REVIEW: Romancing SaGa-Minstrel Song-Remastered International (Video Game on Nintendo Switch)

Review by Jon Donnis

A role-playing game that refuses to hold your hand can feel refreshing in a way most modern releases no longer risk. Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song Remastered International on the Nintendo Switch leans into that philosophy completely. It expects patience, experimentation and a willingness to get lost. Sometimes literally. That will either feel exciting or exhausting depending on what you want from an RPG.

Originally released as a PlayStation 2 remake of the 1992 Super Famicom title, this remastered version by SQUARE ENIX and Red Art Games brings the cult classic to a new audience with upgraded visuals, gameplay refinements and added French, German, Italian and Spanish text localisation options. The ability to switch between Japanese and English voice acting is also included, which long time fans will appreciate.

From the opening music alone, the game sets a theatrical and slightly surreal tone. Mardias feels ancient, mysterious and unpredictable. The story revolves around scattered Fatestones and the return of long sealed evil gods, but the narrative is not really the focus. The real emphasis is the path you choose to take through it.

The free scenario system remains one of its most distinctive features. You select one of eight protagonists, each with their own background, motivations and starting circumstances, then explore a world that rarely guides you in a straight line. It creates a genuine sense of adventure that many modern RPGs struggle to replicate. You are not simply moving from objective to objective. You are exploring, experimenting and sometimes walking into situations you are not ready for.

That freedom is both its greatest strength and its biggest weakness.

There is real satisfaction in slowly learning how everything works. The combat system, built around Glimmer and Combo mechanics, has considerable depth. Learning abilities during battle feels rewarding, and linking attacks between party members can turn difficult encounters into something far more dynamic. Battles demand attention and planning rather than repetition.

At the same time, the game can feel deliberately unclear. Quest progression is often vague, and there are moments where direction is almost entirely absent. It is easy to spend long stretches unsure whether you are progressing correctly. Some players will find that liberating, others will find it frustrating.

Progression can also be slow. Grinding is part of the experience, and difficulty spikes appear without warning. The game does not adjust itself to your readiness. It will punish poor preparation and force you to rethink your approach. There is a deliberate old school harshness to its design that can feel tiring during longer sessions.

Even so, there is a strong sense of charm running through the whole experience. The visual presentation holds up well thanks to the remaster, with stylised character models and colourful fantasy environments that suit the tone. Performance on Switch is stable in both docked and handheld play.

The soundtrack is another highlight. Several tracks stay with you long after playing, particularly the opening theme, which gives the game a strong sense of scale and identity. Voice acting is solid in both language options, even if it occasionally feels uneven by modern standards.

What stands out most in Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song Remastered International is how uncompromising it remains. Many modern RPGs are built to smooth over friction and keep players constantly moving forward. This game does the opposite. It slows you down, confuses you, challenges you and sometimes frustrates you. When it clicks, though, it becomes deeply absorbing.

It is not a game for everyone. If you prefer clear direction and steady progression, it will likely feel rough. If you enjoy experimentation and systems that do not immediately reveal themselves, there is a lot to dig into here.

Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song Remastered International preserves the identity of a cult classic while making it accessible to a wider audience. It is still tough, still uneven in places, and still unapologetically old fashioned, but it also offers a level of freedom and personality that few RPGs match.

A difficult but fascinating RPG that rewards patience and curiosity with a long, memorable journey.

7 out of 10.

Out Now on Nintendo Switch

https://amzn.to/4u3dT2r

REVIEW: Adorable Adventures (2026 Video Game) - on PlayStation 5

Review by Jon Donnis

There is something immediately charming about Adorable Adventures from the moment you take control of Boris, the energetic little baby boar at the centre of this gentle exploration game. Set against the backdrop of a forest recovering from a devastating fire, the game takes a surprisingly heartfelt approach to what could have easily been a far more basic family friendly platformer. Instead, it delivers a relaxing and often rewarding adventure that feels designed for players who simply want to wander, explore, and enjoy the journey at their own pace.

The game follows Boris as he searches for his missing family across a sprawling natural landscape inspired by the Cévennes National Park in Southern France. It is a genuinely beautiful world to spend time in. Rolling hills, shaded woodland paths, rocky caves, streams and open meadows all feel vibrant and alive on the PlayStation 5. The lighting is especially impressive, with warm sunlight filtering through trees and reflecting naturally across water and stone surfaces. For a game built around peaceful exploration, the visuals do a fantastic job of pulling you into its world.

Movement also feels playful and full of personality. Boris is constantly darting through fields, scrambling over rocks, splashing through rivers and rooting through bushes like an excitable animal discovering the world for the first time. Simply moving around is enjoyable. There is a carefree quality to the game that makes even small activities feel rewarding.

One of the most interesting mechanics is Boris’s developing sense of smell. Scents act as both navigation and puzzle solving tools throughout the adventure. What initially seems simple gradually becomes more layered as Boris learns to identify different smells and filter them out. You might begin tracking one scent trail only for another smell to interrupt the process completely, forcing you to investigate something else first before returning to your original objective. It creates a natural flow to exploration that keeps the gameplay engaging for quite a while.

The side activities are another pleasant surprise. Unlockable races where Boris sprints through checkpoint trails are genuinely entertaining, mostly because controlling the little boar is so enjoyable in the first place. Photography challenges, environmental clean up tasks and hidden secrets all help the world feel more interactive and lived in. There are countless small touches throughout the game that reward curiosity. One particularly memorable example comes from discovering a football and nudging it into a nearby goal, triggering a charming narrated response. Moments like that appear constantly across the adventure and give the game a warm personality.

The narration itself deserves praise as well. Maxime, the park ranger guiding Boris through his journey, adds a comforting tone to the experience. The voice work never feels overbearing and instead quietly complements the exploration and storytelling. The game understands that silence and atmosphere are just as important as dialogue.

Adorable Adventures also works brilliantly as an introduction to open world game design for younger players or newcomers to gaming. Objectives are easy to understand, the world encourages experimentation without punishment, and progression feels organic rather than stressful. It manages to teach exploration naturally through play instead of overwhelming players with endless markers or tutorials.

That said, the game is not without problems. The camera can become frustrating in tighter areas, especially when climbing steeper terrain or navigating enclosed spaces. There are moments where the camera angle fights against the player more than it should, occasionally making movement awkward. It is not game breaking, but it does happen often enough to stand out.

The main story is also relatively short if you focus only on the central objectives. Players who rush through the family rescue storyline will probably finish sooner than expected. Thankfully, the game encourages exploration strongly enough that completionists and curious players will find plenty more hidden throughout the world, including easter eggs and optional activities.

The biggest issue is repetition. While the smell tracking system is clever, the gameplay loop can start to feel familiar after extended sessions. Searching for scents, following trails and solving similarly structured tasks eventually loses some of its novelty. Whether this becomes a serious problem will depend entirely on the player. Younger gamers or those completely new to exploration games may never tire of it. In fact, it feels like exactly the sort of game many casual players will completely fall in love with.

Adorable Adventures succeeds because it understands exactly what it wants to be. It is not trying to reinvent open world games or deliver massive cinematic spectacle. Instead, it focuses on creating a peaceful, charming and genuinely relaxing experience filled with rewarding exploration and lovely little details. Between its beautiful presentation, enjoyable traversal mechanics and heartfelt atmosphere, it becomes very easy to simply relax and lose yourself in Boris’s adventure for a few hours.

Adorable Adventures is a warm, comforting and consistently enjoyable game that delivers exactly the kind of relaxing exploration experience it promises.

8.5 out of 10.

Out Now on PS5 - https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10017971/

REVIEW: Fatherhood (2026 Video Game) - On PC Steam - DEMO

Review by Jon Donnis

Fatherhood arrives with a clear sense of purpose. This is not a war game about soldiers, glory, or firepower. Instead, it narrows its focus to something far more fragile. You step into the role of Basir, an ordinary man trying to guide his blind daughter Asma through a collapsing world. That choice alone gives the game a different weight. Every step feels considered, every pause carries tension, and even the smallest action can have consequences that linger.

The core of the experience rests on its relationship mechanics, and this is where Fatherhood finds its identity. Holding Asma’s hand is not just a simple interaction, it becomes essential. Let go for too long and her anxiety builds, which can quickly spiral into danger as her distress draws attention. The hugging mechanic, simple on paper, works surprisingly well in practice. It is used to calm her, to reassure her, and at times to steady yourself as the player. It adds an emotional rhythm to the gameplay that sits alongside the stealth systems, creating moments that feel intimate even when the world around you is anything but.

Movement and exploration strike a nice balance. While the game is built as a 2.5D side-scroller, it does not trap you on a flat path. You move through buildings, step in and out of spaces, and occasionally break from the strict left to right structure. It gives the environments a sense of depth without overcomplicating things. Stealth plays a major role, and it makes sense within the story. Basir is not a fighter, and the game reinforces that at every turn. Avoiding soldiers feels natural, not forced, and the tension builds as you rely on timing and awareness rather than brute strength.

Visually, the low-poly art style stands out in a quiet way. It does not chase realism, but instead leans into mood and contrast. The most striking touch comes when the screen shifts colour during violent moments, moving into black and white or flashes of red and black. It is a simple effect, though it lands effectively and reinforces the emotional cost of those actions. Combined with the war-torn setting, it creates an atmosphere that feels bleak without becoming overwhelming.

The narrative itself is one of the game’s strongest elements. The story of Basir and Asma unfolds through the choices you make, and those decisions rarely feel easy. Helping someone or harming someone in front of Asma shapes how she sees you, and in turn affects your relationship. The game leans into this idea of long-term consequence. You are not just trying to survive the moment, you are shaping the person your daughter believes you to be. That tension sits at the heart of the experience and gives even small decisions a sense of gravity.

That said, there are limitations that are hard to ignore at this stage. Playing the demo makes it clear that the full scope of the game is still out of reach. What is here is promising, but it is also brief. It does not take long to see everything currently available, which makes it difficult to fully judge how the pacing, variety, and long-term decision making will hold up across a complete playthrough. There is a sense that the ideas are strong, but not yet fully explored.

Even so, Fatherhood leaves an impression. It is thoughtful, focused, and willing to slow things down in a genre that often does the opposite. The mechanics around Asma are handled with care, the story has genuine weight, and the presentation supports the tone without distracting from it. There is still more to see before it can be fully assessed, but what is here already suggests something worth paying attention to.

Download the Demo at

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2180850/Fatherhood/

REVIEW: Guilty Gear Strive Version 2.0 - (2026 Video Game) by Arc System Works

Review by Jon Donnis

Arc System Works has never been shy about reinventing its flagship series, but Guilty Gear Strive Version 2.0 feels like a deliberate attempt to redraw the lines entirely. Marketed as a reconstruction rather than a simple update, it still carries the DNA of a franchise that has been evolving since 1998. What stands out immediately is how confidently it balances that legacy with a push towards something broader, cleaner, and more inviting.

The visual overhaul remains one of its strongest assets. The 2.5D presentation is striking without feeling excessive, blending hand drawn style with sharp modern rendering. During fights, the camera work adds a sense of drama that rarely lets up, especially when a wall break triggers and the entire stage shifts around you. It feels fluid, almost theatrical at times, and that sense of motion carries through to the animation itself, which is consistently smooth and expressive. There is a rhythm to it all that makes even simple exchanges feel impactful.

Sound plays a huge role in that rhythm. The rock soundtrack is relentless in the best way, pushing each match forward with a kind of urgency that suits the pace of the combat. It is loud, confident, and perfectly in tune with the chaos on screen. Combined with the visual flair, it creates an atmosphere that feels intense without becoming exhausting.

Underneath that presentation sits a combat system that demands patience. This is not a game that rewards careless button pressing for long. At first, it can feel stiff or even unforgiving, especially if you are not used to the genre. Moves require precision, timing matters, and defence is just as important as offence. The game does try to meet players halfway through its tutorial, mission, and training modes, all of which are surprisingly thorough. Spend time there and things begin to click. Combos start to flow, positioning makes sense, and the chaos becomes something you can control rather than just survive.

The new Wall Break mechanic adds a fresh layer to that control. Corner pressure has always been a staple of fighting games, but here it leads to dynamic stage transitions that reset the pace and shift momentum. It keeps matches from feeling too static and encourages a more aggressive, forward moving style of play.

Beyond the core fighting, there is a surprising amount to explore. The Combo Maker allows players to create and share sequences, turning practice into something almost communal. Digital Figure mode goes in a completely different direction, letting you stage scenes with characters, poses, and effects. It feels like a creative sandbox tucked inside a fighting game, and while not essential, it adds a layer of personality.

The Duel Tower online system is designed to match players by skill, dividing competitors across different floors. In theory, it works well, giving a sense of progression and keeping matches fair. In practice, there is an unavoidable barrier. Ranked online play sits behind a PlayStation Plus subscription, which will frustrate anyone hoping to jump straight into competitive matches without extra cost. There is plenty to do offline, including a branching arcade mode with character specific stories, but the restriction still feels unnecessary.

Cost becomes a recurring issue the deeper you go. The base game is reasonably priced, but unlocking the full roster through season passes quickly adds up. Factor in the subscription for online play and the total climbs steeply over time. For dedicated players, that investment might feel justified. For newcomers or casual fans, it is a harder sell.

The story, positioned as the conclusion to a long running narrative, is dense but engaging if you are already invested. Sol Badguy’s final conflict with Asuka R. Kreutz, alongside the chaos brought on by I No and Happy Chaos, brings a sense of closure that the series has been building towards for years. It leans heavily on its own history, which can make it difficult to follow for new players, but it does deliver a clear ending for its central character.

At its best, Guilty Gear Strive Version 2.0 is exhilarating. It looks incredible, sounds even better, and offers a combat system that rewards dedication. At its worst, it can feel overwhelming, both in terms of its on screen intensity and its overall cost. It asks a lot from its players, whether that is time, patience, or money.

Even so, there is no denying the craft on display. This is a polished, confident fighting game that knows exactly what it wants to be. It just does not make it easy for everyone to fully enjoy it.

Guilty Gear Strive Version 2.0 earns a solid 8 out of 10. It is a brilliant experience for those willing to commit, but the barriers around it stop it from being an easy recommendation for everyone.

Out Now on Playstation

https://amzn.to/4cRtSKM

Thank you to Arc System Works for the game key.

REVIEW: The End of the Sun (2026 Video Game) - on Playstation 5

Review by Jon Donnis

The End of the Sun arrives with a quietly confident premise and, to its credit, it largely delivers on that sense of intrigue. Set within a Slavic fantasy world that leans heavily on folklore and ritual, the game casts you as the Ashter, a fire mage able to track echoes of the past. It is an unusual hook, and one that immediately sets it apart. From the moment you step into the abandoned village, with its lingering smoke and fractured sense of time, there is a strong feeling that something meaningful has happened here, even if the game takes its time explaining exactly what.

Visually, it is difficult to fault. The world has been crafted with clear care, and that effort shows in the detail of the buildings, objects, and natural surroundings. The use of photogrammetry gives everything a grounded, almost tactile quality. It does not feel like a generic fantasy setting. Instead, it feels rooted in something older, more specific. That authenticity feeds directly into the atmosphere, which remains one of the game’s strongest elements throughout.

The central gameplay loop is where The End of the Sun becomes most interesting. You move from bonfire to bonfire, bonding with each one to reveal hidden traces and fragments of past events. Follow the smoke, uncover clues, solve a puzzle, then shift through time to see the consequences. It is a simple structure on paper, yet it works surprisingly well in practice. There is a natural rhythm to it, and when everything clicks, it can be genuinely absorbing. Watching history subtly reshape itself as you intervene adds a layer of satisfaction that many puzzle games struggle to achieve.

The puzzles themselves are mostly well judged. They are not overly complex, but they demand attention and a willingness to observe your surroundings carefully. The real appeal comes from how they tie into the wider narrative. Solving a puzzle rarely feels isolated. Instead, it feeds into the broader mystery, revealing new perspectives on the same characters across different points in time. That sense of continuity, of seeing lives unfold across seasons and years, gives the game a quiet emotional weight.

Voice acting is another clear strength. Performances across the board feel natural and convincing, which helps ground the more fantastical elements of the story. Characters come across as real people shaped by their circumstances, rather than simple narrative devices. It adds a layer of immersion that is easy to overlook but difficult to replace.

That said, the experience is not without its frustrations. Technical issues do creep in, and they can be more than minor inconveniences. Encountering a situation where progress is blocked, with no clear way to reset or escape, breaks the flow entirely. It suggests a lack of final polish that is hard to ignore, especially in a game so reliant on careful progression through its systems.

Even outside of outright bugs, there are moments where the game’s structure works against it. It is easy to lose your bearings, leading to stretches of aimless wandering as you try to piece together your next move. While some level of uncertainty fits the investigative tone, it can tip into irritation when direction becomes too vague. The line between discovery and confusion is a fine one, and The End of the Sun does not always stay on the right side of it.

Despite these issues, there is something undeniably compelling at the heart of the experience. Its ideas feel fresh, its world feels lived in, and its approach to storytelling through time and interaction stands out. When it works, it draws you in completely. When it falters, it can push you away just as quickly.

The End of the Sun is a thoughtful and original adventure that does a lot right, even if it stumbles in key areas. It is well worth experiencing for its atmosphere and ideas alone, but patience is required. If you can push through the rough edges, there is a rewarding journey waiting underneath.

Score: 7 out of 10

Out Now on PlayStation

https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10017998