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.

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.

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.

It may have taken me a long time to get here, but I have to admit that I’m so happy I did. Falcom did an amazing job with this game. The characters felt authentic, the story was engaging, and the battle system was a lot of fun. Repackaging something older in a way that appeals to newer audiences but manages to retain its original charm is harder than it sounds, so hats off to them for the success of this remake! If, like me, this is your first time playing a Trails game, or if you’re an old fan and just want to re-live a good gaming experience in an updated way, please pick up this title. It will not disappoint you. In fact, the only thing disappointing me right now is that the remake for the sequel isn’t out right now! Hurry up, Falcom, thank you!!

Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles knocks the rust off the original, shines it up like new, and makes lots of subtle changes that only enhance the classic. And if you want a version without any changes, that's here too, just as grainy as you remember. I couldn't have hoped for more.

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.

It’s a fun time if you’re a fan of farming simulators. Its beautiful visuals will draw you in, and its wonderful cast will keep you there. Not only that, but this game does a great job of giving you a goal and providing you with the tools to get there. I can’t think of a single time when I felt like I wanted to put my switch down from playing this because I was bored. I will be honest and say that it can feel repetitive in some bits and a little bit easy/simple in others, but that is more so a byproduct of the genre than any fault of this specific title. All in all, if you’re itching for a good farming simulator to sink your teeth into this fall, I recommend you pick this up. I promise you won’t regret it!

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.

The fact that this is from a small team is itself amazing, and if you enjoy anything from the gorgeous art to the description of the mechanics to even just the feel of being the family head trying to whip your clan into a fighting force? I think you’ll find something to love in Dice Gambit. I sure as heck did. I took a chance I didn’t expect to, and I feel it was well worth it.

When I walked away from my preview of Ra Ra Boom I was thinking that if the game cleaned up some of the preview-build jank, refined a couple of elements, and didn’t muck with the fun parts, it’d be a winner. And that’s exactly what happened.

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.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a wonderful game that’s sure to stand out for fans of the series and beyond. It reinforces what longtime followers love about the series, and is one of the best examples of a “tough but fair” game. It could possibly be overshadowed by its 3D counterparts, but be sure not to overlook this gem of a game. It stands out well enough on its own that it would be foolish to miss out on this well-crafted experience.

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.

Overall, Date Everything is a charming little package that staves off its inherent repetitiveness with some great writing and an excellent cast of voice performers. The sheer variety of characters here nearly guarantees that there will be at least a handful that connect with everyone. Some of the character design is a bit too busy, though, and tracking down every Dateable can become a lesson in frustration if you have difficulty thinking outside the box. If you’re a VA geek, Date Everything is an absolute must-play; I don’t think we’ll ever see another game with this many high-profile performers together in one package. Recognizing the voices of the Dateables you find is a core part of the fun here, in my opinion. But even if you’re not well versed in modern voice performers, this game is still a fun and often hilarious romp.

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.

Brushes With Death may not be as big and sophisticated as the main scenario, but for being a post-launch DLC, it packs a lot of fun and value for its price point. Add to that the other extra content its patch brought alongside it, and there could hardly be a better time to get into Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, except maybe after the remaining story DLCs come later in the year. If you enjoyed the game but hadn’t given thought to the game’s DLC pass or even just this specific one, this content is most definitely worth the price of admission. You may even find yourself re-loading previous saves to explore the different ways you can approach 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.

If you’re not really a fan of deckbuilders, this game is not going to change your mind. But if you like them but often find them kind of disappointing, I think Monster Train 2 is going to be a real winner. It doesn’t do anything I’ve never seen before, but all the things it does that I have seen before are things it does really well. And that’s worthy of praise.

If there’s anything wrong with Drop Duchy as a game, it’s really just the timing of its release. The gaming world has a lot of stuff to play right now, a lot of big titles that demand you sink a lot of time and energy into them. I’ve been playing some of them myself. It would be easy to overlook this particular one because it is a slight thing, a lunch break sort of game. But when you consider the asking price and the fun of the game, that slightness works in its favor. Maybe you don’t have a couple of hours to make serious progress on the big RPGs that are out right now. Maybe what you have is 30 minutes to play some Tetris and also build yourself a merry little kingdom. And Drop Duchy is positioned perfectly for that. Lean in, enjoy some dropping and some management, and give the screen a thumbs-up in celebration of your latest acquisitions of land. So yeah, this is just mashing together existing pieces, but that mashing really works. Exquisite!

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.

Despite an overly lean narrative and an overlong middle section, Bionic Bay’s particular blend of fluid platforming, physics-focused puzzles, and gorgeously surreal aesthetic results in a highly engaging experience. More than that, it’s tight pacing and interest in surprising the player keeps things feeling fresh throughout. If you’re on the lookout for a new puzzle-platformer, it’s well worth your time to run and jump your way through it.