One of the most inventive puzzle games I've ever played, where each uniquely-designed logic puzzle is themed around jigsaw pieces. Challenging, engaging, and charming in ways that took me by surprise.

Setting aside the extremely tedious endgame grind (which is slowly being patched, thankfully), this gave me almost everything I could've asked for in a sequel to one of my favorite games of all time.

Paper Mario's aesthetic meets Majora's Mask's side quests meets El Día de los Muertos. It wears its many influences proudly on its sleeve, yet still maintains a strong identity of its own.

Another game to help bolster the niche genres of "phrasal template puzzle games" and "animal-themed detective games". Fun, clever, and very well-polished, though rather short with its 2-hour runtime.

I kept catching glimpses of the phenomenal puzzle game that friends and journalists have been praising, but it was buried under so much frustrating RNG that I lost the patience to truly experience it.

While I do think it's a fun JRPG in its own right, its oversimplified crafting system didn't quite scratch the itch I got when I first started my exploration into the Atelier franchise.

Playing this felt a lot like playing the old hidden object CD-ROM games I had growing up, and I mean that in the best way. 38 total levels, 30 optional minigames, and around a 3-5 hour runtime.

Although it had a slow start, it eventually hooked me with its alchemy-themed crafting gameplay, and it made for a great entry point into a franchise that I'm excited to dive deeper into very soon.

Not only could you have convinced me that this game came straight from the golden age of DOS-era point-and-click adventures, but I'd be willing to put it up there with some of the best in the genre.

Another game for the "Why didn't I think of this genre mashup before?" list, this time a Tetris/JRPG hybrid. It nails the gameplay, but kind of fumbles the story due to erratic pacing throughout.