Weekend Gaming Playlist

It’s June! June is coming out all over, and that means adolescents will be clambering online for some fun due to their reduced academic hours, and adults will… well, we’ll be doing more of the same, I guess? Summer can be liberating for some, but it’s just another day in the eyes of the daily masses. Whether filled with hot and sticky summer escapades or long and hard work, at the end of the day, we all want to unwind with some quality video games. This weekend, I’ll be taking a look at some go-to, reliable titles, as well as some newcomers to the library thanks to Nintendo’s summer sales.

Shining Resonance Refrain

Long have I waited for an excuse to play this distant descendant of Shining Force, but never had the excuse to do so. Now that this full-length RPG is on-sale for a paltry fourteen dollars, however, I’ve finally taken the plunge on Shining Resonance Refrain. I know very little about the series, but from what I’ve seen, it’s a very anime, very tedious game that looks super silly and will likely occupy a good amount of my time. I’m looking forward to seeing how this specific RPG series structures its tropes and trappings as I delve into the title this weekend. In case you were curious, SwitchRPG has already covered Shining Resonance Refrain, and you can read our review here. Here’s hoping I feel the same about it.

BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!

The BOXBOY! series is one I have mixed feelings about, mostly because I feel too dumb to spot some of the “aha!” moments that many of the puzzles possess. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the first two titles in the series, which originally launched on 3DS in addition to an eventual third installment. Many believed that Bye-Bye, BoxBoy! would be the end to the madness that was this monochromatic hellscape. Little did we know, a sort-of co-op adventure would rear its ugly head and suck us all back into the repulsive world that is BoxBoy!. I’m only tentatively curious about this title, as I’m not all that fond of the powerups that proliferated Bye-Bye, BoxBoy!, but I’m open to any and all adorableness that Hal Laboratory has to offer, as well as their simplistic and novel approach to platforming and puzzle design.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

I’m looking to capture some footage of the definitive edition for an eventual comparison video, but truth be told, despite the quality of life upgrades that came with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, I find myself liking the other new additions a bit less. The generic anime remodeling of the playable cast as well as some strange reworkings of the original soundtrack have left me feeling cold. I am a very adamant fan of the Xenoblade series, so when I say that I’m not pleased with what has been reworked, I don’t mean to detract from the fact that this gem of an RPG is now available on Switch. But I don’t think that changes automatically equate to improvements, and seeing all the updated elements present in Futured Connected has only furthered my belief that sometimes the best of intentions have unintended consequences.

Spartan Fist

Okay, first things first, if you haven’t watched the theatrical trailer for Spartan Fist, then you haven’t witnessed the most brilliant example of video game promotion that exists on the Internet. Yes, that’s after having viewed the trailer for A Bard’s Quest ARPG. Watch it. Love it. Embrace this silly roguelike. Or don’t.

That’s just about everything I plan on playing this weekend. What are you all up to? As always, feel free to reach out in the comments below, or check out our Discord channel. We have plenty of matchmaking on our server, as well as up-to-date commentary and discussion of recent and upcoming RPG releases. Thanks for reading!