While Ib is not as fully fleshed out as many of the other pixel horror games, it’s certainly a strong entry in the genre. Its creepy atmosphere, well-timed and executed jump scares, and a delightfully unique setting make for an engaging, addicting game. There’s a decent amount of replayability as well, with a post-game bonus dungeon, multiple endings, and the True Guertena Exhibit, where you can examine every piece of art you discovered while playing the game. It’s not a perfect game by any stretch; it’s a little too short for my tastes, and it’s not very clear how to select answers to questions posed by the others trapped in the museum with you to get different endings, and I felt it was perhaps a little too easy. Still, Ib is a delight if you’re looking for a couple of hours to get your horror on.

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip is equal parts derpy and adorable (aderpable?), delivering a steady dose of randomness and coziness over the course of its roughly three-hour playtime. Still, if the charm’s swayed you over, there’s a healthy amount of collectibles to add a couple more hours in. I’ll admit the humor was hit-or-miss, and sometimes the characters didn’t feel all that noteworthy, but chances are the ability to screw around to your heart’s content with no penalties or deaths in this short but sweet sandbox are the real fun to be had. After all, when an NPC flails about when punted with a wrench, it’s awfully hard not to laugh.

Endling – Extinction is Forever is a powerful game. It deftly highlights human greed, corruption, and our unique knack for environmental devastation. At the same time, it offers glimmers of hope and redemption, tiny bright spots that manage to shine through the encroaching darkness. The trials and tribulations of the traumatized fox at the heart of the game will leave your heart aching and bruised, and you’ll be left somehow simultaneously saddened and enraged. Such sorrowful fury is meant to be a powerful motivator: use it.

Lost in Play doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does refine it into something that directly speaks to our inner child. Its juxtaposition of simple point and click storytelling and challenging mini-games makes for a fantastic balance sure to keep things interesting. If you’re ready to explore every corner of your imagination (and then some), Lost in Play is all you’ll need to get started.

NEO: The World Ends With You does a lot right. It provides incredible style and a solid combat system. The story is entertaining, and the characters almost feel like old friends after how much we’ve been through together. Its many systems may seem daunting at first, but they provide a lot for you to chip away at. While I wish it did a better job of respecting the player’s time and that certain elements offered a bit more variety, any fan of the original will want to beat a quick trip to Shibuya. New players will still find a lot to like, but may be better served checking out the original first, or at least watching the anime adaptation released earlier this year.

Botany Manor is a short but sweet exploration experience that serves to lower one’s blood pressure with serene garden sound effects, bright and airy visuals, and a relaxing soundtrack. The perfect game to play in a single sitting or boot up at random when feeling a little frazzled, Botany Manor is an experience that is easy to love and hard to put down until finished. If you’re looking for a Myst-like exploration experience but want one full of nature, whimsy, and peace, look no further than Botany Manor.

Minor issues aside, UnMetal is an absolute winner. With gut-busting writing and a great mix of retro-inspired stealth action enhanced with modern mechanics, it’s a game that warrants a spot in any classic Metal Gear fan’s collection. Here’s hoping this isn’t the last time we get to take control of Jesse Fox. He may not be the action hero we deserve, but he’s the one we need right now.

I had an incredible amount of fun with Samurai Warriors 4 DX and will continue to do so as I go about trying to max out my bonds in the expansive Chronicle mode. While it is undoubtedly a title that shows its age technically, Samurai Warriors 4 DX is a perfect slice of Musou action for anyone craving the simplicity of decades gone by, where you could switch your brain off and bask in the glory of hundreds of enemies being sent flying with very little need to engage the brain. With a massive roster of characters, a generous helping of story content, and a dangerously addictive Chronicle mode, if you previously missed out on Samurai Warriors 4 DX, then this PC release serves as the perfect chance to get in on some classic Musou action.

Ys Origin is an incredibly refreshing game. Featuring characters with incredibly diverse playstyles, simple-yet-challenging combat, and an unmistakably large amount of that tried-and-true Nihon Falcom polish, Ys Origin is not only a celebration of Ys, but of action RPGs as well.

Chicken Police brings a mesmerizing aesthetic to a sexy, scintillating detective story that will surely please any fan of the genre.

I’ve barely scratched the surface on every last amazing detail in Gnosia, but the truth is, this is a game best experienced and explored by the individual. I would be doing a disservice to everyone by explaining any further; if you thought Among Us needed more storyline, mechanics, and a single-player mode and you enjoy beautiful graphics with a compelling story, you absolutely must pick up Gnosia. The fate of the universe rests on your sleuthing skills, lest you become doomed to repeat history again and again and again and again and again…

Honestly, I adored Zet Zillions. Sure, I’m a ways away from fully beating the game, but I also don’t want to stop playing. This is a wonderful rogue-like deckbuilder with zany punk style and a great example of the superb talent of OTA IMON Studio. While some might be dismayed by the overall difficulty and the fact that the game is only available on Steam, I’d say this is still a game fans of the genre absolutely need to play, and which may even convince diehards to finally give into this rogue-like obsession.

Loop Hero is a fascinating roguelike that will excite fans of the genre and entice those burned out by it to come back and fall in love all over again. Its beautiful art style and addictive core loop will cause players to lose track of time, not realizing hours have passed between loops as they slay the day away. Loop Hero could use a few tweaks to make certain aspects more understandable, but in its current state, it is absolutely worth your time and money. Still unconvinced? Download the Loop Hero demo from the game's Steam page. Don't make me keep talking in circles -- be sure to check out Loop Hero as soon as possible.

Despite that, Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer is easy to recommend to fans of the genre. It offers an excellent story that ties back to the original game while expanding Kathy’s world a great deal. There are definitely elements here which feel like they could have supported additional exploration, but what’s here is well-made and slickly presented. Just make sure you play the original game first.

While it is on the short side, what Viewfinder does is remind us that there are still universes of awesome new mechanics and concepts for gaming to explore. The ability to drop a 2D photo’s physical contents into any 3D space at any time and have it work flawlessly is something you have to experience yourself to understand. With gently ambient music, soothingly warm visuals, and a brief but thoroughly worthwhile story, you’ll be effortlessly absorbed into its magical world. Viewfinder has such a unique, well-executed premise, it takes the whole puzzle genre into the darkroom and develops it into something wonderfully new.

If you’re itching for some satisfying wrestling action that has never looked as good as it does here, then don’t hesitate to pick up WWE 2k23, as it truly is championship material.

Welcome to Elk is an important game in that it makes the unimportant worthy of remembering, giving them the same gravitas any celebrity automatically receives. We tell the bad stories because we’re left holding baggage of an unknown weight, but we need to tell the good stories as well — to shine a light against the otherwise dark moments that seemingly act as traumatic bookmarks in life.

Though it can get more than a bit challenging at times, I’d heartily recommend this to any fan of the classics. Even if you don’t appreciate NES games of yore, this is still a tremendous adventure full of mystery and danger. Kudos to Mechanical Head Games on developing Cyber Shadow, and many thanks to Yacht Club for helping it reach its full potential.

While it would be awesome if someone would come along and dethrone Shatter from being the King of the Brick-Breaking genre, the way it once did to games like Arkanoid, for now, it’s still the best this genre has to offer, and it’s great to see it become available on modern platforms. While its upgrades are mostly aesthetic, beneath them, Shatter Remastered Deluxe still somehow feels as immediate as it did thirteen years ago.

While Wargroove 2 doesn’t reinvent so much as it refines, my experience with it was far more positive than with the original. Perhaps it was just removing the weight of expectations. The game’s refined stages, absurd variety, and improved story all help. In the end, though, whatever the reasons, I had a blast returning to the world of Wargroove, and I think anyone who enjoys strategy games will find plenty of reasons to spend an awful lot of hours exploring it.

Tales of Graces f Remastered modernizes a beloved game while preserving the elements that make it a classic. What you’re getting is an all-in-one package that includes fantastic quality-of-life additions, additional story content, and most (sadly not all) previously released DLC content.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores may be more Horizon, but if that’s what you’re looking for, then you’ll be very happy with this new content. With an excellent story, interesting new characters, awesome new weapons, and enemies, as well as some of the most exciting sequences in the entire game, Burning Shores makes Forbidden West an even stronger experience than it already was.

While not the definitive way to play Umurangi Generation, this is still a stunning game. With a unique vision of the future, informed in part by current times, it has a strong message, delivered with fascinating gameplay and unique style. If you have the option to play on PC, I would recommend doing so. If not, however, Umurangi Generation is well worth your time on any platform. This is a deeply felt game tailor-made for our times.

Monomals definitely isn’t for everyone. The platforming is challenging, and the MonoMaker is a bit tough to figure out. But if you’re willing to put in the time to master both aspects of the game, then you’ll find one of the most impressive and creative titles I’ve played on my Switch in years. Add in tons of replayability, including collecting all the coins in each stage and optional time trials, and you have something truly worthwhile. Picomy continues to make incredible and creative games, and I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves next time!

Despite a bit more repetition of songs than I would have liked and the curious lack of a VR mode in a game that seems perfectly designed for it, Fresh Tracks is a blast to play with a killer soundtrack and incredibly well-designed mechanics. Any fan of rhythm games should absolutely check it out.

Episode INTERmission is a consistently fun ride while it lasts, even if much of it doesn’t feel essential. For those who are buying Intergrade on PS5, there’s no reason not to check it out as it’s included. For those playing a PS5 upgrade of the PS4 version, who will have to purchase this episode, things get a bit trickier. I’d recommend it but do keep in mind what you’re getting. Even a completionist will likely blow through this in a few days. As long as you understand what you’re getting, though, I have a hard time imagining anyone who enjoyed Final Fantasy VII Remake not having a great time getting to know Yuffie.

There’s no arguing that GRIME is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful Metroidvanias ever created, and it’s obvious that a lot of love was put into it. Unfortunately, the attempt to create some kind of compromise between Dark Souls and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow created a product that, while still undoubtedly fun, felt a little too lukewarm at times to truly be considered “great.” I think that if certain things got revamped, GRIME could be a totally killer Metroidvania. But, until then, it’ll just be “good.”

It’s hard for me to fault Live A Live too harshly for its ending, though. I’d have been perfectly satisfied if it had simply been seven separate stories, and each of these is well worth playing through even after all these years. There’s so much creativity and joy present that anyone interested in class RPGs owes it to themselves to give it a try.