No one asked for Gargoyles Remastered, and I can see why. While the 16-bit gothic graphics are gorgeous, the gameplay does not hold up regardless of what style you’re playing in. The combat is dull, the platforming sections are frustratingly difficult due to bad controls, the bosses are laughable, and the experience is over before you know it. Although the added modes and rewind feature are cool, I’d say this is a Remastered release for the die-hards only and not a reason to play a game that you think you missed out on.

Fia and the Wondrous Academy has a remarkable cast whom I always loved seeing interacting on screen. But almost every single facet tied to the gameplay experience provided no fulfillment, simply being an exercise in going through the motions for the sake of obligatory progress. No matter your history with the Mado Monogatari IP, this outing is not worth your time.

Considering the text and performance issues, Angel Whisper is primarily recommended for patient fans of the visual novel genre. Beyond that, it’s a title that hints at the developers’ potential but falls short of showcasing their full capabilities, as they seem more focused on surprising players with plot twists than crafting a coherent and well-structured experience.

Dead or School’s combat can be fun in (very) short bursts, but it all ultimately falls flat hard and fast. It has the pacing of a freemium mobile game that’s dragging itself thin, begging you to spend money to speed it up. Except you can’t even do that to shorten your own suffering. With a larger budget and community feedback, I’m sure this team can deliver an excellent experience, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find that here.

Samurai Maiden is an action title boasting conceptually sound ideas that grievously fall flat due to poor optimization, rigid movement, unnecessarily high enemy numbers, and artificial difficulty by extension. The replayability offered by greater difficulty modes is rendered moot. Granted, exploring the stages for collectibles and platforming can be enjoyable. The cast is pleasing to see converse and bond, too. Still, the lacking narrative and gameplay-related drawbacks significantly hamper the experience. At one point in development, there was a promising time to be had here, but it’s been mired by severe faults.

Gleamlight may have been great in concept, but it does not work in execution. There’s nothing here that players can attach themselves to as a reason to continue playing outside of some great visual and sound design. The battle system is basic, the upgrades are the bare minimum, and the level design is a copy and pasted maze. The UI-less experience has worked in other games, but it comes off as lazy game development here when the team didn’t try to provide a reasonable explanation of its systems or narrative.

The original Flashback continues to shine as one of the greatest games ever created. Its enduring brilliance serves as a reminder of what a truly exceptional gaming experience can be. As time goes on, we can only hope that Flashback 2 will fade into obscurity, allowing the legacy of its predecessor to remain undiminished.

Panorama Cotton isn’t a fun game, and what may have once been a technical showpiece for the Sega Genesis simply has no relevance today. This probably isn’t something you want to play; regardless of the cute character sprites, enjoyment takes a dive moments into the experience. You’re better off playing Space Harrier.

Black Hair Girl is Best Girl is a title that is not worth your time, even if the title fits your preference. If you want to enjoy a love story, there are plenty of other options out there in the visual novel space. The plot points are generic, and the pacing is all over the place. Further, the dialogue is bizarre and confusing. Despite having two opportunities to present a compelling story, this combination proved to be incompetent.

Those who stick out Forspoken until the end may derive enjoyment from how certain elements were tackled like I did, though, ultimately, it’s all too little too late. At the very least, exploring the open world and completing optional tasks after completing the story can be fun, albeit in brief doses, since there’s not much of interest within the environments.

Sadly, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is not the precious that we were looking for. Gollum's inner battle mechanics are fun but aren't a prominent feature in a game consumed by terrible platforming sections and dated visuals. Voice acting adds promise to the experience along with a stellar soundtrack, but there's no real reason for you to play this game unless you yearn for a retro platforming experience or simply love Gollum.

Homestead Arcana has an extremely charming visual design, but it ultimately fails as a farming sim adventure. Dungeon Crawling will consume most of your time playing, which would be okay, but even that aspect of gameplay fails to make an impact. Yuri Lowenthal’s performance as Huckleberry is brilliant, but that alone isn’t capable of weighing against the flaws that Homestead Arcana suffers from.

When playing through Affogato, your brain becomes curious as there is a strong idea and concept to behold. However, the execution of each of these elements is unexceptional and doesn’t pull off anything memorable. The inspirations behind them are clear, but they don’t mesh well together in this format. I found myself loving the aesthetic, but the beauty fades before your very eyes as you trudge through the game, diminishing the experience over time.

Redfall is an anomaly because a game with this good of a team behind can't possibly be this bad, and yet, it is. There are these drips of looter shooter, RPG, and multiplayer elements sprinkled throughout, but none of them work together, delivering a messy and almost incomprehensible experience. Still, gunplay and exploration stay consistently fun, thanks to the satisfaction of taking down enemies and the level design. That being said, the single-player campaign is dull, but the multiplayer campaign could provide bouts of fun comprised of laughing at the strange AI behavior or the fact that no one can find keys to a door.

Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust is a lacking experience that doesn’t provide enough substance on a gameplay, character, or story level to justify its existence. At most, I found some enjoyment in the new combat ideas and the dialogue between Frey and Cinta, yet their executions only reach a surface level. After the credits and accompanying conclusion, which also contains blatant sequel bait that will likely never be fulfilled, I wasn’t left feeling any more invested in the land of Athia than I previously was.

Monster Harvest feels like it wants to set itself apart from its counterparts in the genre, and there is undeniable potential here. However, I felt like I was playing an early access game despite being fully released. So much of the world feels like fundamental revision and polish are missing, and I can’t see myself revisiting Planimal Point anytime soon.

Zenless Zone Zero introduces players to a post-apocalyptic world where they navigate mysterious hollows and battle various enemies. While the combat is visually impressive and the character designs are appealing, the game suffers from a lackluster narrative, repetitive missions, and a heavy reliance on gacha mechanics. Although it has potential, Zenless Zone Zero currently struggles to stand out in the crowded gacha game market.

While variety is said to be the spice of life, Compile Heart needs to learn that if they want to make genuinely engaging titles, they need to take a step back and try to make these games more fitting of modern hardware and just more fun to play instead of pumping them out at breakneck speed to appease fans’ on a surface level. Diehard and dedicated fans of the Neptunia franchise who want more of the same may derive enjoyment from this title, but otherwise, you are better off staying away.

Bright Memory shouldn’t be played; it’s just not ready. The one-person developed action is a decent concept, but it should have been released as a demo in anticipation for Bright Memory: Infinite. The Xbox Series X version adds nothing to the experience, but if you’re eager to spend an hour mindlessly shooting enemies and rolling your eyes, then, by all means, pick this up.

Machina of the Planet Tree: Unity Unions is much too ambitious for its budget. The developer had an idea for what they wanted this game to be but could not pull it off. There’s not much here outside of mindlessly going through missions with the objective being “Defeat All Enemies” for an hour until the credits roll. I can’t recommend this game; I don’t care how cute the main protagonist is!

Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos attempts to deliver a Katamari-like gameplay experience with a comedic premise, starring fan-favorite Uzume Tennouboshi. However, the game falls flat with its rushed narrative, shallow mechanics, and lack of meaningful content, making it feel more like a cash grab than a worthy entry in the Neptunia series.

While I was just a tad hopeful about Scar-Lead Salvation due to its developer changing up genres from the norm in a new IP, what's here is unacceptable. The abysmally designed choices permeating every facet of progression, from its lack of enemy variety, repetitive room structure, and meager meaning in choice, make this undoubtedly one of Compile Heart's worst games yet.

Tsugunohi is not one of the most terrifying Japanese horror games of all time as it claims to be, not even remotely close. I’m certain the honor is just as made up as the urban legends. The basic jump-scare structure is identical across the nine chapters, so once you’ve tried one you’ve basically seen it all. There’s no real meaning or substance here, and real horror is when the anticipatory fear transforms into sheer boredom.

Bacchanalia seems to be an otome game that would fit all the checkmarks of what you’d expect from the genre, and while it is available for a relatively low cost of entry, that doesn’t excuse the fact that it is severely unfinished. From its awkward, inconsistent translation to even the plot having more holes than Swiss cheese, this title clearly should’ve just gone full-on Early Access, and I hope the developers are true to their word with their promise of fixing it all in the coming months.

Yumeutsutsu Re:Masters has the makings of a fantastic visual novel, and visually it is. Still, some horrible choices in both writing and design make it an utter chore to experience.

Tokyo Scramble is an ambitious stealth adventure that introduces a handful of clever mechanics but struggles to unify them into a satisfying whole. While its dinosaur-infested setting and gadget-driven stealth show flashes of creativity, those moments are undermined by an incoherent story, repetitive encounters, and rough presentation. The result is a game that feels more exhausting than engaging, one that hints at a stronger experience it never quite becomes.

Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is not an experience I recommend to anyone. Regardless of your familiarity with the series, I can promise you that this is not worth the time. Even fans who love the source material will get nothing positive from this title, as the miserable gameplay loop and surface-level storytelling will do nothing to initiate or enhance anybody’s love for the IP. What is here is more representative of a mobile game’s structure, with a console coating that’s mostly deceitful above all else.

Blightbound is a perfect example of a game as wide as an ocean but as deep as a puddle. There’s a story, customization, and many characters, but they all take so much time to experience and have so little payoff that I can’t really recommend this game to anyone in its current state. Coming from the studio that made Awesomenauts, Blightbound feels like a step down in terms of execution and polish. It’s disappointing to see something that clearly had lofty ambitions fall so far short of what it could have been.

Rendezvous is a very messy experience. I wondered when it would be over, a feeling one shouldn’t have while playing a game. It’s possible to become hypnotized by the dazzling display of futuristic cyberpunk Indonesia, but that facade doesn’t last long after the first hour. There’s clearly passion put into world-building, but beyond that sphere of craft, there’s no substance within the gameplay or narrative. As a result, Rendezvous is dry, and its flavor profile leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

Redemption Reapers is a messy tactical RPG that could have been so much more. The presentation and character design are simply generic, with a narrative that will likely never grab your attention. There are some unique systems of character movement, but too many systems work against the player creating an unfun experience from beginning to end. Here’s to hoping updates based on player feedback make Redemption Reapers better in the future.

Quantum Replica is a broken experience. Its challenge stems from awkward control schemes and unfair systems, while the buggy and unresponsive maneuvering makes sure you’re rarely having any fun. As cool as this game may look at a glance, it quickly loses that qualifier after 30 minutes of gameplay.

Library of Ruina offers a dark and compelling narrative with engaging turn-based card combat and rich voice acting that brings its unique characters to life. However, the game is hindered by excessive grinding, poor port quality on the Nintendo Switch, and a steep learning curve that may overwhelm new players. While its depth in character customization and distinct visual and audio presentation stand out, the repetitive gameplay loop and static visual novel elements may detract from the overall experience. For the best experience, it's recommended to play this intriguing but flawed title on PC.

Death end re;Quest: Code Z is an overly eager follow-up to Compile Heart's darker RPG series, suffering from a noticeably rushed main narrative and botched character dynamics. Further, the gameplay genre shift has been handled rather poorly, with dull progression and unnecessarily frustrating growth permeating the experience. Unless you're a dedicated fan of the Death end re;Quest series, Code Z is not worth your time.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure revives Max Caulfield’s story, but the introduction of a convoluted dual-timeline mechanic and an uninspiring cast make it a less memorable entry in the series. While Max’s iconic wit shines through environmental interactions, technical bugs and disjointed pacing detract from the experience. Despite some nostalgic moments, this return to Life is Strange’s world struggles to capture the charm that made the original special.

I know I’m coming off as overly pessimistic, and I apologize for that, but Zengeon fails when executed in almost every possible way. The variety of playable characters is neat, and the co-op feature is nice, but I can’t see myself recommending this. After playing, players will swiftly notice the inept synergy between the combat mechanics alongside the mangled performance and atrocious enemy frequency. There are plenty of other roguelikes out there, and I promise that any one of those is likely better worth your time than Zengeon.

Real life Plus: Kaname Komatsuzaki will cost you both your valuable time and money, with next to nothing in return. You’ll be able to clear it at least once in just half an hour, experience some terribly paced attempt at storytelling to set up some H-scenes, and then wonder why you spent $12 on this. Unless you’re looking for a title with some good H-art and nothing else, I can think of no conceivable reason to pick this one up.

What works about successful walking simulators is the vigor and vitality put into both the narrative and the surrounding world. You want to feel engrossed and experience something unique and attention-grabbing. The Fabled Woods had the environments and graphics on point, but everything else, from plot to dialogue to gameplay mechanics, felt lackluster in comparison.

Despite the myriad of technical and design issues, it’s apparent that the developers of Runes Magica had a clear idea of the kind of gameplay systems they wanted to create. However, the final product fails to capture the features of what makes action platformers engaging. While it could benefit from an update, many tweaks would need to be made to the core mechanics to capitalize on what is potentially engaging. In its current state, you won’t find anything enjoyable here that you couldn’t find done better in another game.

Forward To The Sky on Nintendo Switch is not worth the price of admission. It’s almost comically bad and requires a lot more refinement than the Switch release provided. Everything is just dull, from the story to the platforming and combat; I don’t think I was ever really having fun. The moments of challenge in the platforming piqued my competitive nature, but it was only due to the game’s unresponsive controls and unpredictable camera angles...If you’re trying to play Forward To The Sky, just get the PC version.

Drifting: Weight of Feathers is not a horrid experience everybody should avoid at all costs. It’s clearly not backed by a substantial budget or team, so it’s worth keeping that in mind. Still, those seeking fulfilling puzzle parkour experiences should find their fill elsewhere, as this title is really only meant for those who are desperately searching for something new. The lack of music, questionable story implementation, and awkward presentation don’t help matters either.

Fateful End: True Case Files is a nonsensical title with nothing to do with what the game is about. It’s rarely fun, with only a couple of neat puzzles. Still, they often clash so heavily with the terrible attempt at telling an interesting story through forceful character development, that nothing ever pays off.

April Grove is certainly visually pleasing and offers up a playlist of gorgeous songs to help you relax, but outside of that, it is a nothing sandwich. A wafer thin gameplay loop and stark content offerings fail to even be compelling as a background timewasting activity.

To be blunt, the current state of the game provides enjoyable combat, but it’s the only aspect that’s enjoyable. The crippling issue is the poorly executed script, which drags down Reverse: 1999 as a whole. As a seasoned mobile gamer, this is the first game I’ve reviewed that I actively don’t want to play because I see it as a waste of potential. In its current state, unless a player solely focuses on the aesthetic appeal of gacha characters and disregards the need for them to have personalities or engage in a compelling storyline, it’s challenging to envision anyone enjoying this game long enough to keep it alive. There might be a promising time-travel story with plenty of potential ideas, but it’s hard to follow when almost every voiced line of dialogue is distractingly subpar.

Shadow Corridor is for someone who desires a challenging experience while having no attachment to the actual experience. Lacking enemy variety, one-hit death, and hindering systems had me more afraid of the mechanics than the game itself. This horror game requires patience; without it, you can probably sit this nightmare out.

Being such a short and simple experience, if the ending of a one-sitting game is bad, it inevitably taints the whole experience – and I would say that Goodbye World‘s pointlessly cruel and mocking ending goes several steps further than that. Rather than coming to the end of a thematic roller coaster, I was left feeling like I’d been casually thrown off of a cliff.

What Happened gives you very little reason to even care about answering that question. The narrative is consistently flimsy as you dive into the mind of an unlikeable protagonist. There are very few moments of redemption with some well-detailed environments and clever transitions, but that is not nearly enough to keep you invested. If the motion sickness doesn’t get you to turn the game off, then the self-deprecating storyline and in-your-face symbolism will cause you to roll your eyes to sleep in no time.

Dread Meridian sets out to deliver a chilling Lovecraftian horror experience in VR, but its technical shortcomings and uneven gameplay hold it back from greatness. While the atmospheric setup and some core mechanics show promise, immersion is constantly undercut by frustrating bugs and poor design decisions.

Strong environmental puzzles, unfortunately, don’t do anything to save GYLT, and as such, there’s nothing here I would really recommend to anyone other than to a younger gamer just getting into the genre. Horror fans will have seen everything this game has to offer before, and a lack of anything gripping will stop newcomers from sticking around for its brief runtime.

Chinatown Detective Agency is clearly a game that is aiming high, and I can appreciate its attempt to revive a genre closely tied to my childhood. But a game that creates this many roadblocks in the way of progress, some that make it nearly impossible without a guide, and some that are likely unintended, needs to be critiqued. This title feels unpolished and unfinished, and while I could see it eventually getting heavily patched to resolve its many issues, it will cost $25. With that price point, I expect far more quality control.

The gameplay of Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains is an unoptimized mess. There is no attempt at balancing or scaling, with the only positive being a unique presentation. When it comes down to it, this has the capacity to become truly and unironically great, but the translation and mechanics need to be rebuilt from the ground up. As it is now, you’re better off not wasting your time and money.

Something went terribly wrong with the development of Tamarin. Nothing works and everything comes off like it was slapped together causing this entire adventure to feel like a random and confusing mess. Still, if you’re trying to experience one of the most bonkers 3D platformers ever developed, you found it, but I urge you not to put your money into this game.

Ancient Weapon Holly falls short of delivering a compelling roguelike action experience, marred by its overly simplistic gameplay, lack of narrative engagement, and repetitive dungeon layouts. While the game introduces a unique combat mechanic, it fails to build upon this foundation, resulting in a monotonous and unrewarding experience.

Classic Collection is so bad that it is actively driving people back to the original game as it bleeds players, and given that the original is less than a third of the price, I can't blame anyone for that. This is an unfinished, shoddy product that doesn't feel good to play, and that's if you can play it at all.

Waking will have you eager to wake up within the first few hours. Its compelling self-reflective narrative is overshadowed by some of the worse adventure mechanics and systems that I have played in quite some time. Perhaps the game should go through some self-reflecting of its own and figure out exactly what it wants to be because this is a complete mess.

By using the shortness of procedurally created dungeons without any positive unique skills or mechanics, Shachibato just ends up feeling like an RPG that ends way too quickly, without any reason to continuously play it.

Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is a game that you’ll want to end as soon as it begins. I feel like it’ll find success as a novelty game where people challenge their patience or within indie circles of pretentious gamers who argue that this narrative is genius and we’re the ones not capable of understanding its brilliance. Regardless, it’s not a good game, but in retrospect, I’ve never experienced anything like it, so that’s a positive.

No Place for Bravery, while visually interesting on the surface, is left shallow and clunky. The combat is choppy and frustrating, the stage design is confusing with perspective, enemies and other NPCs lack personality, and the majority of the sound design is unbalanced and often desynced from the actions on screen. However, it excels as a psychological horror experience. The entire game would have been much improved if they had focused on that. While the experience only lasted about 10 hours, it wasn’t an amount of time I’d say I enjoyed.

Deadly Premonition 2 might be fun for a tiny group of gamers, but I had a terrible time drudging through it. The B-movie esque plot and narrative scenes can be enjoyable in a cringy sort of way, but everything from the graphics to the controls makes it insanely hard to enjoy. Instead of wasting 20 hours with this game, I’d say you’re better off just going back and replaying Deadly Premonition.

Arc the Lad R is a disappointing experience whether you play any of the PVP or PVE modes. Auto-battle will get you through most encounters, but this is as barebones as you get. It’s sad to see such a memorable series be reduced to this gacha element, but it’s still nice to be playing an Arc the Land game in 2021.

If I could offer any advice, stay away from SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off. Its laughable $30 price tag had me thinking I was hallucinating as it is borderline robbery. These colorful visuals may catch the eyes of series’ fans, but it’s all a facade for a shallow and limited experience that is first and foremost a free-to-play mobile experience brought to Switch for a premium price.

Code Violet is a deeply flawed survival horror title that struggles to justify its existence. While it offers occasional moments of visual density and fan service appeal, its lack of coherent design, constant technical issues, and frustrating gameplay mechanics make it a chore to play. The narrative is confusing, the systems are poorly explained, and the experience feels like a mishmash of abandoned ideas. Despite some visual ambition, Code Violet ultimately fails to respect the player’s time or intelligence.

Tristia: Restore is fundamentally broken. It is one of the worst experiences I have ever touched in video games, and the first time in my life I have ever felt regret for playing one. I wish I had Nanoca’s skills to make a time machine and tell the developers to invest all their money in Tristia: Legacy instead. That game deserved more.

There is a promising premise presented here, but sadly, Waifu Impact fails to make an impact at all, let alone a splash. Even if the concept isn’t fully realized, there could always be hope for some notable systems. Unfortunately, this couldn’t pull off any of that, leaving me confused. Games can be cheeky but still present some value with how comically bad they are, Waifu Impact doesn’t even come close. With poor gameplay and visuals, this game is dead in the water.

Silent Hill Ascension, with its promising live participation concept, initially piqued my interest but ultimately fell short due to a rushed narrative, generic characters, and an array of microtransactions. While it successfully brings the community together for some collaborative decision-making, the game’s overall experience leaves much to be desired. The repetitive endurance segments, issues with the PC interface, and the high cost of the season pass further diminish the appeal.

Secret Kiss is Sweet and Tender is not going to be for everyone. The premise is going to turn some VN fans away at the door, plus the simplicity and lack of overall narrative depth aren’t going to win any awards. On top of that, the price and the slightly middling translation don’t do it any favors. Still, this could be a sweet and fluffy experience for yuri fans, but it might be better to look elsewhere first for your escapism fix.