The combat system itself is quite enjoyable for a while. But the intense accumulation of various bonuses and extra effects during a run makes it hard to keep track of things, both in the menus and during fights.
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Date A Live: Ren Dystopia offers lighthearted entertainment and, despite its name, never really carries an overly negative tone. Its large cast of distinct characters brings plenty of humor, while the many individual routes and their manageable length make it well suited for shorter play sessions.
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Kukkoro Days once again offers its familiar light, entertaining experience. The contrast between Cattleya’s sense of chivalry and her more endearing, cute side is part of its charm. Her “kukkoro” exclamation does appear a few times, but it is more of a verbal habit she uses when she feels embarrassed or uncomfortable rather than any kind of serious plea. As mentioned at the beginning, nothing in this visual novel happens that is so severe that one would want to sink into the ground out of embarrassment or worse when it comes up in conversation.
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Kingdom’s Return: Time-Eating Fruit and the Ancient Monster was completed in about seven hours after all missions were finished, so it is by no means a time-consuming experience. The combat system is accessible, and the city-building mechanics are equally uncomplicated. However, this also means that some players may miss a sense of depth, and the story itself remains more of a thin framework with minimal presentation. The pixel art style is appealing, while the music, unfortunately, did not leave a lasting impression. Overall, Kingdom’s Return: Time-Eating Fruit and the Ancient Monster is a pleasant title for in-between sessions, but it could benefit from a greater sense of depth.
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Alan Wake 2 overall entertained me, even though some of the combat encounters and the limited save points occasionally caused more frustration than genuine tension. The game also crashed frequently for me, even after several updates. With plenty of exploration included, my playtime ended up being around 30 hours. I did enjoy the atmosphere, and the quieter sections did not bother me. Fans of the original and of other recent Remedy Entertainment titles will recognize quite a few familiar elements. The radio broadcasts return as well, although this time there is a running gag that I personally did not find particularly funny. Additionally, songs are no longer automatically played after them, though radio shows, music, and other content can still be replayed—just not ideally during dangerous situations. Visually, the game also looks solid on Xbox Series S, although some character models occasionally fall into the uncanny valley. I consider Alan Wake 2 a solid continuation. Anyone who enjoyed the predecessor will likely not go wrong with this one.
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Another World Mahjong Girl did not turn me into a Mahjong expert. Even by the end, I still hadn’t memorized all the possible winning hands. You also shouldn’t expect much of a story here, and the flavor text for the opponents is not particularly meaningful either. That said, I do find the character style quite appealing. In the gallery, you can view individual girls you have either recruited or defeated. You can also interact with them for reactions, although many of them are not particularly positive. After all, winning at Mahjong alone is not the same as winning someone’s heart—who would have thought?
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Overall, I enjoyed my roughly 20–25 hour journey into the year 2037. Of course, this can vary depending on how effectively one uses Hacking Trigger, or even deliberately plays toward a Game Over scenario—which I did not. The total playtime also differs depending on whether you advance text immediately after reading or wait for the voice acting to finish. This time, voice output is available not only in Japanese but also optionally in English. Personally, that was not particularly important to me, but others may certainly appreciate it. The story was engaging and entertaining, although some characters remain somewhat flat or are not given enough opportunities for deeper development. I found the musical accompaniment fitting and well-implemented. In general, I had little trouble identifying the right moments to use Hacking Trigger in order to avoid a Game Over. Near the end, there was one section I found a bit less clear, though that may simply be subjective. Even though there are some connections to other entries in the series, I feel that Anonymous;Code can also be recommended without prior knowledge of the franchise.
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Aragami 2 was something I was curious about after hearing that it would feature a more developed combat system. For me personally, however, this did not turn out to be an improvement. I do appreciate the option to incapacitate enemies without killing them. Unfortunately, the voice acting is once again largely unintelligible apart from a few recognizable terms. The shift toward more open areas, and with it more aimless wandering, is something I enjoyed less. In addition, not only do you revisit the same areas too often, but there also feel to be simply too many missions overall, making the game come across as unnecessarily stretched out. Ultimately, my conclusion remains that different does not automatically mean better.
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AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative entertained me just as much as its predecessor. I also mostly enjoyed the humor, even if its often sexual direction will definitely not be for everyone. Some scenes, as mentioned above, are deliberately over-the-top and absurd. I personally like that the game and its characters often lean into a light, and perhaps for some players overly exaggerated, tone. The mystery remains unclear for a long time, with only individual pieces being solved before most of it eventually comes together. The fact that I did not fully understand every detail myself is, in the overall context, not something I would count as a criticism. The structure with its different routes can also occasionally lead to some confusion. During the Psync segments, I often had to experiment a bit, and sometimes I ran out of time—but I found that unproblematic. Once you focus on the known correct interactions and use the skip function, you can quickly return to the point where you previously failed. Anyone who enjoys a mysterious case with puzzles that do not require excessive brain strain should definitely consider taking a look at AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative, provided they can handle—or even appreciate—its exaggerated tone and humor. I look back on it with mixed feelings: one half because I was well entertained, the other because it’s already over, even though it certainly wasn’t lacking in content. I would gladly see more entries in the series.
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Even though stealth games are not among my favourites, I still found Aragami: Shadow Edition quite entertaining. I chose a rather brutal approach: waiting for enemy movement patterns, warping between nearby shadows and striking, hiding the bodies again, and returning to the darkness. If a guard became alerted, I would eliminate them with an ability and make them disappear as well. The fact that enemies show no concern for missing people or bloodstains? Well, for me that was secondary—the fun came first. I also liked the idea of displaying shadow energy and selected abilities through markings on the character’s cloak. With a mostly slow and cautious playstyle, I was able to progress through the game quite comfortably. Of course, this does make the pacing suffer somewhat. At times, I also would have preferred more generous checkpoints. In the Nightfall campaign, I had to abandon my approach of eliminating as many enemies as possible, as the difficulty became too high for that style of play. Additional challenge is provided by the third difficulty level and optional medals. Unfortunately, performance issues slightly detract from the experience. I would also have preferred full voice acting, as it would have supported the atmosphere better. At times, it is also not entirely clear why certain areas—such as rooftops—cannot be reached, even though they appear to be within range and sufficiently shadowed.
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As it turned out for me, AI: The Somnium Files is not the psycho-splatter experience I had initially imagined in my mind. There are a few moments that gave me a slight feeling of nausea, but overall that is negligible. Instead, alongside the tension and oppressive scenes, there is also plenty of humor, a fair amount of absurdity, and quite a lot of sexual thoughts—especially from the protagonist. Overall, I felt well entertained.
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This certainly made the experience more enjoyable, but I never fully warmed up to how heavily I had to rely on target tracking against moving enemies, especially since many opponents simply seemed far more maneuverable than my own aircraft. The story mode is also not particularly long. After finishing the game, the total recorded flight time was around nine hours, although that figure also included an abandoned run on Normal difficulty as well as a few free missions.
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