Peak is a chaotic, fun time with friends that will have you cheering with joy one moment upon reaching the top, and screaming in agony the next after falling back down. While it's possible to play solo, this is clearly a co-op–designed experience that needs to be played with friends to get the most out of it. A few bugs and crashes still take away from the experience, but Peak is a game that's worth your time in a very busy 2025.

Viewfinder is a brilliantly creative puzzle game that constantly forces you to think outside the box through level design that never fails to impress, and a gameplay loop that is fun from start to finish. However, the lackluster narrative, irritating dialogue, and major softlocking glitch prevent it from being truly great.

A love letter to the world of Frank Herbert, Dune: Awakening has some of the most immersive survival gameplay in recent years as well as an intriguing entry in the Dune lore. However, the game expects a lot from the player and has a very slow grind to get to the best parts of the game. As it stands, Dune: Awakening is a strong foundation for Funcom to build off of and I can't wait to see where the game goes next.

Full Metal Schoolgirl is a chaotic and fun game that puts its gameplay, anime tropes, and aesthetic above other qualities, for better or worse. The story isn't spectacular or particularly memorable, but it does make fun of black companies and detrimental work culture, so that's a plus. If you're a fan of Lollipop Chainsaw, Earth Defense Force, and other action games of a similar vein, then Full Metal Schoolgirl can be a great time.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a good revival of a series that delivers as much content as possible to its fans. However, this can be a detriment as parts feel unfocused or too disparate to work together. Regardless, the charming nature of the title shines above all else, and with so much here, there is something for everyone to fall in love with.

Atelier Ryza is an amazing trilogy within Gust’s Atelier series. Even still, this repackaging isn’t something you should rush to get unless you’re a fan or newcomer, as the new content, much like previous DX versions of Atelier games, doesn’t bring much that’s new to the table. There are just some nice extras that I wouldn’t consider integral to the overall experience.

Whether or not you will enjoy this game depends on how familiar you are with the games featured in the collection. If you’re like me and you grew up hearing about X-Men: The Arcade Game or Maximum Carnage, then this is the experience for you. However, if your response to the game’s announcement was sheer bafflement at the identity of the 6 games within, then you likely aren’t the intended audience for this experience. In the end, despite my frustrations with the experience, I can’t wait to go back and watch Magneto welcome me to die once again.

The first few hours of Slime Rancher 2 are a delightful experience, and it’s super relaxing to traverse the environments, capture slimes, and build your conservatory. It’s a great game to play if you’ve had a stressful day and you’re looking to unwind. However, after a while, you will likely find the slimes that you prefer using, discover the majority of the locations, and unlock the last remaining upgrades. In the end, it requires you to find your own meaning and discover a grand ambition that drives your pursuit. Just like the original, I couldn’t find it. But I definitely enjoyed my experience more than last time.

Rayman is an important game. It helped build the house that would bring us Assassin’s Creed; he joined the likes of Mario and Sonic in becoming an iconic face of gaming, and it puts into perspective how much Ubisoft has changed. With his 30th anniversary done and dusted, I hope that new eyes and appreciation will bring the limelight back to our limbless boy. Who knows, maybe the next time we’ll see him will be in Rayman 4?

Directive 8020 is a step in the right direction for The Dark Pictures, giving its choices more weight, its cast stronger performances, and its horror more room to breathe. While the later episodes drag and a few clichés and visual issues hold it back, the journey aboard the Cassiopeia is still worthwhile.

With many new additions and full voice-over, this is the best version of Noctuary. If you're into something of a unique genre-mix with fast fights and visual novel storytelling, this might be for you.

Dead Take is a unique glimpse into the indie horror genre through the lens of an actor desperate to stay relevant in the ever-changing landscape of the film industry. Its use of atmosphere and film craft drives home a narrative that is both captivating and compelling. However, the combination of poorly lit environments and heavy shadows can make certain puzzles feel cheap, and the lack of clear direction may be too much for some players to overcome.

Tetris: The Grand Master 4 -Absolute Eye- is a great way to play Tetris. It helped me rediscover a love for Tetris I once had and for the first time I'm trying different control schemes and modes. Sadly the game is still in a buggy state and needs some work. The dev team is listening and communicating with the player, and I do have faith these issues will get fixed even if it might take a while. Even after all that I can still recommend it and this will be the version I continue to play.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World Director's Cut is a good time for new fans, but those who have already played the original may debate on whether or not they want to return. With quality gameplay, an excellent soundtrack by David Wise, and pretty visuals, Nikoderiko is a platformer worth your time despite its lackluster narrative.

The game delivers what dedicated otome fans want: beautiful character art, a quality voice cast, a moody historical setting, and branching routes steeped in Japanese legend. It doesn’t reinvent the genre or push any boundaries, nor does it try to captivate non-otome fans. The Switch port is functional but unambitious, and on Switch 2, the Vita DNA is plainly visible in the UI.

I enjoyed my time with The Disney Afternoon Collection. It’s a solid collection of games with modern quality-of-life additions, and it’s a look back to simpler times in the gaming industry. The time attack and boss rush modes are great, as are the art and music galleries—seriously, listen to the DuckTales soundtrack. Even if I spent most of my time with DuckTales, I can still recommend most of the games. The lag and slowdown are still annoying issues, but ones that never made me stop playing, and post-launch updates can fix such issues. I can recommend The Disney Afternoon Collection to anyone, even a little nostalgic for these games. If you come away with a favorite from this collection, it will likely be DuckTales.

That being said, Chrono Gear: Warden of Time will be an easy game for experienced action game players. Chrono Gear: Warden of Time doesn’t innovate or bring anything new to the table either, but I don’t think it has to in order to be a fun game. It’s clear that GalaxyTrail and the other talent involved wanted to make a game that celebrates hololive and everything that makes it appealing. They’ve certainly achieved that in Chrono Gear: Warden of Time and made me laugh in joy more than a few times, too.

The Hungry Lamb is not a long visual novel, and I was able to finish it in close to 10 hours. The game has some issues, but it’s still a satisfying read worth experiencing. If you aren’t sensitive to the subject matter, you will be greeted with a compelling narrative about survival and redemption. The art is a treat, even if I wish there were more. It’s not perfect; the story has some serious pacing issues, and it made me take a couple of breaks. With all that, I’m glad I finished The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty and can still recommend it, faults and all.

Arknights: Endfield is undeniably a visual masterclass with an easy to learn but fun to master combat system and world to explore. However, it struggles with pacing by throwing tutorial after tutorial at you with its overly complicated base-building and factory mechanics.

Rise of the Ronin is far from a perfect game, but it proves that Team Ninja still knows how to craft a thrilling action experience. If you’re looking for an engaging story or beautiful graphics, you won’t find those here. However, if you need an action RPG to keep you occupied for the next few weeks, Rise of the Ronin should do the trick.

While Tides of Tomorrow hits a few rough patches with its stiff controls and some questionable music selection and voice work, the weight of its decisions left a lasting impact on me long after the credits rolled. Its Story-Link system turns the narrative into a fascinating social experiment, forcing you to confront the legacy you leave for other players.

Shinonome Abyss: The Maiden Exorcist is a diamond in the rough. It's full of clever ideas and dripping with plenty of spooky atmosphere, but it's hard to say that it ever truly achieves excellence. Despite that, players who like mystery dungeon RPGs will likely have fun here.

Freedom Wars Remastered doesn't bring many surprises to the table, but it's great to see a Vita cult classic find its way to current platforms. While it is beginning to show its age, this still holds up as an enjoyable title to play in 2025.

Despelote is a great autobiographical narrative that will likely strike a chord with you if you grew up watching events such as the World Cup. While the repetitive gameplay and strange controls are frustrating, the presentation, story premise, and charming moments are more than enough to immerse you in a specific and unique era in history. Plus, with the short runtime and small price, if you like short and sweet games and have a passion for football/soccer, then this is a must-buy.

Gloomy Eyes isn’t about innovation; it’s about immersion. Its strength lies in mood, not mechanics. The story of Gloomy and Nena unfolds like a gothic bedtime tale, carried by expressive narration and a striking audiovisual style. Gameplay remains simple, occasionally clunky due to camera issues, unclear level design, and technical blemishes, but it holds together just enough to support the narrative journey. This is a game for a very particular audience. If you love Tim Burton’s blend of macabre and romantic, if you enjoy dark fairy tales where atmosphere outweighs challenge, Gloomy Eyes is worth experiencing. It may not shine as brightly in gameplay, but in the dim light of its eternal night, it casts a charm all its own.

BrokenLore: Unfollow is a short and sweet horror title all about the ills of social media and parasocial relationships. While it doesn't exactly introduce any bold new ideas and the frequency of jumpscares are a bit infuriating, the great portrayal of a theme that has been done to death, unique concepts in the narrative and gameplay, fun exploration, and replayability make it a great time for any fans of the horror genre.

Don’t get me wrong. This sequel truly experiments a lot, with many elements you’d not usually see in a typical SRPG. Still, perhaps because I was looking for an exciting story with twists and turns, and what I got was a Sunday morning cartoon full of villains I’m unable to take seriously, then it’s very hard for me to recommend this game to the average person.

Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes quickly pulled me in with its storytelling, tough choices, and RTS gameplay, making every run tense and rewarding. It has a few stumbles, especially with some repetition, slowdown, and a final boss that felt more luck-based than skill-based, but overall, this is still a really solid journey worth taking.