Copycat is only about three hours in length and jumps between set pieces at a good pace, constantly switching up your tasks to prevent the game from becoming stale. You’ll wreak havoc in a house, roam neighborhoods and parks, sneak past guard dogs, hunt for food, fight off alley cats, and even chase animals as a panther in Dawn’s dreams, with no one set piece lingering too long. Despite its story which is purposefully uncomfortable to experience, it is an adventure well worth embarking on and will hopefully force other animal owners to take a long look at their own actions and make adjustments as necessary to ensure we provide our animals with the respect and love they deserve.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a good, feature-rich Metroidvania ARPG with an entertaining narrative, a big world to explore, and a variety of playable classes to try out. The story is fun, if a bit rote, but beautiful visuals and great voice acting help push it over the line. While the boss encounters can be infuriating at times and the checkpointing feels a bit unrefined, Mandragora remains an entertaining experience from tip to tail.

The WereCleaner is a short, and satisfying burst of fun with not much to nit-pick and complain about due to its conciseness. It’s simple and fun, with silly humor, addicting gameplay and a dash of challenge if you’re looking for it, and that’s all it needs to be. My only complaint is the same complaint I have with every pocket game, just give me more levels! The game is such a simple concept, I wish there were more mini challenges or anything I can get my claws on.

Labyrinth of the Demon King impresses with its crushing atmosphere and rewarding combat but falls victim to a dearth of novel ideas in its latter half.

Old Skies is an incredible adventure game story that will have you laughing, crying, and in awe - sometimes all at the same time. Its puzzles are pretty easy to solve, but the story and characters will have you glued to your seat until the final moments.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is oozing with charm and bursting with activities. While it all feels a little shallow, the constant feeling of progress is great and there’s a ton to customize. The story isn’t great, but it doesn’t need to be when there’s always something to do around the next corner.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a daring experiment that succeeds in delivering a fast-paced, replayable multiplayer experience, but only for genre veterans seeking a fresh take on the traditional FromSoftware formula.

There are a variety of weapons, abilities, items, and more at your disposal, as you would expect from a medieval dark fantasy. There are plenty of options to choose from so you can play your way, whether you want to go in stealthily or go in swinging. Playstyles can also be changed on the go, especially as you find new gear along the way. This is just a snippet of the overall picture of Tainted Grail. So far, the package we have been presented with feels familiar but also fresh and exciting, and I can’t wait to give you all a more in-depth breakdown.

Now that we have two instalments in the Duck Detective franchise, there is nothing stopping you from marathoning both and having the best ducking detective experience. This time around the setting and story caught my attention a lot more, with a great variety of characters and puzzles to solve. Don’t go in expecting a complete revision of its predecessor making the ultimate experience, it is pretty much the same game but with a new coat of paint, but for me that’s all I really needed. I’ll always come back for more with Duck Detectives shenanigans!

Overall, The Duck Detective is as lighthearted and as fun as it gets in terms of puzzle games. It’s the perfect game to unwind down to play. With such a stellar cast and sense of humor all in a cartoonish art style, it’s hard not to feel joy when playing this game. It has a bunch of little quirks that I haven’t mentioned in the review because the joy of this game is just experiencing it. The gameplay and fill in the blank sections definitely need some work and revisions in its sequel, but how can I not be happy to dive back into this little, silly loosey goosey world.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is a lot of fun. The HD update looks fantastic, while the classic gameplay remains intact. There are some solid quality-of-life updates added that fans are sure to enjoy. The enemy and boss designs are great, and the ensemble cast keeps things interesting. For better or worse, the gameplay is still totally on the classic end and, while most burrs have been buffed out, a few snags may remain for newcomers. This remaster is responsible for winning me over to the Onimusha franchise, and I hope more folks feel the same.

Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker is an attempt to make the stars of the base game actual characters, and while it fails at that the effort is appreciated. Still, the game itself is a ton of fun, with great combat, gorgeous visuals, fantastic music, and fun puzzles.

While the extras don't add much to the package, the collection of often unreleased 3D fighters with online support makes this an easy recommend. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 has a lot of fun fighters with depth and energy, offering a myriad of unique experiences.

DOOM: The Dark Ages throws everything and the kitchen sink at the wall, and a lot of it sticks. However, just enough of it doesn’t stick to drag things as a whole down a few pegs. Gunplay and parrying feels great, as does weaving through the bullet hell-esque attacks, but suddenly dying for no perceivable reason does not. Still, it’s a game worth your time for those highs, even if you have to get through the lows to reach them.

This might be the best visual remaster we’ve ever seen. Virtuos rebuilt Cyrodiil to look even better than we remembered, at a level that matches recent releases. While the gameplay itself is largely untouched and can feel a bit dated, the tremendous narrative steps in to make this worthy of your time. This is how we were meant to experience The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The Lunar games are delightful, classic RPGs, and the Lunar Remastered Collection makes them easier to play than ever. It doesn’t bring together all versions of each game for a truly comprehensive look at the series’ history, but it is a faithful update to the PS1 remakes.

As a quirky, slow-paced adventure game, The Great Circle has its charms. As a faithful adaptation of the Indiana Jones franchise, it’s a somewhat misguided project. I enjoyed my time with The Great Circle overall, it’s just not the kind of game I can readily recommend to someone. You have to be chill, not necessarily in search of a thrill.

It’s hard to put into words how impressive Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is. From the breathtaking world, to the emotional and sincere story, to the deep and sensational turn-based combat, to the award-worthy soundtrack, every aspect of Expedition 33 hits the perfect note. This grandiose adventure is a monumental debut for a new studio, a true masterpiece from Sandfall Interactive.

If I were to describe The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- with one phrase, it would be greater than the sum of its 100 parts. Despite the hurdles in its character writing and monotonous first 30 hours, this collaboration feels like a culmination of Uchikoshi and Kodaka's driving philosophies. Hundred Line's joyful and cruel execution of its themes is the linchpin of its quality. The strategy RPG battles are compelling in both gameplay and story. Uchikoshi’s fresh and risky take on his branching narrative framework brings to life world building and heartfelt character moments. But it was Kodaka’s contributions to the main scenario that most surprised me as someone mixed on most of his games. If Danganronpa v3 was an artist's celebration and critique on artistic expression, then Hundred Line is a human's celebration and critique on humanity. The capacity of people to love and hate. By its final moments I was reduced to a sobbing mess, and that is all the confirmation I need to know that Too Kyo's six year ambitions have paid off.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has a lot of potential, but it can feel like it puts effort into all the wrong places. Episodes of South Town just isn’t very fun because of its focus on stats, while Arcade Mode is a blast and has far better cinematics. The fighting systems have a great core, but feel needlessly complicated when you get into the weeds. Still, if you take the time to learn the game and its characters, it can feel great to play.

Immortal Pillars returns the Chinese pantheon to Age of Mythology with three gods to play with. Powerful myth units, advanced infantry, and strong defensive options open up new strategies and options for the game.

The best thing I can say about a game of this nature is that it accomplishes what it sets out to do. It creates puzzles to be solved, gives players the tools to succeed, and then makes you feel like a dextrous genius when you execute successfully. Couple that fantastic visual design and a solid soundtrack and you have something special fans will come back to time and again. Don’t sleep on this wild ride.

Even if some of Urban Myth Dissolution Center's mysteries are rather straightforward to solve, the overall experience is still reasonably enjoyable to amble through. If you're looking for a more laid-back occult mystery, it's here, but don't expect the myths to be too legendary.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is a phenomenal improvement on a rough but fantastic game. In terms of new content, however, it can feel very rushed and unsatisfying. Aside from that, this is still the same Xenoblade Chronicles X fanatics have come to love.

Rusty Rabbit is an interesting game that uses a fascinating literary twist to establish its lore. The story has some interesting moments but it doesn’t feel like enough to save the game from itself. Unfortunately, the controls aren’t as responsive as a game in this genre should be and the world design feels very paint-by-numbers. With so many other top-tier titles vying for attention in the same space, it’s hard to consider this a frontrunner. You may give it a chance if you want to experience the world or you’re looking for a simpler Metroidvania.

AI Limit represents a commendable effort from a small indie development team tackling an incredibly challenging genre. The game flashes moments of genuine creativity, but it lacks the polish and inspiration needed to stand alongside the pinnacle titles of the genre.

The PC port of The Last of Us Part II Remastered feels like a miracle. The game runs incredibly and looks fantastic, on both a desktop PC and Steam Deck. A lot of care has been taken to get this game to this level on PC, and it really shows in every frame.

South of Midnight is a masterclass in picking a theme and sticking to it all the way through. The usage of music as a character world/lore enhancement is one of the best examples out there of what TO do. From the character models, to the music, and beyond; South of Midnight shows how to build a game around a style and committing fully.