Fate/Samurai Remnant is a must-play for fans of the Fate franchise and worth checking out for anyone who loves a good anime-style game. I can’t say it’ll win over all musou fans due to its focus on storytelling slowing the pacing, but I suspect it may convince those who typically shy away from musou games to give it a second look. In the very least, Fate/Samurai Remnant has a cool premise with fun characters that develop and grow as the story progresses, so if you’ve already had your eye on this one, you shouldn’t be disappointed.

Dai’s video game debut may not feature the same level of robustness as its core series counterparts, but, as an action-based anime spin-off, it’s an absolute delight. Whether you’ve been following the anime or manga, or just consider yourself to be a Dragon Quest fan, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure offers an all-around good time.

Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition is a lovingly made restoration of a cult favourite FPS title that significantly improves the source material. However, it can’t hide how fundamentally dated and limited the core design is. It just doesn’t stand the test of time like Doom or other classic 90’s shooters. Nonetheless, old-school FPS fans, and those looking for a shooter that doesn’t take itself too seriously, will be pleased and punch with this truly definitive version of Rise of the Triad.

While I do feel its balancing could have used some work, and the overly busy visuals can sometimes make the action indecipherable, Jets'n'Guns 2 is tough to put down once it gets its hooks in you and you learn to look past its occasional shortcomings. With its excellent presentation and an upgrade system that encourages experimentation and careful planning, this one's easy to recommend to shmup junkies looking for a challenge.

One Military Camp is a solid, if somewhat safe, base builder that makes crafting your own base and developing your own army a genuinely entertaining affair. There’s a real satisfaction to be had in finally landing on the perfect base and developing squads of soldiers that stand the best chance of surviving certain missions. It’s a shame, then, that an overreliance on manually managing your troops and base, and the lack of any interactive missions or battles, leaves it currently feeling like a bit of a missed opportunity, and somewhat half-baked. That being said, with such a solid foundation, there is definitely fun to be had for fans of the genre, and with a few more content updates that would hopefully address some of the quality-of-life issues while fleshing out some of the more passive elements, One Military Camp has the potential to be something special.

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is a fun action RPG whose portable origins shine through for better and worse. While definitely fun, its story and gameplay can feel a tad slight at times, especially as the game goes on. Still, fans of Falcom’s other titles will find a lot of what they love about the developer’s work here and should absolutely give The Legend of Nayuta a shot.

For a game that’s supposedly Rune Factory-adjacent, I’ve got to say that I feel a little let down here. Between its engaging premise, large cast of playable characters, and emphasis on crafting, Silent Hope offers a lot to players but never really goes anywhere interesting with it. As a fan of both Marvelous and Rune Factory, I know that this developer is capable of creating games with plenty of depth. Ironically, however, the game about literally exploring a near-endless abyss isn’t one of them. The game does have its charms, to be sure, but the sheer amount of potentially cool things that it could have done (and didn’t do) left me feeling more frustrated than anything.

It’s rare for a sequel to be better than the original. It’s even rarer for it to so eclipse it that they feel like completely different species. Nevertheless, that’s the magic trick that Cyber Citizen Shockman 2: A New Menace pulls off. It’s a beautiful retro adventure full of great artwork and amazing music, with lots of accessibility options to make it a bit easier. While the goofy story is nothing to write home about, it’s a great adventure and a tribute to a lost era of Japanese-only videogames. If you’re a fan of game history or just enjoy platformers, be sure to check this one out.

Despite the overarching story not fully coming together, however, I had a great time with Europa’s Folly. It’s an action-packed, fast-moving conclusion that takes the time to give most of the game’s cast a moment to shine and satisfies from a character perspective. I’d mostly say the same about The Expanse: A Telltale Story as a whole. While the game definitely has pacing issues, and parts of its story feel like they’re mostly there to fill time, its cast of characters is brought to life in a way that made me look forward to returning to them every couple of weeks. It’s not a perfect return from Telltale, but it leaves me excited to see where the studio goes next, and hoping we get to see more of this crew.

Chants of Sennaar is beautifully designed from the ground up. With a fantastic look, beautiful music, and unique gameplay almost entirely focused on translating various languages, there’s nothing like it on the market. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, you’re almost certainly right that it will be. If you’re like me, though, and barely managed to squeak through foreign language classes in school by memorizing what you needed for the next test, Chants of Sennaar likely isn’t for you.

El Paso, Elsewhere stands as a testament to what indie games can achieve. While it borrows elements from giants, it carves its unique identity, blending retro aesthetics, a gripping narrative, and a hip-hop soundtrack into a cohesive experience. Its shortcomings, though present, don’t overshadow its achievements. The game offers a haunting journey through its surreal world, making it a memorable title in the third-person shooter genre. As the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but appreciate the game’s effort to be more than just another shooter—it’s an earnest triumph that breathes freshness into a sea of familiarity.

TY the Tasmanian Tiger 4: Bush Rescue Returns is a fun adventure on Nintendo Switch, albeit a flawed and inconsistent one. It took me 5 to 6 hours to beat, and there’s plenty more bonus content to unlock, including a ton of silly optional costumes. While I enjoyed my time with the game, the wonky platforming, simplified combat and annoying boss battles all held it back from more. That said, if you’re a fan of platformers and want to check out a silly, Aussie story, then it’s still worth picking the game up.

Horizon Chase 2 is, in its most distilled form, the perfect modern arcade racer. Its mechanics are scaled back but refined, the drop-in/drop-out multiplayer works well and never fails to excite, and the game has just enough customization to make every racer feel at home behind the wheel. While I’d love to see some more cheeky references thrown in to add to the fun and the game could certainly benefit from some DLC tracks down the road, it’s nevertheless filled to the brim with a charm and a love-letter to classic coin-op racers that’ll keep fans coming back for a long while. If arcades were still around and prevalent, Horizon Chase 2 would be my cabinet of choice any day of the week.

Moonstone Island is easily going to become the favorite game of many. When people rattle off games they’ve dumped an insane amount of hours into, Moonstone Island will fall somewhere between Stardew Valley and Potion Permit. While I do think there are a few aspects that are objectively holding it back (and a few that are subjectively distracting), the fixes to those issues are a few quality of life updates away. At the end of the day, Moonstone Island has done more than given players a chance at capturing cute creatures — it’s given them a chance to capture pure magical whimsy.

Osyaberi! Horijyo! Gekihori: Anna Holinski Saves The Universe, Alright?! is an absolutely crazy Shmup that reminds me of games long past. It’s colorful, hectic, and full of unlockable content and additional modes to keep you playing. If you’re a fan of games that don’t hold back, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here.

Ultimately, those who do pick up Taito Milestones 2 will find some fun games included, but the best of these titles deserve more than such a barebones release.

Hellsweeper VR, with its ambitious design and promise of an intense, infernal combat experience, positions itself as a potential standout in the VR space. It teases players with the allure of an underworld filled with challenges, unique mechanics, and the thrill of mastering both melee and magic in tandem. But more often than not, its execution stumbles, falling short of the high bar it sets for itself.

Phantom Liberty almost feels like a celebration – CD Projekt Red bowing out on an amazing high, with fans finally able to play a version of Cyberpunk 2077 that feels closer to those original promises than it ever has. Whatever way you look at it, update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty combined are a fantastic capstone on the Cyberpunk 2077 journey, and one that everyone should experience.

Kentucky Route Zero TV Edition is like a Michelin meal — rich, decadent, experimental, yet still somehow recognizable but best enjoyed in small portions. I can easily see how the critically-acclaimed Kentucky Route Zero could become someone’s favorite game, so it stands to reason that Kentucky Route Zero TV Edition would be another success after the episodic original’s completion. Although I suspect Kentucky Route Zero is best experienced on the PC, Kentucky Route Zero TV Edition is still a must-play even if you’ve already enjoyed the original. And if you haven’t yet played this digital masterpiece, well… consider getting lost in Kentucky Route Zero TV Edition.

There’s still a lot of good basketball in NBA 2K24 but it mostly feels buried in modes the developers are trying hard to keep new players from discovering. The series’ formerly rock-solid gameplay foundation feels like it’s slowly slipping away as well. Minor improvements around the edges don’t offset this slippage and the series’ continued descent into being nearly unplayable without spending a fortune on microtransactions.

Party Animals could easily have been a derivative Gang Beasts or Fall Guys clone, but its incredibly creative maps and modes, along with the wealth of content that will be available at launch, have resulted in a title that feels like it has a real shout at joining the regular rotation of party game fanatics with immediate effect. Minor gripes with match length and camera issues aside, this is an incredibly well-polished experience that I foresee giving me and my friends hours upon hours of fun for years to come.

Put simply, 30XX is by far the superior Mega Man-inspired rogue-like experience. It oozes style and features challenging gameplay and diverse bosses. I wouldn’t mind more to do in the game, but that in no way changes how well-made the experience is in general. If you’re at all a fan of rogue-like platformers, buying this is a no-brainer.

Gunbrella offers tight and thrilling action, a moving story of revenge, and a fascinating world well worth exploring. I’m not sure what more I could ask for in an action platformer. While it’s a relatively short journey, lasting me only about six hours, I had a blast during my time with Gunbrella and I think most players will as well.

Lies of P plays it a little too by the book in terms of gameplay and area design but is ultimately a very solid soulslike, not entirely bereft of uniqueness, granted you know where to look. While I would have liked certain mechanics, primarily those surrounding lying, to have been leaned into a little more, I can’t deny that Neowiz Games did an excellent job overall.

It’s A Wrap! is a clever puzzle game that will tie your mind in knots as you figure out just what is needed to pull off each stunt. While the third set of levels here doesn’t work as well for me as the first two, I still had a fun time going on this journey with Johnny, his director, and the rest of their crew. If you’re looking for a fun new take on the puzzle genre It’s A Wrap! is well worth a look.

And so it’s unfortunate, then, that every positive I just mentioned comes undone at the hands of that dreaded localization. There were stretches of gameplay where I was just grinding, or exploring, and for a moment I’d forget what a mess the translation was, immersed in Xuan-Yuan Sword’s perfectly serviceable gameplay loops. But, this is an RPG, and to this player, world-building, deep characterization, and dense lore that I can immerse myself in is just as important to my enjoyment of an RPG as gameplay is. There will likely be a portion of players who will be able to look past this issue, simply content at being able to play a game that had been out of the reach of Western audiences for so long, and that’s perfectly fine. As I’ve indicated, there’s a solid RPG here somewhere and I have no doubt that this would be a fantastic experience had the port been shown the love and care it deserves. As it stands, though, Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains is such a compromised experience that it’s impossible to recommend in its current state.

Despite these minor issues, Pocket Bravery is still a fresh take on the chibi fighter genre and an absolute blast to play through. Hopefully, we get to see more fighting games from this Statera Studio down the road and maybe even some future character releases. If battling with mighty mini brawlers is your jam, or if you're just a lover of all things fighting games like myself, don't hesitate to pick up this tiny titan.

Virgo Versus The Zodiac does a fantastic job of creating a world run by the western zodiac signs filled with their personalities, experiences, and dreams. It has gorgeous visuals with phenomenal music (seriously, that soundtrack SLAPS) and tongue-in-cheek writing with moments of seriousness befitting the story. While I wish the combat had been deeper or had more variety, it didn’t stop me from enjoying this nod to classic turn-based RPGs at all. If you’re ready to undertake the holiest of quests and usher in the Golden Age, Virgo Versus The Zodiac demands you take up arms and smite those who would stand in your way.