It is certainly a pretty game. The minimalist polygon planes are very evocative, the sound design is lovely, and the abundant bloom lighting creates a mood. There’s sort of a goal (get to the next triangle) and when you achieve it, the art style shifts. But I didn’t really find it relaxing, I found it boring. And I never got over feeling perplexed.

It truly suffers from a lack of personality.

In summary, you’ll know if Ancestors is up your alley pretty quick. And kudos to you, I genuinely hope you enjoy it, so they can make more games that are this out there. It’s something the industry absolutely needs even if they’re not ready for me yet. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on it and who knows? I may come back later when it’s had time to sit with the general population only to really discover its wonders. But for now, my dear reader, I’d rather forget about my ancestors lost to time and play a game like Ape Out instead.

All in all, Siege of Centauri felt dull after only a few hours of play. The game isn’t bad in any way, it just doesn’t provide anything interesting to the people who’ve already poured hundreds of hours in the genre. The competition is also stacked with plenty of tower defence games available for free online or on your phone. Lacking a defining feature also makes it hard for me to recommend it to anyone specific, and there is also no online functionality outside of user-created maps and leaderboards. There was not a single risk taken and I didn’t feel a hint of passion in Siege of Centauri. If there ever was a game that felt phoned-in, this is it.

GORN is a limited gameplaying experience. There is an undeniable visceral thrill in beating your opponents to a pulp, but it’s a thrill that doesn’t last long. There’s also no denying that sometimes you just want to play a game that is mindless fun. GORN certainly fills such a need. It’s just a shame that this port doesn’t elevate the original game in any way.

VR Broom Racing constantly gets in its own way, and the game is somehow right to do so. If you’re looking for a well-designed magical racing game, Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing is just what you’re looking for. I’m just not sure you’ll enjoy it.

The upside is that, although the game feels underdeveloped, what it has is a great base to build upon, and the devs have promised ongoing support for the game. I found the art charming and expressive, and the unique characters are brimming with great stories just waiting to be told. The voice acting makes the battles feel alive with commands being shouted in Polish and German, backed up by great sound effects. Finally, there are many strategic gameplay bits that differ from its predecessor that I can see being developed into a full feature to help WARSAW really stand apart. With all that being said, I can’t recommend WARSAW to you in the current state. I’d give it a few months wait before checking it out again.

There’s a lot to like about McDROID, but sadly playing it on consoles is just not the way to go.

Dream Alone brims with potential but falls slightly short in multiple areas. The concept and artistic execution is beyond intriguing, but certain kinks still need to be ironed out to make it a smoother and more flexible experience. The main musical score is hauntingly beautiful, and my only complaint is that I wish it were integrated into the levels more in place of the constant rain sounds that tempted me to mute the game on more than one occasion.

Unless you’re interested in the subject matter — and, really, I was — you’d be better off spending your money elsewhere.

Wind & Leaves turned out to be a real bummer. The exploration and world history are intriguing and there’s no denying the beauty of the world as it speeds through growth when time is fast-forwarded. There is also some really good soundtrack music going on too. The intent of creating a Journey-like experience is clear but there are too many game mechanic missteps that break immersion. This a game some will no doubt like because of the world. It all depends on your tolerance level of the game mechanics.

I won’t sugarcoat things: I hated playing this game. But I recognize that part of my constant misery was due to the roguelite elements corralling gameplay into certain styles and rhythms. In Death: Unchained asks a lot of you, in terms of practice, patience, and persistence. When it comes to roguelites, I am mostly sapped of these things. But that doesn’t apply to everybody! You may hear my dire warnings as a clarion call, a war cry demanding your full attention. The lack of progression between runs, the unforgiving aiming system, and the complex controls all proved an insurmountable barrier. Hardier souls than myself are welcome to scale this mountain, but be warned: the ascent is a treacherous one. Download In Death: Unchained if you’re not afraid of a little suffering and strife mixed in with your satisfaction.

To all the Soul Reaver fans out there, I apologize. Perhaps there’s some essential flavor that nostalgia adds to the soup, but I’m sadly missing it. For me, coming into these games cold was a dreadful shock. The big stretches of empty space are pretty painful. Fighting enemies is easier than I expected, but still not terribly engaging. The puzzles are stretched out over the same bizarre layouts, which makes them more frustrating. The visuals are a major improvement over the old games, however. I like the narrative’s premise well enough, but it was hard to get into the swing of things. Again, mostly due to the archaic gameplay. If you’re a fan of the old games, then Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered will be a breath of fresh air. On the other hand, new players will likely have a very difficult time with these games.

Defense Technica is a fully serviceable tower defense game, but I don’t buy the claim of being the ‘next evolution’ in the genre by any means. It is fun in short bursts, but unless you like a grueling difficulty, it’s a game that is tough to hold your interest for more than a short period once you hit that wall.

Hardcore DBZ fans are going to love it regardless while casual fans and gamers are going to give it a big pass. Personally, while I did have some fun, the lack of offline play, the long wait times for online play, the dated graphics and repetitive game play have put me squarely in the latter.

Starfield is a broad and ambitious game that falls significantly short of the mark whether compared to previous Bethesda efforts or other entries in the space RPG landscape like No Man’s Sky. There are some competent gameplay pieces, but they feel like they were built in the vacuum of space without radio contact, and never really came together when everything got wired up. Some die-hard Bethesda fans might be able to find the fun I was looking for, but I’d recommend tempering expectations at the very least. If you’re a PS5-only player who missed out on the 2023 release, tread with caution. The PS5 version lured me back like a toxic ex who promised they’d changed, and what I found confirmed what I’d already known. Starfield is easily the weakest single-player game in Bethesda’s catalogue, and a sour glimpse into what we might have to expect out of The Elder Scrolls 6.

If you’ve got the pass already, then Vault-Tec Workshop is worth looking into. If you played the hell out of Fallout Shelter, then you’re sure to love this update. Otherwise, save your money for Nuka World, and cross your fingers in hopes that it’s as good as Far Harbour.

All in all, Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is a game that is easy to overlook and doesn’t really give you much reason not to. There’s fun to be had and it’s an easy way to waste a half hour, but that’s really all you’ll be doing. With repetitive gameplay, a strange storyline, and a tone that oddly feels more like a recruitment video than anything else, Heavy Fire seems like it probably should have stayed dormant. Seriously though, if it does unlock a special invite to join the military, someone please let me know!

Treasures has a lot of good building blocks, but they don’t add up to much. The gameplay loop starts out compelling, but it quickly goes stale. The visual presentation is alright, but the music is terribly flat. And the act of traversal, of actually exploring, left me unsatisfied. Worse, I never felt like I was working towards anything particularly interesting. Money eventually ends up meaningless in most RPGs, and this game does not buck that trend. If you find yourself hopelessly compelled by the prospect of hunting for loot, this might be your game. Otherwise, I can’t really recommend Dragon Quest Treasures.

This is a rather cursory attempt at a remaster. The use of downgraded assets, missing content, no DLC, no multiplayer, and no ability to quick save are all big letdowns. One thing the remaster does carry on though is the legacy of the original game in being able to run in a smooth and consistent manner. Further patches may improve the game but in its current state, the only reaction possible with this release is disappointment.

Snake Man’s Adventure feels exactly like what it is. A first attempt. While Dososoft may have a handle on the technical side of things, the company needs more experience and/or creative aid in the fashioning of their games. As Snake Man stands or slithers, it is too difficult for young players and too simple narratively for older ones.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons looks like it would be a fun, artsy game to play with a buddy, but most of what you do feels like pointless busy work with almost no trace of the story past the two-minute mark. You’ll run around, climb things, pull levers and move objects, but in a way that requires virtually no thought or strategy. I’d definitely recommend this game to young siblings or children in general, as it is aesthetically pretty and very low pressure. For any other audience, I think the game would be too mindless in its objectives and too frustrating in its clunky-ness to merit even its $14.99 price tag.

The player will be doing a lot of the same in Contra: Rogue Corps. Although the progression systems and multiple modes are welcome, the game is just ok, and it definitely doesn’t feel like Contra. If the price was less it would be a good budget title, but for Konami’s newest Contra offering, it just doesn’t cut the mustard.

The charming character art, the well-crafted levels and the new twist on combat can’t overcome the pervasive sense of frustration and boredom that marked my attempted playthrough.

With the proper people, equipment, and time to play and fully utilize Guilt Battle Arena, the game is relatively fun pioneering on a simplistic and straightforward idea. However, it is easy to see how simplicity can easily fall into mediocrity, especially when that’s all it has going for it.

No, she wasn’t created with the best intentions. No, today’s character design by committee would never give her the green light these days. But there’s still plenty of room for Lara — cheeky, uncompromising, even distasteful — to play for sport. For now, I’ll stick with cleaning Croft Manor in PowerWash Simulator.

Though The Inpatient shines in a few areas, it falls short of what made Until Dawn one of finest horror games of this generation.

Overall, Coffin Dodgers isn’t the worst kart racing game but it doesn’t reinvent the wheel either.