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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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]

While it’s pretty, it just feels so empty, and without a story that really hooked me in, I found myself almost looking forward to the end of my time with it. But would I recommend that someone try HYPNOS? I would, if not solely for the visuals, but to give a taste of what some of the newer “liminal space” games are like. And who knows – maybe you’ll be more hooked into the why of this world than I was. [Early Access Review]

If you’re looking to slow down and experience a visual novel game that leaves a strong impression not by dramatic twists, but rather slice of life relatable nostalgia, Nook Fall: West Town is the one to play.

Whether you enjoy creative building and decorating, strategic planning, or just the satisfaction of running a thriving hotel empire, Hotel Architect delivers an experience that keeps checking you in.

Perfect for a single afternoon of gaming, or even a daily commute, Echo Isle is a short, nostalgic experience that looks and feels like the titles it is clearly inspired by, but ultimately offers little more. Aside from the deliberate time/size limitations, Echo Isle doesn’t iterate on what came before, making it difficult to even call it an homage. Charming, polished, and very familiar, I enjoyed my single hour playing Echo Isle, but I wish I had seen some new ideas brought to this little world.

Though I admit, the fatigue is really starting to set in and it might be time for a temporary break. Additions like painting or creating images with stamps aren’t going to entertain anyone for more than a few minutes. Cats & Seek: Tokyo is worth your time for a snack size hidden object game, and if you like the cats, there’s more here for you.