In Silent Hill f, scenario writer Ryukishi07 has crafted an overwhelming story, yet the repetitive gameplay required to reach its conclusion diminishes the overall experience. The game's ambitious narrative structure – designed to overturn the player’s perception with each playthrough – clashes with game design that cannot fully support it, while its awkward distance from the traditional motifs of the series further complicates its evaluation. And yet, the story and characters themselves are undeniably genuine, carrying a value that deserves to be remembered and retold for generations to come.

After delivering the cult-hit Detention, Taiwanese developer Red Candle Games presents its next psychological horror adventure, Devotion. While making the jump from 2D to 3D, the superb presentation and storytelling remain intact. A 1980s Taiwanese condo is faithfully recreated in 3D to the extent that you can almost detect the odour. And while bringing together various art styles in one game, Devotion manages to tell a consistent story as well.

In this real-time tactics adventure set in the Wild West, you will engage in various missions with your main five eccentric units. The missions offer a wide variety of situations typical of Western movies, and it’s up to you whether to use stealth or go loud. But whatever play style you choose, the gameplay always perfectly complements the Western setting.

While the combos and the Shinobi Execution special attack may not be particularly unique, Shinobi's battle system is well crafted and delivers a strong sense of exhilaration. The consistently challenging level design and boss fights expand the classical appeal of 2D action into a modern context, offering something fresh for players tired of Soulslikes and Metroidvanias. That said, the story and worldbuilding remain stuck in the kind of B-grade sensibility often found in retro games, leaving something to be desired by the standards of contemporary videogames.

Anyone can play and look cool with this instant-classic VR rhythm game. The PS4 version is great, but the PSVR exclusive content does not offer that much appeal.

Armored Core 6 has a true sense of speed and exhilaration, its robot design is everything a mech fan could wish for, and it even has an outstanding storyline. For fans of the series, some elements might feel lacking or different, but there is no doubt that this is the pinnacle of robot action.

Dragon Quest XI is almost like a NES game developed with modern technology. Turn-based battles and retro sound effects make clear it is proud of being a classic JRPG. Yet at the same time, monster mounts and real-time escape sequences indicate that Dragon Quest XI is also a forward-thinking game. The overworld is full of joy and wonder, its design integral to telling a compelling story.

While the story can feel childish, altogether Octopath Traveler II takes what was great about its predecessor and makes it even better, resulting in a great sequel.

Sumire is an adventure game with beautiful light-colored art and an acoustic music soundtrack. You play as a young girl who experiences a slightly special day in a somewhat mysterious setting, but that’s about it. You won’t find any deep settings and themes or an intriguing story here. If you like to enjoy admiring beautiful scenery on the way through a game without thinking too much, Sumire’s world might be one for you.

Ender Lilies is a game that might not have any revolutionary mechanics, but its graphics, music, battles, exploration and worldbuilding all contribute to an experience that has more polish than almost any other game in the action RPG genre. While the leap in difficulty near the end can definitely be overwhelming, the beautiful graphics and stellar presentation provide multiple fantastic moments and heart-pounding fights you won’t forget any time soon.

Cyberpunk 2077’s biggest achievement is Night City, the most fascinating city in videogame history so far. While the combat outside of the main story does sometimes feel a little repetitive, the way it encourages the player to interact with the everyday lives of the inhabitants of this bustling city results in a roleplaying experience in the truest sense of the word. The game towers like a skyscraper in the Western RPG genre skyline.

Crypt of the NecroDancer brings randomly generated dungeons and rhythm-based gameplay to the exploration and adventure of The Legend of Zelda. While it doesn’t feel like total chemistry, Hyrule is faithfully represented, and Zelda fans will be able to enjoy a different type of gameplay. It’s not a masterpiece, but if you can catch the beat, there’s a lot of fun to be had.

Incsryption is a deck-building roguelike game with a great metafiction scenario. Even the deck-building and roguelike elements are just part of what this game makes you think it is, as the game’s structure keeps changing as you progress. This continuous change of style makes you feel like you're playing a very special game, and it will keep you excited throughout the experience.

Due to an increase in mobility, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hopes is a deep and unique strategy game that is also easy to pick up. That being said, the story requires knowledge of both its predecessor and Super Mario Galaxy, and even if you do know them, it still lacks depth.

Starfield’s vast universe is home to unique planets, factions and characters and offers a wide array of choices. It allows you to become whoever you want to be, and savor both the light and dark sides of the universe the way you want to. Starfield doesn’t only improve on Bethesda’s previous games, but gives birth to an entirely new universe that is the company’s best open-world RPG yet.

A compact yet intricately crafted original third-person shooter. Its blend of hacking and gunplay successfully creates a unique sense of satisfaction, though it can occasionally feel a bit unfocused, leaving you wishing for greater weapon variety and more diverse combat styles. While the overall story leaves a somewhat muted impression, the lighthearted, everyday banter between the two main characters offers a charm unlike anything found in other games.

Easy Come Easy Golf comes with a wide range of brand new courses of stable quality. Its video tutorials make it an accessible game for newcomers to the genre as well. Easy Come Easy Golf could have the potential to create a new generation of golf game fans.

Meg’s Monster is a great story game with clever twists, and even its battles contribute to the narrative. The relationship between Meg and her monster companion Roy is well written and deeply touching.

While unfair enemy-placement gets irritating, Nioh 2’s new Yokai powers make this an action game with almost infinite possibilities. And with a huge amount of content, Nioh 2 is simply one of the best Souls-like games to date.

While Nioh 3 offers a much greater sense of challenge and depth, there are lingering concerns about hitting a ceiling in terms of mastery, as well as balance issues—particularly the Ninja playstyle which seems to be overly powerful. Although the benefits of the open-field approach are strongly felt on the first map thanks to the satisfying loop of combat, exploration, and progression, the experience loses its shine from the midpoint onward for a variety of reasons. Even so, as a loot-driven action game, Nioh 3 retains a uniquely compelling presence, and its ability to keep players coming back for more remains firmly intact.

While A Space for the Unbound has a sweet and nostalgic playfeel, its deeper themes are heavier. The dragging storyline and lack of challenge in its puzzles can sometimes make it feel too long for its own good, but in the end it all comes together with a shocking reveal.

The Kirby series has always offered fun with a wide array of copy abilities, which proves to be a great match for 3D. The newly implemented Mouthful Mode that allows Kirby to swallow large-scale objects and the ability to level up your copy abilities are great fun. While the extra stages that unlock after beating the main game are a bit of a disappointment, as a whole Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an extraordinarily well made 3D action game that celebrates our pink friend’s 30th anniversary in the best way possible.

Much like The Witcher 3, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is a single-player RPG with a high emphasis on player choice. If the world of The Witcher and its lore have captivated you before, there’s no excuse for skipping on this one. The card battle system might take a while to get used to, but friendly tutorials help smooth the way.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has everything you would want from a Metroidvania game: Both its combat and platforming are quality. However, it doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre, and the story isn’t anything to write home about either.

The concept of an infinite loop has been masterfully visualized in this first-person puzzle game, creating a visually mesmerizing experience. It’s definitely worth playing, but keep in mind that the puzzles are of a high difficulty level, and some players might get motion sickness, too.

While being a new entry to the series, Crash Bandicoot 4’s stages are full of references to the first two games. And while it is without a doubt the hardest game in the series, amusing animations and a great score will make you want to keep going.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom improves upon its predecessor in almost every regard, yet somehow its magic is lost along the way.

Continually evolving with each new iteration, F1 2018 is still the definitive F1 racing game. Just don’t expect any new game-changing mechanics or additions.