Re:Turn: One Way Trip is a standout indie horror adventure that absolutely understands atmosphere and pacing. The narrative gets a bit flimsy in some areas due to a lacking supporting cast, but it ends up nailing important gameplay systems that will make you swear to never ever aboard a ghost train in your life.

Disjunction is a tough but speedy stealth adventure that kept me thoroughly engaged. Character’s abilities, narrative choices, and more strategic elements really give players some interesting variety and options on how to approach gameplay. There are some questionable control choices, but nothing that will hinder the experience. For those looking for a sneaky cybernetic stealth-adventure, Disjunction shouldn’t go unnoticed.

I set my expectations for The DioField Chronicle relatively high, which is a recipe for disaster. However, I’m pleased to report that I enjoyed this game at every turn. This ambitious cast star in a narrative that is running a contest for how much wool they can pull over each other’s eyes, and I am here for it every step of the way. I’d like some more, please too. A sequel or something in the same world with more political mayhem sounds fantastic. And more Waltaquin.

Say No! More does a great job in giving the player some casual and lighthearted fun. With some satirical and colorful scenarios about corporate work culture, the adventure provokes themes of self-advocacy and helping those around you. You can easily tell the game is full of heart and humor. Despite its shortcoming of being a one-time deal, Say No! More is an experience worth picking up.

Damon and Baby is a niche action adventure that mixes satisfying gunplay, layered exploration, and RPG progression with uneven storytelling and frustrating quality of life shortcomings. While Arc System Works successfully pivots away from its fighting game roots with a rewarding sense of discovery and tense combat encounters, inconsistent pacing, intrusive technical quirks, and clunky inventory design prevent the experience from reaching its full potential.

Marvel’s Avengers isn’t the superhero adventure I was hoping for, but it is an adventure I didn’t mind playing through. There are moments of gameplay where you feel like a member of the Avengers, but that requires you to look past some repetitive stage designs and surface-level combat systems. Regardless, there’s no doubt that there’s plenty of fun to be found here, and I’ll for sure keep my cape ready for any future experiences this game offers.

To truly do this game justice, mechanics needed to be updated to make the overall experience more enjoyable. Faster pace and more fluid gun gameplay could bring new audiences. The game should be played by anyone who has never experienced the series and are interested enough to visit the Darkside themselves. I’m sure longtime fans will feel that nostalgic love, playing this occult hit exactly as it was published two decades ago but personally, I feel it could have been left on the shelf.

Nevaeh is a fast and fun puzzle platformer that doesn’t bite off more than it can chew. However, its lack of direction makes the adventure feel soulless. Nothing challenges the player, not even the boss encounters, making this more of a comfortable and cute indie puzzle experience to play in short bursts.

I did find that the AI enemies seem to flop around like more of a fish than a monster, but for the most part, they provide a fresh experience. Source of Madness takes the traditional roguelite formula and adds in its own spices showing that a genre that’s been beaten to death still has some life in it.

SaGa Emerald Beyond is a game that pushes the boundaries of player patience with its complex systems and lack of coherent storytelling. While it innovates with its combat mechanics and the breadth of worlds to explore, the game struggles to provide a cohesive and engaging narrative experience. Characters feel underdeveloped, and the story is often confusing, leaving players to piece together the plot without much guidance. Despite these challenges, the game offers a depth of strategy that may appeal to hardcore fans of the series or genre.

Exit the Gungeon made the smart move to take its adventure to consoles, and the result is a fun and skill-based gaming experience. The game can be enjoyed in small bursts or long play sessions as you hone your skills during each run. The only downside is the amount of things to do here is limited to what the mobile version could accomplish, which makes this entry come up a bit short. Regardless, I found this version to be the best way to play.

Neptunia ReVerse is a title that sticks too closely to its roots to be a standout, next-gen experience. Despite the presence of a moderately entertaining gameplay loop, decent mechanics, and delightful character banter, the embarrassingly feeble graphical quality, lack of innovation for the series, and disturbingly overt reliance on old systems from a Vita remake from over half a decade ago brings this experience down more than a few notches.

Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions is one for the movie fans, but it’s also a fun arcade boxing game for anyone who happens to be looking for one. The core boxing action is entertaining, with a wide cast of characters to try out. While the game falls short in its presentation and gameplay modes, there is still enough here to provide a satisfying boxing challenge as you unlock new content and relive your favorite moments from the movies.

AI Limit can appear like a by-the-books souls-like. Still, more than enough gameplay design decisions grant it inherent distinction, favoring those who prefer swifter movement in their action games. Coupled with an impressive array of character customization that individualizes one’s playthrough, alongside engaging exploration, you have a reasonably satisfying package here with a welcoming playtime of 20 hours or so. Yet, the meager challenge and mishandled balancing may turn off those seeking a more fulfilling venture.

Giraffe and Annika is an emotional and imaginative adventure. The game’s focus on pacifist dungeon crawling and exploration paid off to deliver an exciting narrative with a young girl at the helm. Incorporating music into the game’s design was a smart choice as it broke up the straight forward and linear progression. While I wish there were a few more accessibility features, Giraffe and Annika is an adventure worth going on.

Bright Memory: Infinite is the product of a developer who wasn't satisfied putting out a game that he knew he could improve. So, instead of moving on, we get this over-the-top and insanely beautiful FPS adventure that is fun from beginning to end. Absolutely none of it makes sense, but who cares when I just launched an ancient sword-wielding statue dude in the air and cut him into pieces. Sign me up for the next adventure with Shelia.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is hands-down the best entry in the series to date. It takes everything great about these games and packages it up in a beautiful and modern adventure that mirrors its classic gameplay mechanics used for over 20 years. Some of the item management systems weigh on the pacing, and the controls take a few hours to master, but there’s just something unique in every stage that makes this adventure enjoyable from beginning to end.

Resolutiion is an engaging and fun action-adventure that delivers an enjoyable experience in the genre. From the very beginning, you’ll feel as if you’ve played it all before, and this is just more of the same. However, it ends up setting itself apart through its clever environments, progression system, and narrative, which was enough to keep me engaged throughout the entire adventure.

It’s no doubt that Into the Pit draws heavy influence from the Doom franchise, with its old-school graphics, fast-paced shooting, and rock and roll heavy background music, but the core gameplay loop makes it hard to recommend as a rogue-like. It’s fully functional and fluid with snippets of fun thanks to its brief runs, but its lack of variation for dungeons, weapons, and bosses makes it difficult to stand out from others in the genre.

Chronos: Before the Ashes is a solid action-adventure that doesn’t overstay its welcome or try to be something that it isn’t. If you’ve played the VR original, you’ll find quality-of-life improves, but this is still the same challenging adventure that you’ll remember. The gameplay is tight, responsive, and consistently fun; there’s nothing more I could really ask for from an action-adventure game.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time ended up being an incredibly mixed bag. Though it may have been great to play during the series’ original heyday, it doesn’t entirely hold up to modern standards. Like any blade, the combat becomes dull over time, but the graphics and systems are there to keep players slicing-and-dicing until the conclusion.

Maglam Lord uniquely combines an action role-playing game with heavy visual novel and dating sim elements to create an experience that stands out from the JRPG crowd. While the action combat portions of the game are underwhelming and the graphics are outdated, the beautiful art direction, engaging narrative, and excellent cast markedly make up for it. You might initially play for the artwork, but you’ll stay for the characters.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics ends up doing just enough for fans of both The Dark Crystal and fans of tactical RPGs. It has enough features that allow it to stand out when compared to other titles available. Sadly, the pacing of the story and battles are relatively fast, which means that you’ll continually feel rewarded, but you won’t have an attachment to the characters.

Pac-Man: Mega Tunnel Battle is a unique approach to turning the Pac-Man formula into a battle royal experience. I think the way it was handled works for this type of game as you independently work on getting high scores while invading other’s boards to rob opponents of possible points. Still, it loses its charm so quickly, given that the online community doesn’t seem to want to lean into the new systems while they focus on clearing their boards in simple Pac-Man fashion.

Ultra Age is a no-brainer for indie action game fans. The adventure features seamless gameplay, fun boss designs, a low price, and the potential to create a franchise. It challenges the player to pay attention to enemy movements, create new playstyles and understand the game mechanics to the fullest while keeping it fun and creative. While the story has its shortcomings, I am sure with some added detail in the future; it can become a hit of its own.

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.

Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy is a unique game. It’s unlike any I’ve played from the Gundam series as it’s carried by its story and characters who I grew attached to over the chapters. The quality animations and voice work do wonders for the enjoyment factor, and the missions provide just enough interaction to get the player involved in the action. Sure, it can feel a bit oversimplified, but if the idea is to make me want to play Battle Operation 2, then I just might be more interested now than I’ve ever been.

Helvetii is an unfulfilling action roguelike that contains a few conceptually neat ideas not strongly delivered on any front. The practical nonexistence of effective feedback during combat heavily mires the gameplay and incentive to keep going.