For me, Cassette Beasts came out of nowhere, and quickly became one of my favorite monster taming games of all time. From a visual perspective alone, the game is quite charming, and blends the classic 8-bit graphics with gorgeous artwork. The characters are wonderfully fleshed out, and I wanted to spend more and more time with them in this world. The soundtrack is stunning, and "Wherever We Are Now" is hauntingly beautiful. There were times when I was playing that I would just sit in the cafe and listen to it on loop. The story itself is fantastic; I won't spoil any details, but I was blown away by how in-depth the plot is. The subtle, dark undertones just bubbling under the surface made me want to keep piecing together the mystery of this strange land.

The combat is a real joy to participate in, mixing classic elements with some new surprises. The Fusion system is a ton of fun, and discovering a new combination of monsters in a rogue fusion encounter was always a thrill. The Sticker system that lets you change the move set on monsters is something that I just fell in love with. The endless ways to customize your party, and build them with a unique strategy gave me hours of enjoyment, just tinkering away. The Bootleg system is also a collector's dream come true, and I relished raising new "shiny" monsters up, watching each level to see what different elemental moves they learned.

I could sit here and rave forever about how much I love this game, but bottom line is, you really need to experience it for yourself to truly appreciate how much of a masterpiece Cassette Beasts is. With the developers working on future DLC and planned multiplayer, it's just going to get better and better. So please, join me in New Wirral, and go on an adventure you won't forget.

A perfectly crafted journey with countless possibilities, Slay the Princess takes the concept of the classic hero's journey and twists it over and over, into something dark yet wholly unique. Each different path is a pleasure to explore, and the voice acting that goes with it is top notch. The artwork is hauntingly beautiful, and also very creepy at the appropriate times. The more time I spent with this game, the more I wanted to see everything, to experience all the different stories to their fullest. Slay the Princess went places I did not expect it to go, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It's grim, it's gory, but at it's core, it's a love story, and one that deserves to be told. I highly recommend it. Just don't always listen to the narrator... or the countless voices in your head.