I really was hoping to score METALLIC CHILD more highly. It’s a fun and challenging game full of heart and creativity. But ultimately, the various poor design choices and outright glitches I encountered kept if from a better score. That said, the game is still well worth the price of admission and has plenty to keep you coming back for more. If you’re a fan of rogue-likes and want something new to spend some time with, I’d check METALLIC CHILD out.

With its kooky animal-battle royale concept, fast and addictive gameplay loop, and fair monetization systems, it’s difficult to not have fun with Super Animal Royale. Pixile Games has crafted a title that feels like a breath of fresh air in a genre that never seems to stop churning out new entries. Even if you’re like me, and sometimes shy away from battle royale games due to their inaccessibility, this is title definitely worth checking out. You never know, as with me, you may find yourself stumbling across a new obsession.

Having finally experienced the macabre world of Corpse Party, and crept through the cursed halls of Heavenly Host Elementary, I can honestly say that Corpse Party (2021) ranks up there with my favorite horror games of all time. The trial and error gameplay may frustrate some. However, the incredible writing and rewarding exploration make this a must-play for horror fans this Halloween.

I had an absolute blast with GigaBash. Despite this, solo players need not apply. There just isn’t enough content here to justify the investment. Still, that’s not who GigaBash was made for and for the target audience, Passion Republic Games have delivered. If you regularly have friends to play with, there are few games released this year I would say are more worthy of your time and money.

Ten Dates features strong writing sold by actors that genuinely embodied their parts. There were quite a few surprises in the non-linear path to love — some that made me think twice about a candidate before veering off to another — which was embraced by the gameplay and encouraged multiple playthroughs. Although the weighting of the questions wasn’t entirely clear, that didn’t stop me from having a lovely time. If you’re tired of looking for love in all the wrong places, Ten Dates has plenty of singles ready to mingle.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is yet another excellent offering from the masters of horror at Supermassive Games. While not every facet of its choose-your-own-adventure style narrative works, its compelling cast of characters and immense replayability will keep you coming back for more. I’ve played through the game twice in the past week, and I’m already dying to return to the underground with four friends to experience Movie Night mode. If that’s not a testament to the game’s lasting power, then I don’t know what is.

While The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution doesn’t squash all the bugs that festered within the Meta Quest 2 release last year, it’s a significant improvement that fans of the series should check out; just don’t go in expecting a full-on sequel. With its fantastic, physics-based brawls that make excellent use of the PSVR2’s Sense controllers, sending the undead back to the grave has never felt better. If you’re a fan of the series or survival horror games (with an emphasis on survival) in general, this one’s worth adding to your PSVR2 library.

Evil Dead: The Game is an experience that oozes with an appreciation of the source material from every pore, whilst also providing a gameplay experience that delivers fun and frights in spades. For players looking to dig deep into character progression and team compositions, there’s an absolute wealth of content available to progress through and experiment with. Whilst the teething issues when it comes to balance cannot be ignored, even these struggle to prevent me from hopping back in given how much fun can still be had, despite the need for Saber Interactive to create a more even playing field. If you love asymmetrical multiplayer or the Evil Dead, then grab those boomsticks, you won’t be disappointed.

Where Cards Fall has a uniquely interesting puzzle mechanic with a melancholy vibe that will please those who love to feel their way through a title. While the story is difficult to grasp, those who prefer puzzles over story won’t mind that too much, as the puzzles themselves are the driving force behind the game and more than make up for any perceived issues. If you’re looking for something familiar with a novel twist, play your cards right with Where Cards Fall.

While Mahokenshi definitely reminds me of Castle Morihisa, its pacing and balance is a bit better than that unfortunate adventure. Keep in mind this is very much still a challenging and sometimes brutal game, and you’ll have to grind quite a bit to get through every mission. That said, it’s a game with a creative premise, attractive artwork, and many ways to strategize. If you’re at all a fan of deckbuilders and don’t mind some occasional difficulty spikes, I’d definitely check Mahokenshi out.

Those issues aside, though, I truly adored Sigma Star Saga DX. It’s fun, full of great characters and storytelling, and it’s a wholly unique hybrid of top-down exploration and Shmup combat. I enjoyed this adventure so much that I truly hope we get a modern sequel. For everyone who missed out on this adventure the first time around, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. It’s one of the very best games published by WayForward.

While its lack of optimization and frequent glitches occasionally crashed the party like an enemy hand grenade, Metal Slug Tactics‘ fast-paced, feature-rich combat and wealth of unlockable content kept me coming back for more. If you’re a fan of the franchise with a love for classic PS1 SRPGs like Vandal Hearts and Final Fantasy Tactics, then this is a fight worth enlisting in – even if it’s a patch or two away from reaching its full potential.

Just in case I haven’t made it clear enough, Souldiers is absolutely a modern-day classic. It’s also in the running for my favorite game of 2022—it’s really just that good. Between its engaging level design, gorgeous visual appearance, addictive combat mechanics, and its class-based system giving it three times the replaybility… you really owe it to yourself to get this game if you consider yourself a Metroidvania fan.

Despite not feeling good about the way this collection has released, and the collection itself feeling like a cash-in more than a celebration of Wonder Boy, there are some excellent games present in Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection. While the two best games in the package have excellent modern remakes, playing the rest of these games is worthwhile, as is seeing the original versions of these classics. This isn’t a release for every player, certainly, but if you’ve yet to check out the series, Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection offers a thorough introduction.

It’s pretty criminal how much I haven’t been able to discuss in this review; Bugsnax is an absolute treat of a game that should please anyone who fondly remembers Ape Escape, Pokemon Snap, or Viva Pinata. I haven’t been this glued to a game for a long time, feeling that sustained, high level of enjoyment from start to finish. So chart a course for Snaktooth Island today and discover its Bugsnax — you won’t be disappointed.

Combined with the lack of balance, overly complex mechanics, and brutal CPU opponents, ultimately, I found plenty of roadblocks to my enjoyment in Battle Train. I wanted the art, humor, and overall play experience to mesh better. But sadly, it’s just one deckbuilder that’s hard for this fan to recommend.

Backbone gets off to a great start and it definitely has a lot to say. Great visuals and a stunning soundtrack made me want to give it the benefit of the doubt, to ignore its issues. As it goes on though, Backbone loses everything that made it interesting in its early hours. What replaces it is so different that its hardly even the same game. Different doesn’t have to mean bad, but the changes and ideas thrown around in the second half are too underdeveloped to overlook. Perhaps a sequel can allow the development team to further delve into its many themes. I liked enough of Backbone that for most of its running time I was enjoying myself. In its current state though, it’s hard to enthusiastically recommend.

The Silver Case 2425 may contain some of SUDA51’s oldest work, but that doesn’t stop it from feeling like a fun, fresh, and (appropriately) frightening experience for those who have yet to play it (and even those who already have!). If you haven’t delved into the world of SUDA51 and want to check this game out, just know that you’ll be getting into something wonderful and weird, and that it’s not going to be your fault if you find yourself not understanding everything at first. And if you DO know what SUDA51 is all about… well, then, enjoy.

Gamedec seems to show exactly how far you can pare down a cRPG, stripping away some of the deeper mechanics to streamline a tabletop-inspired experience. Those new to the genre will enjoy this opportunity to get their feet wet, while established veterans will feel this virtual “one-shot” campaign was executed succinctly. If you love cyberpunk detective stories and want something that will absolutely suck you in for 10 – 20 hours, you can’t go wrong with Gamedec.

Boyfriend Dungeon is a good example of a great, unique game that’s an awesome experience in spite of its flaws. It’s by no means a perfect game. Boyfriend Dungeon has incredible character development, tackles difficult subject matter, has absolutely gorgeous artwork and a killer soundtrack, and is more than addicting enough to get you going back for more and more. And that’s in spite of the lackluster, repetitive, and limited dungeon crawling options available to you. It’s quite unlike any game I’ve ever played, in the best of ways.

Even if you don’t like onions, Onion Assault is a well-crafted and polished little game that’s worthy of your time.

Compared to what people experience in today’s gaming scene, Shadow Man Remastered might not seem like much, but after spending a little bit of time with it, it’s easy to see why it was brought back and made better than ever. Despite any of its flawed “N64-ness,” Shadow Man Remastered is a legitimately fun adventure at its core, with plenty to offer to its player base. Sure, it may get a little repetitive and backtrack-y at times, but, given that the game is several decades old at this point, I’d say that it’s absolutely withstood the test of time when everything’s been said and done.

If you’re looking for more brilliantly brutal gunplay and satisfying supernatural shootouts, Outriders: Worldslayer delivers the goods. But there’s a solid chance your mileage will vary depending on what you hope to get out of the DLC. If you love fine-tuning your builds and tackling the highest World Tiers, Worldslayer will keep you glued to your controller for the foreseeable future. However, if you’re the type of player who’s strictly in it for the campaign and quest lines, you’ll probably want to wait for it to go on sale before pulling that trigger.

Sunday Gold is an intriguing mix of genres that really does a good job at capturing the intensity of a criminal crew going on a high-stakes heist. Sadly, its breakneck pace is often slowed down by too many puzzles that require tedious pixel-hunting to progress. Nonetheless, it’s well worth persevering for the stylishly presented story and exciting capers. If your cup of tea is cyberpunk cockneys havin’ a right laugh uncovering labyrinthine conspiracies and making a few bob in the process, then you’d best have it, my son.

It’s not hard to recommend TOHU — if you love busy, hand-drawn environments and puzzles that will really make you rack your brain for solutions, this is absolutely up your alley. It may have elevated my blood pressure for the few hours I spent with it, but I don’t regret the shortening of my lifespan in the slightest. If you gave this short but sweet little gem one glance and immediately thought fondly of Machinarium, I don’t have to tell you twice that TOHU was made for you. Be sure to pick it up on your puzzle platform of choice as soon as possible.

All things considered, though, I still had a lot of fun playing Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege. It’s a great ode to many classic NES series that plays like it was made during that era, which I suspect is the point. While the hint system is annoying and the bosses were a mixed bag, this is still a great adventure that any fan of retro games should enjoy.

There are times when I really did start to feel like I was getting Akka Arrh, that I was so close to slipping into that state of bliss the best arcade games can provide. Inevitably though, some new mechanic would show up and knock me right out of it. That’s not to say I didn’t have fun with Akka Arrh, it’s an incredibly interesting game worth a look from fans of classic arcade games and fans of Jeff Minter, but the same issues that kept that original prototype from the 80s from seeing the light of day are still present and stop it from being a must-play.

Aeon Drive isn't a perfect game, but it has a lot going for it. It features precise platforming, lush graphics, and an interesting premise. Sure the plot isn't as well-realized as I hoped, and the game even ends on a serious cliffhanger ending (again), but I still think this is an adventure that fans of the original will enjoy. It's different, but not in any ways that hurt my enjoyment. Here's hoping 2Awesome Studio keeps up the good work, and that this isn't the last we've heard of Jack and V.E.R.A.