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 …

“Most of the beautiful stories don’t have beautiful endings because destiny is stronger than love,” Arabic Wisdom. Sword of Destiny is the second volume of The Witcher saga, which began with The Last Wish, and continues here to present episodic tales packed with irony and social criticism while subverting fairy tales and developing the protagonist, the witcher Geralt of Rivia, …

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 …

As I write these words, the final preparations to defend my home are being put in place: doors are being barred, windows are being covered with garlic, and precise lines of salt are being drawn in strategic places – they’ll never get me while I’m on the loo. For the truth is that Paper Mario: Color Splash is deeply influenced …

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 …

One of gaming’s advantages over other kinds of artistic media is its ability to tap into the feeling of wonder through exploration directly: since we are the ones moving the camera, and choosing where to look, where to go, and what to investigate, games can turn us into intrepid explorers venturing into the unknown. And, to this day, few games …

The review will leave you as spoiled as a rich, white, aristocratic kid. The second book in the Mistborn trilogy, The Well of Ascension, is much more flawed than its predecessor. Still repetitive and occasionally inconsistent, the novel is now also rife with problematic characterization and badly used genre tropes, with even the titular MacGuffin not being used… well, feeling …