Latest Reviews of KEMCO Games
Mini Review Marenian Tavern Story: Patty And The Hungry God (Switch) - Solid If Familiar Fare
Meet Patty
This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format. Marenian Tavern Story: Patty and the Hungry God...
Review Citizens Unite!: Earth x Space (Switch) - Two Mid-Tier RPGs For The Price Of One
Ambassador, with these RPGs you are really spoiling us
Comedy in video games is an extremely difficult prospect. As everyone well knows, the truest comedy in the medium comes from the stupid jokes and antics of you playing with your friends; scripted yuks are generally hamstrung by the inherent repetition and player-controlled pacing of any given...
Review Raging Loop (Switch) - A Gorgeous Visual Novel Cursed With Pacing Problems
Kill or be killed
If you’ve ever had a friend excitedly praise whatever TV series they’re currently watching only to have them, almost apologetically, say “it starts off really slow but gets really good about 12 episodes/chapters in” then you’ll have a really good idea of what it’s like to play Raging Loop. Initially, Raging Loop’s...
Review Fernz Gate (Switch) - A Retro-Style RPG With Some Interesting Ideas
When worlds collide
You’ve really got to feel sorry for developer releasing a traditional RPG on Nintendo Switch in the wake of Octopath Traveler. Square Enix’s throwback summer release may have had a few niggling issues, but it took all the things we loved from the glory days of Final Fantasy and made them feel fresh and new once more. Fernz...
Review Asdivine Hearts (Switch eShop)
Shock to the heart
Kemco’s prolific JRPG output was a staple of the 3DS and Wii U eShops, and continues apace on the Switch, with the initial release of last year’s Revenant Saga followed by Dragon Sinker and now Asdivine Hearts. A port of a 2014 mobile release by Exe Create, Asdivine Hearts is an old-school JRPG that’s entirely competent but...
Review Dragon Sinker (Switch eShop)
Legendary Sinker or Legendary Stinker?
If you were around playing games in the late '80’s and early '90’s you might have caught a fever, a JRPG fever. More often than not you would spend hours reading and gazing at the images on video gaming magazines at Japan-exclusive titles that were deemed unmarketable in the West. Among many of those games...
Ghosts in the machine
While some videogame genres remain quite open-ended in interpretation - puzzles or platformers, for instance - others have become decidedly codified. Perhaps no template exemplifies this phenomenon as much as the ‘roguelike’, a game type born from its 1980 PC namesake and with a modern presence on nearly every console under...
Review Mom Hid My Game! (Switch eShop)
Mum's the word
This summer's Nindies showcase thrust a number of smaller, lesser known and previously unannounced titles into the Nintendo Switch buying publics consciousness, including Mom Hid My Game!. It's fair to say that it was met with a wide spectrum of reactions. Mostly somewhere between bewilderment and ridicule, the game didn't...
Review Revenant Saga (Switch eShop)
Irreverent
Few systems have been blessed with the sheer number of RPGs of Nintendo’s plucky little 3DS, and perhaps no publisher has been as persistent in its contribution to that collection as KEMCO. It's brought more than a dozen titles — most of them mobile ports — to the 3DS’ eShop, alongside a smaller number to the Wii U, and now that...
Review Legna Tactica (3DS eShop)
Tactica Generica
Kemco has been steadily supplying gamers with a glut of RPGs through the 3DS eShop over the past few years, all ported from mobile and mostly middling in the truest sense of the word — decent but forgettable games that riff off of classics. As the company's latest release, Legna Tactica is a dependable continuation of that policy,...
Latest KEMCO Articles
News Kemco TGS Sale Discounts 15 RPGs Across Switch And 3DS
Up to 55% off
With the Tokyo Games Show 2022 bound to bring us news galore from the JRPG genre, KEMCO's latest sale (who would have thought they'd do another one?) is here to ensure that your Nintendo consoles are sufficiently stocked to the very brim in that genre department as we head into Fall — especially after all the games announced during...
News Zelda-Inspired Turn-Based RPG 'Gale of Windoria' Coming To Switch Next Month
Because you can never have enough dungeons
The turn-based RPG market has really soared on Switch this year and the Zelda-inspired title, Gale of Windoria looks set to capitalise on the genre's success when it releases on August 4th. Apart from that Wind Waker-esque name, the game is rendered in a classical top-down pixel art style that immediately...
News Become The Overlord In KEMCO's Deckbuilding Roguelite Overrogue, Out Soon
Roguebuilding Decklike
Another roguelite deckbuilder is on the way, and this one is being published by KEMCO, with old-school JRPG-style art — picture Castlevania-meets-Final Fantasy-meets Slay The Spire. It's called Overrogue, and it's all about working your way up to the grand title of Overlord by making your way through dungeons and labyrinths,...
News Infinite Links Is The Latest KEMCO RPG Heading To Switch
From developer EXE-CREATE
Ever since the 3DS eShop, in particular, KEMCO has been a prolific publisher on Nintendo's download stores. It's continued this run on Switch, with a varied mix of titles but a particularly heavy focus on RPGs, which is undoubtedly welcome for fans of the genre. The next is now confirmed for the eShop (along with...
News 'Blacksmith Of The Sand Kingdom' Gets Physical Switch Release
Limited Run Edition available today
Rideon Japan's Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom, an "item creation" style JRPG in the vein of the Atelier Ryza series, has gone and got itself a physical edition which is available via Limited Run Games from today. The game, which released on Switch eShop on 7th January, offers a simplified take on Atelier's...
News Save Up To 50 Percent With Kemco's 'Mega Holiday Sale'
Mom Hid My Game! Citizens Unite! Alphadia Genesis 1 and 2!
Kemco is holding a festive sale on the Switch eShop which is offering up to 50% off the price of some of its titles. We've got the usual selection of JRPGs and the like, as well as three of the popular 'Mom Hid my...' series, all with sizeable discounts for Christmas. Kemco's sale also...
News RPGolf Legends Could Give Golf Story A Run For Its Money Next Year
"A unique world where monsters and golf coexist!"
The idea of mixing an RPG with a sports game might not be unique – Golf Story got there a long time ago – but Japanese indie studio ArticNet is giving it a try regardless. RPGolf Legends is set in a fantasy world where all of the golf holes have been
Random The Internet Is Dunking On Space Jam 2's Game Boy Cameo
Come on and slam, and yell at new Space Jam
Pedants and mega-nerds, look away now: Space Jam: A New Legacy had a lovely Game Boy cameo, and in a shocking turn of events, people on the internet are up in arms about it. In the first five minutes of the movie, amid the usual setup of "young boy has a dream, but also, is sad", a miniature version of...
News Mom Hid My Game! 2 Can Be Found On The Switch Today
Parenting 101
Way back in the distant past of 2017, Mom Hid My Game! was a quirky inclusion in one of Nintendo's early-era Nindie Showcases. Originating on mobile, it's a simple premise in which you investigate scenes and solve puzzles to find what is clearly a DS, and that's pretty much it. Its charming style and simplicity, along with a budget...
News KEMCO RPG Asdivine Cross Arrives on Switch Very Soon
Save the world, you know the drill
If any publisher has cornered the eShop market in affordable download fantasy RPGs, it's KEMCO, and it has supported developer EXE-CREATE with seven releases, five of them on Nintendo Switch. The latest to be confirmed for Switch eShop is Asdivine Cross, which was actually previously released on the 3DS eShop;...
Feature The Game That Starred Mickey Mouse, Ghostbusters Or Garfield, Depending On Your Region
Navigating Kemco's Crazy Castle series
Three huge licences. One average game. Every weekend here at Nintendo Life we take a look at regional box art variants for retro video games and run a poll on which one is best. It's a fun, light-hearted exercise; really just an excuse to look at fantastic (and some not-so-fantastic) old-school cover art,...
Poll Box Art Brawl #45 - Phalanx
Dueling banjo
And we're back with another edition of Box Art Brawl, your weekly opportunity to peruse covers of video games past and pick your favourite. Last week we checked out Super C, although Super C didn't actually win the vote. Nope, it was the European Probotectors who took the title with a small but significant (and surprising) margin over...
Random Here's Why SNES Shooter Phalanx Had That Weird Banjo Guy On Its Cover
"Today it might be called a WTF moment"
Kemco's Phalanx may not be one of the greatest 16-bit shooters ever made - heck, it's not even close to being one of the best shooters on the SNES - but it has become famous for having one of the strangest western covers in gaming history. Even at the time of release, people simply couldn't fathom what an old...
News Grinsia Heading To The North American 3DS eShop On 8th May
No news on a European release date as yet
Kemco’s well received iOS and Android title, Grinsia, will finally be arriving on the 3DS eShop next month. The port of the classic JRPG-style game is being published by Nicalis, which has previously brought us indie games such as Cave Story and VVVVVV; it's recently confirmed the release date on its...
News Nicalis: Kemco's Mobile RPG Grinsia Coming to 3DS
May give retro fans a reason to smile
Fans of the old-school JRPG style may want to keep an eye on developer Nicalis, as it's recently announced plans to bring Kemco’s Grinsia to the 3DS. The reveal was made in an exclusive two-page interview with Nicalis’s Tyron Rodriquez in Nintendo Force magazine. Grinsia is among Kemco’s number of RPGs...
News The Sword of Hope II Strikes Europe Next Week
Hopefully yours
The Sword of Hope II will arrive on Europe's 3DS Virtual Console next week on 9th August. The Game Boy RPG, which came out on North America's eShop a couple of weeks ago, follows Prince Theo as he tries to retrieve the Sword of Hope, stop an evil spirit and clear his name of murder. All in a day's work. You'll be able to recruit...
Nintendo Download 26 May 2009 (Japan)
Four for WiiWare
A little bit of madness and some exciting Arcade Classic surprises coming to the Japanese Wii next week, whilst the Japanese DSiWare service comes out of a dry spell. On the WiiWare front we have four titles coming out next Tuesday: Muscle March from Namco Bandai for 800 points features body builders and a...polar bear...trying to...
News Kemco TGS Sale Discounts 15 RPGs Across Switch And 3DS
Up to 55% off
With the Tokyo Games Show 2022 bound to bring us news galore from the JRPG genre, KEMCO's latest sale (who would have thought they'd do another one?) is here to ensure that your Nintendo consoles are sufficiently stocked to the very brim in that genre department as we head into Fall — especially after all the games announced during...
News Zelda-Inspired Turn-Based RPG 'Gale of Windoria' Coming To Switch Next Month
Because you can never have enough dungeons
The turn-based RPG market has really soared on Switch this year and the Zelda-inspired title, Gale of Windoria looks set to capitalise on the genre's success when it releases on August 4th. Apart from that Wind Waker-esque name, the game is rendered in a classical top-down pixel art style that immediately...
News Become The Overlord In KEMCO's Deckbuilding Roguelite Overrogue, Out Soon
Roguebuilding Decklike
Another roguelite deckbuilder is on the way, and this one is being published by KEMCO, with old-school JRPG-style art — picture Castlevania-meets-Final Fantasy-meets Slay The Spire. It's called Overrogue, and it's all about working your way up to the grand title of Overlord by making your way through dungeons and labyrinths,...
News Infinite Links Is The Latest KEMCO RPG Heading To Switch
From developer EXE-CREATE
Ever since the 3DS eShop, in particular, KEMCO has been a prolific publisher on Nintendo's download stores. It's continued this run on Switch, with a varied mix of titles but a particularly heavy focus on RPGs, which is undoubtedly welcome for fans of the genre. The next is now confirmed for the eShop (along with...
News 'Blacksmith Of The Sand Kingdom' Gets Physical Switch Release
Limited Run Edition available today
Rideon Japan's Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom, an "item creation" style JRPG in the vein of the Atelier Ryza series, has gone and got itself a physical edition which is available via Limited Run Games from today. The game, which released on Switch eShop on 7th January, offers a simplified take on Atelier's...
News Save Up To 50 Percent With Kemco's 'Mega Holiday Sale'
Mom Hid My Game! Citizens Unite! Alphadia Genesis 1 and 2!
Kemco is holding a festive sale on the Switch eShop which is offering up to 50% off the price of some of its titles. We've got the usual selection of JRPGs and the like, as well as three of the popular 'Mom Hid my...' series, all with sizeable discounts for Christmas. Kemco's sale also...
News RPGolf Legends Could Give Golf Story A Run For Its Money Next Year
"A unique world where monsters and golf coexist!"
The idea of mixing an RPG with a sports game might not be unique – Golf Story got there a long time ago – but Japanese indie studio ArticNet is giving it a try regardless. RPGolf Legends is set in a fantasy world where all of the golf holes have been
Random The Internet Is Dunking On Space Jam 2's Game Boy Cameo
Come on and slam, and yell at new Space Jam
Pedants and mega-nerds, look away now: Space Jam: A New Legacy had a lovely Game Boy cameo, and in a shocking turn of events, people on the internet are up in arms about it. In the first five minutes of the movie, amid the usual setup of "young boy has a dream, but also, is sad", a miniature version of...
News Mom Hid My Game! 2 Can Be Found On The Switch Today
Parenting 101
Way back in the distant past of 2017, Mom Hid My Game! was a quirky inclusion in one of Nintendo's early-era Nindie Showcases. Originating on mobile, it's a simple premise in which you investigate scenes and solve puzzles to find what is clearly a DS, and that's pretty much it. Its charming style and simplicity, along with a budget...
News KEMCO RPG Asdivine Cross Arrives on Switch Very Soon
Save the world, you know the drill
If any publisher has cornered the eShop market in affordable download fantasy RPGs, it's KEMCO, and it has supported developer EXE-CREATE with seven releases, five of them on Nintendo Switch. The latest to be confirmed for Switch eShop is Asdivine Cross, which was actually previously released on the 3DS eShop;...
Feature The Game That Starred Mickey Mouse, Ghostbusters Or Garfield, Depending On Your Region
Navigating Kemco's Crazy Castle series
Three huge licences. One average game. Every weekend here at Nintendo Life we take a look at regional box art variants for retro video games and run a poll on which one is best. It's a fun, light-hearted exercise; really just an excuse to look at fantastic (and some not-so-fantastic) old-school cover art,...
Poll Box Art Brawl #45 - Phalanx
Dueling banjo
And we're back with another edition of Box Art Brawl, your weekly opportunity to peruse covers of video games past and pick your favourite. Last week we checked out Super C, although Super C didn't actually win the vote. Nope, it was the European Probotectors who took the title with a small but significant (and surprising) margin over...
Random Here's Why SNES Shooter Phalanx Had That Weird Banjo Guy On Its Cover
"Today it might be called a WTF moment"
Kemco's Phalanx may not be one of the greatest 16-bit shooters ever made - heck, it's not even close to being one of the best shooters on the SNES - but it has become famous for having one of the strangest western covers in gaming history. Even at the time of release, people simply couldn't fathom what an old...
News Grinsia Heading To The North American 3DS eShop On 8th May
No news on a European release date as yet
Kemco’s well received iOS and Android title, Grinsia, will finally be arriving on the 3DS eShop next month. The port of the classic JRPG-style game is being published by Nicalis, which has previously brought us indie games such as Cave Story and VVVVVV; it's recently confirmed the release date on its...
News Nicalis: Kemco's Mobile RPG Grinsia Coming to 3DS
May give retro fans a reason to smile
Fans of the old-school JRPG style may want to keep an eye on developer Nicalis, as it's recently announced plans to bring Kemco’s Grinsia to the 3DS. The reveal was made in an exclusive two-page interview with Nicalis’s Tyron Rodriquez in Nintendo Force magazine. Grinsia is among Kemco’s number of RPGs...
News The Sword of Hope II Strikes Europe Next Week
Hopefully yours
The Sword of Hope II will arrive on Europe's 3DS Virtual Console next week on 9th August. The Game Boy RPG, which came out on North America's eShop a couple of weeks ago, follows Prince Theo as he tries to retrieve the Sword of Hope, stop an evil spirit and clear his name of murder. All in a day's work. You'll be able to recruit...
Nintendo Download 26 May 2009 (Japan)
Four for WiiWare
A little bit of madness and some exciting Arcade Classic surprises coming to the Japanese Wii next week, whilst the Japanese DSiWare service comes out of a dry spell. On the WiiWare front we have four titles coming out next Tuesday: Muscle March from Namco Bandai for 800 points features body builders and a...polar bear...trying to...