Despite some shortcomings in "human" relationships with NPCs and an even lower than expected challenge rate, Fae Farm is an excellent exponent of the genre thanks in part to the magic element and the emphasis on exploration.

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy does not propose anything truly innovative for the series, but what Frozenbyte proposes is solid enough and the small innovations are still pleasing.

A recommended appointment for those who have enjoyed the previous episodes of the series in the past, but it probably remains an all too simplistic and self-referential product for the simply curious players.

Baldur's Gate III is not entirely without flaws, and they tend to become more noticeable in the game's last act (especially when it comes down to optimization), but none of that change the fact that we are dealing with a CRPG masterpiece and Larian's crowning achievement after an already long and quite successful career. Weather you are a returning fan or a new one, there is almost no reason to not give this one a go, if you are passionate about computer role-playing games.

Mediterranea Inferno is a well-written visual novel that deals with adult themes in an honest, courageous, sometimes painful way, showing the experience of the pandemic from different points of view and able to reflect critically on contemporaneity. What is striking is Redaelli's ability to mix different expressive codes, combining Japanese aesthetics with Italian figurative art in order to evoke images capable of giving concreteness to symbols and allegories. At times it seems that the subtext has overtaken the text, making certain passages of the narrative somewhat instrumental to the reflection that follows, rather than the other way around, but all in all this is fine, because the storytelling works and leads to unexpected twists.

Nice setting and premise mostly wasted on a game that would have needed more development time and refinement to fulfill its potential.

An interesting musical role-playing game, well written and excellently acted but with a little too much carelessness on the aesthetic side and songs not always memorable.

Remnant 2 takes up the good work done by its predecessor, expanding it, improving it in almost every aspect and smoothing out the rough edges.

Fires of Rubicon is Armored Core as it should always have been: the new game delivers a great combat system and mobility, but unfortunately, it's hampered by a few shortcomings no longer excusable to a world-class studio such as From Software.

A sci-fi thriller too cryptic with its story and with very little substance on the gameplay side, for an unfortunately unsatisfactory result.

In some ways, Immortals of Aveum can be seen as a wasted opportunity to give shooter fans a memorable experience with an outstanding graphics. Instead, Ascendant Studios' debut game turned out to be just a good first-person shooter that entertains without being boring, thanks to a surprising RPG component and gameplay that excellently does its job of entertaining players. In addition to a decent story and a not particularly long campaign, Immortals of Aveum also has to contend with a less-than-stable frame-rate and other flaws that do not allow it to be one of the best shooters of the last years.

A sequel that first of all thinks about smoothing out the previous imperfections, before offering a series of very well implemented innovations overall.

Mimimi Games doesn't disappoint and yet again the German studio is able to deliver a very satisfying stealth-tactical experience. A must play for any fan of the genre.

Atlas Fallen is a decent action-RPG that, with all its merits and flaws, attempts to emulate God of War with a fun and dynamic combat system. Unfortunately, in addition to the challenging confrontations with the imposing desert creatures Deck13 Interactive's game does not have much to offer from a quality standpoint. An unsteady frame-rate, along with some problems related to enemy lock-on, prevent the developers from taking the next step after the good results achieved with the two chapters of The Surge.

With so many ideas in visual and level design, Viewfinder is a must-have title for any puzzle game enthusiast.

Disney Illusion Island is a good introduction to the metroidvania genre for the uninitatied. It's a pity the iconic Disney heroes are so tiny on the screen.

A platformer that requires extreme precision, but also honest, fun, difficult, and almost never frustrating. Atari returns to show us its expertise gained over more than 50 years of development and publishing: Mr. Run and Jump will appeal to you whether you're a hardcore gamer or you're looking for a quiet platformer, whether you started playing in the 1970s or a few days ago. A classic, without really being one.

The third chapter of this beloved series is very near the level of quality that one expects from the heir of Jagged Alliance 2. A shame that "very near" does not mean "on par", so some details and some unrealistic aspects of the game could ruin the experience.

Pikmin 4, despite some minor flaws, is the classic video game experience that you would never want to stop playing and remains in many ways the best episode in the series.

Exoprimal has several merits, including making dinosaur hunting fun and challenging fights between exosuits. At the same time, however, Capcom has made several mistakes, such as focusing on only one mode and launching a game that cannot entertain in the medium to long term. In short, after the missteps made with Resident Evil Re:Verse and Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps, Capcom has again missed the opportunity to make a noteworthy multiplayer experience.

Simply put, Testament: The Order of High Human is a bad game that isn't fun to play and doesn't really offer anything meaningful to its players, who are better left if they simply avoid it.

A card game where tactics and storytelling mix well, for a challenging and captivating experience.

Oxenfree II does everything you would expect from a sequel and even manages to squeeze in a couple of surprises, but don't expect anything revolutionary from it.

HROT is another name to add to the ever-growing list of great boomer shooters, one that boasts some solid gameplay mechanics, a rich and satisfying level design, and a peculiar atmosphere that brings players in an alternative version of 1980s Czechoslovakia that is both fascinating and fully able to stand out from the usual locations that we see in these kind of games. Sure, the game can be a bit "janky" sometimes, but its heart is in the right place, and overall, it's a well-made and thoroughly fun experience that most FPS lovers are bound to enjoy.

Not the most ambitious DLC ever made for sure, but if you enjoy Solasta and especially if you like it because of its tactical combat then you'll find some new interesting battles in Palace of Ice that should satisfy whoever was left wanting for more turn-based goodness.

A competent variant on the classic "hidden objects" theme, with excellent artwork and interesting plot.

Aliens: Dark Descent is certainly not the best Alien-themed video game ever made but, thanks to several very intriguing ideas regarding the gameplay, it has proven to be a decent RTS that manages to perfectly recreate the mood of the famous film saga.

Park Beyond is a decent game for fans of the theme park simulation genre, its gameplay is solid enough, and there are many options to choose from when building the park of our dreams. It lacks originality, though, and there are still quite a few bugs and glitches that can negatively impact players' experience.

Excluding a slow and sometimes labored pace and only occasionally intriguing exploration, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a great mix of visual novel, stylish visuals and detective adventure.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a high-definition re-release of a cult game from the Nintendo DS era, which in this high-definition version has one more chance to be appreciated by fans of the mystery stories and puzzles typical of the works written and directed by Shu Takumi. This ambitious game is highly recommended for Ace Attorney fans and anyone who wants to get involved with the rich cast of eccentric characters that populate its dark mysteries.

Boltgun is not the most original game, even among boomer shooters, but it's still plenty of fun and its relative simplicity can work to its favor more often than not. Shooting the hordes of chaos has never been this fun.

The game flexes all the muscles with the excellent use of Unreal Engine 5 but is undermined by obsolete tricks to create tension.

While not without flaws, some more glaring than others, Trepang2 still offer some of the most intense and visceral combat you can find in an FPS and that is more than enough to make for a solid experience.

Final Fantasy XVI is not only proof that Square Enix is able to reinvent an immortal saga, and to do it well, but the symbol of a profound narrative maturity never reached before.

Fuga: Memories of Steel 2 picks up the reins of the previous chapter without making any particular changes to its structure. Cyberconnect2's video game remains a fascinating and emotionally challenging work, recommended for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a role-playing game with melodramatic and committed tones. It is a pity that such singular works go entirely unnoticed in the generalist market, especially when one thinks that with higher production values, they could establish themselves as true must-haves.

A game that treasures its tactical engine to stage reasoned and challenging combat, along with an all-too-forgettable plot and characters and a pleasant setting to explore, albeit in its post-apocalyptic banality. Those who appreciate games of this type (and perhaps have already enjoyed Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden) should seriously consider Miasma Chronicles, provided they keep in mind the presence of some difficulty spikes that can make some passages a bit frustrating.

It may not be remembered as one of the best titles in the series, but F1 23 has many arrows to its bow. From the driving model to the red flags, Codemasters has made an effort to make its simulation more accessible and fun without distorting its soul too much. The return of Braking Point mode is appreciable, while the addition of the F1 World hub is ideal for those looking for a quick challenge and who like to race online. Graphics, AI, and Career mode are aging badly and needing a refresh.

With Dordogne, the trend of games that explore the past through memories, objects, and nostalgia continues to expand. The game is crafted with rare elegance and takes time to immerse us fully as we navigate between the adult presence of Mimi and the memories of a summer spent in Dordogne. While there could have been better utilization of the medium by enhancing the gameplay interactions, Dordogne offers a beautiful, bittersweet experience. Highly recommended, especially if you have your own cherished objects that transport you back to your childhood.

A peculiar visual novel, which represents the most mature work made by DON'T NOD.

Diablo IV is not without flaws, especially when it comes to its dungeon design and its excessive approach to level scaling, and it's not as innovative as some of the previous entries but it's still a quality game, made with great care and competence. Above all else, though, Diablo's gameplay still offers plenty of fun: it doesn't matter if you're playing as a druid, a rogue or a necromancer, slaying thousands upon thousands of demons is always satisfying.

System Shock may not be an experience suited to everyone, but it's still a fantastic game, and this remake makes it slightly more accessible thanks to its new graphics, interface, and control schemes while staying true to the original game's vision and complex level design.

Amnesia: The Bunker is a more guided experience than it claims, where ingenuity and improvisation are replaced by tedious resource management.

Even though Super Mega Baseball 4 is a good game that fans of this sport will surely appreciate, after three years, we would have expected a general step forward that has yet to quite happen. Franchise mode was further improved, and the addition of some baseball legends is still welcome, but some athlete animations still need to be fixed, and the HUD felt too confusing. In short, if you are looking for an excellent alternative to MLB The Show 23, Super Mega Baseball 4 could be a good choice, even if the series developed by San Diego Studio undoubtedly remains the best on the market.

Capcom once again sets a new standard for 2D fighting games. In addition to the advanced combat system and the excellent package of single-player modes, made up of numerous elements that find their balance in sharing the same resource (the Drive indicator), SF6 counts on more than a vast group of tutorials and alternative control schemes for every need.

Plagued by several problems and with gameplay far from modern standards, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is not the third-person adventure that we would have expected from Daedalic Entertainment. Except for the good characterization of the main character and for an overall appreciable plot, the new game of the German software house fails to be convincing and represents a wasted opportunity to offer the right amount of entertainment to all Tolkien fans who have a good passion for video games.

The surreal and decadent world of After Us is impressive: although it is not a large-caliber production, the developers of Piccolo Studio have been masters in using the means at their disposal to create impactful visual compositions. The mechanics aren’t innovative per se, but the chain of tools made available to the player, combined with a certain freedom granted during exploration, allows the action to settle on a good pace.

Monster Menu: The Scavenger's Cookbook may be a rich snack for fans of the genre, but it may prove indigestible to most at the launch price at which it is offered.

Despite a few superfluous sections and a very simplified platforming component, Planet of Lana offers engrossing and complex puzzles and a truly noteworthy mix of atmosphere and art direction.

LEGO 2K Drive is a racing game suitable for younger players and fans of the famous Danish bricks. Still, it is not highly recommended for those seeking a more severe and refined driving experience. However, Visual Concepts has created a motorized adventure full of activities and mini-games, supported by many contents that aesthetically follow the cheerful philosophy of the colorful LEGO universe. Although it is a fun racing game, especially if played with other players, the poor management of the game economy and other more or less essential defects end up limiting its potential.

A masterful entry in the horror RPG genre. The extremely high difficulty is a challenge worth of any gamer's time. An over reliance on random details and a story a bit too nebulous are the only real problems.

Tears of the Kingdom is what happens when a triple A studio with a triple A budget can take its time to develop a game, focusing on polish and gameplay instead of graphics. The result is so powerful that it puts to shame many contemporary games. This is a masterpiece.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox is undermined by some rather significant flaws in platforming and combat, but the atmosphere is remarkable and the mix of exploration and puzzles makes it an atypical (even if flawed) metroidvania.

The Spider of Lanka doesn't really try to change the base game's formula in the slightest but it didn't need to, either: instead it brings some quality additions to an already great game.

In Redfall, Arkane's trademark can only be seen in places, and the end result, while not entirely awful, falls far short of what we expected from the return to the scenes of Prey’s creators.

Stray Blade attempts to revamp the soulslike formula by focusing on a polished narrative, a close-knit pair of protagonists, a colourful and light game world and a potentially excellent combat-system. Not everything, however, worked as planned.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a sequel that practically improves on many of the flaws and strengths of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, further refining an enjoyable gameplay between galactic battles using the lightsaber and the exploration of massive planets, full of activity and with many secrets to unearth. The new fighting styles and Force powers are fantastic, but jumping and climbing in the scenarios offers moments of pure entertainment. The main problems of Respawn Entertainment's adventure are, instead of a technical nature, made less evident by a noteworthy artistic and sound direction. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor may not be a masterpiece, but it is one of the best videogames set in the Star Wars universe.

Beyond Contact isn't the most fresh survival game you can find and, while it's not bad, it's not that good either.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is a great DLC thanks to an excellent longevity and a good amount of additions, although I would have expected more from the exploration of the new map.

Minecraft Legends' adventure, in single player, can be completed in a handful of hours, going straight to the goal with the right strategies, but it can also keep you company for much more if you want to explore all of the overworld. The PvP mode, very central on paper, doesn't really shine if you don't use some communication system external to the game – a non-secondary problem, given that strategy is really crucial and good coordination helps not only to keep the games fun, but also to ensure that they do not last longer than necessary.

Two entertaining and rich single player campaigns, ready to be enjoyed on the go or at home. Things hasn't changed much from the GBA days, excluding the HD visuals, but these are still two of the most entertaining strategy games every witnessed on a Nintendo system.

Dead Island 2 is a classic zombie-themed action game that offers hours of fun in its amusing brutality, with thousands of undead to slay in the most creative ways and a collection of weapons suitable for every need. However, the lack of originality limits the potential of a gaming experience that doesn't shine in terms of story and mission variety. Fighting zombies from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica is always satisfying. Still, after almost ten years of waiting for Dead Island 2, we would have expected something more than an action game that does its duty and nothing more.

Excellent graphics and a very good combat system are stained by a story component that is subpar. A shame, because Everspace 2 could have otherwise aspired to the heights of Freelancer.

More of an elaborated puzzle game than a strategy game, Terra Nil is an interesting experience that lasts a little too little.

9 Years of Shadows clearly shows that Halberd Studios' underlying ideas are good, but their development hasn't been flawless. Despite a particularly lively background imagery, which mixes different influences in an interesting way, staged with considerable care in the graphics department, this short adventure fails to exploit its full potential.

Quite a barebones collection of ten Game Boy Advance titles that are a bit too much similar one another. The good underlying gameplay is worth the admission price if you like this kind of videogame.

Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a solid, long-lived detective adventure profoundly different from the original 2007 version. It’s a pity that the graphics are not up to the rest.

An interesting turn-based fantasy game with nice mechanics and a bit too-long sessions.

Meet Your Maker is an interesting mix between FPS and tower defense, quite satisfying to play when you have to face outposts full of traps and when creating an impregnable fortress. But if the gameplay can be considered a strength point, the few contents available at launch and the various unpolished aspects limit the potential of Behavior Interactive's new multiplayer experience.

EA Sports PGA Tour is a good golf simulation that marks the return of the series after years of absence from the green, even if EA Tiburon hasn't managed to make a "hole in one" despite offering satisfying gameplay. The realization of the courses and the physics of the ball is truly remarkable, while the pleasant visual appearance clashes with some technical defects linked to an imperfect use of Frostbite. Overall, EA Sports PGA Tour is an enjoyable gaming experience, designed primarily for golf enthusiasts.

A 2D action roguelite that offers plenty of fun combat encounters and also boasts a truly beautiful and inspired art direction that makes every moment spent in a game a joy to watch (and play). It's not without flaws, though, especially when it comes to its pacing and progression, and while combat is generally quite fun, many of the special abilities and spells are not really well balanced, which can sometimes make you feel like you rely a bit too much on the RNG factor to have a good run.

As a prequel designed to expand the narrative universe of Road 96 by offering a much more classic gameplay, Road 96: Mile 0 is an appreciable first-person adventure that abandons the roguelite elements to accommodate game dynamics typical of Rhythm games. However, this time the developers of DigixArt Entertainment have yet to tell an intriguing and profound story, despite a multiple-choice dialogue system and alternative endings, which unfortunately do not solve the problem of poor longevity.

Destiny 2: Lightfall is an expansion with two opposing aspects, that can be seen as the mirror image of the previous The Witch Queen. Weak in narrative content, it shows its best in perfecting the gaming experience, understood as that set of tools to fully enjoy the potential of our guardians. The hope now is that Bungie will put an extra effort into delivering Seasons full of content and capable of keeping the attention high towards the end of a saga a bit… paracausal.

If you're looking for something similar to Payday 2 as a shooting experience to be played in a GTA-style metropolitan setting with some micro-management elements, Crime Boss: Rockay City might give you some satisfaction.

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners - Chapter 2: Retribution is a tense, complex and physically demanding survival horror. There aren't many new features compared to its predecessor, but if you have PSVR2 you absolutely must play it.

Dredge offers a unique and engaging fishing adventure, enriched by elements of mystery and unsettling atmospheres. Its mechanics are so well-crafted that they keep the attention high and manage to create a strong bond with the secrets hidden in the ocean depths. It shines the most through its nearly silent narrative, full of mystery and suspense, and incorporates every element into an incredibly intriguing exploratory context. Dredge is the perfect example of how to integrate themes and messages appropriately within a video game without ever introducing unnecessary or forced elements. Highly recommended: it might become one of the best experiences I'll have this year.

From here there is no going back: Atelier Ryza 3 takes Gust's RPG series into the future.

Storyteller takes the concept of "topos" and extends it greatly, basing the entire gameplay on it, and does so competently by teaching the player about the traits of characters and locations, and giving them the freedom to experiment. I would have liked Storyteller to be more daring with experimentation, giving us the opportunity to play more with its extraordinary concept, but even so, it's an interesting divertissement that will make for a very enjoyable evening. Highly recommended.

Definitely different from other dispersive and soulless open world experiences, Tchia is a tropical adventure that pays homage to the culture and territorial beauties of New Caledonia. However, this scaled-down version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has its shortcomings, including technical stability issues and a not-so-great story longevity. In any case, Tchia remains a fun game that knows how to make players fall in love with the unique culture of the Kanak people.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is a remarkable recreation of the original game, aimed at both the original players and the newcomers.

A challenging and complex dungeon crawler, great for veterans of the genre but also accessible to newcomers.

Rogue Spirit is what can be defined as a good action game without infamy and without praise, with some good ideas in terms of gameplay but limited by a combat system that fails to be memorable.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is an enjoyable experience thanks to its mix of puzzles and combat. While not inventing anything new, it exploits the cooperative element of the two protagonists in an intriguing way.

The Settlers: New Allies tries to reinvent the series, simplifying its city-builders core mechanics to make room for newcomers more familiar with the RTS genre. Unfortunately, the final shape is a game that struggles to find its identity and that isn't really convincing neither as an RTS nor as a city-builder.

The new chapter in the Blood Bowl saga fails to achieve the leap forward that fans were hoping for, amid unexplained absences and an excessive focus on the multiplayer modes.

Wo Long has an addictive combat system, but also has trouble in finding the right balance: the new RPG from Team Ninja leans too much in the player's favor, while reducing the sense of challenge.

As a TPS with soulsike elements and a sci-fi setting, Scars Above fails to be a worthy heir to Returnal due to several limitations that make the game very different to shine, especially from a technical point of view.

One of the most predictable Kirby games in years, but it still a pack of fun for younger gamers.

Thanks to its unique mechanics (the Karakuri, the more or less permanent constructions fielded by the player), Wild Hearts manages to build truly lethal fights, in which the strategic use of resources and the study of the area really makes the difference. It manages to make exploration an active process, which passes through the customization of the environment and allows the player to really play a hunter at work, immersed in a world with fantastic traits. Action and RPG, in this case, are really interlaced. It's just a pity for the raw state in which it arrived at this debut, some stumbling blocks on a technical level (but the more serious ones have been solved) and a forgettable narrative part: elements that, in the middle of the action, can also lose weight, but that a high-end (price) game should still find a way to take care of it properly.

A very convincing return for one of Relic's more iconic series that keeps the best features of the previous games while also bringing fresh new ideas that change the way players can play and enjoy Company of Heroes. Will it be the best strategy game of 2023? Only time will tell.

A musical love letter addressed to fans of the Final Fantasy series, and one of the best rhythm games around.

Atomic Heart turned out to be a pleasant surprise, a charismatic first-person shooter with gameplay ideas applied almost to perfection. Leaving aside the uninteresting open world stages, the development team managed to create a world with a remarkable aesthetic quality despite the presence of several bugs. In any case, Atomic Heart represents a good first work for Mundfish and, above all, remains a fun and brutal FPS in its Soviet madness.

Octopath Traveler II is a small but noticeable gem, just like its predecessor, too bad that it indulges in past flaws without really improving them.

As a remake, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is nothing special, but fortunately the game, despite its spin-off nature and a few wrinkles here and there, has little to envy the other chapters in the series.

A must-buy for any PlayStation VR2 early adopter, the new spin-off in the Horizon saga offers a linear yet unique experience focused on climbing, fighting big Machines, and exploring a gorgeous world.

An interesting deck-building card game with not much content and boring maps to explore. Basic gameplay is nice and the four heroes are different enough to let players experiment a bit.

Wanted: Dead will make several admirers of old-time action-shooters happy, but it seems like a wasted opportunity and many gamers will find it frustrating and unrefined.

Overall, a nice roguelike game for both single player and multiplayer experiences. It has some rough edges and does not shine under any specific aspect, yet it competent gameplay and lenghty adventure could keep you entertained for a long time.

A beautiful transposition of the Wizarding World, Hogwarts Legacy is both a tribute to the Harry Potter universe and a litmus test largely passed by Avalanche Studios with their first, big and delicate project.