BrokenLore: Unfollow is a creepy exploration of the effects of psychological scars. The atmosphere smothers you, allowing only brief gasps of breath while solving puzzles. At its best when scouring environments, the game falters in its execution of stealth and combat segments. Although it lacks polish, this short, sharp adventure still manages to leave a lasting impression that will echo in the silence long after you step away.

The Quiet Place films had a remarkably simple but very effective narrative hook. A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a pitch-perfect, authentic recreation of the movies’ tone and tension. What holds it back is the lack of variety in player input stretched over the game’s running time of eight or so hours. It’s definitely not a great game for fidgety, impatient players. For fans of the films and/or stealth-focused adventure horror games, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead effectively checks a lot of boxes.

Multiplayer is the same battles, only with ranks to contend with. There’s an arcade mode that you can finish in less than an hour, and the Maxiboost missions that will keep you busy for ages. When you’re not engaged in furious combat with a host of other Gundams, you can mess with the Gallery and just look at them. There’s even a list of short animations associated with some of the arcs! Overall it’s truly just battling. If this is something you’ve always wanted out of a Gundam game, you’re in for a treat. But I can’t emphasize enough how pared down this experience is. But if fighting is what you want, then Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS Maxiboost ON is exactly what you need.

Every Mana game after Secret of Mana has felt diminished, by comparison. Time has revealed even that gem’s numerous flaws, but there’s still a bar that’s been set. Trials of Mana reaches for that bar, perhaps even grasping it. The graphics are lovely, the music is compelling, and the combat is engaging. It’s a weird, beautiful action RPG with enough hooks to keep me on the wire to the very end. The story may be wafer thin, the characters might be flat, and their dialogue might be clumsy, but the core remains intact. Whether you’ve played the original or not, Trials of Mana should be on your ARPG radar.

Farm sims, at least the cute and casual ones like Story of Seasons, fall into a comfortable groove. You know what you’re getting into when you fire up one of these games. Pioneers of Olive Town is no exception. Yet, is that really so bad? If these kind of chop/craft/till/harvest/date cycles appeal to you, Olive Town will be just the dose you’re looking for. The game loop is well-crafted, the systems are polished to a glittering sheen, and the pace is downright swift. On the other hand, if you’re sick of the usual farm sim routine, this isn’t gonna win you over. We’re in well-trodden territory here. But of you’re anything like me, more adorable farming is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Darknet is a game of layers and depth in its puzzle-solving approach and economy management. Its addicting gameplay loop of capturing nodes, buying upgrades, and using the different tools pushes the player to play just one more level. But Darknet simply does not utilize virtual reality and its advantages in any meaningful way. A bob of the head is all that differentiates it from a non-VR title and these are the types of efforts that VR doesn’t need in its nascent stages.

Over and over again, you will die. Maybe you’ll get better, faster, more responsive to the various threats that assault you. Maybe you’ll learn all the tricks and strategies needed to steamroll most enemies like target practice at a gun range. This still won’t help you when you round a corner and get ganked by some goddamned sentry the second before you reload. Then you get to watch the blood stream down your screen before you start the whole ordeal over again. Perhaps this masochistic dance will light a flame in your heart. You’ll think to yourself, “Finally! A game with some real challenge!” To you, I say good luck, godspeed and always be reloading. You’ll run out of health long before you run out of ammo.

Whether you want to play the game for the thrill of a challenge or you just need to kill some time, 10 Second Ninja X is a great game to pick up to do just that. It is a highly repetitive game, while the stages do eventually change to become more difficult, the core gameplay never really evolves into anything too meaningful.

High on Life has a particular vibe, one that rewards patient exploration and persistence. The dialogue is a lot to handle, yes. And not every weapon is a winner. The wrong Gatlian can leave you both overwhelmed and unimpressed. But the look, the sound of this game is truly remarkable. This is an alien world that’s crammed full of curious details. The visuals are delicious, the soundtrack is mostly bangers, and the boss fights are well-crafted. Whatever problems I had with the pacing were (mostly) wiped away by that final challenge. It turns out a little spectacle goes a long way. If you can handle Justin Roiland’s unique sense of humor, you’ll want to check out High on Life.

This is a great multigenerational game. It’s also the kind of party game that could be fun to play remotely with a group of friends. It’s the same appeal of playing Mario Kart on the couch. In other words, in a world where it’s tough to meet up in person and where a lot of socializing has to happen online, Witch It is the kind of simple game you could play with your non-gamer friends. The kind of person unlikely to drop money on in-game currency in your favorite shooter might feel compelled to join you for a few rounds of Witch It over the weekend. And hey, take them up on it! Enjoy being a floppy pizza for a few weeks of gameplay as you reconnect with your friends. That sounds like it’s worth 20 American dollars of laughs.

Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition is a very competent point-and-click adventure to play if you like some laughs alongside frustration. The quirky characters are the best part of this game and the voice acting is superb and helps with immersion. While some of the sound effects and ambient noise leave much to be desired, the voice acting makes playing this game with volume essential. The Breakout has jokes in dialogue that lead me to believe the game is made for adults, including Easter eggs from Futurama, Simpsons, etc. Edna’s perspective on life, however, seems like it’s made for a younger audience, but I’m not sure that the point-and-click genre is popular with kids these days.

Evotinction pays homage to traditional stealth games while introducing fresh and intriguing ideas. Though the narrative doesn’t quite reach the heights of its inspirations, it offers some clever twists on the formula. The sound design has a few issues, and the combat feels a bit clunky, but overall, it’s an enjoyable adventure that stays true to its roots.

Journey of the Broken Circle is unique. It successfully presents a heartfelt story that progresses to a beautiful and fitting conclusion. Not only is the game designed to entertain, but it’s also designed to inform and guide the gamer to look deeper within themselves in order to find self-fulfillment. Although the game could have ironed out a few issues and ramped up the difficulty, it is still an exhilarating experience that requires your attention.

There is a lot of content here to experience. The campaign will take you about seven hours. It would be great to have a little more variety in, well, just about everything. The environments all look the same and there are only a few bosses and enemy types. Another option I would love to see is one where you could change the gravity level. The default value is about thirty percent of earth levels. It would be a hoot to try the swing mechanic on a normal gravity level. The inner child of a lot of Spidey fans would be ecstatic, present company included. Despite the limitations of the PSVR tech and the three-year-old game design, Windlands 2 is still worth a try, especially if you have a couple of friends to play with.

The most important aspect of a visual novel is that it has a compelling story, and in that aspect, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest delivers in spades. I just don’t feel like the mechanics in Heart of the Forest justify it being a videogame over a straight up novel. If you’re a fan of the Werewolf: The Apocalypse franchise, then Heart of the Forest should serve as an excellent love letter. Newcomers to the franchise who are visual novel fans will find a driving narrative, but those who like a lot of play in their game best stay away.

Although true horror or explicit gore is nowhere to be found, Reveil’s gameplay is filled with tension, mystery, and some genuine surprises. Its many puzzles are fairly well integrated into the narrative and rarely too frustrating or illogical. Part walking simulator, part puzzle game, and part mind-bending mystery, Reveil is a genre-bender that packs a lot of story and memorable creepiness into its modest length.

2023’s Dead Island 2 was gaming junk food in the best possible way. It was dumb fun surrounded by smart humor and satire. In SoLa, none of that has really changed. Melee combat is still visceral — literally — and bloody good fun. The game’s visuals remain sharp, detailed, and full of humorous touches. The new DLC is an improvement over Haus, but there are more and more moments where things feel a bit stale, too. Come to SoLa with realistic expectations for more of the same, and it’ll be a pretty good time. Let’s hope that the planned third DLC shakes things up.

SCHiM is a unique adventure that intuitively blends platforming and puzzling to deliver a memorable experience. Although the game lacks challenge, it seamlessly slips you into a relaxed state with its chilled beats and minimalist art style. Packed with character, this clever title will keep you enthralled throughout.

If all you want is a series of complex battles marked by escalating difficulty, you can’t go wrong here. There was just something about the narrative and the pacing that kept me from getting fully hooked. You can tweak the game speed, but this doesn’t change the fundamental flow of the battles. Perhaps my time in the Disgaea trenches has permanently scarred my psyche, or maybe I’m onto something here. Either way, beyond my minor grievances is a tactics RPG built from countless layers of approachable mechanical complexity. Fans of this sleepless, neurotic RPG subgenre owe it to themselves to give Fae Tactics a shot.

To be a successful fantasy RPG, even one that goes for the nostalgia crowd, one doesn’t have to emulate the old right down to the endless grinding and watered-down story (and some pretty cringeworthy gender stereotypes included in a quest that feels like it’s goading me to enjoy killing a bratty teenage girl). It’s okay to combine the old with the new. Shadows: Awakening’s Devourer and his small army of devoured souls are the new part of the equation, but it doesn’t tip the balance. Instead, by the time I finished playing, I was just grateful I’d never have to fight another wolf.

South of the Circle is a bold title that deals with mature themes. Its approach to storytelling is refreshing as it interweaves flashbacks to assemble a larger narrative. In addition to this, State of Play also respects its audience. They don’t oversimplify elements and allow you to interpret aspects. While the gameplay lacks substance and can cause some passive moments, the lovely design and spectacular score help make this a memorable experience.

There’s a lot of fun be had here, a great challenge for those looking for a new retro-style platformer like this to take on, but 20XX never truly finds that “retro” charm. Instead, it’s a new idea pretending to be a retro experience, and the more astute players out there will be able to sniff it right out.

In some respects, there’s barely a game here at all. And yet, I’m still charmed by what I consider to be the core gameplay. Not the tedious battles or the humdrum story, but the interpersonal bonds and endless customization. If you’re looking for some laid-back fun in short chunks, this will be perfect for you. On the other hand, the game is missing big sections of what makes a good RPG. So long as you’re up for a leisurely tour through an endless succession of inns, Miitopia will be a great time.

For many, Conan Exiles’ flaws and quirks are what makes the game fun, and without a doubt, Isle of Siptah gives new and returning players many hours of quality content. The new areas, armor, weapons, monsters and quests are engaging for players past the beginning stages, and although there are no significant changes in the game’s mechanics, getting started on the Isle’s new areas is still fun. For better or worse (mostly the former), Isle of Siptah is a lot more Conan Exiles.

It’s nice to play an action game more influenced by Devil May Cry than Dark Souls for a change. Soulstice makes a good case for its combat and its synthesis of two characters with distinct fighting styles. The characters themselves aren’t particularly interesting or sympathetic, and their quips and asides grow annoying. The game’s fixed camera and how it hamstrings enjoyable platforming and exploration are most troubling. Soulstice isn’t as entertaining or polished as the games from which it draws inspiration, but it’s worth checking out for gamers growing tired of the Soulsborne template.

It’s an homage to a game that I absolutely love, and Renegade Kid did some truly commendable things here. On the other hand, I didn’t get much excitement from exploring its worlds

For the Dark Souls fan who sees every From Software game as a validation of the “git gud” mentality, Eldest Souls will probably scratch a persistent itch. For everyone else, especially those who appreciate Souls-like games for their journeys and not their boss destinations, Eldest Souls may seem too focused on doing one thing, no matter how well it succeeds. Eldest Souls is designed around frustration and challenge, and if that’s your idea of a good time, then this game is for you.

As a fan of the world of One Punch Man, I really couldn’t ask for anything more. You build a hero from the ground up, utilizing a massive amount of unlockable content to shape and mold your character how you see fit. Want an enormous cardboard box on your head? Maybe you’d prefer to wear multiple pairs of sunglasses on your thighs? Or how about two Saitama masks covering both butt cheeks? All of this, and so much more, is at your fingertips, and at the end of the day, that sort of zaniness is what makes One Punch Man. The fighting itself is nothing to write home about – I guarantee you’ve played a better fighter. But if the simplicity doesn’t turn you off, and you enjoy the source material, OPM can be great.