JRPG Reviews
Written JRPG reviews with game-specific strengths, weaknesses and Fabled Cartridge verdicts.
Kingdom Hearts χ / Union χ
The series' oldest mysteries live in a deceptively colorful mobile-era tale of prophecy, betrayal, data worlds and impossible sacrifices.
Read article →Written review · Series coverageKingdom Hearts Dark Road
A compact, tragic origin for Xehanort and Eraqus whose character ideas outgrow its limited mobile combat.
Read article →Written review · FC catalogueKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Three interconnected campaigns, a flexible Command Deck and one of the series' most consequential tragedies.
Read article →Written review · Series coverageKingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage
A short but atmospheric playable bridge that gives Aqua's despair the weight earlier games could only describe.
Read article →Written review · FC catalogueKingdom Hearts
The original adventure remains special for its strong world identity, exploration and heartfelt simplicity — even as its combat and camera show their age.
Read article →Written review · FC catalogueKingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
A clever memory mystery and unusually strategic card battles that feel unlike almost any other Kingdom Hearts adventure.
Read article →Written review · FC catalogueKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Roxas, Axel and Xion carry one of the series' most affecting tragedies through a repetitive but historically important DS mission RPG.
Read article →Written review · FC catalogueKingdom Hearts II
Drive Forms, Reaction Commands and superb bosses transform the sequel into one of action-RPG combat's high points.
Read article →Written review · FC catalogueKingdom Hearts Re:coded
A surprisingly inventive DS action RPG whose Stat Matrix outclasses its largely recycled Disney-world mystery.
Read article →Written review · FC catalogueKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Flowmotion and Dream Eaters reinvent movement and team-building, while Xehanort's time-travel plot prepares the final showdown.
Read article →Written review · FC catalogueKingdom Hearts III
A spectacular, uneven finale whose strongest combat lies in Keyblade transformations, air mobility and Re Mind's demanding bosses.
Read article →Written review · Series coverageKingdom Hearts Melody of Memory
A rhythm-game celebration of the series' extraordinary music, with a small but important post-KHIII narrative epilogue.
Read article →Written review · spoiler-lightXenogears
An uncompromising science-fiction story whose ambitions still tower over the genre — even when the game cannot fully keep pace.
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