A simple story about love, sacrifice and loss that plays out on sheets of paper, where you can draw different three-dimensional figures and play with elements (e.g. start a fire or creating a wind gust) to solve puzzles, often based on physics. The puzzles are usually easy, but well-designed and the game as a whole is a sight to behold. [07/2018, p.72]

Generally State of Decay 2 looks more like a remaster of the original game than a true sequel. It just does not expand the formula enough and still contains too many repetitive activities that make you go through the motions for the sake of getting it done. That’s why I recommend playing it in short sessions. I have no doubt that people unfamiliar with the first State of Decay will enjoy the second one much more, as everything will be new to them. [07/2018, p.70]

Whereas the first game won our hearts as a love letter to cherished RPG legends (Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment), this one tempts us with its own unique flavour. The series moved away from the tried-and-true medieval fantasy setting in favor of seemingly dissonant elements (quasi-Nordic gods, strokes of traditional high fantasy, pirate mythology in the vein of Stevenson’s Treasure Island, culture of the Caribbean) that somehow fused together exceptionally well. On top of that its scale is noticeably bigger and there are tons of various improvements. All that makes Deadfire precisely the sequel it should be. [07/2018, p.66]

If you’ve never played Dark Souls, I obviously encourage you to try the new edition. Otherwise this remaster is not worth much and to me the only notable advantage of the PS4 version was that I could finally unplug my PS3. [07/2018, p.64]

Despite mediocre graphics, terrible animations and countless other defects at first I thought that Wild West Online has some potential. It does not. It quickly revealed itself as awfully boring and hollow. [07/2018, p.62]

Vampyr is unique. It’s not beautiful, its combat leaves much to be desired and its limited budget shows, but if you choose to turn a blind eye to these flaws, it will captivate you with its mature, morally ambiguous story and a series of dilemmas that usually lack a “right” answer. [07/2018, p.60]

Driving the unique vessel is very engaging but simple environmental puzzles are pale in comparison. At the end of the day Far: Lone Sails is a stylish, atmospheric tale of journey. [07/2018, p.58]

When picking up Ancestors Legacy, you need to be aware that it’s not a carbon copy of Age of Empires or Warcraft III. A lot of gameplay elements were designed in a new, original way and even though at first it does cause confusion, it quickly turns out to be one of the game’s most notable strengths (which also include visuals and entrancing soundtrack). [07/2018, p.54]

The game is full of all sorts of flaws and bugs, but thanks to deep mechanics and vast world it’s an enjoyable survival both in multiplayer and played solo (but less so in the latter case). [07/2018, p.52]

If anyone can introduce anything interesting into a runner genre, it’s Choice Provisions. Runner3 is one of very few such games that use their automaticity to their advantage instead of suffering from it. All levels are handcrafted, so there’s a true sense of progression and getting better by the hour, and the soundtrack is outstanding. [07/2018, p.51]

For the first couple of hours City of Brass was lots of fun, mainly thanks to the whip, which is a cool, versatile tool, and the game’s unique setting. Then scarcity of content reared its head and despite the efforts of a very capable procedural generation algorithm repetitiveness became more and more wearisome. [07/2018, p.50]

I’m highly impressed with Ironoak Games’ debut. If you’re ready for a long and painful (the difficulty level is so high!) but immensely satisfying wander across colorful fantasy realms, do not delay and buy this wonderful roguelike. [07/2018, p.48]

The game is a technological marvel but although David Cage’s storytelling has an ideal pace and the way the story branches out depending on your choices is praiseworthy, his writing is childishly naïve. His vision of Detroit is unconvincing from the ground up and all his characters are merely crude, threadbare archetypes, which made it impossible for me to suspend disbelief. What’s more, the game touches a sensitive problem of discrimination but doesn’t have the courage to take any stand, leaving us with a lukewarm tale about robots, told with clichés and truisms. [07/2018, p.42]

Sedna simply does not understand games from which it supposedly draws. [06/2018, p.77]

Multitude and diversity of interactions between characters are Dead in Vinland’s notable strengths but excessive impact of RNG on almost everything I did both disheartened me and robbed me of satisfaction. In addition random failures have negative effects on your characters, so you get caught in a spiral of hopelessness. The noose tightens. Despair knocks on your door. Death looks you in the eye. If you enjoy such pressure, give this Nordic tale a try. [06/2018, p.76]

Unique aesthetics and fun time travelling mechanics are not enough to make up for a bunch of design errors, repetitive procedurally generated environments and at times amateurish execution. [06/2018, p.74]

The title says it all. There is a corpse underneath the shroud and the virtues were indeed forsaken. The informal successor to the Ultima series proves that Tabula Rasa was not a one-time slip and Richard Garriott belongs in the past. [06/2018, p.70]

Attractive gameplay mechanics resulting in a unique flow, flashing neon visuals, crazy level design, quick pace and trance soundtrack make Octahedron hard to resist. [06/2018, p.68]

The Chronicles of Nyanya is like a shotgun loaded with popcultural references. The game clearly leans towards comedy, but its gameplay mechanics, though very basic, are well-thought-out. [06/2018, p.67]

New game by the developers of Luftrausers and Nuclear Throne is heavily based on 2D Zeldas and although it does not add much to the formula, it removes a lot of distractions, which makes it a compact and very fun little adventure. [06/2018, p.66]

The attempt to tell a more mature story in the Pokémon universe is commendable and Pikachu is really cool as a bitter, hoarse-voiced detective, but the game itself is mediocre and despite its genre never treated me as an intelligent being. [06/2018, p.65]

Give me a minute and I will come up with 17 better ways to spend 10 bucks. Give me two minutes and I will put together a whole list of Steam games both better and cheaper than Enoch, which I wouldn’t recommend getting even for free. [06/2018, p.64]

With its entertaining combat system, solid story and enjoyable puzzles Masters of Anima would’ve been excellent if it weren’t for small but irritating bugs and occasionally absurdly high difficulty level. [06/2018, p.62]

The atmosphere alongside with tough moral choices and many other merits makes Frostpunk absurdly engaging. [06/2018, p.58]

Part an RPG, part a strategy game, part a city builder, as a whole a fairy tale that makes Studio Ghibli and Dragon Quest spring to mind. [06/2018, p.56]

It’s a poor remaster, but what the game did right five years age (the story, the music, sensible puzzles) it still does right today. [06/2018, p.55]

A doubtlessly original title that offers a lot of fun through very extensive options of building, customizing and optimizing vehicles but could benefit from faster progression. [06/2018, p.52]

Neverwinter is still a solid game (especially the Hordes of the Underdark expansion is worth the time) but it was remastered so slightly that the originally hideous game became merely ugly. [06/2018, p.50]

The Enemy Within is less unpleasant than Guardians of the Galaxy or Minecraft: Story Mode in the same way catching a cold is less unpleasant than getting a full-blown flu. [06/2018, p.48]

MechCommanders’ beautiful dream finally came true in a form of a couple dozen hours of excellent tactical gameplay underpinned by good visuals and superb music. [06/2018, p.46]

Cory Barlog and his team achieved what many thought impossible – despite having changed almost everything Santa Monica managed to preserve that elusive spark that makes God of War game feel like a God of War game. They created one of the defining titles of the current generation and a technical marvel whose stunning beauty in motion words cannot describe. And there’s one more thing. Barlog’s touching reaction to his masterpiece’s scores shows that even in the world of huge budgets, micropayments, loot boxes and sales forecasts there still is a place for artists who pour their hearts into their work. We need someone to remind us of that once in a while. [06/2018, p.38]

Yet another proof that Steam Direct failed as a dam that was supposed to keep worthless rubbish from polluting Steam. [05/2018, p.83]

The depth of systems overseeing gameplay is commendable. It’s a shame though that few players will find enough patience to endure poorly balanced pace and experience Surviving Mars’ biggest strength – its inventive endgame. [05/2018, p.82]

An extraordinary game about ordinary problems, a bit too short, but creative in terms of combat. [05/2018, p.81]

A collection of varied party minigames, great for kids, too easy for adults with some gaming experience. [05/2018, p.80]

Due to very basic enemy AI Ghost of a Tale is not a particularly good stealth game, but its fairy tale charm is irresistible and although I worked hard for hours to escape the fortress, I was leaving it with genuine sorrow. [05/2018, p.78]

I’m very happy that FTL’s developer returned with a new game, as I spent almost 30 hours with Into the Breach and I feel like it was just a moment. [05/2018, p.76]

I felt Northgard’s unintuitive rules of territorial expansion needlessly limit my options but once I got used to them I had fun. Look for this game on Steam sales. [05/2018, p.75]

An audiovisual masterpiece (that water!) which does a decent job at concealing its repetitiveness and shortage of content behind the joy of being a pirate. [05/2018, p.70]

After all these years Bournout Paradise is still an amazing game with an exceptional sense of speed and some very clever design ideas. It’s not easy for me to understand why Electronic Arts chose Need for Speed over Burnout. [05/2018, p.69]

The remake not only highlights all flaws of the original, making me wonder why I loved the 1993’s Secret of Mana in the first place, but also introduces some new problems. [05/2018, p.68]

A delightfully absurd, genuinely funny tactical game that offers a lot of content, looks and sounds great and is an absolute blast to play in co-op. [05/2018, p.66]

A stylish, engaging game that could use more innovation and a quicker pace. [05/2018, p.65]

The sequel does everything better than the original Q.U.B.E. and is an absolute joy to look at. It is a great game for younger or less experienced players, because the puzzles, while satisfying, are easy and have single solutions. [05/2018, p.64]

Chuchel is Amanita’s crown jewel. The game moved me, but it had nothing to do with its story. My emotions arose from the sense of experiencing something pure, true and delightful. [05/2018, p.62]

Showdown follows the utterly brilliant Unlimited, so the new studio faced a huge challenge. What they came up with is a party spin-off, a decent one but also short-lived, as it offers few minigames (some of which borrow from Asteroids, Elastomania or Flappy Bird). It also features a Sandbox mode, which resembles original Scribblenauts but trails behind it. [05/2018, p.60]

Far Cry 5 is exactly what you would expect from a Far Cry game and not much more. It does the open world really well, but the bland story drags it down. The game touches a sensitive subject, but doesn’t have guts to actually say something and couldn’t convince me even for a minute that what’s happening could be real. What the franchise obviously needs is a new beginning, a leap of faith Assassin’s Creed Origins was brave enough to take. [05/2018, p.56]

Don’t expect to learn anything from Super Seducer. It’s so dumb and cringey it sometimes gets funny and it’s really hard to view it as anything more than a tasteless parody. [05/2018, p.55]

Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 does absolutely nothing to evolve the genre, but it’s OK. Not every game needs to be innovative, and this Belgian run’n’gun excels at squeezing every drop of fun out of every minute of gameplay using simple means and it looks amazing while doing it. [05/2018, p.54]

We need more games like A Way Out. Josef Fares’ new title is not only one of the best interactive movies ever made, it also understands and executes co-op exceptionally well and shows how much potential lies in the AA segment. [05/2018, p.53]

Hazelight’s interactive movie sets a new standard for co-op games. It’s varied, thrilling, very pretty and enjoyable for both hardcore and casual gamers. It evokes tons of positive emotions and I can’t remember last time an action game moved me so much. [05/2018, p.50]

Extreme off-road racing in the vein of early Dirt games, with impressively diverse scenery, surprisingly wide range of licensed cars and disappointingly poor audio. [05/2018, p.49]

A solid traditional point’n’click game with a very distinctive look (inspired by the medieval Danse Macabre art style) and great music. It is a bit too simple though and takes at most two hours to finish. [05/2018, p.48]

Simply put, Star Allies looks great, sounds great and plays great. [05/2018, p.47]

Wulverblade’s creator’s passion for ancient Britain’s history is obvious and it makes the game feel special even though underneath its educational layer you’ll find just a simple beat ‘em up. Its mechanics are not overly deep, but the fluidity and savagery of combat makes butchering large, beautiful sprites a true joy. [05/2018, p.46]

It’s neither a remake nor a remaster. Dream Diary is like a bold cover of a classic song, that uses the same themes but makes them more accessible, unfortunately intentionally losing some of the qualities that made the original piece unique. [05/2018, p.44]

If I were to compare Vermintide II to other titles, I would choose Left 4 Dead and Diablo, with Dark Messiah of Might and Magic coming in a close third place due to how combat feels. The game will eventually wear you down with its repetitiveness, because replaying scenarios is embedded in its design, but before it happens you’ll spend dozens of fun hours with it. [05/2018, p.42]

Ash of Gods is the best Banner Saga since The Banner Saga. The problem is that its developers hung on to the standards set by Stoic a bit too tight. [05/2018, p.40]

There are a lot of seemingly dissonant notes in The Song of Life, but from this chaos arises one of the best written open world games of this generation, a great technological foundation for upcoming Yakuzas and a beautiful farewell to Kazuma Kiryu. [05/2018, p.38]

It’s an admirably ambitious and atmospheric game that sometimes sparkles like a diamond, but the PS4 version I played was so ridiculously underdeveloped I couldn’t believe someone had the nerve to publish it in such a disgraceful state. [04/2018, p.45]

Every Valentine’s Day I buy a box of dried fruit ice cream, drink wine straight from the bottle, watch Bridget Jones’s Diary and cry in the shower. This year was worse though, because I decided to play Love or Loved: A Bullet For My Valentine. [04/2018, p.76]

Crossing Souls is brimming with cultural references to the 80s but does little more than that. [04/2018, p.75]

It’s a decent DLC, but also a redundant one. Shadow of War’s core gameplay is still entertaining, but Blade of Galadriel offers merely around three hours of new story content and no side activities apart from killing captains for legendary gear, which is moderately engaging pastime. [04/2018, p.74]

In theory a lot has changed in the latest Dynasty Warriors (open world being the most notable addition) but in reality it’s the same game. It can be really enjoyable and at times impressive in terms of scale, but I got bored with it quite quickly. [04/2018, p.72]

I’m glad Bayonetta 2 finally managed to escape the Wii U prison, because it’s too good a game to rot along a dying platform. PlatinumGames’ series is the pinnacle of the hack’n’slash genre and I strongly recommend it to every Switch user. [04/2018, p.71]

Revamped career mode is extremely enjoyable this time and the game as a whole is a step forward for the franchise. UFC 3 looks amazing, as you can clearly see the effects of trading blows – injuries, blood staining the shorts, sweat trickling down the skin. What needs to be dealt with in the next installment is the ground game, which trails way behind entertaining, dynamic stand-up fighting. [04/2018, p.70]

Apart from little variety of enemies and interiors this roguelike’s biggest flaw is that it does nothing to draw the player away from the boring playstyle based on eliminating enemies from a safe distance. [04/2018, p.68]

Despite having spent four years in Early Access the game is still very far from being finished. [04/2018, p.65]

A charming metroidvania with a disappointingly bland story and poor stealth segments. Its simple gameplay is relaxing but I longed for more tension and a sense of grand adventure that Fe lacks. [04/2018, p.66]

Subnautica is hands down the best survival game I have ever experienced. I completely lost track of time while playing it and for the first time in ages I rescheduled my appointments and neglected my responsibilities to spend more time with a game. If I could I would hand out free copies in the streets so as many people as possible can see how ridiculously good Subnautica is. [04/2018, p.62]

I’m torn. On the one hand it’s Age of Empires as I remember it, atmosphere and spirit intact. On the other hand despite refreshed graphics it’s simply an old game so sentiment seems the only driving factor here. [04/2018, p.61]

Past Cure suffers from meager budget, but it’s a passable game and a decent debut. It seems Phantom 8 are a skilled bunch that can surprise us with their future projects after they gather more experience and secure more significant resources. [04/2018, p.59]

An interesting niche game that requires patience for slow pace and some tolerance for bugs and simplifications. [04/2018, p.58]

Despite its skillfully achieved cinematic feel Remothered is not an interactive movie but a full-blooded survival horror – suspenseful, well-written and worth recommending if you’re a fan of the genre. [04/2018, p.57]

Metal Gear Survive’s underlying concept is not bad and the game has a couple of good moments, but I can’t recommend it to anyone. It’s best to steer clear of it. [04/2018, p.54]

Celeste has a lot going for it: virtuoso level design, top notch pixel art, fantastic chiptune soundtrack, an overall smart design, huge speedrunning potential and some deeper meaning (climbing the mountain as a metaphor of overcoming depression). Be aware though that it requires flawless precision and you will count your deaths in thousands. [04/2018, p.53]

A challenging survival game with a dark atmosphere and intriguing story. It’s much better than its price suggests, but can be really frustrating when the random factor (implemented to intensify tension) goes rogue and causes almost all the systems in your base to malfunction within half a minute. [04/2018, p.52]

A skillfully written, nonlinear interactive movie that despite its cyberpunk setting touches upon modern topics (like the LGBT movement or disabilities) and does it in a tactful, natural way. [04/2018, p.51]

The concept behind this 3D platformer (you play as a candle that can burn for merely 10 seconds to illuminate the environment) is interesting, but I found the narrative to be unnecessarily pretentious and the amateurish execution did not help either. [04/2018, p.50]

Dandara’s unconventional movement system makes strategic thinking equally important as nimble fingers. Long Hat House’s take on the metroidvania genre might get frustrating sometimes due to lack of precision necessary to navigate some of the environments, but beautiful, creative visuals do a great job at soothing nerves. [04/2018, p.49]

A solid expansion that lacks a wow factor. It failed to surprise me but I found two (out of three) new maps to be really good. [04/2018, p.48]

Upon the release the PC version is the only reasonable way to enjoy Kingdom Come. And there’s a lot to enjoy, because historically accurate Middle Ages are an awesome setting. The beginning of the game might not be spectacular, but give Deliverance a chance and it will develop into a unique, deep, gripping experience. [04/2018, p.42]

It’s not just a Minecraft rip-off. Square Enix expanded Mojang’s concept and infused the game with tons of Dragon Quest. [03/2018, p.74]

Somehow Telltale proved that adventures, slaying monsters and saving friends can be boring. [03/2018, p.74]

A lot of included mini-games are genuinely fun, but those based on blind luck are completely useless. [03/2018, p.73]

Penile jokes aside, Genital Jousting is based on an interesting idea and offers an exceptionally original single player campaign and a fun multiplayer component (that does however get stale after a while). [03/2018, p.72]

Bae Team managed to create such distinctive feline characters, that I still smile at the thought of some of them, but the visuals are mediocre most of the time and the game as a whole is afraid to step outside of the genre’s restrictive bounds. [03/2018, p.71]

Just like World of Tanks Blitz, World of Warships Blitz is a compact version of the game we know. As such it’s an experience both very familiar and surprisingly fresh. [03/2018, p.70]

If you haven’t already played this shmup/platformer hybrid, do yourself a favor and pick up Critical Mass Edition, as it might be the best game that flew under your radar. Over three years after its initial release I’m still in awe of its brilliant design and how skillfully the developers merged common elements into something surprisingly fresh and remarkably enjoyable. [03/2018, p.69]

It’s a good remaster, but frankly I find it unnecessary. Those who have already played the game on PS2 or PS3 will find nothing new here, and those who didn’t have the chance to get acquainted with it probably will not understand what we saw in Shadow of the Colossus 12 years ago, when gaming reality was completely different. [03/2018, p.66]

Bear with FPWW’s visuals, because this game offers what WWE 2K can’t – pure fun. You’ll probably need quite a long time to get used to its controls, but when you do, you will enjoy the game’s excellent flow and the feeling of participating in a wrestling spectacle, not just a dressed up regular fighting game. [03/2018, p.64]

Mom Hid My Game! makes up for its minimalistic visuals and simple mechanics with absurd humor and untamed creativity. [03/2018, p.63]

If you’re OK with getting more of the same, you will probably enjoy The Hidden Ones, but as a fan of the series I found nothing memorable in this DLC. [03/2018, p.62]

In theory it’s a relaxing experience, but before you start relaxing, you need to learn to live with InnerSpace’s quite a few problems. [03/2018, p.60]

Life indeed is strange. I was dead certain that Before the Storm simply cannot be good, but it turned out just fine. It’s really well-written, with fleshed out characters and some humor here and there. I applaud the writers for ditching science fiction elements, but I wish BtS was as good a thriller as it is a love story. [03/2018, p.58]

There’s no doubt that Dragon’s Lair deserves its place in the hall of fame, but today it’s just a colorful postcard sent from a dead end of video game evolution. It’s still fun to watch (especially Time Warp, which is brilliant as an animated short film), but a chore to play. [03/2018, p.57]

Great puzzle game with a distinct aftertaste of Zachtronics’ first hit – SpaceChem. [03/2018, p.56]

When Outcast was published 18 years ago, it was ahead of its time in many ways. It can still be impressive, but the remaster does very little to adjust it to modern conditions. I could have turned the blind eye to unevenly refreshed visuals but Second Coming is oppressively archaic in too many aspects and shamefully buggy even after two patches. [03/2018, p.55]