Over the last decade, Nintendo’s been known for their reticence towards online play even as it’s come to define video games in the 21st century. But what many might not know is that the company was actually an early experimenter in the field of internet-enabled gaming, releasing an add-on to the Super Famicom way back in 1995 that enabled players to download new titles and remixed classics.oduct

To me, there’s no game quite like Actual Sunlight. As an RPG Maker title, it may not be the prettiest game, but Actual Sunlight delves deep into the subject of depression, and how a mental illness that many ignore can have subtle (and not so subtle) effects on someone who may otherwise seem like a normal person.

The new God of War title released last month, and it had many gamers talking about a subject that’s not brought up often in the gaming sphere–fatherhood. It’s for a good reason, too, as the tale of Kratos and Atreus is an amazingly told tale. But as Kratos learns to build bonds with his son and deals with the loss of his wife, I can’t help but think of a lesser-known gaming father and his tale. His wasn’t a story of redemption, though, but of sacrificing everything for your child.

Monster Hunter: World can be described with many words but ‘realistic’ is not a prominent one. After all, you’re fighting giant fantastical beasts with absurdly large weapons, all while your bipedal pet cat runs around in a fairy outfit. Many aspects of the Monster Hunter series fall clearly in the realm of fantasy, but one aspect of these games that is realistic is how women, and their bodies, are represented.

The Banner Saga 3 was released late in July to overall critical praise. Stoic’s strategy RPG trilogy was never known to be happy and uplifting, but as the story moved forward to its resolution, it was increasingly clear to see that there would be no happy end to this tale. How exactly it ended, though, was left up to the player, left to placate a man who has all but lost faith in the world and humanity and is being forced into a difficult decision.

If I asked you what an “EV” is in Pokémon, you might assume I was talking about the lovable little fox creature that evolves into a myriad different forms. But if you’re a competitive Pokémon player, you know exactly what those two letters mean—effort values. These values are increased by battling different kinds of Pokémon and give monsters a valuable edge, but the games won’t show them to you in any menu. And they’re just one of the hidden, deeper mechanics in the series that go beyond the well-known rock-paper-scissors of type matchups and factor into the complex world of competitive Pokémon battling.

Visual novels arguably have less to impress gamers than other genres. With no real ‘gameplay’ to speak of, visual novels need to rely heavily on narrative prowess to make a lasting impression. Originally released in Japan in 2012, but only getting an English localization in 2016, The House in Fata Morgana is pegged as a horror visual novel. As the player explores the desolate mansion and views the different tragedies of the past, however, the game slowly unravels its tangled plot threads, revealing that it’s much more than just a compilation of sad tales.

When people think of sidequests, they often only think of the ones that offer an interesting narrative or character motivation. Whether it’s beating up a bunch of thugs to get a kid’s video game back in Yakuza 0, or taking down a mighty djinn in The Witcher 3, people will often point to these games as shining examples of what sidequests should be. Many RPGs’ side content gets held up to The Witcher 3’s high storytelling standards in particular, and often players come away disappointed that most games have more typical, fetch quest style sidequests in comparison.