It takes the timeless parkour and fluid combat of the series and injects it with a progression loop that encourages skill, practice, and a constant search for better gear. It’s a game that respects your time even when you fail, ensuring that every run, no matter how short, contributes to your overall strength. The exquisite comic-book art, the fluid controls, and the challenging enemies all come together to create a compelling and addictive experience. While the inherent repetition of the roguelike genre may not appeal to every player, those who embrace the challenge will find a deeply rewarding platformer that pays homage to its roots while confidently forging a new path.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is still a welcome return to one of the greatest games ever made. Unless you specifically want to experience Snake Eater exactly as it was in the early 2000s, this is the version to play. It is the best-looking and best-playing release among all the ports, remasters, and remakes. If you've never played it before, it is an easy recommendation — Snake Eater has aged like fine wine, and Delta makes it taste just a little better.

The combination of the visual design and the story setup make Metal Eden an enticing experience before even booting it up. And while it tries to blend that sci-fi world with fast-paced combat centered around parkour and hot-swapping weapons, the pieces don't fit together tight enough to be enjoyable for a long enough percentage of its short runtime. When the credits roll it feels unfinished, and at times throughout it feels misguided. When you've got significant upgrades, inside of the later levels, it approaches a satisfying shooter experience, it's just a shame that it isn't at least a few levels longer, which would make the package feel more complete. A few issues can be softened with some polish, by tweaking values and cooldowns or fixing the way you sometimes jarringly mantle a ledge to the side that you can't see when you jump, but the largest ones would require an adjustment to the design philosophy overall.

Overall, Borderlands 4 is a masterful continuation of the series. It honors its roots while daring to venture into new territory, both geographically and mechanically. The diverse and compelling new world of Kairos, combined with the most extensive skill trees and a refined sense of humor, makes this a must-play for both long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise. It's the same Borderlands you love, but bigger, bolder, and more beautiful than ever before.

Dawn of War Definitive Edition is a faithful transfer of the original game, warts and all. More of a simple modernization effort to get the game to run on more recent systems than anything else. That said, the game has a few glaring issues that really should have been resolved before this rework hit the shelves.

There's real depth here, and if anything I've described sparks your interest, I wholeheartedly encourage you to give it a try. Lizardcube clearly poured their heart and soul into this project, and it shows in every frame.

Suffice it to say, creating a video game solo is no small feat, and Vincent Adinolfi has delivered a loving tribute to his inspirations - one that still manages to stand on its own. If you have a fondness for PS1-era horror and don't mind a smaller indie experience, Heartworm is well worth your time. I'm excited to see what Mr. Adinolfi creates next - and to quote Palpatine in The Phantom Menace, "We shall watch your career with great interest."

Playing through Liminal Exit was occasionally frustrating, often visually interesting, and sometimes inventive. It helps that it's a short experience, whether you're good at finding the usually obvious differences or listening to your television friend’s hints, otherwise it might overstay its welcome. The story was intriguing enough to push me through, and the repetition in anomalies did make finding a new one more exciting, just when I thought I'd seen them all. It's also effectively creepy enough of the time, with some of the visuals alone giving me some nice, unconscious chills, and avoids crossing the line into cheap horror at the same time. While most of the ways it changes the formula of its simple genre don't pan out, it does relatively well at sticking to what works, even if it did make me a borderline conspiracy theorist about its trustworthiness.

Mafia: the Old Country is definitely a return to the series' roots - and it pays off big time. It is a game that focuses on story-telling, one that places gamers firmly in Enzo's shoes with his character developing throughout the course of the story. And although the tight story is linear, I did find myself wandering about the towns from time to time in search of the various collectibles. I particularly enjoyed the nods to previous Mafia titles scattered throughout the game. The gameplay itself works extremely well, with the range of missions ensuring that players don't get continually bogged down in missions of the same type. By focusing on a compelling story, a detailed protagonist, and a gorgeous, immersive world, the game delivers an unforgettable experience that will satisfy longtime fans and newcomers alike. It's a tale of family, betrayal, and ambition, and it stands as a triumphant new chapter in the Mafia legacy.

In all, My Friendly Neighborhood is a fun take on both survival and mascot horror gaming that provides interesting challenges in inventory management, puzzle solving, and finding the best ways to deal with threats as they come. The game does feature a lot of backtracking especially around the middle, but the varied environments based on different sets for the show as well as other portions of the studio make for an altogether enjoyable time, especially for fans of the genre. If you hadn't played My Friendly Neighborhood upon it's original release two years ago, now is a perfect time to join the neighborhood.

A game like this shouldn't be that long anyway, as with action platformers like this I have a preference for a small number of highly distinct and memorable levels. Ragebound delivers on this and gives more than sufficient reason for multiple play-throughs.

Whether Mycopunk can keep its good favour for the true endgame remains to be seen, but getting there is a fun, though slightly arduous, ride. The small, often humorous touches to the mechanics of an established first person shooter genre are definitely welcome, and I'm sure many will be delighted to hear that I wasn't asked for real-world currency once. It's hard to consider anything a sure-fire hit with so many already-established contemporaries, but Mycopunk has as good a shot as any. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers feels like a fresh take, forgoing staples like overencumbrance and a reliance on parrying for faster, more aggressive action and stunning set pieces.

Pipistrello and The Cursed Yo-Yo is a must-play for anyone who loves Metroidvanias or classic Zelda-style adventures. It's full of heart, brimming with quirk, and clearly made with love. The visuals are gorgeous, the world is rich, and every mechanic feels thoughtfully crafted. It's absolutely time well spent.

Cast n Chill delivers on its promise. It's a delightful and surprisingly deep fishing simulator that strips away the real-world inconveniences of the hobby and leaves behind pure, unadulterated relaxation. With its simple controls, satisfying upgrade system, charming pixel art, and brilliant idle mode, it's the perfect game for unwinding after a long day or for anyone who enjoys the meditative rhythm of a good fishing trip, minus the bait and the mess. If you're looking for a peaceful escape that offers both immediate gratification and long-term progression, Cast n Chill is definitely worth casting your line for.

Tron: Catalyst does plenty right. The story of the glitch in the system works well within the Tron environment, and the combat is quite fluid, requiring players to make use of all of Exo’s abilities. However, some of the enjoyable mechanics are underutilised. I only ever used the Glitch loop mechanic when I was specifically asked to do so, and it would have been nice to have donned the Core uniform disguise in more locations to allow a more stealthy game if you wanted. But the game's signature Tron visual styling is breathtaking, making every moment spent in the Arq Grid a feast for the eyes. Fans of the futuristic Disney films will find much to love here, especially if they can overlook some of its missed opportunities..

It's normal to expect less polish when you boot up an indie passion project from a first-time developer. This is something I usually factor into the overall grade of a game, and I try not to let issues like occasional crashes or graphical stuttering weigh too heavily against an otherwise engaging experience. Games are more than their occasional screw-ups. Unfortunately, when a game screws up as much as Vessels of Decay does, it starts to get hard to see the game underneath.

There's a lot of content here, particularly if you're interested in playing something fun, relaxing and not serious. I really appreciated the optional Content Aware option, where Skylar will come out and let the player know that the character they're interacting with might talk about sensitive subject matter that the player may not want to engage with. Date Everything is very self-aware, and if you're interested in voice acting or voice actors, then I think you're going to have a lovely time with it. For me personally, the gameplay loop did get a little old, and playing for anything more than an hour or two at a time was a bit draining.

Star Overdrive is in all an enjoyable game that only has some minor issues that are not enough to stop Bios' adventure from being an enjoyable trek across a dangerous planet. With a creative and very satisfying traversal mechanic that really helps the game achieve an identity of its own, and puzzles that test the player's capabilities, Star Overdrive is a fun game that players could easily get distracted just hovering around the dunes but there's plenty to do if they want to actually progress the main story or search for upgrades, materials, or the puzzle areas.

The Alters does exactly what great sci-fi stories do: it uses the fantasy of future technology to have conversations that are timeless. It didn't need to be absurd, it didn't need to be existential, but it is at times both, and so much more. The conversations and relationships represent the true experience, but the management aspects hold their weight, too. Even though it stumbles over those heady conversations at times, either as a result of the writing itself or because stitching together disparate pieces in a video game sometimes ends up like that, it's about so much more than those individual moments. Parts of the gameplay don't reach the same heights, particularly when it comes to base building with minimal benefits, but The Alters is satisfying from so many angles when it comes to management and survival that it's difficult not to recommend it. More than that, though, it's forgiving enough with those mechanics that it becomes a must-play for just about anyone. Much like Jan Dolski, I thought I was going to struggle to survive, but I ended up thriving.

In all Fantasy Life i is an incredibly solid game that has a ton of charm to it. The gameplay is simple but addicting, and the quality of life features that were added compared to the 2014 game make The Girl Who Steals Time a very enjoyable experience. The story beats can feel a little repetitive at times, as can the mini-games all bearing out similarly to each other, and real time based events can be a bit of a pain. But all of that aside, Fantasy Life i is a game that this reviewer would gladly recommend to anyone that prefers a more cozy vibe to their fantasy genre.

Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon is a bizarre and fascinating blend of classic high-fantasy trappings and Giger-inspired architecture that feels like a living death metal album. From presentation to mechanics, it wears its Elder Scrolls inspiration on its sleeve, but it does enough with its story and artistic direction to stand alone as a compelling package. Some of the glitches are frustrating given how long the game spent in Early Access, but they never elevated beyond annoyances and don't stop this from being an easy game to recommend for fans of the genre.

Although the fishing mechanics don't change much over the course of the game, I didn't find it a grind. The challenge of catching each and every type of fish, as well as slowly building the town to its former glory kept the game as fresh as Baelin's catch. The comedic dialogue and the pop culture references just add the experience. Nice Day for Fishing is a simple game with a simple premise - one that will keep players entertained for many hours.

Shotgun Cop Man knows that it's a precision platformer, but that doesn't stop it from having a great sense of self-aware absurdist humour. It's not story rich or dense at all, but it understands perfectly that it doesn't need to be because it knows itself as a game. Your name is Shotgun Cop Man, you are here to arrest Satan, and you are going through the nine circles of hell to do so. You look like an untextured Blender asset, Satan is wearing a fishnet top, you are always dual wielding a shotgun with another weapon, and every time you try to arrest him all he ever says to you is "Fuck you, Shotgun Cop Man". This is tremendously fantastic minimalist worldbuilding that in and of itself is enjoyable because of how it's delivered and because it's just fun tongue-in-cheek escapism.

Between the unlocked artwork, dev notes, and over 300 original bangers in the music player, this is a celebration of retro fighting games. A celebration that proves these games will never not be legendary.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is a multiplayer experience that is challenging but satisfying. Solo play is possible, but it is clear that the game is built and balanced for a multiplayer party. Along with this, at times it can feel like progress is either luck based or time consuming, even for From Software. Nightreign is an interesting experience, and while the emphasis on multiplayer and the roguelike elements may not be for everyone that enjoyed Elden Ring or other From Software games, it makes for an enjoyable variation on a concept that this company has polished to a shine.

Ultimately, The Siege and the Sandfox is a lovingly crafted 2D platformer that delivers on its promises of exploration and agile gameplay. While the backtracking can occasionally feel a little stretched and a few more fast travel points would be welcome, the intricate level design, satisfying progression through new abilities, and charming pixel art visuals make for a highly engaging and rewarding experience. If you're a fan of classic platforming with a strong emphasis on discovery and nimble traversal, then the The Siege and the Sandfox might just be your next favorite adventure.

Roadcraft right now seems to be more focused on mud and rough terrain driving physics while perhaps neglecting the small things that make games great fun. Needing to drive all over creation just to move a few rocks off the road is definitely fun in the beginning but it can become a chore later on, especially if the need to re-spawn occurs. When I think about Roadcraft I see a great game in the making. It's good right now but I think Saber will keep working on it and make it greater in the future.