Grandia HD Collection (Nintendo Switch) – August
The Nintendo has already proved itself to be an incredible little RPG device. Octopath Traveler, Witcher, the recent Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, all these games and more really give the Switch life.
What caught me off guard, however, was how many people didn’t even notice this game when it dropped. Grandia is definitely an older RPG and it hasn’t aged that well (though I will say that it’s aged better than Final Fantasy 7, don’t @ me) it is still a very fun RPG romp. The character progression and the rate you unlock new skills and game play elements makes you feel like you’re in a constantly growing world. It makes you feel like your character has genuinely become a more capable hero.
Not only that but the story and characters offer up some incredibly charming moments that I’d feel remiss if I let you miss out on it.
Sayonara Wild Hearts – September
I can’t be too mad at this one. Fans of indy games got a lot of awesome games in the September of 2019. River City Girls was killer, Ori and the Blind Forest came to the Switch and everyone was losing their minds at Untitled Goose Game, so I get it.
But it’s almost February of 2020 and I still can’t find anyone who comes in that’s played Sayonara Wild Hearts. Where you at?
This game was, in theory, a playable album. Every stage was a different track of a song and it was a long journey where you helped a heartbroken protagonist face off against her inner demons and find strength in herself in a metaphorical way that hasn’t been explored this well since Scott Pilgrim.
Plus, the entire game was narrated by Queen Latifa. You find me another game that can brag about that.