The map design is particularly well-crafted and intriguing, contributing significantly to the gameplay. On this front, however, one criticism must be raised regarding the limited quantity: currently, only five maps are available—all of them rather small in size. Given that there is also only a single game mode, it is essential that Double Fine introduces new content soon to keep interest in *Kiln* alive. The first post-launch updates have already been announced and include at least three new maps and a new game mode; however, it remains unclear whether true long-term support is planned—something that will likely depend on the game's online performance during its first few months.

From a technical standpoint, however, Invincible VS fails to particularly distinguish itself. The 3D character models lack detail—a shortcoming that is especially evident in Story Mode, where the transition between animated cutscenes and gameplay segments highlights the disparity in quality. The animations, too, are not always up to par; some attacks appear unpolished and lack fluidity. Finally, the special effects do not exactly dazzle with their spectacle; while generally pleasing overall, they remain inferior to those found in many other titles within the genre—a sentiment that ultimately applies to the entire graphics package.

Aphelion is the most classic of DON'T NOD's games. On paper, but also in practice, it lacks everything to be a good title, but at the same time it lacks the magic, the originality, the quality necessary to shine. While Remember Me and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden undoubtedly represent two of the French studio's finest achievements, not to mention the usual Life is Strange, this sci-fi adventure falls behind those titles. While there are no major flaws, and while the game strives to offer sci-fi fans an experience comparable to Interstellar, Solaris, or Deliver Us Mars, for a game primarily focused on story, it lacks a twist, a completely convincing and engaging level of writing, and the digital direction and top-notch sound are all missing. The gameplay is just okay, completely lacking in depth and even repetitive over long periods, especially in the sections where you play as Ariane. With Pragmata and Saros vying for the attention of sci-fi fans, Aphelion risks coming away with more broken bones than it deserves. It's not a bad game, but it certainly chose the worst time of year to try to win over genre fans with its slim, yet undeniable, qualities.

Broken Arms' game delivers exactly what it promises—designing golf courses and turning them into a profitable business—but a single, extended Sandbox session is sufficient to see everything the title has to offer.

It's impossible not to perceive Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes as a huge wasted opportunity. This is because, despite the project's solid foundation, it never manages to capture the attention of the player, even becoming boring during the two hours it takes to complete. Altered Echoes reflects the current VR gaming industry. An industry that, after innovating the language of video games, has reveled in the same gameplay mechanics for years, hiding its flaws behind famous brands or iconic comic book characters. Yet, this time, it wasn't enough. Bandai Namco's franchise wasn't enough to create a title worthy of attention, destined to end up in the generic melting pot of VR horror games. This, however, shouldn't be seen by software houses as an "end," but as a "new beginning."

The results are evident, and there is no doubt that the game features some truly evocative sequences—as well as several particularly strong artistic vistas—yet at the same time, one notices minor frame rate inconsistencies on PS5, a few too many reconstruction artifacts, the limited scope of the explorable environments, and, above all, animations that are often stiff, thereby highlighting the production's limitations.

People of Note sets out to accomplish something almost impossible: merging the expansive pacing of role-playing games with the brisk rhythm of musicals. At its best, it nearly succeeds, but its compartmentalized structure soon becomes apparent. The musical identity of its characters and their performances truly shine only in the cutscenes, staged like music videos that punctuate the narrative. However, when the game returns to being a game, the centrality of music starts to feel more like a narrative pretext, an excuse to build a kind of theme park that lacks the very energy and sonic richness it promises. It’s a shame, because People of Note ultimately fails at what it sets out to celebrate: the joy of seeing two genres blend almost seamlessly. What remains is a decent RPG, accompanied by some excellent musical performances.

Life Is Strange Reunion is a high-quality title, but it is also too conservative and shows how the series' formula has been used to the point of exhaustion. Life Is Strange itself will certainly have a future, but it is now necessary to rethink its mechanics even before introducing new characters. Time has been rewound far too many times; now it must be allowed to flow. Only then can Max and Chloe be truly remembered with affection. Otherwise, by constantly being reminded that life is strange, even strangeness risks becoming normality.

The first new entry in the Legacy of Kain franchise in over twenty years is, unfortunately, a total flop. If it didn't carry the weight of such a legendary name, it might be considered a simple and somewhat enjoyable 2D action-platformer, despite its short runtime. The real problem is that it chooses to interfere exactly where it shouldn't: the story. The changes to the original lore, combined with the introduction of a poorly written character like Elaleth—who is, for all intents and purposes, the game's true protagonist—and several questionable narrative choices, will be hard for long-time fans to swallow. Even on the gameplay front, despite a few good ideas, the title feels extremely basic and lacks variety in both its platforming and combat sections. Furthermore, the 3D sequences feel superfluous and barely relevant to the overall experience. The final impression is that of a low-budget product that, at best, could have worked as a fan-made project. Seeing it as an official release published by Crystal Dynamics makes the end result all the more disappointing.

World of Warcraft's new expansion speaks of courage, but has very little of it of its own. It suffers from all the limitations established in the middle chapters of the trilogies but Blizzard has limited itself to refining the tried and tested dynamics, adding content and features with little impact on routines that haven't changed a bit. The game still works wonderfully, mind you; those who enjoyed leveling up their characters or collecting all the collectibles now have new reasons to return, but while we were following familiar stories in familiar areas, we missed the sense of novelty and discovery we experienced in previous expansions.

Screamer is a hero racer with combat elements and a strong focus on storytelling that overturns the arcade approach of the 1995 original, in an attempt to build something new and different. Does it succeed? In some respects yes, in others less so: the gameplay makes bold choices that can sometimes feel puzzling, giving the impression of overcomplicating what is ultimately a fairly traditional structure, where drifting and boosting alternate to win races. Meanwhile, the lengthy campaign unfolds as a four-act narrative that works well (also thanks to some impressive animated sequences) until a certain sense of fatigue starts to set in. There’s a noticeable lack of a more substantial surrounding framework, one that would better capitalize on the compelling characters crafted by Milestone and their vehicles. Perhaps something that will be expanded upon in the future?

Crimson Desert is not a game that leaves you indifferent. It’s certainly not a masterpiece of the genre, nor is it a complete disaster. It shows as much potential as it does flaws. The game doesn’t set any new standards, but those who were expecting a grand, long-lasting adventure can set off for Pywel confident they’ll find what they’re looking for.

1348 Ex Voto has proven to be a largely disappointing project. Not everything should be discarded, and some enthusiasts of medieval history might even find it interesting. However, none of the aspects of the production fully manages to convince.

WWE 2K26 is without a doubt the most content-rich entry ever produced by 2K Games for the series, thanks to a massive roster, new match stipulations, and a robust set of modes that could keep you busy for hundreds of hours. The Showcase dedicated to CM Punk is genuinely enjoyable and entertaining, while MyRise can't rely on a storyline as compelling as last year's. Meanwhile, The Island once again highlights the issues of a scenario that proves surprisingly difficult to manage for a game that continues to experience ups and downs, both on a technical level and - above all - in terms of gameplay.

Styx: Blades of Greed is a game recommended for fans of the stealth genre, despite several rough edges. The story is not particularly engaging, the control system is far from flawless, and frame-rate drops are frequent. And yet, Styx proves to be a sufficiently charismatic protagonist, and the level design is genuinely compelling.

iRacing Arcade is a fascinating experiment with solid foundations but a slight identity crisis. It offers great licensed content and surprising strategic depth, yet the handling feels too simplified, often rewarding aggressive 'door-banging' over precision. The career mode is perfect for quick, casual sessions, but veterans might find the challenge a bit bland and repetitive long-term. A fun diversion for experts and a great entry point for newcomers.

The Reigns formula is applied in an interesting way to the world of The Witcher through a curious narrative device that actually features Dandelion more than Geralt. The result is an adventure full of choices that does not sacrifice the irony typical of the Nerial series and manages to entertain with its unpredictable narrative, except that this randomness often becomes almost excessive.

SpongeBob: Patty Assault 2 is a colorful, solid, and entertaining platformer, especially if you play it with a controller. Unfortunately, the touch controls work rather poorly and likely pushed the developers to lower the overall difficulty of the experience, slightly trivializing gameplay that is certainly traditional but benefits greatly from physical controls.

Tales of Berseria was one of the most innovative titles in the series, if only for its cynical narrative that challenged the player's perspective with far from trivial themes and twists. But already in 2016, Bandai Namco's game suffered from technical limitations that a remaster can only partially address. That being said, we obviously recommend Tales of Berseria Remastered to fans of action-packed JRPGs who have never played it or who feel bereft of the series, awaiting better times.

God of War: Sons of Sparta is a very traditional metroidvania, enjoyable for those who appreciate the genre but unable to bring anything truly compelling to the screen, as one would theoretically expect given the use of such an important intellectual property. As it has been put together, the project feels somewhat peculiar and inevitably suggests scenarios in which the decision to move forward was driven more by the need to fill a production gap than by the genuine merits of a project defined by these particular values.

Unemployment Simulator 2018 is a very unusual interactive experience. Its gameplay is limited and its narrative is confusing. It’s not a game for everyone, nor is it a game designed purely to entertain the player. Yet it remains a distinctive and original adventure, even enlightening, thanks to the many themes it explores.

Atmospheric, intricate, absolutely unhinged: there are many terms that come to mind to describe Romeo is a Dead Man, but the most appropriate is "what a shame". It would have been fantastic to see Suda bring his vision to life with the support of adequate resources, rather than having to improvise a thousand workarounds and emergency solutions to make the numbers add up for a work that fights hard and shows commitment, yet starts from far too disadvantaged a position.

I Hate This Place is an interesting isometric horror adventure. The open-world level design creates an intriguing setting to explore, where players can encounter different quests. Hiding from the monsters that patrol each area fills the experience with tension and anxiety. Unfortunately, an imperfect control system and a few bugs slightly lower the overall evaluation of the game.

RIDE 6 confirms itself as an extremely solid racing game in terms of gameplay, technically convincing and backed by impressive numbers, even though the new career mode falls short due to some balancing issues that end up undermining the enjoyment of progression, trivializing tuning and failing to meaningfully differentiate between the two available riding styles.

While taking several steps forward compared to its predecessor, My Hero Academia: All’s Justice is not without its flaws. The Story Mode follows the anime and manga very faithfully, but grinds to a halt during an excessively long and lackluster final boss fight. Other modes increase the game's longevity and variety, offering some hints of an RPG-like structure, though they fail to make the side activities truly engaging. The combat system works well thanks to an extensive roster and diverse playstyles tied to the characters' Quirks, but it still suffers from legacy issues such as imprecise collision detection and a frequently problematic camera. For a fan of My Hero Academia, this is undoubtedly one of the most complete and well-crafted titles based on the franchise (though it must be admitted that the bar was set quite low), yet it remains far from the best arena fighters currently available on the market.

Ebola Village is an unsatisfactory survival horror, with far too many limitations and flaws to be recommended to fans of the genre. However, those very same limitations and flaws also make it an entertaining product, one that could provide plenty of laughs for lovers of trashy games.

Although the first Code Vein was not a memorable title in the Soulslike landscape, it was still able to hold its own. For this reason, the disappointment is even greater to see how this sequel fails to evolve the original formula and, in some aspects, even ends up worsening it. The combat system remains solid, and the progression system, complex and deep, allows for a good amount of freedom in creating builds, even if it sometimes gets lost in excessive and unnecessary complexity. The narrative, too—less cryptic than the genre's standards and closer to Japanese animation tropes—is pleasant, without leaving a lasting impression. Where the game truly fails, however, is in its world-building and technical department. The result is a Soulslike with good foundations, but today these are no longer enough: in a now rich and competitive landscape, we would have expected a much bolder evolution from this sequel.

The concept behind Borderlands Legend is interesting, but the execution is lackluster and the game ends up being a repetitive and unresponsive mess.