The many short and sweet puzzles in The Inheritance of Crimson Manor make it a decent escape-room adventure. Although the frequent walking back and forth, and lean story, means this is not a definite lock-in for puzzle gamers.

Shio evidently understands the appeal of gliding elegantly between obstacle-riddled levels like an invincible pro, and often comes across as a more casual Super Meat Boy. Yet, the foggy storyline feels distanced from its rapid-fire level design, which can make the attempts at a meditative atmosphere feel forced and alienating.

Just Cause 4 is an easy-to-play sandbox of chaos with a sprinkling of extreme weather. It holds strong due to an improved grapple and varied tools, and while this explosive sequel won’t set the world on fire, you can blow up enough things to make it interesting.

Tell Me Why tackles a difficult subject quite well thanks to interesting central characters who interact maturely and drive the story forward. But limited use of telepathy, immaterial player choice, and a generally boring delivery tarnish this morose tale.

Thimbleweed Park feels like a party that Gilbert threw for his core audience, a true sign of appreciation for those who loved his previous work, and backed this game almost sight unseen. But for others, who aren't fans of Gilbert or the classic adventure genre, it's tough to recommend.

Despite the tremendous atmosphere, big open world, and familiar mechanics, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an uneven experience due to AI flaws, combat annoyances, laborious exploration, and technical issues.

There's fertile ground in this new direction for Yakuza; Kasuga and Co are worthwhile characters and the new RPG mechanics have potential. Still, this entry feels stuffed with forced mediocre side content, and like a rough draft of what's possible in the future.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is an enjoyable enough adventure, but it’s missing a hook to get players invested. The game wants you to get lost in the economy and exploration it offers, but in just performing these menial tasks for their own sake it fails to create any moments where the entire experience is more than a series of distractions.

Solar Ash is a visually pleasing adventure that pulls you in quickly with its swift and elegant movement mechanics and a snazzy synth soundtrack. Despite the strong start, the experience begins to lose its grip the longer it goes, with unreliable performance and mundane combat.

Doom Eternal’s core shooting is strong thanks to grand weapons and enemy variety, but it buries the action under irksome resource management and stilted combat arenas. The bland multiplayer and silly platforming only hurt it more, driving this sequel below previous games in the series.

New Dawn is more Far Cry for those who have extinguished all their other options, but its new additions aren't fleshed out quite enough to captivate newcomers looking for a substantial open world experience, or entice deserters that have grown tired of the franchise formula.

Memories Retold is a memorable and engaging adventure that needed to be made. However, like a history lesson you half paid attention to, that doesn’t necessarily mean it was enjoyable to play. Ultimately, it's good enough to slog through, but that may not be the case for everyone.

LEGO 2K Drive feels like a modern spiritual successor to the 1999's Lego Racers that borrows several beats from powerhouse racing franchises like Forza Horizon and The Crew 2. However, unoriginal quests and shallow microtransactions prevent the experience from being special.

Damsel manages to be a competent action platformer that speedrun enthusiasts and leaderboard junkies should get a kick out of, but it achieves little beyond this. The constant dashing around while shooting vampires proves fun in short bursts, but doesn't have a ton of longevity.

NHL 23 is packed with modes and content that should impress almost any hockey fan, even if some of the technical elements could use a sprucing up. But in a world where NHL 22 exists, there are just far too few additions and improvements to recommend this year's game for returning players.

Worldless is not going to be for everyone. The harsh difficulty of the combat, and the thin plot can make it tough to move forward. However, there's satisfaction to be found in clearing the title's challenges. Combined with the splashy visuals, the adventure is worth undertaking if you're up for the task.

More a brief collectathon than a worthwhile adventure, Little Kitty, Big City is a somewhat charming but ultimately forgettable feline trek to get back to taking a nap.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game will provide some fun for fans of the film and the characters, but its high asking price and relative lack of content may underwhelm those who enjoy the typically better LEGO titles.

What's always been good about the franchise is still good here, but when it comes to making the next-gen leap, The Show 21 can't quite cut it. Series die-hards will likely enjoy the real-world rule changes, but if you're picking up the game for the first time in a while, last year's entry is as good as this one.

Though not without some minor issues, Light Fall manages to overcome its fairly typical visual design and platforming gameplay thanks to the unique Shadow Core mechanics and an engaging narrator.

Coteries of New York is a return to the world of Vampire: The Masquerade that fans will enjoy. Those unfamiliar with the series might be left feeling underwhelmed, however.

Trek to Yomi is a visual masterpiece with a solid story, unfortunately let down by its gameplay. Whilst there are some enjoyable elements, it doesn't hold up when compared to numerous recently released peers that do samurai combat better.

As Dusk Falls is held together by a strong start and good characters, despite the narrative deflating itself in the second half. Its choice and consequence system lacks real significance and more polish was needed for its atypical visual design.

Deep Rock Galactic offers some enticing exploration, as discovering randomly generated caves can be a thrill each time, and the unique abilities of each class are fun to combine. But things quickly begin to grow stale, like the air this far down into the earth, with repetitive missions and little reason to grind out your experience levels.

Hogwarts Legacy may not have enough magic to ensnare all gamers, but fans of the series will find more than enough enjoyment in Avalanche Software's open-world adventure.

Omensight is perfectly competent in every major category, but isn’t strong enough in any one instance to truly stand out. The unique story-telling from Spearhead Games is definitely engaging, but I can’t say the same for the rest of the game.

The Crush House has its share of solid moments, but it ends up oscillating between creativity and boredom. The day to day filming schedule needed to be spruced up to avoid repetitive dialogue and bland footage.

NHL 25 makes some minor strides to improve on last year's game, but will mostly appeal to those interested in team management and being a superstar forward. As a franchise, it continues to wait for a top draft pick that can turn things around in a meaningful way.