Aspyr continues their recent but crucial work of restoring legacy games with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, and it’s arguably their best work yet. The visual fidelity and style upgrades are meaningful, only touching the fundamentals minimally so the twenty-plus-year-old cult classics remain the historic ventures they always have been. Though the untouched level design will feel at times dated with players, it’s a janky and charming pair of games that are dripping with edge. Nostalgic fans and lovers of 2000s broodiness and creative design won’t want to miss this one.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a fresh coat of paint for the twisted take on Disney’s forgotten edges, yet it falls short of being a masterpiece. As remakes go, the game breathes new life into the graphics, even adding extra gameplay moves and other quality-of-life improvements. However, a tedious objective system and a lack of voiced dialogue feels like a missed opportunity for Mickey’s return. Despite this, the title shines in its preservation of a unique chapter in Disney’s gaming legacy and offers hope that we might just see more from Mickey and Oswald yet.

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is a great little gem to come out of this year. Where NieR is a good series though not quite for me, this absolutely is. The team have created a true sleeper hit that is well worth seeking out for NieR or fantasy adventure fans alike. The music and wondrous exploration on offer are engaging throughout. While other limitations in roleplaying are noticeable, they’re never enough to rob you of your enjoyment. What’s here is some clever and wonderful writing, a charming cast of characters and another weird world worth delving into. Yoko Taro and the team have done it again.

Tales of Kenzara: ZAU is a strong debut title for Surgent Studios, offering a short but solid Metroidvania experience. It’s limited by its small scope, and is a little formulaic, but that won’t stop you from enjoying the tight combat and gorgeous visuals. Pick this one up and enjoy the heartfelt, emotional story in a beautifully rendered setting that doesn’t see enough limelight.

I had a great, albeit frustrating time with Eldest Souls and thoroughly enjoyed the short experience. It is a brutally difficult game, but the music, art style, and overall challenge had me coming back for “one last try” each and every time. I will say that if you are not a fan of boss-rush or challenging games, then this will not change that. But if you are after a title with an old-school appeal that does not hold you by the hand and presents a truly captivating time, then I think you will find a lot to enjoy here.

A lot of love for the survival horror genre has been put into Dead of Darkness, which shows in every aspect of the design. However, repetitive combat, constant inventory management, and frequent backtracking undercut the competent puzzle design and solid narrative. As a game so beholden to genre tropes and classic design, Dead of Darkness feels like it never quite knows how to play into its strengths. If you are a die-hard survival horror fan you might get some enjoyment over the throwback vibes—but otherwise, it may be better left in the dark.

With the release of PATAPON 1+2 Replay comes vibrant and wonderful flashbacks to a colourful, vibrant, arcade-y and, most importantly, fun, era of games that don’t really exist anymore. It was a joy for me to visit these games for the first time, and I’m finally well invested in the majesty and magic of the RTS and rhythm fusion harmony that the franchise is known for. With how grandiose and exciting the battles get with their devotion to music and busy, frantic chaos that explode across the screen, I’d be hard-pressed to find any fan, new or old, who doesn’t find joy here, smiling like a huge dork as your units chant and stomp across the world. Though there’s still the oddball of funk, including some poor tutorialisation in the first game and real brick wall moments that require grind, I’m glad PATAPON is back in a largely unaffected package. Players should jump right into this here nostalgia-infused release. The water’s fine, and you’ll be remembering the Patapons’ spirit songs for years to come.

A simple but endearing experience, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is a nostalgic adventure that does justice to the satisfying crafting mechanics that have represented the series’ identity for nearly a quarter of a century. While it might lack the complexity and depth of more recent entries, and some of its “classic” elements feel a little dated, it provides a solid core gameplay loop within a charming package. It’s a bite-sized nostalgic RPG romp that feels cosy as heck and never outstays its welcome.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong has been remade nearly perfectly, and it’s certainly great for any forgotten title to get an update and a facelift. The platforming is still tight, but the simple truth is that puzzle games as a genre have moved on in the twenty years since the original. That means nothing about it really stands out, either as a puzzle game or a Mario game. Still, that doesn’t mean you won’t have fun with it as you wait for Nintendo’s next main-line Mario.

Dead Island 2 is a silly, slaughter-filled take on the zombie apocalypse that is very entertaining without pushing the envelope of game design beyond the expected. HELL-A is the perfect bright setting to soak the streets in blood, and the little visual details ensure that there's always something eye-catching that grabs your attention. Some of the objectives can get repetitive and combat itself could use a little bit more variety, but considering its painfully long development time, Dead Island 2 still makes for a satisfying adventure with a good sense of humour stitching together its various generic zombie parts into something worth celebrating.

Demon’s Mirror is a hell of a good time. The way it combines deckbuilding and the grid battle system had me hooked from my very first run and it’s so easy to learn. With an array of different cards to discover and modify, its inclusion of three characters with three different playstyles creates alot opportunity to play how you want. Even though the enemies can be repetitive and I found runs super quick to complete, Demon’s Mirror may just be one of 2024’s moore exciting new deckbuilders.

As it stands, Knights of Honor II: Sovereign is a massively impressive feat that will delight many strategy fans. The medieval setting is beautiful and immersive, and the different paths to victory are a great mechanic keep players on their toes. Since some victory paths, like securing resources for a kingdom advantages victory, can take time and effort to achieve, this also adds a healthy dose of challenge and flexibility to the overall experience. You’ll often find yourself having to re-think a strategy mid-playthrough as wars break out and foes close trading deals. While this type of gameplay may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it will certainly be challenging and energising to those that don’t shy away from some statistics and resource management.

RKGK is a tight, smooth platformer that lets you take your time exploring each level, then challenges you to rush out and apply what you’ve learned. It packs a ton of fun ideas and a wide spectrum of difficulty into 6 hours, and gives you more than enough reasons to return to earlier levels for more things to find. It’s all about art, down to how you will accidentally create art based on how you play. There needs to be more games like RKGK. It’s simple, sweet, and leaves you wanting more.

Overall, Weird West dishes up an alluring world that you can explore to your heart’s content. Its story structure and procedurally generated travel encounters will keep players on their toes and ensure that no two playthroughs are the same. Even though there are a few glitches and the game’s camera can feel a little clunky at times, the visual style and depth of Weird West’s world more than make up for it. If you have a soft spot for comic books, interesting stories, and dynamic characters, Weird West will be a great addition to your library.

Trolley Problem, Inc is a decent exploration of morality and philosophy, culminating in a provocative experience that will likely linger beyond its rather short playtime. It’s cleverly presented, even if it can verge on the side of overly simple. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t maintain the same level of intrigue generated by its opening questions, failing to include real-world politics in a satisfying way. It stumbles one too many times, with moments of brilliance being met in equal measure by disappointing shortcomings.

Party Animals is a fantastic game to get everyone in the mood. Not only is the art design enriching, but the sound design really makes an impact as well. Each match will have you in hysterics as you fight for the crown. There are some serious concerns surrounding the microtransaction economy found within as well as a lack of accessibility options for people who need them. However, at the very least, the game does prove to be a fun time with friends and an easy way to lose track of the hours.

SaGa Emerald Beyond provides an engaging RPG that takes you through five different stories and a complex battle system. By replaying stories and carrying over your experience, you can overcome previously insurmountable obstacles and view different endings. However, the emphasis on repetition and lack of information make this a hard game to master. You’ll need to enjoy replaying stories multiple times and learning on the job to get real enjoyment out of the experience.

Though not quite as strong as its predecessor thanks to its narrative devices, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is another incredibly strong RPG under Nihon Falcom’s long-running belt. The party is stacked this time and serves as a warm-found family. Perhaps one of the best in the RPG scene. With this, there are a lot of exciting combat shenanigans and party DNA to engage in, joyously laying waste to beasties and mysterious figures. Better yet, the city of Edith feels more lived and breathed in than ever thanks to the bountiful list of activities and completion metrics to engage with. Though their journey is slightly rocky, at least Arkride Solutions has and always will have each other.

Much like the first game, Slime Rancher 2 is a really grand time. The expansive world is filled with gorgeous vistas and really clever level design. Uncovering the secrets of Rainbow Island while building your ranch remains a highly entertaining experience. In this regard, Slime Rancher 2 is a worthy successor to the original. But a bigger world to explore without equal developments to gameplay makes the cracks shine a little brighter. Ranching can still feel a little too shallow and wears thin without new challenges to overcome. Additionally, a heavy late-game grind shines a spotlight on how tedious collecting resources can become. This series of smaller problems highlights just how much Slime Rancher 2 suffers from refusing to evolve its gameplay. But, if you adored the first game, another ranching adventure with loads of exciting new content will more than make up for any shortcomings.

Minos is another excellent and entertaining gameplay-focused experience from the underrated developer Artificer. Crafting deadly labyrinths to make waves upon waves of human meat victims feels truly devious, thanks to the diverse set of traps and creative building abilities you can experiment with. Though I don’t quite think every piece of the pie works, it’s a winning formula in the form of a well-designed roguelike experience that I can’t exactly turn my nose up at either. Besides, how many other games let you feel like your own ancient Greek version of Jigsaw, crafting mazes and escape room hellscapes of death and torture? Not bloody many.

Evil Dead: The Game is a no-brainer for fans of the series and even horror fans in general, capturing the best elements of what makes Evil Dead so memorable and weaving them into a great experience to share with friends or even tackle alone. While it may have its flaws, the dedication put into this title is obvious from the get-go. If you’re tired of running from what bumps in the night and want to get some payback, this is the game for you. “Come get some.”

Wild Bastards is more dastardly delicious gaming to come from right here in Australia. Blue Manchu Games have done some building upon their Bastards universe to create a thoroughly fun and explosive experience. Though the game can go on a little too long and be a bit one-note, I could never accuse it of not being some of the best FPS and roguelike fusion we’ve had for a while. What awaits is a weird and creatively designed cast with varied playstyles, quality strategic roguelike thinking and build potential that’ll more than satiate you. It’s well worth going on your journey across the stars and finding yourself some weird alien outlaw friends. Family found.

Revenge of the Savage Planet offers cooperative fun in an alien environment worth exploring. A varied gameplay experience propels you around a dynamic world of wonder, amplified by vibrant visuals and punchy audio. Let down somewhat by its comedic tone and unpolished approach, this title falls short of its full potential but still finds ways to surprise and delight along the way.

Hangar 13 did not try to fix TopSpin with this latest entry, but perhaps they should have. With less-than-desirable graphics, a lacking on-release pro player pool, and hard-to-tune difficulty settings which made picking up the game harder than it needed to be, the game is left with much to be desired. Despite that, the bones of TopSpin 2K25 are good, and hopefully, they will be built upon in future games.

Demon Slayer – The Hinokami Chronicles 2 gives you a strong fighting game that draws you into the story just like the original manga/anime. Prioritising teamwork and combos makes you utilise every moveset for maximum effectiveness. It’s not an easy game to master, and the story can be finished in a few hours. Fans will love what this game has to offer, but you may not enjoy the game if you’ve never heard of the Demon Slayer series.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series feels like a fairly decent return to form for Telltale Games after its temporary closure. As a fan of The Expanse, I can attest that this Telltale series represents the show, and the character of Camina Drummer in particular, very authentically, and it was a joy to return to that setting and explore it from a different perspective. Despite those positives as a fan, the series also suffers from feeling especially short, linear and low-stakes. While The Expanse: A Telltale Series certainly has its high points, diehard fans of The Expanse or Telltale Games’ previous output are likely the only ones who would get much out of the experience.

Twelve Minutes is a game of dualities. It is very economic in how it presents itself. The focus is tight on three characters, in a small apartment that houses the few instruments of change at your disposal. This allows each little detail to have a nauseating amount of depth to it, including the fantastic performances of the characters and their backstories. The downside to this is that it can lead players astray, due to the limitless possibilities and comparatively limited guidance. Regardless, Twelve Minutes is a tidy and reasonably well-told pressure-cooker drama with few divots, provided you can follow the path.

Rise of the Ronin is another action-heavy success story for samurai heavy-hitters, Team Ninja. The world and setting are perfectly suited to enhance the roleplaying depth of the game’s design as your unnamed hero makes important choices in a divided world. Fun is always at the forefront, even if certain open-world tropes lead to rinse-and-repeat content. This is because the moment-to-moment gameplay, including both traversal and combat, remains delightfully engaging throughout. The dialogue can be hit or miss, but Rise of the Ronin still finds a way to satisfy, in both its big action setpieces as well as those tiny little details.