Love on Leave knows what it is and will find its audience through its ecchi gameplay systems and humorous writing. However, that comes at the cost of a repetitive gameloop that doesn’t require any thought to reach the game’s various milestones. Still, if you’re looking for a casual, relaxing experience, you can’t really go wrong here but don’t go looking for any significant attachment to the characters.

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.

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.

While the narrative felt more substantial and impactful, the puzzle rooms didn’t provide any novelty. You’re exploring similar environments to the base game, meaning there is slight familiarity with each room. The difficulty and complexity didn’t feel as memorable, but the conditions created by the plot gave the experience the ‘oomph’ that it needed. Regardless, the Escape from the Past DLC manages to craft a fun variant to the puzzles we’ve come to expect from the Escape Academy game.

Kingdom Eighties: Summer of Greed is an excellent introduction to the series that checks every box that makes these games so fun. While it doesn’t introduce new elements to the core systems, its unique setting and campaign serve to get new players invested and hold off returning players as we await the next mainline entry. Yes, it is relatively easy and short, but its high-quality presentation makes this an easy recommendation.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is an amazing JRPG that expertly handles its extensive cast to conclude this arc. The pacing respects the long history players have had with these characters to deliver a narrative that respects fans. This isn’t a game for those who haven’t played the previous titles, as it addresses overlooked plot points and relationships that could spoil those games. It doesn’t bog down progression with feeble recaps and instead marches ever onward with confidence. Trails into Reverie is a reunion among reunions, a capstone among capstones, and a soul-stirring special experience you won’t find in any other game.

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code delivers an excellently paced detective mystery through its clever writing and memorable cast of characters. It’s not afraid to go to some dark places and have fun at the same time within its narrative, but the balance of these themes is crafted in a way that keeps you hooked. The puzzles are all clever, and the gameloop never comes off as repetitive or straightforward. It’s an excellent experience that rivals all other releases in this genre.

Reverie: Sweet As Edition is a cute 16-bit game. While its presentation has everything you’d want from a retro-inspired adventure, its systems sadly don’t hold up. The entire experience is over before you know it, with the credits rolling to an unfulfilling conclusion. Regardless, the price is right for this release, but I can’t help but urge you to play something else.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a must-play mystery adventure that sticks the landing with its gameplay design, compelling mysteries, and character writing. The soundtrack is also quite catchy. If you’re someone who missed out on the game’s original DS release, then you owe it to yourself to give this remaster a shot, especially if you’re an Ace Attorney fan. I’m thrilled Capcom decided to give this title another chance, so here’s hoping it excels this time around.

There’s no doubt that the F1 series feels like a yearly iterative experience, but Codemasters has done an outstanding job with F1 23 because it improves upon last year’s title in almost every way. The increased accessibility options, enhanced driving mechanics, and welcome return of the Braking Point story mode are all steps in the right direction for the Formula 1 gaming community.

With its eye for detail, impeccable direction of design and music, and fantastic narrative, Amarantus is definitely up there for one of the year’s best releases. It tells a compelling story using unique systems to express the cast’s emotions, adding to the immersion. While multiple playthroughs are needed, you’ll quickly jump back in after the first ending to get the most out of this experience.

Diablo IV is the spark to rekindle the flames of this series’ greatness. The enemy variety and combat don’t hold up when to its predecessor, but over time I believe this will evolve into the best entry of the series to date. The option to mix up builds with enhancements and skill points adds a high level of customization to the experience and keeps every moment unique. However, we may need this game to cook in hell a bit longer for it to be the Diablo we’ve been waiting for.

Sonic Origins Plus had the opportunity to really deliver a collection of classic Sonic games that fans could experience on newer hardware. While Amy’s playable inclusion is fantastic, the poor state of some Game Gear titles introduces too many points of frustration to overlook. Features like the Classic Music and Premium Fun packs should’ve been a free update. In fact, the amount of purchase bonuses and content locked behind DLC makes experiencing Sonic Origins Plus exhausting. So if you’re desperately trying to complete this collection, then it’s here, but you could just as easily skip this release.

Charade Maniacs has so much potential, but the cast becomes bloated, and the conclusion comes way too early without any level of fanfare to cap off the routes. The narrative ends up tripping over itself as it tries to balance all the relationships, causing Sena to be more of an everchanging object for plot progression instead of her own character. The translation also comes across as questionable due to the inconsistencies within the cast. Sadly, the few memorable routes aren’t strong enough to carry enough the flimsy plot.

Soulvars is fast and addictive, but the repetitive nature of the gameplay and the limited tutorials makes experiencing the best parts of this game more effort than they’re worth. It has the style and energy to keep your attention for a few moments, but it doesn’t last when the character writing and world-building lay in an optional encyclopedia than in the game’s story. Still, this game is all about speed and combat, and it delivers in that regard.

Nukitashi presents itself as a unique, well-written, and poignant comedy experience. It doesn’t shy away from its adult themes and, instead, embraces them to deliver a memorable narrative. Qruppo’s first game is a must-play that hits all the right notes when considering character development, theming, humor writing, and presentation.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie has an amazing presentation that gives narrative adventure fans a visual treat to watch as they progress the story. The branching paths carry some emotional weight, but the second half really drops the ball on keeping the plot consistent. If you’re up for a relaxing mystery that revolves around unique themes and characters, make this your next weekend game.

Nimbus Infinity shows significant improvement when compared to its predecessor. The speed of the action fuels this experience, but mission pacing remains questionable. Still, the characters and story elements give players a reason to care. I mean, as if you needed any reason to jump into a mech and rain bullets on waves of enemies.

If you’re yearning for a fresh, inventive puzzle experience that’ll demand tight reflexes and proper timing, then Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine is the way to go. Fans of Super Meat Boy may also find enjoyment here, as this title exhibits the identity of the original game in both mechanics and game design.

Nocturnal isn’t consumed by its inspirations. It’s a unique 2D action sidescroller that consistently tests the player’s skills against challenging situations. The lore and worldbuilding create an experience you can’t help but want to see through as you act as a light in the darkness of this adventure.

Final Fantasy XVI is an action JRPG polished to an iridescent sheen. Its well-designed combat system and enemies, outstanding character writing and worldbuilding, and consistently stellar side content make it a standout entry in this legendary franchise. Even when accounting for the weak villains and a lukewarm conclusion, this was a journey that truly gripped me from beginning to end. This is a must-play game of the year and a Final Fantasy adventure you won't forget.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a nostalgic fever dream for longtime fans of the series to experience a title that could be the foundation of some great gaming memories. However, over the years, this series has evolved, which makes this entry more of a novelty than a modern take on a classic title. The added quality-of-life systems and events make for a nice visit to Forgotten Valley, but as the town’s name suggests, this is one forgettable experience.

Aliens: Dark Descent doesn’t overly complicate itself with deep simulation strategy combat. Instead, it finds the perfect balance of action, horror, and strategy to be accessible to all fans of this series. The narrative is the biggest highlight, fueled by clashing personalities, double-crossing, and a high-stakes conclusion. The player is made to feel like they are commanding these tropes, and that is found throughout each mission and choice made during dialogue. If you’ve been eager to immerse yourself in the world of Aliens, look no further.

Jack Jeanne is an amazing otome experience that you won’t want to put down. Still, repetition within some of the systems hurt the pacing on multiple playthroughs, and the narrative is practically begging for a sequel. However, it managed to keep me engaged, with some routes being an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. Hopefully, we see Aksys take more chances on these lesser-known otome developers in the future.

The thing with sitcoms is that they’re implied to keep going unless we’re told otherwise. If a show ends on a cliffhanger, the audience expects that unless the series is canceled, there’s more to come, and eventually, things will end on some kind of satisfactory note. If not, they’ll be left speculating what will happen next. When placed next to its influences, Fall of Porcupine is a mostly-pleasant time despite technical shortcomings, but the ending feels like the network brought down the axe a few episodes too early.

Layers of Fear is the definitive release of this series that packs up everything with a nightmarish bow. The added story and context are compelling enough for new players to reexperience the adventure. Still, the restructuring of the game really makes this a marvelous experience for first-time players. The night-and-day comparison between this release and the original title is incredible and just hints at what we can expect from this team.

The enjoyable moments become dampened by the inane control scheme and inconsistent pacing. It’s unfortunate that there was such a tug-of-war between immersion and complete disengagement. In a way, Daydream is a fitting name, as my moments of joy and peace kept getting interrupted as I popped back to reality, making this experience become a gradually-fading memory.

Bleak Sword DX has its moments. Utilizing the parry system and mastering the stages to take no damage after dying moments earlier makes for some genuinely enjoyable moments. Unfortunately, that’s about where my fun ended. The repetitive structure and increasing challenge fueled by a stamina bar that depletes faster than my 12-year-old dog’s weighed on the experience. There simply wasn’t enough reward for the difficulty, and the retro aesthetic couldn’t do enough to keep me engaged.