The vast majority of the game is an extremely engaging and rewarding survival game that is made only more fun when you have friends to jump into a server with. Advancing through the research trees and advancing from merely surviving in the wasteland to comfortably living in it is a great experience, and is one that CryoFall offers players in a unique way.

When all is said and done, Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… brings a cult classic to a new generation of gamers. If you love deep emotional, character-driven stories that will make you both laugh and cry, even if some of the gameplay suffers a bit, this game is a must-play.

Atelier Mysterious Trilogy offers up a lot of fun, though it might be frustrating at times. I think it’s a nice game to play a bit of at a time, each day, rather than all in one sitting. Not having a hard and fast time limit is definitely a perk. But there are still many little things that frustrated me at times while I immersed myself in the mysterious world of Atelier Mysterious Trilogy.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is a must-play for die-hard fans of the original. Though I found myself having some fun with the characters and gameplay, the game’s lack of explanation it gives to players about literally everything makes it hard to recommend to new players.

I cannot think of a single negative thing to say about The House in Fata Morgana. My time with the game was well spent, and I crave a replay as soon as possible, so I can dive even deeper and appreciate the game at a different pace. This definitive version of the Fata Morgana series is perfectly suited for the Switch, allowing you to read on the go as you move through one of the most beloved visual novels in the genre.

Seven Deadly Sins — Greed is a lean DLC but it sure is shiny. The Greed Enumeration Escalation does a good job of building on itself, utilizes elements from the past to impact the next stage, and it offers different challenges not previously available that will push you to interact with Dubai in different ways. Plus, the suit is phenomenal.

When all is said and done, Cobra Kai: Card Fighter delivers what could’ve been a fun karate-themed diversion, but instead it bogs it down with tedious grinding gameplay that serves no purpose but to deprive the player of what simple enjoyment the games basic mechanics might have offered.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is a game that every Switch owner needs to get their hands on, especially if they’ve been a longtime Mario and Nintendo fan. Pairing the base game with the new Bowser’s Fury expansion creates a phenomenal blend of 2D platforming from a 3D perspective. It allows the player to further explore these mechanics in a more open-world environment while portraying Bowser in a new light.

With an exciting new region, new mechanics, and themes adding a bevy of new strategies to the game, this new expansion looks to really shake up the meta in an exciting way.

I ultimately found very little that I disliked about GNOSIA. If anything, I can’t recommend it enough, and honestly, I can’t wait to get back to playing it. In fact, I’m ready to loop through another fight against the Gnosia again.

It is fortunate for Bravely Default II, that the strength of its combat and world designs outweigh its odd design choices and uninspired writing, if only barely. It is enough to keep the experience enjoyable, but it is unlikely that it is one that will stick with you for very long.

Ignoring all of what the game neglected to improve over the original version, it is still an enjoyable addition to the Doodle God franchise. While perhaps not the first entry I’d gravitate towards, the devilish theme and your quest to brew all of the sins, chaos, demons, and maladies in the world are amusing and get you thinking creatively as well as any other game in the series. But if you’re looking for a new generation of chemistry game gameplay, this definitely isn’t it.

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos is a marvelous farewell to the memorable cast and locales that this game has delivered to players. If you have enjoyed the quirky adventures of the Unreliable’s “heroic” crew, you owe it to yourself to experience this last hurrah in Halcyon.

The bursts of fun are weighed down by a small pool of visually bland and overly similar maps, a lack of any meaningful progression, clunky gunplay, and some serious balancing issues. For fans looking for a new game to blend FPS and RTS gameplay, Eximius: Seize the Frontline has some fun to offer. But for fans of just one of those genres, the mix will likely detract too much to be enjoyable.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a promising start of a new chapter in the long-running farm/life simulator’s history. All the pieces are in place for an unforgettable experience, with its peaceful and serene location, endlessly customizable landscape, and an unprecedented abundance of crafts and projects to pursue. While at times unwieldy, there’s something for everyone here, especially those who are interested in the organization and production management aspect of running a farm.

While there are some problems with pacing, mechanics, and glitches, Paradise Lost paints an interesting and immersive tale. Despite that the game’s objectives are simplistic, the short playtime is just right to produce a satisfying ending without dragging on.

The best way to summarize Genesis Noir is that it is an art piece that is only possible in its medium. It is a beautiful experience full of emotional connections, and that is told genuinely and with such intelligence that it is deeply relatable. It is a profound experience and one wholly unique to the industry.

A great game for a weekend or even just an afternoon, DARQ: Complete Edition packs in about 4-6 hours of spooky puzzles. Best enjoyed with headphones, its strengths are its immersive and chilling sound design provided by Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman’s Bjørn Jacobsen, and its creative, perspective-shifting platforming within a vividly realized world. While it leans more unsettling than scary and at times relies too heavily on cheap scares, it’s a satisfying, imaginative game that is well-deserving of an afternoon. I wouldn’t recommend it to cure any sleep issues, though.

Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace is an enjoyable title, especially for its modest price point. There is enough that it does right to make it well worth a playthrough, but the linear nature of the story and levels makes playing through the game again unappealing, even with the choice of multiple starting investigators. It does a lot of elegant translation of the mechanics from the board game into a video game, but there is a lack of cohesion and spice that make the ideas and mechanics not mesh well together.

While Outriders doesn’t invent any new mechanics, the story is enjoyable, and the interesting classes, gear system, and world tiers make for some very challenging but fun gameplay. There were definitely a few hiccups on release day, and there are some easy alterations that can be made to make Outriders more accessible. But I would definitely recommend picking up this title.