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.

The combination between deck-building and speedy real-time action make One Step From Eden a revolutionary title. While difficult and lacking in story, it’s definitely a game anyone should try.

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.

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.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon’s atmosphere is faithful to the series, and your favorite critters are as cute as ever. The visuals will remind you of the picture books from your childhood, creating a sweet and lovely experience. While gameplay-wise there may be few new surprises, this remake is a great entry point in the spinoff series for anyone.

Faithfully recreated hero characters and a scenario that makes it feel like you have been transported to the original manga are great for fans of the series. However, repetitive battles and a bad difficulty balance ruin what could have been a great experience otherwise.

In the super violent world of Bloodroots, everything becomes either a weapon or something to kill. Every time you die there’s something new to learn, and while it’s definitely a flawed experience, becoming better and stylishly killing everything coming your way is a thrilling experience nonetheless.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a reconstruction on an almost unprecedented scale. Midgar feels like a real place, and strong character development sucks you into its fascinating world. The battle system is a great mix between real-time action and turn-based strategic elements, but with many consecutive lengthy fights in linear dungeon-like areas, it can sometimes become too stressful for the casual player, and the slow story progression won’t be for everyone either.

The maps in Cindered Shadows feel different from the main game in a good way, and with enjoyable character dialogue and an interesting setting, this DLC is a treat for players who enjoyed the original game.

Space Channel 5 VR is not challenging as a video game, and its exercise mode does not have enough content at launch to offer a serious workout. That being said, reuniting with Ulala in VR will be a memorable experience for fans of the series. If becoming a part of a short but atmospheric musical sounds fun and you already have a PS VR and two PlayStation Move controllers, Space Channel 5 VR is worth trying.

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.

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.

Frostpunk is a city-building simulation game that puts an emphasis not just on efficiency, but also the moral qualities of the player as a leader. Even if you normally don’t play simulation games, you will definitely be able to appreciate its uniqueness on a lower difficulty setting.

With a high-quality scenario and unique VR presentation, Yuoni Rises immerses the player in its scary yet nostalgic world.

With beautiful visuals, an epic soundtrack and an exciting world with interesting characters, this hardcore Touhou Project inspired shmup is well worth your time. While the multiplayer mode lacks significant depth, the story mode alone is enough to recommend Maiden & Spell to fans of the genre.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s turn-based battle system has a serious lack of depth and pacing issues so crucial that it’s dangerously close to simply falling apart. However, RPG-like elements such as a wide array of equipable items, charisma parameters and interesting job classes do create a customizability that is new to the series. In addition, bizarre side quests and well-crafted mini games make this an experience that is still unmistakably Yakuza. The story of new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga and his friends is simply one of the best in the series, and the communication between those characters is a breath of fresh air. While Yakuza 7 is pretty much a disastrous RPG in terms of its battle system, everything else is nothing short of amazing, which makes it a hard game to score.

Bringing unique mechanics from the Shikigami no Shiro series to present day, Sisters Royale is a worthy successor of the vertically scrolling shmup series. Some players might feel reluctance towards the “moe” anime-style characters, but the bullet-hell gameplay itself will satisfy hardcore fans of the genre.

Having the player advance through environments by rearranging rooms, The Pedestrian succeeds in creating a puzzle game with simple rules that is visually interesting at the same time. The difficulty is always well balanced, and the surprising climax makes great use of the game’s features. Yet, at the same time, The Pedestrian never manages to truly stand out of the crowd, resulting in a game that feels like a role-model student who lacks real personality.

As an action-adventure game, Giraffe and Annika may be rough around the edges, but its cute cat-eared protagonist and the visually stunning island feel so genuinely magical that you’ll be smiling throughout anyway. If you’re looking for good action and interesting puzzles, Giraffe and Annika won’t deliver, but if you’re the kind of gamer who treasures superb atmosphere and hand-crafted details above all else, you’re in for a real treat.

Faithfully recreated cutscenes – featuring not just Goku but all your favorite Dragon Ball Z characters – manage to surpass the quality of the original anime series. With even nostalgic memories from before the Z saga included, Dragon Ball Z Kakarot is best described as a huge treasure box of fan service. While the battle system could have been deeper, flashy special moves keep things from getting boring, and while most quests may feel uninspired, this is still the ultimate game for any Dragon Ball fan.

Coffee Talk’s atmosphere that incorporates the diversity of Indonesia is worth spending some time in, and the game succeeds in depicting something as mundane as people’s worries and how they learn to move on. That makes Coffee Talk the kind of game that you will actually want to enjoy while relaxing with a cup of coffee yourself. While the story has no great drama or impactful event, the message that the developer tries to deliver at the ending comes through.

While a sandbox game focused on magic spells feels like a fresh adventure at first, it gets old too quickly, and the lack of content doesn’t help. While there is a PvP mode, it doesn’t deliver anything unique to solve the problem.

Blasphemous is a high-difficulty metroidvania-like side-scroller. Its gory violence is not for everyone, but together with its grim yet beautiful background scenery, it delivers a well-crafted ominous world. Just like a splatter movie, this is the kind of game you might want to dive into if you’re looking for serious thrills.

With the environment changing from a factory to a city, The Surge 2 loses its appeal of heavy machinery. With a spiritual story and a confusing map, it was never really clear where The Surge 2’s gameplay or world atmosphere was heading. Luckily, changes in the game’s system are more clear. By making battles less challenging and improving the upgrade system, the game’s dismemberment-focused action has become genuinely more fun. That being said, there are just too many aspects that hold it back.

Just like Ginga Force and Eschatos, Natsuki Chronicles is a side-scrolling shmup true to the DNA of developer Qute. While it caters towards a wide audience ranging from newcomers to veterans of the genre, the balance between the story-heavy chronicle mode and the more traditional arcade mode isn’t great. There’s some great level design to enjoy here, but Natsuki Chronicles fails to exceed the developer’s previous titles.

From “moe” characters and hip-hop to cyberpunk and yakuza, Orangeblood is a 2D sprite-based RPG that provides interesting cultural juxtapositions. The battle system, which includes hack-and-slash elements, provides enough options for strategic combat. However, after the credits had rolled, I felt that both the story and combat needed a bit more volume.

While some of its new story feels unnecessary, and players who have already beaten the original will have to go through the dungeons all over again to access the new content, this is still one of the best RPGs of the current generation.

VR enhancement makes the 3D cutscenes and exploration all the richer in this remake. However, the rhythm gameplay has issues that weren’t present in the original, even when not playing in VR, and it doesn’t feel like you are playing the piano yourself like in the original. That said, this is still an interesting new way to experience Deemo, especially for fans.