Fandom producer extraordinaire, Emma Fyffe is the MVP of our live events. She makes things happen. In her free time, she plays RPGs. All of them.
I will admit, I ultimately got bored with this one. However, the aesthetic was to die for and the game mechanics were clever and well executed, so I have to give it a little love. In my heart, I want to be a cozy gamer. But ultimately? I need something that challenges my brain more than what is honestly probably supposed to be a children’s game. And I would have ADORED this game as a kid, so that’s worth something!
Shhhhh yes I know this came out in 2023, but I didn’t play until this year. This was probably the 5th time I have played this game? As a kid, my brother and I kept getting stuck on the same boss in an area where we couldn’t go back and grind so we would just restart the whole dang game [Star Ocean: The Second Story]. So I’ve certainly played the first slightly more than half at least three times. And the entirety of the original remaster, Star Ocean Second Evolution on the PSP. Certainly, I thought, I don’t need to play this game again. But then some psychopaths HD-2D-ed (Gemdrops) the heck out of it and I thought, why not? It continues to rule.
8. Queen’s Blood
While all you sickos were playing Balatro (which I am sure is very good I just never got into it because my husband said I should play Slay the Spire if I want to get into deck builders and I am STILL GETTING AROUND TO IT), your girl was booting up her Final Fantasy VII Rebirth late game save to stomp some fools in Queen’s Blood. As someone who never actually got around to finishing Final Fantasy VIII because I was too deep in Triple Triad and forgot what was happening in the main story (see also: Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt), I was hesitant to get in too deep on another in-game card game. But I am who I am and who I am is someone who loves an in-game card game – particularly one as fire as Queen’s Blood. Also the lore around it that you learn if you go down that side quest path is WILD.
This game is in early access but unfortunately I have already sunk a solid 70+ hours into it instead of playing games that are actually done. Hades II, the path to battling Chronos in Tartarus is every bit as thrilling as the OG except this time your cast is actually very cool and useful (it always felt like just a weird little bonus aside from Hera Bow) and the open layout of the Mourning Fields added some unexpected variation in level design. Also Scylla and the Sirens’ songs slap.
I loved Astro’s Playroom. It was so much better than it had any right to be. I asked for Astro Bot for Christmas. I think from my mother-in-law, who will probably get us a physical copy, so thank goodness I have a PS5 with a disk drive.
I have waited my entire life (no really, The Legend of Zelda was released for the Famicom just 3 weeks before I was born) to play as Zelda in a non-musou Zelda game. I also adored the Link’s Awakening remake for Switch. This game was for me: the girl who wants to be a cozy gamer but needs something to challenge her brain. I love you are simply problems to solve and armed with an arsenal of Echoes at your disposal to solve them. There was never a “right” answer. This is a Zelda title for the persuasive essay writer, not the mathematician. And as it turns out, I am terrible at math.
Yes, I am breaking the two paths up into two different (still unfinished) games. Deal with it. The would be Hades Speedrunner in me loves the mostly finished aside from the story elements path through the Underworld. The Greek Mythology nerd in me loves the path to Mount Olympus. Polyphemus, Circe and Charybdis while Odysseus is just chilling in the Crossroads? And Athena showing up above while Miss Arachne is down below helping you on your way below? Plus Circe’s goth niece Medea? The story implications here are ENDLESS and so yes I am embracing the absolute BS category of “most anticipated” game here.
If you like narrative games at all, you must play 1000xResist. There’s not a lot “to do” gameplay mechanics wise, but everything feels purposeful and the exploration, manipulation of time, and Portal-like traversing of memories serve the progression of the story. And what a story it is. One of the greatest endings I have experienced in a video game ever. The characters are nuanced, memorable and easily distinguishable from one another. And the early PS2 era graphics weirdly work. Hekki Allmo, sisters.
I’m an all the way Renegade Mass Effect player. My Persona protags are horny little assholes. Metaphor: ReFantazio turned me into an angelic paragon sweet little baby boy who always tries to do the right thing. I loved that the hero actually talked. The vacant, “my powers just take over and make me curb-stomp monsters” look in his eyes after you complete a battle. This game is just so dang hopeful in a time when I really need to believe that people are inherently good. It would honestly likely be my #1 if I had finished, which I am currently working on but…
SPOILERS: Cloud and Tifa kiss during the Gold Saucer date = automatic GOTY. But, in all honesty, flaws aside – flaws mostly being too many mandatory mini-games that I am bad at – I love this game. It is very difficult for me to be critical of it, since the original introduced me to my enduring love of JRPGs. The characters are so dear to me, and the way their personalities and backstories are expanded upon is a dream come true. I was not prepared for the flashbacks in the Temple of the Ancients. Particularly Barret’s. Also the friendship between Aerith and Tifa is on par with that of Glinda and Elphaba in terms of on-screen portrayals of female friendships in 2024.