Michael Merchant

VOIN, currently in Early Access, focuses on battling swarms of enemies across a handful of levels, collecting loot, and upgrading gear to become more powerful. The HUB allows players to tweak the game’s difficulty by increasing enemy numbers, health, and strength, which leads to more intense challenges. Each area is...

Ys Memoire: The Oath of Felghana is an excellent experience. It is easy to see why so many rate this as one of the best Ys games of the series. There is a lot to enjoy through the game with multiple tiers of difficulty, challenging boss fights, and it is...

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is a nostalgic return to a beloved series. While some elements have aged and the occasional bug dampens the experience, the remaster’s updates breathe fresh life into these classics. For newcomers, it’s a fantastic way to dive into Raziel and Kain’s...

Overall, Touhou Spell Carnival turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t sure how they would blend bullet-hell mechanics with RPG elements and strike a balance, but they managed to pull it off. Fortunately, the game offers difficulty levels that make it easier to experience the story without getting...

Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast delivers a solid tactical RPG experience. It achieves what it sets out to do, offering an engaging, albeit straightforward, story. Fans of the Goblin Slayer franchise will likely appreciate the narrative and character interactions more than newcomers, as familiarity with the source material enhances...

If you are looking for a Metroidvania-lite, are interested in Kaiju, and are looking to support developers that are working in the Monsterverse you might find value here with Kong: Survivor Instinct. However, it just lacks that special moment that really gives us that "wow" moment when we get to...

While some might find the early stages of the game a bit slow, I’d recommend sticking with it or focusing only on essential interactions to progress the quests—it makes the pace feel more manageable. Although I haven’t played many of the previous Ys titles, this one has definitely inspired me...

Developer – 1010 Games Ltd. Publisher – 1010 Games Ltd. Platforms –  PS4/5 (Reviewed), Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One Review copy given by Developer When [...]

ASKA has a pretty decent foundation. The mechanics are all there, it has a good system with the villagers and a built-in co-op as well. With a little bit more fine tuning over the next few months, I think that ASKA can hold its own against some of the more...

Personally I really enjoy Earth Defense Force 6 and think it is definitely one of the better entries in the series. See you on the battlefield soldier! EDF! EDF! EDF!

The Monster Hunter gameplay with the added Pokemon style of collecting monsters and building a well rounded team to help you along the way is an excellent way to experience the Monster Hunter franchise that I think is easily accessible as well to those that are put off by the...

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is an absolute love letter to the original game that creates a perfect balance of old-school brutality and modern quality of life adjustments.