Shadow Labyrinth is a fast-paced metroidvania that stands out for its atmospheric tone and the quirky presence of a yellow ball. Its most original features lie in the darker, sometimes unsettling narrative and the protagonist’s ability to transform into a futuristic Pac-Man, unlocking sections of the map designed to subvert typical genre expectations. While this creative twist adds freshness to a familiar formula, the game is held back by certain shortcomings: a lower-than-average difficulty, bosses that pose little challenge, a fairly predictable progression, level design that rarely surprises, and some stylistic inconsistencies. Despite these flaws, thanks to its fair launch price, it’s worth a try—especially for those interested in a more “accessible” metroidvania rather than a hardcore one.

Edens Zero is your usual low budget tie-in with a twist: it actually had a huge potential thanks to a few brilliant features and combat systems that Bandai Namco wasted with outdated visuals and clunky controls.

There’s no doubt that Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a game unlike any other, since it’s hard to find anything quite like Cygames’ bizarre creation on the App Store or Google Play. It can potentially offer long-lasting entertainment, aside from the inevitable paywalls, but if the characters, stories, and overall design of the Umamusume don’t speak to you, you can safely give this one a pass.

If Super Mario Odyssey were a music album, it would be a top-tier Art Pop record. Donkey Kong Bananza, on the other hand, leans more towards baroque Progressive Rock. The game starts off slowly, but it's a continuous crescendo leading to a masterful finale, with unique, deep, and often brilliant mechanics. It's one of the best 3D platformers ever made - deeply respectful of the character's past, yet entirely forward-looking.

Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition does the bare minimum to improve on the original.

Eriksholm is a stealth game with a strong focus on storytelling, a truly unique experience with a distinct and irresistible charm. It looks great, sounds great, and plays well too, but it’s not without flaws. Some sections work better than others and there are moments when the solution feels reachable only through a string of failures, rather than through player intuition, as it ideally should be.

It’s not entirely clear who Tamagotchi Plaza is aimed at. For younger players, the colorful creatures provide a reasonable and varied challenge, especially in short play sessions. However, the inspiration from Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop (which was never a masterpiece to begin with) is now just a faint memory. Due to its repetitive gameplay, lack of real incentives to continue, and a stylistically justified yet technically lazy presentation, Tamagotchi Plaza ends up as a forgettable title—engaging only in its first few minutes. That said, it connects to the latest physical Tamagotchi model, so dedicated fans might still want to give it a try.

At least, this trilogy confirms a good trend: preserving old works, even iconic ones in their own small way, without distorting them. Good for the preservation, a little worse for the taste: in the end, it seems almost like putting some soup in the freezer in 1995 and taking it out in 2025. Gex is one of those mascots buried by history and it's only right that he enjoys his quarter of an hour of fame again, but it wouldn't have hurt to have done some work on cleaning up the original code, at least in the second and third episodes, the three-dimensional ones, which today are quite out of time and out of context to be fully enjoyed. In any case, let's applaud the attempt to provide new bread for the nostalgics of that golden era called the 90s.

Patapon 1+2 Replay is a much needed remaster for some of the best games in the genre, now blessed by all new options and visual improvements.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is an unbelievably satisfying game, one that looks to the players and their fun only. No walls to cross with money but just with skills. And if you don't want to build that skill you can just cheat, like many of us 2000s kids used to do, because it's fun and it's easy and it is permitted. Everything is permitted in this quirky game, like it was in their original matrix, but what use can it do other than make a memory of a child to burst into an adult's mind? It's a game that shows its age and that seeks a way of living in this world by grasping to a community that outgrew it. A bittersweet experience with that old relative that doesn't have a hold on to this world anymore.

Marvel Mystic Mayhem is a highly enjoyable tactical RPG, pleasing both to look at and to listen to. It takes the typical formula of the most well-known titles featuring auto-battles and elevates it through a few simple yet effective solutions that add engagement and fun to the gameplay.

Quotation forthcoming.

System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is the perfect way to play System Shock 2.

After a few hours in Welcome Tour's company, we can finally answer a very important question: is it a Nintendo game or not? The answer is yes, definitely, because of a whole set of parameters of history, biography, insanity, self-referentiality beyond all limits and a pinch of minimal genius, that '80s soap-and-water video game halo that has no purpose other than to challenge you to do better. The problem, though, is that Welcome Tour's depth, in its never wanting to scratch the surface, is shallow and consequently not very replayable. Part manifesto, part quiz book, part sticker album, snippets of quotes from the past, Welcome Tour is a video game, one of those educational softwares that entertain without ever going overboard.

FBC: Firebreak unfortunately fails to impress: despite the undeniable talent of the team at Remedy Entertainment, this co-op shooter set in the Control universe has very little in common with Jesse Faden’s gripping adventure, opting instead to deliver an experience that feels not only underdeveloped but also poorly presented. There are certainly enjoyable moments, and with the right team (you can invite friends via code, by the way) everything becomes more fun, but the content is undeniably sparse, the progression far too slow, and the action quickly becomes repetitive.

Thronglets is an important complementary experience to the Plaything episode of the new season of Black Mirror. After Bandersnatch, this time the video game digression works very well, offering a real working game that fits perfectly into the context proposed by the TV series' narrative.

By the time it reaches its conclusion, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage feels like a missed opportunity. What begins with such a compelling and intriguing premise is rooted in a mystery that, over the course of the hours needed to complete the adventure, never becomes truly engaging, fails to surprise, and gradually loses its edge as the story unfolds. The game's real intention lies elsewhere: to tell the story of a friendship, a drama that is sadly human, and to explore a dual timeline, where past and present ultimately never truly connect. It could have been a powerful tale of coming-of-age and friendship, had it been written with more honesty.

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster is exactly what it needed to be: a richer and more polished effort compared to the previous remaster of the first installment, one that more than adequately brings back a game that has aged better than we expected. Sure, the second Onimusha has its limitations — it's not exactly a narrative masterpiece, and some of its elements are still debated even today — but it remains a brilliant action title, highly enjoyable to play, and solid enough to still be engaging with only marginal changes to its system. In short, it’s an excellent return, one that deserves to be discovered both by long-time fans of the series and by those who’ve never had the chance to play it.

Simply one of the worst games ever made, in all of his glory.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut stands as an excellent starting point for anyone looking to get into SEGA’s long-running series, with the hope, of course, that the following chapters will also make their way to Nintendo Switch 2. The game’s story remains the best in the franchise, and the late 1980s Japanese atmosphere alone is worth the (admittedly steep) price of admission. Between the main campaign, side quests, and optional activities, you’ll find yourself immersed in an experience that can easily last dozens and dozens of hours. Sure, the additional cutscenes feel unnecessary - if not outright detrimental to the narrative - and the Red Light Raid mode without local co-op makes even less sense, but the inclusion of more languages for subtitles and English dub could make all the difference in opening the doors of this saga to a much broader audience.

Broken Arrow is the best World in Conflict successor to date, and one of the best RTS ever made.

The Alters is a simply splendid and original project that the team at 11 Bit Studios has managed to bring to market after already astonishing the world on multiple occasions. It's a title that offers a unique and distinctive take on base-building management games, thanks to its survival elements and the brilliant narrative premise that permeates the entire gameplay experience with a constant system of cause and effect. However, there are several rough edges and gameplay issues that could have been smoothed out with more balancing and polish, and these weigh on the overall pacing of the experience, leading to repetitiveness and occasionally some frustration. The Alters is not a game we come across every day, and for that reason alone, it still deserves to be acknowledged and recommended—despite its flaws.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is Hideo Kojima to the nth degree, it is a video game so immersed in the language and imagery that the creative is in love with that, at times, it is as if the author had taken over his own work. Configuring itself as a great "Death Stranding 2.0", it chooses to anchor itself to a structure and progression identical to those of the first chapter and then enhance every element of the gameplay, whether it is the design of the open world, the raw amount of options underlying the delivery system or the mechanics of the action combat. It is still an absolute unicum, an experience linked to a unique poetics of its kind that uses music and the power of images to unleash sensations that cannot be found in any other production. In this case, however, the narration, the construction of the world, the imagination and the general structure fail to move organically, opening up several cracks in the story of Sam Porter Bridges.

Rematch is a great game, but it lacks a bit more variety in game modes and consistency in gameplay to become one of the best team-based multiplayer games. Easy to approach but complex to master, with its own unique style and that magnetic charm of football that's hard for us Italians to ignore, Rematch is a pleasant surprise and we hope that its arrival on Game Pass will allow Slocap to create a user base large enough to build upon the foundations of this interesting mix between Rocket League and Volta.

Hogwarts Legacy brings all the magic, charm, atmosphere, iconic characters, and memorable locations to the Nintendo Switch 2. The differences compared to the previous conversion are so substantial that it feels like an entirely different product, and the option to upgrade at a reduced cost stands as a truly valuable opportunity that the many fans of the Wizarding World should seize without a second thought.

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MindsEye is a lesson for present and future game designers on everything not to do in a videogame: this game and it's making need to be studied tu understand how so many things can go wrong in one place.

Tron: Catalyst is, ultimately, this: a beautiful promise poorly fulfilled. Leave it in the metaverse.

Fast Fusion is a must-have title for fans of futuristic racing games, especially considering the extremely low price at which it can be purchased from the eShop.

Both as a stand-alone title and as a D1 port, Split Fiction for Nintendo Switch 2 works flawlessly. Fun, full-bodied and with a philosophy that fits perfectly with a system as accessible as Nintendo's new console. Thanks to plenty of well-executed connectivity options to amplify the experience with a friend, Split Fiction enriches Switch 2's third-party portfolio with quality and ideas, bringing Mio and Zoe's epic journey to the small screen.

The core game remains the same, with the same flaws as the original title, so we didn’t feel it was right to raise the score for Stellar Blade on PC, as it’s essentially the exact same experience—just with lower latency and a few minor extra contents. That said, the work done by Shift Up is truly outstanding: one of the best PC ports in terms of optimization, flawless on mid to high-end setups, and perfectly playable even on much less powerful machines. If you haven’t played it on PS5, don’t hesitate to dive into this port without any worries.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 is a port that feels miraculous in many ways, managing to stand out clearly in the handheld space and delivering truly impressive visuals even when docked, although the 30 fps of Quality Mode undeniably represent a compromise. Packed with options and features, this edition of CD Projekt RED's action RPG benefits from the many improvements made to the experience over the years, and the end result is once again a rich, engaging, and captivating adventure.

Suikoden 1&2 HD Remaster on Nintendo Switch 2 is now on par with competitors, thanks to higher resolution and 60fps which improve on the Nintendo Switch version. It's the very same game but runs better, simple as that.

The work Capcom has done on the Switch 2 version of Street Fighter 6 is commendable. The game is impressive in classic fights, to the point of looking more refined than the PS4 version, and the online experience currently feels just as solid as on other platforms. It's a pity about the slightly higher latency compared to other versions, and a World Tour mode that isn’t as polished or optimized as the rest of the game—otherwise, this would have been a truly flawless port of one of the best fighting games ever made.

Date Everything! is certainly a perfect game for those who enjoy dating sims and want a huge number of potential lovers. It is unfortunate that it suffers from an extremely repetitive structure and an overall plot that is satirical and sympathetic but struggles to pace the work. Certainly, the core of the game-the personified objects-is undeniably excellent, with beautifully crafted designs and perfect voice acting, among other things with various interactions that help give precisely the impression that our home is a living micro-world in which the characters interact with each other even without our intervention. In short, it is not a revolutionary game or one that will be remembered for a long time, but it is a good way to get hard laughs with the thousandth pun on objects.

Mario Kart World has the DNA of a masterpiece: the best driving system in the series, a beautiful world, superb animations, stunning water effects, and a wonderful soundtrack. All of this, however, is held back by questionable design choices: most notably, the absence of a Classic Mode, and the fact that 24 racers often make the races feel too chaotic.

What Survival Kids really lacks are two things: one is depth, the only thing that could push you to replay the levels or find new ways to complete the missions (but you just have to do the same things over and over again to escape from the islands, and these things most of the time must always be done with the same sequence). The second is danger: real danger, which provides that minimum of tension that can really give meaning to the "survival" present in the title. Too much simplicity is not necessarily a good thing, especially if it is not compensated by a wealth of situations and alternative possibilities to reach the goal of escaping from the island.

Many of these power-ups create synergies with the roll of the die. For example, you get bonuses if the roll is even, or if it is a very specific number. Spells are also inserted into systems that involve normal attacks or die rolls. At the end of an attempt you will be able to inflict elemental status effects on opponents, unleash secondary effects and, after a good roll of the die, be able to attack by making only critical hits that in the meantime heal you. This fusion of all the power-ups, this network of synergies that is created, is the most fun aspect of The Eternal Die and makes each game different. It should be noted, however, that while spells play a fundamental role, sometimes the roll of Fortune seemed like a very optional mechanic. In our best games we almost completely ignored the blue power-ups - those of the die - despite having the upper hand on all the enemies.

The Landsraad system also introduces a real political undercurrent to the Dune: Awakening experience. Each week, guilds allied with House Atreides or House Harkonnen compete and fight to complete a series of objectives: whoever wins this race takes control of the institution for a week and can undertake an important server-wide decision: it can be decreed that new weapons merchants offer their best wares to the winning House, or hardcore mode can be introduced to PvP. If this mode is activated, anyone who dies in the High Desert loses everything they have on them and other users can take it, a bit like an extraction shooter. It is a rare event, but pay attention to your server's decisions and keep an eye on them to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Bravely Default HD Remaster is a competent release which polishes a beloved classic: still fun and engaging, it doesn't really bolster anything game changing but small improvements to quality of life and visuals.

Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is an excellent free-to-play action RPG for iOS and Android, capable of bringing the locations, characters, and music of the TV series to our smartphone screens, thanks to a fairly expansive open world structure that is likely to grow even further over time. However, when it comes to PC the game suffers due to some inevitable limitations, as well as a monetization system that eventually becomes more aggressive, gating progression behind the usual paywalls.

We do not doubt that this formula could also be the ideal starting point for continuous updating, but it seems less inclined to bend to the crazy and unpredictable mechanics that have arrived on Vampire Survivors over time.

Fantasy Life i is a different kind of beast compared to the beloved original: much more focused on exploration, crafting and collectibles, it still preserves the joy of discovery and a cute narrative but lacks in depths and kind of get repetitive very fast.

Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3 closes with epicness, feelings, emotions, all condensed by a narrative that expresses better than others the rawness of war and ambitions with little respect for others. Increasingly refined gameplay is flanked by a routine that, after two chapters, lends itself to a little weariness, considering redoing actions already amply accomplished in previous games. Apart from that, we are so proud of CyberConnect 2 and its stubbornness in giving birth to and bringing to a close a wonderful, sweet, niche saga with so much to tell and with a cast of characters that it's hard not to become attached to. Long live the Tail Concerto universe!

Quotation forthcoming.

Elden Ring Nightreign takes the mechanics of Elden Ring and tosses them into the cauldron of cooperative multiplayer, then adds a hefty dose of roguelite dynamics and a sprinkle of assets drawn from FromSoftware’s past to create a fast-paced, challenging experience entirely centered on coordination. The studio’s classic strengths shine through in the excellent mechanical design of the eight predefined characters and the masterful construction of the battles against the Lords of the Night, but they must contend with a structure that is unexplored and far removed from tradition — more akin to the philosophy of games like Monster Hunter and Destiny, driven by matches that, as optimization increases, inevitably become mechanical and repetitive. This is a video game capable of delivering great satisfaction but swings like a pendulum between gratification and frustration, largely due to balance issues and some excessively punitive mechanics. It will require a few iterations before it can fully express the potential that, for now, can only be glimpsed when playing with a tightly coordinated group.

Quotation forthcoming.

to a T is a narrative video game with a bizarre premise that, over the hours it takes to complete it, becomes increasingly elusive. It wants to be a colorful adventure and at the same time a story designed to raise awareness of the protagonist's disability, through many small minigames that try to make us experience his condition firsthand. However, as the narrative progresses it takes a surreal turn and distances itself greatly from his humanity. Even on a playful level, the game lives on expedients, on small activities that are never truly explored in depth. What remains, once completed, is certainly its unique style, the coarse humor and the fantastic songs that Takahashi wrote for the theme songs of each episode.

F1 25 is a classic example of a yearly game that improves in several aspects without distorting them in any way. If you own an F1 video game from the past four years, you know exactly what to expect from F1 25. If, on the other hand, you have never played it, this is unquestionably the best title in the series to enjoy the current world of Formula 1 in video game format.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is an excellent action RPG that follows the gameplay mechanics of games like Oblivion and Skyrim. Artistically and creatively inspired, it unfortunately shows some limitations on the technical side. The bugs, especially on PC, are numerous and in some cases make the experience frustrating.

JDM: Japanese Drift Master is a damn intriguing racing game that focuses on refining specific aspects of a solid and engaging driving experience. Taking the wheel of one of the available cars and diving into fast-paced, challenging races is genuinely thrilling, especially as you follow the protagonist’s journey through the clever and charming manga-style comic panels. Unfortunately, the experience doesn’t shine as brightly when it comes to navigating its otherwise atmospheric Japanese open world, which ends up feeling a bit too cluttered with obstacles and inept drivers to serve as the added value one might reasonably expect from such a setup.

The Midnight Walk is an experience that is definitely worth living. In the foreground is its artistic value, which passes through an exceptional design and the manufacturing of the clay models. But it is impossible not to mention the work on the sound, with some of the most beautiful tracks we have happened to listen to recently, and a unique attention to the entire audio sector. Some gameplay mechanics may not be unforgettable, but MoonHood's title is more than the sum of its parts, and in the 5-6 hours needed to complete it, it tells an important story about heat. Not only that of the sun, but also that of empathy and understanding others.

Dino Path Trail is an interesting mix between a roguelike and a survival game, with an original setting and all the grit of the wild American frontier inhabited by dinosaurs. With a well-executed rhythm based on very intriguing shooting, dodging, reloading and collection times, Void Pointer's video game suffers from the excessive length of the individual runs and an interface that is sometimes unnecessarily complex even for the simplest operations. In the long run, some typical survival mechanics become tedious, but when you hit the right match the feeling of being unbeatable is very satisfying.

Deliver At All Costs is a loud and fun game that draws its main stylistic traits from eccentricity and lightheartedness. Even considering that it's a true debut title, it proves to be solid, immediate, fresh, and accessible. That doesn’t mean it’s without flaws. Its arcade soul quickly exposes a certain underlying repetitiveness and a lack of meaningful content — or at least content substantial enough to justify some of the gameplay’s potential, which largely remains untapped. Vehicle upgrades, a large cast of characters, and environmental puzzles are all present in their simplicity, but often (aside from a few brilliant sparks) remain in the background or are only used to a limited extent. Too much talk, you might say. A courier, after all, has to run.

Quotation forthcoming.

An action adventure that inherits mechanics from God of War, For Honor and Souls, a surprise for May 2025.

Roadcraft is a huge surprise—maybe the best “work sim” game out there. Its maps are giant sandboxes you can mess around in solo or with up to three friends, and its vehicles are super realistic toy-like machines you can drive from the outside, the inside, and across all kinds of terrain.

Commandos: Origins is a good reboot for the stealth RTS series, but lacks courage.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a fun game like we haven’t seen in a while, but it holds a great deal of untapped potential. The shift from first-person to third-person perspective brings many promising ideas, yet it turns out to be a double-edged sword that makes the gameplay feel less precise and less challenging than before. From a game with such a wild universe, a similar gameplay foundation, and so many years since the previous title, we expected something more — perhaps a standout concept or a weapon you'd never forget. It loses momentum along the way, but chances are you’ll finish it in just three evenings. Playing solo doesn’t diminish the experience, but if you’re looking for a new co-op adventure — and it even supports split-screen for close-quarters fun — you might just have found the game for you.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is another great work for the preservation of classic videogames. There are no major changes in this "second installment" compared to the previous collection, however, the work done remains valid and the titles chosen are very solid. Sure, the predecessors of Plasma Sword and Project Justice could have been included and some additional surprises added, but it is difficult to have serious complaints for the whole package, outside of the lack of crossplay. The company clearly cares about many of its old classics... who knows if we'll see other big names back in the future.

There aren't many traits to increase, but the character progression is quite stimulating. The most important thing when you sit down at the desk, however, is the awareness of having made Averno City a better place.

DOOM: The Dark Ages has the extraordinary ability to find that balance, impossible on paper, between the nostalgic appreciation of the past typical of boomer shooters and the need to innovate a gameplay that would otherwise risk being repetitive, or in any case unappealing for those who rarely or never approach this genre. It succeeds with ideas that are only apparently banal, such as the management of difficulty or the clever gameplay loop made of gunshots, parries and melee attacks, in a dance that immediately becomes satisfying and visceral to the point of creating a great addiction. And it is therefore a shame that id Software has tried to force the hand by also introducing variations on the theme that quickly become mere fillers that, unfortunately, dilute the action and flatten the experience, also showing its flank to some limitations in the level design. What remains is a game that will drive crazy those who have devoured the previous DOOMs and love spending quality time with first-person shooters. And that's saying something.

Empyreal feels like a completed checklist rather than a full artistic expression of what an action RPG can be. some of its good ideas, however, may appeal to an audience of dedicated players.

Skin Deep puts you in the shoes of Nina Pasadena, the space mercenary capable of getting rid of a thug armed only with a succulent plant. The new title from Blendo Games is an immersive sim that challenges the player to get out of impossible situations by creatively exploiting objects in the environment. It is a hilarious video game, with many funny ideas and a humor all its own that will win you over. A crazy title, in which you can get rid of opponents by throwing them through the drain of a space toilet.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Despelote is an interactive documentary about a country, a sport, and a life. It tells the story of Ecuador as it strives for its first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup. Julian Cordero narrates the story of Quito, the city where he was born, and the summer of 2001, when everyone became part of a collective experience that carried the Ecuadorian national team to the world stage. It was a moment that transformed football from a quiet backdrop in children’s lives into the main character in the lives of adults. It’s a sincere, delicate work, one that’s hard not to be moved by, even (and especially) if you’re not a football fan.

MotoGP 25 improves on all the weak points of its predecessor, becoming a motorcycle racing experience truly for everybody.

Shotgun Cop Man is fun, fast-paced, focused. It wants to do one thing and it does it well: fly us through the circles of hell as we shoot at demons trying to defend their Lord, Satan. It is a pity that it is graphically limited and that the longevity is limited even for those who want to complete it 100%, because it is absolutely one of the most fun and immediate games of the moment.

Perhaps also for this reason, the developers have decided to review the lighting system and therefore give the graphics often different color tones, especially in the night phases: the result is perhaps not classifiable as "better" than the original, but rather as a different artistic approach. The loading times are decidedly less brilliant, however, and we found them a little longer than the average for PS5 titles.

Thirty years later, Lunar and Lunar 2 are still excellent old school JRPGs on their own but this remastered compilation by GungHo is lackluster at best.

We really loved Old Skies. In our opinion, it's Gilbert's best work narratively — a story that captivates from beginning to end, ultimately becoming a truly intense emotional experience. The puzzles, while not particularly difficult, are very well designed and consistent with the setting. It’s a pity about some of the animations, which aren’t exactly exceptional, likely due to the change in visual style compared to the studio’s previous games. Nothing dramatic, but noticeable nonetheless. Other than that, we recommend it without hesitation.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a solid entry for the Hungarian team. It doesn't add much, nor does it innovate, but the game has all the credentials to draw you in, amuse you, and at times enchant you thanks to its artistic compartment, mixing with great detail bits of gameplay on the whole work. It will probably be a title that will be devoured by some skilled players, others will find it unbalanced, still others will read its flow in advance, but the narrative, sound, technical and play system on offer works more than the sum of its individual parts.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered wears the garments of Unreal Engine 5 over the logical skeleton of the GameBryo engine, projecting onto the screen a sort of vivid, moving memory of Cyrodiil, shaping a sort of simulacrum of how we imagined Oblivion appeared like at the time of its release.

Quotation forthcoming.

Over the years, we’ve seen the creators of the most famous Japanese RPGs rack their brains in search of new paradigms, often distorting the series we once loved in an attempt to reach a broader audience and attract new players. In France, they’ve chosen the opposite path: they’ve embraced tradition, pouring years and years of passion for Japanese role-playing games into their creation. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an encyclopedia of JRPGs — a compendium of features drawn from the titles we once cherished, combined with surprising harmony into an adventure that is technically cutting-edge, artistically sublime, and unexpectedly deep in terms of storytelling. Aside from a few minor flaws, Sandfall Interactive’s title is a complete triumph that has already established these talented developers. Let’s keep an eye on them — we might be in for something truly special.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy is an excellent remake, in every respect. The modern graphics do justice to Sokal's vision and please the eye of today's gamers. Each gameplay section has been expanded with new puzzles. In addition, there are two difficulty levels and also a gradual clue system that allows players to never get stuck. The original work is not Sokal's best, that's for sure, as some of the puzzles are a bit too simple even for those who are not experts in the genre, but this is certainly the right version to play, both for new and old fans.

Steel Seed didn't entirely convince us. The plot is certainly the weakest side of the adventure: it's a mix of low-impact and predictable scenes that fail to really make us feel like humanity's last hope. The gameplay is certainly better, especially the stealth side. If you plan to play it as pure action, we recommend avoiding it, but if you enjoy a bit of reasoned action that is never too difficult, we recommend it. The platforming sections and the power-up system are also good. Steel Seed shows us that Storm in a Teacup clearly has the ability to say something of its own, but it will take some more time.

Quotation forthcoming.

Despite its flaws, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a great fighting game, and its release makes waves especially now that the genre seems to be going through an identity crisis... we just don’t believe its innovative edge and overall quality are enough to represent today what its predecessor was in its time. That said, if you’re in withdrawal from virtual brawls and are looking for a high-quality combat system, we absolutely recommend it.

It is not easy to catch a glimpse of Yu Suzuki's touch in Steel Paws, which appears as a rather formulaic action RPG roguelike that fails to distinguish itself from many other similar titles. The characterisation can be interesting, between the strange architecture, cute creatures and the almost "Miyazakian" design of the robots, but the obsessive repetitiveness of the gameplay strains goodwill.

Quotation forthcoming.

Seeing a game from a new, small reality like Secret Door come to life in the way it did warms the heart and makes one still believe in the ability of videogames to gather a whole bunch of different people on one couch and make them enjoy time together while playing one of the most easily accessible RPG experiences out there.

Tempest Rising is what the Command & Conquer fan had waited for years.

Monaco 2 shines in cooperative play, offering local split-screen and cross-play options, though the multiplayer experience is currently limited by the small player base. Despite some balance issues among classes, the game provides a rich and engaging experience, especially in its daily procedurally generated missions.

Bionic Bay works way better as a speedrunning experience than an adventure with puzzle elements.

Blue Prince is a handcrafted contraption meticulously crafted with the kind of attention to detail that is typical of obsession, an excellent puzzle-roguelite that falls just a pinch short of the magical dust that made the giants of the genre what they are.

Despite some issues, particularly with the control system, Star Overdrive emerges as a fascinating and engaging sci-fi adventure, sure to appeal to fans of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Lushfoil Photography Sim is a relaxing video game, crafted with love and care, capable of evoking memories or introducing players to incredible new places. Matt Newell has managed to make the act of taking photographs playful as well, thanks to some clever ideas and a sort of "treasure hunt" like searching for specific shots and artifacts within the virtual world he created. It’s certainly an original and one-of-a-kind experience, one that evocatively shifts between a walking simulator and an intriguing virtual photography course.

The Fool's Apprentice is a management sim for lunatic school principals that put their student's safety at the bottom of the priority list.

Haste: Broken Worlds is a fast paced, frantic and colorful running game from which the Sonic Team has a lot to learn from.

Monster Energy Supercross 25 is the best motocross videogame around and a lot of fun for newcomers and veterans alike.

There isn’t a single aspect where Atomfall couldn’t have been better, but somehow, it grabs you till the end, as long as you’re willing to accept its noticeable flaws.

Neople blew us away, demonstrating an unexpected level of experience and awareness in the soulslike genre. The First Berserker: Khazan is, despite some flaws, an extraordinarily competent soulslike, built for veteran players who want a serious challenge. Sure, there is still room for improvement, it's not very original, and there were some excessive choices here and there... Still, this is a great "first try"and deserves recognition.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.