Nostalgia is king in the modern era of entertainment. From reboots of old movie franchises to ports of classic games onto new video game systems, audiences crave what feels familiar. In the absence of an older property, new artists have been leaning into a nostalgic style, particularly when it comes…

Released by otome giants Otomate and Idea Factory, Variable Barricade is the latest game localized by Aksys and brought to the Nintendo Switch. With otome games popping up left, right, and center for Nintendo’s console, does it have enough to stand out? Story Variable Barricade’s protagonist is Hibari Tojo, the…

Marco & The Galaxy Dragon wasn’t on my radar when it was initially released this past Spring. However, it was available for review at a time when I was craving a good visual novel. Sadly, this one didn’t hit the spot, failing to capture my attention in a good way.…

Humans are naturally curious creatures. If there’s any mystery, we want to solve it. If any part of our planet is uncharted, it should be mapped out as soon as possible. Sadly, not all discoveries are pleasant, nor eye-opening. If a chemist discovers something, it’s celebrated; if a biologist or…

Kotaro Uchikoshi has definitely made a name for himself in the visual novel genre. Known for his science fiction themes as well as an abundant use of plot twists, you’re at least guaranteed some form of surprise when playing through his games. AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is…

All families have a secret in some shape or fashion. Perhaps your uncle is secretly an indie band member. Maybe grandma used to hide hitchhikers in the basement when she was out of town. Or maybe your family is hiding a deep history of betrayal, death, and mystery that all…

Many Pokémon fans may say they have a love-hate relationship with the franchise (some people leaning more to one side than the other). As charming as the series is, before the announcement of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, it does suffer from maintaining the status quo. Promising to be a complete turn from…

While the days of every major animated film having a tie-in video game may be over, there are still quite a few franchises that expand beyond their initial medium and elbow their way into the world of video games, for better or for worse. With Rooster Teeth having its start…

The 90s were truly a magical time. The world breathed a collective sigh of relief in the West when the Berlin Wall came down. A lot of media was created in this relatively peaceful era. People who grew up in that decade often look back fondly on that era of…

To say that Kirby’s transition to the 3D space has been a slow one would be a massive understatement. The pink puffball has been running, jumping, and floating from left to right for 30 years now. While many famous video game mascots made their jump to three-dimensional worlds in the…