Grazza

I've now collected all eight characters and am totally loving the game, much more so than I expected. Tressa's story was the most charming of all, with lovely music and brilliant water effects. I also think of H-o-T every time this happens: Seriously, I get the appeal. This game has that magic formula of rewarding you with the three essentials: EXP, money and Job Points. It's actually the latter that keep me most hooked, as the buyable skills and passive skills are so good. From what I'm reading it also has advanced job classes, which I think is a must for an RPG of this type (despite my favourite not having them!) All in all I'm extremely impressed, especially with how balanced and versatile it's been so far, whichever of the eight characters you're using.

We could, but we might attract the wrong sort of attention!

Yeah, that was probably the better way, actually (I believe Tressa gets you a discount? You could equip everyone really well as you go.)

I've picked up Therion, H'aanit and Ophilia now. I didn't realise before, but Primrose is the buffer and Therion is the debuffer. The question is, are Primrose's boosts better than Therion's enemy downgrades? The two things that swing it for me are that Therion only needs to cast a debuff on one enemy (usually the boss), whereas Primrose hasn't (at present) got a team-wide buff. Therion also has the support skill where there's a 50% chance of a physical attack when lowering offence or defence. If a boss is weak to one of his weapons, it's an invaluable way of breaking the shield down as you apply debuffs. H'annit offers something different just by having a bow, and some of her summons can cause status ailments. It's also handy having her in the team because you get the chance to surprise the enemy. Lastly, I've just recruited Ophelia. Her team healing is so good, I've had to swap her for Alfyn. So, my current team is Olberic, H'aanit, Ophilia and Therion - a solid line-up, but I really don't know who to leave out when I find Cyrus.

My friend recommended this to me a while ago and said it was pretty much the best roguelike. I was tempted but unsure, so only bought it when it was discounted the other day. I sort of like it, but yes, it is difficult. As strange as it sounds, I get the feeling it's not quite as hard as it seems (I've only got to the 2nd or 3rd floor as well!), or more accurately, I could get better at it. I really want to use a Pro controller, as you have to bash L and R, and there are also moments when you have to press the left and right analogue sticks at the same time - not something I'm entirely comfortable about doing in handheld mode. The trouble with roguelikes is that, by their very nature, they don't let you prepare. You have to work everything out in your current run (there are no real save files, only quicksaves). Although this game doesn't ask much strategy of you (there is no crafting on the go, for instance), it's hard to know which items are the best to collect. The shops have also been stocking items I genuinely don't think would have been possible to afford at that point, even if I'd been saving all the money potentially available. I might go back to it every now and then, but as with most roguelikes, I'm left hoping there will be even more updates to the game.

I started this yesterday and am loving it so far. I've decided to just go clockwise around the map, and so have got Olberic, Primrose and Alfyn. OK, I can see some potential reasons why I won't end up thinking it's a 10/10, but then I wasn't that grabbed by the demos anyway (which is why I was 50/50 about buying it). For what it's worth, as much as I love pixel art, the great thing about those genuine 16-bit RPGs was that they used the best visuals they could muster to immersive you in a consistent world. Octopath Traveler's playable sprites are gorgeous, but I'm less keen on the small graphics, dark lighting and diorama-type settings. It's a subtle thing, but for me it's the difference between "art" and "arty". BUT, I am hooked. I'm actually enjoying it more than the demos. The battle system seems a step-up from Bravely Default, and I'd say so far it's easily the best turn-based RPG on Switch (if not, I want to know what is!) Buying new skills and passive buffs with Job Points is very addictive, and Olberic is turning into the tank I want. However much I end up liking it, for now I can't stop playing!

Your description reminds me of the epic post-game bosses in Dragon Quest IX. The amount of times I had to activate a Coup-de-grace (solo) or Coop-de grace (team) was crazy, and then being the ones still standing at the end - incredible!

I really regretted not buying this on release, but hopefully I've secured myself a copy now. Priority One - get some muscle (Olberic). Priority Two - get some healing back-up (Ophilia). Priority Three - add the elemental (Cyrus).

It's like the game's got the measure of you and is throwing you a bone!

Oh no, a new Metal Slug for me to buy! That's another £7 off my credit!

I'll get Thunder Force IV rather than Sonic. I've never played the former, and have played the latter a bit too much… (for now!)

Thanks @RedShell. This one was on my Watch List a while ago, but I think I put it on the backburner to buy when it was actually released (I probably thought it was a bit pricey, to be honest). Watching the video you posted, the graphics are even better than I realised, especially the animation. I actually missed out on the offer last week, but if it ever becomes 50% off, I'm definitely getting this!

Although I haven't played one, what I've heard is that you could do it on PC but not the console versions.

Visually, I love what's in front of me. It reminds me of how WayForward used to do things - a company I once loved, but whose games have changed subtly in tone recently. The quality of the sprites and even the way you chip away at small amounts of HP reminds me of their Thor tie-in on the DS. Perhaps IntiCreates hoovered up some WayForward staff? Gameplay-wise, as much as I admire them making a 4-player game, I just hope it's a good single-player experience as well.

Was that the 3DS one, Dimensions? That was an enjoyable game. Wouldn't mind a Dead or Alive on Switch, actually. They remind me of the Virtua Fighter era and aren't too simple or too complicated.

Yeah, it's not a highlight of the series.

Dragon Quest has funny dialogue, and Etrian Odyssey zips along just fine too. It tends to be the more earnest ones that are hard to keep up with.

Brilliant! I skipped the 3DS instalment, but I'm going to get this one. I'd really like to be able to draw my own sprites - I don't think that's been possible before, but it'd really help make your created RPGs feel your own.

One thing that bothers me is that the original cartridge will never be the full, patched version of the game. As backed up by what you said, you really have to pre-order this type of game (or at least buy at launch), but in order to be perfect, that cartridge will need additional, downloaded data. I might wait until the eShop version is around £20, but that's still going to take a log time to download.

Shovel Knight. I'm not a huge fan, but it's more likeable than Hollow Knight.

1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - GameCube Genius from start to finish. 2. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - PS2 Hands-down the best RPG I've played. I had wanted to get into the Dragon Quest series from seeing them in Super Play, and oh man, my hunches were right. The colourful and cartoony blend of exploration, romance and adventure was right up my alley. 3. Metroid Fusion - GBA The most finely-crafted Metroidvania I have ever experienced. It's hard to separate from... 4. Metroid: Zero Mission - GBA For me, these GBA twins are the two best games of their genre. They are hugely fun - not too long, not too short; not too difficult(-ish), not too easy - with no other Metroidvania beating the way they gradually supply you with enjoyable upgrades as you experience the ride. 5. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies - DS Not as good as VIII, but builds upon the gameplay. Why do I rate this higher than earlier Dragon Quests? It's because this game was my companion at the best time in my adult life, quite frankly. It's an enormous, super-long experience, and nothing since has felt as epic as pitting my created team against every challenge the game had to offer. 6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64 Not an original choice, but it belongs there. This felt like a new era in gaming, and changed my perceptions of how involving and atmospheric games could be. 7. Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 3DS I had dabbled with the GC Animal Crossing and overlooked the DS entry, but for some reason this 3DS iteration felt like the right time to step in. It was magic. The series hallmark of it being real-time genuinely adds an extra dimension, as you strive to gather all the fish and bugs of any particular month. 8. Final Fight - Arcade Probably the gold standard of beat-'em-ups. It's tough, but you can actually master it. Almost all good brawlers since owe it a huge debt, but I don't think any are quite as good. 9. Double Dragon - Arcade Where it all began. Nothing since has felt quite as fresh or exciting as Double Dragon, and unlike some coin-op classics, it does actually still hold up. My young self desperately wanted to be as tough as the Lee brothers, and I've never quite been able to shake that! 10. Landstalker - Mega Drive After A Link to the Past, I wanted more of the same. Perhaps the isometric viewpoint hasn't held up too well, but it made the game extremely immersive at the time. I'll never forget Nigel's trip to that mysterious island, and if I had to pick one title to encapsulate the magic of Sega's 16-bit console, I'd go with this one.

Owlboy is great! I saw you got some negative reaction to it after you posted it, but I looked on the eShop myself, saw it had 30% off and picked it up. It's obviously a game that divides opinion, but I genuinely love what I've played so far.

Yeah, objective markers was my weakest point, it's just that I didn't have a clue where to go at one stage. The game is so big, with so many optional bosses (having all the DLC loaded on doesn't help, as nice as it is), it's hard to know how powerful you should be at any one time. It's not clear at all whether you should keep trying at a particular boss (or even if that's the right boss to advance the story) or keep exploring for more upgrades. Still, that's the case with most Metroidvanias, but everything about Hollow Knight feels extreme.

Well, it's not actually bothering me now, but it took me ages to get into it (maybe about 30 hours). Things like lack of save points, and the long treks between them and some of the bosses. And how the maps don't actually fill out as you explore; rather you have to find the map vendor and also get back to a bench before the areas you've explored become visible. A few destination markers wouldn't go amiss either.

The actual quality is very high, and I've got quite far into it now, but I think there are several things about Hollow Knight that are extremely off-putting.