Pac-Man 99 is an exceptionally entertaining Battle Royale boasting a genius incorporation of speedy matches and on-the-fly strategy. Its default, free mode, is where players will be spending most, if not all of their time duking it out, while it’s pricey, paid packages are tough sells that offer very little in the realms of replayability or meaning. I personally recommend sticking to the free version, but if you find yourself wanting some more variety, no matter how slight it is, those extra modes are there for you to pick up.

League of Legends: Wild Rift is the quintessential competitive mobile MOBA that you should be playing. It differentiates itself from its PC counterpart by offering simplified modes and rebalanced champions. This allows it to be more accessible to newcomers and feels great during long play sessions. There’s definitely room for updates and refinement, but what’s offered now is a great mobile experience.

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a slower-paced, more strategic first-person shooter that is somehow more about unit positioning and character banter than it is about blasting through enemies. There’s still plenty of action to be found, but it’s really the crew who carry this Star Wars adventure to an overall enjoyable experience. I’d say that makes it a story well told packed for a new generation of gamers.

Deiland Pocket Planet Edition is a shallow farming sim that provides you with very base-level quests that don’t really amount to anything memorable. The monotony of completing the quests and watching over crops never becomes more complex or challenging, weighing on the adventure’s lasting factor. There’s little here to experience after a few hours of gameplay, but it’s still a charming indie offering that doesn’t grow into the rose that I had hoped for.

I feel like I can go on and on about SaGa Frontier Remastered that would extend far outside the scope of this review, but if I could sum it all up, I’d say this is the best non-linear JRPG of our time. This does come with a load of nuanced challenges that will push your patience and understanding of the genre. However, after a few hours, you’ll feel the same way. The remastered version only makes the series more approachable with updated visuals, autosave capabilities, a new protagonist, and additional scenarios. I couldn’t have asked for a better version of this game to return to.

Tasomachi is an atmospheric 3D platformer collectathon that succeeds in the area, but there’s a massive lack of polish, making me feel like it’s wasn’t ready to be released. I can see what this experience was aiming for, which is said as an accomplishment to the single developer who created it. However, a lot of optimization and options need to be added for this adventure to be considered finished. Still, it’s possible to have fun and overlook the flaws, but they are glaringly apparent by taking a step back.

In brief moments of gameplay, Potion Party is a lot of fun. Going in expecting more than satisfying short burst of excitement might be a letdown. Its charming visuals and addicting gameloop provide enough to warrant mixing up a few potions and opening up shop, but I couldn’t help but want a bit more variety in the core design.

Poison Control is an unexpected enjoyable gaming experience. The result is a game that only lacks in areas where I wanted more, including enemy variety and stage layout. However, that doesn’t hinder just how addicting this adventure is, which I hope acts as a foundation for a sequel. I may not be the biggest fan of shooters, but Poison Control takes the genre and presents it in a way that could expand the fanbase. If you can’t get behind that, well, the cleaning aspect is just as satisfying.

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.

The single-player content is orthodox, but the combination of sly banter between the characters and the unlockable art and music keeps it fresh. The online lobby experience is satisfactory, but the lack of a true random player pairing system holds it back a little. Nonetheless, the true feature of Maiden & Spell, its multiplayer gameplay, shines through as a knowledgeable example of what fighting game players like, shipped in a unique bullet hell platform.

Fantasy Tavern Sextet: Vol.3 Postlude Days is just more of the same. However, if you’ve made it this far then, you’ll be getting the best this series has to offer. At least we can say that it ended on a high note in terms of writing. However, the reused assets make this entry lack the grand finale feelings that I hoped for.

Another Eden is worth checking out if you’re a fan of classic RPGs, but sadly the PC port doesn’t do the mobile experience any favors. You’re better off playing the mobile release while they update and optimize the PC version. It’s still playable and enjoyable for a free-to-play gacha RPG but definitely needs to break away from its mobile foundation.

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is a solid adventure game. It features gorgeous art and intuitive puzzles with the curious concept of multiple paths depending on your actions. A few mechanics could definitely be refined with added optimization, but fans of the genre will easily have fun during this adventure as Scarlet.

8Doors: Arum’s Afterlife Adventure is an excellent action-adventure that delivers a satisfying experience by using a few notable influences. Normal combat can become monotonous, but fights against bosses are deeply rewarding, mirrored by the sense of exploration needed to find everything the game has to offer. This is a game that’s perfect for any looking for a charming and unique Metroidvania experience, with added layers of difficulties for veterans of the genre.

If you can appreciate a unique art style and want to try your hand at some creative puzzles, then DARQ: Complete Edition is a game you’ll adore. However, there’s very little in the way of narrative build-up that makes your connection to this world and the character flimsy. This is only hurt further by its short runtime, but it still manages to provide an exceptional experience.

What works so well for Before Your Eyes is the sheer amount of quality and effort put into its creation. It is a simple narrative that’s completely fleshed out thanks to a great cast of characters, pleasant aesthetics, and innovative gameplay. Though it had a small share of technical issues, the game provides the player with a memorable journey of love, happiness, and mystery.

At its core, Nanotale is certainly enjoyable. The simple act of typing being morphed into an RPG format sets a sturdy foundation for a fun experience. Further, the adventure is one that I genuinely felt attached to. It’s a shame that so much weighs on this, though, from soft locks to unoptimized systems and choppy framerates, a handful of offputting implementations hinders this overall decent idea for an adventure.

Blade & Soul: Revolution isn’t here to replace Blade & Soul on PC. The mobile offerings are commendable but provide very little above what you’d expect to find in an auto-battle MMORPG. The PVP and PVE offerings are there for players willing to go a few more rounds, but it borders on pay-to-win. While playing Blade & Soul on the go was fun, it sadly isn’t revolutionary.

Dandy Ace is a colorful, magical action roguelike that’s consistent in its design and fascinating in its unique theme choice. With its card combination system for skills at the forefront, it can offer some good hours of fun and experimentation during battles.

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.

Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville opens the door for Switch users wanting to get into the competitive shooter genre. Still, everything is fairly standard here, which is best when experienced in short bursts. The hardware limitations creep up every once in a while, but overall this is a worthy port of a charming competitive shooter.

Kaze and the Wild Masks is as gorgeous as it is challenging. Smooth controls feel amazing, and the masks you find truly change your entire gaming experience. While I felt there were too many auto-scroller levels and cheap deaths, there are still plenty of great gameplay moments and replayability to be found. If you want a punishing but rewarding platformer, Kaze and the Wild Masks maybe the humbling experience you’re looking for.

Bladed Fury’s console debut has not gone unnoticed. This is a great game that takes clear inspiration from Vanillaware action games. It’s mindless hack-and-slash with a purpose and is exceptionally fun in short bursts. I ended up playing for the challenge and boss battles alone; the environments and plot were engaging enough to see the adventure through until the end.

Monster Hunter Rise is an amazing addition to the series that manages to be accessible for newcomers and contains so much for longtime fans. The addicting gameloop of questing with friends and exploring these awesome environments provides a cathartic and natural gaming experience. Even with a few forgettable story beats or a dropped frame, I had an amazing time hunting down monsters as I soaked up the charm of Kamura Village for hours on end.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page feels less like a game and more like an interactive graphic novel. The narrative is engaging and fun to witness, but it can become dull as it suffers from a repetitive gameloop. There still something worth discovering here as the story beats and systems provide a decent experience overall, but this will likely only be magical for one playthrough.

Mazm: The Phantom Of The Opera is an extremely good adaptation that turns the classic novel into an enjoyable adventure game, and updates it for the modern audience. It faithfully recreates what the original story did well and improves upon what didn’t stick as much. Whether you’ve only heard the name of the story or you’ve seen multiple variations of the tale, you’re sure to get something out of this title, despite the strange lag.

Adios excels in its creative writing through its complicated moral narrative. The characters are shown as complex even with a short runtime, and it’s easy to get emotionally invested in this farmer’s life. However, the limited interactivity really weighs on the experience as it drags in places that make it feel longer than it is. I wasn’t sold on the direction and really felt like there could have been a lot more here.

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is an amazing Metroidvania. The environments, enemies, and clever use of magic and weapons go beyond influences as the developers truly make this adventure their own. The lack of weapon differentiation is mended by the use of elements and low-impact puzzles, but the short runtime and low difficulty may leave you wanting more.