Overall, I’m not quite sure if I liked Life is Strange: Reunion. I liked certain things about it, like Max and Chloe being back together, as well as the little bit of closure I got to see from my specific ending. But as I mentioned before, it didn’t feel grandiose or complete enough to be considered final game material. I think it should have been built up better, and we should have been given more time in the world and with the characters. Maybe then the payoff would have felt worth it, and I would have cared more about the outcome. Still, if you’re a fan of Max and Chloe like I am, and want to see what becomes of them, I recommend picking up this game. It will at least give you some really wholesome interactions between them, and you’ll get to see the conclusion to a decades-long story that was more than overdue. Sometimes nostalgia is all you need to carry you through, and I think perhaps Square Enix banked on that this time.

Hamstermind offers a variety of unique challenges. Some work out better than others, but the experience is pretty high on the quality scale, for the most part. It’s an enjoyable romp, as long as you prepare yourself to get stumped, as the difficulty ramps up fast. You don’t see this sort of game too often these days, so if you’ve a hankering for games that really make you think, this could be a good choice. But maybe you could toss another hint or two my way, Righteous Tree? Thanks! Ahem.

If you don’t mind slogging through repetitive gameplay, there is an interesting narrative to be found here, so don’t let me discourage you if your desire is to simply enjoy the story. I just felt it was my duty to offer a fair warning that, despite the destination being worth it, the journey itself is rough.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is very much a release where ambiance and exploration are top dogs of the experience. Whether you’re in a more lax state of exploring the map or trying to surmount a challenging sequence of whirling saws and pitfalls, moving around MIO’s map is a great time thoroughly enhanced by the game’s impressive rendering of its world and an immersive soundtrack. Unfortunately, these successes overshadow the title’s combat and progression mechanics. There will be a lot of familiar elements to those with prior metroidvania experience, and while they’re all implemented serviceably, they simply don’t do as much heavy lifting as the platforming, world building, and music.

Voron: Raven’s Story is certainly a flawed game, though to be fair it is an indie game largely made by one person and costs a mere $10, so one can only expect so much. The one thing the game truly has going for it, and what will determine whether you’ll enjoy it or not, are the unique flight mechanics. While I personally enjoyed it, I can definitely see it being a hard sell for most. I found the game was at its best during the challenges where I had to dodge obstacles and push my speed to the limit, but things fell off whenever I was simply traversing a large open area and gliding for long stretches. Still, if you’ve enjoyed the freedom of flying around in games and want a more relaxing and charming game about flight, Voron is certainly worth taking a look at.

As a whole, Million Depth is a game of contrasts. It is at turns awkward, less than it could be, and at the same time possessed of some really unique approaches to what could otherwise be painfully rote. There are parts of it I didn’t like, and yet all during my play I never found myself pushed to stop playing or lost interest despite its jank. It feels compelling in part because it’s janky. It’s a big, awkward piece that is often ungainly or inelegant, but it feels unique at the same time. I think my takeaway is that all of this winds up narrowing down to being on the high side of average, but still a game that some people are going to immediately fall in love with. I might have fallen in love with it, in a way. I find myself still poking at the game, and while it didn’t grab me and demand my attention, I think it’s worth checking out as a singular experience. Most games are assembled from familiar parts. This one feels like not all of its parts are great, but they also aren’t bracingly familiar.

It’s still very well crafted and definitely worth your time to play, in my opinion. But amongst the three major DLCs? This one is sadly probably the weakest. There isn’t even much reason to revisit the monastery later even though you can, unless you missed some hidden thing while you were there, so this DLC is pretty much one-and-done, while the Brushes with Death and Legacy of the Forge DLC updates both added new activities you can do, adding considerable value to the time you spend in Bohemia.

For people who are really big fans of games that are light horror/adventure game mixes – games like the long list of RPG Maker titles that are clearly meant to be primarily horror titles with some inventory puzzles like Ib or The Witch’s House, for example – I think this game is going to really sing. However, for a lot of other players, the mix isn’t quite going to carry a tune. That’s not a bad thing, and the game knows what it wants to be, but it does mean that the game is perhaps as unwelcoming as its title might suggest.

Tragically, I was hoping to enjoy my time with Moros Protocol more. Despite satisfyingly weighty FPS mechanics, active boss fights, and a nostalgia-tinged pixel aesthetic, the scales are tipped for the worse by a very basic roguelite progression system and the absence of capitalizing on its more interesting science fiction story beats.

I’m going to be honest and say that I kind of expected more out of the title, which is unfair to the game on some level. I’m the person who always says that it’s not what a game is about but how it is about it, and in that context it’s not really fair to have negative things to say about the story being a bit of a shallow wisp full of fan service and game references. The problem is that in light of that weakness, you’d expect a strong game to back it up… and instead, what you have is a game that feels kinda archaic and making up for its weaknesses via volume. None of that makes the game bad. Indeed, I could find myself easily falling into a routine with the gameplay despite its generally bland elements. But it didn’t really stick to the ribs despite that. If you’re a fan of this franchise, I can understand why in the broad strokes, and I think this is going to prove to be an entry in the series that you will like because it is an entry in the series. But for people who aren’t into the series already or are generally neutral toward it, this isn’t the spot to start.

This is a fun game, and while you can definitely tell that it’s not quite a full RPG in its own right, I still enjoyed it front to back. So if you want a somewhat romance-tilted RPG featuring a cast of women that’s on the lightweight side but still hits all of the major notes? This one is worth your time. Just be aware ahead of time that it is a bit lightweight, because otherwise you might be a touch disappointed.

If you’re a fan of the AI series, picking this one up is a no-brainer. Even with a few issues, it’s still more AI, and that’s enough for me. This entry is not friendly for newcomers, though, so if what you’ve seen here intrigues you, go pick up the original game and play through that first.

The good news here is between its two re-releases, Stronghold: Crusader has only expanded, and while I can’t say with absolute certainty since I never got around to playing the original (even though it was on my radar at the time), it certainly seems worthy of the “Definitive Edition” designation. While I think the developers could have done more with the graphics, it offers all the same challenges plus new ones. Having said that, the challenge may actually be too much for some modern gamers thanks to the steep learning curve and somewhat hidden tutorial. If you are serious about the real-time strategy genre, the copious amount of content, the extreme depth, and have mastered other games, Stronghold Crusader – Definitive Edition may be just what you needed.

Overall, it all comes back to the length of the game. In spite of my own preferences, being a little over an hour is far too short and this length drags down both the narrative and the difficulty curve. What is here isn’t bad per se; there’s some decent world building, the levels toward the end are genuinely fun, and the vibes are fantastic. But they don’t compensate for everything else feeling rushed.

You’ve probably ascertained as much from this point, but I didn’t care for Shuffle Tactics. I don’t think it’s an utterly terrible misfire; I can tell what the designers were going for, I admire the attempt, but it just doesn’t land. It was a few years back when I reviewed another tactical-RPG-meets-roguelike title, Tyrant’s Blessing, and this game basically manages to have more failures despite having a stronger starting gun. I don’t think the game is truly atrocious, and I think if you’re in need of another roguelike game and you have played all of the offerings out there, this will… perform as advertised. But I can’t really recommend it to others.

TRON: Catalyst is a good example of an acceptable licensed game experience, and punches well above its weight. The sum of its parts may not win any awards for having any sort of wow factor, but Bithell Games understood the assignment and gave fans something worth playing through. It may not be the most complicated game on the planet, but it’s a good example of a solid indie game experience as well as a good licensed game in its own right. Exo’s adventure is well worth a playthrough, and fans can breathe easy knowing that this romp in the Arq Grid is an experience worthy of the TRON name. Jumping into this Grid is a perfectly acceptable entry, but you might want to go in with tempered expectations.

I like The Alters. It sells its premise in a way I wish more science fiction games would. We need more of them. But the watering down of its gameplay elements makes it hard to recommend. If you’re willing to slog through tedium and gameplay filler there is a wonderfully fun story to experience.

Survival game fans will no doubt appreciate the level of polish in the design of its systems and the fun gameplay loop of shooting, looting, and crafting to make yourself stronger, but it doesn’t do much to iterate on expected genre convention. It’s also marred by intermittent technical hiccups and some less-than-stellar interface choices, but I still couldn’t stop myself from sinking more and more of my time into it. It’s a fun foundation that still needs a bit of TLC, in other words, and I hope to see Funcom eventually deliver the best version of what this take on Dune could become.

Simply put, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma did not live up to my expectations. However, I don’t regret my playthrough. As tedious as it was, it was still nice to be back in the land of Woolys and Earthmates as everyone’s favorite amnesiac, even if just for the nostalgia.The truth of it is, you’ll probably have more to do in this game than you’ve had in any previous Rune Factory title. But that comes with the understanding that the journey may not be as fun, and the scripted moments not as emotional. For die-hard fans like me, that can come with disappointment. But for more casual enjoyers of the genre, you will find all your farming sim staples in this title. It truly gives you the opportunity to build the world as you see fit. In fact, you have 120 hours of content to get your villages just right. And because I want to end on an optimistic note, I do feel like with the right fine-tuning, some of the foundations laid out in this game could serve as a great jump point for expanding the future of Rune Factory in a very promising direction. I just hope that future doesn’t take as long as this game did to arrive.

I enjoyed my time with Shotgun Cop Man but, where I couldn’t stop replaying My Friend Pedro, I don’t see myself returning to this one. Shotgun Cop Man is frantic, fun, and funny. It is also repetitive, irritating, and doesn’t separate itself from the pack. What it does have is enough charm and sharp gameplay to make itself a worthy pickup. It also has a great title. Shotgun. Cop. Man.

Pilo and the Holobook is a game that knows what it wants to be, and succeeds at it. It’s a cute and cozy little adventure aimed at a young audience, short and sweet with a price to match. There are a few snags here and there, some puzzles could be signposted a bit better and the secondary scenes could do with a better payoff. Still, at the end of the day the core of the experience is solid enough and there’s plenty of little moments that will make you smile.

Battlefield Waltz could have for sure been much more than it was. It suffers from bad storytelling and bad pacing, but the characters had so much potential and were so fun that this didn’t have to be the case. On the bright side, you probably won’t notice or care all that much about the story’s flaws if all you’re looking for is a gushy, tamed, romance sort of game. It does do its job of offering romance with likeable characters, and doesn’t fall short of the sweet moments we all look for when playing otome games. So if that’s what you’re after, I do feel OK recommending this to fans. I do hope that in the future we are given what we’re promised with these sorts of stories, because frankly, the genre needs the evolution. Overall, I’m not sad I played Battlefield Waltz. After all, I did have fun. And as always, I look forward to seeing what’s next from Idea Factory’s otomate line.

Alcyone is the epitome of a niche video game. I’m not a fan of mobile games but that really seems like it would be a better platform. If I could lay in bed under a comforter and nothing but lamplight and my phone I could probably play through it in one sitting. For now I just have bloodshot eyes and visions of a great new world that I hope to play again once I’ve recovered.

This game both wants to be like its old-school Grandpa Mario and Aunt Celeste. The mixture of the two just doesn’t gel with me. The real bummer is I badly want it work. I truly for some it probably will. Playing MainFrames has made me realize the genre probably just isn’t for me. I don’t understand platformers and I’m certainly not good at them. So it’s probably pretty weird that I am going to recommend this game with one big fat caveat. If you’re a fan of the genre, there are a lot of cool and original things happening in MainFrames. If you’re not already comfortable in the space it’s probably not going to work as shining introduction to the world of indie platformers.

Taken as a whole game, Carmen Sandiego is a perfectly cromulent romp despite its relative simplicity. Slipping into familiar trappings isn’t always a bad thing, especially when you’re aiming to make a return like this. While not quite a triumphant return to the gaming space, it’s definitely a welcome one. I like to think that there’s still a place in the gaming world for The World’s Greatest Thief. So seeing her land on her feet like this is a welcome surprise. Carmen isn’t one to rest on her laurels, so I hope this isn’t the last we see of her.

Overall, I would recommend this title…just maybe wait until the official English patch releases. It’s cute, has good art, and the characters and stories are likable enough to where you won’t feel like you wasted your time. The romance can feel sweet and hard-earned in some routes, but you always end up feeling glad you got to know the characters, and for a visual novel that’s all you can hope for in the end even if the path is bumpy.

Even 23 years later, Ever 17 – The Out of Infinity still holds up. The quality of the narrative and the twists toward the end are not quite so novel in this day and age what with how many amazing visual novels have come out since then. But I found myself growing to love the cast, and the setting is absolutely genius in how it manages to keep giving the characters new challenges to overcome without feeling contrived. That all said, I don’t feel this is the best way to experience Ever 17, mostly due to the quality of the translation. I know it seems like a minor thing, but it causes me to question how much care was given to the writing across the board, and for a visual novel that’s more important than ever. If you have a way to try one of the other versions, give it a shot. But if not this is still a perfectly serviceable, and definitely more accessible version.

For fans of Uchikoshi’s works, picking up Never 7 is an interesting experience to see where he got his start, so long as you’re prepared for a twenty-year-old game with some questionable design choices. If this would be your first visual novel, though, I would recommend passing on this one for now. Pick up Ever 17 instead.