Mixtape is fun, fantastical and heartfelt. It may be fleeting, but I expect it will stick with you for a long while. Especially when you're inevitably playing one of the game's songs in one of your playlists and someone asks you "where this song is from?"

WILL: Follow the Light, without the few negative hiccups I noted, is a 10 out of 10 game. But as it stands right now, the few nits that exist within the game pull away from that score slightly - but only slightly. That being said though, if these updates and needed fixes are made, I can easily see this being a can’t-miss game. The beautiful, yet heart-wrenching story, coupled with the intriguing puzzles and environment of the game itself make for an unforgettable digital experience.

Although Invincible Vs has some rough spots, it overall succeeds where it needs to in a fighting game. The gameplay is fun, the netcode is good overall and the roster is a blast to play with along with solid presentation. While some character omissions are lamentable… The fact that Quarter Up made me want to try Dupli-Kate out makes up for it and thankfully we’re in the age where bugs can be fixed rather quickly.

Wax Heads is one of the best games I have played this year. It’s full of cozy stories, amazing music, and wonderful characters. I think anyone who is craving meaningful human connection could learn something from Wax Heads.

In an era where so many games seem terrified of simplicity, Motorslice feels confident enough to strip everything back to movement, atmosphere, and momentum, and it is all the better for it.

There’s a few rough edges for now, but the core ‘cute-em-up’ action is good old fashioned shmup fun. Chaotic and gorgeous to look at, Astro Burn is a shooter that is worth playing in early access and keeping an eye on for the full release. [Early Access Review]

Sudden Strike 5 is a solid, if unspectacular RTS experience. It feels authentic and immersive as a WWII strategy game, and really makes you focus on the strategy part of that in order to succeed. It’s clunky controls on console and lack of teaching the player the game hold it back from being great, but any RTS fan should find the experience enjoyable.

It’s always nice to see an IP within a genre that’s difficult to stand out it. While it may never reach the heights of giants like Pokemon, Digimon, etc, it’s important that there are fresh experiences. It’s wonderful when one can take heavy inspirations from these giants as well, while truly making them their own. Monster Crown: Sin Eater deserves a place in the hearts of gamers who love the monster taming, RPG genre. It’s a beautiful, yet dark and dangerous world. Teeming with monsters and people struggling under the weight of evil, fans of the genre should experience the world of Monster Crown: Sin Eater.

While making sure that every item is in its correct location, balanced perfectly, and faced in the correct way; a tedious yet relaxing task, zoned out as if in a meditative state, and lost in your own thoughts, time stops. While you’re absorbing all the stories and requests your customers have, arriving one at a time, indulging in their lives, your outlet to the outside world, nothing else matters. inKONBINI is a reverie, a narrative driven game that needs some engagement, but only asking from you what you want to give it. It nails the very atmosphere of a quiet, slow, nighttime 1993 experience. While its stories could be better delivered through voiced dialogue, it’s an experience I would highly recommend if you are looking for a reverie.

With 7 unique districts to unlock, 18 customizable buses, and the ability to make Emberville your own. Creating routes and learning how the city changes throughout the day, Bus Bound has so much content to keep me entertained for hours.

Is ShantyTown going to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards? No. But is it worthy of your time, and worthy of consideration of those numerous smaller indie awards out there? 100% it is! The beautiful designing aesthetics and relaxed vibes, coupled with a near limitless replayability, ShantyTown has definitely won over a fan of this genre of design game.

Double Fine has created a fun multiplayer experience. Creating your own pots is enjoyable and easy and the gameplay is simple yet effective. Unfortunately the game has very little content at launch with only 1 game mode and 5 maps. Without much reason to progress beyond new cosmetics, the team will need to quickly add content for Kiln to have any staying power. With how fun the game is, here’s hoping they can.

Hyper Games has successfully captured the unique duality of the Moomin stories - the whimsical charm of helping neighbors balanced against the slight, beautiful melancholy of a lonely Scandinavian winter.

Elementallis is a game that pays homage and draws inspiration from an iconic series many gamers love - Zelda. They do this by successfully applying the gameplay mechanics that made us love this top-down, action adventure genre.

Vampire Crawlers is a wonderful follow-up to a game I hold dear. It translates seamlessly from the bullet-heaven genre into the deck building genre. While there are a few frustrating levels and as of now a lack of endgame content to keep me going, there’s enough here to justify playing this for hours on end and keep you engaged. If you’re a fan of Slay the Spire or Balatro, Vampire Crawlers is absolutely a must grab, even if you have no prior experience with Vampire Survivors.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream offers an almost limitless toybox of creativity and player expression, held together by a distinct and wonderful sense of humour that still manages to delight me just as much as it did 12 years ago. With the exception of some restrictions and cut features that feel like they are yet to be added, this feels like the ambitious game that the series has been building towards since its inception.

Visually satisfying and a very cosy soundtrack mask the frustrations I had with the fundamental gameplay of Find My Frogs. The frogs themselves were fun to find, but the secret items would have been bordering impossible had it not been for the infinite hint tool.

Developer DigixArt went bold and unique with Tides of Tomorrow and it has paid off. With characters you can get heavily invested in, a surprisingly deep story and a gorgeous world, there is a lot to like here.

I can confidently say that while I did to a certain extent enjoy my time with Whisker Wanderlust: Unwritten Chapter, the amount of flaws that were present ultimately won out. Between the minimal gameplay time, the audio issues, and what I see as accessibility issues, I really cannot recommend this title, outside of those who are really into these types of games.

If you happen to both love management-type games and deckbuilders, but are also a massive football fan, then I do think that this is the title for you! If you’re anyone like myself, give it a try – you won’t immediately become a fan of Arsenal, but maybe you’ll be curious to check out more of what football has to offer.

If you’re looking for Castlevania of 1987 through a new skin, this is the game for you. It sounds, looks, and feels fantastic to play; a perfect “port” of an old game to 2026. However, if you’re looking for an NES-style 2D platformer with retro gameplay, but expanded upon, this might disappoint, like adding sprinkles on your vanilla ice-cream.

Under Par Golf Architect brought me back to my childhood days of SimGolf in all the right ways. While they could do a bit more in terms of making the management side of the game having more of an impact, everything else hit like a perfect drive.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss presents itself as a homage to one of the greatest horror authors of the 20th century. Even with some minor performance issues, the derelict locations you explore as Noah are some of the most beautifully crafted renditions of Lovecraft’s mythos that have ever been put to a screen.

OPUS Prism Peak feels at times a lot less like a game and more like a work of art. That is if you can handle the joy, the loss, the pain, or in other words, life. It is cathartic, it is real, it is beautiful, and it is sad.

If you're looking for a short, relaxing experience full of charm with puzzles just tricky enough that you'll need to think, but not too hard, Gecko Gods is the perfect Sunday afternoon game to chill out with.

Mouse: P. I. For Hire is a great send up to old cartoons and detective stories as well as being a pretty good old-school style fps. There's a lot to like here with its fun Gunplay, solid story and characters, funny animations and good soundtrack. Although it's difficulty may not be enough for hardcore fans of the genre and some things hurt it's replay value, it's a great package overall.

Replaced’s strong narrative, excellent world building and well realised audio and visual style make it a must play. Exploring the question of humanity via cinematic storytelling and visceral combat makes this 80s cyberpunk thriller worthy of your time.

Gunboat God is slick, chaotic and fun, much like Yeti's titular vessel. The tight controls, striking visuals, and fun tone make it worth your time alone, but that itch in becoming truly godly is incredibly satisfying to scratch. I cannot recommend Gunboat God enough.

Arcadia Fallen II is an exceptional visual novel that excels in presentation and character-driven storytelling. While its choice systems and roleplaying elements don’t fully reach their potential, its excellent voice acting, clear structure, and exceptional cast make it an easy recommendation, especially for players looking for a more relaxed, story-focused experience. Don’t hesitate to dive right into this game, even if you’ve never experienced the original.

Cleaning Up is not a game to sweep under the rug. If you’re looking for a satisfying clean up game to spark some joy, this mess-terpiece is one to try.

Embracing the nature of relaxing, High Above is one to find solace in time and time again. With so many ways to play and decorate, each serene rooftop is a little escape. No timers, just a quiet space in the clouds for your creativity and dreams to come alive.

Often feeling like a game chasing greatness, Crimson Desert is in every sense of the word ambitious. Sure, Kliff’s story of revenge is one that been told a thousand times, but it’s seemingly endless open world begs you to chase the adventures beyond the horizon. When you tie this beautifully crafted playground together with a combat system that encourages the player to experiment and think outside the box, you get a game that feels impossibly complex while feeling eerily familiar in the same breath. Crimson Desert is many things – dangerously ambitious, clunky, beautiful, messy, and most importantly: mind-numbingly addictive.

If you enjoyed PowerWash Simulator 2, then you will absolutely enjoy The Adventure Time DLC. It plays the same as the base game. Just more things to clean, with the added joy of the Adventure Time art style and characters.

Everything about People of Note feels new, refreshing, and fun; elements that have been remixed into its own style. You can tell how much love Iridium Studios put into their game. While it could use some fine tuning before it can be a masterpiece, this is a beat that you shouldn’t miss. I highly recommend it.

This is not a bad horror game for people looking to jump into the horror genre or looking for a new horror experience. There are a few jump scares but nothing too outrageous for those gamers who find horror games to be overwhelming. But big horror fans may feel a little underwhelmed.

Darwin’s Paradox is a strong debut from ZDT Studio, cleverly utilizing cinematic platforming genre staples to create a fun, well paced 5-hour adventure. That being said, an abrupt ending unfortunately robs the game of a satisfying conclusion, and it’s clear that the Nintendo Switch 2 version needed more time in the oven to properly utilize the hardware.

If you’re willing to tolerate performance issues (or you’re lucky enough to land on a hardware configuration that plays it smoothly), and if you enjoyed the first GRIME or are just interested in weird, artistic soulslike metroidvanias, it’s absolutely worth playing. The game respects your intelligence and your ability to learn systems, and there’s a real sense of progression as you absorb more Molds and unlock new areas. But go in knowing that there’s parts of the game that may frustrate you – intentionally or not.

As Max and Chloe have grown to young adulthood in Reunion, the series has matured in equal measure. Reunion ends Max and Chloe’s love story in the right way. More than simply fan service, this is a finale that delivers love to the Arcadia Baes, the series and its fans.

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance may not be the triumphant return that long-time fans have hoped for, but it is a confident step toward bringing the series back into the spotlight. Its moody pixel art, stellar voice performances, and thunderous industrial-orchestral soundtrack capture the gothic soul of Nosgoth remarkably well, even in a new 2D form. While the straightforward combat and brief runtime keep it from reaching the heights of the series’ best entries, the game still delivers an entertaining slice of dark fantasy that respects the lore and legacy that came before it.

Fishbowl is a game that you need to accept with open arms and an open mind. A game that attempts, and at often times succeeds, in making you empathetic to Alo’s emotional state and perhaps even make you reflect in yours. They do this through their great usage of simple gameplay mechanics, art direction, sound, and music. It’ll make you happy. It’ll make you sad. It’s a game that you need to be ready for in order to fully appreciate, if you’ll let it.

For those looking for a video game that feels like a warm bath after a long day, Hozy is one to sink into. With versatility in design comes so much replayability. No pressure, no time limits, just a great game to relax with.

For those looking for a shorter, narrative driven game to dive into, I highly recommend The Posthumous Investigation. It’s an intriguing character study that keeps you guessing and makes you wonder, who truly was the culprit and why? What in the human condition made this man both so loved and hated? You’ll have to play to find out.

If you’re familiar with the survivor genre, you’ll likely get some enjoyment out of this, as the games difficulty will hold your attention, especially with the sheer amount of unlocks the game has. However, if you’re looking for a more fun and relaxing game you can check out of and just play, there’s easier, and better, games in the genre out there to try.

Everything about John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando just works. SnowRunner with Zombies about sums it up. So far, I’m having an absolute blast. With each completion giving me enough to upgrade something to make me feel a little bit stronger. I haven’t been able to complete a very hard mission yet, but I’m getting so close. With a couple more levels and full communicating squad, that Sludge God will be mincemeat.

Only Up Rush is a bananas game that does what too few games aim to do this generation – be basic, dumb fun. The ascent to the stars will test you and in a couple of sections, potentially temporarily break you. But the journey, is definitely worth the budget price of admission. And if you get stuck on this eclectic climb, you could always listen to Yazz to remind yourself of the only way to go.

If controller user experience is important to you, Trash Goblin may slightly sour your experience. It’s unfortunate when a port doesn’t fully execute their game their new demographic. Things like this ends up leaving a sour taste in my mouth. Luckily, throughout its year of release on Steam, Spilt Milk Studios supported the game well, providing 4 significant content updates. Therefore, it’s likely that this can easily be patched.

At its best, Chico’s Rebound captures the addictive satisfaction that made block-breaker games a classic arcade staple. The clever stage design, creative boss fights, and charming pixel presentation make every successful run feel rewarding, even when luck occasionally plays a role. However, the repetitive tower exploration and occasionally demanding score requirements can slow the momentum and turn triumph into frustration. Despite these bumps, the core gameplay remains engaging enough to carry the experience, making Chico’s Rebound a fun, if slightly uneven, climb up the Celestial Tower.

Coming from someone who is completely new to extraction shooters, Marathon is a triumph. The excellent visuals, audio design and gameplay creates a game and world that wants you to have “just one more run”. Hell, I’m only writing this during the server maintenance downtime, otherwise I’d struggle to tear myself away! Bungie have succeeded in creating a world that is begging to be explored and experienced even if the lore and storytelling feels slightly secondary. It may feel overwhelming at first, but a little perserverance, and not much at that, will open up a game that is incredibly well made and demonstrates a lot of love and work. Marathon is a game that has defied my expectations, embraced the weird and wonderfulness of its creative team, and should absolutely be celebrated.

With one of the best campaigns you will ever see in a racing game and a great arcade style of racing, Screamer is one the best racing games we’ve seen this generation. Its flashy artstyle is great to look at and while there is a lot going on with it’s gameplay, once you get a grasp of it, you will wonder why more don’t do dual stick racing. With a few more small tuneups to its difficulty and car handling Screamer could sit atop the genre. As is any gamer, racing enthusiast or not, should fall in love with Screamer. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another 30 years for more Screamer.

Much like Aeta

While I admire what Daisuke Ishiwatari and his team set out to achieve with DAMON and BABY, the resulting work is weighed down heavily by poorly designed levels and unsatisfying combat. There are fleeting moments of charm to be found within its story and cute art style, but they are just as quickly diminished by a myriad of mechanics that fail to cohesively coalesce.

I mostly enjoyed my time with Project Songbird. The narrative is handled with care and earns its emotional weight without being spoiled here. The sound design and music deserves a lot of praise, and the voice cast and performances really sell the story being told here. However resource balance; bullets, painkillers, melee durability, occasionally tips toward overwhelming rather than tense. Some enemy encounters shift from scary into frustrating rather than maintaining dread. If you’re a scaredy cat like me, I’m sure you’ll also enjoy the roughly 5 hour journey into grief in the Appalachian mountains, and horror veterans might not get scared but are sure to get some fun out of trying to grab the no healing achievement as they stumble past mannequins and statues.

Pokémon Pokopia is a smashing homerun. Whether you’re looking for a game with an emotional mystery story of what happened, a game to build your wildest creations, or even just a game to get to spend time with some of your favorite pocket monsters, there is a game here for everyone. The game just oozes sweetness, and I already know that this is one that I am going to drop over 100 hours into this year alone. Simply put, whether you’re already a fan of Pokémon, a newcomer to the series or just a fan of cozy games, Pokémon Pokopia is absolutely a worthwhile buy, and is everything that I wanted Animal Crossing New Horizons to be and more. It is an early game of the year contender for me and a reason to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2.

Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is a refreshing palette cleanser. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself seriously but takes its message of self-love very seriously. The Frogtime battle mechanics are surprisingly deep and I’m very excited to keep pulling from Booster Eggs to try and get a super rare Colossal Frog and make it to the top of the Battle Tower. It’s weird, it’s musical, and it’s deeply charming.

GreedFall: The Dying World is a game that built upon the potential of its predecessor, and in many ways, it succeeded in this. They created a game that many RPG fans have been aching for: storytelling, choices, and world. Unfortunately, the tactical experience, while good, was lacking in finesse. The game spent 18 months in early access, and I believe it was time well spent, on PC. The console experience had much to be desired, but nothing a few patches can’t fix, I hope.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake indicates that there is still a lot of potential in the series’ unique flavour of occult paranormal J-horror. Unfortunately, this experience is marred by tedious combat encounters, inconsistent pacing, and technical issues that keep it from reaching the heights of its modern horror remake contemporaries.

Docked is a solid next step in the sim category for Saber Interactive. I loved every second learning about all the new machinery and how best to use it. The introduction of a story was a nice touch that a lot of simulation games don’t have. The few performance issues didn’t take away from the fun I had with Docked. However, the lack of continuing to play after I finished was a bit of a letdown. Working so hard to get my port fully upgraded, and not being able to really use it.

If you’re looking for a hidden object puzzle game to revisit that childlike wonder without sacrificing substance and finesse, Lost and Found Co. is the one to find.

Planet of Lana II is a sequel that takes all the good things about it's predecessor and builds upon them, adding new well thought out mechanics and engaging additions to the gameplay all housed within a breathtaking, captivating world.

The next evolution of the Resident Evil series has officially arrived and it delivers on nearly every front. From the visceral, gory combat to the tense, compounding sense of dread that accompanies every darkened hallway, Requiem feels like a love letter to every Resident Evil fan. The dual-protagonist addition works to near perfection, with Grace thriving on tense, survival horror driven moments of terror, while Leon deploys the heavy firepower and one-liners to bring up the rear. Its environments and settings have a sense of familiarity to the horrors hiding just out of sight, while feeling like a brand new monster entirely. Though the story does falter towards the end, I feel confident in saying that Requiem is one of the strongest entries in the series as a whole. It does just enough to honor the past, while pushing full steam ahead towards the future.

For returning fans, this is easily the definitive way to experience Kain and Raziel’s intertwined fate. For newcomers who are willing to wade into the deep lore, it’s a fascinating, if sometimes stubborn, relic of a different era. Imperfect, dramatic, and unapologetically gothic, Defiance still has fangs, even if they’re a little worn.

Although the game can get frustrating if you're playing alone, Scott Pilgrim EX is definitely worth picking up if you are a fan of brawlers. It's light on the plot but its chaotic combat and fun cast of characters more than make up for it. This is definitely a game where it's definitely better to partner up for, but frustrating or not that's pretty much the case with any brawler of this nature.

Reimagined is overall a good game. However, it certainly doesn’t feel like a game created for those who grew up with Dragon Quest. This is because we’ve grown, and Dragon Quest 7’s gameplay is still, in its own way, very much stuck in the past. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as now, this is a game I would love my kids to play, so they can fall in love with Dragon Quest and JRPGs in general.

PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse is a fantastic story that may even make you wish the game was slightly longer. For those who want a mystery that transcends a lifetime set in a beautiful fishing village backdrop, this is for you. While not puzzle heavy, when they appear, they are well thought out and clever. When focused on the narrative, the story is well paced. The writing is smart enough to reiterate the things you need to know without feeling too repetitive. After this entry into the series, I hope Square Enix knows they have something precious in their hands and continues to revisit this series in the future.

To summarize my previous ramblings, I honestly loved what I was presented in Dead in Antares. It truly did feel as though each of the decisions that you made had some level of impact on the rest of your gameplay and didn’t just feel like going through the motions because we had to. Coupled with the gorgeous artwork, ambient soundtrack, and interesting story, Dead in Antares was a solid entry in my gaming logs and has definitely nudged me to check out the other properties from Ishtar Games.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a distinctly unambitious game. It is utterly uninterested in functioning as a faithful remake of Yakuza 3 or pushing the series forward in any meaningful way. RGG Studio has created a Frankenstein’s monster of thrown together mechanics from past entries that wears the skin of a flawed, but significant and in many ways beloved legacy title, and bundled it with an ultimately meaningless spin-off that only escalates growing concerns with the franchise’s future.

Despite some technical issues, I had a great time with Demon Tides, from my first double jump to my last spin rush. The beautiful world and fun character designs, the amount of customisation to both move set and character appearance, as well as the bumping soundtrack, mostly made up for any frustrations and metaphorical skinned knees I went through.

Sons of Sparta can and will bring in fans of the IP even if they are unfamiliar with the genre in order to experience part of Kratos’ beginnings. However, the way the game presents itself; its visuals, mechanics, and pacing could easily work against keeping these subset of gamers entertained long enough to enjoy and complete it.

Styx: Blades of Greed is a genuinely enjoyable stealth-em-up with satisfying kills, traps, and sneaking. Built on a world and story that started 12 years ago, newcomers might be a little lore lost but that won’t get in the way of you slitting throats, melting corpses, or mind controlling a soldier to his doom.

Under the Island is a fun and often wacky adventure game that wears its heart on its sleeve and does right by its inspirations.

Accomplished storytelling intertwined with satisfying gunplay and a truly tremendous island to explore, Crisol stands tall as an excellent AA horror title in a year where the genre will see some big hitters. Aside from a couple of over complicated, puzzles I sincerely hope this isn’t the last horror shooter we see from Vermila.

Should Clue: Murder By Death ever add in some quality of life basics, even just labeling the rooms, or allowing you add markers, this could be a wonderful mystery. For now, unfortunately, it's one where it feels fine to leave quite a few stones unturned.

Overall I had a blast with High On Life 2 from start to finish. With improved gameplay and in my opinion improved writing as well, fans of the first game and maybe even some detractors will find a lot to like here. Although the reduced metroidvania elements are disappointing and some tech issues can be annoying, it wasn't nearly enough to bring the overall experience down. If Squanch decides to go with High On Life 3, I await it greatly.

If Artefacts can flesh out some of the new mechanics to have even more variety and get the combat to require just a bit more strategy they truly have something here. As is Disciples: Domination is a very good RPG that should be worth a look to anyone into turn based RPGs.

REANIMAL feels like the work of a studio unshackled. While based on the foundations originally designed and created by Tarsier Studios, the team has built on them with confidence and creative conviction. This is a game that understands what made the studio’s earlier work resonate, while refusing to be defined by it. Through its confident mechanical evolution, grounded and oppressive world design, and a thematic focus that’s as unsettling as it is confrontational, REANIMAL establishes its own identity; one that’s harsher, more ambitious, and more emotionally affecting than anything Tarsier has made before.

Though its level design and technical performance can be frustrating, I can’t help but love Romeo is a Dead Man. While it may not be their best, it is in many ways the ultimate Grasshopper Manufacture game, paying homage to the studio’s legacy with an unbridled level of creativity and style, and incorporating everything great from its past work into something fresh.

Even though I'm not familiar with the story or history of BlazBlue I had a very fun time with Entropy Effect X. It is genuinely fun to play, offering a loop of combat that is as challenging as it is visually stunning. The large Roster of very different characters and the interplay of the Legacy system make every run feel like a new experiment in breaking the game's limits. And the Entropy system unlocked upon winning a run lets you push the difficulty as hard as you can.

Easy to learn, hard to master, perhaps even more difficult to complete. It is a roguelite so even if you complete one run, you probably haven’t fully seen everything there is to see. The positive with this DLC is that while it is more of the same Monster Train 2 you’ve come to love, there’s more than enough to rejuvenate the game. Especially for those who love the challenge. The addition of a separate logbook and the ability to make sure that no one can get the story out of order would probably make this a perfect DLC. Perhaps in time these small tidbits will be added. Even without this, the DLC is well worth your time. If you’re a Monster Train 2 fan who has stepped away for a bit, now is the time to return.

While I did enjoy my time with Nom Nom: Cozy Forest Cafe, I don’t ever see myself returning to it. The design aspects may be something that reels in other cozy gamers, but if you’re looking for more gameplay beyond simple rhythm games, I would look elsewhere. If you’re an interior decorator in another life, though, then this game might be right up your alley.

While its tight controls and emergent mechanics create a strong and satisfying blend of 3D platforming and involved, reactive game design, Big Hops’ structure feels at odds with itself. Its narrative focus limits the scope of its open-ended ambitions, resulting in an experience that makes some hops that are certainly big, but don’t always stick the landing.

As a seasoned connoisseur of cat hunting games, it is the smaller titles like Cats Around Us: Giant that are starting to wilt my interest the genre. It would be too far to say this is a cash-grab for fans who lap up any and all of these games, particularly for easy trophies / achievements, though this game adds nothing. I would rather the developers of the games spend more time releasing more polished titles with interesting settings such as anime inspired Hidden Cats in Tokyo or the colour-rich Rio de Janeiro, perhaps on a less frequent cadence.

It’s a campy, playable game. A game one can enjoy in a several sittings, when you have disposable time and money to spend. And perhaps a much lower price point.

Kejora, despite the occasional flaws that I noted, was a pleasure to experience. The story spoke to matters of protecting those around you and what you would do to ensure the safety of others, and did so in a nice, concise few hour package. And in a world of video games that ask upwards of 100 hours of gameplay to finish (yes, I play JRPG’s if you weren’t aware), a brief tale like Kejora is a welcome experience.

In much the same way FEZ once did, Cassette Boy reminded me that perspective is not just a mechanical trick, but a way of thinking. By asking the player to actively look at the world differently, to question what exists, what doesn’t, and why, it creates moments of quiet wonder that feel increasingly rare in modern games. Cassette Boy may present itself as small, nostalgic, and unassuming, but beneath that familiar surface lies a game deeply interested in curiosity, perception, and the joy of discovery. Cassette Boy isn’t just about how changing our perspective can be important; it can also be incredibly rewarding.

Woolhaven is everything you would want in a DLC. It only adds to what makes Cult of the Lamb special, with the visuals and characters all being as charming as ever. All the hard work you put into raising your cult is put at risk if you cannot calm the storm. A little piece of me died whenever a follower perished. You are forced to adapt to the new climate; it’s hard but not punishing.

Hank: Drowning on Dry Land provided a very unique take on the time-travel puzzle genre and managed to couch it in its own unique world that is ripe for expansion. But does the game have extensive replayability? Not really. It’ll be a game that you play once, maybe twice, and will more than likely never revisit. This is not to belittle the work that went into this project – it’s just my honest take-away. That being said, though, at a price point of $2.99, and what I laid out interests you, give it a shot! My sincere hope is that we eventually see more of these titles released as part of a series. I think, to my dismay though, that it will be some time until we see this.

The creatures and people you meet (well, eat) are caught up in this living nightmare. Some, like the Fish Men in the swamp may think they’re the real antagonists as they hunt explorers to sacrifice to their own horrifying gods. And they may well be, in the H.P. Lovecraft stories that the Roots Devour devs clearly have a great fondness for, but not here. Here you are the horror. You are the thing moving just out of sight. Writhing. Hateful. Ravenous.

It took me roughly 9 hours to uncover the truth of I Hate This Place. The story, aesthetics, sound design (minus the VA), and combat were awesome. In fact, everything apart from the crafting was fantastic, making I Hate This Place well worth your time. Just don’t expect too much from the crafting and farm management elements.

If there’s anything to take away from this review, it’s the deep emotion connection I felt during and after the climb. I felt frustration, happiness, sadness, despair, relief, and guilt. For a mostly solitary and quiet game about climbing a mountain, I learned much about myself. I may be exaggerating, I don’t know. But I loved this game.

With some welcome quality of life improvements and some of the best designed levels from Hidden Cats, this is one of the best in the series. I do wonder when the bubble will burst on this genre, but if Nukearts can continue to create charming levels then me and the Cats community will keep coming back for a monthly fix.