MOUSE: P.I. for Hire turned out to be a fresh take on the shooter genre with adventure elements. Despite a number of rough edges, fans of detectives and cheese will not be disappointed.

Bus Bound gets the job done, though the gameplay still lacks depth and refinement.

Rather than a spectacular journey across a ruined America, Replaced delivers an incredibly beautiful yet overly stretched story saddled with several poorly implemented gameplay mechanics.

Aphelion appears to have fallen victim to the financial difficulties DON'T NOD faced. Despite a solid foundation, the developers failed to polish either the story or the gameplay. What we've got is a run-of-the-mill adventure that pales in comparison to Banishers and Jusant, the primary sources for its ideas.

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.

Kiln is a concept of a decent game that was, for some reason, released in a raw state, sent to its certain death. Despite its interesting aesthetics, the gameplay core needs extensive polishing, but Double Fine simply doesn't have the time for that.

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

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is not the most successful experiment. The reimagining of the walking simulator's core principles did not go as planned.

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.

Towerborne became a clear example of the fact that maintaining a live-service game after its support has been discontinued does more harm than good.

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.

The Occultist is a rich adventure with a mystical story that has its own unique identity.

Screamer is an arcade racer with questionable handling and absurd difficulty spikes, while the AI uses some fairly unfair tricks. Still, the game turned out to be interesting thanks to its complex boost system, which turns monotonous races into a tactical battle of wits.

Heart of the Forest is an evening’s worth of cinema with the illusion of choice, where the ending is determined just a few minutes before the credits roll.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a stripped-down, artificially stretched product that serves as an example of how even a universally acclaimed classic can be ruined.

GreedFall: The Dying World is yet another budget RPG from Spiders, whose developers continue to struggle with self-improvement. Once again, interesting ideas are not fully realized, and the overall experience is marred by clunky gameplay and inconsistent visuals.

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.

Neon Inferno looks absolutely gorgeous, and it’s definitely not something you should skip. It also scores extra points for its solid soundtrack — the music really sets the right tone. Another nice touch is the non-linear structure, with branching paths through level selection. Even though the game doesn’t bring anything fundamentally new to the somewhat stagnant genre, Zenovia Interactive has delivered a tightly packed dose of fun that fans of this style will really appreciate.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando feels like the ultimate fantasy for Black Ops fans who dream of Treyarch releasing the Zombies mode as a standalone game. However, Saber Interactive takes it a step further by offering vehicles with advanced physics.

1348: Ex Voto is a rough-around-the-edges project that still manages to be engaging. With a bigger budget and proper polish, it could have stood alongside Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice or A Plague Tale: Innocence, but that didn't happen.

Crisol: Theater of Idols has a number of shortcomings, I don't feel like criticizing it. It's clear that an inexperienced team was behind the project — one that did a great job with the story and atmosphere but failed at creating a horror game.

Quotation forthcoming.

I’m not trying to judge an old game by modern standards, but it’s still worth remembering that the original is 22 years old, and it probably would’ve benefited more from a full remake than a remaster. So before jumping into a classic like this, it’s important to keep its age and quirks in mind. That said, on a purely personal level, I still enjoy the gameplay of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver much more than what Legacy of Kain: Defiance offers.

I didn't expect any revelations from High on Life 2, yet it still managed to disappoint. Without Justin Roiland, Squanch Games has taken a huge step backwards. The sequel loses to the original in every way, offering a derivative story, unfunny jokes, and degraded gameplay.

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.

Styx: Blades of Greed is yet another budget title from the French developers at Cyanide Studio. Their games traditionally suffer from rough gameplay polish, a bunch of bugs, awkward animations, and odd design choices — yet they still carry a certain charm and that so‑called "soul".

Sleep Awake is more of a collection of music videos with beautiful visuals and pleasant sound, presented as a pretentious walking simulator about a dying world. The developers would have been better off stopping there.

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.

If anything else, Romeo is a Dead Man is incredibly sincere, which definitely amounts to something and lets you sidestep some of the more meddling parts of the whole experience. Plus it's really hard to refuse the offer to kill the past once again.

Before its PC release, The Run was available on smartphones and even in cinemas, where audiences voted to determine the characters' next actions. I admit that in this format, watching it on the big screen might offer some enjoyment, but seasoned video game enthusiasts are unlikely to appreciate this minimally interactive story with a predictable plot twist in the finale.

Everything good in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is inherited from its illustrious predecessors, while everything bad stems from futile attempts to tamper with the familiar gameplay formula in pursuit of vague, ill-defined trends. Thanks to its finely tuned optimization, the fourth entry may appeal to a less demanding audience, but the obvious lack of fresh ideas and the absence of a clear creative vision lead to a sobering conclusion: the greatness of Metroid Prime seems to have been left far behind in the past.

I Hate This Place would have been perceived much more favorably if the developers had abandoned the survival elements and instead focused on exploring its deep lore and dynamic world.

Microids managed to update the cult classic quest in terms of visuals, but the developers of Syberia – Remastered treated the other elements carelessly, also simplifying the puzzles, which are one of the game's key components.

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

The Last Case of John Morley is a very short, but interesting noir detective story with outdated visuals and technical aspects. However, the developers chose not to create a hollow pretense of philosophical drama or a profound statement. What awaits you is a convoluted yet fairly simple detective story with a realistic ending.

Terminator 2D: No Fate doesn't offer any groundbreaking solutions, but it is a very well-crafted adaptation of the film. However, you can complete the entire game in just... 38 minutes.

Routine seems stuck in the past, and the long-awaited project has once again failed to meet expectations. The work of Lunar Software rather resembles a bizarre sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park: Trespasser, where the heroine would practically dislocate her arms trying to pick up a rock or a pistol.

Bye Sweet Carole is a game with frankly mediocre gameplay and a weak story. However, it is partially redeemed by its excellent visual style, which is reminiscent of a Disney cartoon.

It’s somewhat disappointing that the game occasionally loses momentum due to pacing issues, the lack of full voice acting, and very basic visual presentation. That said, if you push through the drawn-out introduction, you’ll find a genuinely engaging tactical role-playing game.

Looking at Battlefield REDSEC, it becomes clear that EA still hasn't fully thought through its post-launch support concept. In pursuit of content, the company released an outright raw battle royale that has proven to be hardly needed by anyone, judging by the Steam online statistics. And only the Gauntlet mode justifies the existence of this free-to-play offshoot.

Double Dragon Revive is a lazy sequel. Although the developers tried to adhere to the spirit of the original, they failed in the task of updating the gameplay to modern standards, drowning in goofy mechanics, unoriginality, and boredom.

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.

Ninja Gaiden 4 cannot be called a return to the roots of Tomonobu Itagaki. However, PlatinumGames has created a bloody slasher with complex and interesting bosses in memorable settings.

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.

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian is a charming yet rushed game built on the foundation of a now‑defunct gacha title. Nevertheless, it attempts to win back fans who were dissatisfied with the radical changes introduced in Atelier Yumia.

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.

Hotel Barcelona doesn’t motivate players to endure or dig through this pile of «brilliant ideas» from Suda 51 and SWERY.

Despite its dynamic gameplay, Painkiller stumbles in every other aspect. The game will certainly disappoint series veterans and solo players, and even co‑op enthusiasts would find it hard to recommend at such a high price point.

However, the strengths of Silly Polly Beast outweigh its flaws. The atmosphere of a Russian provincial town, combined with stunning visuals and an engaging storyline, does its job—immersing the player in a mysterious world shrouded in demonic fog.

Battlefield 6 has proven to be a successful return to form for the series after a string of disastrous failures. While it's clear that not everything went according to plan for EA, Zampella and Co. managed to lay a solid foundation for future development.

The depth of customization — from controls and game tempo to tactical nuances and role assignments on the field — is genuinely impressive and engaging. The positional setups and other elements of football strategy have strong potential, but that potential simply isn’t realized. Of course, some players might enjoy this kind of “football-flavored” experience, but it’s definitely not what I — or many fans of the world’s most popular sport — are looking for. If you plan to play only against AI opponents, or if the issues mentioned above don’t bother you, feel free to add one or two points to the final score.

Tormented Souls 2 is a worthy successor to the original game, offering an improved experience for players. The sequel has significantly enhanced user-friendliness with its well-designed puzzles and intuitive hints. While the combat system and balance mechanics still present some challenges, players have the option to adjust the difficulty settings or wait for upcoming patches.

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.

The initial concept of Dead Reset envisioned a choice system with far-reaching and partially irreversible consequences, even after «resetting». In practice, the game turns out to be an overly linear FMV adventure, the outcome of which feels predetermined.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a good example of the gap between ambition and execution. Despite an intriguing premise and well-developed main characters, the game ultimately feels too linear and repetitive, with limited player choice and shallow world interaction. Many of the lengthy dialogues have little to no impact on the story, side quests are dull and formulaic, and the world itself feels empty and lifeless. In the end, Bloodlines 2 comes across more as a walking simulator with light RPG elements than a worthy successor to the cult classic.

Despite Supermassive Games’ efforts, Little Nightmares III turned out to be a corporate business product, devoid of the very features that made the series beloved by millions of players around the world.

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.

Metal Eden presents itself as a visually striking yet brief action experience, boasting innovative gameplay mechanics. However, the game falls short in terms of boss encounters and narrative.

Just like its main protagonist, Cronos: The New Dawn is so obsessed with capturing and replicating the past, that it's kinda forgets to do something more important - to have a soul of its own.

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.

Lost Soul Aside leaves a mixed impression. The game offers truly spectacular battles with unique bosses that provide fresh experiences, and the environment is designed in a memorable art style with high-level detail. However, players must endure lengthy levels, a mediocre plot, and subpar voice acting.

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.

The Rogue Prince of Persia turned out to be a rather mediocre roguelike game, which falls short of both Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Dead Cells.

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.

Yes, Death Take has an interesting plot and an excellent cast. However, as a game, it is absolutely mediocre, and what’s more, it can be completed in just two hours.

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.

Mafia: The Old Country isn’t just another game about the mafia—it’s a full-fledged journey into a cultural layer of history and cinema, filled with references to The Godfather and similar classics that seamlessly blend into the story and atmosphere. The game isn’t perfect, but it’s stylish, focused, and cinematic. If you’ve been missing that very kind of 12–14 hour “film-like” experience, enjoy such narratives, and don’t mind a few technical rough edges, this one is worth picking up—titles like this are a rarity nowadays.

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.

I was expecting Wheel World to be a relaxing adventure lasting about five hours. However, in reality, it turned into a frustrating 10-hour race with awkward controls, monotonous progression, and a broken ending.

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

In an era dominated by generic online shooters, you start craving something fresh and original — like Killing Floor 2 was back in the day. Where’s the joy and fun of mowing down hordes? Where are the endless healing syringes and ammo boxes that helped you survive? They're gone in the third game — now you're on your own, forced to grit your teeth and make do.

Monument Valley 3 continues to deliver the classic zen-like gameplay experience characterized by its striking visuals and captivating puzzles, albeit hampered by a limited amount of content and less-than-intuitive control mechanics.

In every other respect, Luto appears and feels like just another game among the multitude of indie horror titles, albeit with aspirations of aesthetic depth.

It is unlikely that One-Eyed Likho will come as a revelation to anyone. Nevertheless, this is an extremely enjoyable and visually unique adventure with an atmosphere of a nightmarish fairy tale.

Shadow Labyrinth is a mid-tier metroidvania featuring a few interesting concepts, but it quickly fades from memory after completion.

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.

Provided you have a couple of friends to play with, Nightreign can easily become the perfect trap — a fun gauntlet of trials where you endlessly chase that ideal winning run right before going to bed. And then you do it again. And again. And again. But if you lack the necessary company, perhaps there are better ways to spend your time — maybe even with the original Elden Ring. After all, that game had plenty of great boss battles too.

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.

You can talk about numerous problems and mistakes in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Although the original game has passed the test of time, its re-release epitomizes everything I hate about modern games from Bethesda Game Studios.

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.

Blades of Fire turned out to be an emotional swing, which is why the joyful moment is followed by complete disappointment. We have received a masterpiece that is not understood by the world.

Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is a fairly standard and simple roguelike game with nice graphics and a combat system that can be frustrating with its linearity and lack of variability.

It's not entirely clear what Remedy Entertainment was hoping for when they decided to take on a project that literally contradicts their formula of story adventures. FBC: Firebreak simply has nothing to praise.

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.

The Midnight Walk is an ambitious adventure with a crazy design of everything, which is maximized by VR headsets. However, the usual option for simple monitors turns the game into a pumpkin

Deliver At All Costs is an unassuming and fun game for a couple of evenings with absurd missions and specific humor.

After several years of stagnation, the Tour de France 2025 looks like an attempt to take some kind of step forward, given the niche nature of the series. However, the ultra-budget pipeline has not gone away.

Starting out as a fun-filled entertainment experience, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy quickly degrades into a torment that lasts for literally hundreds of hours.