Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
January 2019 saw the release of a few ports on the PS4, including Bandai Namco’s Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition.
Prior to the game’s re-release, it had only been available on the Xbox 360 in English-speaking territories, and as you may know, the Xbox brand wasn’t exactly known for its widespread support of JRPGs. The expanded version of the game was released in Japan, but never saw a stateside release.
This year, though, Bandai Namco finally released Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition for the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. Featuring redone voice acting, new skits, and new story elements, this is the most complete version of the game, and is worth a look for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
You probably missed this one, with all the Kingdom Hearts III and Resident Evil 2 craziness that was going on towards the end of January, but the indie game YIIK: A Postmodern RPG finally got released on PS4 this year as well.
It had been in development for a few years, but always showed promise in its promotional footage. YIIK features a very vibrant, poppy art style, and takes place in a modern city setting.
The story setup is extremely reminiscent of Earthbound, and the turn-based combat system is simple, yet fun to play around with. It does suffer from a few technical issues across all platforms, but it’s still worth checking out for RPG fans.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
It’s been a long while since we last heard anything from our favorite defense attorney Phoenix Wright, so it was definitely a nice surprise when Capcom announced that they’d be porting the original Ace Attorney trilogy to modern consoles.
The Ace Attorney trilogy looks pretty darn crisp on the PS4, with redone textures and backgrounds to make it look a little fresher. 3DS purists will likely prefer the old-school pixelated look of the game, but for what it is, the HD backgrounds do look rather nice.
Because the Ace Attorney trilogy is so old at this point, and how there wasn’t exactly any sort of marketing push leading up to its release, chances are that you’ve probably missed out on this one back in April. It’s still one of the best visual novel series out there, though, and definitely deserves all the praise.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
The Legend of Heroes is one of those niche JRPG series that everyone who’s ever played it knows is good, but somehow, it’s just never had that same sort of mainstream appeal as the likes of Persona and Final Fantasy.
Trails of Cold Steel is regarded as one of the best entries in the series, and if you’re into Persona’s school/life sim elements, there’s plenty to love here as well. The game features a very diverse cast of likable characters, and just like previous games in the series, Trails of Cold Steel is definitely the kind of JRPG where you’d want to talk to every NPC you lay your eyes on.
The game’s world is endlessly interesting and flavorful, and is worth a look, as long as you don’t mind its overly anime aesthetic.
My Time at Portia
In between releases like Katana Zero and Mortal Kombat 11, it’s easy to forget that My Time at Portia was also finally released for the PS4 in April this year.
Farm games are all the rage these days, as evidenced by the releases of titles like Stardew Valley and Graveyard Keeper. My Time at Portia is a beautiful 3D farming game where your character must inherit their grandfather’s neglected workshop, and put in the hard work needed to help the farm flourish once more.
There are all sorts of things to do, from discovering new equipment to help make your farming process more efficient, to interacting with the town’s community and getting to know the townsfolk better.
Published: May 1, 2019 09:20 am