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

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure Review

Evan SchwabMarch 11, 2023

Continuing a Bright Future NIS America set up a ludicrous 2023 schedule of game launches with a relatively quiet but extremely successful 2022 lineup. Last year, NIS released the recently translated remaster of Trails from Zero, a masterclass of JRPG excellence that creates strong characterizati...

PS5

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society Review

Evan SchwabMarch 2, 2023

A Return to the Labyrinth What can I say about dungeon crawlers that you don’t already know? For me, they’re pretty much huge hits or enormous misses - there isn’t much of an in between here. I find exploring the dungeons of this genre immensely enjoyable, typically regardless of if the ex...

PS5

Forspoken Review

Evan SchwabFebruary 23, 2023

Crazy Cat Aunts Do you remember when Sony announced the PlayStation 5? One of the first glimpses of the prowess of Sony’s new console came via Forspoken - untitled at the time, of course. A female protagonist amongst the beautiful but barren scenery of a mountainous terrain. She explored the i...

PS5

The Chant (PS5) Review

Evan SchwabDecember 5, 2022

A Surprisingly Enjoyable Survival-ish Horror One of the best aspects of reviewing games for my own site is that I am free from any overbearing weight to post a particular score. If something is awful, I can shout it to the world - and while some readers may be disappointed that my dislike for Ho...

PS5

TL;DR Review – Ys VIII: The Lacrimosa of Dana

Evan SchwabNovember 30, 2022

A Peak of Performance for Ys VIII Years ago, Falcom launched Ys VIII: The Lacrimosa of Dana on the PlayStation Vita and PS4 (before subsequently launching on PC and Nintendo Switch). The game sees self-identified adventurer Adol the Red and traveling pal Dogi marooned on the cursed Isle of Seire...

PS5

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero Review

Evan SchwabSeptember 20, 2022

Perfection Remastered A lot can be said about the age of remasters. Sometimes, a remaster feels forced - sometimes, a game is remastered to death. Other instances see remasters tactfully produced, with meaningful updates that make revisiting the game in question well worth the time and money. Th...

PS4

Bright Memory: Infinite Review (PS5)

Evan SchwabJuly 27, 2022

A solid transition to PS5 Earlier this year, I reviewed the high octane FPS Bright Memory Infinite, which sees a special operative named Shelia investigating her way through unnatural phenomena in order to save the world. It boasted a simple premise but impressive gameplay and shining visuals an...

PS5

The Cruel King and the Great Hero Review

Evan SchwabJune 10, 2022

A Return to a Fairy Tale Land Below are links to purchase the game. We may earn a commission on purchases through these links. In 2018, NIS America published a super unique title that mixed a cute artistic approach, a sweet fairy tale-esque narrative, and solid puzzle platforming gamepl...

PS4Switch

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

84%

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 mea...

PCPS4PS5Switch

81%

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, n...

PS4Switch

74%

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...

PS4

82%

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....

Switch

93%

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 Fantas...

PCPS4PS5SwitchXbox OneXbox Series S/X

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 pl...

PCPS4

65%

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’r...

PCPS4PS5Xbox OneXbox Series S/X

82%

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 retr...

PCPS4PS5SwitchXbox OneXbox Series S/X

Fernando Tatis Makes Cover of MLB The Show ’21, Goes Cross Platform and Cross Play

Evan SchwabFebruary 1, 2021

The PlayStation blog announced today that Padres superstar Fernando Tatis made the cover of MLB The Show 21. In addition, Sony announced th...

News

92%

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox Review

Evan SchwabJanuary 29, 2021

In Ys We Trust Few things in life are certain: taxes, death, and quality Ys games. Following the hugely successful Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of...

PCPS4

Resident Evil VIIIage Launches May 7th, 2021

Evan SchwabJanuary 21, 2021

During the impressive Resident Evil V.I.I.I.age showcase today, Capcom announced a May 7th, 2021 release date for PC, PS4/5, and Xbox One/S...

News

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust Launches on February 18th

Evan SchwabJanuary 20, 2021

Developer Analgesic Productions and publisher Ratalaika Games S.L. announced that the PlayStation One/Nintendo 64 inspired Anodyne 2: Retur...

News

90%

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV Review

Evan SchwabJanuary 17, 2021

An End to a Saga Over the great part of the last decade, Nihon Falcom consistently launched The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel s...

PS4

87%

Warhammer: Chaosbane Review

Evan SchwabDecember 16, 2020

Move Over, Diablo, a New Chaos has Arrived. As a youngster, my friends and I loved Diablo II. On our 56k modems, we dialed up our co-op ...

PCPS5Xbox Series S/X

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