Bit Cultures - Video Game Reviews, Top 10s, Features, Podcasts and More

Monark Review

Evan SchwabFebruary 28, 2022

A Surprisingly Fresh Take on the JRPG Genre By now, you probably know that I love NIS America. Not everything they publish is a gem, but they make it possible to play many of the more obscure games from Japan (and now that they publish Falcom games like Ys and The Legend of Heroes, of course I�...

PS4PS5Switch

NIS Clasics Vol. 1 Review

Evan SchwabDecember 11, 2021

A Great Nostalgic Time The era of the PlayStation 2 shaped much of the modern gaming industry. Innovative and brilliant titles stretched across the life of the console, creating some of the most memorable experiences in gaming history. Final Fantasy X provided RPG enthusiasts one of the greatest...

Switch

Bright Memory Infinite Review

Evan SchwabDecember 9, 2021

Bright Indeed Boy, have we come a long way with indie games. There’s always been a special place in my heart for the indie genre - indie games, indie music, indie film, etc. - because it always feels like, regardless of how good the actual outcome, each piece of art is filled with imaginative ...

The Caligula Effect 2 Review

Evan SchwabOctober 15, 2021

The Virtuadolls Return A few years ago, NIS America published Caligula Effect: Overdose, a PlayStation 4 port of a PlayStation Vita JRPG about a virtuadoll that captured the ‘souls’ of people - rendering them comatose - and kept them ‘trapped’ within a world of her making. It was a game ...

PS4Switch

Giraffe & Annika Review

Evan SchwabJune 24, 2021

A pleasant, peaceful experience Giraffe and Annika is a game quite unlike most. It’s simple, sure. It’s not a large game, by any means. But there’s something there that is likeable; it’s charming. There’s a lot to unpack here, however, as we take a look at what Giraffe and Annika is, a...

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R-Type Final 2 Review

Evan SchwabMay 17, 2021

Classic goodness with a modern shine. As a kid, I grew up adoring R-Type on the original Gameboy. I put hours into it, and, of course, never made it too far. I was only a kid, remember? Flash forward some 20+ years, and I’m still trash at the game - but I love it just as much. I won’t lie: I...

PS4Switch

Poison Control Review

Evan SchwabApril 24, 2021

A Cult Classic in the Making Damn us to Hell. That’s the catch phrase of Poison Control, a sort of third person shooter that mixes RPG elements with traditional NIS America anime tropes. On paper, it wasn’t a game I was particularly excited to review, but in playing it, I found a game that I...

PS4

Saviors of Sapphire Wings / Stranger of Sword City Revisited Review

Evan SchwabMarch 19, 2021

Dungeon Crawling Classics Many moons ago, NIS America published Stranger of Sword City - a dungeon crawler developed by Experience, Inc.- on Steam, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in 2016 (in North America, that is). It featured classic dungeon crawling gameplay alongside non-traditional visuals ...

Switch

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust

Evan SchwabMarch 9, 2021

Nostalgia in spades Few things make me feel as warm and fuzzy inside as classic video games. I could pop into the worlds of Final Fantasy VII or VIII at any moment and feel the swirls of nostalgia careening within. Heck, even revisiting games like Nier or Lost Odyssey - ones that have fond memor...

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Fallen Legion: Revenants Review

Evan SchwabFebruary 17, 2021

Dueling Sagas The world is crumbling. Sluagh, zombie-like monsters, roam the world below the floating castle - a world suffering from plague and poverty. Rebellion stirs, however, as Lucien, a new council member in Ivor’s reign, secretly assists Rowena, Ivor’s former chancellor who was execu...

PCPS4

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood Review

Evan SchwabFebruary 4, 2021

Lone Wolf Owning a new console around its launch window means you’ll be playing a relatively small lineup of launch titles. If you’re like me, that means you’ll blow through a lot of them quickly. In a crowded sea of releases, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood would be obscured by the ...

PCPS4PS5Xbox OneXbox Series S/X

Immortals: Fenyx Rising Review

Evan SchwabFebruary 3, 2021

A Godly Good Time We all know of Ubisoft and the perpetual Assassins Creed saga. Fewer yet may know of Ubisoft and its long list of retro RPGs, which includes the likes of Grandia and Evolution - among others. Those classic RPGs, however, are buried beneath the hugely successful and massively op...

PCPS4PS5SwitchXbox OneXbox Series S/X