Dark Scrolls is still a charming game that was clearly crafted with love and is worth checking out, regardless of your interests in side-scrollers and roguelikes. Just be prepared to climb out of that grave and into a solid adventure.

Mousebusters is an adventure game with point-and-click, puzzle, and shoot ’em up elements. The gameplay loop is okay but slow at times. The characters are fun but not all of them stick the landing. The narrative can be slow but picks up in the second half leading to a satisfying ending. While it has issues the last hour of the game more than make up for them and I enjoyed my time with it. Especially since you can beat it in an afternoon.

Little Nightmares II Enhanced Edition is a fantastic puzzle heavy horror game that oozes a charming ambiance that just pulls you into its dark world. Unfortunately, minor issues such as platforming, combat, the lackluster offerings of the new Nintendo Switch 2 port, and underutilizing the mechanics of each chapter, slightly bring down what is a solid experience.

I can’t see myself playing it again, but I don’t regret my time with FoxHaunt. It’s an easy-going experience that has made me desire more games in a similar vein.

It’s a game that requires a lot of improvements before it can be truly great. I think that if you have the teeniest bit of curiosity, there’s nothing that should stop you from trying the game out for yourself. As a gacha game, its monetization isn’t aggressive, and playing it myself throughout this month was an experience I found decent, although it barely hits the passable bar. I’ll be closely following the development of this game because I do see the vision that Hotta Studio wishes to craft, and I truly hope the team can bounce back.

FZ: Formation Z is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up and run-and-gun game, making it an interesting combination of genres that work fairly well but doesn't feel fully utilized. The game is very short though, and while it's designed around replayability I didn't feel a reason to keep playing after a couple runs. While I still recommend giving a shot, I only see fans of the genre sticking with it.

Thick as Thieves has the bones of a great stealth experience with rewarding exploration, satisfying loot management, and a world that strongly evokes Looking Glass Studios’ legacy. However, leftover extraction-game design, forced contract progression, limited combat options, and locked characters hold it back from fully stepping out of the shadows.

Coffee Talk Tokyo packs the late-night café up and moves it eastward with a formula that hasn't changed much in over half a decade. The vibe still works, but the writing overcorrects, and the city it's named after never really shows up.

I really liked what I played from this collection. I think each game has some fantastic puzzles and stands out from one another, with Q2 being the best title in the collection for all the improvements in both gameplay and presentation it has over the others. On the flipside, Q with VTubers is the weakest, primarily due to how short it is. Yet, even in spite of these issues, this is still a puzzle collection that will have players coming back for more for quite a while.

In the end, if you are looking for a new game to play with friends, this can be an option. It’s priced reasonably and won’t break the bank, but there is only so much to see here. If you want a game you can return to time and time again, it may be best to look elsewhere. However, for a quick few hours of fun that will get your gambling fix in? This may do.

STARBITES is a new sci-fi turn-based RPG that puts players in the shoes of Lukida, a young salvager wanting to make her dream of exploring the cosmos a reality. Players are treated to a fun turn-based combat system with some unique twists, a compelling story with an emotive cast of characters, and worldbuilding that makes players want to learn more about the setting of Bitter. The performance drawbacks on Switch and the repetitive overworld exploration hold STARBITES back from its full potential, however.

Clockwork Ambrosia is a decent Metroidvania with a really good gun customization feature. It's an indie project that's been in the works for 15 years now, since the team couldn't work full-time on it. A good game for fans of the genre, but one that won't really surprise you. It's a perfect title to play on the go, but it doesn't play ball with non-Windows systems.

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.

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.

I wanted to like OCTOPinbs. The mix of social deduction and action gameplay is novel and could work. Sadly, the social deduction isn’t fully utilized, and while the gameplay can be fun, it quickly gets old due to the lack of content and maps. Still, I can’t say I didn’t have some fun. I was never bored, and a lot of my issues can be fixed with updates. In its current state, OCTOPinbs is hard to recommend unless you can get a few friends to buy it too at the $9.99 MSRP. There’s potential, but it’s untapped for now.

I couldn’t root for any of the characters, and I was bored for most of my time with it. This game is twice as long as its predecessor but has half the narrative depth. It may look and sound great, but that can only take you so far when the story does nothing for you. Still, I can’t say the experience was bad, just a letdown. I can only recommend The Weeping Swan to those who want an epilogue to The Hungry Lamb. Just know you’ll have to finish this disappointing story to get it.

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.

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.

While I initially found the story rich and compelling, I felt like it ended right as things were starting to get interesting. Further, the choice to emphasize an amorphous “dark presence” rather than two equally compelling villains was deeply disappointing. Overall, Regions of Ruin: Runegate is a lackluster experience to such an extent that, when the credits rolled, I felt more confused than anything else.

At the end of the day, despite my issues with REPLACED, I can confidently say that the five-year wait was worth it. If you’re a fan of cyberpunk games or 2.5D action platformers, then you absolutely need to play REPLACED. Even though I’m in no rush to replay the game, I can’t wait to give it another shot after a few post-launch adjustments. While this may not be a masterpiece, Sad Cat Studios has managed to make a seminal title in the genre that is hopefully remembered for a long, long time.

The SEGA Villains Stage DLC is a fun time, but it’s hard to recommend unless you’re already a big fan of the game and the IPs that are represented here. I loved all the boss fights, but the overall level design and length do hinder it. It also doesn’t help that the rewards for each level aren’t worth it, making the levels feel like a step down from the base game. While I still enjoyed it overall, I can’t blame anyone for waiting for a sale. The SEGA Villains Stage DLC has some great boss fights, and that’s the key takeaway from this experience. Now, if you excuse me, I want to go fight Majima again.

Tales of Berseria Remastered is a really solid action RPG at the end of the day. The core game is still there to enjoy, even if I still question what qualifies it as a remaster. While it took me a while to get into the story, once it got me, it wouldn’t let go. I genuinely loved all the characters and was satisfied with how their personal arcs played out. The combat was daunting at first, but it’s pretty fun, even if later boss fights are a chore. While the release confuses me, Tales of Berseria Remastered is still a solid way to play this game, especially on Xbox and Switch. Just know you can stick with the original if you have access to it.

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.

Last Man Sitting has the bones of a fantastic action roguelike, which cannot be understated. I lost track of time during my playthrough plenty of times, but unfortunately, boss encounters, weapon design, and certain mechanics fall short. I had a great time with many parts of Last Man Sitting, but when the clock struck zero and the final stage ended, I was left wanting much more.

Regardless, Rushing Beat X makes up for some of its issues with old-school charm and technical gameplay. Those who are willing to look past the jank may find something to enjoy here. It’s just too bad it couldn’t have been better.

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.

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?

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties isn’t a bad game, and at it’s core, it’s Yakuza 3, but it could be so much better. I certainly recommend newcomers play through the first Kiwami titles and the rest of the series before coming to Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties on a sale, especially after experiencing Yakuza 3 to understand what the purest essence of that game is. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties does a lot of good to improve on what Yakuza 3 couldn’t, but it’s not at the high standard I expect from one of Japan’s most beloved developers. For better or worse, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is the beginning of a new chapter for RGG Studio, and it’s up to them to recoup some of the good will that fans lost.