Overall, it’s hard to recommend Lost Ember thanks to performance issues and some questions about its narrative. There are certainly sights worth seeing here, but it ultimately feels more like an interesting start to something that isn’t as engaging as its contemporaries.

Still There is slow and it takes patience to get through the introductory sections, but after players have settled into the world and lived in Karl’s skin, it does an amazing job of telling one of the most touching stories I’ve seen in ages.

I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.

I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.

I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.

Straimium Immortaly is the second title I’ve tried from Caiysware (the other being Skelly Selest, also on Switch) and I see unreached potential in this work. Both offer good ideas and a few nice moments, but neither has the level of polish or balance needed to deliver an engaging challenge. That said, I do feel like the dev is on the cusp of greatness and I’ll be curious to see their next attempt.

Simulacra remains compelling throughout, and the engaging, inventive mystery kept the story buoyant and compelled me to see it through.

Guildmaster Story doesn’t have a subtle bone in its body, but that’s for the best. Every part of this experience is crafted to get players to open their eyes and see the systems of exploitation all around them. Including — and especially — the one in their hands.

I wanted to like Mistover. While I initially came to it hoping to find something that delivered on its obvious promise of being similar to Darkest Dungeon, what I got was more like a poorly-balanced work-in-progress. With annoying encounters and dull dungeons, it falls far short of the game it was so clearly inspired by.

Aside from these concerns, Mechwarrior 5 is admirable in its effort to revive a spirit left dormant for the better part of twenty years. With some time and patience, players will find a substantial and potentially endless mecha game to sink their teeth into.

Disco Elysium represents the sort of advancement in narrative-based game design that I’ve always wanted to see, where character builds and number-crunching apply exclusively to the dialogue itself, and where the “battles” manifest as arguments and interrogations. Few developers have the courage to attempt this, and fewer have the writing skills to make every conversation such a treasure. Disco Elysium has a lot to say, and it says it with heart, gravitas, and a vivid imagination.

The menus have a clean and striking aesthetic, and I loved the way crones gathered around a shattered mirror to look down on Ivan during loading scenes. Breadcrumbs Interactive also nailed the voicework. Last but not least, the head-bobbing soundtrack from Romanian underground band Subcarpati, with its trippy hip-hop and folk influences, feels like the perfect choice. It’s the kind of music people will want to listen to even when not playing. Despite some of the issues I had with it, playing Yaga felt like reading my favorite folktale but better, because this time I got to star in it. Let’s just hope the next time I spin a yarn I get better luck and find Ivan a wife to make his babushka proud.

I adore Indivisible. I enjoyed all of the characters, I appreciated how the story made Ajna reconcile with her choices, and as a fighting game player I loved the style of combat. Even though some of the hiccups had me muttering unkind words, Indivisible still sits with me as one of my favorites of 2019.

Fans of Trine‘s previous entries may feel like this entry is a bit overfamiliar, but for those coming to the series for the first time, Trine 4 is a good place to start. This sequel might not reinvent its wheel, but in this case that’s not a bad thing.

When comparing The Executioner‘s frustrations to its merits, the negatives outweigh the developers’ intentions. This title seems like it plans to do and say a lot about morality within a cruel society, but its stat-based design feels like it’s going to need a huge overhaul before the statements it wants to make can come out clearly.

The Digimon Story titles can only blame themselves for the failure to realize the themes they seem to chase. The mechanics are unsuitable for developing a relationship between the player and the Digimon. The cliché-ridden characters and plot defeat the emotional impact of Cyber Sleuth, and poor scripting makes Hacker’s Memory feel irrelevant. What’s left is an astonishing quantity of JRPG grist. While there’s some satisfaction in grinding it down, none of it leaves a lasting impact.

Should this collection exist? I’m not sure. Am I glad it exists? Absolutely. Disney Classic Games did a great job of bringing two past greats to modern platforms. Although I wouldn’t recommend it to those with no nostalgia for the originals, I’m confident that those who remember them will appreciate this trip to the past. Now excuse me as I blast the volume to Be Prepared and start a fresh no-rewind playthrough of Lion King — I’m a masochist.

At its core Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts is a challenging, but fundamentally well-balanced sniping FPS, but the mask was supposed to be the thing that empowered the character and made them more than a match for the armies they’re up against — I just can’t understand why the developers didn’t let me choose how to use it, rather than forcing annoying limits upon me.

While there’s nothing terribly wrong with The Alliance Alive, there’s nothing particularly right with it either. Those who want some JRPG gristle to chew on will find it adequate, but anyone who missed it last time can skip it without regret this time, too.

From a presentation standpoint, Showdown is an excellent additional to the Shovel Knight kingdom, but with multiplayer being restricted to couch only, it doesn’t hold up as well as its platforming brethren.

While technically a prequel, Shovel Knight: King of Cards is a fitting end to the Shovel Knight saga. It continues the tradition of great graphics, sound, and level design set by the original, while still providing a fresh take on platforming.

The time-scrubbing mechanic in Arise is interesting and the many of the levels have a compelling concept. It also offers several visually striking moments and in certain places, it delivers on its emotional content. Unfortunately, it also has too many muddy, unclear visuals for a work of its brevity, and the core platforming disappoints. I wish I could give it a full-throated endorsement, but in the end this is a well-worn theme and Arise: A Simple Story falters in too many places to be truly notable.

Candleman (even with the extra levels added) is still a fairly short experience, but the length felt comfortable and it didn’t overstay its welcome. The storybook narrative style is perfect for the heartwarming tale that this game tells (no spoilers!) and it would be a great experience for a family to enjoy. Recommended!

As underwhelmed as I was by Fallen Order, I hope that its inevitable success will encourage EA to do more with this franchise, since it makes a powerful case for the resonance of Star Wars — if this mediocre casserole of concepts yanked from superior titles didn’t have the license attached, I doubt anyone would be talking about it.

Hands down, Door Kickers: Action Squad is one of the best games to come to the Switch this year. Every inch is well-designed and smartly tuned, it stays challenging (but fair!) and fresh from start to finish, and there’s enough meat on its bones to satisfy anyone. It even does co-op, to boot. Simply put, it is the total package and a must-buy for any Switch owner craving 2D action.

Like the Patriots in 2007, Axis Football 2019 isn’t perfect, but I enjoy it for what it is. So long as prospective players bring a lot of patience, the on-the-field play and deep franchise mode should keep them coming back for more. Second tier championship, here I come!

So, with the fixes now applied to the pre-release version, is Logos worth playing? It’s a solid experience with plenty of beautiful environments to see, but the repetitive nature of combat punctuated with unfairness puts a damper on the whole experience, as if the disastrous launch month hadn’t made it damp enough already.

An excellent effort from Obsidian, and though The Outer Worlds doesn’t surpass its predecessors by offering a world worth visiting over and over, the adventure it presents is more than worth the time spent.