Kyle Bradford
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GameSpew Latest Reviews
Warriors Orochi 4 will not turn a non-believer into a believer. If you are already uninterested in the Warriors franchise, or musou games in general, Warriors Orochi 4 isn’t going to change your mind. Yet, I imagine that for most fans, they’re merely looking for more of the same. Despite being formulaic and repetitive, you know what you’re getting with a Warriors game. And if that’s your thing, you’ll no doubt have some fun with Warriors Orochi 4.
What remains, even still, is a sense of contradictory emotions. I do love Valkyria Chronicles 4 for many reasons. Its characters are more endearing than any I had encountered in the series thus far and its systems and mechanics are still as engaging as ever. However, there is still plenty going against even its most positive attributes. Unable, or simply refusing, to acknowledge its own identity as a product of anti-fascist ideals, I can’t help but find its story underwhelming. More concerned with its own past than its future, I also can’t help but find its systems simply more of the same. That even at its best, I’m still reminded of how it could have been better. Though, to be clear, that doesn’t make Valkyria Chronicles 4 bad. All it does is force me to admit that we can all sometimes become prisoners to our own nostalgia.
Yet even still, its central conceit looms over it ominously. Its inability to show you the agency you may or may not possess robs the experience of the satisfaction it so desperately wants to give you on its final scene. As its ending is seemingly one of many – however differing they may or may not be – it all feels inefficacious. Like the cast over your broken leg from the long jump you weren’t able to finish, no matter how good the rest of the experience is, that is what people will remember.
After all, the gap between the original and its imitation is measured in feet, not inches. For many, the difference between the two is so obvious that you can tell from a distance which is which. Like a Mario game playing opposite your average mascot platformer, there’s plenty of nuance and subtlety lost in the translation from one to the other. The same is true for Dragon Quest, perhaps even more so because of its irregularity. Because, at the end of the day, nothing is ever going to match up against the original that inspired it. In an age where countless games are trying to imitate the past, there’s nothing like having Dragon Quest back where it belongs. It is indeed one of the best games in a series of greats, and a JRPG that is without a doubt an instant classic. One I will undoubtedly cherish for many years to come.
For someone like me who lost interest in the Shining series long ago, Shining Resonance Refrain is an absolute delight. Although it doesn’t resemble anything like the strategy RPGs and dungeon crawlers I first fell in love with back in the 90s, Shining Resonance Refrain is a charmingly sweet JRPG with an engaging combat system that hides hundreds of tricks up its sleeves. With a cast of characters I won’t soon forget, Yuma’s personal story of dealing with the Shining Dragon is a tale I’m glad to have been apart of – even if there are some missteps along the way.
If Mulaka is proof of anything, it’s that there is a definitive impact when games are made by more diverse voices. Mulaka feels deeply personal. A true passion for the Rarámuri culture shines through, as does an equal appreciation for games like Ocarina of Time. Yet what matters most after I’ve put the controller down is that Mulaka is a showcase of something I wasn’t already familiar with. So often are we treated to games that tell the same stories from the same types of people that we begin to feel like we’re simply playing echoes of our own pasts. In a time where people want to build walls, Mulaka chooses to create a bridge. One between us and the Terahumara people. I can’t help but be thankful, but on top of that, it’s a damn fun game in its own right.
This different take on your typical fantasy world is part of the Atelier series’ charm, even 20 years in. Other games as of late may tout their unexpected diversion from norms like these, but Atelier has been doing it for years. In Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings, there’s a charming story and intricate systems that help make it one of the best entries to date. I can’t think of a better way to help celebrate 20 years of this long-running series.
I don’t think that’s a bad thing, however. The Dissidia series has always defined itself by being an outlier and luckily, it has found its audience. Whether it’s made up of die-hard Final Fantasy fans or not is besides the point. Dissidia NT successfully builds upon what came before to make its resurfacing as a competitive focused fighter a deeply satisfying one.
Perhaps even worse is that Lost Sphear doesn’t have much to say, other than how remembering our past is just as important as enjoying the present. I love Tokyo RPG Factory’s admiration of the past, but Lost Sphear offers little for both longtime fans of the genre and casual passersby. If a taste of the past is all you need, however, then it will surely be your companion on that trip down memory road. Just don’t be looking for anything more than that here.
Overall, Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is incredibly satisfying. With so many Persona-clones these days, Xanadu impressively nails it. Thanks to the game’s strong focus on characters, I fell in love with the cast like I was watching a season of a great anime. With a great soundtrack that had me tapping my foot along for hours and the substantial amount of content included, there’s enough here to justify a purchase for any JRPG fan – whether you’ve played Tokyo Xanadu already or not.