Where Arceus dared, Z-A retreats, offering an experience that neither innovates, excites, nor engages. The return of Mega Evolutions, while interesting, isn’t enough to save a game that feels built with minimal effort for maximum commercial gain. The “Legends” series thus loses its original meaning, and Z-A stands as a symbol of a creative crisis that Game Freak doesn’t yet seem ready to confront. For those curious about the new battle system and the thrill of catching Pokémon — which still manages to inspire some excitement — there’s something here for you too.

The Outer Worlds 2 is exactly everything we could have hoped to see in the sequel to the title that made our hearts race back in 2019. Technically almost flawless, with gameplay improved in every respect and a world increasingly realistic in its satire of our own reality, The Outer Worlds 2 is a pure RPG, capable of offering practically everything that can excite a true role-playing purist.What truly surprises is the depth of the choices our character can make, and how many elements can change based on them. Personal relationships, power struggles among factions, and even the future of the Arcadia star system—everything might be affected by what we do.Add to all this a meticulously crafted script and an art direction of rare beauty, and you’ve got the perfect combination. A few bugs can’t scare a real space captain, nor can the vast amount of text to read (all in Italian) needed to fully grasp the game’s lore.To sum it all up in one sentence: The Outer Worlds 2 is a true RPG, the kind we rarely see anymore.

Tormented Souls 2 is a solid evolution of classic survival horror, and of the first game. It successfully refines the formula with genius puzzle design, creating a demanding and atmospheric experience that fans of the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill will cherish.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a result of its production model, a niche game that must appeal to all gamers at the same time; and despite a few missteps, it succeeds in this difficult task. Hero Mode allows everyone to explore Yakumo's gruesome ninja frenzy while learning the defense techniques that allow you to climb the difficulty levels. By raising the bar each time you finish the game, even veterans will soon find something to sink their teeth into. The price to pay is subdued level design and annoying backtracking. The reward for those who persevere is the usual over-the-top madness with which Team Ninja tackles the subject matter.

With its unique and offbeat style, satisfying and poetic gameplay, and dreamlike atmosphere, Keeper is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and original surprises of the 2025 gaming year.

Dreams of Another is a game that tries to bring several interesting ideas to the table. The most notable being the reversal of the concepts of destruction and creation, and the conceptual animism of the various objects inhabiting its world. Unfortunately, Baiyon and Q-Games’ work fails to make good use of these ideas and ends up feeling dull, both in its gameplay dynamics and in its storytelling. To top it all off, the game’s underlying philosophy feels forced and overly simplistic, making it hard to engage more mature players. Baiyon has described Dreams of Another as his latest art installment, and if we’re to judge it as such, it’s worth remembering that one doesn’t always have to understand art; it just has to make you feel something. In my case, it made me feel nothing but boredom.

Absolum puts and mixes together several already known themes and mechanics, but it does so in an overall original way, creating an absolutly enjoyable product, full of variet, twists and more. A little treasure that will be surely appreciated by beat'em up lovers.

Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 remain masterpieces, and the slight technical adjustments made by Nintendo make them technically enjoyable for everyone even today (thanks to the great design work of the original developers). Assisted Mode is an excellent introduction, perfect for novices, but also for those who want to eliminate some frustration and tedium from the equation. The only sticking point is the price: without doing the math for anyone, these are two masterpieces, difficult to find until now and optimized for modern enjoyment. At the price of a normal AAA game. It's expensive, but what it offers is worth every penny.

Little Nightmares 3 doesn’t rewrite the rules of the saga, but it expands them intelligently. Supermassive Games inherits a remarkable legacy and translates it into a new cooperative grammar, where fear no longer stems from isolation, but from the possibility of losing the one beside you. The design remains true to the series’ poetics - environments that speak for themselves, ambient puzzles, silences loaded with meaning - while the online co-op introduces an emotional and gameplay dimension that feels surprisingly natural. There are some imperfections: slightly rigid controls, imprecise checkpoints, and an AI that occasionally hesitates. Yet the overall picture retains great artistic and technical value. Visually sumptuous, sonically unsettling, and always faithful to its dark fairy-tale vision, Little Nightmares 3 proves that the nightmare can evolve without losing its soul. An experience more empathetic, more alive and still capable of making you tremble.

Bye Sweet Carole is a game that stays with you even after you’ve finished it. Beneath its animated fairytale appearance lies a story that touches deep emotional chords — one of fear, guilt, and tenderness. Chris Darril delivers a mature and personal work, crafted with great attention to detail, where horror becomes a gentle language rather than a threat. It’s not a perfect title, but it’s sincere, and that makes it rare. Some choices may feel slow, but they serve to give the story room to breathe — allowing the player to truly feel what Lana Benton experiences. The art direction, music, and pacing merge into a narrative that strikes with both intensity and grace, remaining in memory more for what it suggests than for what it shows. Bye Sweet Carole doesn’t aim to astonish — it aims to stay with you. And it succeeds: with the sensitivity of a fairy tale that has lost its innocence, but not its ability to move you.

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is an excellent game. It perfectly blends the tactical elements of turn-based strategy RPGs with the punishing roguelike component within a dark and mysterious narrative. The death-rebirth-progress loop, combined with the many branching choices, works very well. Of course, it's not perfect: the random element is sometimes too much of a burden, runs take a long time, and the feeling of repetitiveness due to the lack of variety in maps and enemies quickly sets in. Combat is intense and challenging, and the roguelite mechanics ensure replayability, depth, challenge, and a sense of progression, especially through defeat. Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch isn't for everyone, but it's certainly a must-have for fans of the genre.

Death on the Nile manages to entertain and keep you engaged, with a story that still feels compelling after so many adaptations. The new ideas don’t always land and some choices feel like missed opportunities. Still, it’s an adventure that flows well and offers a few enjoyable hours to anyone who loves detective stories.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a good turn-based JRPG that, in terms of content, feels like a true encyclopedia of our favorite digital monsters. With a bit more polish, it could have been a top-quality title, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that—especially if you’re a fan of the brand—you can still enjoy a pleasant adventure, perhaps overlooking some technical issues and a lack of variety in the dungeons. Featuring an impressive amount of content and an engaging gameplay system (though not without its flaws), Digimon Story: Time Stranger is highly recommended for those who hold Digimon close to their hearts, while it may lose appeal for other gamers—not so much because of its tie to a specific franchise, but rather due to some undeniable shortcomings that, while not ruining the experience, do clip its wings. A decent role-playing game that relies more on quantity than quality.

If you're looking for a roguelike set in a dark fantasy world, there's no shortage of options, but I must admit that Doomspire has some things going for it that could be a little better. It's not currently in Early Access, but it should have been so that more experimentation could be done before launching to the public. However, it's fun for a few hours if you can find the right motivation.

More of a parallel line than a true evolution, Titanic Scion reinforces and expands Daemon X Machina’s strengths but doesn’t improve narratively, and its open-world elements only work in part. There’s a ton of content and opportunities, but the actual ‘quality time’ with Marvelous’ game is limited; the series still has a long way to go before becoming a must-buy. Fans of mecha and unconventional action, however, will find a fair compromise and plenty of fun.

Ghost of Yotei is everything fans of the previous game from Sucker Punch’s series could have wished for: a more of the same built upon a mature, expansive, and brilliantly written narrative — not only in the main missions but also in the side quests. The combat system offers a variety of weapons and fighting styles that bring freshness to the gameplay, though it’s a system that requires some getting used to and won’t appeal to everyone. The graphics, gameplay style, and overall quality are on par with a triple-A title of the kind we haven’t seen in years, so we gladly welcome this production, confident that it will soon become a classic.

Perhaps more attention could have been given to quality of life improvements, Italian localization, and an additional graphical upgrade, but Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles brings back to our consoles one of the most iconic turn-based strategy games in history—still considered today one of the highest points of the genre. We’re dealing with a masterpiece in its own right, though it feels like Square Enix completed the task without particular ambition. That said, when the foundation is this strong, even a faithful adaptation without bold innovations can still deliver an unmissable video game. A deep and intricate storyline, well-written characters, and layered gameplay built around a job system that remains influential to this day—all these elements make Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles a remarkable title, just as the original was back in 1997. Add in the gameplay refinements, voice acting, and the soundtrack by master composer Hitoshi Sakimoto (almost identical to the original), and the result is clear: as fans we might have hoped for more, but the quality is undeniable. Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles is a must-play for everyone, whether you have already experienced its incredible atmosphere or are about to step onto the battlefield alongside Ramza and his companions for the very first time.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji is a decent but uneven expansion. The island looks great and the staff weapon adds some welcome variety to combat, with a handful of missions that feel true to the franchise’s roots. Still, too much of the content falls back on recycled mechanics and padded objectives, dragging down the pacing. The story does get closure, but the payoff feels more functional than memorable, leaving this DLC closer to optional add-on than essential chapter.

If you thoroughly enjoyed Super Robot Wars 30 and are looking for new thrills, Super Robot Wars Y doesn’t bring many fresh ideas, but it makes up for it with an excellent story. Otherwise, it’s everything you could want from a Super Robot Wars entry: a solid SRPG packed with hundreds of interactions and thousands of special moves, screams, explosions, and heroic poses. And if you love mecha anime but somehow never tried the series, you’ll fall in love instantly. The only downside is the rather steep cost of accessing all the DLC.

EA SPORTS FC 26 takes several steps forward, resulting in an enhanced gameplay experience. The two gameplay styles, Realistic and Competitive, manage to offer players a choice that can meet the needs of different audiences. However, it would have been interesting to allow all Realistic gameplay fans to play in competitive online modes, facing (naturally) only those who use the same gameplay style. That said, the improvements are clear and noticeable—goalkeepers above all—but in general progress has been made in almost every aspect, even if some rebounds during tackles leave something to be desired, and the overwhelming technical superiority of certain players still persists, with the risk of facing opponents who secure victories by endlessly spamming tricks. Aside from that, EA SPORTS FC 26 is a title with a simply boundless amount of content, and it surely has something to offer every football enthusiast—whether it’s for those who can’t resist the temptation of opening packs, those who are satisfied with a quick match every now and then, or those who dream of building their own career as a player or manager. Yes, we are certain that as the months go by, some issues will inevitably arise, but expecting everything to run smoothly in such a vast and ever-evolving title is far from realistic. For now, we step onto the pitch and enjoy EA SPORTS FC 26, thanks to the growth path the development team is taking more and more seriously, year after year.

Silent Hill f proves to be a remarkable restart for the series: brave and divisive, it may not find favor with series purists but traces a potential new future.

It's not the most original game in the world, but it has a clear identity, and if it gets the right platform and the public can understand it, it could make its way into a particularly crowded indie game market. It's fun, immediate, and works, even if it doesn't bring anything new or innovative.

The Beast marks the return of Kyle Crane, now more than just a Volatile, driven by vengeance against the Baron. The story is straightforward, lacking meaningful choices, with flat supporting characters and a weak antagonist, making it feel like a missed opportunity. Where the narrative falls short, the gameplay delivers: fluid, essential parkour, weighty combat, and oppressive nights recapture the tension of the original. Solid and enjoyable, but ultimately conservative.

Towa & The Guardians Of The Sacred Tree is an excellent game that will undoubtedly carve out its place among the best of its genre. A roguelite packed with action, challenging and layered thanks to the dual-character mechanic, weapon customization and the endless build possibilities of the Guardians. A well-crafted story told in a captivating way, steeped in typically Japanese mythology and enriched with human and environmental bonds. Its artistic direction is truly striking, supported by an evocative soundtrack and excellent technical performance. If you’re looking for a roguelite that blends storytelling, refined aesthetics and tactical challenge, this is the title for you.

Formula Legends may be an indie project, but it’s a well-crafted homage to the golden era of Formula 1. It strikes a balance between arcade accessibility and a layer of strategic nuance, offering smooth, enjoyable gameplay that only suffers from a few lingering bugs. The game is easy to pick up and play, delivering instant fun, yet mastering its vintage machines demands time and dedication. While it won’t go down as a landmark racing title, it provides plenty of entertainment for those who appreciate F1 history and prefer a more relaxed experience over the complexity of ultra-realistic sims. A strong package overall—though the lack of multiplayer is a notable drawback.

Bringing Frostpunk 2 to consoles was no small task, but the result is impressive. Technically, the game holds up remarkably well, with only a few reasonable compromises compared to high-end PCs. Performance is solid, and the transition to Xbox and PlayStation 5 feels natural. That said, there are a couple of drawbacks. Controller navigation—especially moving across hexes—can feel clunky, and the on-screen text is frustratingly tiny, even at maximum size. These issues aside, this is still the same outstanding city-builder we know: challenging, rewarding, and packed with tough decisions that keep you constantly balancing fleeting victories against looming crises. With its meticulous attention to detail, striking art direction, and relentless sense of urgency, Frostpunk 2 remains a must-play. Sure, you’ll need to accept some compromises, but the payoff—saving your people from the brink of extinction—is well worth it.

Mars Attracts is an original management game, capable of reversing roles and perspectives with pulp irony and a touch of cruelty. The basic graphics and improved interface don't overshadow the love for the franchise, evident in the grotesque gimmicks and Martian dialogue. It's just the beginning, but if the team can expand its content and refinements, this title could become a unique experience in the management game landscape.

There are few examples around of games as polished and refined as Hollow Knight: Silksong. Every single element of the game is the result of careful study and thoughtful consideration to ensure that players get exactly what Team Cherry wants to convey. And the difficulty, which is undeniably high even for a Metroidvania, is not an end in itself, but a means of transporting the player through a world that does not simply ask to be traversed, but revealed.