Nick Rodriguez
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Game Rant Latest Reviews
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a prime example of how to do a remaster right. With a deft hand, it enhances the 1998 original to make it prettier, more immersive, and less annoying, without changing its most essential aspects. How such aspects measure up against contemporary turn-based RPGs will almost certainly be a subject of heated discussion in the coming weeks and months, but fans of the original game should enjoy them. And first-time players will probably find a lot to love as well, provided they keep an open mind and take the good with the bad.
Even with its blemishes and missteps,The Knightling is not bad, or even totally mediocre. Its combat is weak, its story underwhelming at best, and its open-world design is nothing to write home about, but traversal and atmosphere save the day. Indeed,The Knightling is worth recommending on the grounds of its movement abilities and soundtrack alone - it's just the rest of the package that isn't up to snuff.
Mafia: The Old Country isn't a bad game, just a tepid one. Its gameplay is flaccid and restrictive, its narrative is dull and predictable, and its world has no more charm or presence than an Unreal Engine tech demo. It nails the bare minimum, but a game like this, from a franchise as beloved as Mafia, should have gone beyond that.
There's a lot more good than bad in RAIDOU Remastered, fortunately. It's a wonderful walk down memory lane for fans of the original, and a worthwhile excursion for newer Atlus fans, discovering the studio via games like Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor: ReFantazio. More than anything, this new-and-improved RAIDOU is easy to love, packed to the brim with charming characters, addictive combat, and a wacky, lore-rich world to sink your teeth into, making it easy to recommend to just about anyone.
Remedy already plans to deliver a good bit of fresh content to FBC: Firebreak in 2025, including two all-new game modes, which will hopefully be less tedious than what's currently on offer. But either way, Firebreak may be a bit of a wait-and-see situation: it doesn't feel like it has enough meat on its bones to justify its $40 asking price, not to mention its paid battle passes. Firebreak has the bones of a truly exceptional co-op game, and hopefully, Remedy will get the chance to deliver it.
It's hard to go into more detail about why The Alters is so great without spoiling the experience—it truly is a game that is best enjoyed with as few preconceived opinions as possible. What is more or less undeniable is The Alters' ingenuity, its clever and thoughtful narrative structure, and its satisfying, genre-defying gameplay loop. The Alters represents a massive step forward for 11 Bit Studios, positioning its greatest strengths in a new light, and ultimately unfolding into one of the best gaming experiences you're likely to have all year.
Creature Keeper is in desperate need of an X-factor: something especially unique and hard-hitting that makes it intriguing and memorable. The game's story isn't offensive, it's just bland and unoriginal; its art style isn't terrible, but it's indistinguishable from so many other retro-influenced indies; its music is good, but nothing special; and its action-RPG combat works just fine, but doesn't leave you itching for more. If something about Creature Keeper's premise strongly appeals to you, then perhaps it's worth a few hours of your time—but don't expect any surprises.
Single-player shortcomings aside, Fatal Fury: The City of the Wolves is a fantastic experience.
Knights in Tight Spaces is in an interesting limbo space. It is an evolution from Fights in Tight Spaces, but if you've already played that game to completion, this sequel might feel a bit too familiar. If that's what you're looking for, then this is an easy purchase, as it retains the signature recipe of Fights while adding new ingredients and shaking up its presentation. And with such relentlessly fun gameplay, it's hard to be too mad at its relative lack of innovation.
Afterlove EP lacks meaningful gameplay, and its bugs can range from inconvenient to apocalyptic, so it says a lot that it's still worth recommending it to anyone who likes smaller, story-driven games. Make no mistake, the aforementioned issues do drag down the overall experience, but at the end of the day, Afterlove EP is more than the sum of its parts. Its music, charming characters, nuanced portrayal of grief, and beautiful manga-inspired art design are all worth the price of admission. If developer Pikselnesia can hammer out its more troubling bugs, then Afterlove EP has a chance to become an all-timer in the visual novel genre.