfelt story might be so appealing. Some might even find Paper Mario's turn-based combat a relic, favoring Super Paper Mario's action-platforming approach instead. It seems Nintendo may feel the same, because the reveal that Mario would...

Flashback twenty-four years ago: it's 1990 and the RPG is a fledgling concept. The introduction of a console with the first-ever CD-ROM peripheral allowed expanse material to be brought to the TurboGrafx-16- in specific,  titles like Ys Book I and II. Revolutionary for its time, Ys featured action-based gameplay with role-playing elements, a pounding soundtrack, and a surprisingly in-depth story. With Ys VIII's recent release on Steam and the increased exposure of the series thanks to its imminent release on Switch, it is as good a time as any to evaluate what makes Falcom's signature Role-playing series so unique. Like many of its kind, however, Ys has undergone several improvements and changes throughout the years. This feature will take a look at some of the best parts of Ys Book I and II, highlighting why it is still holds up in its base form almost a quarter of a century later.

As a sendoff to the month of May, in which we sought to examine narratives and narrative elements in Role-playing games, I thought it would be proper to write a critical analysis article for a video game. This is a review and revisit of Child of Light. The year is 2014, and Ubisoft Montreal is in the mood for something a bit different. While the Japanese Role-playing genre is alive and well, the western front largely relies on big-budget, high-investment immersive sims in order to fill that same void. Some independent developers create their own unique titles, but a high-profile Role-playing game utilizing classic gameplay is an alien thing.

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.

The Alliance Alive is a relatively new game, and those who have followed these articles know that its predecessor, The Legend of Legacy, has already been covered because of its unique elements. With a month of content dedicated to narrative elements, there is one particular aspect of The Alliance Alive that stands out in relation to many of its contemporaries- the overlapping narrative that takes place during the first quarter of the game. Although it certainly is not the first Japanese Role-playing game to implement the idea, the game revisits the concept at multiple points and benefits from the concept a great deal.

It comes as a great surprise to me that Square Enix has announced the far-off Final Fantasy VII remake will be released episodically. While any story-based game- and Role-playing games, especially- can have its narrative broken into smaller pieces, the pacing and amount of content per portion in Final Fantasy VII is questionable, and not necessarily clean-cut. Unless, I don't know, you break it up by the literal CD swaps from the original PS1 release. While many games have attempted episodic release schedules in the age of digital distribution, there are very few that seem justified in doing so. An episodic game needs to have a structure in which each installment tells a concise narrative, no matter how much cliff-hanging the writers wish to create in order to encourage a player to buy the next installment. What is stranger- to me, at least- is that there are specific franchises that feel primed to adopt an episodic release schedule yet have not done so.

If you're an avid fan of Role-playing games, it's likely that you have some level of text comprehension and reading skill. The genre is not necessarily plagued with verbosity, but it does rely heavily on dialogue and in-game text in order to communicate its narrative. Having a great deal of dialogue can be beneficial to the plot and character development, but the effectiveness of this text is also determined by the tone, level of nuance, and depth of character that it actually communicates.

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.

Before the Operation Rainfall trilogy, I was not aware of how much I really loved Role-playing games. I had enjoyed a number of titles from the genre in the past, but understanding the need and lack of representation on Nintendo's seventh generation console helped me realize why iterations in the Paper Mario and Crystal Chronicles series that appeared on the Wii were dissatisfying experiences. I longed for numbers-based combat, meaningful character progression and growth, and the wackiness that comes with a good, old, far-fetched Role-playing game. I was not alone in this desire. The power of a vocal community can be a compelling catalyst, though Nintendo themselves would only bring Xenoblade Chronicles to North America after the Operation Rainfall petitioning began. However, localization and publishing company XSEED recognized the potential of bringing these already-translated titles over from Europe, and thus, three of the Rainfall titles headed to North American shelves. While...

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...

I took a look at the Octopath Traveler demo version recently, and it left quite an impression on me. I'm still not quite sure whether it was positive or negative, however, mostly because the game's intentions are still somewhat elusive. While there are some aspects of the demo that appealed to me a great deal, others feel a bit nebulous, and the game as a whole seems to lack some direction. While the developers have apparently taken some of the concerns of those who evaluated the game to heart, there is still much that has not been said about Octopath Traveler, and while its aesthetic is striking and its homages evident, I hope to address some concerns regarding this new Square Enix RPG.

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...

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,...

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...