With soothing music, calming visuals, addictive gameplay, and a unique tale that unfolds slowly, The Wild At Heart is incredibly easy to recommend. In fact, the only thing you will need to find real enjoyment with this gem is a controller and a good 20 hours to sink into it. There is so much charm and energy in this little puzzler, and I was so engaged in figuring out the whimsical world of the Deep Woods that I hardly noticed the time just whizzing by.

While I do think it would have benefitted from minor improvements and wish it had some additional modes to keep me playing, it’s still a ton of fun. This is the perfect start to the Summer gaming season. Now I’ll just wait with bated breath for Blastmode to announce they’re working on an even bigger sequel.

Save Me Mr. Tako: Definitive Edition hits a lot of the right notes: beautifully nostalgic, quirky, and fun mechanics and catchy music. With a surprising amount of dialogue, secrets to find in each level, and 50 silly hats to discover and wear, there’s plenty to keep you coming back for more.

Some of the same problems that the original had are still present here. However, with a far stronger story featuring a fantastic tone and better characters, they’re a lot easier to forgive. It definitely works best after playing the original, but if you only want to play one of these titles, jump right to The Girl Who Stands Behind. It’s a story well worth your time, even after all these years.

I think that Sludge Life is a great example of video games as art. It’s much more concerned with sharing its style than being a cohesive whole. Which isn’t to say it’s all nonsense, I don’t think it is. But what it actually is? That’s entirely up to your interpretation. If nothing else, I appreciate Devolver Digital continuing to share their brand of unusual and quirky published games. And as a longtime Nintendo fan, it’s nice seeing something this crude and mature on one of their consoles. I just still don’t know how highly I can recommend the game. But if you want to take a chance on something unique, look no further.

If you have PlayStation Plus, there’s no reason not to check out Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown. Even if it fails to hook you, free is a good price. If you don’t have Plus, there’s very little reason to get it, however. This is especially true since Plus is required to play online, and there’s almost nothing to do if you aren’t playing online. While it is a shame that so much content from past games isn’t here, this is still one of the best playing fighting games ever made. That’s no small accomplishment. For those who don’t love facing live opponents over and over, though, this may be more of a curiosity than a new passion. Still, I’m just glad to see Virtua Fighter back in the fight. Hopefully, the next time the series makes a return, it will be with a new title.

I enjoyed my time with Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir. It tells an interesting story that puts interesting twists on some expected tropes. While there were elements of the UI that showed their age, once I got used to them and played the game on its terms, I was able to work through it without much issue. With the story taking its time to get interesting, though and being fairly short at that, it is hard to call this a must-play. Still, for fans who have been interested for many years, finally getting to play this in English is a treat.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World does a wonderful job of rekindling my love of the Monster World franchise and reminding me exactly why I fell in love with it in the first place. While the remaster doesn’t bring any new ideas to the table, it does put a wonderfully charming new coat of paint onto a game that deserves to be seen and enjoyed by a new audience. Old fans of this game should be pleased with the treatment it received, while newcomers can expect a classically crafted platformer adventure that’s short in duration but massive in charm.

If you’ve got a taste of blood and metal in your mouth and have a fever for retro-futuristic patriotism, look no further. Operation Eagle soars when it comes to getting a shot of pure freedom juice in our favorite full-metal mech warfare. While somewhat short and a bit heavy-handed getting you ready for the fights ahead, it does its best to be a shining example of quality DLC to an already awesome RTS game.

Mechwarrior 5 is for the detail-oriented mech fans who are willing to sacrifice immediate excitement and gratification for a more grounded simulation of what it would be like to pilot a massive mechanical monster. The career mode provided with this new expansion might please those who are craving more action from the base game, but there’s no new story to be had or any major gameplay additions to hook in anyone else. For the weighty price tag – Heroes of the Inner Sphere is only worth a purchase for those truly addicted to this more thoughtfully paced mecha-mercenary-em-up.

Long Ago: A Puzzle Tale is an accessible, inviting puzzler with a wonderful variety of mechanics that will absolutely test your puzzling skills. It’s a no-brainer for puzzle aficionados, even if everything doesn’t quite come together in the end.

The quality of Returnal makes me enormously excited for what Housemarque can do with higher budgets and modern games. I just hope they learn some lessons here to make their next title even better. Arcade is dead. Long live arcade.

Sumire’s themes are deep and challenging. While the gameplay itself is casual, the story and content are anything but. If you need a game that will tug at your heartstrings and that doesn’t shy away from making you consider difficult subjects, give this surprising little gem a chance.

Despite some minor complaints with the game, I still thoroughly enjoyed Rising Hell. As a fan of rogues, I feel this is a must-own title for fellow fans of the genre. And even though it’s a short ride, you more than get your money’s worth. Sure, I wish this version of the game had achievements, but the portability of the Switch helps mollify me. All I can say is that I’m impressed by the game and implore the devs to work on a more substantial title next. But if you enjoy dark, edgy rogues with a rocking heavy metal soundtrack, you definitely need to pick Rising Hell up.

I refuse to spoil Before Your Eyes for you by telling you anything more about the story. All you really need to know is that it’s got an underutilized mechanic integrated perfectly into a heartbreakingly beautiful tale of a life well lived, no matter how short it was.

If you enjoyed Crypt of the Necrodancer to any capacity, then you’ll definitely find a tune to dance to here. For those less inclined to bustin’ a move while you’re bustin’ heads, approach with caution. Boy Beats World won’t hesitate to put you in your place and expects you to get a grip on the groove right from the get-go. The dancefloor isn’t for everyone, but if you still got a taste for that sweet oscillating bitpop, waltz your way over to a walkthrough, ’cause this one could sell on its music alone.

As a game developer, I find Essays on Empathy to be a rare, insightful look on the evolution of an indie game studio — from finding its voice to offering a helping hand to others still cultivating their own. As a gamer, I genuinely felt hit by a train when it came to some of the incredibly powerful and even relatable emotions encapsulated in such short experiences.

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.

Maneater was worth the wait on Nintendo Switch. It's not a perfect game, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. It's the murderous Ecco the Dolphin I didn't realize I always needed. If you're a stickler for graphics, you might prefer playing it on another console. But for playing a hungry shark on the run, there's nothing better. Here's hoping this isn't the last we see from Tripwire in this delightfully demented new IP.

Despite the few aforementioned hiccups, Biomutant is an expansive and thoroughly engaging open-world exploration game that fans of Fallout might recognize and enjoy. The game may have some rough edges, but it is especially impressive for an outing by an indie developer with much less resources and manpower than a major studio. Don’t miss this title.

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.

Every now and then, a game comes along that just absolutely blows up your expectations. There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension is one such game. Superb design, excellent voice acting, with a surprisingly moving story, it’s an undeniably endearing and unique experience.

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.

It’s decidedly short but irrefutably sweet. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s a great example of why short games can still be worthwhile. And even though there are some awkward design choices, such as not being able to play specific stages at a whim after beating the game, that’s not enough to diminish how fun it is. I honestly hope this is just the first in a long series. Cause I’m curious about who Wally is and why he has such powers. Here’s hoping Neil Jones has more fast-paced stories to tell in the immediate future.

I hate to sound so down in the mouth about Rift Racoon. I was just hoping it would be a lot more enjoyable than I ultimately found it. If you don’t mind an excessive challenge partially contributed to by awkward controls, you may still find something to love here. For everyone else, though, you’ll want to shoo this raccoon away.

If the digital brick and mortars have charmed you and you love the idea of playing a city-builder that builds itself, I would absolutely keep your eye on this adorably innovative gem. Buildings Have Feelings Too! is not without its faults, but the concept is too good to ignore for long.

Siege Survival: Gloria Victis is a thoroughly brutal mix of simulation and roguelike. It’s only for those who want an unforgiving experience and are happy to labour not for a glorious kingdom, but for one more day of desperate survival. If you want a darker simulation title then you’ll find Siege Survival: Gloria Victis is gritty enough to clear a snowed-in driveway in Antarctica.

I didn’t expect to be so utterly engrossed in The Invisible Hand, but I guess you could say I found myself pretty invested in it. The aesthetics are rough and the replay value isn’t totally there, but if you’ve been waiting for a stock market simulator, The Invisible Hand is absolutely it. If you want to experience the thrill of watching your gains blast off to the moon as you invest in extremely unethical things that have genuine consequences, look no further than The Invisible Hand.