Persona is having a wild summer, from Persona 4 Revival being announced, Persona 5 coming back into Xbox Game Pass, to Persona 6 finally being made after nearly a decade. The fun’s not over yet, though, as Atlus has recently shown off more gameplay and story information for Persona 4 Revival via a recent broadcast stream.

The gameplay broadcast goes over the general premise and basic gameplay structure of Persona 4 Revival. You play as a young teenage high-school student who’s recently moved to the rural town of Inaba, which has suddenly been gripped by fear as a series of unexplained murders have started occurring shortly after you arrive.

The clues to solving this murder mystery lie within decoding the cryptic broadcasts of the mysterious ‘Midnight Channel’ and exploring an alternate world filled with monstrous creatures called Shadows. Together with your fellow classmates (all imbued with a mysterious power called ‘Persona’), you resolve to stop these murders and uncover the secrets of this alternate world.

For the most part, the story will follow the original game's plot while incorporating elements of Persona 4: Golden, like bringing back the enigmatic character Marie. As for gameplay, it’s a mixture of a high-school student simulator and a turn-based dungeon crawler.

Half the time, you will be attending school and forming bonds with the locals to upgrade your Persona’s abilities and unlock passive benefits. The other half will be spent exploring the alternate TV World and fighting Shadows in turn-based command battles.

For the most part, the gameplay structure is very faithful to the original Persona 4. However, aside from the graphical upgrades, the biggest changes Persona 4 Revival brings lie in its combat system, which includes a few new features, some of which are carryovers from Persona 5 Royal and Persona 3 Reload.

These include the now iconic "Baton Pass" mechanic, where you can pass turns to other party members after hitting a monster’s elemental weakness, blocking enemy attacks while exploring dungeons to stop them getting the initiative, and the new “Send Flying” mechanic, where you knock enemies inflicted with status effects into other enemies to spread their ailments.

The biggest gameplay addition is the "Prime Time" mechanic. As you deal damage to enemies, a Prime Time Meter on the right side of the screen will fill. Once it’s filled up, you can activate Prime Time, which gives your party a few free turns to beat up enemies while having their skills cost ZERO SP.

These free turns culminate in a cinematic finisher called “Prime Time Finish” (reminiscent of Persona 5 Royal’s Showtime mechanic and Persona 3 Reload’s Theurgy mechanic) that will deal massive damage to enemies.

After conquering Shadows in battle, you will gain experience points that will level up your Persona’s powers and potentially gain new ones for the main character to wield in battle. Additionally, you can visit the mysterious Velvet Room to combine these Personas to form new ones with stronger abilities and elemental resistance.

Windows Central's take

I was already dead set on playing Persona 4 Revival after seeing its amazing Xbox Games Showcase trailer, but this gameplay deep dive sealed the deal. The new turn-based combat mechanics look like so much fun to play with, while the core premise of living a double life as a high-school student, forming bonds and fighting monsters in an alternate dimension, looks to remain fully intact.

Granted, I’m kind of worried that these mechanics will probably make the game much easier than the original game. But then, if I wanted a challenge out of an Atlus JRPG, I could always turn to Shin Megami Tensei games for that because Persona games always focused more on the complex character development and story anyway.

Either way, I can’t wait to mess around with this new “Prime Time” mechanic and see what new insane supermoves all the characters I loved from the original Persona 4 will pull off when Persona 4 Revival drops on February 18, 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass (Day One), Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

🗨️ Over to you

What do you think of Persona 4: Revival's gameplay deepdive? Does it make you want to play the game, or do you need to see more before deciding to?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll below, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

We waited a long, long time for Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox, but we won't have to wait as long for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Announced today, Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is dropping on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC, complete with Xbox Play Anywhere support, on June 3, 2026. Pre-orders are live here, complete with a pretty generous introductory discount.

Final Fantasy 7 is arguably the most legendary Japanese RPG ever made, marking the franchise's shift to 3D on the original PlayStation. The game follows the mercenary Cloud, who finds himself the enemy of techno-fascist corporation Shinra. The firm's Mako reactors provide power to its dystopic cyberpunk megacities, while also producing mutated creatures and deadly pollution, while threatening the entire planet itself.

The remake was split into three parts owing to the original game's vast size, with the first part, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, launching on Xbox Play Anywhere last year after a long period of PlayStation exclusivity. Thankfully, the second part, Rebirth, is launching a lot sooner.

Revealed today, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will hit all Xbox platforms via Xbox Play Anywhere, just like Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Microsoft and Square Enix have been partnering aggressively under the latter's new CEO, collaborating on a wide variety of titles. Xbox is currently arguably the best place to play Final Fantasy as a result, playing home to more versions of Final Fantasy than other console platforms thanks to Xbox backward compatibility.

Dragon Quest VII remake also just hit Xbox Play Anywhere, joining the other recent Dragon Quest remakes and re-releases. Square Enix has a big publisher sale too on Xbox right now, with various titles anywhere up to 50% off.

Game director Naoki Hamaguchi noted on X today that Square Enix plans to share more updates on Final Fantasy 7's remake projects than "ever before" this year, implying that we could see the third part fully revealed. There are plenty of good reasons to think Final Fantasy 7's third remake will launch day and date on Xbox platforms, as Square Enix shifts away from timed exclusivity.

In a previous interview with us, Naoki Hamaguchi explained that its new CEO has been instrumental with moving the firm to multi-platform, to help Final Fantasy reach a bigger audience. "We have a new president at Square Enix, so we do have a new direction when it comes to multiplatform game releases. I believe that is the most vital point. The vision is to deliver Final Fantasy to a broader and wider audience through multiplatform releases, on multiple devices. Whether this is Xbox Cloud Gaming, console devices, or handheld PCs — that is very much now the core philosophy of Square Enix."

We're a month away from the release of Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined, an upcoming remake of the 7th entry in the legendary Dragon Quest series that's set to be released on Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox Play Anywhere support), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, and PC via Steam on February 5, 2026.

Square Enix has decided to whet fans' appetite for this title by announcing a free playable demo for Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined, which will be available to download on the aforementioned systems on January 7, 2026.

Players can experience the opening act of Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined within this demo and get a sneak peek at how this remake improves upon the original 2001 PlayStation 1 version of Dragon Quest VII with its next-gen graphics, refined combat, and new voiceover work.

After completing the demo, you will be able to carry over your progress to the full game and unlock a bonus "Day Off" cosmetic outfit for the party member Maribel in the full version.

I personally never played the original PS1 version, but I do have fond memories of playing the Nintendo 3DS version of Dragon Quest VII for its lighthearted story, massive world abundant with secrets, zany yet tough enemies, and complex character class system.

So I'm looking forward to seeing how this new version differentiates itself from the 3DS remake while standing on its own two feet and paying homage to its legacy when Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined releases on February 5, 2026.

Are you excited to play the upcoming remake of Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined or are there other upcoming JRPGs you're more interested in playing on Xbox, like Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, or the long-awaited Xbox port of Final Fantasy VII: Remake? Let us know what Xbox JRPGs you're looking forward to in 2026 in the comments below.

Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruins, two of my personal favorite Pokémon-like PC titles, have finally arrived on Xbox, as the Monster Hunter Stories Collection has now launched for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

What's even better is that these games can be played on the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X via remote play, so you can continue playing these awesome Xbox JRPGs whenever your main Xbox console is being used by someone else.

If you haven't heard of these games before, here's a quick refresher on why these games are awesome for both JRPGs and people looking for a true evolution of the Pokémon formula.

The Monster Hunter Stories series is a spin-off of Capcom's popular Monster Hunter franchise. However, instead of hunting monsters in semi-sandbox locales with action-RPG combat, you battle monsters in turn-based combat while seeking to befriend them as potential "Monstie" party members.

Each game has you play as a Rider, a special group of warriors who can tame monsters by using mystical artifacts known as Kinship Stones.

Together with your Monstie companions and other colorful characters you meet on your journey, you will travel the world to uncover mysteries, find new Monsties, and save the land from disastrous calamities.

What makes these games unique and fun is that they successfully combine the monster-catching gameplay formula of Pokémon with the gameplay mechanics, setting, and monsters of the Monster Hunter franchise.

For example, these games let your character fight alongside their tamed beasts in battle instead of sitting on the sidelines.

They can wield the iconic Monster Hunter weapons like Greatsword, Hammer, and Hunting Horn, lay down traps to ensnare enemies, whilst commanding their Monsties to perform powerful moves to lay waste to hostile monsters.

The Monster Hunter Stories games also offer diverse character and Monstie customization. You can equip your Rider with all kinds of gear to boost their stats, and equip your favorite Monsties with the genes of other Monsties to gain new abilities and become the ultimate killing machine.

I can't wait to return the world of Monster Hunter Stories on Xbox

As both a Monster Hunter and JRPG fan, I absolutely adore these games.

While their stories are fairly simplistic, they have charming casts of characters to root for and bright and colorful worlds to explore.

My favorite parts of these games are their challenging but fun, rock-paper-scissors-style combat systems, spending hours finding every single Monstie and splicing their genes to create an unstoppable army of Frankenstein-esque freaks of nature.

Now, Xbox fans will finally get to experience these games for themselves as the Monster Hunter Stories Collection is available for purchase on Xbox consoles at various retailers.

Not to mention, this game will be great for new fans to get caught up in the series in the lead-up to Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, which is looking to be the biggest entry in the series yet with its darker story, expanded world, and calvadade of new recruitable monsters from Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Wilds.

FAQ

Capcom has just unveiled the latest trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. While it doesn't give us more gameplay, it does cover more of the game's story and characters, and provides details on the game's Deluxe Edition and pre-order bonus.

It also reveals the return of an old-school monster I've wished were in Monster Hunter Wilds, but decided to make a comeback here instead. Here's everything you need to know about the next entry in the Monster Hunter Stories series from this new trailer.

The trailer largely shows more of the game's lush locales, which are under threat of being destroyed by the mysterious Encroachment phenomenon, turning everything into crystal.

It also gives us brief glimpses of the game's characters, whom our protagonist will meet on his journey, from the antagonistic forces of the Vermeil Empire to other Monster Riders who may join him as party members.

The biggest surprise, however, is that at the end of the trailer, it reveals that Yama Tsukami, a giant monster that hasn't been seen in a western-released Monster Hunter game since 2008's Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, will at long last return to the franchise as an epic boss fight.

The trailer then closes out with confirmation that pre-orders for the game have gone live, along with information regarding its pre-order bonus and Deluxe Editions.

Pre-ordering the game will net you access to the Skyscale Queen Layered Armor Set for Eleanor.

There will also be amiibos to purchase for the Nintendo Switch 2 version that will unlock Skyscale Rathalos Layered armor sets for the main character and an outfit for Rudy.

On top of that, if you happen to have save data from Monster Hunter Stories 1, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, and Monster Hunter Rise, you gain automatic access to Layered Armor sets from those games.

At long last, I can finally fight Yama Tsukami in Monster Hunter Stories

I was dead-set on getting Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection after seeing its extended gameplay deep dive, but the addition of Yama Tsukami being a boss has now sealed the deal.

I've never fought this monster personally since it was locked behind Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, and I don't have a PSP on hand anymore.

So, the idea that I'll finally get to fight this hot-air balloon Cthulhu in Monster Hunter Stories, let alone a modern Monster Hunter title, has got me more excited than when Capcom announced Omega for Monster Hunter Wilds.

I can't wait to ride on with my Monsties and finally have my dream match with Yama Tsukami when Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections launches on March 13, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

FAQ

Just a week from today, modern JRPG fans will get to experience the games that laid the groundwork for the entire genre from the 1980s onwards, when Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake launches on October 30, 2025, for home consoles and PC.

To get players excited for this HD-2D remake bundle, Square Enix has released a new launch trailer for the game, which gives a sneak peek at how this game will renovate the original Dragon Quest I and II's story for a modern age.

The trailer starts with a montage for the Dragon Quest I portion of this bundle.

The game follows the story of a heroic descendant of Erdrick, the protagonist of Dragon Quest III, on a quest to save the land of Alefgard from the evil Dragonlord.

The original game's "save the world from evil dragons" plot was about as traditional as you get, but during an era when video game plots weren't as complex as they are today, it was somewhat advanced for 1986.

The HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest I will have the same premise, but it will take great strides to flesh out the adventure by having the hero encounter new characters, get involved in new side adventures, and battle new foes along the way.

The trailer then shifts to a montage showcasing various story scenes for the Dragon Quest II portion of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake.

The plot of Dragon Quest II has you assume the role of the Prince of Midenhall, who is on a quest along with his cousins, the princess of Moonbrooke and the prince of Cannock, to stop the evil wizard Hargon from destroying the world.

The original game's plot was slightly complex than Dragon Quest II as it was one of the first JRPGs on home consoles to feature additional party members, because in Dragon Quest I you got only one character to play as.

Meaning there was some more character dynamics and development to be had, but by not much for modern standards.

The HD-2D Remake's version of this story will feature far, FAR, greater changes as this game will introduce a new, fourth-party member named Matilda, the Princess of Cannock, and a brand new underwater region complete with new quests, stories, and enemies to find.

Time to complete the HD-2D retelling of the classic Erdrick Trilogy.

Overall, I'm intrigued to see how exactly Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake will flesh out the original Dragon Quest I and II's stories, especially since the trailer ends with an ominous message saying "A new ending awaits...".

Could this imply that the remakes will have new endings to discover compared to the original? It wouldn't be the first time Square Enix heavily rewrote a classic JRPG's story like it did with Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, so it's entirely possible.

However, I'm more looking forward to Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake's gameplay changes and new content as it looks nuts. We'll be getting new spells to learn, new side quests to complete, new areas to explore, and challenging bosses to slay.

So I can't wait to play Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake when it launches on October 30, 2025, and relive these genre-defining titles all over again as I played emulations of the original NES games many years ago when I was preparing to review Dragon Quest XI.

FAQ

If you're in the mood for a non-horror game for Halloween with a bit of a spooky edge to it while being fun, then look no further than Persona 5.

Dress up as dashing vigilantes and steal the hearts of corrupt villains in Atlus' most popular JRPG to date, which has had its PC version's $67.99 price tag cut by 79% at Loaded for $14.29.

Additionally, Persona 5's unexpected yet equally enjoyable tactical spin-off, Persona 5 Tactica, is also on sale on PC, with its MSRP of $59.99 cut by 73% to $15.99 at Newegg.

Why should you buy these games?

What can I say that hasn't been said about Persona 5? It's a modern-day JRPG classic that has only propelled the Persona series and Atlus as a whole to super-stardom.

It has a fun and oftentimes dark superhero story with relatable, likable characters, and its art design is absolutely insane and beautiful to look at (especially when you explore the mindscape, 'Palaces', of the depraved villains you will be facing).

Persona 5's bizarre gameplay loop of balancing your civilian life with dungeon crawling to kill bosses before a deadline is also captivating and can even teach you how to manage your time in real life to some degree.

On top of that, Persona 5's turn-based combat is magnificent. It's fast-paced, stylish, and can be brutally challenging if you don't grasp the mountain of mechanics the game throws at you.

As for Persona 5: Tactica, that's a little bit trickier, as no one expected Persona 5 to get an XCOM-like spin-off when it was revealed in 2023.

While its story (for the most part) isn't as complex as Persona 5, the characters are just as well-written and fun to watch as they battle nefarious Shadows. Plus, the game is equally artistically rich as Persona 5 while also being slightly cuter by adopting a Chibi-esque motif for the character designs.

The gameplay of Persona 5: Tactica is very enjoyable as it successfully combines the tactical nature of turn-based strategy games like XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Wasteland 3 with the over-the-top battle mechanics of Persona 5.

It's so satisfying to use your party's Persona abilities to blast enemies out of cover, and then line up for crowd-clearing All-Out Attacks.

Plus, it's nice to play a Persona game that finally abandons that outdated and annoying rule where if the main character dies, it's game over, because in Persona 5: Tactica, you can revive the main party leader using other members if they fall in battle.

So if you're up for exploring the twisted minds of crooks and beating up giant, disturbing monsters while dressing as rebellious vigilantes in turn-based combat for Halloween, then these games are for you.

Persona 5: Royal on PC is currently on sale for $14.29 at Loaded, while Persona 5: Tactica is on sale for $15.99 at Newegg, saving you dozens of dollars when using these deals for a limited time.

FAQ

Last weekend, during Gamescom Asia, Capcom attended the event to show off footage of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the latest upcoming entry in Monster Hunter's JRPG spin-off series.

It was virtually identical to the gameplay demo shown at Tokyo Game Show 2025, demonstrating its exploration and combat systems but with a couple of key differences.

It showed off gameplay footage of the female protagonist that the player can choose to play as, and our first look at the game's robust character creator system.

A few days after the event, Capcom then uploaded the gameplay segment of the character creator onto the official Monster Hunter's official social media account, X, so that the general public could more easily see it, and it's looking mighty impressive thus far.

In previous Monster Hunter Stories titles, the character creator system has been fairly simple compared to modern mainline Monster Hunter games. You have your standard hair and skin color options, with some additional facial expression options to fit the series' more anime art style.

The character creator in Monster Hunter Stories 3, on the other hand, is going to include double the amount of customization options as previous entries, possibly so it can be on par with the insanely detailed character creators seen in Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Wilds.

We have mountains of customization options from eye shape/color, jaws, front and back hairstyles, lip shape, skin color, tattoos, and extra cosmetic accessories to boot.

There's even an option to let you adopt hairstyles based on iconic Monster Hunter monsters, like in Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.

One of the extra accessories that caught my eye is that we can have Wyverian Ears, a cosmetic that lets you cosplay as one of Monster Hunter's elven-like race.

This is interesting, as this cosmetic option is usually locked behind a microtransaction paywall in the mainline games like Monster Hunter Wilds and Monster Hunter Rise.

Meaning that fans who wanted to semi-play as a Wyverian instead of a human in Monster Hunter games had to pay extra cash to do so.

The fact that we don't have to do that in Monster Hunter Stories 3, and we can use this cosmetic item off the bat, just for buying the game, is pretty awesome, and it's something that Capcom should do more often.

Let us fight for our cosmetic rewards, not pay for them.

In my personal opinion, Capcom's been getting obsessed with locking cool cosmetics and animations behind expensive microtransaction fees, and it should stop doing that.

Either let us have them in the main game by earning them through quests, fight for them through difficult Event quests, or at least reduce the cost so they don't cost you nearly hundreds of dollars when bought altogether.

But I digress, for slightly overpriced DLC won't stop me from playing Monster Hunter games (unless the gameplay disappoints me like Monster Hunter Wilds did at launch), especially Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, as it looks absolutely stunning thus far.

The Monster Hunter Stories games are some of my favorite Pokémon-like titles on PC, and I can't wait to play the 3rd entry as it's already looking like the first, true, next-gen evolution of not just the Monster Hunter Stories series, but of the creature-collector genre as a whole.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is set to be released on March 13, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

Recently it's been revealed that 2025's mega-hit RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is getting a free update adding tons of new content in the distant future.

To celebrate this occasion, we have found a special discount for the PC version of Clair Obsur: Expedition for $31.99 at Loaded, discounted by 44% from the store's retail price of $57.09.

This artistically-rich game is worth every penny, even at full price

There are plenty of reasons why Clair Obscur: Expedition is selling millions of copies and getting heaps of critical praise: it's just that good.

This game features an incredible, unforgettable story tinged with much pathos, symbolism, and tragedy, enhanced by an amazing soundtrack that even the most cold-hearted of gamers will be moved to tears by.

The world is a delight to explore, as it's filled with so many wondrous locales and intriguing world-building to uncover.

Additionally, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 excels with its combat system, as it invigorates the JRPG genre's tried-and-true turn-based combat with active-time mechanics to keep things fresh.

Power-leveling won't carry you in this game, as you will need to parry and dodge enemy attacks, and perform context-sensitive button combos to activate special moves in order to survive.

Mastering your party's abilities and figuring out the enemy's attack patterns can be challenging but immensely satisfying when pulled off correctly, and proves that turn-based can still be enjoyable in modern times.

To round things off, this game has tons of hours' worth of optional sidequests to complete and difficult endgame bosses to slay, with more to come in an upcoming free update.

If you've been holding out on a discount on this potential candidate for 2025's Game of the Year, now's the time to do as the PC version is on sale for $31.99 at Loaded for a limited time.

This deal is 44% cheaper than Loaded's regular price of $57.09 and 36% more affordable than the game's MSRP of $49.99, which sounds fairly sweet if you ask me.

FAQ

Last year, on October 11, 2024, Atlus, released its newest JRPG IP to the world, Metaphor: ReFantazio. This title quickly became one of the best games of 2024 for its dark and complex story, engrossing characters, and compelling gameplay.

This game's MSRP of $69.99 got slashed down to $15.96 on Amazon during the now-finished Amazon Prime Day event for October 2025. However, Walmart is still hosting a massive 57% discount for this game, meaning you can get a hold of this amazing game for the discounted price of $39.00.

What's Metaphor: ReFantazio worth buying over other Xbox JRPGs?

Metaphor: ReFantazio tells the tale of a young man looking to break a curse slowly draining the life of his best friend, the displaced crown prince of Euchronia.

To save the prince and restore him to the throne, our hero must take a grand contest where citizens of Euchronia, from the wealthiest noble to the poorest peasant, must fight for the right to claim the kingdom's next king.

The story is a fascinating and epic adventure that will have you hooked with its action-packed moments, shocking twists, and in-depth themes, overcoming anxiety and using fantasy as an inspiration to overcome the cold harshness of reality.

Metaphor: ReFantazio also features a large cast of playable heroes that will have you root for them with their charming personalities and in-depth motivations, and villains you will love to hate for how confident and unapologetically evil they are.

Of course, a game's story doesn't hold weight without solid gameplay to back it up, and Metaphor: ReFantazio has it in spades.

This game feels like the perfect blend of Atlus' most famous JRPGs rolled into one package that celebrates the company's history.

It has the complex and challenging combat system of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, where one mistake could cost your life, and the Social Link systems of the Persona series, where you can learn more about the characters of the world and unlock powerful abilities.

To top it off, Metaphor: ReFantazio takes the Persona series' titular 'Persona' mechanic and remolds it into a Final Fantasy V-esque Job system where you can equip every party member with a mighty spirit called an Achetype.

Each Archetype offers varied playstyles with endless hours of customization potential, where you can create all kinds of unique party set-ups to devastate your enemies with.

You can even use your Archetype's abilities outside of battle to make dungeon crawling easier by eliminating weaker foes instantly or restoring your party's health and magic resources upon defeating enemies.

In short, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a fantastic game and one of my favorite Atlus JRPGs to date, alongside Persona 5: Royal and Persona 3: Reload.

If you don't mind Visual Novel-esque storytelling where you will spend potentially hours reading dialogue between action scenes, then I highly recommend this Xbox JRPG to heaven and back as it's one of the best games in the Xbox's catalog.

If you haven't played this game yet, then now's the perfect time to do so if you're playing on Xbox, as the Xbox version is still on sale for $39.00 at Walmart for an unspecified limited time.

FAQ

The Tokyo Game Show 2025 is just about wrapped, but before festivities close, Xbox JRPG fans were in for another pleasant surprise during its PC Gaming Show segment.

In this segment, Humble Games and Riyo Games showed off a new trailer for their upcoming JRPG, Threads of Time. This game, which was revealed last year, is a turn-based JRPG with pixel-art graphics, combat, and story inspired by one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, Chrono Trigger by Square Enix.

In this new trailer, we get to see more of Threads of Time's gameplay in action and witness how it wears its inspiration on its pixelated sleeves.

For the uninitiated, Threads of Time follows the adventures of a group of heroes chosen to restore the Order of the Time Knights and stop evil villains from rewriting history in their twisted image.

To stop these villains, our heroes must travel across various time periods, recruit mighty heroes to their cause, and fend off monsters and baddies in turn-based battles.

The Tokyo Game Show 2025 trailer shows this concept off in force as we bear witness to player party time-travel to the Jurassic era, the medieval era, the far distant future, and even a post-apocalyptic future.

Along the way, we get to see the various characters we'll recruit into our party from Viking warriors, mages, robots, ninjas that turn into demon foxes, and more.

We even get to see snippets of Threads of Time's turn-based combat system in this trailer.

We see a bar at the bottom of the UI that shows when a player character and an enemy are fighting (which I'm willing to bet implies we'll have abilities where we delay enemy turns), and various abilities at play from the player's party, ranging from special attacks to defensive stances that enemy aggro away from other party members.

Plus, we get to see two party members (a rat person named Barza and a ninja named Rin) perform a double-team attack on a bat monster.

The trailer concludes with an epic, animated cinematic of our heroes banding together to fight off a mysterious villain in a horned mask, who is most likely the mastermind behind these baddies trying to dismantle the timeline to their whim.

The wait for this awesome-looking Xbox JRPG's release date is going to be brutal

As stated earlier, Threads of Time is heavily inspired by Chrono Trigger, and the game is not afraid to show that off in spades from its gameplay trailers.

They both feature time-travel plots where you must save the world from a dark future, they both use pixelated, 16-bit graphics, and turn-based combat systems where party members can combine their turns to perform special team-up attacks.

However, that's not necessarily a bad thing as Threads of Time is looking to put its own spin on things.

Threads of Time boasts a gorgeous retro-style HD-2D aesthetic that is both nostalgic and polished, featuring next-gen graphical fidelity via Unreal Engine 5, and it aims to have a larger roster of playable characters than Chrono Trigger.

As someone who played and loved Chrono Trigger back in the day, Threads of Time is looking like an extremely promising successor, possibly even more so than Sea of Stars, and I gave that awesome title a 5-Star Review.

However, we will have to wait a long time for this game to arrive, as we don't have a release date for it yet at the time of this writing.

Be assured, though, we will keep a close eye on Threads of Time and let you, fine purveyors of JRPGs, know as soon as possible when this game will finally drop for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.

A few days ago, before Tokyo Game Show 2025 got underway, Square Enix showed off a new trailer for Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake, showcasing all the new gameplay content it will bring to these classic JRPGs.

These ranged from new abilities to use in battle, fighting multiple enemies solo in Dragon Quest I, Dragon Quest II's new party member, Matilda, and more. One of the biggest changes the Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake is bringing is a completely new, original underwater region to explore in Dragon Quest II, which was never present in the original game released in 1987.

To help players understand what this new locale has in store for them, Square Enix has released more gameplay details regarding this region and the dangers that await them.

In Dragon Quest II, the player is on a quest to save the world from being destroyed by the evil wizard Hargon. During the player's travels, they will eventually come across a ship that they can use to travel between islands and under the ocean's depths.

While exploring the sea, the player encounters mermaids who plead for their aid to save their kingdom of Mersea as it's under threat of being conquered by one of Hargan's Champions, the evil witch Mariella.

Accepting the Mermaids' plea for help, the player must explore the depths for sunken treasure that can aid them on their quest, face off against hordes of sea monsters, and slay Mariella before she destroys the Mermaids.

The new underwater region is packed with all kinds of new enemies to fight in turn-based battles and dungeons filled to the brim with lucrative treasure to uncover. In addition, there are a few hidden secrets within the uncharted Seabed that only the toughest adventurers equipped with the finest gear will be able to uncover and live to tell the tale.

Who knows what secrets lie beneath the ocean's depths in Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake?

It's pretty cool that Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is adding tons of new content to the first two entries of the Dragon Quest franchise.

The original Dragon Quest I & II helped define the JRPG genre as we know it today for home consoles back in the 1980s, so it's nice to see these classic titles get expanded upon and treated with the reverence they deserve.

I'm looking forward to exploring the new underwater region in the Dragon Quest II portion of the Remake bundle and uncovering its secrets lying in the Seabed area.

For all we know, it could contain brand new, optional superbosses whose strength rivals that of Xenlon from Dragon Quest III or Estark from Dragon Quest IV, and will require the best gear in the game and sound strategy to beat.

But we will wait for a while before we can explore the ocean to find out, as Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake is set to launch on October 30, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox Play Anywhere support), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Windows and Steam.

Rejoice Xbox JRPG and Monster Hunter fans, for Capcom has finally answered our prayers by announcing during Tokyo Game Show 2025 that it is bringing the entire Monster Hunter Stories franchise to Xbox platforms.

That's right. On November 14, 2025, Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, will be ported to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

For those unaware, the Monster Hunter Stories series is a spin-off series of Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise, where you befriend monsters and ride them into battle as opposed to hunting every one of them down.

You explore the world to find undiscovered mysteries, save the land from evil threats, fight giant monsters in turn-based battles, and tame monsters so they become friendly Monsties that will aid you in battle.

Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2 are regarded by many Monster Hunter fans (myself included) as some of the most underrated in the Monster Hunter series and beloved for their charming anime-aesthetics, giant bestiaries of Monsties to collect, and fun, in-depth combat systems.

I myself have reviewed the PC ports of Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, and regard them as some of the best Pokemon-like titles you can play on PC for their clever twists on the creature-collector genre, while expertly incorporating mechanics from the mainline Monster Hunter series.

Now, Xbox fans will finally get a chance to experience these games for themselves when Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2 drop on November 14, 2025.

It's good timing, too, as these two titles will help Xbox newcomers familiarize themselves with Monster Hunter Stories' gameplay structure in preparation for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, which will launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam on March 13, 2026.

This new upcoming entry in Monster Hunter Stories is a darker take on the series, featuring a dramatic story with themes of war and sacrifice, and taking on monsters driven mad by a mysterious disease known as Crystal Encroachment

It will also be the biggest entry in the series to date with a gigantic world to explore, new weapons and mechanics to master in battle, tons of new Monsties to tame, and new monsters to face in battle like Magnamalo from Monster Hunter Rise and Rey Dau from Monster Hunter Wilds.

Monster Hunter fans have a lot to look forward between 2025 and 2026

Capcom is on fire with these recent Monster Hunter announcements and practically stole the show for this year's Tokyo Game Show.

Not only is Monster Hunter Wilds about to have an absolute insane crossover with Final Fantasy XIV, but we're also getting the entire Monster Hunter Stories franchise on Xbox.

I was personally worried about Monster Hunter for a while after Monster Hunter Wilds disappointed me at launch, in contrast to my colleague, Jez Corden's more positive review of the game.

However, Capcom is starting to turn things around to get me excited to play Monster Hunter, especially Monster Hunter Stories, as I love those games and enjoy them way more than Pokémon these days.

I can't wait to replay Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2 again on Xbox this November and get my hands on Monster Hunter Stories 3 when it drops on March 13, 2026.

But before then, I got a giant robot to hunt in Monster Hunter Wilds when its 3rd Title Update drops on September 29, 2025.

We're nearly one month away from the grand release of Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake, the two-pack reimagining of the first two entries in the Dragon Quest franchise.

To keep the hype train rolling, Square Enix has uploaded a new gameplay trailer showcasing the remake's new, exclusive content not found in the original Dragon Quest I or II.

This content ranges from new locales to explore, new power-ups and abilities, new stories, and more.

Here's a recap of all the new content coming in Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake.

To start things off, let's discuss a major change for the Dragon Quest I HD-2D remake.

In the original game, turn-based battles were a 1v1 affair, but in the remake, you will be forced to fight multiple enemies at once alone, as Dragon Quest 1 only features one playable character, the Hero.

To survive these handicap matches, the Dragon Quest I HD-2D remake will feature Sigils (a plot device from the original Dragon Quest II, now included in both remakes) to grant the player powerful new abilities to use in battle.

In addition, a new item called Scrolls will be able to teach the Hero new magic spells and skills, so they can learn early instead of unlocking them via leveling up.

Dragon Quest II HD-2D remake will also feature Scrolls and include unique ones that only certain party members can use.

On top of that, Mini-Medals will be retroactively included in both games of the Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake.

Mini-Medals are a staple of the franchise ever since Dragon Quest III, which rewarded players with mighty gear and items for collecting medals scattered throughout the world.

The original two Dragon Quest games never had Mini-Medals, but now they do in their HD-2D remakes to help give players a fighting chance at saving the world.

Next up, let's discuss one of the biggest changes for Dragon Quest II's HD-2D Remake.

In this game, there will be an entirely new underwater region to explore, not found in the original game. It will be filled with new dungeons to traverse, new storylines to experience, new world-building to collect in the form of 'Memories of the World', and new enemies and bosses to slay.

The trailer also gives more details on Matilda, the Princess of Cannock. She is a brand new playable party member made for Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake who will wreak havoc on the battlefield with lightning-fast attacks and chaotic abilities.

Additionally, Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake will feature a mini-game called Tombola, where you can try your luck at getting specific spheres that can be traded for fabulous prizes like gear, items, and more.

Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake new content is bigger than I thought, and I'm all for it.

I knew Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake was going to get original content ever since Dragon Quest II HD-2D remake's new 4th party member was shown in the teaser trailer back in March 2025.

But I had no idea the changes and new additions would be this drastic. We're getting multiple new skills to learn, Dragon Quest I will have you fight multiple enemies solo, and Dragon Quest II is getting an entirely new underwater region.

If I wasn't stoked about getting my hands on this Xbox JRPG before, then I am now, as these changes look awesome.

Who knows what else this remake two-pack is hiding from the media? Perhaps we'll see new, secret post-game bosses or teasers for HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quests 4, 5, and 6?

With the recent announcement of the Dragon Quest VII Remake, it's only a matter of time before Dragon Quests 4, 5, and 6 get the next-gen remake treatment too (which I prefer to be with HD-2D graphics, as I am a sucker for pixel-art visuals).

Only time will tell if these remakes come to pass.

In the meantime, though, I'll be saving the world from the Dragonlord again when Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D Remake launches on October 30, 2025.

It will be released for Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox Play Anywhere support), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Windows and Steam.

In a pivotal move for Xbox's growth, Mena Sato Kato has ascended to Managing Director of Xbox Asia, aiming to transform the gaming landscape in Japan and beyond, as Microsoft seeks to bridge gaps with elusive local publishers and emerging markets.

Historically, Xbox has struggled incredibly hard in Japan. That was, until 2023.

In 2023, Microsoft appointed former PlayStation exec Mena Sato Kato to lead the charge rebuilding Xbox's footprint in Japan, which remains one of the world's most lucrative and important gaming markets. Japanese publishers of all shapes and sizes have been finding increasing success both at home and in the West, thanks to new franchises like Elden Ring and big staples like Resident Evil.

One thing that remained consistent was Microsoft's dire struggles to not only win interest from Japanese gamers but also court favor from Japanese publishers, many of whom sought exclusivity deals with PlayStation over publishing on Xbox. Times have changed significantly since then, and Mena Sato Kato has been cited as a big reason.

Leveraging her industry contacts and wealth of experience, Mena Sato Kato helped bring various Japanese publishers back into the Xbox fold, including, most notably, Square Enix. Final Fantasy went from being among the least published prolific Japanese franchises on Xbox to one of the most published. In fact, Xbox is now the only platform where you can play every classic Final Fantasy game, thanks to Xbox backwards compatibility. Square Enix has also pledged to bring Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Rebirth, and the third instalment on Xbox day one. And not only that, Square Enix is one of the few publishers that has fully pledged to support not only Xbox Cloud Gaming, but also Xbox's buy-once licensing model, Xbox Play Anywhere.

Mena Sato Kato's success has been heavily recognized by Microsoft in a new promotion, which she shared on LinkedIn this week.

Mena Sato Kato is now Managing Director, not just of Xbox Japan, but all of Xbox Asia. There's an absolute mountain of opportunity for Xbox in the region, particularly as PC gaming becomes increasingly prevalent. Steam is poised to become a China-first platform in demography, and Xbox PC has solidified its place as the second-place PC gaming storefront thanks to PC Game Pass.

There's a ton of work still to be done, of course. There are still many Japanese publishers unwilling to work more heavily with Xbox. Nihon Falcom, known for the "Trails" RPG franchise, is notoriously absent from Xbox in near totality. Konami has also taken exclusivity deals with PlayStation for Silent Hill 2 Remake, despite bringing Silent Hill F to the Xbox ecosystem on day one (complete with Xbox Play Anywhere, I might add). Microsoft also notoriously fumbled both Black Myth Wukong and Stellar Blade, which were announced for Xbox but later took exclusivity deals with PlayStation. It hasn't all been bad on Microsoft's end there, though — the ID@Xbox team did land viral Japanese hits like Palworld exclusively previously.

Capcom has also offered mixed support for Xbox, with its big heavy hitters like Resident Evil Requiem skipping Xbox Play Anywhere, despite previous games like Resident Evil 2 joining the program. Capcom has also dragged its feet bringing some of its legacy ports to Xbox, such as Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2, despite pledging 3 earlier this year.

Microsoft is going to showcase its Japanese and wider Asian partners at the Tokyo Game Show later this month, with an Xbox showcase to celebrate. There, we're expecting to see Forza Horizon 6 revealed, potentially with a Japanese setting, as well as new showcases for Ninja Gaiden 4 made with Japan's Team Ninja, under Koei Tecmo.

Both China and Korea are increasingly pumping out AAA bangers that are finding huge success in the West. Wuchang Fallen Feathers and Black Myth Wukong have been incredibly popular among new Chinese teams. And Korea's Pearl Abyss, KRAFTON, and Neowiz have found a lot of success via Xbox as well. Neowiz's Lies of P, in particular, found an instant audience via Xbox Game Pass in previous years.

Microsoft's expansion into Asia comes at a crucial moment, as tariffs and other factors make it harder for the firm to win over new players in its traditional markets. Selling Xbox hardware and services in countries less impacted by tariffs, especially in regions where the products are actually being manufactured, could represent a significant opportunity for Microsoft. Emerging gaming regions like India, too, which have been traditionally mobile-first, are increasingly crucial on PC and particularly cloud as well.

The world's gaming landscape is ever shifting, thanks to U.S. tariffs, changing demographics, and generational shifts. Many AAA publishers have resigned themselves to desperate service game trend chasing, as Asian developers and Western indie developers deliver more traditional core gaming experiences. It'll be interesting to see how Mena Sato Kato and Xbox Asia navigate some of these new realities.

The Nintendo Direct September 2025 event has come and gone, revealing a mountain of new games and more information on already announced titles heading for Xbox and PC.

One such title that has received new intel is Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the latest entry in Monster Hunter's spin-off Monster Hunter Stories series.

During the Nintendo Direct, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection got a new trailer revealing more of its story, playable Monsties, turn-based combat, and most importantly – its release date.

We know that Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection will be launching on March 13, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

Here's everything we know about Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection from the Nintendo Direct and another trailer released shortly afterwards by Capcom.

The trailer begins with a recap of the game's premise. Monster Hunter Stories 3 takes place in a world where Rathalos have been driven to extinction.

One day, however, an egg birthed a pair of Rathalos bearing the mark of the world-ending Skyscale Rathalos. To protect their world from this doomed prophecy, the kingdom of Azuria put one of the baby Rathalos to death.

Many years later, a horrible plague has begun spreading throughout the land, encasing everything in crystals and making the local monsters turn feral.

You play as the heir of Azuria, who has been tasked by the kingdom along with the surviving twin, Rathalos, to investigate and find a cure for this crystal plague.

To make things worse, war is on the horizon as the trailer shows footage of Azuria engulfed in battle with the kingdom of Vermeil, whose armies are led by a warrior riding the other twin Rathalos, which was presumed to be dead for years.

The trailer then showcases a montage of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection's gameplay, which looks to be a full-blown evolution of the Monster Hunter Stories formula compared to the previous game, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.

For starters, while riding your Monsties (which are monsters that a player can tame and control) out in the open world, you can switch which Monstie to ride without dismounting.

For example, you can jump off a cliff and hover while riding a Tobi-Kadachi, then switch immediately to riding a Rathalos in midair, without needing to dismount from Tobi-Kadachi and plant your feet on the ground to call a Rathalos first.

This will no doubt make exploring the world go by way faster and potentially allow for some cool platforming tricks where you can jump and forth between multiple Monsties while traversing precarious areas.

Next, the trailer gives us brief glimpses of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection's turn-based combat system, which looks to be the same as in previous games.

Human party members take turns using their weapons to attack enemy monsters or command their pet Monsties to sic them. Combat is waged by employing attacks with either Power, Technical, or Speed tags to overpower opponents in Rock-Paper-Scissors style clashes.

What's new about the combat system thus far is that we're getting a new weapon type for the player character to use in battle, the Longsword.

Additionally, enemy monsters now have a special gauge meter below their health bar that decreases whenever they take damage, which they never had before in previous games.

Could this be a damage mitigation shield counter like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, or an 'Enrage' meter that causes an enemy monster to instantly perform a devastating attack when the meter is empty? We'll have to wait for more info from Capcom to find out.

At long last, I can finally ride Plesioth and make everyone's lives miserable in Monster Hunter Stories

Perhaps the most exciting announcement from the trailer is that we'll be getting several new monsters to hunt and potential new Monsties to tame.

Thus far, we know that Paolumu, Rathalos, Velocidrome, Tobi-Kadachi, Nerscylla, Yian Kut-Ku, and Anjaneth will return as Monsties from previous games.

Glavenus and Legiana are also potentially returning Monsties, as we see them being ridden in cutscenes but not during gameplay yet.

As for new monsters, we see a feral Chatacabra and a tease for Rey Dau from Monster Hunter Wilds at the end of the trailer.

By far the most exciting addition for me personally is that Plesioth is finally going to be a Monstie after being only an enemy for many years in previous games.

For those who don't know, Plesioth is one of the most reviled and hated monsters in the entire Monster Hunter franchise. It's gigantic, hits like a truck, it can shoot steel-cutting water beams, and it has a venomous bite that puts players to sleep.

Worst of it, Plesioth repeatedly uses an infamous attack now referred to by Monster Hunter Stories 2 as the 'Hyperspace Tackle', which can hit players a million miles away despite not looking like it hit them due to its massive, invisible range.

I've always wanted to have a Monstie version of Plesioth ever since Monster Hunter Stories 1, so I could give enemy Plesioths a taste of their own medicine and prank players in online PVP multiplayer matches.

I'm so happy to finally see my wish come true, along with all the new, exciting monsters and gameplay features Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is bringing.

I know for a fact that I wasn't expecting to see monsters from Monster Hunter Wilds' monster roster so soon.

Here's hoping we get to see Arkveld, Rey Dau, and Nu Udra as tameable Monsties when Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection launches on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on March 13, 2025.

Among the many announcements shown at Nintendo Direct September 2025, Square Enix showed off a new title that nobody saw coming and had old-school Dragon Quest fans excited with nostalgia — Dragon Quest VII Reimagined.

This game is the 2nd remake of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, the seventh mainline installment of Square Enix's iconic Dragon Quest franchise.

It was originally released on the PlayStation One in 2000 before receiving a remake on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013.

Now this retro JRPG is getting reimagined yet again for Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch consoles and PC on February 5, 2026.

For those unfamiliar with the original game, Dragon Quest VII is a turn-based JRPG that follows the adventures of heroes travelling the world to explore mysterious, uncharted islands surrounding their homeland of Estard.

Along the way, our heroes will uncover ancient secrets, trek through wondrous locales, and face off against giant monsters and evil villains in turn-based combat.

The original game blended pixel-art character designs with 3D backgrounds, whereas the 2013 3DS version employed full 3D graphics.

From the looks of this trailer, it appears that Dragon Quest VII Reimagined will be taking the 3DS' approach of making the whole game 3D but with crisp, next-gen graphics while upholding the cutesy art direction of the original game.

Another new feature is that Dragon Quest VII Reimagined will feature full voice-acted dialogue, which previous versions never had.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined will also feature an updated version of Dragon Quest VII's traditional turn-based combat system.

In the original Dragon Quest VII, you can equip your party with Vocations, which are the game's classes that grant them powerful abilities and access to mighty weapons.

However, in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, party members can equip two Vocations at once instead of only one, thanks to the new 'Moonlight' feature.

Additionally, each Vocation gets a new Vocational Perk, which are special attacks and support spells that can only be activated when a character gets 'worked up' in battle.

On top of that, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined will include a Monster Master Vocation and quality-of-life features like seeing enemies on the field (eliminating random encounters), automatically killing enemies several levels below you in one shot, tactics for party members, and battle speed-up options.

Time to embark on another Dragon Quest on Xbox

Square Enix is putting out all the stops to bring us a wide range of Xbox JRPGs for the upcoming winter season and beyond.

We've got Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Dragon Quest I+II HD-2D remake, the long-awaited Xbox port of Final Fantasy VII Remake (which finally has a release date), and now we have a 2nd remake for Dragon Quest VII on the way.

I am slightly disappointed that this game won't have an HD-2D art style like Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake did, as I love pixel art graphics. I will say, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined's full-3D graphics look very impressive and 100% faithful to the original game's charming art style.

As a UK-based gamer, I sadly never got a chance to play the original PlayStation One version of Dragon Quest VII, as it was released only in Japan and North America.

I did, however, play the Nintendo 3DS remake in the 2010s, and I remember enjoying it a lot for its diverse character build potential thanks to the Vocation system and crazy boss fights you encounter late in the game.

So, I can't wait to relive those memories with next-gen graphics when Dragon Quest VII Reimagined launches on February 5, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

The game will also receive Xbox Play Anywhere support, so you can continue your save file progress on any compatible Xbox console and Windows PC if you have a digital copy of the game.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is now available for pre-order on various online storefronts, which are selling Standard, Digital Deluxe, or Collector's Editions of the game.

The Marketing Research and Technology company, Circana, has recently posted a sales chart for the best-selling Xbox games (which combines for both physical and digital copies) in the US during June 2025.

One of the top games is a surprising entry.

According to the sales chart (provided by @matpiscatella.bsky.social‬), Elden Ring Nightreign has been sitting at No.1 for a month.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited Xbox port of Final Fantasy XVI instantly jumped to the No.4 spot and managed to outsell Minecraft of all things in June 2025.

Content - June 2025 Top 10 Best-Selling Premium Games on Xbox Platforms - U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-07-23T21:05:07.591Z

Elden Ring Nightreign, being the number one best-selling Xbox game of June 2025, is understandable.

It was a strange yet well-executed Roguelike spin-off of Elden Ring, which was well received by critics and fans for its unique combat and challenging bosses returning from previous FromSoftware Titles.

Elden Ring Nightreign also got a favorable 4/5 star review from us here at Windows Central.

Final Fantasy XVI, on the other hand, was a game that I never expected to be a top-selling Xbox title so quickly, let alone one that could outsell Minecraft, the biggest videogame franchise of all time.

This is no disrespect towards Final Fantasy XVI mind you as it's a fine game with insanely high production values, over-the-top combat, and complex story and characters.

I say this because despite its high quality, Final Fantasy XVI was considered a financial disappointment that failed to meet Square Enix's lofty expectations when it was locked as a PlayStation 5 exclusive title.

It was eventually released on PC in late 2024, and after many months of rumors, Final Fantasy XVI finally came to Xbox platforms after shadowdropping during the Xbox Game Showcase in June.

As the sales chart shows, Final Fantasy XVI's financial fortunes have been changing for the better thanks to Square Enix doubling down on its multi-platform strategy.

In fact, Final Fantasy XVI's been doing so well on Xbox that not only is it outselling Minecraft, it's also overtaken Call of Duty Black Ops 6, WWE 2K25, Forza Horizon 5, and even Red Dead Redemption 2.

What's even more impressive is that Final Fantasy XVI has managed to achieve this sales milestone without the aid of Xbox Game Pass.

Could this be a result of waning interest in the other titles in the sales chart? Perhaps a huge demand from Xbox fans wanting to play Final Fantasy XVI or want more Xbox JRPGs from Square Enix? Or maybe it's a combination of both?

Who knows? Either way, with this development and Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster topping Xbox Store sales in 2024, this new multi-platform approach Square Enix has adopted is definitely working out for them.

I can tell that when Final Fantasy VII Remake's long-awaited release on Xbox arrives during Winter 2025, that this upcoming Xbox title is going to shoot to the top of Xbox US sales chart in no time flat.

Will these lead to Final Fantasy games being released on Xbox day one?

Personally, it's nice to see Final Fantasy XVI get such a positive reception on Xbox and finally earn financial success for all the hard work the developers put into it. It's almost enough to make me forget about the depressing rumor that Final Fantasy IX's supposed remake is cancelled.

Plus, this guarantees that Square Enix will continue to release more Final Fantasy games and JRPGs on Xbox in the future, just like the upcoming Xbox release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

In addition, this means that we'll 100% see an Xbox port of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth at some point now that Final Fantasy VII Remake is coming to Microsoft's platform.

However, will this lead to future mainline Final Fantasy titles releasing on both PlayStation and Xbox platforms at their launch date, making timed exclusives a thing of the past?

And what about FromSoftware? Will Elden Ring Nightreign's monumental success convince the studio to make more multiplayer games like the mysterious Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive title, The Duskbloods?

We will have to wait and see what Square Enix and FromSoftware have planned for Tokyo Game Show 2025 (which Xbox will be attending) to find out.

July 14, 2025: Amazon Prime Day has ended but Amazon's 49% discount deal for Persona 3: Reload is still active, with small amounts of stock remaining.

Time has run out for Amazon Prime Day sales week. However, you still have time to take advantage of Amazon's leftover discounts still active from the event, like this mammoth-sized 49% discount for Persona 3: Reload.

Persona 3: Reload is a remake of a classic Atlus JRPG called Persona 3 that has received critical and fan praise for updating the original PS2 title with beautiful, next-gen graphics, quality-of-life and narrative improvements, and a refined turn-based combat system.

This game is regularly sold at an MSRP of $69.99, but it's currently being sold for a much cheaper price at $35.35 at Amazon for a limited time, so grab it while you still can as there is small stocks of it left.

Why should you buy Persona 3 Reload?

If you're not familiar with this game, Persona 3: Reload is a remake of a classic 2006 PlayStation 2 JRPG made by Atlus called Persona 3. It told the story of a group of teenagers attending Gekkoukan High School in Japan who uncover a hidden hour of the day called the 'Dark Hour'.

During this hour, the world shifts to an alternate dimension where 95% of the human population transform into coffins, and those that remain normal are hunted down by mindless beasts called Shadows.

Our teenage protagonists are able to fight back the Shadows by wielding a mysterious power called Personas. Armed with this power, the teens form a group called S.E.E.S. (a.k.a. Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad) and vow to protect humanity from Shadows while uncovering the mystery behind the Dark Hour's creation.

Last year, I was given the honor of reviewing Persona 3: Reload on Xbox due to my experience with playing various Atlus JRPGs like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei titles over the years.

By the time I hit the credits, I was in awe over how much Persona 3: Reload improved upon the original PlayStation 2 game that I gave it a perfect score of 5/5 and stated it was one of the best Xbox JRPGs I've ever played.

The story is a slow-burner that gradually builds up to an emotionally gripping tale of self-discovery, existential dread, and coming to terms with your mortality.

The characters are a likeable-yet-flawed bunch of kids with endearing personalities and fulfilling character arcs.

Plus, the remake has included new scenes and rewritten dialogue that adds further depth to the characters than the original did, expands on the game's lore, and helps Persona 3 tie in better with its successors, Persona 4 and Persona 5.

On top of that, the graphics are a feast for the eyes. The original game's choppy PlayStation 2 graphics have been reborn with next-gen visuals, crisp 1080p resolution, 60fps, and an improved, more vibrant art direction.

Gameplay-wise, Persona 3: Reload is mostly unchanged from the original game, in that it's a turn-based JRPG that combines dungeon crawling with elements of visual novels and life-sim management.

Throughout the day, you will be attending high school to socialize with classmates, citizens, and various townsfolk to unlock Social Links, which can reward you with passive benefits and unique Personas.

During the night, you will be exploring the Dark Hour by traversing a massive tower called Tartarus and battling Shadows in turn-based battles to uncover this world's mysteries.

You also have deadlines to meet where you must prepare your party to face a boss Shadow hunting helpless humans during the Dark Hour, and if you're not, it's pretty much game over.

It is a strange gameplay loop, to say the least. However, once you get the hang of it, it becomes really fun to micromanage your time so you can unlock useful Social Links that can help you out later in the game.

Turn-based combat is also a blast. The enemies are challenging yet fair fights, each playable character has cool, powerful Personas to use in battle, and it incorporates mechanics from other Persona games like super-moves and the Baton Pass (where you can give extra turns to other party members for hitting an enemy's weakness) from Persona 5 to make it faster paced and exciting.

Persona 3: Reload even manages to get rid of the biggest flaw of the original game's combat, that being incompetent AI-driven party members, by allowing you to directly control them in battle. With this, combat is no longer unnecessarily, frustratingly difficult like the original game, and any mishaps are now purely from the player's human mistakes.

However, even with these improvements, Persona 3: Reload isn't for everyone. Due to its visual-novel styled storytelling and gameplay, there are many hours where you will talk with NPCs and listen to characters in narrative-heavy cutscenes.

If you're the kind of gamer whose thirst for videogame violence needs to be satiated every few minutes without story content getting in the way, then you're better off with action-heavy titles like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (which is currently having a 51% Amazon Prime Day discount)

If that stuff doesn't bother you, and you live for narrative-focused JRPGs with turn-based combat, then Persona 3: Reload is a must-buy.

Thanks to Amazon Prime Day, people were able to get their hands on this modern JRPG classic for just $35.35 at Amazon and save $34.64 in the process. Thankfully, this deal is still active even though Amazon Prime Day is over, so you still have time to take advantage of it (although there are only a few copies left in stock, so you'd better act fast).

With the leftover money, you can spend it towards snagging an Xbox Wireless controller, which was on sale $46.49 at Walmart, or the Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma, which was also on sale for $88.99 at Walmart, to help you play this game with the best, most accurate controls possible.

Also, if you're buying stuff on Amazon, consider trying out its Amazon Prime Membership program. By becoming a member, you can gain access to faster shipping options and have Persona 3: Reload delivered to you quicker.

In addition, Amazon Prime Membership can grant members other useful benefits. Examples include access to Amazon's multimedia streaming apps and access to exclusive deals not found anywhere else, like this 26% discount for the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S, so you can get extra room to install Persona 3: Reload on your Xbox Series X|S.

July 14, 2025: Amazon Prime Day has ended but Amazon still has a discount deal for Metaphor: ReFantazio for $34.79, which is even cheaper than when it ran for $38.66 during Amazon Prime Week.

We have now reached the end of July 2025's Amazon Prime Day sales week. However, retailers are still pulling out all the stops with new lucrative deals, regardless, such as this 50% discount for Metaphor: ReFantazio.

This game is the newest JRPG IP created by famed company Atlus, and it's one of the finest titles it's produced in many years for its addictive combat, wild fantasy setting, and engrossing story.

For a limited time, you can get your hands on Metaphor: ReFantazio for $34.79 on Amazon instead of its usual MSRP of $69.99, so don't miss out on this deal before it goes away for who knows how long.

Why should you buy Metaphor: ReFantazio?

After creating Shin Megami Tensei and Persona titles for decades, Atlus released a brand new JRPG IP in 2024 called Metaphor: ReFantazio.

This game tells the tale of Euchronia, a kingdom that's been torn asunder by the assassination of its king. Upon the king's death, a powerful magic spell was cast to declare a 'Tournament for the Throne' in which anyone from pauper to prince has a chance to become the land's next ruler.

You play as a young man dispatched on a secret mission to restore the late king's son to the throne, who was stricken with a curse that has placed him in a deathless slumber ten years prior.

Armed with a sword and the power to transform into powerful Archetypes, you must find a way to break the prince's curse and enter the tournament to prevent villainous forces from claiming the throne of Euchronia.

As a long-time purveyor of Atlus JRPGs since playing Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne back in the mid-2000s, I believe Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of the company's best works in years.

It has a captivating story with themes of embracing fantasy as inspiration to improve your life and the people around you, overcoming anxiety, political corruption, racial prejudice, and more.

It has a large cast of intriguing characters with well-written character arcs and likable personalities, and the setting is absolutely insane with fascinating world-building and lore.

What's also insane is Metaphor: ReFantazio's presentation, as it features a bombastic soundtrack and gorgeous artwork. While this game's graphics aren't exactly as detailed as Final Fantasy VII: Remake, it more than makes up for it with incredible art direction.

This game has memorable, intricate character designs that mix medieval attire with 1960s clothing aesthetics and horrifying monsters that look like they were ripped straight out of The Garden of Earthly Delights painting by Hieronymus Bosch.

Metaphor: ReFantazio's gameplay is just as splendid as its presentation and story. Much like the Persona series, players will need to explore the land to build bonds with allies and traverse dungeons filled with deadly enemies to defeat bosses before a deadline.

Managing your days to find time between dungeon crawling and gathering allies is extremely rewarding if you pull it off correctly. Every ally has powerful mechanics and Archetypes to unlock that will help you clear out dungeons fast and leave you with plenty of days to spare you can use on preparing for overcoming the major narrative boss battles.

Speaking of battles, another awesome aspect of Metaphor: ReFantazio is its turn-based combat system. It's a perfect mix between Persona's battle system where you summon powerful entities called Archetypes (similar to Personas) and Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne's 'Press Turn' system where you are rewarded with extra turns for hitting at the enemy's elemental weaknesses.

Carefully planning out your party's build so you can exploit your enemies weaknesses while covering your own to prevent enemies gaining extra turns is very satisfying, as it encourages a mixture of strategy and aggression.

The game also has a vast, diverse range of Archetypes to equip your party with, opening up near-endless possibilities for party builds to decimate your enemies with.

Now, granted, this game isn't for everyone. Much like Persona, there are long stretches of Metaphor: ReFantazio that's all narrative and no combat (with multiple hours' worth of cutscenes and dialogue) due to its visual novel-esque nature.

If you can't stand sitting down and listening to characters talk without killing something for several hours, you're better off playing action games like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (which is also on sale via Amazon Prime Day for £33.99).

If you're a fan of story-heavy games and turn-based JRPGs, then I highly recommend Metaphor: ReFantazio, especially now that it's on sale thanks to Amazon.

During July 2025's Amazon Prime Day event, Amazon was selling Metaphor ReFantazio with a big 45% discount for $38.66.

With Amazon Prime Day's conclusion, you'd think this deal would be gone, right? Well, turns out Amazon decided to be extra generous and host an even bigger 50% discount for the time.

That's right. For a limited time, you can get your hands on one of the best Xbox JRPGs in Atlus' catalog for $34.78 at Amazon and save $35.20 in the process.

With that money, you can use it towards purchasing an Xbox Wireless controller that was on sale for $46.49 at Walmart, or even the vaunted Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma controller that was also on sale for $88.99 at Walmart, so you can play this game with buttery-smooth controls.

While you're ordering Metaphor: ReFantazio at Amazon, try giving Amazon Prime Membership a go. With it, you can acquire same-day shipping to have Metaphor: ReFantazio delivered to you faster and enjoy other benefits like Amazon Video, Amazon Music, and exclusive access to discount deals like this 26% discount for the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S.

Over the last couple of months, there have been rumors spreading that Square Enix is developing a remake of Final Fantasy IX, one of the most beloved entries of the Final Fantasy franchise and the last mainline title released for the PlayStation One.

These speculated rumors have been fueled by Square Enix, which has recently been showing off new artwork, merchandise, and a website celebrating the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX, suggesting it may reveal the remake on its birthday of July 7.

Well, July 7 is here, and there's sadly no news of a Final Fantasy IX remake from Square Enix. Instead, we've been given a montage video showing the game's memorable moments on YouTube.

To make matters worse, there's been a new rumor from renowned leaker 'Natethehate' suggesting that the Final Fantasy IX Remake may now be cancelled.

According to 'NateTheHate' as shared by (@HazzadorGamin on X), he says, and I quote "As of last check it remains in development, to my knowledge; but I need to a do a fresh check & see what a more current status is -- as I did hear a month or so ago that it was in trouble & possibly cancelled. I only had one source on the cancellation possibility and need to verify the info further."

Now, rumors should always be taken with a grain. However, it's worth noting that 'NateTheHate' once leaked that Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XIV would be coming to Xbox, and it turned out to be true when Final Fantasy XVI shadow-dropped on Xbox with Final Fantasy VII Remake coming to Xbox in Winter 2025.

So it's very likely that news of the Final Fantasy IX Remake being canceled may turn out to be true, and if it is, then this is an incredibly heartbreaking way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest JRPGs ever made.

It's a sad day to be a fan of Final Fantasy IX

After all this build-up, all we've got is some merch, a montage video, and rumors that the Final Fantasy IX Remake may not even be happening anymore.

Final Fantasy IX deserves better treatment than this for its 25th Anniversary, as I consider it to be one of the best games ever made.

Its story was full of charm, adventure, and heart, its turn-based combat and levelling-up systems were engrossing, its characters were lovable and unforgettable, and its world was filled to the brim with secrets, side quests, and mini-games that hooked me for hours on end.

Final Fantasy IX is also one of the few games I've played that's even managed to make me cry, and this is coming from a guy who sat through the saddest moments of Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy VII, Mass Effect, Persona, and Dark Souls, without shedding a tear.

I would have loved to see Final Fantasy IX get a modern-day remake that gave us upgraded visuals of the game's cartoony artstyle, a refined cinematic presentation of the game's story (while keeping it faithful to the old game) and new challenges and bosses for us to tackle that were never found in the original game.

Although, if a remake did get made, I would prefer it if the Final Fantasy IX Remake retained the original game's turn-based combat system rather than adopt action-RPG combat like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Final Fantasy XVI have.

I have nothing against real-time combat, I just prefer turn-based combat as I enjoy the relaxing yet tactical feel of it. Plus, turn-based JRPGs like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have proved to Square Enix that JRPGs with turn-based combat can still be financially successful, and if recent business meetings are any indication, Square Enix is taking notice and may consider bringing back turn-based combat for future mainline Final Fantasy games.

Although 'NateTheHate' says he needs more verification from his sources to confirm Final Fantasy IX Remake's cancellation, so there's still hope it may come true in the future. We will have to wait for future rumors and official confirmation from Square Enix to find out if this game ends up coming true.

Ever since Final Fantasy XI in 2002, mainline Final Fantasy titles have forsaken turn-based combat in favor of either real-time combat or tab-targeting MMO combat, with various mixed results.

However, it seems that Square Enix may be starting to realize that having the Final Fantasy series go back to its turn-based roots may not be a bad idea.

An Investment Media Reporter by the username of @yuzz__ on X (as translated by @Genki_JPN), says they recently attended a shareholders meeting at Square Enix and asked if they would like future Final Fantasy titles and Dragon Quest to have 'command-based' combat (or more commonly turn-based combat in the west).

Referencing the recent RPG hit, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, @yuzz__ noted its popularity and massive commercial success as a reason why Final Fantasy games should have 'command-based' combat again in order to be successful.

Square Enix responded, saying that "they are aware of Expedition 33 and consider command-based RPGs to be Square Enix’s origin and foundation. They value the command-based RPG genre and plan to continue delivering games in this style in the future."

This statement could potentially mean Dragon Quest 12 will remain turn-based and future mainline Final Fantasy games may return to turn-based combat again, and I'm all for it.

I would kill for a mainline Final Fantasy game to be turn-based again.

Now I have nothing against Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy XVI, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, as they are fine games in their own right.

However, turn-based combat is part of the reason why people (myself included) fell in love with the early Final Fantasy games to begin with.

Yet this real-time action-oriented direction the franchise has been on has consistently failed to meet Square Enix's lofty expectations.

Meanwhile, the Final Fantasy Remasters dominated the Xbox store charts when they were ported to Xbox, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 utterly destroyed Square Enix's gaslighting over turn-based combat by selling over 3.3 million copies while winning universal acclaim.

I'd love to see Square Enix revive the old Active-Time Battle system utilized in Final Fantasy games from the Super Nintendo and PlayStation One eras (From Final Fantasy 4 to Final Fantasy 9).

This system was still turn-based, but you had to make decisions quickly as enemies could act while you were deciding what action to perform during a character's turn. That way, combat would still be fast-paced without taking away the tactical nuances of turn-based combat.

Maybe this is why Square Enix announced a remaster for Final Fantasy Tactics, to further test the waters of players' interest in turn-based combat, so to speak?

Either way, I hope Square Enix is starting to finally realize that its experiments with real-time combat systems have run their course, and it's time for Final Fantasy to embrace its turn-based past in order to preserve its future.

Back in May, I had the pleasure of previewing RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army, a remaster of a cult-classic, PlayStation 2-era Shin Megami Tensei spin-off game called Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army.

It was an interesting action-RPG where you played as a detective moonlighting as a Devil Summoner, solving bizarre mysteries and protecting Japan from demonic threats. As a longtime fan of Atlus JRPGs who shamefully missed out on the original game, I enjoyed playing RAIDOU Remastered and was curious to check out more of it.

Thanks to a review code provided by Atlus, I was able to do just that and review the full game. Will this retro PlayStation 2 title be able to hold up in this modern era of gaming, thanks to its remastered graphics and revamped gameplay systems?

Join me as I solve this mystery in my review for RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army on PC.

Disclaimer: This review was made possible thanks to a review code provided by Atlus. The company did not see the contents of this review before it was published.

RAIDOU Remastered Review – What is it?

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a third-person, action-RPG developed by Atlus and published by SEGA.

It follows the adventures of Raidou Kuzunoha XIV. Raidou is the latest young man of the Kuzunoha family to become a Devil Summoner, a secretive group of magic wielders who summon demons in battle to protect the Capital city of Japan from hostile, evil demons.

Raidou also happens to moonlight as an apprentice detective for Narumi Detective Agency so he can catch wind of any demonic activity while also helping the local populace with normal, human problems like solving mysteries and locating missing people.

One day, Raidou’s life takes an extremely strange turn when his latest client, a young girl named Kaya Daidouji, asks him to murder her. Before Raidou can ask her for an explanation, Kaya gets kidnapped by a mysterious group of military soldiers dressed in red armor.

Now it’s up to Raidou and his army of contracted demons to rescue Kaya and uncover the identities of these red soldiers. Little does Raidou know that more evil demons have been showing up at an alarming rate, and that his investigation could lead to a grander conspiracy that could threaten the safety of the Capital as we know it.

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RAIDOU Remastered Review – Presentation and performance

RAIDOU Remastered does this by completely remaking the original PlayStation 2 game’s pre-rendered 2D backgrounds with full-blown 3D-model backgrounds, while adding more details to the User Interface and character models.

The results are very pleasing to the eye, with classic Shin Megami Tensei demons rendered in exquisite detail compared to their old PlayStation 2 character models. Plus, the new 3D environments are pleasant to look at, yet faithfully nostalgic as many locales retain the art style and fixed camera angles of the original game.

The remaster also seeks to improve the original’s performance by enhancing the game with 1080p resolution and improved frame rates that can reach over 120fps. I was able to experience these performance upgrades flawlessly without any glitches or crashes, thanks to my PC rig’s Intel Core i5-9400 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card.

If your PC rig doesn’t have advanced specs, don’t worry because Raidou Remastered has fairly low PC spec requirements, so you don’t have to rush out to buy the best gaming laptops or the best PC gaming desktops to indulge in these improved visuals for yourself.

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RAIDOU Remastered Review – Story

The story of RAIDOU Remastered is completely unchanged from the original game and is frankly insane. It starts off simple, then gradually gets crazier and more bizarre as you solve more cases involving demons and peel back the mystery of why red soldiers kidnapped this young girl who wanted you to murder her.

While it has its intense and dark moments, it's somewhat more light-hearted compared to the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games with epic action set-pieces and over-the-top villains to contend with.

Yet despite its more devil-may-care tone, I enjoyed the story of RAIDOU Remastered. It felt like a 1930s Pulp-era detective/adventure story like The Shadow, Doc Savage, or the Golden Age version of Batman, but with a Shin Megami Tensei twist to it.

Each episode’s mystery was stranger than the last. It kept me hooked, wondering just how much more ridiculous and action-packed it could get, and I was not disappointed.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the characters as the majority of the cast are somewhat two-dimensional with flat personalities and motivations, with a couple of exceptions. Without giving spoilers, there are even a couple of characters who do a complete 180° turn on their motivations that left me scratching my head, going “What’s going on? This makes no sense”.

While RAIDOU Remastered’s new voice acting feature does attempt to breathe life into the characters with fine vocal performances, they could only do so much to hide the lackluster characterization.

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RAIDOU Remastered Review – Gameplay

The gameplay loop of RAIDOU Remastered falls between exploring towns for clues to help solve cases and battling demons in Hack n’ Slash battles across 12 Episodes of content.

The investigation parts will have you exploring various locations and talking with NPCs to advance the story and solve the case of an Episode. However, sometimes talking will not be enough, and you will have to employ the power of your demons to crack the case.

Depending on what demons you have recruited, demons can be used to read minds or manipulate the emotions of NPCs so they cough up vital information. Demons can also use physical force to bypass barriers, traverse impassable obstacles to retrieve items, and use various other abilities to solve puzzles and explore dungeons.

The investigation segments are simplistic compared to modern RPGs with similar mechanics like The Thaumaturge or Disco Elysium. However, they’re still interesting to interact with and fairly innovative for their time since this game originally came out in 2006.

Not to mention, it’s humorous and cathartic to see giant, horrifying demons and personifications of ancient gods who gave you trouble in other Shin Megami Tensei games be reduced to laborers performing menial tasks for you, giving long-time Atlus RPG fans some satisfying payback.

Eventually, however, your investigations will lead you into battle against demons and other evil forces looking to prevent you from discovering the truth, and this is probably the biggest change the remaster has made to the original game.

Unlike Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, where you fight enemies on a static 2D background, RAIDOU Remastered has you fight enemies in a 3D arena. Here, you will use an assortment of melee attacks, Super moves, magic spells, and evasive maneuvers to defeat your opponents.

Additionally, you will be summoning demons you have recruited on your adventures to aid you in battle and command them to perform devastating attacks to target an enemy’s elemental weakness or provide helpful stat buffs and debuffs.

Personally, I can’t say if this revamped combat system is better than the original game’s combat system, as I haven’t played Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army when it first came in mid-2000s (I was too busy playing Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and the original Persona 3: FES at the time). What I can say, though, as a newcomer, is that RAIDOU Remastered’s combat system is great fun to play.

The controls feel smooth, there’s a ton of cool special attacks to unlock and play with, and you can customize Raidou’s abilities (both passive and active) any time you want to suit your play style or help keep battles fresh by experimenting with different builds.

While your party members’ AI leaves something to be desired, you can thankfully command them at any point by pausing combat to access their command menu.

You can also use shortcut inputs to make your demon minions preserve magic resources, or simply retreat into your inventory to avoid huge area-of-effect attacks.

Combining your special attacks (some of which can only be activated by dodging at the last second) with that of your demon allies to break an enemy’s shield, leaving them vulnerable to your super moves, was satisfying. It made me feel like I was playing a Pokémon action-RPG, more so than Palworld did.

That being said, there are a couple of problems with the combat system. For one, the enemies and bosses, which are challenging at first, start to become too easy once you master the combat mechanics and obtain end-game level abilities and weapons.

Even on the harder difficulty settings, I just swept through most of the endgame opposition with little trouble thanks to the new, somewhat overpowered Devil’s Bane and Spirit Slash attacks added in the remaster.

Plus, the remaster has given the player the ability to summon two demons instead of just one. With two demons, I was able to quickly shatter enemy’s shields and stun-lock them for a good majority of the fights so I could finish them off with Devil’s Bane and Spirit Slash attacks.

Although, there were some exceptions that caught me off guard and provided me with the best boss fights in the game, but I won’t spoil them here.

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RAIDOU Remastered Review – Conclusion

✅You should buy this if ...

• If you’re a die-hard Atlus RPG fan or a connoisseur of PlayStation 2-era action-RPGs.

RAIDOU Remastered was a fun revival of a cult-classic part of Shin Megami Tensei history, which is sure to please fans of the original game, newer fans looking to experience it, or players who like playing old-school action-RPGs.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• If you’re looking for a serious, more complex, character-driven RPG.

If you’re a fan of JRPGs driven by darker stories and characters with in-depth personalities and character development, like Metaphor: ReFantazio or the Persona series, you won’t find one in RAIDOU Remastered. This game is all about the adventure rather than the characters you meet along the way.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with RAIDOU Remastered. The gameplay from investigating to battling demons was fun, and the plot was enjoyably ridiculous. While there were some issues I had with the difficulty at the end of the game, it’s not bad in the grand scheme of things, and it could easily be fixed with a post-launch balance patch.

However, what impressed me most about RAIDOU Remastered is the level of effort Atlus put into completely revamping the original game so it meets the standards of modern gaming, while being faithful to the PlayStation 2 aesthetics of its source material.

It is a huge step-up compared to Atlus’ previous HD remaster effort of bringing Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne to PC, and it makes me hopeful that Atlus will apply this level of revitalization efforts for other PlayStation 2-era Atlus RPGs like the Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga subseries.

So, if you’re a fan of the original Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, a fan of action-RPGs, or an Atlus fan looking for a game to kill time before the inevitable Persona 4 Remake arrives, I recommend picking up RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army.

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army releases on June 19, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Windows & Steam)

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Atlus has shown up for 2025's Xbox Games Showcase to announce a Persona 4 Remake appropriately titled 'Persona 4 Revival', which will be launching for Xbox Series X|S, PC Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Game Pass at an undisclosed release date at this time.

There have recently been rumors and 'leaks' from former Persona 4 voice actors of the Persona 4 Remake's existence for a while now, but it's now been confirmed to be real through a teaser trailer.

The trailer doesn't show much other than ominous TVs and the main character exploring the town of Inaba.

What it does confirm is that Persona 4 Revival, much like Persona 3's remake 'Persona 3 Reload', will reimagine the original Persona 4 from the ground up with newly improved graphics.

So I'm predicting that, also like Persona 3 Reload, Persona 4 Revival will feature an entirely new voice cast for the characters, a refinement of the game's turn-based combat and Social Link systems, and more.

Reach out for the truth once more in the Persona 4 Remake

Persona 4 followed the adventures of a group of high-school kids attempting to track down a serial killer who's terrorizing their hometown of Inaba.

The only clues our heroes have to catching the killer lie in an alternate dimension called the Midnight Channel. However, the Midnight Channel is infested with horrible monsters called Shadows. Our heroes will need to wield a mysterious power called 'Personas' in order to defend themselves and explore the Midnight Channel to catch the killer before he strikes again.

The original Persona 4, released in 2008 for the PlayStation 2, is considered by many critics and fans to be one of the best Persona games in the whole franchise. Some would even argue that Persona 4 is one of the best JRPGs Atlus has ever made, period, outshining modern titles like Persona 5 Royal and Metaphor: ReFantazio, despite being 17 years old.

This swansong title for PlayStation 2 JRPGs featured addictive gameplay, a cast of charming, likable characters with in-depth character arcs, mature themes of growing up and coming to terms with your inner demons, and an intriguing murder-mystery plot that kept players on the edge of their seats.

Now, a new generation of Xbox fans will get to experience this classic Atlus JRPG with shiny new graphics and refined gameplay when this upcoming Xbox title/upcoming PC title launches for Xbox Series X|S in the future.

Square Enix, not content with just announcing a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster for Xbox, has decided to give Xbox JRPG fans even reasons to be excited during the Xbox Games Showcase by revealing Xbox ports for Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XVI.

After years of rumors, Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade and Final Fantasy XVI are finally making their way to Xbox Series X|S, along with all their DLC expansions.

For fans, you won't even have to wait for one of these games as Final Fantasy XVI is available today! That's right, you can play it right now, no waiting.

Two of Final Fantasy's best modern-day hits are finally coming to Xbox

Final Fantasy VII Remake is an action-RPG reimagining of the iconic PlayStation One JRPG, Final Fantasy VII. It follows the tale of Cloud Strife as he and the eco-terrorist group Avalanche fight to save the planet from the tyrannical Shinra Corporation and the malevolent war hero-turned-villain Sephiroth.

Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XVI is a brand new mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series that follows the story of Clive Rosfield. Clive is a wandering warrior traversing the war-torn land of Valisthea to exact revenge on the infernal Eikon, Ifrit, for destroying his kingdom and friends.

These two games are critically acclaimed for their complex, rich storylines, casts of intriguing characters, action-packed real-time combat systems filled with in-depth mechanics, and epic, cinematic boss fights.

For many years, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XVI were locked behind PlayStation and PC platforms. However, Xbox fans will finally experience these beloved games for themselves by playing Final Fantasy XVI today and in the future when Final Fantasy VII Remake launches for Xbox Series X|S this winter!

This story was initially broken by mp1st, detailing that a Persona 4 Remake will be announced during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 8, 2025.

According to mp1st, "A source familiar with the situation has confirmed to MP1st today that Persona 4 Remake will be revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 8. It's planned for release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, though we failed to get confirmation if there's also a Switch 2 version releasing simultaneously."

We can further corroborate the report that, according to our own sources, the game will be announced during the showcase.

Coming in hot, Persona 4's remake will most likely come with a ton of bells and whistles like Persona 3 did. For those unaware, the Persona 3 remake was released in early 2024, utilizing an upgrade to Unreal Engine 4 from Atlus' proprietary engine.

From 30 FPS to a full 4K 60 FPS, the remake was a beauty and a sight to behold. They also overhauled numerous mechanics, including fatigue, fast travel, and the battle system.

A remake of Persona 4 would likely get the same treatment. Perhaps even a bump to Unreal Engine 5, since that appears to be all the rage lately. With developers like CD Projekt RED, Halo Studios, GSC Game World, and more all moving to the engine, Atlus not using Unreal Engine 5 would be more of a surprise than not.

Here's to hoping they add a few more save points in Tartarus dungeons. I always hated having to restart a dungeon if I didn't make it to the end! I can feel the child in me getting angry again — it's almost been 20 years!

Are you excited for a Persona 4 remaster? Let us know in the comments below or on social media. What do you look forward to the most if it happens?

Sony's State of Play June 2025 event has made a dream come true for long-time Final Fantasy fans as Square Enix has announced that the classic PlayStation One-era Strategy-RPG, Final Fantasy Tactics, will be remastered for modern platforms as Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

This new version of Final Fantasy Tactics will feature improved graphics, several adjustments to the story and gameplay, fully voiced dialogue, and more.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will also include the option for players to experience the original's PlayStation graphics and gameplay as a "Classic" mode.

The game is currently slated to launch for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam on September 30, 2025, and its available for pre-order on the digital storefronts for each respective platform.

This PlayStation One classic gets to shine once more and remind us of Final Fantasy's 'Golden Age'

For those unaware, Final Fantasy Tactics was a spin-off of Square Enix's Final Fantasy series released in 1997 for the PlayStation One. It followed the story Ramza Beoulve, a noble thrust into a bloody conflict where two noble factions are waging war for the right to rule the realm of Ivalice.

Unlike other Final Fantasy games at the time, which used traditional JRPG turn-based combat, Final Fantasy Tactics employed turn-based tactical gameplay where you positioned your party on a grid to attack enemies or cast spells from a distance.

Final Fantasy Tactics was widely regarded as one of the best games in the entire Final Fantasy franchise for its innovative tactical gameplay and complex story of political intrigue, tragedy, and war.

In fact Final Fantasy Tactics was so successful, it birthed its own series and served as the setting for Final Fantasy 12.

Now, new and long-time Final Fantasy fans will get to relive this legendary title when this upcoming Xbox title/upcoming PC title arrives on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms on September 30, 2025.

After months of waiting, Square Enix has finally revealed the release date for Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, a dual-pack of remakes for the first two titles of the legendary Dragon Quest series.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake will be arriving on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Windows and Steam on October 30, 2025.

In addition, the Xbox version will receive Xbox Play Anywhere support, so you can continue playing your save file on Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and compatible handhelds.

Pre-orders for Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake are now live for all above-mentioned platforms, along with a special Collector's Edition that's only available for purchase at Square Enix's website.

The Collector's Edition will include:

• A physical copy of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake.
• Acrylic Blocks of various characters and monsters from the game.
• An Outstanding Outfit Kit, which contains various in-game items like the Ring of Strength, Slime Earring, Arriveste's Vest, and a Mad Cap.
• Pre-order bonus in-game items like Elevating Shoes, three Seeds of Agility, three Seeds of Magic, three Seeds of Defence, three Seeds of Strength, and three Seeds of Life.
• Two exclusive digital wallpapers.

On top of that, if you have save data for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on the same platform you wish to get Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake on, you will also get bonus in-game outfits for the following games:

• Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake – One dog suit.
• Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake – One cat suit.

I can't wait to see how Square Enix will reimagine the original Dragon Quest and its sequel for the modern era

As a big-time Dragon Quest fan since I blazed through the main series in the 2010s, I cannot wait to play this upcoming Xbox JRPG. I absolutely loved Dragon Quest III HD-2D when I reviewed it last year for how it modernized Dragon Quest 3 with gorgeous HD-2D graphics, cool new gameplay mechanics, and quality-of-life features, while paying homage to the original game by retaining a retro, 16-bit pixel-art aesthetic.

It will be interesting to see how Square Enix will reimagine the first two Dragon Quest games to make them appealing for modern audiences, since the original Dragon Quest 1 only had one character to play as, and the original Dragon Quest 2 only had three party members.

From what's been seen of this upcoming Xbox title/upcoming PC title so far in its teaser trailer, there are already hints of big changes coming to these classic JRPGs, as Dragon Quest 2 now has a new potential fourth member to recruit.

What could these big changes be? We will have to wait until this Fall to find out when Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake launches on October 30, 2025, for Xbox, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

"You think you want it, but you don't."

This is a comment from former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack, responding to players asking for a World of Warcraft "Classic" mode. It has since become quite notorious among World of Warcraft fans, not only for its pretty arrogant and callous dismissal of an entire section of the fanbase, but also, because Blizzard eventually capitulated and gave players what they had been asking for.

Now under new leadership, World of Warcraft has changed its philosophy to: giving fans exactly what they want. A shocking revelation, I know. But the game has never been in a better spot, with a variety of modes for different types of players, killing off its previous "one shoe fits all" dispassionate telemetry-first design philosophy. We're even getting player housing.

It's perhaps ironic, then, that the main reason we're getting Player Housing in World of Warcraft is due to competition from a competing MMO: Final Fantasy 14.

World of Warcraft was forced to throw their playbook out of the window to meet fans where they were, rather than what the "data" was telling them. Activision's telemetry must have told them that "nobody wanted" player housing, but the popularity of the feature in Final Fantasy 14 certainly suggested otherwise. FF14 innovated where World of Warcraft had failed, and won itself a large and thriving fanbase of its own on the back of that innovation.

For whatever reason, Square Enix began ignoring its own successes when it comes to the mainline Final Fantasy games, which, in recent years, have been on a steady decline in popularity and relevance.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proves

Square Enix's most recent Final Fantasy projects, namely 15, 16, 7 Remake and 7 Rebirth have found decent success, but I would argue none of them received the fanfare some of their predecessors enjoyed. The Final Fantasy 7 remakes have proven that there's still magic to be found in the franchise — even if they flooded Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth with dull Ubisoft-inspired open world drudgery.

Where there has been less success is in the truly new Final Fantasy games, 15 and 16 are both not what I would describe as classic entries in the series and represent something of a low point. Square Enix fully abandoned what made the series great, opting away from what fans want in favor of chasing other popular games in a desperate, mis-guided attempt to get more money.

It's utterly insane to me that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth features Ubisoft-style towers to unlock additional content in the open world. It speaks of a complete dereliction of gauging what is actually fun, and smacks of the type of design decision led by Microsoft Excel rather than good sense.

A little game from France called Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has shone a spotlight on Square Enix's design decisions around Final Fantasy — which was famously a variety of turn-based, command-based, and active-turn-based over the years, with tactical gameplay at its core.

Expedition 33 borrows from classic JRPGs like Final Fantasy 8 and even the Super Mario RPG, atop some AAA production values and photorealism, wrapped in a dark fairy tale plot.

Square Enix has previously claimed that people don't want turn-based games anymore. Clearly, with Expedition 33 selling a million copies already — not including Xbox Game Pass — that simply isn't true. This isn't an established franchise like Dragon Quest or Persona, either.

Is Square Enix simply out of touch now? There's nowhere that drives that possibility home more strongly, for me, than Square Enix producer Naoki Yoshida's own words.

Square Enix: it's time to stop the gaslighting over turn-based tactical combat

Naoki Yoshida is credited with the revival of the MMORPG, Final Fantasy 14, which found success by chasing World of Warcraft's model more closely, albeit with that classic and cozy Final Fantasy veneer.

While I would say drawing inspiration from World of Warcraft did work incredibly well for Final Fantasy 14, this new approach clearly harmed the production of Final Fantasy 15, 7 Rebirth, and 16.

Final Fantasy 16 in particular dropped all pretence that Square Enix wanted to honor the legacy and passion of decades of Final Fantasy precedent, ditching all command-based, tactical gameplay in favor of a derivative and half-baked "Devil May Cry" hack n' slashery. But why? Yoshida gave his "reasons" in a previous interview.

"One thing that we found recently is that as graphics get better and better, and as characters become more realistic and more photo-real, is that the combination of that realism with the very unreal sense of turn-based commands doesn't really fit together."

Stylized turn-based games like Persona, Octopath Traveller, and Dragon Quest are okay, but not photorealistic ones? Huh? What?

In my view, this is the damning quote that proves to me that Naoki Yoshida and the team leading Final Fantasy have utterly fallen out of touch, not only with Final Fantasy fans, but the wider audience in general.

"Some people are fine with it. They're fine with having these realistic characters in this unreal type of system. But then on the other hand, there are people that just can't get over it. I mean, if you have a character holding a gun, why can't you just press the button to have the gunfire — why do you need a command in there?"

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 solved this made up "problem" by letting you free-aim with the character's guns. It's almost as if Square Enix is trying to explain away the lack of creativity.

Seriously though; the whole argument falls apart entirely when you consider that video games aren't meant to be realistic from the ground up.

Final Fantasy 16 has some of the most vacuous, boring, and patronizing combat I've ever experienced in an action game — the game effectively plays itself, with boss battles playing out in cutscenes rather than active combat. And Yoshida has the audacity to claim players won't want to input commands?

It's not the first or last time we've seen the industry try to downplay turn based games, and it's not the first or last time games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or Baldur's Gate 3 will show up to prove everyone wrong.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a core team of just 33 people, built in part by Ubisoft veterans who were finally free of telemetry-based corpo-style game development — which has led the industry down this cul-de-sac of anti-creativity.

It's potentially the highest user-rated game on Metacritic in history, as fans pour in not only to praise the game, but also to send Square Enix a strong message: stop gaslighting us.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available now on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Game Pass.

On March 27, 2025, Square Enix made an appearance at the March 2025 Nintendo Direct to show off the first gameplay trailer for the upcoming Xbox JRPG, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake.

As the name suggests, it's a two-pack compilation featuring remakes of the first two entries of the Dragon Quest franchise, reimagined with gameplay improvements and a gorgeous HD-2D art style presentation as seen in Octopath Traveler and the Live A Live Remake, to name a few.

The gameplay trailer below shows off a sneak peek at the remakes' gameplay, with snippets from each game's story, and even a little hint of significant changes from the original games.

For those unaware, Dragon Quest I and II take place many years after the events of Dragon Quest III and form the latter half of what is known as the 'Erdrick Trilogy' as these games center around Erdrick, the main hero of Dragon Quest III, and their descendants.

Dragon Quest 1 has you play the role of an unnamed legendary hero tasked by the king of Alefgard to rescue his daughter from the evil Dragonlord and save the kingdom from its wrath.

Meanwhile, Dragon Quest 2 has you play as the Prince of Midenhall, who embarks on a quest along with his two cousins to stop the evil sorcerer Hargon from conquering the world.

The original Dragon Quest 1 and 2 released back in the 1980s were considered legendary games for their time as they helped set the standard for how turn-based JRPGs would play on home consoles for generations to come.

Judging from this gameplay trailer, Dragon Quest I and II's gameplay and stories are looking to remain mostly intact in the HD-2D remakes.

I say 'mostly' because, at the end of the trailer, we get a glimpse of a young girl in a yellow dress that's implied to be a new party member for Dragon Quest II.

This is interesting because the original Dragon Quest II only had three party members for the entire game, but in the HD-2D remake, we're apparently getting new ones now, not just three.

Could this imply that we may be seeing some new gameplay additions for the Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake? Will the hero of Dragon Quest I finally have party members join his quest, unlike the original Dragon Quest, where you didn't get any extra party members at all aside from the main protagonist?

We will have to wait and see as this upcoming Xbox title/upcoming PC title is set to release later this year on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo, and PC via Windows and Steam.

I loved all the gameplay enhancements and changes in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake when I reviewed it so I can't wait to see how Square Enix will reimagine the first two titles of this legendary franchise for the modern era.

On February 25, 2025, Midgar Studio and Nacon unveiled a new JRPG called Edge of Memories via an exclusive IGN reveal trailer. This game is a sequel to Midgar Studio's previous work, Edge of Eternity, and it's scheduled for release on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam during the fourth quarter of 2025.

The story of Edge of Memories is set in the fantasy land of Avaris, and it's on the brink of being destroyed by 'Corrosion,' a terrible plague that mutates all lifeforms it comes into contact with into horrifying, murderous monsters. Eline the Soul Whisperer is on a quest to save her world from this plague alongside her mentor Ysoris and Kanta, a shaman prince of a lost tribe.

However, her journey won't be easy as she will not have to contend with giant abominations but also her own Corrosion infection that threatens to turn her into the very beasts she is fighting to save her world from.

Edge of Memories will feature a fast-paced, real-time combat system designed by Mitsuru Yokoyama, who previously worked as the combat designer for Final Fantasy 15.

Battles will have you combine your teammate's abilities to unleash powerful combo attacks. In addition, this game will let you harness the power of Eline's Corrosion to transform into a Berserker and crush enemies into dust.

It will also feature a giant, vibrant world to explore that will gradually transform as you progress in the game, stunning visuals created with Unreal Engine 5, and a heart-gripping story that deals with themes of fighting against the inevitable and accepting your mortality while appreciating life.

On top of that, Edge of Memories will feature a poetic soundtrack composed by Cédric Menendez. The soundtrack will have vocals by Emi Evans (famous for NieR: Automata's soundtrack) and a final theme composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, who worked on worked on Chrono Trigger, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Sea of Stars.

Will Edge of Memories be a big hit for Xbox or a fleeting thought?

This upcoming Xbox JRPG looks intriguing to me. It's got a colorful, gorgeously detailed art style, the combat seems cool enough from the brief snippets I saw in the trailer, and some of the monsters look deliciously grotesque and fun to fight.

I'm interested to see how this upcoming Xbox title/upcoming PC title in the coming months and if the final product will have what it takes to stand out amongst the Best Xbox JRPGs on the market, like Persona 3: Reload or Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

The RPG enthusiast website, RPGSite, recently released their hands-on preview of the upcoming Xbox JRPG, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (or Atelier Yumia for short). This preview also included an interview with Junzo Hosoi, the game's producer for the Atelier series and president of Gust Corporation, the studio responsible for the Atelier franchise.

During RPGSite's interview, Junzo Hosoi disclosed insightful information on his plans to make the Atelier franchise more popular in the West and how his love for the Xbox platform may have been partially responsible for how Atelier Yumia became the first Xbox title in the series.

RPGSite's interview began with Junzo Hosoi stating that the Gust Corporation plans to make Atelier Yumia one of the most financially successful entries in the franchise, following up the breakout success of the Atelier Ryza trilogy. He declares this while not forgetting that Atelier Ryza ultimately saved the franchise from cancellation after it suffered a streak of tumultuous releases.

Part of Junzo Hosoi's strategy to make Atelier Yumia a success is by participating personally in international preview tours, while bringing it to other platforms such as Xbox because previous games were only released on PlayStation and PC platforms.

However, the interview then gives an interesting piece of info that implies Atelier Yumia's inclusion on Xbox may not been purely for business because it reveals that Junzo Hosoi is a huge fan of the Xbox platform.

Junzo Hosoi backs this statement up by saying that he's a huge fan of the Halo franchise. He says he was even inspired by the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana to create Flammi, a sentient survey-assistant device that will accompany the Atelier Yumia's main character, Yumia on her journey.

Junzo Hosoi also mentions that he would've liked to have seen the Atelier Ryza trilogy get Xbox ports but it wasn't until after those games became successful in Japan that he was able to justify releasing them worldwide. Plus it was easier to make the case for Xbox ports for a new Atelier trilogy of games, rather than port an existing one.

On a side note, Junzo Hosoi briefly mentioned that he's sad to hear that Halo has fallen out of favor with the general public as it is more interested in other titles like Valorant, Counter Strike, and Apex Legends.

Junzo Hosoi also mentions that he's into FPS games and he's looking forward to playing Borderlands 4. He was a fan of the first two Borderlands games but admitted that Borderlands 3 left him disappointed.

RPGSite's interview then transitions into its hands-on preview section where it describes how Atelier Yumia aims to be one of the biggest titles of the series that will please longtime fans while being a good entry point for newcomers.

Color me intrigued in Atelier's Xbox debut adventure

For those who have never heard of this game, Atelier Yumia is the latest upcoming entry in the Atelier series. These games are generally light-hearted JRPGs where you play as atelier alchemists traveling the world to craft items, uncovering ancient secrets, and making new friends along the way.

As someone who's never played an Atelier game before, upcoming Xbox title and upcoming PC title does sound very intriguing judging from RPGSite's preview.

The game has a giant fantastical open-world world to explore, its cast of characters look fun and interesting, and it has an in-depth real-time combat system with an emphasis on player positioning in order to execute special attacks that will break an enemy's defenses.

Not to mention the Atelier series' trademark crafting system is back and bigger than ever as Atelier Yumia will allow players to create hundreds of items, gear, artifacts, and even entire buildings with the millions of crafting materials you will find on your journey.

Plus, RPGSite has confirmed that Atelier Yumia's PC version is already running great as they were able to run it at 1440p/60fps to 4K/120fps on PC, and it ran a solid 30fps on Steam Deck.

I've often heard good things about the Atelier games from a couple of my friends who loved the Atelier Ryza trilogy. When Atelier Yumia launches, I might check it out to see if has what it has the potential to be one of the best Xbox JRPGs alongside modern classics like the Persona series, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and the Like a Dragon series.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, the Atelier franchise's first-ever Xbox title, is scheduled to be released on March 28, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

Level 5 games of Ni No Kuni fame have returned to Xbox, with their first self-published effort in 20 years.

FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time is coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC, which is a full on sequel to the classic Fantasy Life from the 3DS. Fantasy Life is a "slow life" RPG that will be familiar for players of games like Animal Crossing, where maintaining farms, fishing, building a home, and maintaining social links form the basis of play.

Fantasy Life diverges a fair bit from Animal Crossing, in that it is also a more traditional RPG complete with combat, complete with a deeper story. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time also features cross-play, cross-progression for up to four friends, with "light" MMO elements and multiplayer combat, and definitely looks like one of the most promising upcoming Xbox and PC games for 2025.

FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time should be a great 'Animal Crossing' alternative for Xbox and PC players

Level 5's Ni No Kuni franchise came to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud Gaming a little while ago, ported by Bandai Namco. Level 5 itself is publishing Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, however, which marks the first self-published Level 5 game on Xbox in a long, long time.

• FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC.
• It's a so-called "slow life" RPG reminiscent of Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, albeit with deep story elements and multiplayer combat.
• Your character joins eccentric archaeologist Edward on an adventure to an uncharted island in Reveria to study fossilized dragons. Perhaps some of those dragons aren't so fossilized after all. (Also technically, that's palaeontology not archaeology, but we'll let it slide.)
• You will create your own character, build your own island home, decorate your house, and pick from 14 "Lives" which include combat classes such as Paladin, Mercenary, Magician, and Hunter, as well as gatherers like Angler, Woodcutter, and professions like Artist and Blacksmith.
• You'll be able to battle monsters, craft weapons and items, gather materials, and dungeon crawl.
• The game also sports cross-play and cross-progression, with multiplayer for up to four people, alongside 2-player couch co-op.
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time launches on May 21, 2025.

Seeing Level 5 support Xbox is an unexpected and welcome surprise

The last time the legendary studio even mentioned Xbox as far as I could find was several years ago in an interview with Gematsu. Level 5 was working on an MMORPG for the original Xbox, which Microsoft cancelled. CEO Akihiro Hino reminisced, "I do [want to make an MMO]. I always think, ‘If I get a chance I want to make one.’ However, I still feel the pain of having to cancel True Fantasy Live Online." Fans of Level 5 games often cite the cancellation of True Fantasy Live Online as a reason Level 5's RPGs often skipped the platform in recent years.

Microsoft hired former PlayStation exec Mena Sato Kato a few years ago, tasked with rebuilding Xbox's developer footprint in Japan. Since then, we've seen many franchises that long-skipped Xbox return to the platform, with heavy hitters like Final Fantasy among them. There was a time where games like Fantasy Life i "exclusively skipping" Xbox was a common thing to see, but Xbox fans of Japanese games have plenty of reasons to celebrate lately. Hopefully, Xbox can convince Cygames and Nihon Falcom to join the Xbox party next (and also get me a port for Monster Hunter Stories from Capcom, thanks!!).

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time drops on May 21, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch. Thanks to Jaber Altarrah for the tip!

GOG.com has recently announced on X that a survey done by its GOG Dreamlist feature shows that one of the most requested games players want re-releasing on PC is Breath of Fire 4. In fact, fans have cast over 9,235 votes to see this classic JRPG revived and preserved on GOG's digital platform, much like GOG has been doing with other classic Capcom games like Dino Crisis 1 and 2 and even the original Resident Evil trilogy.

For those who have never heard of this game, Breath of Fire 4 is a turn-based JRPG released in 2000 for the PlayStation One, and it is the fourth installment in Capcom's classic Breath of Fire JRPG franchise.

It has often been tied with its predecessor, Breath of Fire 3, as the best entry in the series by fans and critics for its epic story, charming characters, vast world filled with wonderous locales, engrossing art direction, and in-depth combat system.

It's about time for a return to Breath of Fire

I can confirm these claims as I grew up playing Breath of Fire 4 as a kid back in the early 2000s, and it was one of my favorite childhood JRPGs alongside the likes of Final Fantasy 9, Shadow Hearts, and Legend of Dragoon, to name a few.

So, to see Breath of Fire 4 still receive such a cult following even after over two decades warms my nostalgic heart, and it would be awesome to see GOG bring it back on PC with remastered visuals.

Furthermore, if Breath of Fire 4 ends up becoming a popular, financial success on GOG, perhaps that could convince Capcom to make a new next-gen Breath of Fire game. After all, if once-dormant Capcom IPs like Onimusha and Okami can make a comeback, then Breath of Fire deserves a shot, too.

On February 8, 2025, the founding creator of Square Enix's legendary Dragon Quest franchise, Yuji Horii, hosted a livestream with his radio show group KosoKoso Hōsō Kyoku, to share an update on the next big installment of the series, Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate.

According to Yoji Horii (as translated by Automaton-Media), the developers at Square Enix are working hard on Dragon Quest 12, and he hopes to share more concrete information on the game little by little in the future.

Dragon Quest 12 was first announced on May 27, 2021, as a follow-up to 2017's critically acclaimed Dragon Quest XI. However, there's been very little information shown on the title in nearly four years, so fans were worried it might've been canceled.

However, thanks to this news update from Yuji Horii, fans can rest easy knowing that the next big chapter in the Dragon Quest franchise is still alive and that more info will be announced soon.

What little is known about Dragon Quest 12 is that it will feature a darker, more mature storyline than the previous installments, as the Dragon Quest series is generally known to feature light-hearted adventures. Additionally, Dragon Quest 12 aims to reinvent the series' trademarked turn-based combat system and have the story themed around making difficult choices that can alter the fates of the characters you meet.

What new adventures await in this new, dark chapter of the Dragon Quest series?

As a Dragon Quest fan, I'm curious to see how Square Enix will tackle creating a darker Dragon Quest title aimed at an older audience, as the games aren't afraid to implement dark, tragic elements in their mostly kid-friendly stories. Dragon Quest 5 and Dragon Quest 11, in particular, without spoilers, have emotional moments that are downright heart-breaking to watch and would even give the saddest moments of the Final Fantasy series a run for their money.

While we wait to see what Dragon Quest 12 has in store for us, we'll be keeping ourselves with Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake and the upcoming Xbox title / upcoming PC title, Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D Remake, which will be released sometime in 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

On December 25, 2024, Japan's legendary Weekly Famitsu videogame magazine company interviewed Katsura Hashino, the director for Atlus' most recent JRPG mega-hit, Metaphor: ReFantazio (via a translation provided by PersonaCentral). According to this interview, Katsura Hashino states that there are currently no concrete plans for a sequel but he hopes that Metaphor: ReFantazio will get one someday.

He mentions that he has an idea to make Metaphor: ReFantazio's sequel take place in a Sengoku period but he jokingly realizes that going in that direction would turn the game into something similar to the Basara franchise.

On top of a potential sequel, Katsura Hashino hopes to turn Metaphor: ReFantazio into a long-running franchise and become Atlus' third JRPG flagship series standing alongside the likes of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series.

Metaphor: ReFantazio's imaginative world deserves to be explored further

As a long-time fan of Atlus JRPGs, I can confidently say Metaphor: ReFantazio certainly has earned the right for a sequel to explore its fantastical world further as it was one of the best Xbox games and best PC games I played in 2024. The combat and exploration gameplay was a fantastic blend of Atlus' previous works, the characters were extremely likable and memorable, the art design for the monsters was completely insane, it was jam-packed with imaginative lore, and the plot was so compelling it won our pick for "Best Story Direction" in the Windows Central Game Awards 2024.

I'm not the only one who loved it either as my colleague Zachary Boddy gave Metaphor: ReFantazio a glowing 4.5/5 review despite never playing an Atlus JRPG before. Additionally, in less than 24 hours after Metaphor: ReFantazio launched on October 11, 2024, it sold over one million copies and became Atlus' fastest-selling title of all time history, outselling the critically acclaimed Persona 3: Reload which was also released earlier this year.

2024 was an outstanding year for Atlus and I can't wait to see what it has in store for the future whether it's a sequel for Metaphor: ReFantazio, finally announcing Persona 6, or another new IP altogether.

On February 10, 1988, the game company Enix (back before they merged with Squaresoft to become what we know today as Square Enix) released Dragon Quest 3 for the NES in Japan. This third installment in the legendary Dragon Quest franchise was heralded by fans and critics back in the day as one of the most revolutionary turn-based JRPGs of the 1980s. It improved upon the gameplay of its predecessors and incorporated innovative gameplay mechanics that later games in the series would retain, such as being able to create and swap customizable party members, a day/night cycle, an open-world-like gameplay structure, and more.

Over the years since then, Dragon Quest 3 has been re-released worldwide on multiple platforms and received several remakes, including the topic of today’s review – Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. This remake aims to reimagine the classic JRPG with an HD-2D graphical art style, update its in-depth class system with overhauled Vocations and a new Monster Wrangler Vocation, new lore that adds further depth to its story, new optional difficulty and accessibility options to make it enticing for newcomers while keeping the original, challenging difficulty intact for veterans.

Does it succeed? Well, as someone who played the Super Nintendo version of Dragon Quest 3 many years ago during a Dragon Quest marathon I did in the lead-up to my review of Dragon Quest 11 back in 2021, I can confidently say it does. So, sit back and relax as I regale you with my review of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake and why I think it’s the best iteration of this world-renowned JRPG to date.

Disclaimer: This review was made possible thanks to a review code provided by Square Enix. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Review – What is it?

Much like previous versions of Dragon Quest 3, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a turn-based JRPG where you play as a young hero and a group of customizable adventurers on a quest to save the world from a vile villain known as Baramos.

You will explore the world for information on where to find Baramos and equipment to make your team strong, help defend innocent townsfolk from monsters threatening them, complete sidequests that offer valuable rewards, and traverse the depths of complex dungeons to defeat Baramos' minions in turn-based combat.

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Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Review – Presentation: Graphics, sound and performance

The game’s beautiful HD-2D presentation is one of the major selling points for this remake. For those who need a primer, ‘HD-2D’ is an art style where characters in-game are depicted by 2D pixel-art animations set against detailed 3D backgrounds enhanced with immersive, realistic lighting effects. This art style originated during the 1990s and was seen in titles like Grandia, Xenogears, Breath of Fire 3, and more. HD-2D was made popular again in recent years thanks to the success of Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler series and the Live A Live remake.

Needless to say, the HD-2D art style of this remake is a perfect fit for Dragon Quest 3 as it helps keep the retro charm of the Super Nintendo version’s pixel art graphics alive while updating the graphical fidelity to modern standards. The pixel-art sprites of the characters and monsters are exquisitely detailed with smooth animations, while the 3D backgrounds are richly enhanced by atmospheric lighting and fog effects.

It certainly shines during the turn-based battles where we get to see classic monsters of the Dragon Quest series come to life with meticulously detailed sprite animations and the player party assailing them with extravagant, flashy spells and supermoves, which are visual eye-candy.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake’s presentation is then further enriched by an epic orchestral re-arrangement of the original NES version’s soundtrack by long-time series composer Koichi Sugiyama with occasional moments of well-executed voice acting that brings certain characters in the story to life.

• RELATED: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU review

Performance-wise, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake runs flawlessly on PC and Xbox, easily reaching consistent frame rates of 60FPS and 1080p resolutions, which enrich the HD-2D aesthetic of the game. I reviewed the Steam version of Dragon Quest 3 using an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card and Intel Core i5-9400 CPU processor, but if your PC rig doesn’t have the latest cutting-edge tech, there’s no need to fret. The PC Spec requirements for this game are fairly low, so you won’t need to rush out and buy the best graphics cards on the market to run Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake at its full graphical potential.

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Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Review – Story

The story takes place in a fantasy world that is under threat of being conquered by monsters led by the vile Archfiend Baramos. Many years ago, a powerful warrior by the name of Ortega attempted to defeat Baramos but never returned. Cut to the present day, and Ortega’s offspring (our protagonist, whom the player can name and determine their gender) vows to finish their father’s work by embarking on their quest to travel the world and vanquish Baramos once and for all.

The story of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is very much the same as the original NES version of Dragon Quest 3, with its traditional ‘Good vs. Evil’ scenario where you and your party must save the world from cartoonishly evil bad guys. The plot is fairly straightforward, with predictable plot twists (though there are a couple of exceptions) and minimal character developments, as your entire party are all silent custom-made avatars with little to no personality.

While Dragon Quest 3’s story is pretty basic compared to the latter Dragon Quest games (like the epic, sweeping narratives like Dragon Quest 11 or Dragon Quest 8), it is still competently written. Plus, there are a couple of interesting sub-plots that had me genuinely intrigued by their execution and direction, especially for a game originally made back during an era when 90% of videogame plots were no more complex than rescuing princesses or saving the world from fire-breathing dragons.

However, the way Dragon Quest 3’s plot is conveyed in the HD-2D Remake is much better compared to previous versions thanks to improved cinematography afforded by its new HD-2D art style and orchestral soundtrack. This allows certain scenes to have more emotional impact without being held back by hardware limitations of the NES/SNES/Game Boy Color.

In addition, without going into spoiler territory, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has added additional cutscenes to the main story, which provide more backstory to certain characters and other pieces of new lore that long-time Dragon Quest fans will get a kick out of.

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Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Review – Gameplay

The gameplay of Dragon Quest 3 is about as traditional as it gets when it comes to JRPGs. You and your party of heroes must venture into the world, visiting towns for information on where to go next, buying equipment and healing items, exploring dark dungeons filled with enemies who must be defeated in turn-based battles, etc. Rinse and repeat.

In this HD-2D remake, the gameplay is 95% identical to all previous versions but with new exploration and combat accessibility gameplay features. For starters, it has a new Recall mechanic in the options menu, which allows you to record conversations you’ve had with NPCs. This mechanic helps you memorize the hints they provide, which then helps you know where to go for your next main story objective or side quest.

Other accessibility options for newcomers are a difficulty option setting to make battles easier or harder depending on your preference, objective markers and objective logs to help you remember what your next main objective is, and maps to help you navigate the world, towns, and dungeons of the game.

These new quality-of-life features are welcome additions since exploration in older versions can admittedly become confusing due to the vast world and labyrinthine dungeons. Not to mention, you had to rely on memorizing the hints you found from chatting with NPCs in order to progress the story. Thankfully, in the remake, Square Enix has redone certain cutscenes, which make it more obvious where a player will need to venture next.

It should be noted that a lot of these quality-of-life features are completely optional. So, if you’re a Dragon Quest veteran who wants to play Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D the old-school way without any assistance, you can turn off the objective markers/logs in the options menu and ignore the Recall mechanic and maps entirely so you can rely purely on your wits and memory of recalling NPC hints just like in the original NES, SNES or Game Boy Color versions.

Vocations have received major upgrades across the board

By far, the biggest gameplay change is the overhauled Vocations in HD-2D Remake. Vocations are character classes that you assign to party members when you create them, and they cover a wide range of roles, such as Warriors, Priests, Mages, Thieves, Merchants, and more.

Almost every Vocation in the remake has tons of new abilities that they never had in previous versions. For example, the Warrior Vocation previously didn’t have any special techniques or magic abilities to speak of. However, now the Warrior Vocation has a huge repertoire of new abilities designed to protect fellow party members, as well as sword-fighting techniques that deal with massive damage.

The same goes for the Martial Artist Vocation, which has been given new devastating super moves, and the Thief Vocation, which has lots of new useful utility skills that can be beneficial both in and out of combat. Even the quirky Merchant and Gadabout Vocations are more viable now as they have been given some very useful abilities in the HD-2D Remake, which will be of great help to the party in the latter half of the game.

To complement these overhauled Vocations, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has implemented a new Vocation not seen in any previous version of Dragon Quest 3 – the Monster Wrangler Vocation.

The Monster Wrangler (first debuted in Dragon Quest 6 as the Monster Master Vocation) is essentially a beast-tamer class whose main gimmick is taming friendly monster NPCs you encounter while exploring the world and dungeons to learn combat abilities by wrangling them into your monster pen. In addition, Monster Wranglers can summon all the monsters you have wrangled into battle and have them gang up on enemies to dish out massive damage, depending on the number of friendly monsters you have tamed.

I love the Monster Wrangler Vocation since not only does it look the coolest in terms of character design, but it’s also great fun to use in battle. If you take the time to find and tame monsters, you can obtain some insanely powerful abilities that will shred through bosses like a hot knife through butter. Plus, the Monster Wrangler can be very lucrative thanks to the special Monster Arena mini game, which rewards you for winning tournaments.

While it is annoying that you can’t directly control your friendly monsters in the Monster Arena (at best you can direct their AI behavior so that they’re more likely to use abilities you prefer them to use), it is still fun and worth doing because the Monster Arena has tons of cash and equipment prizes up for grabs.

What I love most about the overhauled Vocations and the new Monster Wrangler Vocation is that they add so much more variety to the turn-based combat system. While the original combat system in previous versions was simple and effective, it did become stale as you were forced to form specific party Vocation formations with samey tactics in mind when dealing with difficult bosses.

A world of new possibilities at the Alltrades Abbey

At a certain point, you encounter a building called the Alltrades Abbey, which allows you to change party member Vocations as many times as you like. When a character changes Vocations, they will retain all the abilities they have learned and gain half the stats they have obtained from their previous Vocation in the process, essentially allowing you to multi-class. Unfortunately, the protagonist can’t change Vocations as they are permanently stuck with the Hero Vocation, which isn’t too much of an issue as the Hero Vocation is extremely powerful in its own right.

This is an original 1988 respec feature that was very innovative and certainly ahead of its time. Yet I hardly ever used the Alltrades Abbey feature when I originally played the Super Nintendo version many years ago due to most of the Vocations not having useful abilities to inherit. However, thanks to the new abilities every Vocation has received in this remake, along with the new Monster Wrangler Vocation, you now have loads more reasons to use the Alltrades Abbey and create all kinds of powerful heroes for your party.

For example, in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, I created a powerful character, "Jezerath," by starting as a Priest to learn healing spells, changing him into a Warrior so he could wear heavy armor, and then changing him to a Merchant to boost his attack and summon abilities, and then I turned him back into a Warrior. By the end of the game, I essentially had an unstoppable Paladin-esque character who protected the party while overwhelming enemies with a variety of deadly physical attacks.

This is just one example of how insanely in-depth the Vocation system has become in the HD-2D Remake. I spent hours theory-crafting and experimenting with multi-classing Vocations via the Alltrades Abbey to see what kind of godlike heroes I could create to unleash their newfound powers onto enemies. The results ranged from hilarious disasters to glorious triumphs.

It was so much fun and added a healthy dose of creativity to Dragon Quest’s tried-and-tested turn-based combat system, so you’re not just stuck repetitively using the same abilities as in previous versions of Dragon Quest 3.

To achieve power, you must be prepared to level-grind for it

However, there is a big catch when you change Vocations at the Alltrades Abbey —characters reset to Lv.1 when you change their Vocation. This means you will have to spend a lot of time fighting monsters and earning EXP (experience points) to level them back up to speed with the rest of your party.

This leads to probably the biggest problem I feel most people may have with Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – level-grinding. Modern Dragon Quest games, like Dragon Quest 11, for example, are pretty forgiving when it comes to the amount of EXP needed to level up your characters. However, a lot of the NES and Super Nintendo-era Dragon Quests were not, requiring tens of thousands of EXP to level up. The same is true for Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake.

When you reach the latter half of the game, you’re going to be spending a massive amount of time killing enemies to level up your characters in order to learn their new abilities and survive battling the bosses, which can be pretty hard to deal with if you’re unprepared. As you can imagine, this can be a very time-consuming and tediously boring process.

Thankfully, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake does have a couple of features that can speed up the process of level grinding somewhat compared to previous iterations. You can adjust the difficulty mode to its easiest setting to significantly increase the amount of EXP you’ll gain from fighting regular enemies without being forced to sorely rely on tracking down the iconic and rare Metal Slime monsters for big EXP gains, then go back to your preferred difficulty mode once you’re done.

I also recommend adjusting the animation speed of turn-based battles to ‘Fast’ or ‘Ultra-Fast’ so you can get battles with low-level monsters over and done within a flash. On top of that, when a character changes Vocations at the Alltrades Abbey, the amount of EXP they need to level back up to their previous level is cut down by a good margin. However, if you can’t stomach the thought of level-grinding fighting the same enemies over and over for a couple of hours at a time, then this game may not be for you.

A Personality problem

Another issue I have with this game is the Personality mechanic. This determines the rate at which your party members gain certain stats when leveling up. You can temporarily adjust a party member’s Personality by wearing specific equipment or change it permanently by reading books.

I’m personally not a big fan of Personalities because they require hours of experimentation and trial-and-error to understand which ones are beneficial or useless. Plus, Personalities make half of the equippable accessories useless; if you aren’t paying attention to an accessory’s item description, they can alter a party member’s Personality without you realizing it and mess up their stats. It's no surprise that we haven't seen this feature in return for future Dragon Quest titles because it feels half-baked in execution.

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Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Review – Should you buy it?

You should play this if ...

✅If you’re a fan of old-school lighthearted JRPGs or a fan of Dragon Quest

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is an old-school JRPG at heart, yet it’s made enough gameplay changes to keep it relevant in the modern era without sacrificing what made the original game special. It’s got a light-hearted narrative, an enjoyable turn-based combat system, overhauled Vocations, and a colorful world filled with secrets and sidequests to uncover.

You should not play this if ...

❌You prefer RPGs with darker stories or don’t like level grinding.

Dragon Quest games don’t usually venture into dark and mature themes very often but when they do, they can leave a big emotional impact. That being said, you won’t find much darkness in here as Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake’s standard ‘Good Vs Evil’ plot is about as traditional and light-hearted as it gets.

Additionally, you probably won't enjoy Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake if you detest level grinding, as this game does demand a fair amount of it, especially if you wish to take full advantage of its character class system or have an easier time challenging its late game bosses.

Overall, I enjoyed Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. It took a beloved classic JRPG and successfully modernized it while keeping its old-school charm alive and well. The HD-2D art style is pretty to look at, the combat is entertaining, and the Vocation character class system is vastly improved. The new quality-of-life features are welcome additions, and the game is packed with tons of engaging gameplay content to keep you busy for hours on end.

While the level grinding can be tedious and demanding during the latter portions of the game, I feel the reward is worth the effort now that you can have tons of new character-builds to create and experiment with due to the overhauled Vocations in this remake. If you’re a stalwart fan of Dragon Quest who grew up playing previous versions of Dragon Quest 3 or a lover of retro old-school JRPGs that hark back to the 1980s or 1990s, then you’re going to love this game.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is set to release on November 14, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. This was one of the best PC games and best Xbox games I’ve played in 2024. I can’t wait to see how Square Enix will tackle reimagining the first and second mainline installments of the Dragon Quest franchise when Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake releases sometime in 2025.

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What you need to know

• Square Enix's Naoki Yoshida has confirmed reports that more Square Enix games will release day and date on Xbox and PC.
• The publisher has previously had exclusivity agreements with PlayStation for some franchises, including Final Fantasy, that have not been as profitable due to sales numbers not compensating for the game's growing operating costs.
• Earlier this year, Square Enix announced plans to shift its marketing strategy to eschew exclusivity agreements and instead embrace a more widespread release schedule across multiple platforms, including Xbox and PC.

More Square Enix titles are making their way to Xbox and PC with day-and-date releases to their PlayStation counterparts, according to comments made by Square Enix director and executive officer Naoki Yoshida (a.k.a. Yoshi-P) in an interview with 4gamer.net.

Square Enix announced its plans to bring more of its games to Xbox and PC earlier this year after financial reports revealed that the Japanese publisher's games were failing to recoup operating and development costs, even with increasing sales numbers. The plan revolved around major franchises and AAA titles, as well as older IPs tucked away in the publisher's catalog, and would see an end to timed exclusivity agreements for games in the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises.

FANTASIAN Neo Dimension is among the first Square Enix titles to launch simultaneously on all platforms following the announcement of the strategy change. Slated to release on December 5 on Xbox, PC via Steam, PlayStation, and Nintendo, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension is a definitive edition of a classic JRPG adventure that precedes the Final Fantasy series. In the interview above with 4gamer.net, Yoshida explains that he expects the Nintendo Switch to be the most popular platform for FANTASIAN because of its portability. When asked about PC and other console ports, Yoshi-P says, "This time, the Xbox Series X|S version will be released at the same time. In the future, Square Enix will release more and more titles simultaneously on each platform... so I hope Xbox users will play it, as well."

Yoshi-P followed up the statement with an apology to Mistwalkers, the developers of FANTASIAN, for the extra work required to ship the game on all platforms. "The fact that it is released simultaneously on such a platform has led to excitement. . .so we are grateful that they did a good job," Yoshida said. Yoshida was at the forefront of pushing FANTASIAN to a multiplatform release, telling 4gamer.net, "We have to think about how to get as many people as possible to play it and how to make it viable from a business perspective."

According to Yoshida, the team looked at FANTASIAN's metascore and the awareness the game raised when it was released in 2021 on Apple Arcade. The team also considered the regions where FANTASIAN's original release was played to determine which platforms would be best for the release of the definitive edition. Yoshi-P has also hinted that other Final Fantasy titles could see multiplatform releases in the future, leading to hope that Final Fantasy XVI could see an Xbox once the PC port is finished. Square Enix is known for being behind some of the best JRPGs on Xbox, and the publisher has been heavily courted by Xbox executives Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond.

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Their efforts have seen some success, as Square Enix has recently brought several JRPGs, including the definitive versions of Final Fantasy I-VI, to Xbox consoles and Windows PC in recent months. The popular Mana series, consisting of Trials of Mana and Legends of Mana, was also recently added to the Xbox Game Pass library. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is also scheduled for a November 14 launch on Xbox.

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What you need to know

• Atlus and SEGA just released Metaphor: ReFantazio, a brand-new RPG franchise set in an all-new world.
• In less than 24 hours, Metaphor: ReFantazio has shattered Atlus' previous sales record, already achieving over one million copies sold.
• Persona 3 Reload held the previous record, achieving the same in one week, but Metaphor: ReFantazio is reaching new heights.
• Metaphor: ReFantazio has also already surpassed Persona 3 Reload's peak concurrent player record, even before the weekend.

It has been a busy period for the video games industry, and today a new record is being smashed, buried, and replaced. Atlus, the developers of the legendary Persona JRPG series, released a brand-new franchise in Metaphor: ReFantazio today, and in less than 24 hours the game has seen heights unreached by previous Atlus titles.

Metaphor: ReFantazio's life has just begun, and it has already sailed by one million copies sold, according to publisher SEGA.

This is a far cry from Atlus' previous milestone of one million copies sold in a single week, which was achieved by the release of Persona 3 Reload earlier this year. Not only has Metaphor: ReFantazio broken that, it already boasts a higher peak player count on Steam than Persona 3 Reload ever hit... And that's before the weekend has even come. I'm in the midst of reviewing Metaphor: ReFantazio, and it's already one of my favorite games of the year. I'm far from the only one drawing that conclusion, too.

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A momentous start for a brand-new video game franchise

I was uncertain going into my Metaphor: ReFantazio review, given my unfamiliary with the Persona franchise and everything else Atlus has done, but I'm so glad I pushed to review this game for Windows Central.

Set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, Metaphor: ReFantazio follows the journey of a nameless protagonist who becomes caught up in a vicious battle for the kingdom's throne. This world is embroiled in political corruption, unchecked discrimination, rampant anxieties and fears, and the persistent threat of the horrific monstrosities known only as "humans." It's a stellar fantasy setting that Atlus clearly took time and passion to make believable and engaging.

More than that, the narrative writing and direction itself is wonderfully engrossing, and each character feels real. The combination of real-time overworld exploration and combat, endlessly tactical and strategic turn-based combat, the social simulation elements that see you develop your own virtues and develop bonds with your unlikely companions, and a clock that's constantly ticking forward toward the inevitable end of the game all adds up to what is easily one of the best Xbox games of the year.

I'm very happy to see Metaphor: ReFantazio discover newfound success for Atlus, with the title being critically acclaimed and wonderfully received by new players as a possible magnum opus for Atlus. It's an excellent debut for the Studio Zero team, and it was genuinely difficult to tear myself away from playing the game to write about it.

One million copies sold in less than 24 hours (across Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation) is already nothing to scoff at, and Metaphor: ReFantazio is holding on to its #2 position on the Steam Top Sellers list at the time of writing. It's also enjoying a climb up the Steam Most Played list, already achieving 50% more peak players than Atlus' previous record holder, Persona 3 Reload. That was an incredible game in its own right (you can read our Persona 3 Reload review to find out why), but Metaphor: ReFantazio is clearly resonating with players in a very special way.

Alright, that's enough work. I'm going to go back to playing Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Best settings to play Metaphor: ReFantazio on gaming handhelds

Metaphor: ReFantazio's visual style translates well to lower-end hardware, so the game honestly looks pretty good on handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally. It's, of course, not going to hold up well in the images you'll see in this article, but in motion and on a 7-inch screen, Metaphor: ReFantazio looks great. It also plays pretty well, now that I've configured the settings.

By default, Metaphor: ReFantazio attemps to run at Medium settings, but I don't suggest that. I played Metaphor: ReFantazio on my ASUS ROG Ally X in its 17W Performance Mode while unplugged, and saw an average of 35-37 FPS in open 3D areas and 65-67 FPS in turn-based combat, dialogue, and menus.

First off, this was without AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) enabled on the ROG Ally, which can significantly improve overall performance if you set it up properly. I did, however, enable HYPR-RX on my ASUS ROG Ally, which combines a handful of AMD technologies to improve visual fidelity and performance in games, such as resolution upscaling. I also had 8GB of RAM assigned to the GPU, but if you own a normal ROG Ally you should likely assign 6GB to the GPU instead.

In Metaphor: ReFantazio, you're honestly given relatively minimal performance and graphical settings, but I made do. I set the game to the Low graphical preset at FHD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, with ambient occlusion turned off and the texture quality set to "Normal." I also set the rendering scale to 75% and relied on the ASUS ROG Ally and its AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution technology to upscale the resolution.

Again, it doesn't look that impressive in these still images, but in motion, the game looked just fine on the ROG Ally's display. If you'd like a sharper image, you can try increasing the rendering scale to 100%. Finally, I also enabled v-sync to help Metaphor: ReFantazio sync to the ROG Ally's 120Hz display for a smoother experience, something that can help when you know you're not going to have a perfectly stable framerate.

With these settings, I had no issues playing Metaphor: ReFantazio on the ASUS ROG Ally for hours, and that includes overworld combat in dungeons, exploring large cities, and engaging groups of powerful enemies in turn-based combat. The game certainly doesn't look its best, but my framerates were decently stable, and I never saw a noticeable dip below 30 FPS. Metaphor: ReFantazio also got some pre-release patches during my review period that improved PC and handheld performance in late-game areas and dungeons.

When you're plugged in, the ASUS ROG Ally's 30W mode should provide even smoother performance, and as I mentioned, you can use AFMF to potentially squeeze out more performance and possibly raise the graphical fidelity.

Now, I can't give you exact performance numbers for the Steam Deck as I don't have one here to test, but I can confirm the game is listed as "Playable" on the Metaphor: ReFantazio Steam store page. Metaphor: ReFantazio can instantly and smoothly transition between keyboard/mouse and controller inputs, and fully supports the standard "Xbox" controller layout of the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and other handhelds. I was a little worried since control remapping doesn't seem to be a feature, but I encountered no issues here.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that Metaphor: ReFantazio is part of the Xbox Play Anywhere platform. That means if you purchase the game digitally through the Microsoft Store, you'll own it on both Windows PC and Xbox consoles. I was given a single review code and began playing the game on my Xbox Series X, easily transferred my cloud save to my ASUS ROG Ally when I was preparing to leave for a work trip, played offline on the plane for hours, and then resumed playing on my Xbox Series X when I returned home without losing any progress.

This does not apply to the Steam version, sadly — unless you just happen to be going back and forth between a full gaming PC and the Steam Deck, of course.

One of my favorite ways to play this awesome game

In my Metaphor: ReFantazio review, I praise the game for its narrative and character writing, its art direction and original soundtrack, and its intriguing mix of real-time action gameplay, strategic turn-based combat, and social simulation elements.

I played most of Metaphor: ReFantazio on the Xbox Series X, where it obviously looks and runs much better than it does on the ASUS ROG Ally or other gaming handhelds, but I also wouldn't have minded in the slightest playing the entire game on the ROG Ally. It looks and plays well enough that I didn't feel like my adventure in the United Kingdom of Euchronia was worsened by playing it on a handheld, and it was so nice being able to take this massive RPG with me on my trip to San Francisco for work.

I had a blast playing the game on the plane to and from California and also while lying in bed. It probably helps that the ASUS ROG Ally X has an excellent display and speakers and is more comfortable than its predecessor, which was already one of the best gaming handhelds. Whichever gaming handheld is your mobile PC of choice, though, Metaphor: ReFantazio should offer you a solid experience. I know it's one of my favorite ways to play games, and Metaphor: ReFantazio is certainly one of my top games of the year so far.

When Metaphor: ReFantazio was first properly unveiled to the world, I honestly didn't give it much thought. I'll admit I've never played any of the Persona games, so a new IP from that team didn't hold much interest for me.

Then, by simply being the only person who was able to, I went hands-on with Metaphor: ReFantazio during Summer Game Fest 2024, and suddenly, this unique Japanese role-playing game was on my radar. Given the privilege of playing Metaphor: ReFantazio before its release, everything I felt during that initial preview has been reaffirmed at every turn. The new Studio Zero team at Persona publisher Atlus has crafted something special.

Admittedly, it did take me a very long time to properly finish Metaphor: ReFantazio, but my full review is here now that the credits are rolling. My exploits in the United Kingdom of Euchronia have captivated me for dozens of hours, engrossing me in a fascinating and incredibly detailed world caught in the battle between anxiety and hope. As I suspected when I first published this article as a review-in-progress, I honestly don't have to alter much of what I've written below — Metaphor: ReFantazio is absolutely one of the best Xbox games of the year, and is worthy of your attention (no matter how much of it is asked).

This review was made possible thanks to a pre-release review code provided by SEGA and Atlus. The companies had no input and did not see the contents of this review prior to publication.

What is Metaphor: ReFantazio?

Metaphor: ReFantazio is the first full project out of Studio Zero, the third (and newest) developer team at Atlus. Based in Japan and under the SEGA umbrella, Atlus is most known for its legendary Persona series of JRPGs, which boast a massive fanbase all over the world.

Studio Zero was formed by members of the Persona series team, director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro after the release of Persona 5 Royale, who all set out to work on a brand-new IP for Atlus. The result is Metaphor: ReFantazio, which clearly borrows many gameplay and social simulation elements found in Persona games but with a more fantastical setting in an all-new, highly unique world.

Set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, tragedy befalls the world when the king is assassinated, and his only heir is believed to be long-dead. Unbeknownst to his slayer, though, the king had used the god-like magic exclusive to the royal family to set in motion the Tournament for the Throne upon his death, a competition that would decide the next king from any of the nation's citizens based on the support and trust from the people. You play as an Elda, a member of an oft-scorned race, on a secret mission to save the Prince, the true Crown Heir, and prevent Euchronia from falling into chaos.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a massive RPG adventure with a mixture of real-time and strategic turn-based combat and a unique "class" system based on magical Archetypes. The game is releasing on Oct. 11, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5|4, and can be purchased for $69.99 from Best Buy. There's also a Collector's Edition for $149.99 at Best Buy, too. If you're on the fence, you can play the first 5-7 hours of Metaphor: ReFantazio via its free demo, which transfers all progress to the main game.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio — Performance and stability

Performance highlights

• Metaphor: ReFantazio runs very well on Xbox Series X, with only a handful of dropped frames in the second half of the game.
• This has also been a very polished game for me, as I've encountered remarkably few bugs.
• The game runs well on ASUS ROG Ally, too, and a pre-release patch seems to have largely fixed performance issues we discovered on PC.

I mostly played Metaphor: ReFantazio on the Xbox Series X, and the game ran fantastically. You won't find many graphical or performance settings here (or basically any, for that matter), but the game does look and run great. Performance is smooth even in crowded areas or with a lot of enemies on-screen, and during my playthrough, I noticed a handful of dropped frames (mostly in the second half of the game during high-level combat).

Stability is also top-notch, with no crashes or major flaws. In fact, I can hardly think of any bugs I encountered at all, which is honestly remarkable for an RPG of this size. Some players who have played the demo on PC reported CPU-related performance issues, especially in large open areas, but I can tell you that a pre-release patch during our review period has cleared up those issues and given my colleague Alex Cope a rock-solid framerate on PC.

I also played Metaphor: ReFantazio for several hours on my ASUS ROG Ally X, and that was a way better experience than I expected. At 1080p and the Low graphical preset, with AMD's HYPR-RX graphical features enabled (our explainer on AMD Fluid Motion Frames on ROG Ally talks about some of this), I saw a stable ~35 frames-per-second (FPS) in open areas and ~65 FPS in combat and all other parts of the game. You can read my guide on playing Metaphor: ReFantazio on gaming handhelds for more info.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is also Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning you can buy it once from the Microsoft Store and play it on Xbox and PC (including handhelds) with all your progress synced to the cloud. That came in handy for my recent work-related trip to San Francisco, as I played Metaphor: ReFantazio for hours on the plane.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio — Art design and audio

Art & audio highlights

• Metaphor: ReFantazio has excellent art design, from its menus and interfaces to its character designs and worldbuilding.
• Its art style is likely to be divisive, however — this is hardly the most visually evocative game, with a flat and neutral color palette.
• However you feel about how the game looks, though, no one will argue that Metaphor: ReFantazio has solid audio design and a phenomenal soundtrack.

I personally enjoy how Metaphor: ReFantazio looks, as it's an approachable art style that scales very well across hardware. However, it is divisive, and I have already seen people dismiss Metaphor: ReFantazio because of its neutral, almost desaturated color palette and uneven texture qualities. For me, though, the art design outweighs any weaknesses in the style.

Metaphor: ReFantazio does an excellent job building a believable, engaging, and unique world filled with interesting and deep characters. There are some stunning environments in this game, and each character feels visually and deliberately distinct. Enemies are also fascinating and wildly diverse, to say the least, ranging from your average RPG baddies to truly horrific Eldritch-esque monstrosities. Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn't feel as "2D" as a lot of other 3D games with similar art styles, too — all the way to character clothing having proper depth and separation from the characters themselves.

The strengths of this game's art design are never more evident than in its cinematic cutscenes and its interfaces. The former are beautifully animated and are filled with color and emotion, so it's unfortunate that they feel so scarce in the grand scheme of the game. As for the menus, Metaphor: ReFantazio does a wonderful job balancing readability and usability with unique and striking visual designs and elements. Each menu feels wholly unique to Metaphor: ReFantazio, which is not an easy thing to accomplish.

Finally, audio! Not all of Metaphor: ReFantazio is fully narrated, but more than I expected is and the character voiceovers sound very good in both Japanese and English. Audio design is also solid for monsters, combat, and the world in general. All of it pales in comparison to this original soundtrack, though, which is composed by the masterful Shoji Meguro. This is a powerful, dynamic, and reactive soundtrack that perfectly underlines every battle, conversation, and development. It's the kind of soundtrack you don't even need the game itself to enjoy immensely.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio — Narrative and world

Narrative highlights

• At first glance Metaphor: ReFantazio tells a fairly predictable story of a struggle for power in a dystopian society wracked by classism and discrimination.
• However, the game deviates from the expected in several creative ways and is overall well-written and directed.
• Studio Zero also did a brilliant job building a world that feels believable and more alive than what we usually see in video games.

Louis, a commoner-turned-warlord due to his unparalleled, prodigious abilities in magic, combat, and tactics, has assassinated the rightful king of the United Kingdom of Euchronia. Years earlier, the one and only crown heir also vanished and was presumed killed. Louis had intended to take the throne for himself, citing power as being the only hierarchy worth respecting, but the king's forethought led to the activation of the royal family's all-powerful magic.

Instead of a violent coup, Louis is instead thrown into the Tournament for the Throne. According to the king and his magic, anyone who wins the trust and support of Euchronia's people during the set timeframe will become king, regardless of whether they're nobility, commoner, or criminal. Our protagonist, whom you name (but otherwise don't customize), has a different objective — slay Louis in order to break the curse that has rendered the missing prince comatose for years and restore his rightful place on the throne.

There's just one problem: Louis and all the other top candidates in the Tournament for the Throne are effectively immortal due to the protection of the king's royal magic, as violence and assassination are not the tools by which the king wishes his replacement to be chosen. This is the foundation for Metaphor: ReFantazio's main narrative, and it forces you and all your companions to be creative and actually join the Tournament for the Throne. You have to earn the support of the people who despise you because of your lineage in order to get closer to Louis and save the prince from certain death.

The longer the story became, the more I enjoyed it. The United Kingdom of Euchronia feels like a real, believable fantasy world that changes and progresses over time — and time does move. Everything you do progresses time, and you have to choose how you spend the limited time you have carefully; do you grow closer to your friends and followers, help people in need, grow stronger in dungeons, or move forward with your plans to save the prince?

During that time, you'll learn more about Euchronia and its united yet separate nations, the divided tribes (or races) that are shattered by rampant discrimination, and the imbalance between the poor masses and the wealthy few. You'll also learn that Euchronia may have looked more like our world a long time ago, but it was destroyed by the advent of technology that was too powerful to control. Metaphor: ReFantazio even goes so far as to actively recognize you as the player, positioning you as the unseen hand of fate guiding the protagonist in his world from our world.

Any underlying tropes in the genre are often subverted in Metaphor: ReFantazio, and there will be themes and even twists that you may not see. I also really enjoy the social simulation elements that are brought over from the Persona series, which sees you develop closer bonds with your companions in order to become more powerful through that trust and support. Some of these side stories are incredibly emotional, such as that of the young girl Maria, who welcomes you into her broken family after her father is murdered.

I was worried at first that the ever-progressing clock that I was introduced to during my demo would annoy me in the full game, but Metaphor: ReFantazio does a good job giving you access to the game in pieces and granting you just enough time to do basically everything as long as you're smart and carefully consider the order in which you do things.

Characters are also well written and voiced, and really add a lot to the narrative delivery. However, despite being this charismatic, chosen-by-fate leader, the protagonist plays a rather detached role much of the time, and often says little. There are also plenty of times where gameplay clearly takes a step back in order to prioritize the story, which I'm sure some gamers won't love.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio — Gameplay and combat

Gameplay highlights

• Metaphor: ReFantazio is basically split into three parts: strategic turn-based combat, dungeon exploration, overworld combat, and social simulation.
• All these pieces tie together well and have remained very fun and engaging after dozens of hours of play time.
• The turn-based combat is especially interesting because of the Archetype magic system, which lets you explore essentially countless different strategies with your party.

Metaphor: ReFantazio will likely be familiar to Persona fans, but this was my first time playing an RPG like this. In essence, your time in Euchronia will either be spent exploring dungeons and dispatching or stunning foes in quick, basic combat, engaging with more powerful enemies in tactic-heavy, diverse turn-based combat, or exploring peaceful areas and shopping, interacting with NPCs, developing bonds with followers and companions, and evolving your skills.

To start, Metaphor: ReFantazio is not an open-world game. In fact, it's fairly linear as RPGs go, slowly giving you access to more areas as you progress through the story and never really giving you the option to wander off the main path for 40 hours. You will have a lot of control over the order in which you do things and how you do them, but the bigger picture will look pretty similar from playthrough to playthrough.

When you're inside the hub areas like cities, you won't encounter combat, but you can listen to the chatter of NPCs. Yes, the people in cities and villages will be talking amongst themselves and even reacting to you and your actions, helping you learn much more about the world and your standing in it. Action-oriented gameplay is reserved for defined dungeons, which are incredibly varied in setting and challenge but largely resemble labyrinths filled with enemies and treasure.

When you're exploring dungeons, you're not simply wandering around waiting to be dragged into battles. You can battle even in real-time, quickly eliminating much weaker enemies or gaining an advantage over stronger foes by stunning them. There's risk, too, though, as enemies can attack you too (and if you're attacked by a strong opponent first, be prepared for an extraordinarily difficult fight).

When you are dragged into these turn-based fights, Metaphor: ReFantazio's gameplay truly shines. Your protagonist awakens an ancient magic known as Archetypes, which combines the souls of ancient heroes that followed similar paths. By channeling this magic through your emotions, you can unleash powerful abilities along that path. The protagonist can also awaken this ability in those he grows close to, but it goes even further: as you unlock new Archetypes and develop new bonds, you can also share any Archetype you've discovered with any of your companions, and those companions can also share the abilities and skills they've learned between the Archetypes they can channel.

Basically, Archetypes are like your classic RPG classes, but imagine that each character can learn any class you unlock and can mix and match the capabilities of those classes once they learn them. The result is a very diverse, dynamic combat system that allows for practically infinite strategies. You can let characters remain in their natural role decided by their unique strengths and weaknesses, of course, but you can also create truly unique combinations that take advantage of the vast range of offensive, defensive, supportive, and even team-based "Synthesis" abilities you'll learn.

Metaphor: ReFantazio continues to introduce new facets to this combat dozens of hours in. There's so much freedom here, and it meant that I was still excited by the combat up until the very end, especially as I discovered my enemies were given the same versatility as me.

The dungeons are fun to explore, and the combat is excellent, but I will say that Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn't do a great job making me excited to find a treasure chest, as a lot of the time, the loot you'll find inside is boring or useless. Still, I had a blast, even when I didn't have to actually play the game... but I can't say that for everyone.

There are multiple instances in Metaphor: ReFantazio where for 20, 30, 40 minutes or longer there is little to no gameplay. You can actually set down the controller and still progress, as it's all cinematics and conversations (both voiced and not). I didn't mind this as I'm actually engrossed in this world and its characters and want to learn more, but at times even I wondered when I'd actually be able to do something again. That's bound to deter players who care more about the gameplay than the story.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio — Accessibility and approachability

Accessibility highlights

• Metaphor: ReFantazio is fairly approachable, although it does throw a lot of information and systems at you that you're expected to remember, and tooltips are sparse.
• However, turn-based combat makes the gameplay very approachable, and there are various difficulty levels.
• Accessibility options are relatively limited, though, with no advanced options for visual, audible, or physical disabilities — not even a way to rebind controls.

Finally, as I usually do, I want to end on both the accessibility and approachability of Metaphor: ReFantazio.

This is an area where this genre of video games seems to struggle, and Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn't entirely buck those trends. As far as approachability is concerned, Metaphor is a straightforward game to ease into, with a fairly linear storyline that's easy to follow. Turn-based combat is also a boon for those who may struggle with challenging games that demand high physical coordination.

However, Metaphor: ReFantazio does throw a ton of systems at you, and while there are extensive tutorials, recaps, and summaries for you to peruse, you do have to go searching for them if you forget something. At least there are various difficulty tiers — both for those who want an easier time and for those who want to challenge themselves. Accessibility-wise, matters are also mixed.

You have your usual options for subtitles and granular audio controls, as well as an assortment of control and interface-related customizations. However, Metaphor: ReFantazio is missing some obvious features, such as color-blind modes, ways to improve the legibility and navigability of the menus, remappable controls (which should be a standard feature for any modern game), and more. I had certainly hoped for more from such an established studio in this department.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio review — Final thoughts

You should play this if ...

✅You love the Persona games already

If you're already a Persona fan, then this is a no-brainer for you. Metaphor: ReFantazio borrows a lot from the legendary JRPG franchise as it's made by many of the same people — it's just a new storyline in a new world with some fresh innovations.

✅You're looking for a meaty, expansive RPG to occupy your time

If you're on the market for a game that can potentially take up dozens of your hours, Metaphor: ReFantazio has the content and the diversity to do so and remain fun the entire time. That's especially true if you're exhausted by open worlds, as Metaphor: ReFantazio won't force you to explore endless plains and mountains.

You should not play this if ...

❌You can't stand games that take away gameplay at times

I'm really enjoying the story of Metaphor: ReFantazio so far, but I can't deny that I've simply not been holding the controller for at least an hour of the time I've spent with the game so far. If you're someone who wants your game (and its story) to be all gameplay, all the time, Metaphor: ReFantazio is likely to frustrate you.

Metaphor: ReFantazio marks the boundaries between hopes and anxieties, fantasy and reality, trust and fear, and weaves them into a magnificent fantasy world caught between the possibility of change and the potential for disaster. It takes a long time to fully tell that story, and even when the credits roll it's clear that the protagonist's story has only just begun.

At the end of the journey I shared with that protagonist, though, Metaphor: ReFantazio was insurmountable as my current game-of-the-year pick. This is one of the most impactful and memorable games I've played in years, and it honestly makes me want to visit the Persona series. I already added Persona 3 Reload and the rest of the Persona series to my Microsoft Store wishlist. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a lengthy, ambling RPG that focuses a lot on its worldbuilding, narrative, and characters, and I love it for that.

Masterminding the strangest concoctions of Archetypes, abilities, and equipment for my growing party was a source of joy for me these last couple of weeks. I admit there had been more than one instance of me lying in bed attempting to go to sleep, only to get back up, turn my Xbox back on, and play far too late into the night. Metaphor: ReFantazio's fascinating gameplay and social simulation elements, combined with its engrossing world and unique (sometimes on the nose) narrative, won me over well before I've crossed the finish line.

This is one for the Persona fans, the JRPG fans, the story-driven game fans... it's not for the players who demand every moment be nail-biting, action-packed gameplay. If you're sold, you can pick up Metaphor: ReFantazio on Xbox for $69.99 at Best Buy.

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What you need to know

• A week after being announced and released during the 2024 Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix's long-awaited Xbox port of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection has been seen jumping up high on the Top Paid charts on Xbox stores worldwide.
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is a compilation of the first six entries of Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise, all remastered with upgraded pixel-art graphics and re-arranged soundtracks, and includes quality-of-life improvements to smooth out the gameplay experience for newcomers to the series.
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is available for purchase digitally on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud via Xbox Play Anywhere, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam.

Original article (October 4, 2024):

On September 26, 2024, Square Enix has started making good on its promise to bring more of its JRPGs to Xbox consoles by releasing the long-awaited Xbox port of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection during the 2024 Tokyo Game Show (along with releasing several Mana games to Xbox). 

Demand for this grand compilation of classic Final Fantasy games has shown to be very high as a week after it launched on Xbox platforms, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection has been seen rising up to the 12th spot on the Top Paid list on the Xbox Store in the U.S. (as sighted on Reddit via @HazzadorGamin at X).

We at Windows Central also checked the game's position on the Xbox Store in other countries. While the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection only holds the 20th spot in the UK, it has hit a high 13th spot in Xbox stores in Germany, and has been riding high in other countries we've been able to check as well.

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Classic Final Fantasy has finally come to Xbox and it is glorious

As a long-time fan of the Final Fantasy series since playing the original Final Fantasy 7 on the PlayStation One during the 1990s, it warms my heart to see so many Xbox players come together and show their love for the 2D-era Final Fantasy titles. 

Some of the games in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection like Final Fantasy 1, 4, 5 (my personal favorite of the collection), and 6 have stood the test of time and are still widely regarded as some of the best JRPGs ever made. And now, Xbox fans can finally experience these excellent Xbox JRPGs on Xbox Series X|S for themselves and see how they helped shape the JRPG genre into what it is today. 

On top of that, these games are also available on Windows PC and are compatible with Xbox Play Anywhere. This means you can use some of the best gaming handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go and play some of the best Xbox JRPGs while traveling abroad or visiting a friend's house as these games are a perfect fit for them.

With the recent revelation that Square Enix confirming its plans to bring Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox, I believe it's only a matter of time before we see the once-thought-impossible Xbox ports of Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake become a reality next.

The indie gaming scene is overflowing these days with many developers crafting retro-inspired JRPGs like Undertale, CrossCode, Star Renegade, Chained Echoes and many others that pay homage to classic titles in the genre while making their own mark upon the world. One of my favorite titles from this recent boom of indie JRPGs is Star of Stars, a game inspired by the likes of Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG that tells a captivating tale of heroic Solstice Warriors fighting to save the world from an evil alchemist.

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Why should you buy Sea of Stars?

For those who may never have heard of this game, Sea of Stars is a turn-based indie JRPG that follows the adventures of Valere and Zale, a pair of martial artists that wield magical powers derived from the sun and moon called Solstice Warriors. These two have been training their whole lives to prepare for a sacred mission to travel the world and defend it from the wrath of the Fleshmancer, a disgusting villain who plans to ruin all life by unleashing terrifying monsters called Dwellers.

Along the way, Valere and Zale will meet allies who will join their cause, visit breathtaking landscapes, and discover harsh truths about themselves and the dangerous reality of their mission.

I reviewed the Xbox version of Sea of Stars last year and as a long-time fan of JRPGs who grew up during the 1990s and early 2000s playing legendary titles like Final Fantasy 9, Breath of Fire 4, Super Mario RPG, Grandia, and many others, I adored Sea of Stars from start to finish.

It has so many awesome qualities going for it. It has gorgeous pixel-art graphics and wonderfully detailed animation, an in-depth and addicting turn-based combat system where you play timing-based mini-games to deal extra damage or mitigate incoming, and a gigantic world filled with tons of fun side-quests and mini-games to complete.

Additionally, the characters you meet on your journey to join your party are a likable bunch of heroes with intriguing character-design concepts and are extremely fun to use in battle. The plot is also a major highlight for me. While it may start with a simple premise, it gradually builds up with increasingly more exciting scenarios until it takes a dramatic turn with insanely wild twists that I dare not spoil.

The only major complaint I have about the game is that farming for resources can be a tedious, time-consuming process as it involves non-conventional methods instead of traditional ones found in other JRPGs.

Nonetheless, Sea of Stars is still one of the best Xbox JRPGs I've ever played this console generation, and since the PC version is virtually identical to the Xbox version in terms of performance and content, that ergo also makes it one of my favorite PC games. Plus, this game would make a great title to play on the go if you have a Steam Deck or ASUS Rog Ally as it is Steam Deck verified.

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What you need to know

• During the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024 livestream event, a new JRPG developed by Riyo Inc. and published by Humble Bundle was announced for Xbox and PC titled Threads of Time.
• This game is a turn-based JRPG inspired by legendary titles in the genre such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, where the player embarks on a time-traveling adventure to various eras of history to protect the timeline from being destroyed by evil forces.
• Threads of Time currently has no release date but is scheduled to launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.

Amongst the many news announcements made during Microsoft's Tokyo Game Show 2024 presentation, an intriguing, original JRPG made its debut titled Threads of Time, developed by indie studio Riyo Inc. and published by Humble Games. 

This game is a turn-based JRPG inspired by the classic titles in the genre, such as Square Enix's Chrono Trigger and early Final Fantasy games. In Threads of Time, you take control of a band of heroes recruited from various periods of history and embark on a time-traveling adventure to save the world from evil.

Here is everything you need to know about Threads of Time.

As stated before, Threads of Time is a JRPG where you will embark on an epic journey through the past, present, and future to save the world from evil forces looking to destroy it. 

Your journey will take you through imaginative landscapes lovingly presented in an HD-2D art style, where gorgeously 2D pixel-art characters interact with an equally beautiful 3D background made in the Unreal 5 Engine. Along the way meet a host of colorful and powerful heroes who will join you on your journey, ranging from pre-historic warriors, modern-day swordsmen and mages, ancient wizards, mech-riding technicians from the future, and more.

However, the forces of evil will not sit idly as you attempt to unravel their plans to control time, for they will send horrific beasts and mindless killing machines to stop you. To combat these threats, you will need to engage them in turn-based battles where you will need to use your party's powers to weather incoming attacks, use the power of time to weaken your foes, and combine certain party members' abilities to perform powerful combo attacks that will wipe the floor with almost any boss that dares stand in your way.

Color me intrigued in this wild time-traveling JRPG

When I saw the trailer for this during the presentation, I was amazed by its breathtaking presentation, from its charming retro-inspired HD-2D aesthetic to the meticulously detailed and fluid animation. While the trailer doesn't show exactly how the gameplay will pan out as there's no User-interface to speak, I'm curious to see how inspiration it takes from Chrono Trigger's combat system as that title featured similar mechanics of using multiple party members to perform team attacks.

If anything, it reminds me of Sea of Stars, another Chrono Trigger-inspired JRPG that I reviewed last year but with a much bigger budget. I loved Sea of Stars and if Threads of Time ends up just as or even more fun that game, this upcoming Xbox JRPG could have a chance of becoming one of my new favorite Xbox JRPGs. 

However, it's still early days to tell if it can reach such heights as we have only seen one trailer of the game thus far, and we don't even have a release date for it. So, we will have to wait for more gameplay details to see if Threads of Time has the potential to become one of the best Xbox titles and best PC titles of the indie JRPG scene when it eventually launches for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam.

What you need to know

• Square Enix has revealed several new Xbox ports for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection, Legend of Mana, and Trials of Mana during Microsoft's livestream presentation at Tokyo Game Show 2024.
• In addition, it showed more gameplay footage for the upcoming HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest 3, which is set to launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam on November 14, 2024.
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Legend of Mana, and Trials of Mana will be available for purchase later today for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. In addition, Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana will also be available to download via Xbox Game Pass.

On September 26, 2024, during the finale of Microsoft's Tokyo Game Show 2024 presentation, Square Enix made an appearance to make several startling announcements sure to please long-time fans of its classic JRPGs. Later today, Square Enix will be releasing the highly-requested Xbox port of Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, along with two unexpected Xbox ports of two classic titles from the Mana franchise — Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana.

In addition, Square Enix also showcased new gameplay footage for the upcoming 2D-HD remake of the legendary JRPG, Dragon Quest 3. Here is everything you need to know from these announcements.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection

First off on this list of major announcements is the Xbox port of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection has finally been confirmed after many months of rumors. For those unaware, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is a compilation featuring the first six entries of Square Enix's critically-acclaimed Final Fantasy series. 

Several games in this compilation are often regarded by critics and fans (myself included) as some of the most influential and best games in the JRPG genre, such as Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 4, and even the original Final Fantasy. But this isn't just a normal compilation port of the original games, all six titles have been remastered for modern consoles with new pixel-art graphics and rearranged soundtracks.

In addition, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection will include quality-of-life improvements such as an optional experience point booster so you can level up faster, an auto-battle option, and the ability to turn off random encounters.

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC.

Trials of Mana

Next up on our list of Square Enix JRPGs coming to Xbox is the surprising announcement of Xbox ports for Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana from the Mana series. Trials of Mana is a remake of the once Japanese-exclusive third entry in the Mana series (also known as Seiken Densetsu 3) and has the player embark on an epic adventure to stop evil villains from freeing monstrous beings known as Benevodons, and save the world.

In this game, you will form a team of three out of six heroes and use their powerful abilities to vanquish monsters and evildoers in fast-paced real-time action-RPG combat. When this game was released back in 2020 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, it received wide acclaim for its in-depth character class customization system, compelling characters, and beautiful music. 

Now Xbox fans will be able to experience this highly-praised entry in the Mana series for themselves as it is now available to purchase on Xbox Series X|S and Windows.

Legend of Mana

Legend of Mana meanwhile is the fourth title in the Mana series that was only once released only in Japan during the 1990s before being re-released as a HD remaster for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam in 2021. This JRPG has a rather unique premise that instead of going off on a journey to travel the world, you are instead tasked to build one from scratch.

This is because the world map is completely empty, and it's up to you to fill the gaps by completing a series of quests that tie together to form compelling story arcs and unlock new locations to explore. You can tackle these quests in any order you desire and depending on the order you complete them, you will create your own world map with secrets and challenges unique to each playthrough. 

In addition, like the rest of the Mana series, Legend of Mana features a real-time action-RPG combat system and a complex character customization system to help over the various beasties that will impede your adventure.

This remastered edition of Legend of Mana features gorgeously redrawn pre-rendered background art and a memorable soundtrack composed by the legendary Yoko Shimomura known for composing tracks for Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy XV, Mario & Luigi, Street Fighter 2, Live a Live, and many more.

Legend of Mana will be available for purchase later today for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows. On top of that, both Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana will be added to Xbox Game Pass's library today as well, so Xbox Game Pass subscribers can download them for free.

With the addition of the recently released Visions of Mana, it's safe to say that the Mana series is back and here to stay on Xbox consoles.

Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD Remake

The last announcement from Square Enix for this showcase is a montage of new gameplay footage for Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD Remake. This game is a remake of 1988's Dragon Quest 3, one of the most influential and critically-acclaimed JRPGs of all time that set the standard for future JRPGs to come. 

In this game, you are given the daunting quest of saving the world from being conquered by the vile Archfield Baramos and avenging your father Ortega, who fell in battle trying to slay Baramos. To complete your quest, you will need to recruit powerful heroes to your party and strengthen your gear and abilities if you hope to stand a chance of defeating Baramos and his army of monsters.

RELATED: Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake preview: A beautiful game with smart improvements

The remake reimagines the original Dragon Quest 3 with a gorgeous HD-2D art style seen in other Square Enix titles like the Octopath Traveler series and the Live a Live remake. However, this game doesn't just include new visual enhancements, it will also feature a new Vocation class for members of your party to learn called the Monster Wrangler. 

The Monster Wrangler Vocation has the power to use the abilities of monsters you encounter in battle and can even tame them so you can use them to fight in the arena and earn some extra money.

Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD Remake is scheduled to be released for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Windows and Steam later this year on November 14, 2024.

Xbox JRPG fans are eating good in 2024

2024 has been an incredible year so far for Xbox JRPG fans. This year we had high-quality JRPGs from SEGA such as Persona 3 Reload and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Several cult-classic titles from the 1990s are coming back and being ported onto modern consoles, like Suikoden and Grandia. 

And to top it off, Square Enix is finally bringing the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection to Xbox along with, Xbox ports for Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana, and an HD-2D remake of one of the best entries in the Dragon Quest series.

While we're still a ways off from getting Xbox ports of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Final Fantasy 16, the chances of those ports happening are looking more likely than ever before.

With more upcoming Xbox JRPGs to look forward to such as Atelier's Xbox debut title, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, Atlus' Metaphor: ReFantazio, the recently announced indie title Threads of Time, and many others, I'd say the future of JRPGs on Xbox is on the path to a bright future.

What you need to know

• Metaphor: ReFantazio, an upcoming JRPG made by Atlus, has a new playable demo available to download on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam.
• The demo will let players experience the first several hours of the game's content and transfer their save file progress to the full game when it releases.
• Metaphor: ReFantazio is scheduled to be released on October 11, 2024, for box Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam.

On September 25, 2024, Atlus had announced a playable demo for Metaphor: ReFantazio, a new high-fantasy JRPG developed by the team behind its critically-acclaimed Persona series. This game aims to be one of Atlus' most ambitious projects yet with an over-the-top and dark anime artstyle, gameplay combines aspects of the Persona series and the Shin Megami Tensei series while adding its own unique mechanics, and much more.

Here's what you need to know about Metaphor: ReFantazio and its playable demo, which is available to download right now for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam

First of all, let's recap the premise of this game for those not in the know. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a turn-based JRPG set in Euchronia, a fictional kingdom beset by bizarre monsters known as 'humans' and its people thrown into chaos after its king was assassinated.

In this game, you play as a young man traveling the land of Euchronia to save the life of its lost prince who is slowly dying due to a powerful and bring peace back to the kingdom.

The demo will contain the first few hours of Metaphor: ReFantazio's story, which will introduce players to its fantastical setting, fast-paced combat system that mixes real-time hack n' slash combat and turn-based combat, and a few of the many Followers and party members who will accompany on your journey. 

Related: Metaphor: ReFantazio for Xbox and PC — Story, gameplay trailers, launch date, and more

In addition, you will explore four of the game's dangerous dungeons crawling with foul monsters, and unlock seven of the forty 'Archetypes'. Archetypes are a mysterious power that will transform the user into personifications of legendary heroes of old and allow them to perform devastating attacks that can vanquish even the hardiest of monsters.

Upon completing the demo, players will be able to transfer any progress they made in it including experience points, money, Archetypes etc into the full game by using the save file they made in the demo.

This game is looking to be Atlus' craziest and biggest JRPG since Persona 5

As a longtime fan of Atlus' work since playing Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne on the PlayStation 2 back in the mid-2000s, I've been so looking forward to playing Metaphor: ReFantazio ever since its debut last year during the 2023 Xbox Game Showcase. After playing the demo (on PC) myself, my excitement has grown even more for this upcoming Xbox JRPG.

It combines aspects of Persona 5 Royal and the Shin Megami Tensei series to create a challenging yet satisfying turn-based combat system that rewards strategic play and preparation, the characters you meet are a likable and charismatic motley crew of heroes, the soundtrack is an absolute delight to listen, and it has one of the best art directions I've ever seen in an Atlus JRPG.

If this is just the opening act of Metaphor: ReFantazio, then I can't wait to play the full version when it comes out later this October. Even one of my colleagues, Zachary Boddy, who has never played an Atlus JRPG in his life is excited to play this game when he made this statement during his Summer Game Fest 2024 preview of Metaphor: ReFantazio, "I'm a sucker for a great art style, and Metaphor: ReFantazio looked and felt like the best I've seen from Atlus, with beautiful 3D character models and great combat animations. The combat piqued my interest and held it for the entire demo, and I can see how the vast number of Archetypes will help keep Metaphor riveting and engrossing for dozens of hours." 

I have a strong feeling Metaphor: ReFantazio has the potential to be one of Atlus' best Xbox games and best PC titles of 2024, and I hope the full game can live up to such lofty expectations when it releases on October 11, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam.

What you need to know

• A new gameplay presentation has been unveiled for Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, the latest installment in the Atelier franchise.
• Atelier is a series of light-hearted JRPGs where everything from their stories, characters, and gameplay is heavily themed around alchemy.
• Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is scheduled to be released on March 21, 2025 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC via Steam, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S

During the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase stream on August 27, 2024, Koei Tecmo and Gust revealed a new game in the long-running Atelier franchise called Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (or Atelier Yumia for short). This title will launch next year for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, PC via Steam, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S (making Atelier Yumia the first game in the Atelier series to be released on Xbox consoles).

Now five days later on Sept 2, 2024, Koei Tecmo has released a new gameplay presentation video introducing series veterans and newcomers to Atelier Yumia's story premise and cast of characters, while also divulging how it will improve upon Atelier's trademarked alchemy gameplay.

For those who don't know, Atelier is a series of JRPGs developed by Koei Tecmo's Gust division that has been running since 1997 with Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg on the PlayStation One. What makes Atelier stand out from other JRPG franchises is its heavy emphasis on alchemy. Everything about these games from their stories, characters, and even gameplay revolves around alchemy and how it affects the world, and Atelier Yumia is no exception.

Atelier Yumia takes place on a continent where alchemy is considered taboo. This is because many centuries ago, the mighty Aladissian Empire was wiped out overnight the cause of which was believed to be alchemy. However, one young girl is on a quest to find the truth about what really happened that night.

Enter our protagonist, Yumia Liessfeldt. Yumia is an alchemist who discovered during a terrible incident where she lost her mother, that she descended from a long line of alchemists. Having grown up hearing tales about how alchemy is considered 'evil', she starts to question everything as her mother was a kind and gentle person despite partaking in the forbidden art of alchemy.

So Yumia sets off on a journey with the Aladiss Research Team to discover the true history behind the fall of the Aladissian Empire, find out if her mother truly was a good person, and prove once and for all alchemy is not evil. 

The gameplay of Atelier Yumia will have the player exploring the world, meeting up with a cast of colorful characters to join your party, and fight monsters and villains in real-time battles. All the while, you will collect crafting ingredients through exploration and combat to synthesize items through alchemy.

The items you can craft through alchemy in range from healing potions, accessories, tools, weapons, and armor. In addition, Atelier Yumia will be the first game in the series to let you use alchemy to craft building components so you can build houses or even entire towns for citizens you encounter along your journey.

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Another beloved JRPG franchise comes to Xbox consoles

Atelier is considered a cult classic franchise by many JRPGs fans for its endearing low-stakes storylines, pretty and compelling characters, gorgeous worlds to explore, and incredibly in-depth and addictive alchemy crafting systems. 

I have personally never played an Atelier game in my life but Atelier Yumia may be the first title in the series I may try out after seeing this gameplay presentation. The characters look cool and fun to play as, and I'm curious as to how deep Atelier Yumia's alchemy crafting system will go and what kind of crazy inventions it will allow you to make.

However, in a post-Minecraft world where almost every game has some kind of crafting system implemented, will the Atelier series still be able to stand out from the crowd with its trademark alchemy gameplay and become one of the best JRPGs on Xbox? Join Yumia's quest for the truth next year to find out when Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land launches in 2025 for all homes and PC via Steam.

My experience with JRPGs is unfortunately limited, but I have heard tales of the "of Mana" series for many years (mostly thanks to a previous colleague whom some of you may know). When Visions of Mana, the first mainline entry in the Mana franchise in 18 years, was announced and revealed to be coming to Xbox, I knew I had to play it. Now I can do exactly that and save some cash, as preorders for Visions of Mana are already discounted.

Technically, the best price is $51.09 at CDKeys for a Visions of Mana Steam code, but you can spend a little more and get a dual Xbox and PC copy of Visions of Mana for just $53.09 at CDKeys. Either way, you're saving.

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A demo taste test now, a discounted full copy later

I won't disguise the fact that I know very little about the Mana franchise. I have heard about how amazing it is, and what I've heard combined with what I saw when Visions of Mana was initially announced was enough to earn the upcoming action-JRPG a place on my wishlist. This game is being helmed by veterans of the classic Mana series that went on break all the way back in 2016, and sees the series embrace 3D with an incredibly vibrant visual style.

This game is spectacularly gorgeous and its gameplay looks very fun. I'm actually downloading the demo as I write this so I can get a quick taste test of the game before it rolls out (I actually forgot there was a demo until I began writing this, haha). I'm excited to explore this fantasy world and learn more about the Mana Tree and the alms that sustain it, especially since I'll be doing so without the nostalgia of previous entries in the series.

That being said, I hope that Visions of Mana ends up being as excellent as it looks, and I hope its success on Xbox persuades Square Enix to also port the rest of the classic Mana franchise to my platform of choice so I can play them all. Right now, though, what's most important is that you can preorder Visions of Mana without paying full price. $51.09 at CDKeys (PC, Steam) or $53.09 at CDKeys (Xbox & PC, Microsoft Store) is hardly the most exciting discount, but if you're going to preorder the game anyways you might as well save yourself a few bucks.

If you want to sample Visions of Mana before pulling the trigger, you can download the Visions of Mana demo for free at Microsoft Store (Xbox & PC).

What you need to know

• Square Enix has a released a playable demo for Visions of Mana, an upcoming action-JRPG where players embark on a pilgrimage to replenish the Tree of Mana so it can continue providing life to the world.
• The demo contains a portion of the game's first chapter and showcases a preview of its combat, exploration, and story. Players who participate in the demo will obtain unique in-game items in the full game.
• Visions of Mana's demo is available to download on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam, and the full version is set to be released on August 29, 2024.

Square Enix has announced that it has just released a playable demo for an upcoming JRPG called Visions of Mana to the general public. This game is the long-awaited fifth mainline in beloved Square Enix's Mana series, and the first mainline title to be released for the franchise in nearly two decades.

The demo gives players a taste of its gameplay and story, and it's available to download right now on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Visions of Mana is an action-JRPG where you play as Val, a Soul Guard tasked with protecting special people labeled 'Alms' by Faeries as they journey across the world to replenish the Tree of Mana. The Tree of Mana is a gigantic, magical tree that provides the world with life-giving mana, but every four years, Alms must sacrifice themselves to the tree so it can stay alive and sustain the world.

Along the way, you will meet complex characters who will join your pilgrimage, explore a beautiful world filled with wonder and magic, and become immersed in an emotional tale of self-discovery and sacrifice.

The playable demo will contain a portion of Visions of Mana's first chapter and allow players to get a taste of its story, explore its vibrant setting, and try out its complex combat system where you must combine martial arts and elemental magic attacks to achieve victory.

As an added incentive to try out the demo, players who play it will be rewarded with special in-game items they can unlock in the full game, which comes later on August 29, 2024. 

These items are:

• Gladius (a short sword for Val which you obtain the moment he becomes playable in Chapter 1) 　
• Falx (a great sword for Val which you obtain once you change to the wind class for the first time) 
• Horn Lance (a lance for Val which you obtain once you unlock the ability to change classes).

To obtain the privilege for these items, the player must have save data from the demo and download the latest update for the full game when it comes out. 

For those wondering if progress made in the demo will carry over to the full game, it does not. The demo takes place far into the game's opening act and features cut-down content, the full extent of which, will only be seen in the full game.

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Are you ready to witness the majesty of the Tree of Mana?

The Mana series was considered by old-school JRPG lovers who grew up during the 1990s to be one of Square Enix's finest franchises back in the day, the most famous title of which being 1993's Secret of Mana on the Super Nintendo. These games were loved for their cutesy art styles, fun action-JRPG combat, and lighthearted tales of adventure. 

The last mainline entry in the Mana series was Dawn of Mana, released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. This means that fans had to wait over 18 years for a new entry, although they had spin-offs and remakes of older titles to keep them occupied in the meantime. 

While I haven't played the Mana series growing up, I can just imagine how excited longtime fans are to see this series get a new mainline after so many years. Especially since from what's being shown so far, it looks extremely promising with its gorgeous artstyle, exciting and complex combat system, and charming roster of playable characters. 

I might give the demo for this upcoming Xbox JRPG/upcoming PC title a shot later to see what I've been missing out and see if it has the potential to be one of the best Xbox JRPGs, or even one of the best Xbox titles and best PC titles when the full game launches later this August.

Visions of Mana is scheduled to be released on August 29, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

I make a point of playing video games across a wide range of genres and from a vast variety of developers, publishers, and parts of the world. However, one franchise that has so far completely failed to elicit my interest is Persona. In fact, I've never been terribly drawn to any of the legendary JRPGs by SEGA subsidiary Atlus, also known for the Shin Megami Tensei series.

Despite Atlus massively improving its relationship with Xbox and bringing plenty of its games to Xbox Game Pass, I still haven't pulled the trigger. However, I recently got a chance to go hands-on with the upcoming debut of Atlus' all-new fantasy universe as a part of Summer Game Fest 2024, and it seems my lifelong Atlus drought is about to end. Metaphor: ReFantazio is coming to Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation later this year, and I'm actually kind of excited now.

• Check out our complete Xbox Games Showcase 2024 coverage

What is Metaphor: ReFantazio?

Metaphor: ReFantazio is an all-new franchise from legendary JRPG publisher Atlus, and the debut title from the publisher's new developer Studio Zero, helmed by Persona director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro. Metaphor: ReFantazio is particularly notable because it's the first all-original, pure fantasy universe from Atlus, which will undoubtedly attract new players (like me) that previously weren't drawn to Persona or Shin Megami Tensei.

Like other Atlus games, Metaphor: ReFantazio will be characterized by unique, strategy-based turn-based combat, third-person exploration, and the passage of time that will limit what you're able to accomplish during your playthrough and dynamically drive the game forward. The headlining feature of Metaphor: ReFantazio is the Archetypes, the meeting of spiritual, magical, and mechanical that grants the user unique powers and abilities that match their personality and world outlook.

In a first for Atlus, Metaphor: ReFantazio will actually launch on day one on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, signifying Microsoft's efforts to improve relations with Japanese developers and publishers. Combined with being a brand-new IP, and it's clear why Metaphor: ReFantazio is an important, significant release for SEGA, Atlus, and Studio Zero. Metaphor: ReFantazio officially releases on Oct. 11, 2024 for Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation.

No history with Persona or Atlus

I've not entirely neglected the massive, diverse, and decades-old JRPG genre of video games, as I greatly enjoyed titles like Chained Echoes and Scarlet Nexus. However, Persona simply hasn't landed on my radar as a series I'd be interested in, and nothing I've seen or heard has really convinced me otherwise. On top of that, only a limited number of the Windows Central team had the privilege of heading to Los Angeles for Summer Game Fest 2024, and none of us held any excitement for Metaphor: ReFantazio.

So, when an offer came in to go hands-on with the upcoming Atlus project, I agreed to go only because my schedule was the most accommodating for the preview. I went in not expecting much, similar to my Dune: Awakening preview. Also, similar to that preview, I left my Metaphor: ReFantazio hands-on far more intrigued by the game than when I first went in. Now, I'm keeping my eye on Metaphor: ReFantazio and its late-2024 release thanks to an hour of hands-on time that introduced me to the game's world, exploration, and combat.

I still have some lingering questions, like if the combat will be able to stay fresh over the entirety of the game's length, if the ever-marching time will introduce frustrations over missed content, and if the still-vague story will actually win a place in my heart. On another note, one of the biggest deterrents that has prevented me from considering Persona is the infamous length of that series' titles; how long will Metaphor: ReFantazio end up being, and will I be able to stay interested long enough to finish it?

Still, I'm feeling far more positive about the game now that I've spent an hour playing it.

Drawing me in and making me want more

• Check out our in-depth Metaphor: ReFantazio FAQ

My hour-long hands-on demo was split into three parts: a story-focused prologue, an exploration-and-combat heavy dungeon, and a late-game boss fight. I didn't quite have time to fully explore the final section, but I learned something new from each part. For one, I was given the opportunity to begin learning about this gorgeous, detailed fantastical world.

The death of a king has thrown the world into turmoil, with the release of a mysterious magic setting into motion a bloody tournament that will determine the fate of everyone. What interests me most, however, is the premise that only you can unlock the latent powers hidden inside the companions and allies you make during your journey, increasing your strength as you take on hidden foes along your quest to save the world from chaos.

You play as a character that discovers the secrets of Archetypes, and is capable of drawing out this incredibly powerful magic from the people around you. I can't say that the overarching story of Metaphor: ReFantazio particularly excites me, but this focus on social features directly playing influencing your success does. During your time in Metaphor, you'll need to converse and steadily become closer with your companions in order to become more powerful — and you'll need that power to lift a terrible curse and hopefully survive the tournament embroiling the United Kingdom of Euchronia.

Combat-wise, Metaphor: ReFantazio seems to be an evolution of what came before in Persona and other turn-based JRPGs. You'll have to carefully manage party members, abilities, and items as you exploit enemy weaknesses and defend your own, but there are some interesting elements here. For one, progressing through the game means unlocking and increasing the strength of your Archetypes, giving you access to powerful and unique abilities. On top of that, you have to manage your party's turns each round of combat, and can sacrifice those turns to pull off combined team moves known as "Synergies" that can turn the tide of battle if used carefully.

I wasn't completely sold on the value of exploration in the limited dungeon I had access to, and am still curious what secrets the world of Metaphor may hold, but the combat was at least a blast. Cleverly, you can dispatch weaker enemies you've leveled beyond with simple in-world attacks, only needing to go into the more in-depth turn-based battles to take on stronger foes. In battle, your options are diverse, and your opponents feel challenging but fair. The boss I took on at the end of my preview slew my entire party, but I felt that — if I had been given time for a second attempt — I could've prevailed with the new knowledge I gained.

At the end of my demo, I found that I still wanted to play. I'm a sucker for a great art style, and Metaphor: ReFantazio looked and felt like the best I've seen from Atlus, with beautiful 3D character models and great combat animations. The combat piqued my interest and held it for the entire demo, and I can see how the vast number of Archetypes will help keep Metaphor riveting and engrossing for dozens of hours. The possibilities contained within developing your relationships with your companions, the careful management of the limited time you have available to you, and the secrets of an all-new world are all exciting, too.

I'm not going to be rushing to preorder the Metaphor: ReFantazio Collector's Edition for $149.99 at Best Buy, but I'm definitely now keeping an eye on this compelling upcoming Xbox release. That's a lot more than I could say before Summer Game Fest 2024. I'll probably be playing it at some point, but those who are even more interested than I am can preorder Metaphor: ReFantazio now across Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation.