Like the best crime films, Mafia: The Old Country succeeds thanks to a complex and dark tale of revenge and familial ties. It’s a short, yet satisfying ride, and Enzo’s tale is easily one of the best of the year. While some may lament the lack of an open world, the narrative and solid gameplay delivered by the developers makes this an offer no one should refuse.

Eventually, this series of disappointments caused me to lose motivation as well as my patience, and it was discouraging enough to make me put the game down and not return. It’s a shame, too — I can see how much passion and attention to detail went into the development of Dead of Darkness between the gameplay, writing and aesthetics, but the sheer frustration of its puzzle aspects needs more time and attention. The true horrors on this estate aren’t the undead… they’re the puzzles.

Out of all of the nearly-forgotten games to bring forward into the 2020s, I’m not sure why Limited Run chose Gex — it’s such an absurdist concept that I have to laugh at it now, but while playing Gex in the moment, I despised it.

Lynked: Banner of the Spark feels like a game that wants to combine several elements into one dynamic package, but the attempts at high-speed action trip themselves up before they can even get started, and the lifestyle sim sections are sleep inducing.

Overall, MFN is an excellent survival horror title that attempts to, and mostly succeeds at, changing up the standard survival horror formula. While it could stand to have a few more teeth, I was still pleasantly on the edge of my seat the entire time. In a genre with too many developers copying each other’s homework, My Friendly Neighborhood offers a break from the norm with color and charm, and I suspect that fans of survival horror will want to play along.

It’s a delightful experience, but I think newcomers would actually be better served doing what I did and jumping in at the deep end with one of Kaizen’s classic predecessors. Kaizen is best, I think, for the already-converted. It’s not on the same level as the older titles, but it’s a delightful dose of most of what made them special. A summer treat for the sickos.

To be perfectly frank, it’s unlikely that the developers will be able to address all of the issues that would need to be resolved to make Decay appeal to a wider audience. There are a handful of great ideas here, but the execution falls so wide of the mark that I hope the devs can take this as a learning experience and improve their next venture.

In the end, Kvark shows an enormous amount of promise. However, its disparate elements coalesce too late in the runtime and are ultimately overshadowed by the uninspired combat and indistinct aesthetic direction. That being said, there is a sense of momentum in the final stages of Kvark, and if the developers can focus on that quality and carry it forward, I have high hopes for their subsequent releases.

As stated at the start of this video, As We Descend is currently in Early Access, which means that there are some rough edges that come along with that. Even so, I’m extremely excited to see what else is in store. It’s off to a great start with an intuitive interface, a welcoming combat system and rewarding strategies for those who can master its nuances. With some balance changes, tweaks and additional updates, I’m hopeful that As We Descend could end up one of the best in the genre. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]

I wish Tranquil Isle would give players a greater sense of closure when they were clearly finished with the space at hand, or build out some objectives for the player to complete when they were actually done. However, with tons of combinations of buildings, decorations, and island constructions, players can get nearly infinite replayability out of this title’s solid foundation, chill vibes, and potential.

Firebreak is a new direction in expanding Remedy’s connected universe, but the art direction and aesthetics can only do so much of the heavy lifting when the other aspects aren’t bringing as much to the table. The end result doesn’t stack up to the source material that inspired it, and to this Remedy fan, it could and should be so much better.

F1 25 is an exceptional driving game and one that further cements developer Codemasters’ place as one of the finest racing developers currently working. It was a pleasure to go through the excellent story mode, and I spent many hours obsessing over the expansive MyTeam mode. While it may not feel like an evolutionary change from F1 24, there’s more than enough here to keep racing fans happy for the season.

I think that Tainted Grail could have benefited from more time in development even though it had already been a couple of years since the demo dropped. Though it often stumbles over the technical weight of its own creative ambition, Tainted Grail has the makings of a phenomenal RPG — but readers just might want to hold off until that weight has been lifted.

Nice Day for Fishing is a great mixture of humor, adventure, and chill vibes. If the player is a fan of Viva La Dirt League, there’s also many easter eggs and references to enjoy. However, even if they’re not, Nice Day for Fishing is still a lighthearted RPG adventure — just don’t expect anything too deep.

Monster Train 2 is more Monster Train – but it’s more in the most considered, intelligent possible way. Highly recommended.

Rooftops & Alleys, in part, is victim to its own ambition. With its extraordinary mechanical strength, the majority of the content simply doesn’t measure up and found myself tiring of the experience prematurely due to a lack of variety and aesthetic interest. While this was leavened by the online modes, I still came away wishing for a more robust foundation to support its staggering mechanical heights.

Lushfoil Photography Sim has a lot of rough edges that need work, and it’s rather unfortunate, as many of the areas offer stunning views and photo titles in general are rare. There’s definitely a vision here, and I can’t deny that this photo safari has charm. However, for a title that only aims to do one thing right, that thing needs to be perfect — and it’s far from it.

Dragon is Dead is a solid hack-and-slash roguelite elevated by the attractive pixel-art presentation and a plethora of options for customization. Players willing to invest in its dearth of systems will be rewarded with a hero all their own.

My overall feeling is that the developers of Willow Guard largely accomplished what they set out to do — it just ended up a bit lacking in the execution.

I personally enjoy the combination of mechanics it’s putting together, but the reliance on RNG and the resulting soft gating to success has left a sour taste in my mouth. Diehard roguelike fans may enjoy the challenge of dungeon memorization and slow progression, but I wouldn’t recommend it to casual roguelike fans, or those new to the genre.

Overall, Hypercharge: Unboxed is a delightfully enjoyable old-school shooter that harkens back to games of the past and action figure-obsessed childhoods. Being able to fine-tune many aspects of the experience with various options on top of the solid action and exploration makes this one of the most enjoyable shooters I’ve played. If the devs can use the groundwork laid here to deliver an expanded experience in a potential follow-up, I have no doubt it’ll be even better. For now, though, anyone with an appreciation for action and action figures will want to keep an eye on this.

Ultimately, Biomorph is a serviceable addition to the metroidvania subgenre that I think most fans of the content will enjoy thanks to the appealing look of its graphics and the novelty of the main character’s ability to transform. It might not break much new ground, but a solid experience doesn’t necessarily have to.

Ultimately, Moonlit Farewell is a game that excels at what it sets out to do, though it doesn’t try to achieve anything too surprising or outside the norm. Even so, it kept me glued to my console from start to finish, and no fan of this genre will find much fault with it.

Ultimately, Labyrinth of the Demon King is a canny mixture of aggressive posturing and subtly accessible mechanics. I was surprised at how tense my experience was, despite the relative ease with which I traversed its halls. Labyrinth of the Demon King manages to capture the abrasive essence of titles like Shadow Tower and Silent Hill but in a compact, easily digestible package. The developer’s ability to achieve this balance is commendable and, as the samurai sits drinking matcha tea in the labyrinth’s one refuge, I am filled with a familiar warmth.

Not since the Yakuza developers decided to make a Fist of the North Star game have I seen a better melding of developer and subject matter. Runner Duck’s penchant for making hectic management sims about intense action-adventure settings have reached a new high with Badlands Crew. This is the best Mad Max game we’ve had in ages, and given the increasing quality of their work, I can’t wait to see what the developers have in store for us next.

While the core decision-making content of Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall remains close to the original’s, the mechanics are a bit deeper and the narrative is strong and moves its world compellingly forward. This title is the definition of “worthy successor”, and certainly one of my favorite indies of the year so far.

Ultimately, what I admire most about Sacre Bleu is its focus. The developers came up with a novel core mechanic in the blunderbuss and explored its full potential. While not every element is executed to perfection, there is nothing wasted, and Sacre Bleu never overstays its welcome. With a little tighter fit and finish, Sacre Bleu would be unimpeachable, instead it will have to settle for just being pretty darned good.

Despite how thinly-sketched I found many of these elements, I have to admit that I was surprised when Void Sails ended as abruptly as it did, with an ending that largely focuses on the protagonist’s relationship with the characters met along the way. However, it wasn’t a well-rounded wrapup, things simply… end. It felt like listening to someone tell an interesting story for a few hours, only for them to suddenly stop mid-sentence and walk away. Given the clear talent and passion on display here, I firmly believe that Ticking Clock Games are capable of building Void Sails into something a bit meatier, or perhaps crafting a different, more fully fleshed title in the future. They’re a studio to watch.