Silt is a unique game that perfectly blends the themes of horror and isolation. Due to the abominations that manifest within, unease spreads throughout and you will second-guess every narrow path. The wonderful puzzles offer a suitable level of challenge which will you keep you content. Even though the movement is a little rigid and it is relatively short, it’s a brilliant experience that taps into the darkest, depths of thalassophobia.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney still cleverly presents itself as one of the most memorable adventures to reside in the Ace Attorney series. Having it available on the 3DS allows returning fans as well as new players to experience the series at its best in this day and age. While nothing revolutionary is present, it simply retouches the visuals, audio, and added features that will help players experience the game in a way similar to its original launch.

New Pokémon Snap takes everything the original game did right and only adds onto the original, successful formula. It is beautiful and relaxing while being frantic and fun. There is an almost overload of things to see and do on each stage with plenty of challenges to complete. Seeing your favorite Pokémon come to life is an absolute treat, but making the game bigger and better while adding certain limitations feels like a recipe for artificial longevity. With so much going on at any given time and imperfect means of interacting with the Pokémon – coupled with the ability to submit only one photo per outing per Pokémon at a time – New Pokémon Snap is asking you to complete dozens of perfect runs per stage to fill the Photodex. While the repetitive nature might be just fine for kids, this game may be better in short bursts for adults and perfectionists.

Despite these easily fixable flaws, I haven’t had this much fun in an arcade racer in a long time. It’s a beautiful and smooth experience with clever level design, cheeky humor, and the ability to make some truly spectacular vehicles. With split-screen and online multiplayer, LEGO 2K Drive is a great choice for some late-night gaming shenanigans.

It may seem like there is no end in sight, no happy ending for those who survive, but with its fantastic presentation and no-nonsense attitude, Frostpunk is an exemplary game to learn from and with so many paths to go down, the replay value is through the roof, especially for gamers who happen to be a glutton for punishment.

Atari Mania is an absolute blast. The world includes a number of puzzles that adds variety to the speedy microgames formula. While the company lacks the same number of mainstream icons as Nintendo, the implementation of popular IPs is masterful. The controls are a little stiff and performance did falter at times, however, the love and admiration for the classics are palpable. With its imaginative mashups, nostalgia-filled collectibles and extremely addictive gameplay loop, Ataria Mania is a must for retro enthusiasts.

There’s definitely a Frankenstein’s Half-Genie of ideas at play here though; as much as the game does right none of it is original or groundbreaking. Still, I did enjoy playing through it a whole lot, its light and fanciful approach offering a nice break than some of the heavier games of late. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is more than the sum of its parts, but I just wish a few of those parts were original concepts.

Every aspect of this game is steeped in strategy. The choice system, the combat, and the core narrative all reinforce this idea. Especially the story, which maintains a desperate intensity throughout. Your every move is carefully considered, and each response carries serious weight. Between this intensity and the measured pace, my focus occasionally suffered. My tendency to level grind also backfired on me, adding extra strain to the runtime. On the other hand, the battles were all addictive and compelling. So much so that you resent the other sections a little. While the pressures of running a High House may seem oppressive, don’t despair! Each struggle comes with its own rich rewards. If you’ve got the patience for it, Triangle Strategy will get its hooks deep in your brain.

I don’t feel like I earned the ending I got, and I believe fans who traversed all three games are going to feel a bit shortchanged by the final cutscene. Despite captivating set pieces and a sentimental journey with Lara, my engagement took a dive at several intervals, and my pendulum of investment too often fell on the fringe of excitement. A few missing puzzle pieces leave a good experience in the place of greatness.

I review a lot of games and I’ll admit that diving into another roguelike isn’t always immediately appealing. But Ravenswatch does enough clever things with its mechanics, art, character design, and premise that I was intrigued and engaged. Ravenswatch demonstrates again that in the hands of talented developers, there’s still a lot of untapped potential in the roguelike genre.

If you get mad at touchy jumps that require perfection, you might want to stay away.

I really enjoyed Shuten Order. The narrative kept me excited to find out the identity of The Founder’s killer. I really enjoyed the structure of every investigation being a different style of visual novel. But the game suffers from many of the issues that plague the visual novel genre. The writing is long-winded, and can be lazy at times. There are lots of bad anime tropes that are going to turn away anyone who isn’t already a visual novel fan. But if you love the genre, Shuten Order is one of my favorite new visual novels in quite a while.

All in all, there’s enough happening in Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! that can keep you entertained for a long time. If you’re looking for a challenge, you can try filling out all the Bingo cards, beating your own high scores, and playing with friends and strangers online. There are fun rewards and lots of familiar songs that make this game feel nostalgic yet new at the same time. While there was opportunity missed by not having the drum controller available here, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! is still enjoyable by itself.

The best thing about Super Animal Royale, aside from its lighthearted art style, is that is reasonably satisfying to play without requiring the kind of time commitment that those other battle royale games assume you’re willing to make. Matches are fun, fast and the dopamine won’t even have time to leave your system before you’re in the next round again. It might not be the most complex or graphically impressive game in the genre, but Super Animal Royale accomplishes its goals of being accessible, adorable and addictive.

Ride 2 is definitely a game for racing fans, designed from the ground up with customization and realism as the foundational pillars. It’s hard to recommend if you aren’t a fan of the genre, but I would consider it a must have enthusiasts.

With over 9,000 cards at our disposal as well as being able to relive the anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is everything I could have hoped for. Sure, there are some elements and annoyances that hold the experience back but overall there’s a ton of content and fans should be plenty satisfied.

Bravely Default is a fantastic RPG, one that’s easily worth your time and attention. The job and combat systems alone are worth the price of entry. Everything else, the charming graphics, the clever dialogue, and the catchy music, is icing on a delicious cake. I wish the visuals felt more worthy of the Nintendo Switch 2, but they still look better than ever before. If you’ve played the original, I’m not sure if you want the remaster. But if you haven’t, you simply can’t miss Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster.

Tinkering around in Free Mode is much the same chill and fun way to spend some time as in other building sims. The game allows for the player to design some fairly complex and impressive structures, even if the tools aren’t always entirely cooperative. Anyone designing a dream home or business could certainly use Architect Life to make a first pass at realizing their vision.

Sand Land captures the heart and soul of Akira Toriyama’s classic tale. Jumping in a vehicle and fighting creatures is a highlight of the experience and overshadows the lackluster melee combat. Side quests are a little dull but the main campaign is varied and an accurate interpretation and interesting extension of the Manga. With its stunning visuals, fans of anime will love this thrilling journey through Toriyama’s iconic universe.

Overall, The Gardens Between is not particularly complex or subtle with the linear-nature of its puzzle-solving and familiar story, but the level of creativity and depth the game reaches with its uncomplicated parts is not to be understated. It is a game to be played after a long day of school or work, when you might need to take a moment to remember simpler times.

Eschewing combat takes away some of the ethical dilemmas that are part of 4x and city builder games. You can even play Before We Leave without any threats at all, making it a very chill experience that’s focused entirely on puttering around and building. Without combat or threats, however, Before We Leave is forced to really lean into its aesthetic and mechanics. The result is a little vanilla and a bit repetitive over the long term. It’s a bit like decaf coffee. It’ll do, but you’re gonna miss the kick.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A isn’t afraid to make some much-needed modernizations. However, the small world and repetitive gameplay loop make it not the shiniest of the Pokémon games.

If you’re wondering whether you should only get one version or if you should get the adventure pack, then I’d probably recommend the pack if budget isn’t a major concern. It’s a better bang for your buck, as it offers a bit of a discount from getting the two games separate, and each game offers a unique incentive for you to play with two different storylines and song lists. If you are only interested in getting one over the other, I suggest you pick whichever storyline sounds more interesting to you or which game has the better sound list, though if I had to choose, I would say Rhythmic Adventure 2 gives you the more complete experience. Regardless of what you decide to buy, the Taiko No Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure games are a lot of fun and are great titles for both new and returning Taiko fans alike.

When it comes to racing games, Screamer asserts that realism is overrated. It’s an adrenaline-fueled blast from the past that feels current, too. Although it can be a bit repetitive and over-exacting at times, there’s a lot of depth to Screamer’s narrative premise and racing mechanics. Screamer is definitely worth a look for racing fans a bit tired of another lap around the traditional tracks.

Returning to this world, this flavor of frustration and satisfaction, won’t be for everybody. If you’re looking for a portal into an oft-forgotten slice of gaming history, Oddworld: Soulstorm will open that for you. This is an elevated, modernized window into puzzle platformers of the recent past. A little patience and a little perseverance will introduce you to a strange new world.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with the latest expansion. The level of detail on display is eye dropping, the enemy A.I. is still fun to battle against and most of all the loot just keeps coming. Whether or not I continue to play this expansion in today’s current pandemic with bullet sponge bosses remains to be seen when there’s more distant escapism to be had.

Directive 8020 is Supermassive Games doing what it does best: making a horror adventure out of genre fiction. In this case, it’s body-snatching, Alien-hunting sci-fi and a diminishing crew under increasing pressure. Both its setting and time-jumping narrative construction make it unique, but it never strays very far from the constraints of its inspirations. Impressive visuals, effective performances and generally polished mechanics are countered by a muted tone, some dull exploration sequences and stealth. The game’s pacing and momentum sometimes feel out of whack. Still, both fans of Supermassive’s approach to storytelling and classic sci-fi will enjoy their time on Tau Ceti f.

I was pleasantly surprised and had an enjoyable time playing with multiple characters and building their skill trees to suit my play style. Without the cooperative mode, I would have been done with the game quite quickly, but being able to play with friends and strategize in the harder difficulties is worth the price of admission.