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.

In short, fans of atmospheric horror owe it to themselves to pick this up. This is absolutely one of the best horror games I’ve played, and while there are a few little issues here and there, this isn’t even the end of development. There’s a more tailored scenario gameplay mode already on the horizon for a later update, and I expect things will only go up from there.

Comic book games are certainly having a moment lately, and Hellboy: Web of Wyrd does little to deter me from thinking otherwise. While it may not hit as high as some of its more lauded contemporaries, it’s still a good game. If you can endure some of the rougher edges it has, you’re going to find yourself with a game that is simultaneously a way to wedge into more involved roguelikes and another example of what developers can do when you stay true to what makes it work in the first place. Sometimes you just need something a little less intense, and games like this fit the bill nicely.

At this point, you know what you’re getting into when you sit down to play a Jackbox game. Even with this concession, however, it’s a bit too easy to find The Jackbox Party Pack 10 lacking. The tunes and aesthetics are great as always and the narrators do an equally decent job but—with the exception of Timejinx—it feels as though every new game has a significant snag that heavily drags it down. Either the novelty wears off after only a few sessions (Dodo Re Mi, FixyText) or the game simply runs on too long (Hypnotorious), and Tee K.O. 2 is exactly what it says on the tin with only minor improvements. With everything accounted for you’re still in for a fun time with friends, but it nevertheless remains a weaker experience compared to previous Jackbox offerings.

The overall gameplay is quite decent. But the bizarre design decisions regarding flight, settlements, and NPC interaction, coupled with some annoying issues, like lack of fast-travel or tutorials, leave you with with a blend of both fun and frustration that just doesn’t quite payoff in the end. I can see a niche audience for a game like this. But to have a broader appeal, I think Airship: Kingdoms Adrift needed more time in the oven to expand its feature set and create a good on-boarding experience.

I reiterate many times that the real question should not be what a game is about but how it is about it, and to a certain extent, it's unfair to mark Mirage down because it's trying for a solid base hit. But I do think it's fair to mark it down for not just playing it safe but playing it way less than it could be. I characterized Valhalla as a game well worth playing even if you aren't generally fond of this franchise, but Mirage? It's just another Assassin's Creed game with no ambitions of being more. Far from feeling like a loving tribute on the anniversary, it feels like coasting…If you've loved this franchise since the first game, you're going to have fun with Mirage. But just like its namesake, there's less here than there appears to be, and beneath the surface it's lacking. Not enough to be bad, but enough to be just rote. And that, ultimately, is a letdown even if the game can play the hits well.

At the end of the day, how you feel about Silent Hope will depend on how big a fan of classic isometric dungeon crawlers you are. At it’s heart it’s a pure experience that encourages experimentation and learning a variety of playstyles, but this comes at the cost of all the extra bells and whistles.

Ultimately, RoboDunk is a pile of pieces that all work together in the strictest sense, but they don’t enrich one another. I enjoyed it well enough, but I never felt compelled to go back by anything in particular. It’s just… if you want a basketball-ish roguelike, this is definitely it, and it does everything right enough. But I can’t see you being blown away by it.

I am really happy that I stepped outside of my comfort zone and tried out this title. It has a lot of charm and I can openly admit that by the end of my playthrough, I was a fan of the protagonist, the cast, and even the villain a little bit. It’s obvious that Whateverland has a story it wants to tell and it leaves it up to you how you want to go about that experience.

If you enjoyed the base game, it’s hard to see you being dissatisfied with this expansion. And even if you aren’t enticed by any of the new content on offer, Update 2.0 has brought net improvements to the overall gameplay that make it more than worth taking another trip through Night City.

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.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is one of those games I wish got made more often. Rather than spending dozens of hours simply being ok, it chooses to spend what little time it has being fantastic. It’s the kind of game that sticks with you for ages after you’ve put it down.

Fans of tower defense games and JRPGs should give this game a look, because it’s at once inventive and satisfying. It’s not flawless, but I’ve played big-budget games this year that didn’t have half the heart or originality that this little game has.

Putting an actual number to this is more difficult than for most games. I enjoyed my time with Komorebi, but was left disappointed at the same time. Everything I loved had some small detail to criticize, and every criticism I had was tied to something I loved. Overall I would say it all depends on your perspective. Some people like the bottle episodes more than the season finales after all. If you prefer hanging out and getting to know people with a splash of sci-fi dystopian-ish intrigue to give them something to talk about, this will be right up your alley. If you’re here primarily for the sci-fi dystopia and seeing the characters bond over their shared struggle is just a bonus, you’ll probably find it a bit lacking. Still, at the end of the day, if my main criticism is simply that I preferred the previous entry… that’s probably saying something.

I didn’t like Invector: Rhythm Galaxy at first. I didn’t recognize most songs by name, the controls out-of-the-box were awkward for me, and not being able to instantly jump to the highest difficult and sightread songs bruised my rhythm gamer ego. As I put more time into it, beginning to understand how the game wanted to be played, my opinion on it brightened up. And as I got a feel for it, I began to see just how well charted the songs in this game are. The campaign mode is entirely a throwaway – play through and skip the story just to unlock songs, and then never touch it again. But after that, there’s a fairly solid rhythm experience here. Unfortunately, the soundtrack here just isn’t for me. This is entirely subjective and doesn’t hit the score, but I personally don’t see myself going back to play more with the current music on offer. Should WMG dig deeper into their vaults for some DLC, though, I wouldn’t complain about coming back.

Now, I’m not saying this game will be for everyone. There’s quite a few rough edges that are just part of the classic FPS genre, but this is still a sterling example of how to do a remaster. Everything from the original has been kept, made easier to access, and optional new content has been added. What’s not to love?

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons isn’t dragged down by the classic problem of doing too many things at once and not succeeding at any of them. Instead, we’re left with a solid experience that can stand alongside the best in the series while also being a good entry point for those who might want a less demanding roguelike in their lives. Having accessible entry points into new genres is good. Having fun multiplayer experiences are even better. Don’t ignore Rise of the Dragons, because there are some classic-laced-with-modern shenanigans here that are worth checking out.

It’s smaller than its inspiration, a bit simpler in some ways, and I am very deliberately leaving out some of the places it goes simply on the basis that it’s worth seeing it for yourself. If you’re like me and have been looking for more FFT for the past two decades, this game will not sate your hunger completely, but it’ll be damn filling. You will walk away satisfied. That is high praise, and a testament to how good the game actually is.

I would have preferred to be granted new gear at a quicker pace and have more direct control over my build options in a first playthrough, but the positives otherwise coalesce into a very addicting (and fairly challenging) co-op shooter that’s difficult to put down.

If you enjoy a bit of RPG and strategy in a game and enjoy yourself a match-three game, you will be well-served by Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes. I can’t tell you how well it stacks up compared to the DS version, maybe, but now it’s available on more modern devices and it’s still fun. What more could you ask for?

Every minute I played this game was just a reminder that I still need to play through the updated classic, Metroid Prime Remastered (I’ve just been too busy!). While I simply can’t recommend this game even to the most forgiving fans of the genre it so badly wants to be a part of, if you want to put “metroidvania” and “first-person” together, there really is nothing better than the Metroid Prime series. Go play those instead of this.

The fact that Sludge Life 2 exists at all is still a pleasant surprise, and both games are experiences worth firing up if you’re looking for something a little less overproduced and something unafraid to just say “Let’s do our own thing and let it loose on the world.” While the sequel doesn’t do anything drastically different, it does enough to justify its existence and is something that’s as competent as its predecessor. It’s a grimy good time, and it’s something I think fans of weird games can pull up and appreciate for what it is. Ciggy City might be bigger, but it still has a rebellious heart that should satisfy those seeking something a bit more out there in their gaming lives.

Stellar and surprisingly customizable combat, a masterfully written and engaging storyline, and beautiful audio visual presentation. It's a nearly complete package, but with a few annoyances that keep it from being the perfect game…That said, even with those frustrations in mind, Final Fantasy XVI is an absolute return to form for the mainline franchise, and easily a reason to get yourself a PlayStation 5 if you've yet to.

I wanted to like this game so badly. I’ve been a fan of Devolver-published games for a while, and I came away from the preview with high hopes. Unfortunately those expectations did not match my experience playing through Bleak Sword DX for real. For all the intensity the difficulty brought, I nevertheless found myself bored at basically repeating the same thing over and over, and found the story to be an active detriment. That’s not to say there’s nothing good here, however. It’s a solid foundation, but where other games would strive to build something on that foundation, Bleak Sword DX unfortunately just leaves it as a slab of concrete.

Really, the minimum expectation for me when it comes to remakes is to make a good game better than it used to be. I feel confident in saying that We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie does enough to fulfill that requirement, and is priced in a way that makes it a no-brainer to pick up. It’s the best version of this game to date, and it gives me hope that seeing these being brought to modern platforms may be the spark that gives us brand-new titles. But for now, I’m fine with getting a well-crafted remake of a damned fine game with the kind of quality-of-life updates and additional content that help the low barrier of entry go down even easier than a straight port ever could. Go roll up some stars, man. You’ll enjoy it.

I know this sounds contrary to the rest of my review but, despite my complaints, I still would recommend at least one playthrough of this game to fans of the studio and the genre. There is some charm to be found here, even if it’s only occasional glimpses when you make the right decision, and just visually you’ll be in for a treat.

The Tartarus Key is the rare game that’s able to faithfully recreate an older, chunky 3D aesthetic while still establishing a unique voice of its own. Its brainteasers won’t pose much of a challenge to seasoned puzzlers and its endings are rather abrupt, but the intriguing mystery, variety of puzzle types, and brisk pace work together—much like the characters trapped in the mansion themselves—to ensure a ride worth taking.

Now, I don’t want to sell it too short here. The right kind of person can certainly appreciate this sort of thing and those people might enjoy this a lot more and make it worth buying. But for the rest of us, the gameplay just isn’t remarkable enough, and I don’t think a bucket of humor dumped over the player’s head is what the doctor ordered. This earns it a score that reflects the niche audience that can appreciate the game for what it is.