It’s a very ambitious direction to take strategy games, with a more concentrated experience to offer than broader real-time strategy titles. But this focus needs some polish.

Legends of Kingdom Rush is a lot of fun, but its port to PC is a bit underwhelming. Lack of controller support for such a mechanically simple game is pretty lazy. There’s no new content, either, so players coming from the mobile version will have seen everything already. With such enjoyable gameplay and sense of style, Legends of Kingdom Rush deserves a more thorough makeover for PC and consoles, not just a basic port.

The Wizards Enhanced Edition is a pretty fun VR fantasy adventure that brings consistent thrills to the PSVR in its cool spellcasting and its polished presentation. You’ll feel like a real, powerful wizard slaying orcs and goblins and lots of other crazy creatures — and the launch price of $24.99 is pretty sweet too. The relatively short length and one-note gameplay might spoil the magic a little bit, but there’s no doubt that this is a VR game that all aspiring warlocks should consider trying.

All in all, I don’t think I can recommend Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Maybe if you have a dedicated gaming PC and don’t care about lackluster narrative presentation, you’ll enjoy it. As it is, I can only shake my head and go back to Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion.

All in all, Curious Expedition was an interesting title. I’ll admit I found the first 10 minutes or so boring as it involves reading a lot of small text, but once you’ve made some progress into your first expedition, it quickly becomes a lot better. Unfortunately, the storytelling element in this can become a bit repetitive after a while and there were few sections of the game that I thought could have used more of a narrative, but all in all, it’s certainly an experience to check out if you like rogue-like games or even board games as Curious Expedition closely resembles one.

Probably my biggest gripe with the game was the number of bugs we encountered. These ranged from being stuck behind a door, to the end-screen not generating the stats and gold bars. They were usually just minor annoyances, but happened just a bit too frequently.

Mario Party: Star Rush is a fresh take on the Mario Party franchise. There’s a lot of familiarity here – many of the same Mario Party characters are re-used and none of the environments stood out as really unique compared to previous games – but even the most die-hard Mario Party fan will find something new here.

It’s clear that Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection will only appeal to a tiny, very niche audience. It just so happens that I fall into that group. Poor choice of included games, an almost disrespectful lack of multiplayer, and no effort put into modernizing mechanics doesn’t exactly make for an enjoyable, user-friendly experience. Despite all of this, I’ve still had fun with it. It’s not great, but damnit, I kinda, sorta, like it.

Anyone who digs the horror or suspense genres should absolutely pick this up. Being born out of personal torment and inner conflict makes this game a unique experience, and sometimes you can’t help but relate to Thomas’ confusion as he wanders through the dark.

A fun yet simple title with strong graphical and audio style, making it one of the stronger Japanese multimedia adaptations to date.

Taken as a whole, Vesta is a pleasant enough experience but it’s an experience that has been done so many times, and so much better, in many other games.

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case has all the makings of a classic, stylish Suda51 game that unfortunately is flat for Western audiences. While visual novels can be fantastic experiences, this one doesn’t hit the mark for being a novel or a video game. With unimaginative text and no audible dialogue, a game like this ought to rely on striking visuals to keep the player interested. Instead, we are treated to still images that change every few minutes and the occasional puzzle or mini-game to try and keep our attention.

Ripples took my every criticism of “Hide and Seek’s” core experience and fixed it, focusing more on The Council’s incredible dialogue system than the puzzles of the manor.

The game is okay, but only just. If you were a hardcore fan of it back in the day, this might be a great walk down memory lane for you, but I really can’t think of a good reason they brought Jedi Academy back from the brink with even less than a fresh coat of paint. Had this been given the full remake treatment it could undoubtedly have been epic, but as it stands it was a bit of a clunky cash-grab game when it first launched and it still feels the same today. Maybe this entry should have stayed in a galaxy far, far away.

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.

Doraemon: Story of Seasons is beautifully executed, and it’s one of the most engaging Story of Seasons games I’ve ever played. The story is great and progresses without overly excessive downtime in between major events, and there’s no shortage of things to do to keep you entertained. Though the core gameplay may be tedious for some, it’s completely engrossing for others who love games of this nature or have loved Story of Seasons games in the past. As for me, I hope that Noby and his goofy friends stay trapped in Natura for a while — I won’t be ready to leave life on the farm anytime soon.

Although the game is on the short side, it undeniably offers a fun experience for a small group of family and friends. The main strength of Unspottable lies in how inviting it is for everyone to play, and how easy it is to learn and pick up on a lazy day. As it is strictly local multiplayer, the downside to this is the difficulty of playing with anyone outside of your household. This is a tricky thing to comment on during this time of isolation because the impact of not having online play is stronger than before. However, it offers a great solution for a quick game night with the family, which could be something that is much needed today too.

Doomsday Vault is a charming title with a great message. I just wish there was a bit more of a narrative to help drive the player along, as I didn’t feel particularly inspired to move forward even though I knew I needed to. As a game for casual gamers or for the younger players getting into puzzlers, I would definitely recommend it. If you’re looking for a game with a deep narrative, more challenging puzzles, and question spending approximately $17.99 on a game that can be completed in a little over 2-3 hours, then you may not be as happy with this title.

The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest is a great little Metroidvania, full of wacky antics and charm. Its tight controls and strong design make the journey through perilous areas a thrill, while the catchy themes linger long after the relatively short runtime. Boss battles are varied and there are some genuinely funny moments; however, the mission structure can feel repetitive, and some of the randomness lacks clear context and doesn’t always land. Despite its creativity and polish, it risks being overlooked in an already crowded genre.

I can only say this: give Dear Esther a chance; it could prove to connect with you on a deep and personal level while challenging your perception on gaming as an art form. Or, you’ll find it pointless and know to avoid these interactive experiences in the future.

The Casting of Frank Stone takes a more measured approach to storytelling than The Dark Pictures Anthology, Until Dawn or The Quarry. It spends a long time getting to know its relatively small cast. When the scares and horror really kick in, they pack a punch because we’ve come to care about the characters. Excellent cinematic visual direction, an engaging mystery and top-notch voice acting are the stars of a game-slash-movie easily worth the price of a ticket.

While the story may be inane, and the lack of even cartoon logic behind character action may be at fault, it’s an inane story told very well.

Overall, Rain of Reflections is well-made from a graphical and gameplay standpoint, although neither elements excite me on their own. The story concept is interesting enough to give the game a look, and it might be worth buying if the second and third chapters, which do not follow Wilona, serve more satisfying conclusions to the story. Right now, I can’t fully recommend this game as it stands, unless you’re really into hacking mini-games.

WRC 6 is a decent racing game, assuming you understand exactly what you’re getting into.

Crash Drive 3 is a fun idea that is enjoyable in short bursts. Unfortunately, in longer sessions, an array of issues are glaringly obvious. The slippy driving mechanics, repetitive missions and bland visuals make this an uninspiring release. With almost no reason to play solo, the game’s reliance on a community could mean that the game crashes before it hits the highway. Due to this, I would hit the brakes before picking up this racer.

While parts of it felt long and grindy, the English cast is abysmal, and the dungeons design themselves left more to be desired, Astria Ascending is still a solid entry in the JRPG genre. It does what it sets out to do and at its price point it does it pretty well. While it may not quite rise to the heights of some of the forebears it tries to evoke from Square Enix’s past, its friendlier price point makes it a great entry that can steal away 25-30 hours of time. Just don’t expect it to sway you over if you don’t already like the genre. As its tendency to get grindy, and its overwrought characters may not change your mind.

If you're in the market for a fun, first-person shooter, I wholeheartedly recommend Serious Sam 4. It has its flaws and might not be the shooter of the year, but it is still one-hundred percent well worth a playthrough.

Golf With Your Friends is easy to pick up but difficult to master, like all the best party games. As someone who struggles to find putters big enough for me at mini-golf courses and who has a nagging injury, Golf With Your Friends is an excellent alternative to the real thing. With the heavy focus of online multiplayer and the title being available day one on Game Pass, it’s a great way for Team17 and Blacklight Interactive to bring more people together during these pressing times.