At times, Loot River shines like the burning platform that you just trapped all your enemies on, but that flame gets extinguished pretty quick. Loot River‘s creative mechanic keeps it afloat, but its final presentation feels like it landed short of its full potential.

VituaVerse is an incredibly challenging point-and-click adventure that is targetted towards lovers of the genre. This allows the game to feature more complex puzzle designs, which will put a player’s skills to the test. There’s a real lack of direction as the developer doesn’t fully take advantage of the features that they have, but that ends up adding to the satisfaction of getting through a complicated puzzle.

Metallic Child is a rogue-lite with a grand narrative of saving Earth through some truly addicting action systems. The fast-moving structure of dungeon exploration is complemented by engaging combat mechanics and ever-changing challenges. The challenge becomes easier to manage in the later hours. Still, the repetitive gameloop weighs on the experience if you aren’t in the mood for lengthy dialogue and cheesing your way through encounters using the same combos.

Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue may not be the death game it appears to be in its marketing or early gameplay. Still, it keeps players engaged throughout the narrative with intense moral choices and deceptive twists. The initial sense of security gives way to unpredictability, making players question their decisions. While the game occasionally demands player assumptions to piece together events, it offers an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. The game’s diversity and immersive character development shine, even though it takes time to reach the darker, more thrilling aspects. With such promise, it’s exciting to anticipate what Dreamloop Games will offer next.

Final Fantasy VII Remake INTERmission is a must-play for those jumping off from the base game solely to introduce Yuffie and other assuredly key elements and characters. Gameplay-wise, there is an enjoyable depth to the battle system with better use of the environment. Still, the poor difficulty balance and forgettable supporting cast weigh heavily on the experience throughout. You’ll ultimately buy it for a few extra hours in Midgar, but stay to hang out with Yuffie as we inch closer to Part 2 of this Remake effort.

Grime is a Souls-like experience that’ll cleanse your pallet between the more significant releases of the genre. It mainly acts as filler, but it also keeps your reactions to tense action gameplay in top shape for whatever you’ll play next. The atmosphere really sells the dreary adventure with the help of an excellent artistic design, a stellar soundtrack, and engaging combative mechanics. Still, there’s a noticeable lack of boss spectacle and challenge required to at least cause a few fist clenches.

Wanted: Dead is a commendable effort from this team and a sign of much better things to come. It is unapologetic in what it wants to be, and so despite all of its quirks and faults, it offers a charming and memorable action game experience that is backed by a captivating presentation. Come for the brutally effective combat but stay for the utterly surreal game world filled with fun distractions and addictive carnage. With this debut title, 110 Industries takes us back to a time when a standout vibe made up for a lack of polish.

While Paradigm Paradox doesn’t stick the landing when it comes to setting up its premise, once you’ve gotten deep enough in its tale, you’ll start to appreciate and create a sense of fondness for each character. Even though the individual routes sometimes had some somewhat unfavorable endings, in my opinion, not to mention the countless editing mishaps, I enjoyed and even laughed at the interactions between the love interests. All of the different points of view were amusedly worded.

While Monochrome Mobius tells a captivating narrative with an endearing cast, the poor story pacing and lack of engagement with the combat, despite its neat ideas, make the experience one that can overstay its welcome. Fans will undoubtedly have their fill here, though.

A must-play game for any fan of SpongeBob. Its witty dialogue and constant references to the show makes for hours of entertainment during every moment of gameplay. Looking past the aged mechanics and lacking multiplayer mode will provide you with a substantial 3D platforming experience, which is something that I can’t say we get too much of. I can only hope this quenches the series’ thirst so that we can get a much need adventure that only builds off the foundation that this game established so many years ago.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons may seem like a side dish to the main course, but it still manages to be a fun beat ’em up experience. The combat mechanics are responsive, and the ever-growing challenge across each stage makes subsequent playthroughs unique, further defined by the characters you choose. One thing is for certain, even after all these years, Double Dragon remains just as cool as ever.

Million Depth is a standout indie strategy RPG that blends atmospheric storytelling with innovative mechanics, delivering a uniquely layered experience beneath the Earth's surface. Players control Moma in a future where humanity has fled underground, navigating branching routes, emotional story arcs, and a hybrid combat system that defies genre expectations. While its complexity may overwhelm early on, those who persist will find a rich, replayable game filled with strategic depth and narrative intrigue.

Alruna and the Necro-Industrialists is a tightly crafted retro Metroidvania with Game Boy Color aesthetics, blending whip-driven combat, compact room-based exploration, and sharp environmental commentary. While its stiff controls and overt messaging may divide players, its clever level design and replayable structure make it a compelling handheld adventure.

Disc Room is a straightforward arcade game that is fun to sink a few hours in as you reach a heightened sense of being. Weaving in and out of blades that are inches from you and pulling off some split-second dodges is panic-inducing but also pretty rewarding to your gaming ego. Even with a repetitive gameloop and some not-so-useful abilities, I had a great time maneuvering through this daring adventure while solving puzzles and facing death head-on.

BUSTAFELLOWS season2 is a sequel to a great otome game that manages to be a worthy follow-up when it comes to showing interesting sides to the characters, but is a hard recommendation for anyone who hasn't yet dived into the original and doesn't fix a significant issue its predecessor also had in the lack of subtitles of voice-only dialogues.

Heading Out delivers a captivating narrative-driven experience, distinctively blending racing and adventure with a choice-driven storyline. Set against the backdrop of a visually stark yet intriguing open road, the game challenges players with moral dilemmas and strategic decision-making that significantly impact gameplay. While the main attraction lies in the enthralling scenarios and robust character interactions, the repetitive racing mechanics and less engaging driving portions may detract from the overall experience.

Uppers was almost the game that got away, but now that’s it’s here, I can’t say that I’m completely excited about it. What’s important is that it features a robust battle system and a zany story that will satisfy the developer’s fans. Furthermore, as perverted as they are, the game mechanics can be an insanely fun distraction as you button mash your way through each level. Thankfully, this PC port is clearly the best way to experience this four-year-old brawler for those who waited.

Metal Unit takes chances on the roguelike genre by making the player feel like an absolute powerhouse. The variety of different items, loadouts, upgrades, and exploration-based stages makes the experience enjoyable for hours. Although it has a nonsensical narrative with a control scheme that does become uncomfortable over time, it offers enough unique features to be a worthy roguelike.

Castle of Shikigami 2 has always been an obscure title in the shmup genre, but this new release shows it at its best. I enjoyed the added modes that go beyond a simple Arcade Mode, and the updated localization makes it easier to take this title seriously. Of course, the challenge is high in the later levels, but this is one shmup that I’m glad to see thriving in this new generation.

The Thaumaturge immerses players in a rich urban fantasy set in pre-World War I Warsaw, offering a blend of RPG and detective elements through the eyes of Wiktor Szulski, a mystic with the power to uncover hidden truths. With a story that weaves together political intrigue, historical figures like Grigori Rasputin, and supernatural themes, the game stands out for its detailed world-building and complex mechanics of puzzle-solving, stealth, and combat. Despite its deep narrative and unique gameplay, the game occasionally suffers from overly guided investigations and uneven combat pacing. However, its compelling setting and innovative use of Thaumaturgy ensure a captivating experience, even as some narrative and gameplay aspects feel underdeveloped.

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.

Spy x Anya: Operation Memories is a charming and engaging family game that captures the heartwarming spirit of the beloved anime series. With its photo-based gameplay, fans can enjoy adorable scenes and interactions with the Forger family, making it a delightful experience for gamers of all ages.

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.

Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered breaks the rules of traditional JRPG systems. There’s a gorgeous experience waiting to be unearthed, but this requires player patience to enjoy it fully. This might be a big ask, considering other titles are much more accessible, but I can’t help be enjoy every playthrough, no matter how challenging. What’s missing is a modernized tutorial prologue for new players, if only to help ease them into the experience, but what’s here is an RPG masterpiece.

UuultraC is another unique BL title from ADELTA and it’s easy to see improvements to the Kurosawa Rinko artstyle. However, the messy delivery of its plot keeps it from living up to its potential with a confusing narrative style that hinders the experience more than it does improve it. Even so, fans of the genre are likely to enjoy this wild ride and should give this experimental work a try.

If a strong narrative is required to keep you invested in a game, it’s probably not the one for you, but for those out there who love the steady feeling of progress for its own sake, it’s a lot more fun than the idle games clogging the market and trying to scratch that same itch.

Nope Nope Nurses is a courageous erotic experience solely for those delighted by severe female domination and male masochism. While its length is only a handful of hours and the price point is questionable, what is here is genuinely qualitative, thanks to the remarkable voice acting, shamelessly ferocious H-scene content, and unexpectedly engaging character writing.

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a delightful and engaging platformer that successfully combines the whimsy of the Mario universe with a unique theatrical twist. The game's innovative costume mechanic and beautifully designed levels offer players a fresh take on traditional platforming, wrapped in a narrative that’s both charming and immersive. However, certain design choices, such as the limited usage of costumes outside gameplay and the inability to backtrack for collectibles, may leave some players wanting more.