Does ancient AI ruin the fun? No, and neither do some graphical flaws. There’s a reason for Rome being so cherished by Total War fans, and the developers did great job at rejuvenating this magnificent classic. Grab your pilum, Carthage must be destroyed! [07/2021, p.66]

Not only is this budget hack’n’slash a quality game, but it also introduces to the genre a small but refreshing novelty – the ability to jump over obstacles and bounce off walls to reach areas inaccessible to typical Diablo slayers. [09/2015, p.53]

A very ambitious game that has much more than just ambition going for it. Immersion and visuals are top notch, parkour was more enjoyable for me than in Assassin’s Creed, and it’s also hard to find equally good and satisfying melee combat anywhere. If only the story was less cliché and developers had more time to polish the game. [03/2014, p.83]

A bunch of interesting characters, polished visuals and a decent soundtrack are not enough for me to remember The Night of the Rabbit. Writers missed a couple of opportunities to astonish the player and therefore wasted the potential of a promising story. [CD-Action 08/2013, p.72]

It’s a one trick pony, and that trick is moderately amusing and entertaining. [03/2014, p.79]

Endling: Extinction Is Forever is not only a beautiful, touching and important game, but also a unique one, as you control a mother fox, the last of its kind, trying to keep its cubs alive in a world devastated by humans. The problem is, Endling’s gameplay loop is painfully repetitive and the game begins to get boring about halfway through.

Reikon Games’ greatest achievement is that they managed to infuse this simple twin-stick shooter with more atmosphere than majority of expansive AAA games can offer. The game looks amazing and the soundtrack is superb. So is the satisfying, brutal combat. Unfortunately difficulty levels were balanced absurdly – you either face no challenge at all or repeatedly bang your head against a wall. I was also disappointed by the fact that the game promises more than it delivers (the city acting as a hub turned out to be just a hollow shell) and becomes tedious due to primitive design of final levels. [12/2017, p.41]

Get Even is more of an experiment than your typical game. A successful experiment, I must add. It might not be beautiful and it’s rather mediocre as a shooter, but the audio is great and the developers managed to skillfully mix various ideas into a coherent game. [09/2017, p.46]

If you enjoy Picross and love Pokémon – get this game. [03/2016, p.73]

Phogs! reminds me of many games based on physics, such as Human: Fall Flat, and I can’t deny that it is full of very funny moments. It is a shame that so many elements are botched (from poor responsiveness to flawed controls) and the whole thing is crawling with various bugs. [02/2021, p.36]

It is a properly restored platformer. The game tries to mix the sweetness of old Disney animations with a pinch of darkness, which at times makes it resemble American McGee’s Alice more than an arcade title for children. And while I love this kind of atmosphere, the gameplay quickly began to feel repetitive.

Concrete Genie’s huge potential wasn’t fulfilled the way I would have wished. It’s wonderful to look at but visual prowess doesn’t go toe to toe with providing lots of fun gameplay-wise. The good fun lasts for two hours after which it starts getting tedious. [12/2019, p.60]

Hitman returns to form he presented in brilliant Blood Money, but upon arrival it’s a demo waiting to be expanded with free episodic content. Fortunately the available mission in Paris takes place in a huge area (much bigger than the largest maps from previous instalments) and can be completed in many different ways, so I enjoyed replaying it over and over again. [05/2016, p.48]

With great combat and character development, it's hard to tear yourself away from this adventure. You only need to turn a blind eye to a few things and swallow the heavily candy-coloured style to discover a satisfying action RPG that has soul and was made to be fun.

One of those indie games that in theory do everything right but lack a spark that make them memorable. [07/2015, p.65]

The game is loaded with small glitches and inconsistencies but next to Night in the Woods it’s the one game I could point to and say ‘that’s how you should write engaging, living dialogue’. [13/2019, p.54]

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]

The new character class (the Final Girl) quickly became my favourite and I think I enjoyed this well-written, fun slasher parody more than The Fractured but Whole itself. The DLC is quite short (I did everything there was to do in three hours), but I actually appreciated that, as I found the original campaign to be dragged out mercilessly and pointlessly. Definitely the best DLC for The Fractured but Whole. [10/2018, p.63]

Playing The Ezio Collection is a bit like visiting a museum, especially if you look at the characters and their animations. However, these old games still have a lot of charm, and the ability to travel with Ezio to Italy or Constantinople whenever and wherever you desire is great to have.

An interesting return to The Zone and a perfect game to help you survive the wait for Stalker 2. Chernobylite is atmospheric, intriguing, sometimes beautiful, but also needlessly bloated with distracting elements that force you to deal with unimportant or repetitive stuff. It has its issues, but first and foremost it’s an original game with an engaging story and I do recommend it. [10/2021, p.24]

I was really impressed with gameplay variety squeezed into Thieves in Time. It’s a long and well-designed game for kids really worth the money – and that doesn’t happen very often. [CD-Action 04/2013, p.58]

There’s nothing groundbreaking about Showgunners, but the game engagingly blends turn-based combat with real-time exploration and uncomplicated yet intellectually challenging puzzles. Despite some degree of repetitiveness, the dragged-out ending, and a couple of other shortcomings, I believe Showgunners deserves giving it a chance.

It's a pity that a game with such phenomenal and unusual visuals has such simple game mechanics, being a simple slasher that uses just one attack button and offers a limited array of enemies. [November 2011, p.70]

If in your dictionary the 'point'n'click' entry lies close to 'good old times', We Negotiate With Terrorists is the game for you. If not, you can – as Hector would say – go #$%^&^ yourself. Twice! [June 2011, p.78]

It’s not a great exaggeration to compare Serpent in the Staglands to Pillars of Eternity (if you’re willing to turn a blind eye to numerous bugs, that is). [08/2015, p.73]

It’s challenging and pleasant at times, but not really engaging. [10/2014, p.61]

Daedalic's new game really impressed me. It's merits (great puzzles and beautiful hand drawn graphics among others) make it easy to forgive the shortcomings. [September 2012, p.74]

Underneath the artsy surface Ode is a hollow, shallow experience that I will never come back to and can’t recommend. [02/2018, p.39]

Vesper is full of redundant screens that you simply run across, which made the campaign longer but at the cost of watering down the gameplay. In theory, complexity of challenges rises due to introduction of time limits, increasing number of robots and longer escape sequences, but I completed most of the game almost with my eyes closed. It’s a beautiful, atmospheric adventure, but it would definitely benefit from being a bit harder. [10/2021, p.73]

If this is how the rest of Telltale’s Game of Thrones is going to look like, I want nothing to do with it. Too many dialogues that lead nowhere, too much nonsense inconsistent with the source material, and the visuals are simply laughable. [01/2015, p.59]

A couple of hilarious games combined into one.I would never suspect Japanese can laugh so hard at their RPG standards. [CD-Action 02/2013, p.65]

The developers did a great job at ironing out imperfections of the original game and expanding it without messing with its core. There are some visual shortcomings and performance issues, and the AI needs more work, but I longed for a good strategy game and Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition filled that void for me. [13/2020, p.50]

It’s still good old Dontnod but Tell Me Why falls short of the studio’s previous achievements. Outdated engine aside, the game lacks interesting interactions or a relationship as powerful as Chloe’s and Max’s friendship in Life is Strange. Its simple story is quite linear and fails to surprise, and supporting characters are rather bland. [11/2020, p.62]

It can be frustrating but still is worth a try if you like stealth/action games that challenge your mind, because it offers a decently long campaign for a low price. [May 2012, p.71]

Dungeons III offers what Dungeons II (a limited clone of Dungeon Keeper) offered two years ago, expanded with simple RTS mechanics. It’s a competent game, but its story (along with the humor) is lame, the interface needed more work and though the dungeons look really good, visuals above ground are... colorful (that’s the only positive thing I can say about them). [13/2017, p.57]

McPixel 3 is as crazy as it is funny. It demands a grasp of Monty Pythonesque humor, but if this requirement is met, every second with the game is a delight.

Layers of Fear combines both games (properly remade with Unreal Engine 5) and DLCs in a slick, reasonably priced package that binds the two stories together. However, neither the new content nor the graphical upgrade justifies the expense if you’ve already played the originals.

The combat is very meaty, boss fights are properly varied and the absurd story is one of the strongest points of the game. However, No More Heroes III is very uneven and got stuck in the past decade both in terms of gameplay and design. Actually, the series regressed in some aspects. Goichi Suda obviously ran out of ideas an is chasing his own tail. [11/2021, p.62]

A text adventure game that successfully pretends it’s not a game. The illusion of contacting real people is really immersive at times and I wish the story was longer. [12/2016, p.78]

Underneath innocent, cartoonish visuals you’ll find quite complex mechanics that force you to make tactical decisions and constantly keep you on the edge of your seat. Unfortunately at the final stages of the campaign the game becomes unfair and frustrating rather than demanding. [01/2018, p.43]

Omensight is a sibling of Spearhead Games’ previous title. Just like in Stories: The Path of Destinies, in key moments you need to make choices that lead to mutually exclusive levels. It gives you an unparalleled impression of influencing the story and shaping the game world, so the first couple of short playthroughs are immensely enjoyable. The more you play though, the more evident the game’s simple, repetitive structure becomes and the initial enchantment fades. Look for Omensight on sales. [07/2018, p.82]

A mix between Three Kingdoms and Thrones of Britannia, Troy is a solid game that has a lot to offer and guarantees many hours of addictive fun but might disappoint loyal Total War fans with some of the changes (e.g. diplomacy). If you’re new to the series, be prepared to power through the overwhelming beginning, fortunately with the help of one of the best tutorials I’ve ever seen. [11/2020, p.60]

How did such an attractive subject turn out so boring? The tactical component is almost as basic as it gets and the studio management has the depth of a mobile game. [07/2015, p.62]

In its current form Symphony looks more like a beta version than finished game, but it's worth to check in three month whether the lump of coal has turned into a diamond yet. [10/2012, p.72]

It’s definitely worth checking out after Stardew Valley. Even if Doraemon Story of Seasons is not as complex as Eric Barone’s game, it still does often pleasantly surprise – and that surprise element is something that was long missing in Story of Seasons. [13/2019, p.86]

It’s a solid, very pretty and well-balanced RTS in the vein of Company of Heroes and Dawn of War II. Its most important quality though is that it managed to retain the atmosphere and allure of the unique dieselpunk 1920+ universe it’s set in. [11/2020, p.74]

The Outlast Trials is a solid co-op horror game that develops the ideas from previous installments in an interesting way. However, it’s a pity that the story is fragmented so much that it becomes unengaging. Plus, it’s a title you should experience with your friends, because it can be tiresome when played with randoms.

A digital board game in a purest form, with interesting, deep rules and nice art style. What bothered me was that it was not always immediately clear what happened during opponents’ rounds and I often spent more time analyzing their past movements than planning mine. [05/2016, p.52]

For the first time since forever, I feel like playing Super Mario Bros. again. The team at Arika added 34 other players, increased the number of mobs accordingly, made the player character a bit more powerful – and thus managed to turn rusty gameplay into gold. [12/2020, p.39]

Alice: Madness Returns is a dream come true for me as a fan of American McGee's Alice. It's a worthy heir and at the same time a fully modern game that can vie with the best contemporary representatives of this genre. It's long, it's difficult, it's rewarding and enchanting – so far the game of the year for me. [July 2011, p.62]

I honestly don’t know who was the intended target group for Sorcerer King. There’s almost nothing fresh in this game to attract those who avoided 4X strategies and the genre’s veterans will snarl with disgust and return to much more complex Age of Wonders III. [10/2015, p.66]

My initial fascination with Event[0] quickly turned into disappointment. How am I supposed to build a relationship with an AI that would fail to trick a four-year-old in the Turing test? What’s more, the game lasts for 3 hours at most. It does offer various endings, but you influence them in the final stage of the game. [12/2016, p.73]

The joy of watching this wild tangle of pixel art tentacles, organs, and flesh (and listening to the sounds of humans being devoured) alone makes this game worthwhile. If, just like me, you always root for the bad guy, Carrion’s gameplay can be immensely satisfying. [10/2020, p.54]

Ten enjoyable hours, great visuals, excellent combat system, too much repetitiveness. Sundered is no Ori and the Blind Forest, but metroidvania fans should enjoy it. [10/2017, p.70]

With its limited controls, sluggish protagonist, unnecessary, frustrating deaths, and overall tendency to cling to the past too much, Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection is a game either for masochists or die-hard fans of the franchise. There are plenty of platformers out there that are much better at bringing the old-school look and feel into present day. [05/2021, p.36]

Epistory is a one-trick pony (you interact with the environment by typing in corresponding words) so it becomes repetitive, but it has a pleasant fairy tale atmosphere. [06/2016, p.53]

The biggest advantage of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is that it lets you play the early installments of the series on modern platforms. As a fan of the franchise, I enjoyed additional content such as Master Books, screenplays, visual novels, and the soundtrack, but unfortunately this is not enough to rave about this bundle. Konami could have done much, much more for these classics but didn’t and missed the opportunity to reach younger players with them.

A moderately interactive tour of familiar locations and themes (like the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents). It’s not bad, but sometimes the illusion bursts (objects you throw bounce off an invisible cage you’re in) and it’s a short, one time experience. [13/2016, p.77]

The game that I didn't really look forward to turned out to be an extremely absorbing and satisfying experience. The longer I played, the closer I was sitting to the TV and the tighter I was clutching my gamepad. [May 2012, p.48]

Armageddon lacks ideas that could help vary the experience. It's hard to tell the missions apart, because in almost every room and every tunnel you have to do the exact same things. The developer made a mistake of betting everything on just one feature – total destruction. [July 2011, p.60]

Although the randomness in Reigns: The Witcher can sometimes pose a challenge, the game makes up for it with a large dose of wit. Fans of The Witcher will find a lot to enjoy here, provided they buy into the game’s absurd premise.

With its simple but very stylish visuals and enjoyable combat mechanics Bladed Fury is a surprisingly enjoyable indie game you will finish in one evening. [02/2019, p.45]

Sins of the Fathers is possibly the best showcase of the golden era of point’n’click games. [13/2014, p.71]

This cleverly designed game works great as a supplement to a diet consisting of blockbusters titles. [October, p.77]

This game is like a student who partied instead of studying but during the exam improvises so cleverly that the examiner just can’t find the strength to fail him. Shadows has some cool ideas and is very enjoyable but it’s surprising how it stumbles on some really basic issues. [02/2015, p.64]

An interesting, challenging game that failed to make one final step towards true greatness. [06/2015, p.72]

I expected more new content from the third edition of Space Colony, but it’s still a good game that will keep tycoon fans happy with numerous possibilities of colony expansion, varied game modes and a decent campaign. [08/2015, p.59]

The Thaumaturge is a game of undeniable cultural value, and the opportunity to explore early 20th century Warsaw (realistic, but enriched with fantastic elements) alone made it worth my time. I wish I could tell you that the rest of the game – the story, the mechanics – is on par with the unique setting, but sadly, that’s not the case, as we’ve already seen all of it done much better elsewhere.

A minimalistic, good-looking RTS built around a heavily emphasised risk/reward system. It might not be remarkable, but it was still able to make me lose track of time. [01/2019, p.78]

It boasts some great improvements over the previous game of the series, but does not evolve the formula in any significant way. It looks better and lets you glide in a wingsuit, but its scale is not surprising anymore. It lets you unleash wonderful chaos in unscripted skirmishes, but its story missions fail to enrich the experience. All the same it is my kind of game. I love playing with its systems, I appreciate the effort put into JC3 and I return to Medici from time to time for condensed doses of havoc. [01/2016, p.48]

The idea for this roguelike is great, but in my case The Curious Expedition’s charm wore off too quickly. I took the first place in my fifth or sixth attempt and though every time the game managed to surprise me, I needed just three hours to do it. [12/2016, p.57]

The ending turned out to be a huge disappointment but I will not let the last fifteen minutes or so overshadow my generally good impression. Over 20 hours that led to it were engaging, the pixel art is cute and the music is even better. [08/2018, p.70]

The moment when the puzzles get really interesting, the game unfortunately starts to wrap itself up. A fun but short experience. [02/2020, p.67]

An RTS disguised as a 2D platformer. Sounds weird but works surprisingly well. [13/2015, p.65]

The game lacks some decent content between fights. [03/2014, p.66]

A specific game for a specific subgroup of hard core gamers. [03/2014, p.73]

If you prefer to play alone, don’t bother with Apex, but if multiplayer is your primary choice – buckle up and head for Tanoa. [10/2016, p.54]

It’s not that I regret those couple of hours I spent with Wrong Number, but for every advantage there’s a drawback, for every ‘I had fun’ there’s a ‘but’ and for every ‘wow!’ there’s a ‘meh’. [05/2015, p.50]

A boring, repetitive and generic action game that's just a shadow of what I believe it should have been. I can recommend it only to Warhammer 40,000 maniacs. [October, p.56]

Binary Domain is a good alternative for those who are looking for a new, original shooter other than Gears of War or Call of Duty. It's a pity that the satisfying, high quality gameplay was not backed by a better plot. The game's story has a good starting point but does not live up to its full potential. [April 2012, p.72]

Daedalic Entertainment once again proved that they know how to make a point' n' click adventure game. What sets Deponia apart from their earlier work is tons of humour strongly influenced by The Secret of Monkey Island and Discworld. [10/2012, p.63]

A really good choice for a gaming evening both with kids and adults. The solo gameplay is somewhat pleasurable but nothing beats cooperation. [06/2020, p.71]

The Raven’s story needs time to accelerate, but when it did, it left me waiting for the next episode. [CD-Action 10/2013, p.58]

Unpretentious and very enjoyable game of rolling a drop of mercury through increasingly complex levels. [November 2011, p.83]

Combat gives you a decent array of options but unfortunately it rarely poses any challenge. The optimization is abysmal and while it does not make the game unplayable, the situation is still unacceptable. Despite that I can recommend this title to everyone who seeks a solid turn-based RPG. The developers put a lot of effort into creating a vivid world and tell a lot of minor stories, many of your decisions matter and in some aspects Expedition: Viking reminds me of classic Fallouts. [06/2017, p.70]

A decent Zelda-like game which needs some time to really get going and won’t dazzle you with its beauty. [09/2017, p.73]

Even if the The Turing Test sometimes wanders into the realm of clichés in terms of both gameplay and the story, the developers tackled the subject of artificial intelligence really well and created an engaging game. [11/2016, p.50]

If it weren’t for the excellent Toy Box mode, the rating would be much lower, because provided adventures are disappointing. [11/2013, p.74]

Insurmountable suffers from the “pretty syndrome”. Pretty nice graphics. Pretty good music. Pretty cool idea. Pretty solid execution. And pretty much no emotions. [07/2021, p.34]

It was made with true passion but at the moment it’s unpolished and unbalanced. The ambitions of Julian Gollop and his crew were clearly bigger than the game’s budget. [02/2020, p.38]

A tactical game in the vein of Commandos (but with active pause), rather ugly, schematic and a bit too easy, but despite all enjoyable. [11/2015, p.59]

King's Bounty is still very enjoyable and addictive but it's hard not to notice that the series keeps running round in circles. [CD-Action 13/2012, p.64]

SteamWorld Build will not push you up against the wall and leave you shaken like Frostpunk or grip you for hundreds of hours like Anno. Its ambitions are smaller, but it’s a beautiful, easy-to-digest and highly polished little simulation that will keep you captivated from the beginning to the slightly hollow end.

A solid game that ticks off everything on the things-you-need-to-have-in-a-twin-stick-shooter list. Doesn't stand out from the crowd though. [October, p.80]

Nippon Ichi tried to develop a game that would appeal to a wider audience but made it too complicated and therefore wearisome. [02/2014, p.70]

It’s a shame that the developers didn’t use the time gap between PS4 and PC versions to polish the latter. [02/2016, p.43]

I’m not saying you need to play Milkmaid, but if you enjoy traditional point’n’click games and pixel art, you definitely can give it a chance. [03/2017, p.64]

In comparison to rather modest predecessors Zombie Army 4 is a true giant. Such that sometimes all of its splendour gets a bit tiresome. [03/2020, p.66]