Somehow managing to be even more insane and frenetic than the first one, Bayonetta 2 is a unique action game that, with its fascinating heroine and engaging combat system, excels at wowing us with increasingly bonkers set-pieces. The story begins when Bayonetta’s dear friend, Jeanne, is attacked and taken to hell by a demon that Bayonetta herself summoned but got …

The Miniaturist is a historical novel disguised as a mystery one: its real aim is not to explore the enigma that the title character represents, but to investigate and criticize the Dutch society of the early 17th century. The protagonist is Petronella Oortman, or Nella, a young woman who marries a successful merchant she doesn’t know, Johannes Brandt, and goes …

Experimentation has been a common ethos in The Legend of Zelda series. Whether it’s by introducing the third dimension in Ocarina of Time, changing the structure of exploration in The Wind Waker, or shaping the gameplay according to the peculiarities of each console with Phantom Hourglass and Skyward Sword, Nintendo is always demonstrating a clear desire to evolve the franchise …

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy is the sixth and hitherto last game in the series to feature the archaeologist Hershel Layton as the protagonist. It is, however, an uneven game that tries to offer more freedom to the player at the expense of pacing and narrative focus. The story begins when Layton receives a letter from an esteemed professor …

“I’m sure I can tell this story. I’m also sure no one will believe it. That’s fine with me. Telling it will be enough. My problem – and I’m sure many writers have it, not just newbies like me – is deciding where to start,” the narrator states in the first paragraph of Fairy Tale, a novel that actually starts …

Sword of Destiny is the second volume of The Witcher saga, which began with The Last Wish. Here, Andrzej Sapkowski maintains the structure and style of the previous book, presenting episodic tales packed with irony and social criticism while developing the protagonist around the story’s main theme. This theme, as the title suggests, is the fight against everything that is …

With a fascinating story that, unfortunately, far overstays its welcome, Bravely Default is a good JRPG that tries to revitalize its classic genre by offering a less frustrating gameplay experience. The game opens with a great tragedy in the world of Luxendarc. After a terrible earthquake, the small village of Norende disappears from the map, giving way to a gigantic …

Paper Mario: Color Splash is deeply influenced by the reception of the previous title, Sticker Star, which released for the 3DS and is actually great, fight me. But since Sticker Star was heavily criticized for its barebones story and strange combat system, Color Splash now tries to present a more developed narrative and some additions to its core design – …

The Lovecraft Project: Howard Phillips Lovecraft is the father of cosmic horror – the genre constructed around the notion that we humans are just a tiny, insignificant part of the universe, which holds much bigger, ancient, more powerful beings. We are nothing compared to what lies out there, beyond our reach and understanding. The plan is to write a few …

Earthlock is an unpretentious RPG that, unfortunately, fails to leave any sort of mark. The biggest fault lies in the story, which is basically non-existent, with paper-thin characters and a severe lack of tension and thematic purpose. So, even though its combat system is dynamic and engaging, it’s not complex enough to save the game all on its own. It’s …