Stela was an excellent experience for me, I loved the atmosphere, music, storytelling, and found it very relaxing to play. The downsides though hold me back from recommending it for everyone. Between the very simple gameplay mechanics, at times temperamental controls, low difficulty (additional difficulty levels would have been nice), and short playtime you may be better off waiting for a sale. On the plus side if you are reading this review within a few days of its publishing date Stella is currently on the Steam summer sale for a great price. Hopefully, if the developers decide to make a sequel to the game they can improve and/or correct some of the issues noted above.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia hearkens to a simpler time, when console strategy games had a special magic to them... Nevertheless, the magic doesn’t hold up very well in the contemporary gaming world. Although it brings heaps of nostalgia, that nostalgia comes at the expense of depth and breadth of gameplay.

There are only so many ways to build a bridge but Poly Bridge 2 finds a way to add enough to give new life to the aging original. The lack of a tutorial can make the first few levels more challenging than necessary, but the mix of traditional bridge-building and unconventional solutions will keep you engaged level after level. When the 64 levels included in the game are done the community fueled Gallery and Workshop levels will keep you going for hours on end.

Rehydrated doesn’t offer up more than a few hours-worth of content to distract from the doldrum. It took me roughly 8 hours to beat the story, but it would probably take up to 12 to collect everything. If you’re looking for a new game to play in quarantine, this isn’t it. Despite the nostalgia, I honestly can’t recommend this game to anyone except for families with small children. There’s no penalty for dying, except for having to backtrack through areas, and the combat is simplistic enough that any kid will be able to pick it up easily. The good news is that SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is only $29.99. The bad news is that I still think that’s overpriced.

A solid set of puzzles and a gorgeous world are largely let down by some odd narrative decisions and middling character development that are just jarring enough to prod you out of the world that Pine Studio has worked so hard to craft. If you’re looking for a Layton style experience in an extraordinary world then this could be for you. Otherwise, take this one at your own pace because school life can be tough at Arbor Academy.

This whimsical, family-friendly title manages to join two unlikely game genres together quite well. The genres being platformer and puzzler. Neither of these areas is exceedingly challenging but just difficult enough to make you feel good about yourself once you get to the next save point. While the story is not a gripping tale of suspense the platforming moments will have you feeling some Super Mario nostalgia.

While yes…there are still some performance problems, Saints Row the Third Remastered is a helluva fun game, especially with friends. The story missions will have you rolling with laughter, and there’s no setback if you find yourself in the middle of a shootout between all three gangs and the Steelport police. It’s just all good fun. And with all the craziness going on in the world, it’s nice to have a game to lose yourself in that makes you not take yourself quite as seriously and reminds you to be thankful for the time you have and tackle life one day at a time.

Some games are revolutionary, some are evolutionary, and some are just good at doing their own thing. Do Not Feed the Monkeys falls into the latter category and manages to take ‘unique’ in a positive direction by melding a puzzle game with resource management within a fascinating premise.

Fly Punch Boom is a unique take on the fighting genre with a host of over the top combat effects, quick reaction button presses, and some zany characters that are quite entertaining. The rock paper scissors battle resolution system may not appeal to players looking for a more skill based fighter, but Fly Punch Boom is definitely a nice diversion that can keep you busy for several hours.

While the game itself may be pretty polished, I feel like a lot of its potential has been drowned out in a complicated store with way too many options to hand over your credit card. When I have to close out of 10 purchase prompts just to get to the main menu every time I start up a game it becomes an issue. When you’re almost guilt-tripping me into making a purchase from your game, I start to question your motives and the game’s purpose.

Robot Squad Simulator is an adventure game that makes controlling robots fun if you have some patience. With an interface that could do well by providing more helpful feedback and less frustrating controls, it's hard to overwhelmingly recommend this title. Unfortunately when all is said and done "these aren't the droids you're looking for".

Cranked Up is an interesting take on the puzzle platformer genre that incorporates some vertical and horizontal puzzle play with a difficult rocket-based movement style. For the right player Cranked Up could be a delight, but for the uncoordinated, this game may not be their best tasting donut.

Minecraft Dungeons is a light take on a genre that oftentimes takes itself much too seriously. The story is family-friendly, most levels are good recreations of the Minecraft biomes, and the gloom, blood, and gore of most ARPGs are replaced with the cute monsters and iconic items we know and love from the Minecraft universe. With a short campaign mode and lack of crafting, Minecraft Dungeons may not be a hardcore offering that will give you hundreds of hours of play, but it is a perfect way to spend a few hours playing together with friends or your kids while you wait for the next season of your favorite dungeon crawler to start up.

I’m sure in a month or maybe even less, we will see the game turn around as the player base has already started to go back up. I’m going to keep playing it here and there and simply enjoy the game for what it is now and look towards the future as it is still the most fun shooter to play for me.

Gunfire Reborn is a strong first person shooting rouge-like title, with well tuned challenging engagements. There is a lot of potential for this title to expand and the developers are actively looking for more feedback to improve the title. I was very skeptical of the title, but after watching others play it, I felt the need to try it for myself. It was a quick grab, which instantly sucked me into 3 hours of straight play to see how far I could get. It took about 3 days to finally beat the normal mode, which required that I really start to understand the games mechanics. Thank you Duoyi Interactive Entertainment Limited for the key to review Gunfire Reborn. [Early Access Score = 80]

Fledgeling Heroes might be a bit short in the tooth, game lengthwise, there's no doubting the fun. The game allows you to move forward without being perfect. Time spent on each level is based on the challenge to you weighted by how much you want to collect. Unexpected features like a level creator, cosmetics and styles for your birds, time trials, and score-keeping add to the overall enjoyment to a family-friendly game, and that's nothing to crow about!

Freedom Finger is a horizontal shooter that incorporates a humorous storyline and a hard charging soundtrack. This triple threat coalesces into a game that will keep horizontal shooter fans invested for some time.

Aeronautica Imperialis: Flight Command is a mixed bag of dice. It’s a unique concept and the tabletop conversion and combat interpretation feels fantastic, its just a shame that when your head’s out the clouds the rest of the game doesn’t feel quite so special. Fans of strategy titles should definitely take this interesting new title for a spin but don’t expect it to be a long haul flight.

What The Golf is an enjoyable, imaginative, sometimes satirical take on Golf. Labeled as the game for those that hate golf, most levels keep with the same underlying concept of golf, but you never truly know what you'll end up doing until you're in the thick of it. With plenty of replayability options, including multiplayer, What The Golf is a sweet little diversion that would be suitable to play with the whole family.

While Monster Train provides a premiere deck building experience, it isn’t perfect by any means. Some cards and encounters aren’t explained particularly well. I found at times I had to experiment with how some things worked, simply because you may find that certain enemies aren’t what you thought they were, and some cards or encounters don’t fulfill the expectations you had for them. The streak system, banking on how many concurrent wins you had is a nice addition, but it becomes frustrating as, sometimes, you just don’t have the cards in your deck to win. It would have been nice to have a reward system, to bring over at least one card from the previous run so that you can build on your past success. Still, even with these perceptual issues or missed opportunities, Monster Train still has me returning for more. Monster Train is definitely an unexpected hidden gem.

The egregious monetization can't be overlooked in this game. Originally I was being lenient and choosing to simply ignore it but after playing the game for 10 hours it very quickly became clear this game is only interested in putting up as many obstacles as possible and selling you the solution to these problems. While it's true that a lot of these items can be earned in-game, they make it very clear that paying is the better option. Combine that with the simple and repetitive nature of the game and I can't honestly recommend this. As it's free though you have nothing to lose by trying it for yourself, just understand though what type of game you are getting yourself into.

Did I enjoy Someday You’ll Return and is it worth the money? Yes, understatement of the year. It has a few problems, but that doesn’t stop it from being a pretty great and enjoyable game. I actually streamed Someday You’ll Return for some friends as I played it, and had them hooked from the first jump scare. It’s not quite as scary as it is thrilling, though it does have some terrifying moments here and there that get your adrenaline flowing. After you see the monster for the first time, the tone of the story shifts from the suspense of being hunted by the unknown, to the suspense of finding your loved one, and in turn, finally finding yourself.

Maneater is just the type of game a shark enthusiast, such as myself, has been waiting for. The sharks get their revenge on humans and other predators as it grows. The combat and swimming systems work very well, and mix well with the blood and gore that gives a realistic feel to the title. I loved most aspects of the game and the story and will enjoy playing it through to completion to reach the ultimate evolution. For $39.99 USD this is a very beautiful game about sharks and while some areas may lack fullness it is worth that price.

World War Z GOTY Edition is a complete pack of a co-op based zombie-shooter that keeps you engaged for a long time if you don’t mind repeating a cycle of events again and again. You will get the most out of the game when you play it with your friends. Otherwise, World War Z will be a frustrating experience that has nothing new to offer.

Despite some of its interface quirks, In Other Waters is a masterfully designed game, woven tightly into its music soundtrack and emotional chronicling of the relationship between humans, AI, and the environment. My heart aches for how closely Ellery’s journey foreshadows what could someday be our own, and how the caretakers of our planet have failed to nurture it on even the most basic, fundamental level. In my humble opinion, In Other Waters isn't just a video game about collecting samples and exploring the unknown. In a world full of companies trying to push out the most realistic next-gen graphics, it's a work of art that transcends what it means to experience a deeply-moving narrative in a video game and reminds us that you don't have to rely on thousand-dollar video cards to be immersed in an incredible story. But, please don't just take my word for it.

For me, the story and theming of Neversong embody a two-thousand-year-old statement of wisdom for us all: You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

The biggest take away from this Nintendo Switch port of Saints Row IV is the words "outright fun". The fun is enhanced with a chock full of humour, sometimes a bit lewd, and memorable laugh-out-loud scenarios, encounters and moments. Mix in some RPG elements that include fun "superpowers" and you have a game even fans new to the Saints Row franchise can enjoy!

In Arboria, players start a journey in this dark rogue-lite game as a warrior descending into the caverns to heal your life tree and pay tribute to the gods. Descend into the ever-changing Durnar and uncover the mysteries of your tribe. Fighting your way through some creepy crawlies with a variety of Symbiotic Weapons. There is potential in this game that, at least at this point in early access, is not yet fully realized. [Early Access Provisional Score =50]