Nic Bunce
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Writing For
TheSixthAxisLatest Reviews
Bravely Default was a game that revelled in genre tropes. The result of Square Enix doing what it does best, this 2012 turn-based RPG for 3DS was the kind of thing you’d expect if you grew up on a diet of early Final Fantasy. Such is the overlap that I had to go and look up whether this was ever planned as a Final Fantasy title — it turns out it was, as a sequel to DS game The Four Warriors of Light.
Our world is eternally on a knife’s edge, separated from demon incursion by the thinnest of membranes. If you’ve played anything remotely Persona-adjacent, you will know this well — it’s the core premise of all Megami Tensei games, and Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is no different.
As a kid, when you come across an ancient, tattered map in the attic, what’s the first thing you do? If you answered ‘Go to sea, wreck yourself and then wash up on a desert island on the back of a giant turtle’, then we have a winner!
Just as with Playroom, Astro Bot is a game that absolutely celebrates all things PlayStation, aimed at anyone and everyone who loves this console and the games that have made it what it is. Whether you're an old timer or a young kid with their first console - or better yet, a combination of the two - the are dozens of hours of fun to be mined here. It's a fun, easy-going romp through PlayStation history, and absolutely impossible to play without a smile plastered to your face.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is an excellent addition to the franchise that's a must-play for franchise fans, and well worth picking up for those curious about dipping their toes in the water. The difficulty level is still there, but it has become a lot more manageable thanks to quality of life updates. Just don’t be disappointed if you show up expecting Persona, as the narrative and story qualities of the latter is a world apart.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a beautifully crafted experience that fans old and new will absolutely love. It almost goes too far in correcting the first game's linearity with broad open areas stuffed with things to do, but there's also key additions to the combat, and the story running through this middle chapter is masterfully retold. Really the biggest problem you'll have once the credits roll is knowing that it will be far too many years before we can finish the trilogy.
Persona 3 Reload is a dream come true for Persona fans. With far more than just a visual uplift, this is very much the best possible edition of the game, even if it can’t quite be called ‘definitive’.
Persona 5 Tactica is a good game, but it is a game that's standing on the shoulders of giants – when the giant is the size of Satanael, you have a lot to live up to. Indeed, it’s very difficult to score this and not compare it to the other games in the series as a result. Tactica is good, but it’s not great, and while it is always nice to sink into that warm-bath feeling of hanging out with your fictional friends, it won’t be remembered as either a series high or the best spin-off the franchise has to offer.
If you’re a fan of strong narrative experiences, Final Fantasy lore, breath-taking graphics and a particularly sassy Moogle, and you don’t mind a sprinkling of The Witcher, The Handmaids Tale and the many accents of Old Blighty, then Final Fantasy XVI is the game for you. Heck, it might just be the best Final Fantasy yet!
Cassette Beasts is simply one of the best Pokémon-like games I’ve come across, and I’m looking forward to earning a 100% completion. With a massive end-game and modder support built in at release though, I feel like I’m going to get very sidetracked on the way there.