Earthblood does just what it’s supposed to — the developers have done a great job of making a ‘play it your way’ action-RPG that lives up to the player’s werewolf-associated expectations. It lacks any extra spark to make it feel essential, though — sneaking and brutalizing my way through the levels was enjoyable enough, but I wasn’t at all interested in why I was doing it.

While I wish the developers would give their awful UI a top-to-bottom revamp, anyone who makes it past the initial mess and manages to dig in will find a challenging, persuasive roguelike actioner that delivers an unexpectedly sophisticated good time. The exterior needs a fair amount of elbow grease, but the engine underneath is purring.

It may not be different enough to justify a replay for those who’ve already experienced the original version, but for those wanting something crisp and clean on new consoles, or for those intrigued by Bloober Team’s work but put off by tense horror, >Observer_ is a great choice.

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a retro-inspired title as much as I’ve enjoyed Cyber Shadow. It’s just that good, and players in the mood for this kind of content should consider it a must-buy.

Hero-U is an imperfect experience that it is difficult to recommend, even to fans of these devs’ previous work. It might be an interesting proposal to those looking for something far outside RPG norms, but there are too many other choices out there to give this one a general recommendation — if nothing else, I’d suggest tracking down the original Quest for Glory titles instead!

Overall, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition is a difficult, grindy play that ends up being ultimately enjoyable thanks to its combat and style. Fans of the source material have no doubt already bought it and are enjoying the hell out of it, and anyone else who enjoys a good old-fashioned brawler with plenty of style should check it out as well.

Habroxia 2 certainly looks like an ’80s shmup with its the space theme and retro-style graphics, but it fails to capture the thrill and challenge of those titles. It’s an enjoyable ride for the three or so hours it takes to finish, but it will fade from a player’s memory soon after.

El Hijo is a tough sell for me. I appreciate the aesthetics and was charmed by the hero, but the campaign was simply too long due to excessive backtracking, unclear level design and some rough edges that often made sneaking and hiding frustrating. A tighter, more streamlined campaign would have made for a more enjoyable experience overall.

I’m sure Cultist Simulator makes perfect sense to the people who created it, but they don’t seem particularly interested in letting anyone else in – it’s an intensely insular experience that almost demands someone track down a wiki to find a way in, and there’s little incentive to invest that much time and effort on a title that gives newcomers nothing but an indifferent shrug.

The Stirring Abyss is creepy, inventive, and short enough that it doesn’t wear out its welcome. The secrets of the depths are intriguing, and the setpiece battles and boss fights were satisfying. The developers have even included a roguelike endless battle mode for anyone who wants to keep grinding away once they’ve finished the game — if it was a bit less boardgamey and a little more immersive, I’d be able to endorse it wholeheartedly.

Bonkies is cute and I found its ’90s cartoon aesthetic appealing, but the unbalanced difficulty swings make it hard to enjoy alone or in co-op. It’s possible that the optimal experience is with four players and the game does support remote play as well as couch co-op, so the best idea might be to find three friends before jumping into this monkey business.

Breath of the Wild succeeded because it instilled a sense of wonder in the player and inspired them to explore every inch of its landscape. While Age of Calamity doesn’t follow in those same footsteps, that sense of wonder and need to explore is present. This prequel is a love-letter to one of the greatest games of all time, and while it might not have been exactly what fans were expecting, it is a worthy addition to this storied franchise and a must-play for anyone itching to return to Hyrule.

While it was irritating, my frustrations with the light’s lack of precision are certainly no dealbreaker. Projection: First Light is a greatly innovative title with a sympathetic premise and there’s certainly something poetic – artistic, even — in its design. I definitely recommend it, and I’m curious to see what the developers cook up next.

Overall, The Medium is a fantastic experience. It’s a troubling, emotional, and wrenching nightmare packed into a compact running time, and while its ending may be a little too ambiguous for some, I’m happy to say that The Medium offers a dark mystery that is absolutely worth solving.

Unfortunately, despite all of its ambition, it feels like some areas still need work. I hope the developers keep polishing this title or at least carry some of these learnings into a sequel — despite the problems, it’s often as intoxicating as the bootleg hooch the characters sell.

Ultimately, the new JRPG gameplay in the Rhythm Adventure Pack doesn’t change much about the Taiko no Tatsujin series — at its core, it caters to a very specific drum-loving audience, although I’d guess that kids would also have a blast with the percussive gameplay and songs from anime and game IPs.

It’s charming, it’s pretty, and it clearly sets out to provide players with a good time. It doesn’t quite nail every aspect of its design, but it’s easily one of the better open-world games on the market right now, and for my money is the freshest and most enjoyable release from Ubisoft in years.

There’s a lot to like about Shiren. There are plenty of places to explore, there are intricate puzzle rooms that provide extra challenge, and the loot flows freely and generously. I’m just not sure I’ll get back to a place mentally where I’ll see Shiren’s travels through to the end — I became weary of the repeating gameplay loop much earlier than I thought I would.

I hate to say it, but Super Meat Boy Forever is a bummer. Its design and execution as an auto-runner is sound, but as a sequel to one of the most noteworthy and important indie games ever, it’s substantially lacking. Maybe that isn’t fair to say as much of the original team isn’t present, but I strongly disagree on the direction Team Meat took here. The original Super Meat Boy was brimming with panache and personality, and seemingly all of its magic has been lost in the decade since.

Tanuki Justice ended up being more frustrating than enjoyable. It’s not quite the bullet-hell platformer I was expecting, but its difficulty curve will likely have many giving up before reaching the end.

Anyone who’s after a colorful and quirky puzzle-platformer that just oozes personality, charm and cuteness will probably have a blast with Phogs!, and if there are kids around, then it’s absolutely recommended. Those who give it a shot will find inventive puzzles and charm galore — it’s an exquisite canine treat for humans to enjoy!

Shady Part of Me is a bold and challenging title that uses style and story to complement its gameplay, and I walked away from this adventure reflecting on my own fears. If nothing else, it’s noteworthy for that.

After wrapping Godfall, I was left with the feeling that it’s going to be a one-and-done. I can’t see myself doing its endless trials or repeating the endgame boss fights — it just doesn’t feel like there’s anything more to work towards. The graphics are great and the combat is enjoyable, but it gets samey too quickly and ends up as a typical next-generation launch game that will be soon forgotten.

Regardless of the bizarre lip movements, Twin Mirror is an excellent adventure game. Not only was I enthralled by its mystery, I was absolutely enamored with the presentation. I wasn’t expecting something so filmlike and cinematic, but I walked away delighted and I can say that some of its powerful scenes will stay with me for a while.

When all was said and done, it was a great journey — I just don’t understand why the developers went to such great lengths to make taking that journey as irritating and inconvenient as possible.

Unto the End first appears to be an attractive cinematic platformer that gets a lot right with rich atmosphere and simple graphics. However, it’s ultimately let down by the darkness of its environments, irritating trial-and-error gameplay and an overcomplicated combat system.

I knew Melody of Memory was a rhythm spin-off before I started it, so I kept my expectations fairly low, but it didn’t even clear that bar. The music isn’t awful and the visuals are beautiful, but it gives players almost nothing substantial in the main story. In light of this, I can only recommend it to those who really love rhythm games or the music from Kingdom Hearts.

It’s great to see the return of Sam & Max Save the World, now looking fresh and ready to meet a new audience.