It's difficult to talk about Outer Wilds without saying too much. It's one of those rare games where you just want to place the person you are trying to convince in front of the screen and watch them play, like you'd watch a child stack building blocks for the first time. There is something inherently fascinating and intriguing about this simulation of space archaeology, where the journey is just as important as the destination — both in the messages it delivers and the satisfaction it provides.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night could easily have been a basic attempt at replicating the Metroidvania genre, masked behind the nostalgia of a partially-retired series and a creator who belongs in the past. Fortunately, this is not the case. Just a year after fierce criticism, the finished game has landed in an unexpected state — perhaps even better than our highest expectations could have imagined.

Even if the uneasy Lovecraftian atmosphere of The Sinking City can hook us with its gloomy graphics, the game is a technical mess. It's not the senseless battles that we will remember, but rather the investigative gameplay. Above all, the narrative around madness is remarkably well transcribed, both visually and acoustically. Fans of the genre will undoubtedly ignore its shortcomings and better appreciate its universe.

Amid Evil is the logical continuation of games such as Dusk and Strafe, inspired by the classics of the genre. It achieves everything in a convincing way — complex level design, varied and original artistic direction, agreeable combat, and a minimalist narrative which sublimates the exploration of worlds. Amid Evil is a game for arcade FPS players, who have not stopped performing rocket jumps since the original Quake.

Catan for the Switch could have been a success if one major defect had not been present. Maneuverability, customization of the board, the different game modes — everything has been designed to make the game appeal to all types of players. However, you need a Switch Online subscription to even hope of playing against other players. There is no local multiplayer either, so you can forget about playing with your family or your friends.

If you experienced Crash Team Racing first time round, then this remake will surely make you dizzy. It may alter your vision or judgment of the game, given it's so rich, subtle, captivating, catchy, generous and beautiful. CTR is a fairly typical game in the genre and doesn't reinvent anything, but it does perform like a beast in everything it does offer. It's an excellent carting title with a strong personality and gameplay that is perfectly balanced, but not enough to scream 'revolution', either.

If we were fearful of a 'Version 1.5' when the announcement of Super Mario Maker 2 was made, that is certainly not the case now. After a long time spent skimming its levels and creative tools, SMM2 has fully convinced us of its potential. Fun, filled with content, and always surprising, it's easy to get lost in the superlatives that describe this true 'social network' of 2D platform games. It's a new, instant hit for the Switch and close to perfection, which should appeal to budding level designers as much as lovers of the platform game genre.

Steel Division 2 succeeds in its challenge of being more complete, epic and tedious. The Army General mode is the biggest addition, and is challenging enough that it should keep strategists on their toes for a while. The available arsenal is colossal, and can be modified in depth so that players can have fun in Skirmish mode on its 28 maps — some of which are gigantic. It's a beautiful, well-finished game, with its only downsides being the poor pathing of the AI and cruel lack of a tutorial for newcomers.

Samurai Shodown is the breath of fresh air the saga has needed. The visual style immediately adds to the atmosphere, helped by an immersive soundtrack and fluid animation. The addition of the dojo and the game's accessibility make you want to dive in and master everything. In terms of gameplay, it's in these games of defence and subtle counter-attack that Samurai Shodown shines. It's not the best game out there, but we highly recommend it to fans who want a different fighting game experience.

Codemasters has not disappointed with F1 2019, the new features and multiple improvements making it one of the most complete driving simulations of the year. Apart from the big black mark in terms of content for the Senna/Prost section, the rest is faithful to the DNA of the F1 license, and that's good. Although the absence of Formula E is regrettable, the gameplay and driving remain intact for our greatest pleasure — there's no need to reinvent the wheel here.

Almost impeccable in substance despite gameplay inaccuracies, it is in the execution of My Friend Pedro that Deadtoast misses certain targets. It has a short lifespan, a lack of varied opponents, and the artistic direction is rather dull — which contrasts with the madness of the concept. Irreverent, frenetic and original, it encapsulates what publisher Devolver is all about. Each part is an explosion of fun, and that's the main thing.

There is much to be said against Judgment, a title in the vein of Yakuza that nevertheless fails to match its illustrious forebear. Clumsy and with a more choppy rhythm than ever, we still recommend it to lovers of police intrigue and Japanese detective stories. Thanks to a successful atmosphere and well-crafted plot, this new offering from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios often manages to make you forget the scattered nature of its gameplay.

Perhaps a little short for its price, Cadence of Hyrule is nevertheless very addictive. Once good habits have been (re)established it's difficult to put the controller down, thanks to Danny Baranowsky's brilliant compositions and the "real Zelda" structure coated in roguelike action. You may be disappointed by your dungeons, but apart from this little faux pas, CoH really ticks all the boxes of good old Zelda 2D, with a map full of secrets and dozens of interesting items to find.

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth is a nice curtain closing for the license on 3DS. The gameplay is solid and the production is full of personality, both visually and musically. As long as you have done the Persona, interactions that should never have and could have taken place between the characters are pleasant and fun. The story progresses without a hitch and it is not too Manichaean for once — it even ends with a hint of emotion. So, it's almost all good — a solid conclusion to Persona and a good gateway to trying out the Etrian Odyssey series.

Although a short and not providing all the answers to the questions it raises, Draugen, with its intoxicating atmosphere and the taste of Norwegian countryside, offers us a good time in the company of the protagonists with their charming relationships. Soaked with a soundtrack that seduces us from the very first notes, the story, in which our role will consist in following, without being able to influence it, like a spectator, has in any case kept us on our toes.

Though not a masterpiece, Warhammer Chaosbane is not a total failure either. Due to its minimalist design (but well implemented), the title sinks especially on its execution by proposing content that is too light and rough contrasting with well elaborated classes. The game lacks ambition, and sometimes even finishing touches, which is unfortunate for a license with such great potential. However, all its interest undoubtedly comes from its multiplayer mode, which can be played by 4 players on the same support. It is therefore advisable to opt for the multi-player experience. After all, it is sometimes nice to remember that it is still possible to sit in front of a TV with friends and pizzas, to play together and have a good evening. And that's probably all the game is about here.

Layers of Fear 2 is clearly not for everyone. This game is basically a frightening walking simulator which can look boring for those who aren't used to this genre. But it is mostly an artistic game with a use of symbols to reflect on many subjects as cinema, grief or innocence, wrapped in breathtaking graphics and soundtrack. Surely, everyone will get a different feeling playing it, but the game conquered us.

The similarities between the 2001: A Space Odyssey and Observation are numerous. The only big difference is that while the first may seem long, the second is much less so. For the rest, everything is present: the universe of course, the atmosphere, the lengthening scenes, the calm rhythm with a few more intense moments, the metaphysical side, and all the codes of Kubrick's film. Apart from the moments when you find yourself a little lost without really knowing what you have to do, you can have a really good time playing Observation. Regarding gameplay, the title is limited to exploration and puzzles in the form of simple mini-games, but this has the credit of being original and the enjoyment is here! We get caught up in the story that we follow with great pleasure and it is not uncommon to have your hair rising looking at certain scenes. And that's a lot.

Descenders is a great surprise. As we see too many dark Rogue-Like games in an heroic-fantasy style, Ragesquid offers a dramatically different approach with a biking game that will remind us of the best moments of the PS2 era and its extreme sports games, offering something modern and adapted at the same time. This game is hard, punishing even the slightest mistakes and making you sweat. On the other hand, you will get a welcome sense of achievement by succeeding. Descenders is an interesting piece for Rogue-Like and biking amateurs, with nice graphics and a killer soundtrack.

There are few licenses that are able to last over time while maintaining a high level of quality. The Total War saga is one of them and this new episode is no exception to the rule. Even better, this is probably the most successful episode of the saga. Filled with novelties, offering a colossal amount of content, and having a mastered artistic direction, we quickly forget the few technical issues in order to launch body and soul into the conquest of the title of Emperor of China. Moreover, we can't hide our joy seeing the huge replayability of the game which once again promises several dozen (hundreds?) hours of fun.

The French duo Asobo Games and Focus Home Interactive confirmed all the good thoughts we have about A Plague Tale, with a truly fascinating and touching story that kept us on the edge of our seats from the beginning until the end. Despite a lifespan of about ten hours, the title remains very intense despite the absence of important moral choices and some summary game phases. A Plague Tale: Innocence remains a perfect embodiment of the past, which has succeeded in capsizing us thanks to its own history, that of the De Runes family.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 joins Zero in the greatness of the Yakuza license, thanks to a phenomenal reworking, coupled with a whole bunch of additions drawn from the best ideas of the series. Still as zany and chubby as ever in its sidelines, Kiwami 2, like Kiwami 1, is also an excellent detective novel, with a scenario full of great twists and turns. A good surprise and a new Japanese game essential on PC.

With Rage 2, Id Sofware and Avalanche combines their expertise to create a FPS in an open world with exciting but repetitive fights. If the superpowers and weapons unlocked in the Arches allow you to have fun for a few hours, the big lack of stakes changes everything. You can count about ten main missions, mixed with mandatory micro-objectives, before seeing the end of the adventure, i.e. 6 to 8 hours in one go. It is possible to complete all the secondary objectives of the map in order to gain more power, but without any real goal to achieve. What's the point then?

On paper, Mordhau could look like any medieval brawler as we have seen for years. But in reality, it knows how to stand out with a combat system that is halfway between the arcade game and the realistic one, and a rather advanced personalization. We only regret the low number of cards and game modes, hoping that it will be completed in the near future via a few updates. However, everything is counterbalanced by a chubby humour that hits the target and will give you (at least) a few dozen hours of fun, with or without friends.

Overall, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is a good RPG even if it has its share of technical defects. Its universe is coherent and offers a lot of freedom, thanks to an effective combat system: pawns that are one of the best ideas of the game and a huge lifetime. Capcom has been able to pick the right ideas from the Western RPG recipe even if some of J-RPG's mechanics do not work well, especially in the interface or in secondary quests. The Switch port is good, even if some hitches are felt in handheld mode.

Fade to Silence is a real survival game with hints of Souls-like that sets the mood and raises the tension. Even if its graphics are not top-of-the-range, the sets reflect the extreme conditions in which we find ourselves and the soundtrack is a very good match. It's a pity that there are still a few bugs left. If the concept of permanent death can make you angry, it remains an essential element, it would be a pity to ignore it by using the exploration mode, which we advise you to use only in last resort, since bargains and blessings allow you to restart stronger and save time.

Dark Devotion doesn't invent anything, that's for sure. On the other hand, he is a very good copier and knows how to pick right and left to be inspired and propose a Rogue Like as an attractive pixel art that will certainly not change the vision of the genre, but should bring a significant dose to fans of the genre who need their regular fix. The Castlevania marriage with Dark souls works perfectly and promises long hours to anyone who wants to explore everything. It is also recommended for neophytes of the genre, because even if it can be punitive at times, it is less so than others.

The culmination of the franchise and so much more. Capcom is still putting up the pressure one notch above, with new mechanics, a renewed gameplay, and a replayability that will make you start the game a second time without losing your smile. The story has matured and a good balance has been found with its three destinies that intersect over the course of the missions, until its apocalyptic final. Only big downside in a game that requires precision in its highest difficulty levels: the camera problems and the targeting system.