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Dragon Quest VIII
by Level-5

While I really recommend ALL of Dragon Quest as a series, if I absolutely had to pick one it would be Dragon Quest VIII.

The characters are probably my favourite of any JRPG I've played. They're just so wonderful, and make for especially endearing and entertaining group dynamics. I adore their larger-than-life voice acting a lot, too!

The pacing of the game is perfect, and it's a great example of the Dragon Quest vingnette style of storytelling. Nothing outstays its welcome, and there's a constant momentum that really makes you feel the spirit of adventure!

On the gameplay side, I think VIII is the first DQ game I played that mechanically really clicked for me. I liked the combat, and got absolutely hooked on levelling up with metal king slimes. While I don't have an issue with grinding as a concept, I will admit it isn't exactly compatible with adult life. The way Dragon Quest games allow for speedy levelling with metal slimes is just so fun.

I should specify, I played the 3DS version of this game. This version does away with random encounters in favour of enemies visibly present on the field. That definitely made hunting for metal king slimes far more enjoyable, and meant that I could quite reliably avoid encounters when I wanted to.

I'm not an expert on the version differences, but from what I know the 3DS version seems mechanically preferable. The visuals take a hit compared to the PS2 version, but in my opinion still look great on the 3DS. The soundtrack is not the orchestrated original, but if you have a modded 3DS you can patch the original soundtrack in like magic.

I think of all the Dragon Quest games I have played - many of which I absolutely adore - this one captures the specific Dragon Quest magic the most. If you're interested in the series, I say just pick the title that appeals to you the most. But if you absolutely need a recommendation on where to start - pick this one!

I'll probably end up writing about other Dragon Quest games elsewhere on this website, but I wanted to at least mention this one here!

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story
by h.a.n.d. Inc

As with many plot-heavy games recommended here, I will be avoiding all spoilers!!

I initially picked up The Centennial Case for my wife and I to play together for two reasons. Firstly, because my wife and I enjoyed previously playing the Great Ace Attorney games together and were looking for another mystery game. Secondly, because she had never played an FMV game before and I thought it would be an interesting experience,

I kind of felt like we were going to be in for a somewhat janky but endearing time. I couldn't find much about the game online, so we were going in blind. And wow, what a surprise we were in for.

This game might have the best writing of any game I've played! Is that too much? Well, it might have my favourite writing! The plot is simply fantastic, and the acting in the FMV segments is really good. I especially liked how the same actors are used to play different characters throughout each time period. We were fully invested in the plot, endeared to the characters, and absolutely intrigued by the ever-broadening mystery.

Beyond the acting, it's also just visually really cool. It has been about a year since we played this at the time of writing, and the way everything looks in this game is still fresh in my head. I feel like the filming and stuff here could stand up very well were it a full-on TV show.

The game is a bit clunky when it comes to the actual gameplay, involving piecing together certain scenes and pieces of information. We played on the Switch, which was cumbersome but not terrible. I imagine playing on PC would be a breeze.

I really can't say more without delving into plot stuff. All I can say is that this is a story that is 100% worth your investment. And should you choose to play it PLEASE be sure not to miss the epilogue that sneakily appears on the start screen after completing the game! It's really good stuff.

Boku no Natsuyasumi 2
by Millennium Kitchen

Thanks to the incredible fan translation provided by Hilltop, I was finally able to play this masterpiece of a game!

I don't think I say masterpiece lightly, either. Playing this game is an experience I will carry with me for an extremely long time - maybe even (gasp) forever!

In the Boku no Natsuyasumi games, you play as Boku, who goes to stay with family in the countryside through the month of August, 1975.

I absolutely am not a person who grew up in 1970's Japan. Heck, I didn't grow up in 1970's anywhere, and yet this game pulled me in with such a profound and loving sense of nostalgia for a very specific time and place. It feels like the creator's very real experiences have filled this game, and it's just so special to experience.

For the most part - not much happens. You are free to roam as you please. You get to know Boku's aunt, uncle and cousins. You talk to people staying in the guesthouse your family runs. You get to know the neighbours. You explore the beautiful seaside village, with hand-painted backgrounds befitting a Ghibli film. You swim in the ocean, with wonderful crunchy PS2 3D graphics.

The goal of the game is simply to give Boku a memorable summer. Each day as he goes to bed, he writes and illustrates in his diary about something noteworthy. Seeing what stands out to him the most is always charming, and it's fun to see how certain events are perceived by our child protagonist.

Slowly, as you live through your peaceful summer days, storylines start to develop in the background. If you are paying attention to what people are doing at certain times, you can begin to tease out complex narratives that tie a number of characters together. To say any more would spoil some terrific surprises, and so I'll end this point by just saying I was positively thrilled by some developments, and brought to tears by others. All the while Boku is just a boy, observing and not really understanding.

Through the entire final day of August in this game, I couldn't stop blinking tears from my eyes. As Boku left on the boat to return to his parents and newborn sibling, I really wanted to sob as though I myself was leaving! Thankfully Boku was much braver than I.

I'm kind of just rambling at this point, but I feel that it's a really special game that can be so gentle and understated in practically every moment, and yet be so intensely emotional and profound in the long run. Barely anything exciting happens - and even when it does, it doesn't last for long until the safety of childhood summer is wrapped around you once more. In that way, it feels so remarkably real.

Ahhhhh if you read all this, you're probably going to play it, right? Right????

Etrian Odyssey
by Atlus

So I bought Etrian Odyssey at least ten years ago, from the time of writing. I seem to recall noticing that some DS games were starting to become a lot more expensive, and so I was keen to scoop up any that I thought I might want to play in the future while I still could.

Based on its description - a dungeon exploration game in which you draw the map yourself on the bottom screen, complete with appealing anime stylings - I thought that Etrian Odyssey was fated to be an instant success. Except... it really wasn't. I was immediately turned away by its high difficulty level (the moment I left the very beginning areas, I was crushed by every enemy, never mind the bosses!), and I found the bare-bones storytelling to be less than engaging. And so back it went onto my shelf for the next decade.

When we went to Maine this year I packed my DS and brought a few DS games so I had a variety of games to play. A couple of old reliable titles were Mr Driller: Drill Spirits and Animal Crossing: Wild World. However... during our trip, I'm not sure I even played either of those once. I started playing Etrian Odyssey and didn't stop playing it until I completed it three months later!

I think just being away from home, and having the time and space during long evenings of watching over a sleeping toddler, I was able properly immerse myself in the game. Somehow, what once appeared so shallow to me, felt fantastically deep and intriguing. I loved how this world of adventurers felt, and I was endeared to my party of characters I created myself. Rather than thinking of them as blank slates, I spent time imagining their personalities and relationships. Just a little bit of imaginative input from my end drastically enriched the game, and made the experience so much more rewarding.

I loved, too, the exploration of the maps. The DS is such a perfect console for this kind of gameplay, and choosing how to record the maps was always satisfying. It really felt like venturing into the unknown, and repeat trips through areas are aided tremendously by having details map notes. I appreciated on numerous occasions that you have the option to save your map data even if you have a game over. This ensured that I never felt like I had lost all progress in the case of a game over - even if I lost the levels I had gained, my knowledge remained in the form of my map.

While no means a complex story, I was surprised by how the plot developed and found myself really quite excited about pushing further into the depths. Knowing about how crazy the ending of the first game is, I wonder what later games do with their narrative? They can't exactly repeat the same trick, after all.

I think the thing I appreciate most about Etrian Odyssey is that time and time again I was faced with challenges that seemed insurmountable. And yet, though careful planning and development of my party, I was always able to push through to the next challlenge. Making progress was consistently so satisfying in this way, and I feel like the game has opened my eyes to an entire genre that I've previously not properly considered.

I can't believe I've been sitting on this game for so long, but I'm glad that it founf me when it did. The experience has also made me more willing to go back and try other games that didn't work for me in the past. Who knows what else will turn out to be a favourite?!