If you liked the base game for Escape Simulator, there's no reason not to get this. It carries over all the good and adds in even more fun. Each room is unique and asks you to alter your way of thinking. The solutions are satisfying and the rooms are so gorgeous. There's a clear (but legally distinct!) influence from Harry Potter, one that enhances the setting and makes the puzzles that much more fun.

Even if it's destined to suffer the same incomprehension as many of its predecessors do, Silent Hill: The Short Message is a fairly decent return of one of the most important franchises of the survival horror genre. While it lacks several spine-chilling elements from previous entries that used to make Silent Hill the most horrifying game series out there, it presents many sensitive themes for today's standards. Its teenage story has a daring approach and sets the bar for what we should expect from the psychological factor of the series in the near future.

Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator ticks many boxes for those who enjoy driving simulation games, as this title provides the players with responsive driving mechanics and gives options for those who enjoy manual or automatic transmissions. However, the lackluster AI drivers that can hinder our enjoyment and breaks the immersion almost destroy my experience while playing the game. However, once the developers acknowledge and address this issue, then Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator is a solid game for you to kick back and enjoy your down time after work or college.

While the original Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons had a charming artstyle, the graphical update is a vast improvement, the attention to detail adding depth to the already mysterious world. The narrative and innovative control system remain in place, making this the perfect on-boarding for new and returning players. The addition of local co-op allows you to team up and play the game together, although I strongly recommend playing the game single player in order to achieve the full impact of the experience. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake sticks close to its roots and remains the pinnacle of game mechanics being used to convey a story.

Potions: A Curious Tale does a great job immersing you in the journey to become a potion master. Experimenting with the different combinations and discovering possibilities is fun, letting you spend hours trying to find everything. Luna's journey is enjoyable to follow, even if it is easy for her to achieve her goals. It may not be easy to find side quests and failures are frustrating to encounter. But the game's charm easily outshines its flaws, giving you an enjoyable experience where you are an active participant in becoming a potion master.

This highly immersive game surpasses most horror titles with its uniquely designed environments and chilling narrative. Powered by Unreal Engine, the game boasts stunning character models and environments that draw players deeper into its hellish world. With a strong emphasis on group participation and replayability, each playthrough offers new challenges making it great game for horror enthusiasts and cooperative gaming fans.

Inkulinati is a terrific addition to the strategy genre. The art style and humor may draw you in, but the vast array of abilities and beasts at your command will keep you strategizing for hours. With an ever-changing Journey mode and an aggressive pace to battle, Inkulnati is a blast battle to battle, beast to beast, ink to ink.

Overall, WWE 2K24 is a step-up from the previous year, taking everything that made WWE 2K23 great and further adding to it. However, there is still much to be desired as it feels as though they could have pushed the boundaries of creativity even further and took a few risks. Ultimately, playing it safe worked out in their favor because the game is polished for the most part and simply improves on last year's already good title.

With weak exploration which tends towards being more tedious, and even exhausting, combat which trips over itself to constantly interrupt the player, and an overall feeling of awkwardness in the presentation, getting through The Thaumaturge's low moments can be a real struggle. However, on the other side is a compelling and interesting political slow burn which weaves the role of magic and Thaumaturgy into real historical scheming, even if that means the more interesting aspects of the world take a backseat. This is alongside an engaging core combat loop and some excellent creature designs. If you can stomach the slow start and are willing to play into the game's more obtuse aspects, particularly the walls of emotive text, The Thaumaturge is sure to be another exciting CRPG for you.

The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Anthology is a great attempt at bringing a children's series to life. However, it is brought down by several factors that make gameplay a difficult experience. It's hard to tell where you are, scent-based gameplay blends together, and graphical faults can inconvenience you. But for fans of the series, you can easily overlook those flaws and have a decent time.

The Lost Legends of Redwall: Feasts & Friends is a simple game to learn and jump into. It's a great way to continue the Redwall adventure without investing time into reading the books. However, you will invest time in the game mechanics, learning through trial-by-fire as you cook new dishes. It feels like the process could be much easier than it is, but it works for a simple cooking game.

Escape Simulator is fun. It's just challenging enough to make the puzzles satisfying, without being so obtuse you're certain the creators are just trying to show off their wasted university degrees. With free DLC and player created options, there's a ton of replay value. It feels good to poke at multiple puzzles at once, just for one to unlock the key to one of the others and so on. I lost hours on this game, bingeing it for 7 hours straight in one session! It's fun to pick up, hard to put down.

Penny's Big Breakaway is a masterful 3D platformer. The team at Evening Star manages to make the transition from 2D to 3D platforming mostly flawlessly, far different from the blue hedgehog that started their game development journey. Evening Star has proven that they're the studio that should handle 2D Sonic, and with Penny's Big Breakaway, they've proven that they could handle 3D Sonic as well. They can do it, but they want to continue pursuing their own independent IP, which is just as good. Penny's Big Breakaway is something that no platformer fan should miss.

Overall, Solium Infernum is a great option for groups of friends who enjoy strategy and/or board games. The satisfaction of success is immense. The artwork is fantastic but more unique army character models would be nice. The gameplay is enjoyable with options for different approaches. The lack of actions per turn is a bit disappointing, especially when play asynchronously.

The remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong breathes new life into the classic title, enriching what was achieved nearly 20 years ago. This format aligns seamlessly with the franchise's essence, where platforms and puzzles merge effortlessly to create an environment where Mario truly belongs. The enhancements in this new version serve as a welcoming invitation for newcomers and a compelling reason for veterans to revisit the world they once cherished. With gameplay and visuals elevated to new heights, it's evident that the experience has been refined for modern audiences. Of course, while some mechanics may show signs of age, they underscore the notion that a renewed, unreleased installment would seamlessly complement Nintendo's renowned catalog.

Slave Zero X is great at throwing you into combat that tests your ability to extend combos. You fight a variety of enemies that provide unique challenges and the combat is fun to learn. However, the story is confusing at the beginning and the tutorial isn't implemented well, making it easy to miss out on your full arsenal. Spending time learning how to fight is a key part of the game and failure is expected. It's a long grind but if you love the precise nature of combat and chaining combos, you will enjoy Slave Zero X.

Arms Trade Tycoon: Tanks is a great way to learn about the development of this throughout World War I. With a solid look into one of the most underrated aspects of warfare, you'll be tasked with developing your nation's battle tanks. Will you lead your nation to victory, or get ground to dust by your competitors?

Dead Man's Diary has the building blocks of a good game but sadly chooses to be too simplistic. It may provide wonderful visuals of a world abandoned but lacks in almost everything else. The Narrative needs more focus within the game's desire to be an adventure game with survival mechanics. And most importantly, a main character that doesn't make me want feed them to the mutants every chance I get.

For their first outing as a studio, Ironwood Studios has provided a beautifully styled roadlike that captures the thrill of driving in a supernatural setting. With a fantastic cast to support the journey, an addictive gameplay loop, wonderful sights to behold, and creative obstacles to encounter. Pacific Drive has the potential for Indie of the Year.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is a love letter to a pair of games that absolutely did not deserve it. It is also a difficult game to rate, considering its laser-focused vision. This is one of those schlock cases, where things that would normally be considered bad are instead good for being bad. That certainly works for the presentation, but I'm less sure when it comes to gameplay. Are things like the darkness and easy bosses legitimate flaws, or are they supposed to be bad because they were bad in the CD-i games? I'll certainly commend how faithful it is, masterfully recreating such a unique artstyle, and anyone who ever laughed at the myriad Youtube Poops those games spawned would get a kick out of this.

A Little to the Left is a clever and creative puzzle game which looks at the everyday in a unique way. Although to begin with solutions feel random, once you come to terms with the game's logic things soon slide into place. Easy controls and a relaxed approach to level progression make A Little to the Left perfect for a cosy blanket day, an atmosphere which is enhanced with the gentle audio and charming illustrations.

I will reiterate that the game has a "debt" to settle until the deferred melee combat is dispatched, if ever. Naval combat is great and customization is compelling. But considering the element of being an outlaw of the sea, without the drama and adventure that matches the bravado and flamboyance of the clothes my pirate is wearing, the Swash just ain't gonna Buckle. Skull and Bones is plainly a 'pirate ship game' more than it is about pirates, for now. Fair Winds and Following Seas until that changes.

You might think The M/S Cornelia II Incident is just another point-and-click mystery adventure game, but it feels a bit more than that, thanks to some additional gameplay features. The mystery surrounding the game leaves you not only wanting to play out the whole demo, but eager to see where the full game will go. The pixel graphics do well to add to the game's atmosphere. There is some room for improvement, such as the controls being displayed before the game starts, as well as making the inventory more obvious, but these can be addressed in the final game. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product of The M/S Cornelia II Incident.

Murder is Game Over: Deal Killer is not a bad game by any stretch. The biggest issue is its length. The core of the mystery provides little challenge or excitement, especially compared to bigger series like Ace Attorney or Danganronpa. Though, had it been longer, it would need a more diverse gameplay loop and more complex mystery to justify it. However, for only $5, you get a fun little mystery game filled with good moments and solid characters.

Adventure Quest 8 Bit Dungeons and DoomKnights needs a lot more baking in the oven before it could reach its maximum potential. As an idea, its great to bring back the use of retro gameplay mechanics, and design. However in this title, we see not only what happens when its done with little regard for playability, but also a sad lack of story loop. Instead it packs itself with mini games, nostalgic memorabilia, and a hype train speeding towards its final destination to mediocrity.

While not suitable for those sensitive to flashing lights and jump scares, Alan Wake 2 is a unique must-play for fans of weird horror and creative flair. The additions and improvements to gameplay are a welcome change, with less focus on the action and more attention paid to narrative. That being said, Alan Wake 2 still excels in all departments, and the slightly frustrating sections can be forgiven when receiving the rewards of more story. I have avoided describing the convoluted story in too much detail - due to the high cinematic standard, Alan Wake 2 is best experienced first-hand.

Town Adventures allowed me to have my first experience with a walking simulator game. While I do feel a tad underwhelmed, it might have been because I was expecting a lot more and I'm not familiar with these types of games. Saying this, Town Adventures does what it sets out to do: being an easy-going, charming walking simulator with hidden objects thrown in to give it that little something extra. If you like walking simulators, hidden objects games or both, then Town Adventures ticks these boxes.

Alisa: Developer's Cut is an amazing homage to the roots of the Resident Evil franchise. Recreating the feeling to a near-perfect T. However, emulating a game from the '90s so closely means it comes with all the problems from games of the time. Big fans of the genre will definitely enjoy their time, but casual horror fans may struggle to get invested.