Blue Reflection: Second Light is an RPG in which a group of girls with lost memories find themselves in a different dimension in which they have to work together to solve a mystery. The main scenario – in which you will learn about the girls’ difficult pasts while seeing them grow as characters – feels satisfactory due to plenty of events throughout the game. While the battle system feels good enough to do the job, it comes with too many rough edges.

Visions of Mana succeeds as a new entry in the Mana series that feels faithful to its identity while bringing it into a modern context with beautiful visuals. Cute characters and a casual battle system make this an action RPG that is approachable for newcomers to the series as well. Small inconveniences and flawed UX design are not enough to hold the experience back, but a story that approves of self-sacrifice narrows its appeal as a whole.

Black Myth: Wukong’s combat system doesn’t have anything that makes it truly unique. The variety in ways to tackle combat is often lacking, and it doesn’t feel all that good to play either. That said, the concept of creating openings for the enemy rather than exploiting them is interesting, and by rewarding players who take full advantage of the few chances the game gives you, it makes its boss encounters worthwhile despite its lacking combat system. Character customization and exploration is on the thin side too, and the story is hard to follow if you haven’t read Journey to the West. However, the impressive graphics make every moment of the game look like a painting. Experiencing this world based on classic Chinese literature through the game’s unique vision is still worth your time.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined reconstructs the original’s sprawling narrative with a far brisker, more accessible pace. That approach may well represent the optimal solution for guiding modern players through such an enormous adventure, yet it comes at a cost. In streamlining the experience, the game sacrifices some of the strategic depth expected of an RPG, as well as the literary weight of the original’s meditation on the limits of salvation. It is charming and eminently approachable, but the sharp edges that once lingered in the heart have been smoothed away—resulting in a remake that feels exemplary, yet somewhat too well-behaved for its own good.

An ambitious remake that not only succeeds in addressing many of the original fans’ longstanding grievances, but also reveals a clear determination to pursue its own creative vision. While certain newly added scenes suffer from a lack of sufficient explanation, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties ultimately transcends the label of a mere remake. Instead, it stands as a pivotal work—one that offers meaningful insight into the future direction of the Like a Dragon series.

Idol Manager is a simulation management game in which you try to exploit idols for profit while protecting them from the darker side of the industry. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be a producer in Japan’s idol industry, this is an experience for you.

Good Job! is a game that allows you to complete stressful jobs or puzzles simply by completely demolishing the environment. Tearing apart everything you see in an office can be fun indeed, and some of the stages have great design. That said, ironically Good Job! reminds you that destruction can get boring when no one is trying to stop you.

Different from its predecessor, Life is Strange 2 brings more political themes to the table. Protagonist Sean’s little brother Daniel has supernatural powers, but is too young to distinguish between good and evil, and it is up to the player how you want to guide him. While interesting in theory, this results in a gameplay experience based almost entirely on making decisions, and supernatural elements are not put into use as cleverly as in the original Life is Strange. This makes Life is Strange 2 feel like it lacks focus, because most of its political themes are not fleshed out enough, and the ones that do work don’t really need supernatural elements in the first place.

With Resident Evil 3, Capcom again succeeds in delivering a game that, as a remake, is nearly flawless. The problem is that the original game it is based on was never so great in the first place. And while there’s some fun to be had with multiplayer component, it’s not clear what Capcom’s main focus was for the package as a whole.

The Last of Us Part II tries too hard to differentiate itself from its predecessor. While astonishing cityscapes and more varied combat options are great evolutions, Part II lacks the poetic serenity that made the original road-movie-like epic such a masterpiece. On top of that, uninteresting new characters burden the story, making Ellie's journey feel conventional and not nearly as captivating as the original.

When The Past Was Around feels heavily inspired by Florence. While it is easy to fall in love with its gorgeous artwork and music, its puzzles fail to support to the story’s narrative. There’s definitely a sense of accomplishment when solving the game’s harder puzzles, but they are often utilized as traditional videogame obstacles rather than meaningful tools that contribute to the story.

With a campaign that has an interesting story and deep interactions between characters, tons of collectibles and action gameplay that is well tailored to each hero, Marvel’s Avengers succeeds in delivering the appeal of this iconic team of characters in game format. However, access to the game’s modes feels unnecessarily inconvenient, and an often cumbersome UI makes the experience feel less smooth than it could have been. Depending on the updates and new contents planned in the future, Marvel’s Avengers could very well reach its true potential, but at this point, there’s still a lot that needs to be addressed.

This PS5 entry in the Atelier series delivers gorgeous anime-style visuals, which its alchemy mechanics make it easy to create equipment of the highest rank, making the speedy and dynamic combat a lot of fun. That being said, the game’s design can sometimes feel a bit too much on the user-friendly side, which can make the exploration feel tedious. While most of the story depicts the characters’ everyday lives, be prepared for a dramatic ending.

Like No More Heroes, Scott Pilgrim and Kick-Ass, YIIK: Postmodern RPG features a nerd as its protagonist – but it’s nice to finally see one who doesn’t eventually become cool. The game is well presented, with eye-catching toon-shaded visuals, a great soundtrack and a deep story. We would have preferred more strategy in battles, while a few bugs sully the experience slightly.

It cannot be denied that Daymare: 1998 comes with many flaws, but you have to appreciate what it aims to achieve. Well-crafted locations, a unique reloading system and interesting storytelling are some of the game’s highlights, but since both the game’s story and mechanics take time to get used to, it can’t be denied that those strengths are a double-edged sword.

Mutiazone is a point-and-click game set on an island that brings in “gardening” gameplay. The story is moved on by sorting fictional plants in order to create gardens for the game’s characters. This is much more a personal story than a heroic one, and it leaves a warm impression. But while the game makes you think that you are reconnecting the island’s community, it feels like the real issue is being avoided.

Home Sweet Home is an unsettling horror experience that uses East Asian religion as its theme. Being pursued by a grim knife-wielding woman is enough to make this a game that will haunt your dreams, but the overly simplistic gameplay and an unfinished story keep Home Sweet Home from becoming an indie classic.

A new competitive shmup is a rarity in itself, but Rival Megagun can’t quite compete with similar games that came before it. Its simple and casual game design make it a multiplayer experience that is easy to get into, but it lacks depth.

Sonic Superstars is a good classic 2D Sonic game that shines especially in its visuals. Stages have a wider array of gimmicks when compared to older 2D Sonic games and boss fights are much more complex. However, the game design can feel unpolished and often doesn’t do a good job in communicating with the player. While the addition of local co-op sounds great on paper, Sonic’s speedy gameplay proves to be a difficult match for it.

While its name might have changed, EA SPORTS FC 24 is a new entry in the long-running FIFA series through and through, and you’ll find the series' strengths and weaknesses haven’t changed one bit.

While Mortal Shell’s story, volume of content and RPG elements all disappoint, it’s Dark Souls-like close-combat battle system is of great quality.

While feeling a bit flat, this soccer game largely succeeds in faithfully portraying Captain Tsubasa’s world and atmosphere. The game’s slow pace can stand in the way of your enjoyment, but both the story and action are of great quality, and there’s a lot of it too. The simple controls make for an exhilarating soccer experience, but it’s hard to deny that the progression of each match largely feels the same.

If you look at Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin as a hack-and-slash action RPG, it’s a roughly balanced game with problematic endgame content that isn’t any better in the visual department either, and even its story seems to be a huge disappointment at first. However, if you stick with it, the well crafted battle system and the job system that allows for a wide array of fighting styles should win you over, and eventually you’ll be rewarded by an extremely passionate and overwhelming finale to the story.

Katana Zero offers stunning visuals and striking effects, but both its gameplay and story feel incomplete. Including its atmosphere, Katana Zero has a lot to offer, which makes it feel all the more like a wasted opportunity in its current state.

If you’re looking for an exciting 2D action game, ICEY is not it. However, if disobeying orders sounds fun, ICEY is all about that. In the end, it’s a game that actively wants you to break its rules.

As a rhythm game Soundart has little originality, and the randomly generated music lacks great rhythm or sense of excitement. That being said, if you enjoy customizing and streaming videos, it might be worth a try.

Quotation forthcoming.

For a story-driven game, there are just too many inconsistencies in its story. Yet despite this, Yakuza 6 comes with undeniable charm.