If you are a series veteran looking to relive the magic of Life is Strange, then there is no doubt Before the Storm will scratch the right itch.

I like Kiln’s cheeky humor and colorful style. I’m frankly amazed the game is more than just a wacky premise. The pottery-making sim aspect isn’t half bad. Unfortunately, Kiln feels constrained by a lack of alternative modes and maps, with systems and mechanics that could be deeper. In its present state Kiln is engaging for a while, but the fun doesn’t last long enough.

While the DLC gives you another reason to revisit one of the best games of last year, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the base game. The developers designed the levels well, but they don’t offer as many paths and secrets as the main campaign. Although boss battles exceed expectations, the worlds don’t maintain consistent theming across all enemies, which detracts from the idea of visiting these distinct worlds. Regardless, priced at only $9.99, the Villains DLC delivers on its novelty concept and lets you delve back into a classic title.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a great fit for asymmetrical multiplayer. I’ll take any chance to engage with a film that made a huge impact on my childhood. Also, the film lends itself very well to this style of gameplay. My hope is that future support includes new content. I’d love to see maps set in iconic locations, like the Sedgewick Hotel. Additional ghosts and equipment (like the pink slime gun) would be great, too. There’s a solid foundation to work with and future plans would go a long way to keeping the experience fresh.

Meet Your Maker starts with a great concept, but it takes time, patience, and the willingness to fail a lot to really enjoy what the game has to offer. Player made levels range from brilliant to annoying, and unfortunately building is locked behind hours of grinding, which just seems like poor design. Negatives aside, Meet Your Maker does have a pretty compelling loop for both sadists and masochists.

Sadly, there’s no way to know what life in a computer is actually like. Exception does a damn fine job of imagining it, though. If nothing else, I hope that any sufficiently-advanced AI civilization would naturally gravitate towards neon and synth. I never got enough mileage out of the special moves, but I did love zipping around this weird little world. The soundtrack alone is almost worth the price of admission, which should lay bare my artistic priorities. If your dreams of entering the net remain withered, perhaps a little time with Exception will soothe your soul.

While it looks like a modern storybook tale, Gylt deals with some pretty intense subject matter that many can relate to. It would be easy to complain that Gylt doesn’t go deep enough in any direction or layer enough complexity on its basic systems. That would be true if the game was longer than its five-hour running time. Its mechanics might not be remarkable, but Gylt’s themes are impactful and its presentation is memorable and engaging.

As far as homages go, Hundred Heroes is an exceptional one. That old-school sensibility is captured perfectly, almost to its detriment. The sprite art is exceptional, the voice work is fantastic, and the character designs are excellent. I wish the pacing was more modern, though. And I’d be fine with an updated approach to inventory management. But all that is what makes this such a faithful successor to the Suikoden series. Well, that and the establishment of your own kingdom full of heroes. If you’re looking for the next Suikoden game, this is it! Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a worthy ascendant to the Suikoden throne.

The Letter: A Horror Visual Novel is a very good story, with an excellent focus on character relationships. The story uses the structure of the visual novel genre to deepen its quality. This is what a visual novel should be. It doesn’t have the originality of genre classics like 428: Shibuya Scramble, Danganronpa, or the Ace Attorney series. But it is an easy recommendation for fans of the genre, who are looking for more.

All in all, if you enjoy anime and story-heavy JRPGs, you’ll probably enjoy this title as well. If you prefer games that feature better gameplay to cutscene ratios, you should probably play something else.

I enjoyed Total War: Arena more than I thought, but I’m not sure if it has enough carrot at the end of the stick for me to keep playing long term. The grind to the higher tiers seems makes me wonder if it’s worth my time trying other factions, and the matches with the same units begin to feel repetitive. Without much more dynamic interaction during the actual battles, it’s hard to see myself staying engaged.

There are obvious flaws here and there, and I would have loved to see more interactivity or animations, but The Mind’s Eclipse is a compelling tale that’s worth experiencing. Just make sure you stay away from all those pesky nanites.

Wargaming and its ‘World of’ franchise have turned military vehicle combat into a fun, popular, and extremely lucrative series of games that are very well done. Most of the time, I’m usually done with games once my review is over and it’s a real testament to the playability of a game if it stays in my heavy rotation. Legends has earned that spot as one of the games that I’m going to continue to enjoy at least semi-regularly for the next little while… or until I run face first into that paywall and my interest wanes. Hopefully, I’ll get a solid run out of World of Warships: Legends before I get priced out.

It’s great to see this game getting a second life. Who would have believed it possible for this game to be playable on consoles? The mood is still great, and the game is very replayable because of the randomization of who is human or replicant. I very much enjoyed this retro-future trip back to 2019.

With questionable graphics interrupting the gameplay every now and then, the visuals may become the game’s undoing for players looking for a high-resolution racer. Fortunately, Redout offers a lot of different modes of play and numerous challenges to keep one entertained, so much so that some of the dips in visuals can be partially forgiven if you are willing to accept it. While it may not be consistent eye candy especially when playing undocked, its contents, gameplay, and attainable goals make it an easy game to pick up if you’re looking for something insanely fast, fun, and entertaining.

Possessor(s) is a beautiful Metroidvania with an open structure that encourages exploration and lets you progress at your own pace. While its platforming and combat are both solid, they lack the distinctive flair needed to match the game’s stunning art direction. The narrative is deep and layered, but its delivery sometimes undermines immersion. Despite being a strong and engaging adventure, it doesn’t always capture the magic its visuals promise.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is about the best fans could expect from this finale.

What makes OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes so suitable for gamers of many ages is not just the ease of gameplay, but the delightful characters and storyline.

This isn’t for everyone, to be sure. Less of a sprint and more of a marathon, the challenge of The Riftbreaker is both sustained and intense. This means things like pacing hiccups feel a lot more potent. Even if the prospect of an extended campaign like this seems daunting, the game’s lush visuals are a soothing balm. If you want something more out of the RTS genre, The Riftbreaker will have what you’re looking for.

It’s fun, but simple.

Friday the 13th: Ultimate Slasher Edition is not perfect by any means, but it is a perfect representation of the movie series as a whole. By providing players thrills and tense moments any Nintendo Switch owning horror fan should enjoy it, even with some of its deficiencies. The additional DLC extras, offline mode and various goodies all add to the package, and developer Black Tower Studios’s effort is one that would make even Mrs. Voorhees proud.

Certainly an improvement over its predecessor. By no means is it a perfect game as some of the technical issues did cast a shadow over the experience to a degree. That said, Stardock has been hard at work ironing out the wrinkles and the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Graphically the game starts off looking rather simple, with basic 3D shapes, but they begin to evolve the farther you get into the game.

I wish it was longer and ended better, but in its early and middle stages, A Rogue Escape provides enough satisfaction to make it worth a try.

Pulling off your head and lobbing it deep into a dark and dingy crevasse has never been so much fun. With over 90 puzzles, an array of crazy characters, witty dialogue and unique mechanics, a trip to Helheim is definitely worth the trek. Its quirky and intriguing spin on the Norse world is fascinating and due to this, it can proudly raise its glass of grog up high and bellow “Skol” at the top of its lungs.

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

Color Symphony 2 is a perfect scratch for the hardcore puzzle platforming itch, but it might not be for every gamer. I would like to have a little more depth to the game, maybe longer levels with an interesting assortment of obstacles rather than lots of short levels with an associated gimmick.

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series succeeds in its goal of making you feel like a Jedi. With a high production value, intriguing plot, and excellent cinematics, the game will leave fans of the franchise in awe. However, with little gameplay and a short runtime, this is more of a VR experience than a game.