Joystiq [Nintendo]

Hoshigami Remix may look a little bit like Final Fantasy Tactics, but apparently that's the bitter end of all similarity. The best thing we can say here is that the reviews are packed with hilarity. The bad reviews say good things, and the good reviews seem delivered with disdain. It's like everyone signed a pact to be as confusing as possible!

But when it comes to the scores, we're disappointed -- a less-than-good SRPG on the DS just seems like a waste, considering the platform is so well-suited to the game type. Some of you reported difficulty finding Hoshigami Remix in stores this week -- and upon reflection, that may not be such a bad thing.

RPGFan -- 70%: "I did not enjoy playing Hoshigami: Remix. I did not find it fun. I found it irritating, monotonous, and cruel. There is a dedicated fanbase for this game, however, and if you're one of them, you will love the port. Also, if you play on Easy mode, none of the enemies can use Coinfeigms making most of the game a joke. I played on Normal and found the difficulty to be very uneven. Overall, you'll need to figure out for yourself whether or not you are the type of person who would enjoy Hoshigami: Remix. Most likely, however, you're not."

Games Radar -- 40%: "Almost all of these annoyances were present in the original Hoshigami, which is perhaps the most aggravating part of Remix. Despite all of the criticism levied against the original, the remake team failed to fix what needed to be repaired most. That's not to say there aren't any gameplay improvements - revival magic, once rare in the original, is available right off the bat, the stylus-controlled interface is quite intuitive, and you're allowed to save far more frequently (though there still isn't an in-battle quicksave feature). But in the end, these miniscule improvements tacked onto a broken game are like repairing a wrecked car with duct tape."

1UP -- 55%: "Basically, if you approach the game the wrong way, the newly tweaked difficulty will become a moot point by the time you get halfway through the game. Unfortunately, though, concentrating early on building your magical skills (which is really the best way to go) makes the first half of the game that much easier. Too easy, really. You'll be able to perform spells that your enemies just can't handle at that point in the game, thus wiping out entire armies in the blink of an eye. With all that being said, Hoshigami Remix is a satisfying role-playing experience, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into. Hardcore players may actually lament the slight ease in difficulty and the fact that the game doesn't give them the character development freedom it really should. But as far as portable RPGs go, you could do a lot worse than Hoshigami."