Bioware is back, and while they're not reinventing the wheel here, they've made exactly the game we wanted them to make. An exclusively single-player RPG that is narratively anchored, far more linear, with all the content tailored and organised by skilled designers and without all the "bloat" that many have criticised Starfield for consisting of. What you have here is lean and mean, and it puts Bioware on an exciting trajectory where it's finally possible to see light at the end of the very dark tunnel they've been in for a long, long while. It's not a perfect RPG, but it's... pretty damn good, to say the least.

If for some reason you've had time to play all the great Japanese role-playing games this year and need more to bite into, I can really recommend Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven Heroes. Sure, most of it is old-fashioned Japanese role-playing, but there's also an innovative generation mechanic that I think is worth trying.

It's great to see really lavish, well-made and successful blockbuster titles like these in VR. The format itself would have needed a lot of these games at an earlier stage to reach a wider and larger audience. If you have a Quest headset, you just can't miss Arkham Shadow.

Treyarch has righted the ship with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. This is the Call of Duty game that Microsoft and Activision needed for a day one Game Pass launch, as it has a strong and thrilling Campaign, a tight and streamlined Multiplayer, and a fun and nostalgic Zombies experience too.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a remaster of one of the craziest games ever made and the fact that it's potentially reaching out to new gamers who will get an experience they've never had before can only be a positive thing - and as I said, it's priced very reasonably.

Aaero 2 is definitely not a game for everyone. It has a fairly narrow audience and you might be a little worried that it's going to get lost in the crowd of games coming out these days - because it deserves better.

Despite a few elements that rubbed me the wrong way, there's not much else you can say about The Smurfs: Dreams other than the fact that this game is a pleasant, sweet, easy, and good cooperative platforming experience. It won't eat up much of your time, it generally will keep you interested with unique level design and gameplay iteration, and the difficulty and degree of challenge means it's an accessible and fitting offering for all ages.

Kong: Survivor Instinct is not a great video game, but it also isn’t a disaster. There are elements and moments where you become quite embroiled in the story and fall into the rhythm of the platforming, and this is bolstered by the fact that it’s quite a tight and streamlined experience lasting around four-to-five hours if you attempt to find everything. You don’t play this game and feel offended and cheated, as was the case with last year’s Skull Island or even at times with the recent The New Empire film, but at the same time, there’s not a lot here that stands out and really impresses. It’s a simplistic and budgeted offer based on one of the most expensive and lucrative franchises in entertainment, and that’s it.

Although the journey felt a little too tiring towards the end and the game does not really engage with new game elements and fairly simple game mechanics, I still have to conclude by saying that I had quite a lot of fun all the way throughout. It would have taken quite a bit of polish to make this a masterpiece, but I still have to say that despite the modest score, it's a bit of a surprise of the year for me. Sure, in retrospect, it's one of those gaming experiences that I will hardly think back on, but I still had a surprisingly fun time during this journey.

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a great package that features some of the best levels in Sonic's history, and Shadow's campaign serves as a dark but exciting contrast to Sonic's colourful adventures. If you want to experience Sonic at his best, this collection is a must-play. So if you haven't tried Sonic Generations before, here's your chance to play Sonic's greatest hits, on modern hardware, in a package that offers hours of entertainment

If I could wish, I would like the game controls to feel a little tighter, just like I felt when I played Crash Bandicoot 4. Both Niko and Luna move a little too slowly for my taste and their jumping animations are so detailed that it sometimes feels like they are floating in the air rather than relating to real gravity. However, this is only a trifle in the context and nothing that bothers much in a game that I think pays tribute to old classics from this specific genre in the best possible way.

This could easily have become a real hit of the best double-A kind if the game had received just a little more time, a slightly bigger budget and more polish. Unfortunately, the experience is also muddled by bad combat, clumsy directing and several problems of the technical and visual kind. Still, it's not hard to gleam the diamond in the rough here, and hopefully the developers at Reflector will be given more opportunities in the future after their debut, because there is definitely a lot of potential here.

It’s crammed to the brim - overflowing even - with content, works quite well with a gamepad, has serviceable and often impressive graphics, and full crossplay between PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S so you can team with your friends regardless of where they play. But, it’s not without its limits and issues, and it’s for these reasons that New World: Aeternum could do with a bit more refinement and adjustments to ensure it nails the task at hand of being an exhaustive and unimpaired console MMORPG effort.

It's not the most advanced VR shooter as it's after all an adaptation of the original, and yet it somehow felt better to me than last year's Arizona Sunshine 2. It's neither the looker for the same reason, and you'll find the best of both worlds if you manage to play on PC VR... but with a wireless headset. But at under 30 bucks including all the DLC, or as a 10 bucks update for those who own the first game, I'd say you can't go wrong as far as VR zombies go as long as you're not looking for the depth, or flare, or advanced hand actions of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Resident Evil 4 or Village, or the upcoming Metro Awakening VR.

With a meticulous, intricate and yet stable management system, Citadelum promises city builders and management titles fans a handful of hours of fun. My biggest regret is that there is no multiplayer option to compete against my friends' empires, but the creations we can download from Steam Workshop make up for that. It's time to crown a new Caesar.

Europa is a nice little indie gem, that hopefully gets a few more updates on the Switch. Zee's adventure offers the player adventure and great small puzzles. And considering the game only lasts for a few hours, it's a surprisingly varied experience, too.

So all in all, given the content and the ideas, and the customisation possibilities, I think this game makes 2018's quite enjoyable Super Mario Party pale in comparison, which again is not what I was expecting. It's just much more comprehensive, better-rounded, more complete as a party game.

Neva is an exceptionally successful example of how games can be aesthetically stunning, speak to the emotions and at the same time function as games in the traditional sense. In fact, it is perhaps Neva's greatest masterpiece, proving that you can take the experiential feeling of games of the 10s and equip them with a mechanical core that makes them also satisfying and detached from the audiovisual and emotional core that defined titles like Journey and Abzu. And satisfying, that's Neva. Simple, yes. And inventive, sharp and well-functioning. But it's the visuals that remain the star, because it's what elevates the narrative, the gameplay, indeed the whole package to excellence. In fact, to a real stronghold of emotional indie escapism.

Undisputed is exactly the boxing game I've been waiting for, for over 13 years. It looks fantastic with realistic damage and plays well thanks to the excellent and complex controls. Unfortunately there are some minor issues with repetition in animations and commentary, but if you can look past this, I see no reason not to dust off your boxing gloves and punch someone in the face.

Metaphor: Refantazio has managed to meet and defend itself against the high level of expectations that have been growing among gamers over the last few months. With a rich and expansive story and world, memorable characters, a timeless soundtrack and game design praised by some of the best developers in the genre today, I can only recommend jumping into this fantasy.

Ultimately, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero feels like a game made for the fans, above all. It oozes fan service, and the amount of content and characters proves that the developer wants to satisfy the needs of as many people as possible. It's because of this that the playability comes across as a bit of an imprecise slap in the face, as this otherwise competent action game sometimes struggles in practice.

When you look at it as a standalone game, the Until Dawn Remake has a lot going for it. Its 4K graphics and improved lighting, seamless scene-to-gameplay action thanks to the PS5’s SSD, the usage of the DualSense’s full immersive suite of features, the enhanced audio profile, the tweaked camera angle, and the reworked scenes too all make this a quality horror experience and reaffirm Until Dawn as Supermassive’s best project so far.

Blizzard has listened to the players and many of the criticisms that have been made have been addressed and improved. The game now feels far better balanced and the expansion adds a plethora of new content that makes it even more enjoyable than at launch last year.

It's hard to knock this delightful, simple, easy to love adventure, one where the famed humour of SpongeBob never misses a beat, where Bikini Bottom feels more authentic than we have ever seen before in a video game, where technically-speaking it actually runs really well for a chaotic physics-based nightmare like this, and graphically and visually there's a lot to celebrate and be impressed by.

It's been a great pleasure for me personally to experience one of the modern classics that are considered seminal to the conventions of the genre, and I have to applaud much of Bloober Team's work here. That doesn't change the fact that there are aspects of Silent Hill 2's foundation that appear slightly shaky to me, and your immersion and enjoyment will be dictated by how forgiving you are of a story that becomes a little too thin as the game progresses.

After the misstep with New Gundam Breaker, I'm glad Bandai Namco got the Breaker series back on its feet. It's no masterpiece, but the combat system (albeit repetitive) is excellent and you can sit and build Gunpla for hours.

After seven hours and a laugh-inducingly goofy ending, the cosmically mysterious horror remains mostly a jumble of mazes and unfinished game design. The horror-adventure genre is too crowded to make room for Pneumata, and I think we'll forget about this game and wish Deadbolt Interactive better luck next time.

The game has managed to retain everything that made the original special while giving it the updates it needed to appeal to a modern audience. The story, characters and atmosphere are still as engaging as ever, and the technical improvements make the experience even better. For old fans, it's a nostalgic journey back to a time when adventure games were at their peak, and for new players, it's a perfect opportunity to experience a true classic in an updated version.

There are moments and parts of the game that impress and excel, but there are also plenty of areas, mechanics, and features that frustrate or disappoint. It feels limited on content and mechanically lacking at times, but it's still authentically Looney Tunes and that alone will mean that it'll offer up the occasional laugh and giggle as you plug away, score some screamers, shoot some hoops, tee off, and smash some aces. What else can I say except... That's all Folks!

If the stress and time investment of F1 Manager games put you off of them but you still want the thrill of leading a motorsport team to victory by racing on familiar tracks with familiar sounding corners and landmarks and familiar teams and drivers then Golden Lap does enough right to make this a top choice.

It's a humorous action game that relies heavily on the fact that it feels funny and unique in its presentation.

Is Echoes of Wisdom the perfect blend of old and new? Not quite, because despite the great freedom, some echoes are simply more reliable than others, which makes you wonder if the great freedom is really necessary? Nevertheless, the Princess' debut game is the best example yet of a Zelda game where two very different design philosophies are allowed to compliment and not trump each other, which is why it can be recommended to all fans, new and old.

EA Sports FC 25 is a better game than FC 24 was in many areas and metrics, where much has been improved, and the addition of Rush is absolutely a highlight. However, I can't turn a blind eye to the technical problems. The game has more bugs than I can remember, the menus feel very sluggish, and I've also seen people get completely black screens when they enter matches in certain game modes. These are things that ruin the gaming experience in what is otherwise a good football game.

For a short while I have fun, when for once things go well for me. If it had continued like that without me being brutally punished time and time again, I'm sure there would have been a nice and addictive little game in there somewhere.

Despite a disappointing ending and some irritations with the dialogue and combat, Beyond Galaxyland is an RPG that will remind you of the heady days of your first Final Fantasy, mixed with a Pokémon blend.

If you fancy a slightly old-school 3D platformer, Disney Epic Mickey is not a bad choice. Especially if you associate Disney with happy childhood memories, because the game, like the forgotten Disney characters in Wasteland, deserves a new turn in the spotlight and Purple Lamp and THQ Nordic make sure it gets it with this excellent remaster.

Ara: History Untold is beautiful to look at, offers complexity, and nails its concept with flying colours, but it lacks the customisation options its competitors offer, and is technically substandard. It has great potential to be a truly brilliant addition to the genre if the developers can fix the major technical issues, balance problems, and can update the title properly, turning the game into something that also survives the test of time.

In many ways, Tiny Glade's strengths are also its weaknesses. Of course, it's a very difficult balance to strike because it's easy to wish endlessly for more things. At the same time, I really wish there was a bit more to the flora options and better abilities to change the landscape and introduce greater intricacy in the terrain. However, these small flaws do not prevent Tiny Glade from being a little gem in many ways that I am convinced that those who want to build small cute scenarios can have incredible fun with this game.

With more time in the oven and especially co-op, this could have climbed several ratings, but at the moment it's hard to recommend this to anything but die hard fans of Funko Pop. But even for them, the question is whether it is not better to spend the money on some more plastic figures for the collection instead.

If you liked Frostpunk, I think you'll like Frostpunk 2. It's a bigger and grander sequel.

The Plucky Squire is an example of playful and imaginative creativity that we rarely see outside of Nintendo or games like Astro Bot. Unfortunately, it doesn't reach the same heights as similar games.

Is it fun to have access to the variety of costumes and weird outfits? Sure, but at the same time this is still just the Dead Rising we've all known for years except with a much glossier coat of paint.

This is a damn fine effort from a relatively untested studio, and while the studio chronically comes close to realising many of their ambitions here, it's easy to love, and also pretty easy to recommend.

Wild Bastards is well-balanced, feels really well-crafted and it's a very successful roguelike, with great characters, a lot of exciting mechanics layered on top of each other and more tactical depth than you might expect.

This is a decidedly lazy remaster that has only been given a minor visual boost, and in some places it actually looks worse than the original.

Jackbox Games didn't get it 100% right with its first Party Pack, and it didn't do the same with the first Naughty Pack. But, from lessons learned ten Party Packs later, it has managed to make a solid addition to its party line-up that lets you get wild without becoming uncomfortable.

Core Keeper is a gem in the sandbox genre that offers a rich and varied experience in a fascinating underground setting. Despite some drawbacks, such as excessive grinding and a somewhat flat skill system, the game excels in its ability to deliver an immersive and fun experience.

Volgarr the Viking II feels like a pretty niche game in that it's mainly trying to appeal to those who want this kind of challenge in this suit of pixels, and the whole combination feels absolutely retro in every way imaginable in just the right way. So, if you know you're that gamer, it's certainly worth checking out, but for me it didn't really stand out.

Castlevania Dominus Collection does most things right, and it's hard to ask for more for the price it costs.

It's very possible that this is the best sports game of the year. If you can ignore the microtransactions being shoved in your face.

On one hand, I think WayForward has done a great job bringing this older title into the modern day with top visual and audio prowess. On the other hand, it lacks a lot of the class and refinement that makes modern games such a joy and thrill to play.

Astro Bot is an exceptionally successful game in its own right, injecting pure happiness into your body over its 10-15 hours. It's exactly what Sony's console needs right now with its brightly coloured exterior, sharp controls and simple yet varied gameplay. The course for the stars is set, and I'm sure Astro will make it to the top.

The lack of content is worrying and desperate at times, and I'm unsure how or even if Unbroken can shake up the formula and introduce something fresh to keep people returning to this game hour-after-hour. It's a fantastic Wizarding World adaptation and a brilliant take on Quidditch, but that's all it is.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown is not, in my opinion, the game that pushes Forza Horizon off the open world racing throne. It's not exactly close with either its driving feel or visuals, yet still there is a lot of entertaining content to take part in for those who want to venture out on the virtual roads.

A story campaign, a parallel PvE campaign, a 6v6 PvE mode, two different enemy factions, co-op, single-player, different Space Marine classes, more weapon loadouts, thousands of enemies on-screen. When you list it all down like that, it could sound like Saber Interactive was destined to come up short on at least a few aspects of this game. However, I am consistently blown away by Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II and how it has managed to do it all. It's a bombastic action fest that reminds you of the best games of yore. A triumphant achievement as not just a Warhammer 40,000 game, but an action game for the ages.

The War Within offers more of the same, although the setting is different. But it's hard not to get invested in helping these stone dwarves, who are fully aware of their limited lifespan.

The Casting of Frank Stone will go down as a final chapter in this era of Supermassive, a chapter of highs and lows, but even though it has its faults there's definitely a lot of potential between a Supermassive and Dead by Daylight collaboration and hopefully we'll see this explored once again in the future.

It's been eight long years since we got the last game in the series, Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice, and a new chapter is long overdue. Capcom hasn't announced anything yet, so the wait is probably going to be even longer, but a least the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection with its 60 to 70 hours of great gameplay and storytelling, gives us something to do in the meantime.

Akimbot promises to be a noteworthy addition to the action and platformer genre. It not only honours the legacy of classic titles but also reminds us why we fell in love with these games in the first place, while offering a modern twist—which would be a disservice to label it as merely a clone.

The game is shorter than the genre often prides itself on, its retro charm is not always entirely well made and, above all, it's very Japanese. But if this little, old franchise is your kind of music - then you have a great adventure ahead of you.

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club lives trapped in the cases of the past, and will continue to drag the heavy chains of archaic, clunky gameplay for all eternity.

If you've been dying for monster trucks and to do tricks and race with them, Monster Jam Showdown fills the need quite well without being directly exciting or revolutionary in any way. It's pretty fun and it's above all stylish and ultimately a perfectly fine racing game with cool vehicles.

It is a challenging and fantastic action game that should not be missed by anyone who feels that a challenge of this kind is worth taking on.

It's passable, all the way through. The matches are okay in terms of entertainment value, the game feel is okay and the developers have done a decent job of building their own hero party based on the fact that Blizzard is behind, but there is also a lack of intrinsic value here and given that they have borrowed so freely from Paladins, Overwatch and even Lawbreakers and thus failed to build their own identity, there is no reason for me to continue playing - when I can continue to enjoy the originals instead.

I've been thoroughly enjoying the skirmishes and I'm looking forward to playing more when the multiplayer servers open. For those who loved the original, Age of Mythology: Retold is a must-play, offering upgraded graphics, the innovative reuse of god powers, and subtle gameplay tweaks that enhance the overall experience. And even for entirely new players, this will be one of the most fun and well-crafted strategy games you can play right now. Unfortunately, the 'Retold' bit in the title doesn't mean a novel take on the game's campaigns, as these are exactly the same ones as in 2002 and 2014.

Even without being the prettiest or most technically polished game, Guayota has that halo of pride and ambition to carve a niche for itself in this summer's crowded calendar.

Elrentaro's Wanderings doesn't really have any major problems other than it's a pretty simple adventure moulded in a template we've seen before. It mixes some relationship sims with dungeon crawlers and lots of dialogue sequences between fairly anonymous characters and it chugs along pleasantly without being directly fascinating.

Considering it's their first project, I'm curious to see what they might do in the future, with a bit more experience and money. Unfortunately, the music is repetitive and the gameplay doesn't captivate me.

Ultimately, both the concept and the execution are something I neither want to return to nor could ever imagine recommending.

The most important thing about a game like Outlaws is the atmosphere, and this is created using light, sound, music and exciting scenarios that feel like something out of a Star Wars film. This is where Outlaws delivers, and it becomes the game's absolute "saving grace", the ace up its sleeve if you will.

What really sets Arco apart from the indie clutter is the resonant narrative, that the game manages to get the player invested in these ephemeral characters living in a world of infinite natural beauty that is then repeatedly ruined by greed, by revenge, and even though the dialogue exchanges are relatively short, it is believable throughout.

If you like strong stories and games where your choices matter, Dustborn is for you. It's a game that's more about the journey and the people you meet along the way than action-packed battles or complex game mechanics. If you're looking for a game with deep and satisfying combat mechanics, there are better alternatives out there.

If you're the type who loves exploring every corner of a game world and leisurely moving through a slightly cluttered game world, this could be a great way to pass the time.

The pace is fast, there are any number of enemy ships to shoot, plenty of content and a successful framing of a space war that I learn just the right amount about. There are definitely parts of the upgrade system that didn't need to be there in my opinion and parts of the game's soundtrack that don't quite fit, but those are small complaints for a game that on the whole entertains on the grandest of premises.

There is untapped potential here, there is some repetition and although parts are charming, I can't really say that I feel particularly entertained after a few hours of World of Goo 2, as if anything it feels a bit old.

There is some interactivity missing here and sometimes the dialogue sequences get so long that it feels like the game is standing still but if you are prepared for this and if you are looking for a story-heavy, thematically brilliant text adventure that is dripping with social criticism and naturally written dialogue, it is undoubtedly the surprise of the summer.

Eden Genesis promises to be a standout title in the precision platformer genre. With an engaging narrative, solid performance, and challenges that will test even the most skilled players, this game has the potential to become an immersive and rewarding experience for those seeking a true challenge.

There should have been a boss or two where I as a player had to become a bit strategic and defensive to beat it, which I think would create more variety overall. However, this is a small complaint about an indie game that, in summary, offers brilliant FPS action drenched in character and passion.

It's not the most mechanically complex game, has a middling and quite forgettable core storyline, and it's over in a flash, but otherwise this is a delightful and charming title that will effortlessly entertain for a few evenings.

It's got all the hallmarks of a bullet-hell standout and the simplicity of its gameplay design had me staying up far too late going for just one more attempt at a boss. Like Balatro before it, it's another indie hit this year where I can feel it ever so easily taking hours of time in the blink of an eye.

Thunderful has delivered a sequel that feels like an evolution of the format that made the first game so special, with a rich aesthetic, great buildcrafting and progression systems, tight combat, better exploration, and that typical SteamWorld charm creeping out of every crack too.

The car physics are clearly impressive and I absolutely believe that iRacing will be able to make really impressive things out of this system in the future, especially with how realistically the chassis moves. However, as it stands, Exocross is not a very fun game.

NeoSprint is a charming game in a retro genre already overflowing with games. It does nothing to stand out from the crowd, but at the same time it offers what is most important in a car game: driving pleasure.

Solitaire for Windows was one of the most played games for many years, and before social media and online shopping it supposedly hampered productivity at many in an office. I doubt Royal Card Clash will achieve the same effect, but if you're looking for some simple entertainment for your commute or holiday, it's definitely worth a download.

The game is not for everyone, but you have to take your hat off to a developer who doesn't compromise on their game design. There is a logic that you have to catch and you have to have the patience to let the game unfold. If you don't, Riven is not for you. If you have the patience, Riven is a fantastic adventure where the puzzles and the world are the star.

If you're looking to keep a cute digital critter, you can't do much better than Weyrdlets. The design of the creatures blends that perfect mix of dopey and cute to make you feel like the worst person in the world when you aren't chucking treats and toys at your pet. On the other hand, as a game the overall experience falls quite short, with a slowness to it that could turn you off depending on how attached you become to your pet.

If Coal Supper had ended up with a gameplay model that was as interesting to engage with mechanically as it is downright magnificent to look at, experience and listen to, then this would have been one of the best games of the year.

The best words I can possibly use to describe The Operator is that never once during my playthrough of this game did I wish I was on the other end of the phone call, in the heat of the action in the field, ducking under gunshots and evading danger. Bureau 81 has somehow made being Alfred more exciting than being Batman.

F1 Manager 2024 is a joy to play, with the hours flying by at a downright terrifying pace and I can't help but tip my hat to what is so far the most complete, competent and absorbing F1 Manager experience you can get, well... without actually being employed as a manager of a real F1 team, of course.

Jemma "moves a little differently" in this world and that is not just fine - it's what gives Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure a double purpose in terms of both unique gameplay and narrative. It makes you think, and not just about the puzzles themselves, while you try to make everything fit, or perhaps while you are actually disarranging what was a bit too arranged. For this lovely adventure we're thankful, this is the game you all have to play this summer.

There is clear quality and potential with Nobody Wants to Die, whether it's the aesthetic and worldbuilding, the performances and mysterious narrative, even the striking and detailed visuals, however, the gameplay itself leaves much to be desired. After four hours of completing what are essentially quick-time events to use many of the tools and systems in place and following a story that may as well be on rails, you begin to lose interest.

Such ambition, especially when coming from a smaller studio, often leads to a messy, directionless game, but Microbird Games have avoided such pitfalls. It's too bad they're Austrian, for I really want to compare the game to a Swiss clock - each of the individual parts are of extremely high quality and work together in nearly perfect harmony.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition's recommendation highly relies on your own background and circles. Local 8-player on the same big screen is amazing, the Legend challenges are a piece of video game history, and the selection is an accurate journey through Nintendo's late 80s and early 90s, respecting the flavour and even the glitches and framerate drops of those gems.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a massive achievement by A44, let's not forget that. This is a relatively small team that has spent years realising a game that in almost every way competes far outside the team's normal weight class. In that sense, it's amazing that there aren't more compromises or failed design attempts, because there are very few things you can point to that really don't work here. It's not for everyone, but for me this has been solid summer entertainment, and for that reason it's pretty easy to recommend to anyone with a penchant for this formula, as long as you can overlook the jank.

Flock proved to be a game that creates the same warm and fuzzy feeling as putting on a jumper after a day out in the cold. It's a cosy, comfortable game that impresses with its visual style and soaring gameplay, but it's worth noting that the overall time you'll spend in Flock is a surprisingly short one, and without a real thread tying everything together as well, it can feel hollow at times.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess shows how versatile Capcom can be and it ends up being one of 2024's most surprising games to date. It's surprising because it shakes things up so that pieces from several different genres end up landing in quite surprising ways. It's a surprisingly well-functioning hybrid between an action game, a tower defence and a strategy game.

Behind all the false benevolence, there's a simple, clever and charming gameplay loop that has entertained me for a couple of nights in a row, and could very well continue to do so.

Schim is a nice little puzzle game that is quite relaxing to play. There's no stress and you can explore the surroundings as you wish - and there are often several different things to find. You might miss a little variety in the gameplay and perhaps a little ingenuity in the use of shadows and light, but overall it's a pleasant puzzle game with a good vibe and a nice minimalist visual style. So, if you're looking for a cosy little puzzle game, Schim is a good choice.