Soulstice the attempt by small developer Reply Games Studios to create a character action game in the style of Bayonetta and Devil May Cry. While neither as flashy nor deep as its bigger siblings, “Soulstice” offers a very solid foundation, an entertaining story, and enough depth to get you through a playthrough. It’s not the best the genre has to offer, but it’s an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a new action title on a budget.

NHL 26 refines its gameplay with ICE-Q 2.0 and a stronger Be A Pro mode, creating smoother and more authentic hockey. Clearer X-Factors add balance, but Frostbite limitations, recycled ideas, and heavy microtransactions hold it back. A solid step forward, yet not the revolution the series still needs.

Furistas Cat Cafe+ is great if you are looking for an idle game with a charming presentation and plenty of cats to just relax and enjoy the quieter moments in life.

As with its predecessors, Bravely Default 2 scores with its unique and complex round based fighting system and an inviting atmosphere. But beside other minor strengths, the game suffers from its strong grinding constraints and its imbalance by constantly toggling between too easy removable and overwhelming enemies.

The Chant brings a few interesting ideas into the modern Survival-Horror-Genre, but stumbles as much as it succeeds. The setting and story have their moments, but a lot of the characters feel too two-dimensional and predictable. Combat has some depth, especially with the introduction of roleplay elements, but ultimately the lack of diversity turns combat to a chore outside of a few especially well-made bossfights. Nonetheless, The Chant is a game well worth checking out for fans of the spooky and supernatural and deserves more attention than it currently got.

Soul Hackers 2 is a JRPG for fans of the Devil Summoner games and Persona 5, but unfortunately struggles with boring dungeons and a story that could have been made a lot more.

NBA 2K24 is a superb sports-gameplay. It delivers high-level basketball on the court and also presents the action like a modern TV-broadcast. Along with a lot of basketball-nostalgia and tons of game-modes, "NBA 2K24" is an overall better package than its predecessor. However, microtransactions and the pay-to-win-mentality seriously hurt two of its two main game moves and leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

Road 96’s narrative may not reach the heights of the best the modern adventure genre has to offer, but it cleverly distracts with a cast of intriguing characters and the promise of procedurally generated road-trips. The novel concept doesn’t always work, but when it does, it offers a very personal and gripping journey through a country on the verge of dictatorship.

The absurdity of the situations Octodad finds himself in coupled with the unusual controls are what make this game so charming and unique.

Enotria: The Last Song tends to get lost in its own ambitions. While it breathes fresh air into the grim and hopeless apocalypses souls-likes tend to portray, the additions to the combat and character customization tend to weigh it down. Despite a generally more forgiving difficulty than many other titles, the sheer volume of things to keep track of make this a souls-like best suited for fans of the genre.

If you like slow and deliberate horror then Routine is an absolute must. It’s positively dripping in atmosphere and does a tremendous job of immersing you on this seemingly lost place on the moon. It looks great and offers incredible music and even better sound design. When it comes to the gameplay it is unfortunately rather bland. It does what it does pretty alright but it never reaches the heights it offers in its other elements.

Although Nikoderiko: The Magical World doesn't quite match the class of its great idols, this playable love letter to the platformer genre is a title that fans can give a chance without hesitation.

Visions of Mana scores above all with its charming look and loveable characters. The new elemental powers are also quite impressive. Although various facets prevent the action RPG from unleashing its full potential, the return of the legendary game series is a success overall.

With its positive vibe and the fun gameplay loop, you can't help but grow fond of the characters and the world of Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom.

Luck be a Landlord is a game for a good time not a long time. Though its graphics and music are very simple, the same can’t be said about the gameplay which provides an addictive experience.

The gods of the Greek pantheon are front and center in “Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island”. They feel like real characters and it is a joy to get to know them. Unfortunately the gameplay is a very shallow affair that consists mostly of finding an item on one side of the island that you have to deliver to a god on the other side of the island. This can be very appealing though and combined with the great cast it results in more than one long and annoying fetch quest. Paired with the great visuals and so many very cute animations makes it a worthwhile stay on Ambrosia Island.

At its core Killing Floor 3 is a fun and more than solid game. Mowing down hordes of Zeds alone or alongside strangers and friends just rocks. This is thanks to great looking gore and a decent variety of weapons and enemies. At the same time the feeling of the guns is not always great and a lot of them lack punch and power. The base between maps to upgrade your character and your guns feels superfluous. Both the look and the soundtrack are not bad by a mile but feel a tad generic and lack the style that make Killing Floor what it became known for. With all that said Killing Floor 3 is still a blast to play with a bunch of friends and strangers to just mow down untold waves of Zeds and other monstrosities.

With Styx: Blades of Greed, developer Cyanide continues the series at a decent level. However, there are no innovations that significantly improve the gameplay experience. Improvements such as the even more open areas are offset by drawbacks such as the largely consequence-free temporary escape from enemies.

One the one hand Monster Energy Supercross 25 is undoubtedly the best series' entry so far with better graphics, better physics and more tracks than ever before. But on the other hand that still does not mean the game could fully compete with the top games of the genre, not least because of the lack of varied gameplay and modes. A solid racing game mainly for a special target group.

Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a more than solid spinoff for the successful Yakuza-series. With a satisfying fighting-system, tons of side-activities and the typical Yakuza-humor, Like A Dragon Gaiden make veterans happy and gives newcomers a chance to get into the series easily.

Kirby‘s Dream Buffet is a fun little game with our favorite pink munch ball that is excellently presented. Minor shortcomings in the amount of content can be overlooked if one is looking for a game with short rounds to fill some gaps in the day.

Atomic Heart immediately draws you in with its enchantingly weird story of a retro-futuristic Soviet Union. However, an interesting and visually compelling vision is hampered by a meandering story and some truly awful combat encounters. What comes to mind is style over substance, yet there’s plenty of content to be found here, just none of it standing out as particularly well-polished. Still, the game has a fair share of interesting ideas and moments that make it worth experiencing despite its flaws.

Milestone certainly works on the weaknesses of its "MotoGP"-series: And while MotoGP 24 still isn't the most accessible or flamboyant racing-game out there, the improved career, tutorials and options do a proper job to push the series into the right direction.

With NHL 25 EA Sports delivers another enjoyable ice hockeygame. Thanks to the solid presentation and overall fun gameplay, players will have a good time again. The NHL-franchise is stagnating and the lack of real innovation and the well-known pay-to-win-mechanics within Hockey Ultimate Team hurt the experience immensely.

If you are in the market for a mix between a Shoot’em Up and a Roguelike, Steredenn: Binary Stars is a good choice. It doesn’t do anything extraordinary but offers a fun gameplay loop with a broad variety of upgrades and weapons. The Shoot’em Up experience suffers from too much randomness though. It’s hard to learn the stages and the bosses just because the stages are for the most part randomly generated and you will always go into boss fights with a different set of weapons and power-ups.

Projected Dreams is a cozy puzzle game that slows down the stressful everyday life and comes up with creative game ideas. A great game for puzzle fans who want to play without time pressure, with suitable music and a sweet background story.

Pax Augusta isn't a game for quick starters or those who prefer a more relaxed approach – but that's precisely where its strength lies. Roger Gassmann's passion project transports fans of building games into an authentic, meticulously detailed interpretation of ancient Rome that skillfully combines gameplay depth, historical accuracy, and moral decisions.

NBA 2K23 leaves us torn: On the one hand, it’s an almost perfect simulation of the sport delivering a high amount of detail and gameplay-value. On the other hand, the experience is heavily harmed by microtransactions and in-game advertisments.