Blue Fire is a wonderful blend of action, platforming and contemporary influences, and at the end of it all, it manages to be something truly special. I have yet to uncover every secret Penumbra has in store, but I know I’ll have a good time doing so.

I’m fine with the fact that Dragonborne is a throwback RPG, and in that sense it’s a lovely tribute to a classic console. What I am not fine with is the lack of meaningful combat and character-building. This title would have been barely satisfactory in 1997, and players looking for similar retro-themed experiences today have a wealth of better options.

The Atelier series is the most consistently-excellent brand in the JRPG genre, and Atelier Ryza 2 is another big win for the developers, as each new iteration finds a way to keep the gameplay fresh and interesting. All the developers had to do this time was not drop the ball after the excellent Ryza 1, but by digging in and developing their wonderful cast, they’ve gone above and beyond in setting up a fascinating journey to come.

An efficient (i.e. — boring) playthrough of Hitman 3 could probably be finished in a few hours for players who know what they’re doing, so the fact that I’ve spent more than 30 hours in six maps trying to master each one says everything about how much I love this series. However, despite how much I love Hitman as a whole, I can’t deny that the middling innovations and repeat rewards are starting to make 47’s adventures feel slightly stale.

Even though it’s on the short side, Shoot 1UP DX is still a thrill. The ‘multiple ships at once’ concept still feels fresh a decade later, and this landmark indie deserves a spot in every shmup fan’s library.

While not for first-time Persona players, Persona 5 Strikers absolutely delivers an unexpected sequel to P5 by offering an engrossing story and more time with these charming characters. Also, at roughly thirty to forty hours, it’s certainly a faster ride than its nearly two hundred hour predecessor — not a bad thing, since it left me hungry for another adventure with this crew.

Near the beginning of Red’s adventure, Everhood asks the player if they wish to know the “absolute truth,” which could aid them in their journey, but also hinder their understanding of reality. The player is asked again at the game’s conclusion. I said no both times, but I think Everhood’s message is there are no absolute truths. It’s up to the player to decide what is right, wrong, and what their purpose is, and in doing so, Everhood provides a one-of-a-kind experience.

Besides my lack of ability to notice slight size differences in similarly-shaped objects, there’s not much I disliked about Tiny Lands. My only complaint is that there’s no ability to pan left and right on each puzzle. The zoom feature is tethered to the center of each tile, so enlarging the scene doesn’t help much if an alteration is along the edges. Outside of that, fans of this genre will find Tiny Lands to be a relaxing, well-designed take on the well-known-in-print spot-the-difference formula.

The horrors of the last year have given me a new appreciation for the type of entertainment that allows me to fall into a predictable routine, and roguelikes are the perfect venue. In the past, too many developers have assumed that the simple inclusion of procedurally-generated levels is enough to keep run-based games interesting, but the increased regularity of quality titles like Skul leaves me confident that studios are learning, and that the roguelike renaissance isn’t going away anytime soon.

Element Space is a fusion of two good ideas, utterly debilitated by poor pacing, an awful interface, game-breaking bugs, a brutal difficulty level, and mystifying metagame. Avoid it at all costs.

If there was a version of this game that let players skip the Time Trials or required only minimal engagement with them, I would have no problem recommending this mechanical bug’s shenanigans to anyone looking for the kind of physics-based environmental exploration that we just don’t see a lot of these days. I honestly enjoyed my time with Glyph and found it to be a welcome surprise… I just wish that I didn’t have to include so many caveats when recommending it.

SNK vs Capcom‘s certainly not going to leave jaws on the floor with its technical prowess and it’s not as precise as many ‘serious’ fighters on more powerful hardware, but it’s a cute and immensely enjoyable blast from the past that’s certain to bring a smile to the face of fans at a price that’s tough to beat.

While the strength of these intertwined stories might not be enough to recommend Memoria to everyone, it’s still a well-made and engaging point-and-click adventure that will be an easy sell to fans of the genre.

I wish that the developers had put more effort and creativity into this setup. It seems designed to be streamed since it’s much funnier to watch than it is to play, and most of the playtime consists of waiting for the hero to get up or to simply turn in the desired direction. It took me about 80 minutes to finish Drunken Fist, but it stopped being enjoyable after the first ten.

A game like Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing is courageous for presenting a story that confronts our real-world pandemic rather than providing escapism from it. The setup of the narrative and the overall tone befits its ambition, but it’s ultimately unsuccessful in offering significant takeaways or in-depth character studies due to its surprisingly brief length. If it were twice as long it would have likely had twice the depth, and probably twice the score.

Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story offers an interesting Chinese-themed ghost experience and there were moments when I could feel my heart race while trying to escape the deadly spirits chasing me. However, those chills are dulled by excessive backtracking and slow progress — and in the end, those were scarier.

If one’s reaction to the mere mention of Turrican is to jump with excitement, then this package is manna from heaven — buy it now, even though it’s a no-frills, incomplete collection. For newcomers who might be craving some retro action, it’s a solid package that will test one’s skills. Maybe nab it on sale, though.

Speaking of grind, in a sense ‘grind’ is the basis of gameplay for not only Aground but also the genre as a whole – grind resources to hit the next objective, rinse and repeat. However, in Aground players may be more acutely aware of this as the progression is largely linear, although players can explore at their own pace and the world is semi-randomized. This is not a detriment per se – in fact, it seems clear that the game is built with this as the goal in mind, and thus those who enjoy the grind will find themselves at home.

Issues aside, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a masterpiece that might also be of historical note, since I’m hard-pressed to come up with another series that changed genres without losing what made it special in the first place. Players come to Yakuza games expecting fantastic storytelling, a bustling open world, and intense combat. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios have proven they can swap out one leg of that stool without sacrificing its strength, and that’s an accomplishment few can claim.

Minigolf aside, Kinetic Edge offers a highly enjoyable package. The online races are a blast, and while the other modes don’t quite have the same lasting appeal, they’re still solid party game options. From any perspective, Kinetic Edge is a great multiplayer effort that is both stylish and rewarding to master.

While it may lack Nintendo’s trademark polish in some areas, Redout: Space Assault is still a good title that delivers several hours of flying and fighting, and the Star Fox nostalgia older players will certainly experience is a bonus.

The campaign can be finished in about seven hours without any real difficulty or climax, and it holds no replay value beyond achievement hunting. The Unexpected Quest does scratch a certain itch for the good ol’ days of the RTS genre and the lack of difficulty makes it a solid buy for those who aren’t genre vets, but with just a little more on offer, this could have been a must-play.

Project Wingman may well be the most frustrating game I’ve ever unabashedly loved by making me feel like the hotshot pilot I’ve never been, and the only price I have to pay is a little bit of my sanity every time I die and remember that there aren’t any checkpoints.

Gods Will Fall has some striking visuals and the randomly-generated characters with their varied stories and abilities are great, but the frustrating, sloggy combat, repetitive nature of play, and the lack of any sort of exploration or value in the hub area is disappointing. The developers have already released a road map for more content in the future, but let’s hope they polish the combat first.

Sword of the Necromancer is a brief adventure filled with engaging combat and an unexpected amount of heart. Like many roguelikes, repeated runs can grow a bit tedious and a little more visual variety would have been appreciated, but Necromancer is a viable option for someone looking for a bite-size dungeon crawl… And maybe a good cry, too.

While it may be on the short side, Halloween Forever oozes charm that’s backed up by solid gameplay – this one’s a real treat for old-school platforming fans.

I loved the idea of a medieval FTL and fell immediately for the style of The Wind and Wilting Blossom, but sadly, the gameplay leaves the player in the hands of random chance and a repetitive formula. However, this is exactly the sort of experience that might be markedly better after a few patches and some balancing. I’ll check back on it in a few months.

Rather than trying to beat the giants at their own game, Airborne Kingdom carefully selects its core tenets and takes flight without getting weighed down by steep difficulty or stressful play. It might not be the kind of city-builder one comes back to again and again, but I enjoyed my time floating above it all.