Gordian Quest is a straightforward and fun game. I liked it all while I played. But I also kept wishing I was playing on my PC, which is… probably the game’s biggest weakness. It feels like a PC game ported to a console (which, let’s be real, it is) and it is a bit limited as a result of that. However, if you want the game in portable form and don’t have (or want) a Steam Deck? It’s a great addition. Sure, you will have to wrestle with the game’s interface a little bit and there will be the odd moment where you feel like something should have worked but you couldn’t see a bit of text that indicated otherwise. But the game is good enough that a bit of interface jank hardly pulls it down, in the end.

My time with Paper Beast left me in awe. While I cannot claim to fully understand what it is that I experienced while playing this game, I’m glad that I did experience it. I would encourage others to experience it as well.

If you’ve already played and enjoyed Orochi 4 itself, the Ultimate expansion makes everything better. The only downside is the asking price ($39.99) for existing owners of the game is a bit high for an add-on, but…you really do get a lot for the money. If you’re a fan and you haven’t already bought this, it is a worthwhile purchase. If you are more casually interested in Warriors stuff, maybe wait for a sale….but still get it. It won’t disappoint you with many more hours of mook-smooshing fun.

I don’t think Cat Quest III is going to blow anyone away, but I think it is entirely worthy to be in this franchise. Do you like fun action RPG games that focus on solid, simple game mechanics? Do you like cats? Do you enjoy exploring and finding things to do in the world, searching around for a bit, and then going through the game again? Then you’re going to get your money’s worth and more from Cat Quest III. In other words, like its predecessors, the game might be uncomplicated, but it’s the cat’s meow.

I dare say the KickStarter that supported this release would have done just as well if it was an actual card game. I think that could definitely work and if it isn’t in the cards (wink), well, it should be. Regardless though, this game is a great value with it’s strong replayability, and it is definitely worthy of recommendation to fans of the genre, but I think even other curious souls out there should give it a go. It’s is very pick-up-and-play and could spark a new interest in a new genre for you if you are that curious soul.

While Sumire was a short game, I truly enjoyed what it had to offer. The themes and characters were interesting, some of the minigames were fun, and the ending I got was pretty wholesome. It does have some minor flaws, among them its limited world and the nature of how some of the darker themes were handled, but for the low price-point and engaging experience, I wouldn’t let those things keep you from giving it a try. I am certainly glad I did, and look forward to future titles from GameTomo.

While Yakuza 4 Remastered doesn’t offer much in the way of quality of life updates or any substantial presentation improvements, the entire package is still solid. It knows what it is and what it wants to do, and is ultimately an improvement over its direct predecessor in a number of ways. It may be different from other titles that succeed it, but I feel like this is one of the better games in the Remastered package and worth picking up.

It’s not an instant classic, but I think fans of the original are going to really find stuff to like here. And if you’re like me and never played the original, you still owe it to yourself to give this one a solid look. The weirdness of its controls and some of its quirks mean that it might not be for everyone… but give it a fair shot, and I have a feeling you’re going to get a lot more out of it than you might initially expect.

Langrisser I & II isn’t for everyone. But I think it’s for a lot of people who may never have even seen the originals, and I strongly recommend it to everyone on a whole lot of different levels.

LIGHTKRAVTE is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, I freely admit that, but it did the thing that Kurt Vonnegut once said every story should do: It used the time of a complete stranger in a way that didn’t make it feel wasted. And quite frankly? If you’re the sort of person who generally doesn’t think much of visual novels? This might be worth a look after all. It’s a story that not a lot of games tell, told in a way that serves to show off the strengths of a visual novel rather than its weaknesses.

If you like your graphics pixel-perfect, your scenery bloody, and your gunplay fast and tactile, you’ll have a blast with Gunbrella. It is a game about a gun which is also an umbrella.

Keen is a puzzler that tries to reach up and achieve more beyond its base ideas, and while it doesn’t always succeed, the end product still remains something worth taking a look at.

If you are tired as heck of roguelike games, this is not the game that’s going to change your mind. But if you like solid platforming action and are willing to learn the game’s systems, crack the bones and sink into the marrow? You’ve got a heck of a game on your hands, and many exciting runs ahead of you. And that’s even before you unlock your third characters.

From a quality standpoint, Outshine lives up to its name, There is a stumble here and there but it delivers a fun and satisfying experience. In an era where scores are hardly even a thing anymore, Outshine challenges you and makes you want to better them. This game might not have the same sort of quirky charm as its inspiration, but it fills a much needed void in an understated genre with a quality entry. If you want a fun arcade-style experience that can potentially also sharpen your keyboarding skills, you really can’t go wrong here.

Look Outside is a unique and dense experience. It leverages its relatively short runtime by being fit to bursting with interesting mysteries, meaningful gameplay decisions, characters both eerie and endearing, and a horror aesthetic that knows when to depict its grotesqueness outright and when to leave things up to the player’s imagination. Its mashup of survival horror resource gathering and turn-based combat is less successful for the way the former garners more satisfying engagement than the latter, but even still, Look Outside is an easy recommendation for anyone—but horror fans in particular—on the lookout for something new.

I can’t recommend the game to everyone, and maybe not even to most people. But I think it’s commendable in what it’s trying to do. And if you, like me, have fond memories of picking up games you knew nothing about based on weird art and a love of cyborg ninjas on motorcycles for no reason… this is the modern descendant of those, and it’s having a good go at it.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics brings back a beloved favorite in a reimagined way while also introducing a classic to a new audience. It celebrates the creative creatures we were introduced to in the Netflix series without feeling like a product-placement. If you’re looking for an introduction into tactics-style games and already love the world of The Dark Crystal this game is definitely worth checking out.

UNBEATABLE is an excellent experience, and one that I’ll likely be playing far into the future through its included Arcade mode. The vibes are immaculate, and I’m pretty well satisfied with the overall package. But a bit more time expanding the story and fixing up some notable issues could easily have taken this game from “great” to “spectacular.”

Much like the original, I found myself having a great time with Ryza 2. As I mentioned back then, if this is the direction the Atelier series is moving in, you can count me in as a fan from this point. While the question remains if Gust will stick with this formula when they eventually move away from titles staring Ryza, I personally hope they continue to revise and refine this model. If Ryza 1 caught my interest, then Ryza 2 definitely has my attention.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii proves to fans and newcomers alike that you can step out of your comfort zone in more ways than one as a player or developer. Not only does a fan favorite finally get the spotlight he righteously deserves, he shines in a way that only Goro Majima can. I had a blast being a right scallywag with the Goro Pirates, and I’m confident that anyone that picks this up will likely feel the same about their high seas shenanigans. If Secret Agent Majima somehow becomes a thing, you better believe I’ll be there enjoying every second of it. Turns out you can teach a Mad Dog new tricks.

I would definitely recommend this title to anyone who is a fan of open-world adventure games and is looking for a fresh perspective. If anything, it’s a must-play just to experience the amount of love and detail the creators packed into it. There is also just so much to do that I feel it’s totally worth it for the price.

I especially recommend it if you’re a fan of adventure games with a lot of puzzles. You definitely won’t be disappointed given how plentiful and unique they are. Overall I am happy I got to play this gem of a game and am looking forward to more from Mojiken.

Even after spending close to 30 hours already, there are oodles of secrets to find, upgrades to unlock, and further optimizations I can make to my ranch setup. I think I’ll be vacationing here for a while.

Despite the lacking narrative and unexcitingly standard progression systems, it’s easy to see people getting completely lost—if you’ll pardon the pun—in Lost Ark. It’s a game packed to the brim with content, collectibles, and systems, but more importantly than that, it’s made certain those systems are fun to go through…Visible effort went into nearly every avenue of the game, making it an easy recommendation even if it doesn’t bring much innovation to the space. The quality of the combat and the variety of content on offer elevates this ARPG experience to be a cut above the rest. The only thing you can stand to lose in trying out Lost Ark is time, and even in a gaming landscape defined by competition for said time, it’s absolutely worth giving a gander.

Absolum is a game that I welcome with open arms. It’s further proof that there’s still room for fun and original experiences in gaming, and is a lovely example of showing what you can do when you let your experience speak for itself. The level of polish and reverence for what Guard Crush and the gang have here is well worth a look. Which also maintains an iron grip on what makes a roguelike and a beat ’em up compelling in the first place. If you’re looking for a good time at a reasonable price, you can’t really beat what’s cooked up here. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

At the end of the day this is an approachable and enjoyable entry into a genre that doesn’t really get a lot of love these days. If they manage to optimize things enough to fix the performance issues you could probably consider it a 9 from me, but as it is I can only mostly recommend it.

Out of Sight is a very decent, horror-tinged puzzle game. Its most enticing offering—a second-person perspective that sees you controlling the protagonist through the eyes of her teddy bear—is also its most thoroughly realized. The way its puzzles interact with the more restrictive perspective is very engaging and easily kept me wanting to see the rest of what it had to offer. Which unfortunately makes the more unexciting mechanical execution of the puzzles themselves stand out all the more. It’s still fun to guide Sophie to safety through puzzle and pursuer alike thanks to a decent mystery and neat camera angles, but a more challenging level of difficulty and a more thorough aversion of many tried-and-true puzzle mechanics would have elevated Out of Sight into something truly special.

It has a very particular audience in mind, and if you’re a part of said audience, you’ll have a great time improving through every death. And if you’re looking to lessen that challenge a smidge in order to see a decent chunk of the content without investing dozens of hours? The game is more than happy to provide you with options to do just that, making it more approachable than ever without sacrificing the challenge intrinsic to its success. And the flaming sword power up is just as cool as ever.