JRPG

Review: This way Madness Lies

Review: This way Madness Lies

Do you know what's cool? JRPGs, also Sailor Moon, also Shakspeare. Do you know who else is having these thoughts? The team at Zeboyd games. This Way Madness Lies is a mashup that I’m pretty sure no one asked for that fires on all cylinders to make an old-school RPG that is truly unique, entertaining, and incredibly engaging.

Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

I don’t know when it happened, but Falcom became at some point one of my favorite RPG studios. I can’t tell exactly when I put their output in the same thoughts as studios like Atlus, and Square-Enix, but it happened, and now here I am, just wanting to dive into the lore of Zemuria and the events that take place therein. Finally, another piece of the Trails puzzle comes to America, the first piece of the Crossbell Arc, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero. This game originally came out in Japan for the PSP in 2010, making it downright ancient, given how many titles we see coming out every week now in America. Remember the PSP? Depending on your age, you may not. In any case, was it worth it for Falcom to have this older title localized and sold in America?

Ray's JRPG Shame Pile

Ray's JRPG Shame Pile

I have spent a lot of time playing JRPGs in my game-playing years. I have played a lot of the big hits, gotten many playthroughs under my belt for some all-time classic games. I have also sought out niche titles, and evangelized them to those around me. However, there are gaps in my experience, and I wish to share those gaps with you dear readers, along with my everlasting and perpetual shame. This is a list of 20 JRPGs that I have never rolled ending credits on, which maybe I should have done instead of spending a few thousand hours in World of Warcraft. Hindsight as always, is 20/20 and I cannot turn back time. Instead, I can use this list as a guidepost, and maybe start ticking down some of these entries over the rest of 2022 and beyond. If any of these are in your piles of shame as well, feel free to join me, tell me how the list is going on Twitter. Without any further ado:

Review: Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

Review: Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

If you’ve absorbed any content on this website before, you probably know that I’m a big fan of the Suikoden series of JRPGs. I bought in on day one when Rabbit and Bear studios launched a Kickstarter campaign for Eiyuden Chronicle: 100 Heroes, a spiritual successor to that phenomenal series.

Born from the success of that Kickstarter was Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, a prequel action RPG that sets up the world of 100 Heroes. What Rabbit and Bear craft here is a great action game with beautiful artwork that doesn’t feel beholden to being the appetizer for a bigger adventure, and I couldn’t help but explore every inch of the city of Nevaeh.

Review: Pokémon Legends Arceus

Review: Pokémon Legends Arceus

We have seen Pokémon grow as a brand in the past few years, with numerous games released. Also, we have witnessed Pokémon venture outside of gaming and into merchandising, culture, and even daily grooming activities. Right now, Pokémon is one of the biggest gaming franchises that exist.

For years, longtime fans have dreamed of an open-world Pokemon game where Pokémon roam the landscape, and you could control an avatar that could get lost in the natural landscape. The player could go anywhere and capture any Pokémon free of linear gaming.