If I had to describe Ninja Gaiden 4, it’s like a metal song: loud, boisterous, hard as hell, and simultaneously brutish and complex. It’s hard to expect that much more from a Ninja Gaiden title, even in a new generation. If 4 is the base for future games, the Year of the Ninja may wind up needing a few pages in the calendar.

This experience is far from perfect, something embodied by its initial tendency to lead you into dead ends. Thankfully, these roadblocks eventually gave way to some real progress, both in terms of traversal and storytelling, as the silky smooth movement alleviated some of these long, dull hikes. While Possessor(s) doesn’t fully break from a crowded field of search-action games, its compelling characters and pointed commentary give it some personality of its own. If you’re eager to explore man-made horrors, this flaming wreck of a company town will provide.

While at its best, Eclipsium is dream logic in playable form, its high points are dragged down by lackluster puzzles and some far less interesting treks through dry landscapes. In the end, it’s the kind of game that will probably play best in short clips on social media, where its eye-catching art style and occasional clever turns will more or less have the same power they do in the context. Instead of coming across as consistently evocative, the game’s terseness can make it feel like it doesn’t have a great deal to say.

Shadow Labyrinth is a perfectly fine Metroid riff. The level design, the pacing of new power-ups, and the mechanical satisfaction of mastering its different forms of precision-demanding motion make it both very easy and demanding to play.

Despite my irritations with flat writing and stereotypes in The Drifter, I was deeply impressed by its puzzle design, look, and deliciously eerie atmosphere. That’s why I’m disappointed I can’t recommend it whole-heartedly, because there’s a lot in here that’s truly special. But for a group of designers who claim to be heavily influenced by Stephen King, The Drifter is surprisingly superficial when it comes to the core traits of its ensemble cast. King doesn’t always manage to avoid stereotypes himself, but his best works are celebrated for including fully-realized characters who don’t fall neatly into expected roles. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on what the creators of The Drifter do next; I imagine that, much like Stephen King, they’ll continue to grow and make even more creative games in the future. But until then, I’ll be wishing that The Drifter had gotten just one more draft.