There is little to complain about regarding the purely aesthetic and technical aspects. The game employs a comic-book art style; while the athlete models may not boast an immense level of detail, they closely resemble their real-life counterparts and feature convincing animations that—despite the expected stylistic exaggerations—faithfully capture the players' actual movements. The environments are varied and detailed, alternating between real-world courts, such as the one at Venice Beach, and entirely fictional ones. The frame rate is solid, as is the netcode; out of the dozens of matches played, there was only a single instance of a total connection failure.

As a roguelike, the game is naturally not designed to be completed just once. It will take hours of attempts and upgrades to reach the end, but even after finishing it, replayability remains high—not only due to the experimentation with various builds and the addictive quality typical of the best roguelikes, but also because the levels become more complex and a "true ending" can be unlocked by completing the game a second time.

The online component is admittedly secondary: there are only Quick Match, Ranked, and Friendly Match modes, and the game's status as an exclusive significantly limits the pool of potential opponents. Matters are made worse by the usual shortcomings of Konami's infrastructure—including clunky menus and questionable matchmaking logic—resulting in extremely long wait times and forcing players to make certain choices after being matched rather than before, which further drags out the breaks between games. Anyone buying eFootball Kick-Off! should do so knowing that the main course is, and remains, the offline experience.

There aren't very many options for customizing your team at the moment. You can purchase kits and celebrations from the store, but the initial selection is rather limited. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, there is currently a lack of any real licensing, save for a few scattered collaborations like the one with KSI.

Unfortunately—particularly during certain boss battles—progress is made more through trial and error than through informed strategy. After a while, you realize that striking a specific arm yields no effect, that an enemy attack lands slightly sooner than visual cues would suggest, and that your own offensive has actually connected even in the absence of clear on-screen indicators. With a dash of practice and a bit of patience, it is possible to partially mitigate these two issues; however, they inevitably—and significantly—mar the overall enjoyment of the experience.

*Thick as Thieves, however, doesn't even attempt to challenge this premise; on the contrary, it offers a truly classic interpretation of this subgenre—one characterized by predetermined, repetitive routes, guards who forget about you after a mere few seconds, and alarm systems that are nowhere to be found. The problem is that the randomized placement of objects does nothing to fundamentally alter the two maps, which—once explored inside out—have very little left to offer.

The audio department is less impressive, featuring music that serves a functional role within the gameplay—with a few tracks that actually manage to stand out—while the sound effects and voice acting (which we sampled in both English and Japanese) do little to push beyond the typical limitations of the genre, offering many stereotypical performances.

InKonbini succeeds in fulfilling its promise to serve as a place of fragmented encounters—of universal shards of humanity—even if the setting feels distant and elusive in time and space to a Western millennial such as myself. Regardless, it manages to leave you with something. Where it fails, however, is in embodying another identity that was easy to associate with it—even just by reading its premise and knowing the frenetic, sometimes hellish, routine of Japanese convenience stores: our need (unhealthy, perhaps?) to always have something to do, to measure our progress, and to find meaning within the routine. The game lasts 5–6 hours; it takes care to tell a tender coming-of-age story, and then it ends. The fact is that, in doing so, if you don't resonate with the events it depicts, then InKonbini—a game with a very strong sensibility, yet built on rather thin foundations—has very little to offer you.

Directive 8020 also gives us the ability to rewind time and make different choices, or to replay these sessions, in order to ensure that more survivors make it to the end of the game.

The interface suffers from a serious scalability issue: text and icons are very often too small—at times almost illegible—on a screen like that of the Ally X. This is clearly a major flaw for a title that is so narrative-driven and involves extensive document reading. We are confident that this will be rectified promptly; however, given that this type of adventure game is perfectly suited for on-the-go gaming, we felt it was worth highlighting this issue.

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.