Didn't remember much about the original game even though I played it, but this remake is absolutely amazing.

The plot in this is pretty simple and straightforward, unlike its sequel, but this game really shines in its gameplay. They added so much QoL stuff from the laters entries plus some extra additions (like a dojo for Exp farming or the fact you can now see all of the entities onn the map) which, tho some may consider them to be ruining the experience, I thought they were great features in a genre that can easily become extremely infuriating for the dumbest reasons.

I initially thought the artstyle was ugly at first, but as time went on it grew on me and I now think it's on par with the great pixel art of the original games. Unfortunately, I know it's not a high budget game on the Switch, but there was some instances had HUGE lagging issues which extremely weird knowing what type of game this is. I also noticed huge input delays during the whole game so beware if you're allergic to that, and I know some people are.

The music is great too.

So overall I'd highly recommend this game, but still wait for a drop in price. Even though I loved it, $60 is way too much for this game. You can try out the demo version if you want but it didn't capture at all what the game was good at imo.

On its own it's kinda great, I enjoyed most of it and the last case is amazing as always; but coming after Apollo Justice, it felt really disappointing.

AJ made the bold move of "rebooting" the franchise, for the better and for the worst. Despite what you think of the general quality of the game, it introduced a new setting, tons of new characters, also kinda forgot alot of important ones too, and therefore set a new stage to transition into a new "Apollo Justice trilogy".
But then, Dual Destinies comes out and threw most of it in the trash, perhaps out of fear that the game wouldn't sell as much without the Phoenix Wright branding (idk).

The fact remains that giant leads and elements to make a good and seemingless new trilogy introduced in AJ are straight up never mentionned once in the game, like the new jury system, the MASON system, Apollo's parents, Kristoph's black psyche-locks (even though I don't mind the mystery in that case) or Ema Skye and Vera Misham who could have been good recurring characters. They instead felt the need to create a really weird backstory to Apollo that felt poorly thought out.

But enough talk about the past. What about the actual game on its own. Well, I thought it was a bit of a mess, but still pretty good. I think that Athena and Simon are fantastic, like the final case, the game looks and sounds gorgeous, filler cases 2 and 3 were good with neat twists and they manage to have 3 protagonists without being too messy imo.
However, the investigation phases are at their absolute worse in the series and I never felt this bored while doing these. They're just so easy and linear. Also, Pearl and Klavier's returns serve absolutely no real purpose in the game beside being fan-services, as they act almost exactly as in their original games which is a big shame.

So overall, I liked the game ngl, but it ultimately could have set a much better precedent for the series. Apollo Justice gave Dual Destinies all the keys to be something truly unique, but instead it went to the much safer route of making what has more or less been already done in the older games but in 3D.

After making the Erdrick trilogy, Yuji Horii and his team decided making one of the best and most ambitious game in the series (which is saying a lot): Dragon Quest IV.

The game features a somewhat generic story about a hero (you) on a journey to defeat evil from the world, alongside his/her companions. That last part is essentially important, as it is what makes this originally NES game truly shine.

Indeed, after a brief prologue (only present in the remakes) where you familiarize with the hero and their neighbours, the games now opens Chapter 1 and makes you play Ragnar McRyan, a soldier on a quest to find and rescue missing childs from the kingdom. This surprising turn of event is far from over, as the 4 first chapters of the game each makes you play a different cast of characters, each having their own separate background, musical theme and journey. These chapters all serve as a subtle tutorial to the game different mechanics, a buildup for the main plot and Psaro, the main antagonist constantly mentioned but never shown yet, and most importantly an introduction to all of the hero's companions: the "chosen" you play during those chapters.

This unconventional method of storytelling is really effective, as we are always extremely attached to each and every characters despite the fact they almost never talk or interact with each other, or at least until the iOS and Android version that introduces a neat party chat system to the game in the West. The chapters also serve on the gameplay perspective, as throughout them we ultimately get used to all the different class each companions have.

But after those are over, the game may now truly begins in chapter 5, the last chapter of the game where you finally get to play the main character, the hero you named at the very beginning of the game. Throughout this chapter, you gradually encounter the 7 companions you played earlier and once you get all of them, the game now plays an amazing and triumphant overworld song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSRnyb858dg&t=169s), celebrating your journey and your imminent victory.

As I wrote earlier, chapter 5 is where the game truly begins. Once you get a ship, the world map is now almost entirely open for exploration, much like in Dragon Quest II and III. You get to explore new towns with each having their own unique element, venture in dungeons/towers where the same can be said about them, revisit locations you familiarized in the previous chapters with most of them having something new to see, watch the plot unfolds as the events are happening... The traditional but damn enjoyable Dragon Quest formula.

As for the combat, it is the Dragon Quest menu you ordered as usual: simple, snappy, gratifying when the number goes up, and mostly relying on buffs/debuffs spells. The party customization is still as strong and amazing as in Dragon Quest III, because you have at your disposal so many characters with all the different jobs you need. There is tons of different weapons and equipments to buy or find in a chest, and many of them during the late-game have special capacities other than growing the defense stat, so some thinking must be done before battling.

The artstyle of the remake is amazing and even if the NES version sure looks like an NES game, the enemy designs by Akira Toriyama is really noticeable and excellent. The same can be said about the soundtrack. Originally composed as a symphonic piece, this is one of my favorite from the series and really sets the tone for the game (despite being composed by a warcrime denier but we don't talk about that...).

The remakes also add multiple features, most notably the possibily to control party members (rip persona 3 fans), gorgeous animated 2D sprites for the ennemies, a cool growing city you own, many QoL improvements and most importantly a 6th chapter after you finish the game that offers a new ending.

So overall, Dragon Quest IV is an absolute gem that every RPG fans should play. This is for me the game you should absolutely get if you wanna get into the series. But despite all of that, this game is often overshadowed by other entries in the franchise. And you know what? I completely agree with that, even though I just wrote a giant review praising it.

Dragon Quest is just that good.

Yoshi's Island is perhaps the most frustrating Mario game I played.
It looks and sounds amazing, as any 1st party SNES game does, it also has new interesting mechanics, but the scoring system is what completely ruined the game to me. Because finishing a level without obtaining a perfect score lefts me greatly disatified, I am constantly feeling the need to always have a 100% rating. But even then, I really enjoyed searching for the flowers and red coins. What I didn't enjoy however was having to finish levels with all my health. This ruined everything as the game constantly presents new ennemies and obstacles but Yoshi really doesn't feel as tight to control as Mario in SMW for example. Having to constantly be on my guard on every levels eventually felt like a chore and it became exhausting.
Maybe I am too harsh and that the main problem is simply me and my completionist impulse, but don't get it twisted, it pains me so much seeing myself beaten by this dumb baby game.