It’s demanding, but the game always makes it very clear what it expects from you. It hasn’t won me over to survival horror, but it’s a lot more accessible than most games in the genre – which, from me, counts as a glowing recommendation.

All in all, I enjoyed my time spent with Cathedral, but with the sheer glut of indie developed Metroidvania’s on the market, including some fairly big-budget ones at this point, it is a little hard to recommend Cathedral over other like-minded titles. It’s a solid one of those games, but solid isn’t necessarily enough to propel it to the top of the must-play pile. If you’ve got a little time on your hands, and you haven’t already given it a shot on Switch or PC, then I think it’s worth a look. But if you have yet to play any number of critically acclaimed Metroidvania titles on the market, then I’d be a little hard pressed to suggest Cathedral over those games.

Underland works as you’d hope it would, even if it doesn’t work at a speed I can appreciate or enjoy. But you should expect more from a game that simply being functional, and there’s nothing in Underland that goes beyond that very low bar.

The two games that are exclusive are not worth the price at all. But if you don’t have any of these titles in your library or are missing a few, then this is a cost effective collection that can provide a lot of fun! As I stated before, there are no extras or exclusive modes or options included with this release. It is a strictly barebones presentation made up of mostly previously released titles. Not a bad collection for some, but a waste of time for others. All in all, a somewhat lazy and underwhelming release.

RPGolf Legends is actually quite impressive, when you think about it. The developers didn’t just have to create a fun RPG, they also had to make a solid golf game. They succeeded in both, and made one heck of a game in the process.

Is Wall of Insanity deep? Not really. And I don’t think it’s going to be on any GOTY lists eight months from now. But if you want a shooter that doesn’t have any pretensions about what it is, you’ll want to check it out.

Kombinera doesn’t try to hide the fact that it’s tough, so if you’re after that kind of near-impossible difficulty, you’ll want to check it out.

Dino Galaxy Tennis isn’t a great tennis game, but it’s a fun one, and that’s really all that matters.

Personally, I don’t see the appeal, but if its janky, dated RPGs you’re after, it’ll be everything you’re hoping for.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Road 96 when it was released last year on Switch and PC, then I think the PlayStation and Xbox releases are certainly worth a look. It’s not a time consuming or challenging experience, but it’s an entertaining adventure game with a neat gameplay hook that will likely keep you interested until the end.

Slipstream is truly a work of love. Its gameplay honors its source material and if you look closely at the rivals that challenge you on each track you’ll know Ansdor is definitely a fan of racing in the media as a whole (I see you Tofu Boy…but why isn’t your car white? Also how does Din Mikal feel about family?). The game might feel a little too punishing at times, but Ansdor leaves plenty of accessibility options to flatten the learning curve. Outrun might be stuck in the garage, but Slipstream is out there cruising the streets and it’s a perfectly viable ride!

There’s lots of events, a nice variety of hills, and, as I said, the presentation is so gorgeous you’ll be lulled into a zen state. Even if you’re not a fan of skiing, it’s one of those games that’s so pleasant, it’s impossible to resist.

I had a good time playing through all of the characters’ stories and didn’t have any other things that hit me in such a noticeably out-of-place way as the previously noted moment, so I can accept one off moment in a sea of otherwise excellent quality. Weird West was one of the more unique experiences I’ve had in a game in a while, so I certainly can’t hate it when the rest is there in such a heavy-hitting way.

If you’re a fan of Ghosts’n Goblins, maybe an unbalanced challenge is what you’re after? Still, it’s hard not to feel like there are other, better ways of scratching that particular itch than with Swords & Bones.

Andro Dunos 2 is a perfect example of how to make a true sequel to a classic game. It looks and plays the original, all the while showing off something new. It gave me that classic Neo Geo / Arcade feeling from start to finish and never felt too boring. The minor issues with controls and the lack of custom options do hurt a little, but don’t let them stop you from checking this out. If you are a fan of the original, or a fan of horizontal shooters in general, then you will enjoy what you find!

Big Bang Pro Wrestling isn’t gonna topple the latest and greatest the WWE has to offer, but given the Switch is seriously deprived of wrestling titles, even this one can be appreciated if you’re looking for some grappling action on the go. It was also refreshing to see a NGPC title get put out that isn’t a straight fighting game, so if NGPC Pocket Selection vol. 2 is going to be a thing at least it will be a lot more diverse than vol. 1. Given that this obscure title was given a chance in the west, Faselei! can’t be far behind, right?

If you just want to learn to spell, I guess, that makes Mini Words Collection kind of an attractive proposition. If, however, you’re a fan of word puzzles and you want anything that’ll challenge you in the least, then keep looking, because you’re not going to find that here.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the definitive LEGO Star Wars experience. It’s the only game that contains all nine of the main films in LEGO format and it will also include some content from Rouge One, Solo, The Mandalorian, and The Bad Batch via DLC. The iconic LEGO game humor is everywhere. The destruction of all LEGO items in an area does get a little repetitive after a while, however, the collectables will keep you playing for hours on end. This game is a jump forward for LEGO titles, with the awesome bonus of it being a Star Wars game. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a must own for any LEGO fan.

Doki Doki Ragnarok is a game that’s incredibly difficult to describe without sounding like you’re three days out from the last time you slept, but I promise you that you won’t regret playing it. It’s short (about 5 hours for me to play through it) with limited replayability outside of testing the differences between passing or failing in a “dating” scenario, but it’s just such a good, goofy time.

Is Kinduo a terrible game? Definitely not – like I said, it’s cute enough, and it’s not objectionable so much as it’s short and easy. If that’s all you’re after, go for it, but there are much better puzzle-platformers out there to be had.

While MLB The Show 22 is definitely a step up from last year’s game, it’s pretty clear that the years of the franchise setting the bar for other sports games are behind us. That said, the fixes they’ve made after last year’s soulless debacle are enough that I expect I’ll be spending quite a bit of time with this game over the next 12 months or so – which is a pretty big step up from what I was expecting when I started playing it.

The subject matter is difficult to get past for most people, and it’s present throughout the game. The touching mini-games are weird, the pervy humor is rarely funny, and the fact that it all seems to take place with high-school aged teens is just a bit much. And it’s a shame, because there’s elements of a competent light gun game here, but it’s buried under too much junk to glean any lasting enjoyment from it.

Obviously, Trivial Pursuit Live! 2 didn’t reinvent the wheel. As I wrote up top, it’s exactly what you’d expect from a Trivial Pursuit game. But when you’ve got a game that’s as reliable as Trivial Pursuit, sometimes that’s enough. Trivial Pursuit Live! 2 won’t wow you with innovation, but it still makes for a fun way to spend a half hour.

It’s unfortunate because, again, Aztech Forgotten Gods has such an interesting idea at its core. It could have been a great game that really stood out from the crowd, but instead, it’s one that’s not nearly as good as it could have been.

Even if you’re not a fan of how Wordle suddenly has a lot more of those words post-NYT move, they at least keep things interesting. Without them – and without anything else to push you – it’s really makes it difficult to stay interested in the game. There are ways to play around with the Wordle formula to make the gameplay fresh and new (see Octordle for an extreme example), but there’s none of that to be found in Wordbreaker.

Neither the story nor the setting are so compelling that they can overcome your character inching along from room to room in what’s essentially a straight line. There’s nothing inherently wrong with pushing you in a clear linear direction; one of my all-time favourite games is What Remains of Edith Finch?, and that’s nothing but linear exploration. But add in the glacial pace, and it makes it a lot easier to stop caring about the story as you’re faced with long stretches of simply walking from point A to point B. There’s a lot of potential for Paradise Lost to have been a great game, but unfortunately, it mostly goes unrealized.

Again, a big part of Boris the Rocket’s problem is completely unintentional and far, far beyond its control. But even if you could somehow ignore real world news, you’d still be left with a game that’s basically Simon, but with nukes.

It’s entirely possible that Rustler is a lot better if you’ve played the original GTA games. But I doubt it. Between the lousy controls, the ugly graphics, and the all-around annoying gameplay, there’s really nothing here worthwhile.