Not a great adventure game and a weak action title. Foreclosed’s only aspect that deserves praise are its comic book-style visuals. [11/2021, p.58]

Mortal Shell’s expansion adds an enjoyable roguelike mode, a new armor and a new character class. It might not be much, but it’s enough to return to the game for a couple of fun hours. [11/2021, p.57]

Here’s a proof that it’s possible to create an engaging game based mainly on dialogues (comparisons to Disco Elysium work in Gamedec’s favor, but there’s a lot less text to read here). Gamedec’s world is original and immersive, the investigations are interesting, the detective’s unique skill system works great and the deduction mechanic is brilliant. [11/2021, p.54]

Song of Iron doesn’t offer a unique story or fresh gameplay mechanics, but it is still memorable for its great art direction inspired by Norse mythology. I was very impressed by how consciously the developer makes use of light, shadows and perspective. During the 5-6 hours long adventure you will slay hundreds of enemies and while the combat system is well-executed, the game’s intensity can be a bit tiring. [11/2021, p.52]

If you like early Fallouts and other traditional 2D RPGs, if you think X-COM games from the 90s were awesome, if you enjoy reading sci-fi classics – this game was made for you. The story set in the alternative 1970s is not perfect and it’s obvious that the developers had to work with a tight budget, but Encased makes up for it with sheer fun. Actually, I think I haven’t enjoyed a game so much since Wasteland 3 was released. [11/2021, p.48]

A fun battle royale and a viable alternative for Chivalry II and For Honor. Naraka Bladepoint puts emphasis on closed combat, not skulking around the bushes with a ranged weapon. It drips the atmosphere of ancient China and offers a great combat system, but also doesn’t shy away from spells and well-implemented parkour. However, said combat system along with the game’s fast pace sets the bar rather high for newcomers. [11/2021, p.47]

Axiom Verge 2 offers an extraordinarily beautiful, coherent and original world, but sometimes exploration gets tedious and some mechanics and design choices get in the way of experiencing this intriguing setting. It is a unique game in a way, but I feel that it shouldn’t have sacrificed some elements on the altar of originality. [11/2021, p.46]

Road 96 tries to strike the right balance between randomization and the emphasis on the story and kind of succeeds at that, but fails in many other aspects, e.g. there’s no challenge here at all and your actions lack actual consequences. I was also unable to get through the new game+ without the impression that I had already experienced most of the events during my initial playthrough. [11/2021, p.44]

Aliens: Fireteam Elite would really have been worth recommending if it had been more polished and offered more content. In its current state the game is definitely no Left 4 Dead, but it’s still pretty fun and you can give it a chance as you look out for a new Aliens vs. Predator. [11/2021, p.40]

A test of nerves – the clock is ticking and 12 minutes is a very narrow window to take appropriate actions. It’s kinda hard to rate this game with full conviction, because a lot depends on the player – the more patient and perceptive you are, the better it gets. However, the fact is that it’s one of the most unique adventure games in recent years and that alone makes it worth your time. [11/2021, p.38]

King’s Bounty II boldly leads the series in a new direction and while it’s not perfect, I’d call this revolution a success. Instead of remaining a mindless Heroes of Might and Magic copy stripped of economy, the whole layer of exploration morphed into a traditional RPG – a crude, simplified and naïve in terms of the story, but still surprisingly enjoyable and charming. Turn-based combat lived to see some minor updates, but retained its spirit, which means it can be immensely fun. The first step was made, next time I want more of the same but with a much bigger budget. [11/2021, p.36]

Red Koi Box’s debut puzzle game ambitiously tries to follow in Portal’s footsteps, but to no avail. Quite an interesting concept and creative puzzles were not enough when the over-the-top difficulty level, lack of a hint system and various flaws launched my frustration into the red alert territory. However, if you’re a hardcore fan of puzzle games, you should be satisfied with Faraday Protocol. [11/2021, p.34]

A well-done remake, especially if you can play it in VR. Gameplay changes are rather small, but randomized puzzles are a welcome addition. The photo mode, on the other hand, is botched. I’m not sure if yet another revival of Myst was necessary, but I must admit that revisiting this 26-year old classic again was an enjoyable experience. [11/2021, p.33]

Tormented Souls is a melancholic love letter to the fans of classic survival horrors. You need to play it if the phrases “fixed camera angles”, “tank controls” and “backtracking” give you goosebumps. [11/2021, p.32]

It’s more of a regular DLC paired with some improvements for the PS5 rather than a true director’s cut. However, the developers do deserve praise for how skillfully they inserted the expansion into the narrative of the base game. The story about Jin’s past and the sins of ancestors is great (as opposed to boring side quests), new enemies pose a challenge, and the game as a whole shines on PS5’s more powerful hardware. I wish the visual improvements were more noticeable though. [11/2021, p.31]

Double Fine did a great job at recreating the spirit of the original Psychonauts. Playing the sequel, I felt like I travelled to the past to spend some time with my favorite childhood game once again. Imprecise controls are a less welcome throwback to 2005, but fiercely intelligent humor, brilliant writing and tons of unconventional ideas make it easy to turn a blind eye to this and some other flaws. [11/2021, p.28]

Torch City is really impressive. Every district has its own unique style and all the environments are extraordinarily detailed. The game’s atmosphere is fantastic, exploring the wonderfully designed world is very engaging and the combat system is great. Just go on and play it, unless you’re allergic to backtracking, because F.I.S.T. relies on it quite heavily. [11/2021, p.27]

I’m honestly surprised, because I did not expect to have so much fun with Deathloop. It draws some gameplay ideas from Dishonored, but introduces time-related mechanics, offers an intriguing story with interesting characters and has its own unique and coherent style. It’s an original game, full of surprises and addictive, but not necessarily easily digestible for everyone. For me however it’s one of the best titles of 2021. [11/2021, p.22]

Taxi Chaos is a shameless copy of Crazy Taxi, soulless and developed by people who lacked not only creativity and skill, but also the understanding of what made the original great. [05/2021, p.67]

Potentia tries to mimic The Last of Us but stumbles all the way through its 90-minute long campaign plagued by a weak story, awful dialogues, amateurish voice acting and horrible enemy AI. [05/2021, p.66]

When it comes to storytelling, Root Film is a gem and a great example of how to evoke anxiety and curiosity using written word and spot-on music. Sadly, the story is linear, but vivid characters and a cool mystery to solve make up for it. [05/2021, p.65]

The latest Monster Energy Supercross is a fun (but rather hard and not very approachable) game with a great track editor. My main concern is that there are too few notable changes and improvements compared to the previous entry to the series, and the graphics are years behind the times. [05/2021, p.64]

Kaze and the Wild Masks will make every fan of classic platformers feel right at home. It borrows the best elements from the legends of the genre, but never feels like a cheap copy. It doesn’t try to be innovative, but it looks great, delivers fun in spades and never gets dull, as literally every level has something new to show you. [05/2021, p.62]

Maquette’s central mechanic is brilliant and leads to some cool (but also repetitive) puzzles. The game itself is pretty rough around the edges though and I felt the developers could have squeezed so much more from this great concept. [05/2021, p.60]

In a nutshell, Breathedge is a Subnautica in space. While it’s not as good as the Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s masterpiece and would benefit from a better story, it’s still a solid survival game, real pretty and spiced up with absurd humor. [05/2021, p.58]

I’m not sure who’s the target audience for Silent Sector. Those looking for a shoot’em up will find it overcomplicated, RPG fans will probably call it primitive and too arcadey, while space sim enthusiasts might dismiss it as derivative. Actually, Silent Sector doesn’t offer anything I haven’t seen done better elsewhere. [05/2021, p.56]

It’s a worthy finale to Slayer’s gory odyssey, but I must admit that while Part One left me hungry for more, I was a bit tired by the end of Part Two. Still, you should definitely play it if you’re a fan of Doom. [05/2021, p.53]

Foregone lured me with its beautiful art style just to disappoint me with repetitive levels, shallow story, uninteresting combat and total lack of originality. [05/2021, p.52]