Kosmokrats is an incredibly strong debut from a brand-new studio, and I had a wonderful time with the comrades and their journey through space. The gameplay was engaging, the jokes were good, and I was absolutely invested in the fate of the Peeler and their crewmates. This well-crafted work doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre, but becomes a noteworthy, standout release because of it. Whatever Pixel Delusion does next, I’m in.

While it’s very short, Godstrike concentrates a ton of great moments into its limited running time. The bosses are gorgeously designed, the powers are interesting to mix and match, and there’s even a daily challenge for people to test their skills with randomized powers and perks. It’s visually impressive, it plays well, and just about anyone can jump in and get the hang of things. While I could see some of the truly hardcore scoffing at just how much work Godstrike‘s developers have put in to sand down the bullet hell genre’s rougher edges, the result speaks for itself.

Those lusting after a well-written visual novel with drab visuals and little ability to alter its outcome might enjoy The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante. As for me, although my opinion was initially favorable, my mood soured after wasting hours of playtime due to a minor choice that had no connection to the overarching plot. It’s still recommended to visual novel fans, but cautiously so.

Mighty Fight Federation wears its ’80s influences on its sleeves and enters a ganere that’s already crowded with competitors, but that’s fine — it delivers on the core fighting, and its simple, straightforward approach prioritizes pure enjoyment rather than technical skill, and in my view, it’s better for it.

Overall, I Saw Black Clouds is an ambitious FMV game that fails to deliver. Those who want a genuinely dark and terrifying game might be disappointed by its flaws, but it might suit those looking for a so-bad-it’s-good “midnight movie” experience to play with friends.

While some Monster Hunter vets like me may be surprised or shocked at how much fat has been trimmed away, when all is said and done it’s hard to deny that those elements were fat. After a few hunts it’s clear that less is more, and this new iteration is fast, furious, and retains everything that fans love about the series while making it all less of a hassle and easier to engage with than ever before. It must have been at least a little panic-inducing for the devs to change and shift as much as they did, but I applaud their bravery – it’s paid off in spades, and Rise just might be the best Monster Hunter that’s ever been.

Overall, Bladed Fury is a great package. The diminutive length (I finished the main story in under four hours) is offset by a reasonably cheap price tag, making it an easy recommendation to any fans of fast-paced 2D action.

While Mail Mole isn’t groundbreaking (pun intended), the amount of charm on display is absolutely wonderful. The visuals are colorful, the controls are fantastic, and I was more than happy to consume this gaming equivalent of comfort food. It’s definitely familiar, but fans of mascot platformers have another winner on their hands here.

What the Fork is a flawed title that takes clear inspiration from another, but remains a compelling and often clever experience. It’s not Overcooked, but those willing to overlook its issues will find a good time that could have been something special with a bit more polish.

Antonball is a great little package of classic-looking, feeling and sounding videogame goodness. Combining two simple concepts in unique ways to create new flavors of engaging gameplay is always great to see from studios showing an appreciation for the medium and a mind for ingenuity. Given this, Antonball is a safe pick-up for anyone with an itch for something old-school, yet still fresh.

Technical problems can be fixed, but no amount of polish is going to instill the classic “just one more day” drive that fuels the best farming sims. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a competent entry in the genre, and depending on how much one has played of this genre over the past few years, there’s a good chance it can still hook someone into dozens of hours cultivating the perfect farm. With that said, anyone looking for the next step forward for the genre will walk away disappointed from this one, and considering this was released to mark the 25th anniversary of the franchise, Pioneers of Olive Town doesn’t feel like the celebration it should have been.

In the end, Pascal’s Wager is just another entry in the ever-growing soulslike genre. It makes some smart choices by giving an upfront story and multiple characters, but my feeling is that starting life on mobile devices hampered what the developers could do, and the lack of exploration and cohesive map design is a definite weakness — perhaps a sequel built for console or PC could expand upon this foundation.

Gnosia is a smart spin on visual novels, and a clever re-imagining of elements seen in the recent uber-hit Among Us. It’s an excellently addictive game on the strength of its mechanics alone, but is elevated by a strong story and neatly defined characters.

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a deeply affecting game, one that impresses with its ability to make the ‘big questions’ it wants to address an integral part of the worldbuilding, rather than something that characters ponder about in monologues. At its core, Anodyne 2 is about how the essence of life is change, and how trying to stop that change, as scary as it might be, is a fool’s errand.

In an industry full of people who fancy themselves master storytellers but can rarely back it up, it’s refreshing to play a title that feels well-studied in more traditional narrative forms. I hope Adios is successful, and that we’ll see more like it.

I’m sure most people will have made up their minds about Gal*Gun Returns based on the game’s own tagline, or even just a few screenshots. There’s no doubt it is of niche appeal, but those of us who appreciate these sorts of absurd and bombastic stories will find an enjoyable comedic romp with a lot of replay value.

#DRIVE is by no means a revolution as far as endless-runner games go, but its simple premise and addictive collection aspect delivers an enjoyable experience. While many big developers and publishers might not feel now is the time to venture back into making explosive arcade racers, I’m happy this one did.

Conarium is a short experience — I finished it in around three hours — but I’ll happily take quality over quantity. Despite finding fault in a few certain places, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Conarium and was happy to finally find a title that faithfully scratches that Lovecraft itch.

For anyone who has ever fallen in love or suffered heartbreak, Maquette will resonate. Yes, some puzzles were weaker than others, but those issues felt secondary to the masterful tapestry being painted before my eyes. Maquette is a poignant and rewarding experience that reminded me of some of my happiest moments, it forced me to stare straight at sorrow, and simultaneously reassured me that it’s okay to feel that pain.

I love a good nostalgia trip and I don’t mind a bit of pandering here and there, but Taxi Chaos takes it too far by essentially doing nothing more than replicating the game it was inspired by. Paying homage to one of the greats wouldn’t be an issue if it added its own ideas and flair, but there just isn’t much here that wasn’t already done — and done better — by Sega.

The story is funny and the gameplay is engrossing — Battlecruisers is a great experience overall, I just wish there was more of it.

While Four Quarters’ title operates under the trappings of casual gaming, I’d say that Loop Hero works for quick sessions, and also as a more dedicated experience that might keep one up for long hours into the night. It cherrypicks the right elements from each of the genres it takes inspiration from, and gives back a completely fresh experience with oldschool appeal.

I love the idea of a turn-based gothic adventure like Black Legend, but concept alone can’t carry it, and there’s little excitement to be had with these dull characters and this tedious, overcomplicated combat. I appreciate the attempt, but I’m going to abandon this city to its fate.

Project Starship X is an enjoyable, stylish, and tough-as-nails shooter that tested my skills. While I have yet to get through all of its levels and master its gameplay, it’s a solid addition to the shmup genre that any fan should check into.

Frustratingly, Ginga Force is more ambitious than it is good, dragging down its occasional moments of signature Qute brilliance with a glacially-paced story mode in service of a forgettable plot. With much more generous tuning of the progression rewards, this could potentially be an effective gateway title to welcome newer players to the genre. As it is, it’s weirdly perched between the old and new, with too much grind and too much noise to really land for anyone.

In the end, Resurrection works well as a reboot of the original IP, but nostalgia can only carry it so far. If the overall difficulty felt a little more fair and a lot less mean-spirited, I would recommended it to anyone looking for a challenging platformer. However, the contract Resurrection wants the player to sign on to is a Faustian one, demanding patience, and perhaps a small bit of one’s sanity.

Cathedral is tailor-made for players lusting after a serious 8-bit old school-experience with a minimum of modern bells and whistles. It’ll surely test one’s reflexes and nerves, but with just a few tweaks to the design and some marginal improvements, this could have been a real classic.

Overall Field of Glory II: Medieval offers just about everything one could ask for in a tabletop wargame simulation. The odd quirks and complexity are part of the charm for fans of the genre, although there’s little here to draw in fans who haven’t already become converts.