The sheer number of innovations and creative ideas would justify a standalone spin-off or even a sequel. An absolute must-play for Dave fans.

With this fond and technically accomplished homage to the action-adventure games of the SNES’s golden age, Team Asano once again succeeds in bringing the appeal and charm of celebrated genre pioneers into the modern era. However, while titles like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy did more than just pay tribute—enriching their genres with original ideas—The Adventures of Elliot remains largely repetitive and predictable. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my roughly 20-hour adventure, I frequently lamented the game's unfulfilled potential. I would welcome a sequel that builds upon this solid foundation while addressing the current shortcomings.

Copa City wants to be a football manager where we manage everything but the actual match: fans, tickets, events. Sounds great, but is sadly hampered by odd design and interface decisions.

World of Tanks: Heat stands out as a stylish tank shooter featuring hero classes that add depth and variety. However, the team-based gameplay across the various modes constantly oscillates between slow and tactical pursuit and fast-paced action, without ever fully committing to either.

Gothic Remake presents the cult classic in a gorgeous new look and with a handful of carefully-placed changes and improvements. It remains as relentless and challenging as fans remember and, just like the original, refuses to hold your hand. During our test, technical issues and messy AI ruined our fun and ultimately doomed our playthrough to get irretrievably stuck. If Alkimia Interactive can fix the technical problems and bugs, the remake will without a doubt become the best method to experience Gothic once more or for the very first time. Whether or not they can pull it off, remains to be seen.

If Alex Massé and his team stay the course with both bug fixes and the consistent development of existing features, Paralives could become a strong alternative to The Sims and leave InZOI in the dust. Frustration-resistant life sim fans shouldn’t miss out on Paralives; for everyone else, we recommend jumping in later during Early Access, once the already-announced features—such as seasons, animals, pools, boats, gardening, and family trees—have been added. [Early Access Score = 70]

Mina the Hollower is a retro dungeon adventure, which takes its inspiration from classic Game Boy titles and horror tales with a Victorian setting. A solid selection of gear and upgrades, modern gameplay mechanics and soulslike elements give this game a modern touch. Heaps of hidden and optional content and secrets, as well as freely-configurable difficulty settings and an ever-increasing level of challenge in NG+ runs add replay value. There's a bombastic amount of game for very little money in game. On the technical side of things, Mina is flawless.

All in all, Yerba Buena is a rather unusual first-person puzzle game that will provide genre fans with plenty of “Yes, I did it!” moments over the course of ten to twelve hours, depending on their playstyle; however, it’s likely to give newcomers quite a headache due to a lack of sufficient accessibility options.

After this long hiatus from James Bond games, we were eager to see what the creators of Hitman would present to us—and they’ve delivered! Sure, there are a few rough edges here and there, but the overall package will delight more than just Bond fans: plenty of action, well-balanced emotional moments, and a long, gripping story will instantly turn you into Her Majesty’s agent. In interviews, the developers have already announced that they’re dreaming of a Bond trilogy. Given how the first installment turned out, all we can say is: Definitely do it.

Filled to the brim with content that will excite every Batman fan, Legacy of the Dark Knight ist yet another fun Lego romp that slightly misses the mark by relying too much on boring combat sections.

Zero Parades for Dead Spies is an ambitious game that is largely successful, though it has a few minor flaws; unfortunately, it can't hold a candle to its extraordinary quasi-predecessor, Disco Elysium.

A visually stunning and hugely enjoyable open-world racer that captures the beauty of Japan, but lacks depth in its driving disciplines and only scratches the surface of the country’s car culture.

A tense and atmospheric sci-fi horror story that starts familiar but grows into something distinctly its own, powered by strong characters, smart branching structure, and a chilling sense of distrust.

Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is a captivating space roguelite that allows you to engage in tactical real-time space battles, but also to manage resources and to make tough decisions to keep your fleet alive in the war among the stars. Even if things get a bit repetitive here and there, the diverse and multi-layered systems offer enough depth for numerous playthroughs.

Mixtape is a one of a kind adventure game that allows me to dive deep into the emotionally complex world of teenagers. It’s silly and over-the-top from time to time, but often also heartfelt and nostalgic - especially thanks to the fantastic ’80s soundtrack. I still lacks depth in terms of gameplay, partly because Mixtape is over far too quickly. But the simple gameplay sequences still impress with their creativity and variety.

Invincible VS is a visceral, mechanically intriguing 3v3 tag fighter that rewards creative problem-solving over rote memorization. While it lacks the ultimate strategic depth and frame-data nuance of the genre's titans, its sandbox approach, satisfying hit feedback, and rock-solid rollback netcode make it a standout entry and a genuine recommendation for both fans and FGC enthusiasts willing to experiment.

The plot of Altered Echoes is a fever dream, and I mean that in a good way. Even after the credits roll, I still don’t quite understand what just happened, but that’s pretty much how it has to be in a Little Nightmares game. It expands on the lore, picks up on creepy nightmare motifs, and presents an unreal world where you can never be sure what’s coming next. That’s exactly what I expect from a game in this universe, which is why I’m very satisfied with the experience despite the lack of a coherent narrative. It’s just a shame that the technical shortcomings noticeably dampen the fun.

Saros is a fiercely focused hybrid of bullet-hell, roguelite, platformer, and horror sci-fi whose demanding but fair combat and aggressive risk-reward loop easily outweigh its flat supporting cast and static hub.

An asynchronous multiplayer experiment with a great atmosphere, but some weaknesses in the core gameplay.

Technically shaky, lacking in gameplay and atmosphere. Recommended only for particularly nostalgic gothic veterans with an unconditional longing for more Ruhr Valley fantasy—and with enough patience to make it work, provided you approach it with enough goodwill and sympathy for the small team. Everyone else should be advised against visiting this shaft: the charm of the mine doesn’t bridge every chasm.

While the great cartoon aesthetics are the obvious shining star, Mouse: P.I. For Hire is also a great first person shooter with impeccable level design. While the combat is solid and shows some good ideas, most fights are brought down by poor weapon balancing.

Replaced is much more than it initially appears to be: namely, a pixel-art spectacle with an incomparably rich atmosphere. It quickly becomes clear that the passionately told story and the varied gameplay contribute just as much to the overall experience as the stunning graphics. Yes, not every one of these elements is perfect, and every now and then there’s a bit too much text and repetitive gameplay. Nevertheless, Replaced is already one of the indie highlights of the year.

Capcom once again proving why they are the masters of the action genre. Pragmata enhances great fundamentals with fresh ideas and even manages to create a heartwarming friendship between its heroes.

In its current early-access state, Morbid Metal looks very promising to me: a stylish, uncompromisingly combat-focused roguelite that treats its shape-shifting system not as a gimmick but as a genuine core design element, and manages to translate the elegance of a character-action game into the loop of a run-based game. The Japanese-inspired sci-fi robots, the powerful soundtrack and the precise hit feedback ensure that every battle feels like a little metallic dance, into which you slip deeper with every run. At the same time, there’s still work to be done: the numerous gameplay systems seem hard to grasp at first, the story remains more of an atmospheric backdrop, and the technical aspects still need optimising. But that’s exactly what Early Access is for – and for me, Morbid Metal is one of those rare cases where the foundation is already so compelling that I’m genuinely looking forward to this collaborative community fine-tuning with every subsequent patch. [Early Access Score = 70]

Super Meat Boy 3D is a faithful translation of the indie classic into the third dimension while infusion it with great ideas from other platformers

Darwin's Paradox is a wacky platformer-stealth adventure packed with details and featuring a protagonist whose eight arms you just can't help but love.

Screamer is a mechanically brilliant arcade racer that successfully blends 90s nostalgia with a deep, technical twin-stick control scheme and a striking 80s anime aesthetic. While the ambitious 70-chapter story campaign suffers from uneven pacing and melodramatic writing, the actual racing feels incredibly visceral and rewarding, delivering one of the most intense and addictive driving experiences in recent years.

Crimson Desert is an entertaining open-world action RPG that offers a unique gameplay experience and, thanks to its vast scale, keeps you occupied for a long time, but fails to truly impress in almost every respect. In this case, less would have been more.