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.