Games I Play: Metaphor: ReFantazio

It’s not every day Atlus develops a game and it’s a new IP. The last time they tried something new was Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore in 2015, but it’s honestly more of a one-time crossover. You’ll have to go all the way back to 2011’s Catherine to find a new IP from Atlus.

What I’m trying to say is that Metaphor: ReFantazio is Atlus finally trying something new that isn’t Shin Megami Tensei, Devil Summoner, or Persona. After finishing it I can confidently say that the result is… well… a game that’s quite similar to Shin Megami Tensei, Devil Summoner, and Persona.

Is that a problem? No, not even slightly. In fact, Metaphor: ReFantazio might just be the best damn video game I’ve played this year.

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Games I Play: Astro Bot

I was lucky enough to get a PlayStation 5 pretty early in its lifecycle. Apparently I was a “top customer” at a Swedish online game store so I got to pre-order an early batch. I guess it pays to be really careless with money.

Anyway, with this PlayStation 5 came the game/tech demo Astro’s Playroom. Imagine my surprise when it was actually fantastic! Great controls, fun use of the DualSense, pure platforming joy, and lots of PlayStation callbacks. Now, with Astro Bot, we have a standalone game in the same vein and it’s even more fantastic.

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Games I Play: Vampire Survivors

During my summer vacation I decided to browse the Nintendo eShop and maybe buy some cheap games that don’t have a physical release. Browsing the eShop was, of course, an absolute horror show of laggy UI and shovelware but in the end I grabbed a handful of games. One of those was Vampire Survivors, a game I had heard a lot about but dismissed due to the hype and looks. Still, people insisted it was basically video game drugs so I gave it a shot.

As it turns out. it was basically video game drugs.

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Games I Play: Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure

During summer vacation I took the opportunity to play even more Trails! After finishing up the first arc on Steam Deck, it was finally time to tackle the next arc on Nintendo Switch: Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure, AKA the Crossbell Arc. Did it live up to the expectations set by Trails in the Sky? Would I experience Trails fatigue? Should you play Trails? The answers are: yes, no, and yes. If you still want to know more, read on!

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Games I Play: Trails in the Sky SC and the 3rd

The Trails saga continues! Shortly after I finished the first game, I went on to play the second and third in this first trilogy. The story picks up right where the first game left off and really kicks the story (and anime tropes) into high gear. Having now finished the entire Sky trilogy, one might wonder what I thought of it. So, let’s get into that.

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Games I Play: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion

With Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth around the corner I finally mustered up the courage to play Crisis Core. I’ve owned on PSP forever but never got around to playing it, partially due to fear that it’d soil my pristine memory of Final Fantasy VII as a perfect game in its own right. But now that the remakes are flipping everything on its head anyway and Crisis Core got its own fancy remake treatment, it was finally time.

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Games I Play: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

I finally got around to starting the Trails series. A sub-series of Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes, it’s epic Japanese role-playing games with an overarching narrative. In other words, you basically have to play all 10+ games in order to get the best experience—or so the fans say. The first game, Trails in the Sky, establishes the world and starts off what’s called the Liberl arc of the story.

So was it worth beginning this daunting task? This humongous video game undertaking? This “most ambitious story in video games”, as the developer calls it? After just one game I’m inclined to say: yes.

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