I really want to emphasize that no matter what score I give, respect should be given to any developer striking it out solo, with Alex being no exception. The visuals are damn good-looking for an indie effort, and the core gameplay is shockingly solid for being a blend of FTL and XCOM. I see so much room for a game like this to grow and develop, and I’d even go as far as to say I’d gladly go another round if there were a few fixes for the lack of checkpoints, laggy ship transitions, and a bit more depth added to the gameplay. Sadly, Space Cats Tactics in its current form doesn’t stray much farther from general tactics roots, and the characters, while cute for the first few minutes, don’t evolve much more from there, either. If you can work around that and some rather irksome bugs and glitches, I really do encourage giving this a run for being something rather unique in its field, if not to give some support to a solo dev that really has passion put in his project.

Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Myth Infinite Combate has a lot of problems, but it’s nowhere near being the worst game that I’ve ever played. If you’re looking for a content-rich dungeon-crawler, then you’ll probably want to pass on this one. There are better dungeon-crawlers out there. However, if you consider yourself to be a fan of the series and really want to experience it in a new and unique way, then picking this up still might be worth your time.

There’s the brutalized skeleton of a good survival horror game buried within Remothered: Broken Porcelain. The story is excellent and will stick with me for years to come. It’s just a shame that for everything the game does right when it comes to its gameplay and storytelling, a severe lack of polish and poor optimization never fail to emerge from the shadows to murder any hopes you had of having a good time.

For everything that goes wrong for it I will admit that there is a lot of promise in The Uncertain: Light At The End if it actually worked right. The frustrations between the game-breaking mechanics and inconsistent saves make it borderline unplayable. But if that could be fixed and optimized, the story might feel more compelling. Especially if they added better facial work into the characters. I will say that the beautiful pixelated backdrops and set pieces are the best things about this game, but with a couple of big improvements, the whole experience might feel salvageable too.

I think there’s a solid game here under all the technical issues, but it’s hard to say. XEL’s combat and time-based puzzles are satisfying, the setting and narrative are engaging, and its aesthetically charming. But until those issues are addressed, XEL is largely unplayable. I’ve spent way more time dealing with those issues than I have playing the game. I’d like to revisit it in the future, assuming it gets fixed.

This dark depiction of Beauty and the Beast works, but only if you recognize what you’re getting into: a musical experience focusing on an abused psyche desperately trying to break free from known shackles, only to fly right into a cage that represents both prison and freedom.

Gleamlight doesn’t feel finished. Had there been even the smallest amount of text or UI, I honestly feel like this would have been a more enjoyable experience despite the other issues; if anything, those issues were heightened simply due to the lack of critical components. I love what the developer had in terms of concept, but as far as execution goes, Gleamlight unfortunately fell flat. You can find far better 2D sidescrollers for less money; unless the developer makes some sorely-needed improvements, it’s probably best to let Gleamlight fall into darkness.

If you really need a new retro-inspired FPS that’ll get your blood pumping, I’d recommend picking up Post Void instead. While it might not offer the same kind of horror that Connection Haunted tries to capture, at least it scratches that classic PC shooter itch while giving you a reason to keeping coming back for more.

Apparition is yet another example of a game being good in concept but bad in execution. I truly wanted to like this game. There are some really neat concepts, the ouiji board is fun to play around with, and the idea of only being able to bring along certain pieces of equipment could make for a grand, albeit nerve-wracking, time. Unfortunately, instead of the game that Apparition could have been, we got what essentially amounts to a slightly more developed Slenderman clone. The moral of the story: don’t’ ever assume that a game will be good just because it sounds like it should be.

Overall, Red Colony is a fun game, but not a great game. I think if the dialogue was polished up, if the weapon system was rebalanced some, and if the puzzles were just a little more challenging, this game could have been something special. Like a house in need of work, it’s got solid bones. It just needs to be spruced up a bit. As it stands, you can beat the game in under 3 hours. I was entertained during my hours with the game, and I got several enjoyable jolts of adrenaline for my troubles. If you can look past the flaws, I think you’ll find an enjoyable experience.

Utterly shambolic in almost every way, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an abject failure as a stealth and traversal game, continuously tripping over itself with technical incompetence to such an extent it’s virtually impossible to recommend. Featuring monotonous climbing and sneaking mechanics, cheap deaths from heights akin to a paddling pool, a boring structure, plain and uninteresting characters, a host of technical blemishes, mostly-poor visuals, a woodpecker-quality soundtrack, and an overall dismal and trying experience, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is absolutely atrocious. Much like its protagonist, it’s a cursed product that should be cast into the smoldering fires of Mount Doom.

Unless you’re willing to wade through plenty of creepiness and tedious attempts at dating advice to laugh at Richard’s oddball antics, I wouldn’t recommend a purchase here. Richard LaRuina sees himself as a master of the art of pick up, but Super Seducer 3 is a game you’ll probably want to put down.

If Postal 4: No Regerts was released 15 years ago it would just be buggy, ugly and dumb. Since it’s released today, it’s also very dated in its lame scatological humor. With an endless focus on making you do tedious errands, it can take a while before you get to the actual homicidal mania, and when you do, it’s a janky, repetitive letdown. Unless you’re the world’s biggest fan of poop and penis jokes, Postal 4: No Regerts is as much fun as watching someone laugh at their own farts.

As a massive fan of the games that inspired it, it seemed to me like Dead Drop Studios was poised to deliver something special. Unfortunately, the scariest thing about this game is just how unfinished it feels. From its rampant bugs and performance problems to its uninteresting main story, the game is so bad it borders on parody, making it all but impossible to recommend to even the most scare-starved survival horror fans.

Though in some regards it shows its age, mostly by design in the form of unit management and not having much in the way of a story, Herzog Zwei is an overall brilliant RTS. It’s not only fun and engaging to play; it holds a fair amount of historical significance as well in its guiding of the genre overall. M2 and Sega have done a bang-up job of refining this classic for the SEGA AGES line, and though this is apparently the final release in the series, I think it is a great game to end on. If you have a Genesis and a Switch but aren’t too keen on spending 90 USD or more on a copy, I’d consider this release. If you have a 16-bit RTS itch that needs to be scratched, you will be very satisfied with Herzog Zwei.

If you can look past the idea of dating a cat running for the highest political office in the USA and enjoy dad jokes, you’ll definitely want to vote for this little indie gem.

Disgaea 4‘s time as top dog has come and gone, but Disgaea 4 Complete+ ensures that this wonderfully wacky tactical RPG will be anything but forgotten. Between the polished combat, loads of extras packed into the game, and the amazingly well-written story and characters, it’s hard not to fall in love with a game like this.

A realistic narrative that builds a unique yet somehow familiar setting, Home: A Quarantine Story will softly resonate with anyone who can’t decide if their heart is with the home they’ve made for themselves or the home they grew up in. I’ll admit it doesn’t look like games I’m normally drawn to, but it’d be a mistake to judge this visual novel by its graphics.

RPG Maker MV for the PS4 is about what you would expect — quite possibly the best program for non-programmers to make video games with but on a medium clearly not made for it. Granted, the developers did their best, and it shows — truly — but there were limitations the team simply could not get around, like a controller instead of a keyboard and mouse and the inability to sell games that I find to be a let down. I can recommend RPG Maker MV for the PS4, but not over the PC version; still, it’s better than not having the title at all, so if you’ve been curious about trying your hand at game-making, let that curiosity get the best of you. Whether it be on PC or PS4, consider getting RPG Maker MV today (in that order).

Yuppie Psycho Executive Edition may not be the scariest game you’ll play all year, but it’ll probably be one of the most scintillating stories of corporate culture gone rancid ever told. Of all the games I’ve played in 2020, this is the one that most deserves to be turned into a movie, and I would watch it repeatedly even though I’m a massive baby. Young James Spader should also be there, but I digress; Yuppie Psycho Executive Edition deserves to be experienced in any medium, and not picking this title up will haunt you for the rest of your gaming days.

I was genuinely surprised with where Cover Your Eyes went as a story. The pacing escalates rather well and imitates the best of the Silent Hill and Resident Evil series. Challenging as it was initially, I actually grew to actually enjoy the old school 2D shooter gameplay by the game’s end, as the developer did a great job of bringing this all together. The game is definitely a playful take on survival horror, with a surprisingly original ending I don’t think most people will see coming.

Powertris has a solid concept. It does. And playing it on iOS proved that it works. But something got lost in translation when moving to the Nintendo Switch, and unless you’re a diehard Tetris fan who really needs something different to learn how to master, I can’t see the appeal. If you’re remotely interested in the title, grab it on mobile first for a test run; otherwise, it’s best to lay these pipes to rest.

I was genuinely surprised by how engaging Iratus: Lord of the Dead was, and Wrath of the Necromancer expansion only added to the game’s depth. I can honestly say I thoroughly loved the experience all the way through, so much that I took as much time as possible to go through everything that I could. Overall, this strategic, dungeon-crawling rogue-like offers one of the most refreshing protagonists out there. His crude and snarky commentary made my exploration and battles all the more entertaining. After spending hours and hours playing Iratus: Wrath of the Necromancer, I never once found myself bored.

I hope she’s ok is a walking simulator off the beaten path that is a learning experience as much as it is an enjoyable, atmospheric one. I had a great time with I hope she’s ok, playing it three times to completion to ensure I had seen everything there was to offer. This, of course, was followed by googling all the traditional touches I had encountered and learning tons of new things about Finnish culture and folklore.

Despite the clunky combat, I can say without a doubt you can easily lose track of time while immersed in Raji: An Ancient Epic‘s pleasing aesthetics. As you explore its vibrant world, the spectacle and the splashes of Hindu legends and lore more than make up for the slightly sub-par skirmishes. Taking everything into consideration, I quite enjoyed everything Nodding Heads Games’ action-adventure title had to offer. Drenched in a lavish, mystic experience, this is one grand adventure that is recommended for any fan of the genre.

I did really enjoy my time with Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Definitive Edition. It’s challenging, engaging, looks great, and is above all else fun. The soundtrack is phenomenally good, the controls are tight, and the dynamic difficulty makes it easy to pick up, but equally tough to master. The variety of ships with quick-changing loadouts and vast amount of secrets coupled with challenges and high score boards offer mountains of replayability. It’s quite the package for a low cost of entry.

I don’t hate Green Hell, but I do lament what it could have been. I went into the game with an open mind and a willingness to try things out. Sadly, the lack of coherent direction and awkward controls made the game overly difficult. While I’m not adverse to challenge, it is a nitpick of mine to get lost due to sloppy design. I honestly hope Creepy Jar takes my notes constructively and uses them to make their next game a masterpiece. Sadly, this particular entry is quite hard to recommend.

Overall the sheer jump in quality has made me genuinely enjoy the game in its entirety. And with one more piece of content set to be released, I can’t wait to see what’s next for Goku and Vegeta as they push further towards godly heights. So if you’re a DRAGON BALL franchise fanatic like me, don’t hesitate to get your hands on A New Power Awakens Part 2.