No Longer Home is a short, sad story about coming to terms with growing up and saying goodbye to college life, friends, and the family we create along the way. Although Ao and Bo must leave their uni flat and the happy memories they’ve created within those four walls behind, they’ll cherish every precious moment spent together. If you’re looking to experience the pain of parting while taking solace in the fact that home is truly where the heart is, No Longer Home will scratch that melancholy itch.

Despite its engaging concept and moments of brilliance, the game is held back by these shortcomings, making it a journey of both delight and disappointment. This ultimately leaves Phantom Abyss feeling like a treasure chest that’s only partially filled – it has its share of gems that shine brightly yet leaves enough space to make you wonder about the treasures that could have been.

Paper Mario deserves better. The prestige of a Final Fantasy veteran appropriating his magic onto a handicraft world deserves better. The unforgettable wit and lovable cast expanding Mario lore deserves better. And we know that Intelligent Systems can do better than committing themselves to a misguided identity crisis.

With the making of footage in Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition underwhelming, the major selling point of this release is having access to a lot of different versions of one 30-year-old game. When the game is as fun as Rayman is that still doesn’t make for a bad package, particularly with the inclusion of all the extra level packs released in the years after it came out, but it can’t help but feel disappointing compared to many of Digital Eclipse’s stronger efforts.

Please learn from your mistakes in this game, Compile Heart. Death end re;Quest 2 shows that you’re truly capable of making a great horror game, but also that you aren’t there just yet.

Tribes of Midgard is trying to do a lot and implements some new and interesting mechanics in the process; unfortunately, the balancing and day/night cycle could use a little ironing out before it’s worthy of Valhalla. Still, it deserves your time and attention now, especially if you’re a fan of swiftly getting a system down perfectly and don’t mind repeatedly dying in an effort to achieve that. Once Tribes of Midgard comes into its own — and it will — it’s safe to say it’ll be a pretty addicting experience.

Syberia: The World Before is a very mixed bag. With wonderful characters, terrific sights, and a beautiful story, there’s a lot to recommend about it. Unfortunately, that story relies far too much on happenstance, and the more you think about it, the less it makes sense, but if you can suspend your disbelief and just go with it, you’ll find a game that will please long term fans of the series and create some new fans as well.

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that Moons of Darsalon is a horrible game. It’s not, but I really wish the indie developer had put in more time streamlining the game mechanics instead of programming snarky one-liners for my crew. If you can absorb the complex controls and manage your finicky teammates, you’ll find an enjoyable puzzle-platformer here. But for those looking for a fast and smooth experience, you might want to look elsewhere.

If you’re thirsting for a difficult slash-'em-up platformer game Bloodrayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites will most definitely satisfy. With increasingly difficult stages and combat, this is a game meant for hardcore fans of the genre. Combine that formidable challenge with eye-popping 2D visuals, quality sound, and fast-paced, addicting gameplay, and this 8-hour slashfest is a blast to play. It just lacks a truly engaging story.

There’s no denying that Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin has its unintentionally awkward moments when it comes to the story, but at its core it’s a solid experience from both a gameplay standpoint and in terms of how it links back to the entire Final Fantasy universe. In fact, fans of the franchise will certainly be blindsided by nostalgia when it comes to music and settings, so I encourage newcomers to the series to try a few of the mainline entries first if they want to get the most out of this one. As for me, I found myself enjoying Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin in the same way that I enjoyed Final Fantasy X-2: preferring combat to story. Simply put, as long as you set your expectations accordingly, you’ll have a good time.

Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust is a narratively enticing piece of DLC whose tiny explorable area and lackluster magic system might scare away those looking for a follow-up with a little more oomph. It’s also worth noting that the very end of the DLC sequel baits hard. And, while I’m not sure that Frey’s second journey will ever come to fruition (I’m very aware of everything that’s been going on), In Tanta We Trust, despite its flaws, did help me to look forward to that Forspoken follow-up… if and when it happens.

As a whole, Anuchard is a fun game. It’s quirky, it’s perfectly pixely, and it combines city building and dungeon crawling surprisingly well. Unfortunately, the game gets bogged down by repetition, repetition, repetition. Even when puzzle-solving elements build off the fundamentals, it just isn’t enough of a change to the mechanics to keep it from eventually starting to feel like a slog. While undoubtedly a solid game, Anuchard is unfortunately just a little too mired in the past.

With more polish and perhaps a bigger budget, FORECLOSED could have been a must-play techno-thriller. As it stands, it's a killer proof of concept that just misses the mark when it comes to nailing the fundamentals. Still, if you like the sound of a neo-noir adventure that hits like a strange fusion of Max Payne and Cyberpunk 2077, you'll certainly find that here.

MLB The Show 22 continues to offer a solid baseball game that is a lot of fun to play. San Diego Studio has the basics down, and while they iterate on them each year, they don’t break what’s working. When so much around the core gameplay has grown stagnant, though, and players are being pushed to spend so much ongoing money to have the best experience, it becomes a lot harder to recommend to all but the die-hards.

Arboria is what I’d like to call a “status quo” game—as in it fits in with the current “gaming climate” (or whatever you want to call it) very nicely, but fails to make any kind of a splash. You play games like these because they’re already made up of components with which you’re comfortable, and, as a result, end up cozying up to said new game with relative ease. It’s not a bad thing to like, or even create games like these (several of my personal favorites fall into this category as well!), but, without that special “drive” to go the extra distance, you’ve already gone as far as you can go before things have even gotten started with that. Simply put, Arboria‘s just fine—and that’s all there is to it.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Edition clearly alleviates and improves upon many of the grievances it suffered from in the original release, but some of those glaring problems are still there. Nonetheless, the game offers an engaging Lovecraftian narrative filled with gorgeous artwork and interesting characters bound to keep Metroidvania fans entertained. Just know that there are much better ones out there.

I wouldn’t immediately recommend Lost Ruins in the way that I might with other Metroidvanias, but it’s still a fun time overall. If you’re looking for a different kind of Metroidvania and don’t mind intentionally awkward controls, then give Lost Ruins a try. It’s honestly a nice feeling when you get all the way through it.

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.”

Omno will provide most players with three or four pleasant hours. Despite a few frustrating moments, I really enjoyed most of my time with it. For a short game though, which doesn’t do much new and which doesn’t quite reach the level of similar titles like Journey or Arise, that can make for an uneasy recommendation. That’s the joy of Game Pass, though. When considering what to spend your money on, a few pleasant hours may or may not be enough. For those who can play it for no extra cost however, that makes this an easy game to check out. Players on other platforms may need to think about whether this is the right title for them, but Game Pass subscribers should give Omno a chance. I think you’ll be happy you did so.

While the concept of Parry Nightmare is novel and fun when things are going well, it can also be very irritating. Combining the massive challenge with a UI that isn’t cleaner and more precise, it makes this game hard to recommend to everyone. But if you’re willing to take a shot on something unique, you really can’t go wrong, especially at the game’s incredibly low price point.

Despite my issues with the game, I really did enjoy New Pokémon Snap. Even after completing the game’s storyline, there’s still a ton more to do after the credits roll. To this old Pokémon fan, this is a must-own title. If you love photographing wild creatures and exploring a vibrant new region, this is the game for you. And if you really want to feel like you’re a budding photographer, play the game using the optional motion controls, swinging the Switch around like a giant camera. Now to spend hours and hours more to fill out my Photodex and unearth all the secrets of the Lental region.

Is a fairly solid beat ’em up paying homage to the greatest of Kevin Smith’s greatest gags worth a full fifteen dollars? While the enjoyment of it seems a bit situational, if you’re a fan of Smith’s comedy hijinks and want a playable museum of his best, I’d say that fifteen’s worth it. While the challenge is there and the combat satisfies, it doesn’t strive to make any new ground in the genre, other than a couple of tricky levels inspired by games of the era it aims to imitate. This is perfectly fine because it does all that it needs to with what it is, a simple NES throwback with some 90’s movie flair that thrives for nostalgia in more ways than one.

I’m in awe of Ooblets; it managed to take several distinct and highly developed mechanics and make sure each one was deeply complex instead of a cheap afterthought. The farming portion satisfies, the card-based, turn-based dance battles are addicting, and the task management system keeps players busy, busy, busy. It’s unfortunate that progress still feels like it’s moving at a snail’s pace, but at least there are cute lil ooblets to show for it. If all you want to do is dance (and farm, and forage, and cook, and shop, and…), then Ooblets challenges you to take control of your formerly toot life and make it an awesome one.

I had a lot of fun during my time with Blue Reflection: Second Light. A colorful world filled with interesting characters and some of my favorite JRPG combat in a long time makes for a consistently entertaining play. I just wish the main story ever really became interesting. As a slice of life RPG, Second Light succeeds. As an apocalyptic epic, though, it falls short. This leaves a total package that lies somewhere in the middle.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Crime Opera. The story is mature and intense, but filtered through the eyes of children and adolescents. The framing is unique, while the story asks readers to grapple with difficult subjects. With multiple endings based on the choices you make, and the promise of five more entries in the series, there’s plenty to draw you in. Honestly, the only thing holding the game back is a few questionable design choices. If those are resolved in the next entry, I think we’re looking at a very promising series.

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.

Coffee Noir goes down like a warm cup of coffee — black, of course, no cream or sugar. It builds a coffee-based Post-Warpunk world full of mystery and intrigue, the setting something I’d absolutely love to see explored more in future titles. Its blend of noir mystery and sales/business management is certainly something new, the concepts executed competently with a bold, rich flavor. And, for all the concerned noir fans out there, it does indeed end on a bitter note — just like an espresso. If you love to get lost in a good vintage murder mystery and think you have what it takes to grow a coffee empire, Coffee Noir will provide that caffeinated challenge for you.

In the end, I’m not sure we needed another R-Type, but I still enjoyed R-Type Final 2. For your money, you get a ton of content and lots of challenge. While I still fervently hope they patch the issues I pointed out, such as the unskippable intro and end credits, the base game is still solid. If you’re an Irem fanboy that is looking for the next great shmup, this is probably a safe choice.