Recent reviews by Mr. Manual

An under-the-radar gem of an Ace Attorney-like

Deceptively simple-looking game that you can pick up and play for about 15 minutes and get something from it.

Buying this game is the greatest PLANNNNNN
Seriously though, this series is comedy gold and totally worth $15.

The good: the characters are all likeable, though sometimes they'll need their moment in the spotlight before you can get to like them.
-The story is exemplary, as well as the storytelling skills.
-The music is fitting for the mood of each scene and area.

The bad:
-The offensive arts don't have too much variance in attack strength, so you can generally get by with lower level spells for raw damage.
-A lot of songs borrow at least part of the same tune. 19/97 songs, not counting the source. I counted.
-If you're looking for a graphically gorgeous game, this ain't it. It's good, maybe even great, but not gorgeous.
-For what it's worth, the game doesn't break the JRPG mold very much at all. Though it tells the story so brilliantly, it kinda doesn't need to.

The ugly:
-There are a lot of missables in this game, so to 100% it by oneself would be an arduous task without a guide.
-As of this writing the game still has a bunch of bugs, including one where you won't take any currently-equipped items or quartz into NG+.
-Wake up slap trope is strong in this one.
-so is the "ancient extinct civilization" one. And the "giant robot" one.

The good: fan fare for fans of Final Fantasy IV, bands are really neat-looking attacks, original soundtracks are SO GOOD
The bad: The new characters aren't really interesting, the world hasn't changed much, too much empty silence during cutscenes
The ugly: the graphics don't look good, some of the bands looked better in the 2D versions, and the fans can't get over the 15 FPS in battle. Bunch of whiners...

Female heroine FTW.

...Now that that's out of the way, this game is definitely not for non-RPG fans, unless you like text. A lot of text. The story has decent pacing, and I like how every chapter ends on a really strong note. It makes you feel like Estelle and Joshua more than earned their recommendations. The characters however, other than Joshua and Estelle, can be rather forgetful, even if they are somewhat charming. There's just nothing special about them. They fill their tropes and fill them well. Except Schera: she's one of the standouts. As for Joshua and Estelle, they're much better characters. They should be; the entire adventure is about them. The music is good, but not great for the most part. (There are exceptions obviously.) Graphics are clearly not the main focus of the game, but what it does, it does well enough.

Bottom line: The game is pretty good for RPG fans. However, if you don't have time and/or patience, the phenomenal ending may not be worth it. If you DO have time and/or patience, I still would recommend this game.

Music- pretty dang memorable. It's been slightly changed in this version for some reason, though.
Graphics- a major leap up from FFVII. It aged better. A lot better.
Characters- Arguable. I like some characters and "meh" others. You'll have to use your own judgement.
Gameplay- Yes it can be broken, but it's only one part of the game. And Junctioning is NOT THAT HARD. Though drawing or card-modding can be a little tedious at times.
Overall- 8/10

P.S. I have already played through this game on another version.

Cave Story+ is a very charming side-scrolling platformer/shooter. Many of the characters are quite humorous and loveable. The game is challenging, though not frustratingly so (at least for the most part). There are also several challenge modes and difficulty levels for those who want variety. The game also has quite a sense of humor. For example, when choosing a difficulty level, there's an option to confirm and cancel. When you put the cursor on Hard, the word cancel changes to "I'm too scared!" There are other funny moments in the game itself, as well as some touching moments. Also the music is some of my favorite. There are a few versions of the soundtrack, but I personally prefer the retro version. Overall, this game is definitely worth it to buy!

Ys I and II feel like they are made for people just getting into RPGs. The game is short, but challenging. By "short", I mean there are about 3 dungeons. And the last one takes up about half of the game. And the max level is 10. Because of such a short game with a low level cap, gaining a single level or a new piece of equipment can make a boss MUCH easier than the first time you fight it. The characters have some color to them, and there are even a few sidequests! I believe this game is very ideal for people who are looking for a good RPG to start with, but don't want to be thrown into an hours-long epic.