OPUS: Prism Peak is a deeply personal, deeply moving, and at times brutally heavy story about how even after losing everything, you can still find at least hope.

FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE turned out to be a worthy remake that still makes concessions to a new audience.

It will take about 10 hours to complete Atomic Heart: Blood on Crystal. Although the DLC holds the player's hand, it is still capable of throwing in something unexpected.

Super Meat Boy 3D is a fairly careful reimagining of a hardcore classic. The concept survived the transition to 3D reasonably well, retaining its punishing difficulty and diverse mechanics.

Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf is a worthy sequel to the first part, in which the developers addressed their previous mistakes and made the world more vibrant and diverse, while the puzzles gained the right level of complexity and depth.

Crimson Desert is unlikely to become a revolution that will redefine the genre. But it will certainly attract crowds of people and spark more than a few heated debates. It's funny that the very desert featured in the title is just one of many corners of the vast world created by Pearl Abyss — one that, presumably, far from everyone will reach.

Resident Evil Requiem is an amalgamation of different ideas, eras and creative intents. But instead of trying to harmonize them into a straightforward experience, the game does the opposite. It celebrates Resident Evil's legacy as a whole - as a horror game, an intense action, as a spy thriller, and as a science fiction. Resident Evil is all of those things simultaneously, and it has never been more apparent than now.

Quotation forthcoming.

Reanimal has delivered what Little Nightmares III could not. Tarsier Studios has shed the constraints imposed by the Little Nightmares universe, subjecting its audience to an emotional bombardment while simultaneously pushing them out of their comfort zone.

Unlike many developers who attempted to replicate FromSoftware’s formula, Team NINJA successfully blended those ideas with its own design solutions from previous titles, allowing Nioh to stand out from the very beginning. Nioh 3 also feels closer than ever to Ninja Gaiden, thanks to the effective integration of both “samurai” and “ninja” playstyles. This is a worthy continuation of the series, one that can be confidently recommended to both longtime fans and anyone who appreciates hardcore action games.

Cairn is a tense journey to the summit that, depending on the chosen difficulty, can become either an enthralling experience or the Dark Souls of climbing games. In any case, you will be struck by its bright and slightly melancholic finale.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is an example of a safe and very player-friendly Metroidvania with medium-difficulty bosses and flexible difficulty settings.

Absolum is an interesting roguelike that can be completed in a couple of hours on the lowest difficulty setting. However, even after the finale, the developers encourage players to keep exploring the world to try out new builds and characters.

Despite a number of missteps, Dispatch has become one of the most notable games of the passing year. And given its success, the development of a second season already seems inevitable.

Without a doubt, the developers at Team Cherry didn’t waste these years. They poured an immense amount of work into creating the most ambitious and visually stunning Metroidvania to date—one truly worthy of standing at the very peak of the genre. Hollow Knight: Silksong lives up to the expectations of its devoted fans in every way. Yet, like any work of art, it isn’t entirely free of objective shortcomings and debatable design choices—particularly in terms of balance—that may push away less prepared players.

Ghost of Yotei is another sequel in the vein of modern Sony titles. While keeping the core foundation intact, the developers made this new entry far richer and more varied than its predecessor. Comparing Atsu and Jin directly doesn’t make much sense — they’re just too different. Personally, I preferred Jin, but the fierce Onryō, with the stubbornness and boldness of a honey badger, turned out to be an interesting character as well.

The Outer Worlds 2 is a vibrant and distinctive adventure that evokes memories of Obsidian Entertainment's former glory.

Keeper is an unexpected masterpiece from Double Fine Productions and one of the most captivating walking simulators of the past few years. It dazzles the imagination with its rich visual design and an unconventional narrative approach that borders on genius. It’s truly disappointing that Microsoft’s incompetence led to the game’s release being overlooked by its target audience, which now puts the studio’s future existence at risk.

As a purely interactive experience, Silent Hill f is as uneven as it gets, honestly. But more than that - it's still a very interesting piece of art. Strange, multi-layered and mostly unique - in all the places that matter.

Despite the limited bestiary, difficulties in exploring the world, and not the most engaging plot, Hell is Us is impossible to put down.

Destiny: Rising has become one of the biggest unexpected surprises of 2025. NetEase has unexpectedly offered a highly competitive alternative to frustrated Destiny 2 fans, albeit presented with a touch of gacha elements. This should be a wake-up call for Sony and Bungie.

This new version of the game will definitely be someone's first foray into the entire Metal Gear Solid franchise, which is honestly the biggest and most important thing about the whole Delta release. And chances are that by the end of the credits this person will convert into a new fan that will carry the series legacy into the future. This is good, isn't it?

Beneath its rough exterior lies a captivating project, kept alive by its vibrant open world, non-linear progression, and handcrafted gameplay. It’s simply fun to play — unlike the heavily outdated Oblivion, which, aside from visuals, has little left to offer.

Despite the aforementioned shortcomings, Donkey Kong Country: Banana Kingdom literally draws the player in and doesn’t let go for a single second. This is a unique platformer with incredibly addictive gameplay, stunningly diverse levels, and magnificent music.

Despite a number of flaws, Gears of War remains an excellent game with polished gameplay. The same can be said about the Ultimate Edition. As for Gears of War: Reloaded, this re-release is worth recommending to new players on PlayStation 5.

Sword of the Sea offers a meditative adventure with excellent sword-jumping mechanics. However, due to its short duration, the game may become tiresome because of its repetitiveness.

NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound offers a compact campaign, where visual diversity and intense dynamics are hidden behind apparent simplicity. The game itself is perceived as an almost flawless prologue to NINJA GAIDEN 4.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers falls short of being a groundbreaking game, yet it exudes a unique and compelling charisma.

I have had a difficult relationship with 11 Bit Studios since one of last year’s reviews, during which the developers accused me of political bias. Despite this, The Alters can be considered one of the best games of 2025, offering a unique and memorable gaming experience.

Eriksholm - The Stolen Dream was a bright debut by the new studio. It offered an interesting world with intense gameplay and a captivating plot.

Everdeep Aurora is a very lamp–like story in a trendy retro style about friendship, adventure and mutual assistance, completely devoid of violence or adult content.

Level-5 has definitely delivered a worthy sequel that surpasses its predecessor in every way. FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time will effortlessly steal your time—and you’ll be happy to let it. Its soothing, time-hopping adventures are the perfect escape, whether you’re winding down after a long day or getting lost in them over the weekend.

In practice, RoadCraft should be recognized as a very enjoyable offshoot of the franchise that is designed to showcase the new version of Swarm Engine and appeal to a more casual audience. A solid fleet of cars and new features will keep you entertained for several dozen hours.

Perhaps Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is too short for its genre. But the result of Zoik studio's work is more than enough for a relaxing time.

Bionic Bay is a bright physics puzzle game that can't seriously challenge your intelligence.

This is a game we can confidently recommend to all RPG fans — and without a doubt, it's one of the strongest contenders for Game of the Year. But beyond that, it's important to recognize the significance of this project and what its success means for the modern gaming industry as a whole. This is the kind of healthy, grounded approach to game development that we desperately need right now. It’s not just about mechanics or genre — it’s about the philosophy behind the work: a small team of former big-studio developers delivering a high-quality modern title with beautiful visuals, thoughtful direction, and, just as importantly, a reasonable budget. Guillaume Broche and his team are not the first to take this path, but we need more projects like this — and if that happens, it’s a win for everyone.

Venus Vacation PRISM - DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme turned out to be an advanced dating simulator with cute girls. It will appeal to all lovers of slow games and lovers of sexy photos.

The First Berserker: Khazan is an interesting representative of the Soulslike genre, offering its own original ideas and a very strong plot. The game is able to break a person even on an easy difficulty level.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is a soft reboot of the popular series with a focus on exploration and puzzles in a much darker world.

The main advantage of the console version of I have no mouth, and I must scream is the ability to pass the classic game on the gamepad quite comfortably.

It feels way too premature to even try to assess Monster Hunter: Wilds as a full package. The game will evolve, the game will be much bigger, and probably much better than it is right now. But even as it stands, Wilds is a delightfully fun. There's nothing better than the feeling of a successful hunt with your palico companion, and Wilds can give you plenty of that.

Although Split Fiction works on the It Takes Two formula, it makes up for it with an absolutely insane pace of on-screen madness.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the perfect case of when any high score doesn't really clear the picture. Is a 9 simply too high of a praise? One may say so. While another would say that even a 10 just don't do this game enough justice.

Afterlove EP is an emotional story about loss, finding love, and becoming passionate about music.

PROJECT TACHYON is an example of a colorful blend of several genres, and the roguelike elements make the gameplay a little more interesting than a linear game.

With Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, struggling studio Don't Nod returns to its roots, offering loyal audiences everything they loved about Life is Strange. The slow-paced story may put off some action fans, but it builds to a powerful and shocking conclusion.

The Stone of Madness is an exciting and maximally flexible adventure that allows you to solve problems in a variety of ways.

ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist is a worthy sequel to the ENDER series that manages to improve on an already good game.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins looks like a good work on mistakes after the failed ninth installment.

Age of Mythology: Retold is an exemplary update to the classic strategy game, which now also works great on Xbox consoles.

MiSide is one of those games that is hard to write about without spoilers. So we just recommend that you try it out on your own.

Even if there is no a definitive happily lived ever after ending to this tale, it's the process that matters and it's a fun endeavor every single time. Here's hoping that there are more fun adventures coming our way in the future.

Despite a bunch of bugs, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is really one of the best games of 2024, which in everything surpasses the last two films about Dr. Jones. At the same time, this is a return to the form for MachineGames.

Although Girls Frontline 2: Exilium belongs to the service games, the monetization level was more than tolerable at the end of the day. You can go through half of the game without any problems, pumping old girls and unlocking new ones.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is an excellent story about hope and the pursuit of a better world that is both overtly naive and fully honest. The game can feel truly inspirational when it reminds us that virtuous heroes can exist even beyond the limits of fantastic reality.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a classic adventure with elements of detective about a brave and strong heroine with a special gift. The progressive bias spoils the overall picture a bit, but the new game is still the best thing that happened to the franchise in the last few years.

Suffice it to say, Nixxes Software put a whole lot of work into this new revision of Horizon: Zero Dawn, even if it's not that apparent of the first glance.

Stellar Blade absorbed the best developments of the genre created over the last 10 years, skillfully combining them with science fiction and sexy characters.

Last Time I Saw You is a very warm, beautifully drawn adventure that can be compared to Studio Ghibli's best work.

If you never played Dead Rising before, then Deluxe Remaster is probably the thing you should be looking for. It's a great game and you can always try the original at a later date. But for die-hard fans the situation is quite different. Deluxe Remaster is mostly the same old thing you already know and love. One can only hope that by buying this we can show Capcom that Dead Rising still is such a unique franchise that really needs to come back with a new title.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 turned out to be a very pleasant surprise in 2024. This is the first game of the series in recent years, which was developed thoroughly and expertly. As a result - the output is a really strong shooter.

Neva is not yet a modern classic, but it's one of those games that can be completed in a couple of evenings but is memorable for years to come.

Sunset Hills is a very cute, homey adventure with likable characters. But the game lacks answers to a number of questions that arise in the course of the passage and a really bright ending.

The remake may not have met my own interpretations and feelings of the original Silent Hill 2 in all the right ways. But it would be foolish to deny the amount of effort and love Bloober Team poured into this whole project.

Ys X: Noridcs is a competent development of a long-running series, and a great opportunity for new players to get to know it better.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a great adventure with interesting mechanics and exciting puzzles.

Shadow of the Ninja: Reborn is sure to please fans of beat 'em ups and platformers from the 90s. However, some drawbacks like limited control scheme, short campaign and certain repetitiveness of battles may scare away other players. Therefore, the project may be of interest primarily to those who are already familiar with the original.

It's really hard to find any compelling reason for anyone to skip on Astro Bot. Sometimes it's easy to forget how fun video games can actually be, and Team ASOBI did a great job reminding us of that, and all the shared joy this industry can bring.

11 Bit Studios offers a powerful dive into a depressive swamp, very elegantly designed and designed in such a way that you don’t want to put it down until the very end. But remember, it’s better not to start this game in a sad or melancholy mood, because it can get worse.

Visions of Mana is a traditional JRPG with a dramatic story and well-developed characters that gets a little more boring outside of the main storyline.

The most striking achievement of Space Marines 2 is the way the game presents the remarkable atmosphere of Warhammer 40,000 universe. Epic battles, insane architecture and oppressing tone, this game has it all.

Black Myth: Wukong is an example of a fun game that sparks interest in a foreign culture all across the globe.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is very high quality and incredibly beautiful for the indie scene. It combines a simple story and uncomplicated puzzles with well-developed combat mechanics, while offering time-tested solutions at the same time.

The Mildew Children is a rare representative of Slavic fantasy, which is much closer to the magical stories of Nikolai Gogol than to the cold pictures of bloody Polish gamedev.

There is a lot to unpack in Infinite Wealth if you played any of the previous games. And even if you don't, it's still worth your time, even for a chance to have this crazy and wacky Hawaiian vacation.

Nobody Wants to Die is a very beautiful and atmospheric detective thriller with interesting characters and deep investigations, on which you can spend a couple of evenings. But you should not expect explosive action and complex puzzles from this game.

Until Then is still a visual novel, clinging to a large cultural stratum of contemporary culture. However, it is also a very emotional and lampooning story about growing up, friendship, betrayal and love.

Shadow of the Edrtree expansion transported me back to Elden Ring in a surprising and nostalgic way. Two years later the game is still fresh as it's ever been - with unique pacing, artistic style and sense of progression. And if you ever stumble upon some annoying sections, you can always count on your fellow Mimic Tear friend.

Even in the era of remasters and remakes from famous studios, the updated Riven doesn't look like a gray mouse. It's a beautiful quest with a high-quality "facelift".

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a rare example of an adventure that grabs attention not with contrived graphics or rivers of blood, but with non-linear structure and well thought-out puzzles.

For The Democracy.

Eiyuden Chronicle - Hundred Heroes is a large-scale and colorful JRPG with interesting characters, addictive plot and unique missions. And only the slow pace of the narrative can scare away players.

To have a genuine love for Dragon's Dogma 2 can be a challenge. And yet, despite its many shortcomings, it's really, really hard not to love it.

My Destiny Girls is a fun dating simulator with cute heroines, tons of funny situations, good English subtitles, and a rich plot that is the envy of many Korean doramas.

We hope that discounts and word of mouth will allow this great, unique strategy game to gain the popularity it deserves.

Rise of the Ronin surpasses Ghost of Tsushima in many aspects (with the exception of graphics), while offering a highly entertaining slice of Japanese history. And the high level of variation and the plethora of options make Ubisoft managers cry in the closet.

FOUNDRY is perfect for relaxing a bit after a hard day's work. Yes, we're talking about a game dedicated to working in a factory. [Early Access Score = 80

It is possible that Children of the Sun is only the beginning of the outstanding developer's journey. It remains to follow the trajectory of his shot.

Berserk Boy is an uncomplicated and highly colorful retro adventure that combines the nostalgic experiences of the Mega Man days with touches of classic Sonic the Hedgehog adventures.

The original Persona 3 was a game that solidified the overall formula the franchise is renowned for today. Reload is a JRPG that stays true to its essence and is a great and approachable choice for fans of the genre.

It will be nearly impossible to evaluate Final Fantasy VII Rebirth outside of the trilogy as a whole in the years to come. But right now nothing is stopping us from doing so. To put it succinctly, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is one of the finest games in Square Enix's entire history.

While not a masterpiece, Burnishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a very solid game. And the unique dark fantasy setting is a huge advantage.

Tekken 8 could be a much more special experience if Bandai Namco's teams took a bolder approach. But as it stands out the game feels like just a pretty good fighting game, that can be enjoyed by both fans and casual players alike.

Small Saga is a cute and exciting adventure with role-playing elements that influence the development of the story. If not for the strange love line and the lack of Russian localization, the game could be recommended Small Saga to the widest possible range of players.

Jusant is a very unassuming and cute ecology-themed game with simple mechanics and a non-trivial plot. If it weren't for the self-repeaters and bugs, it would be much more enjoyable.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a great return of the series, as well as one of the bright and exciting projects of the beginning of 2024. The game will appeal to both old fans and inexperienced newcomers.

The Talos Principle 2 is a superb sequel that demonstrates how to greatly expand your previous ideas in both gameplay and narrative terms.

If you've missed Trials, love dark and well-designed worlds, and dream of short play sessions, there is simply no better choice for a few minutes before bed than Laika: Aged Through Blood.