I found myself marveling at the innovations this game presented, in sheer awe of the style and environment, and thoroughly impressed at the magnitude accomplished by this one-man studio. Mundaun is an interactive piece of artwork, rich in details, folklore, and mood. It is a must-play for fans of the horror genre and those looking for new experiences.

Root Film is an incredibly stylish and beautiful adventure visual novel held down by a few flimsy opening chapters. The pacing takes a dramatic hit due to a lack of direction, which caused me to step away several times. However, the second half is where the stars align and provide a solid and memorable conclusion to those who stick around.

What Comes After doesn’t go much further than “Remember happy memories” and “It’ll get better with time.” I just don’t feel that’s enough to really examine this topic. However, the presentation is charming enough, and the entire experience can be completed in less than an hour, to which it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Perhaps more time would have allowed them to explore the themes they introduced further.

Dogworld is a charming retro-inspired 2D Metroidvania that provides a unique gameplay experience through its aesthetic, story, and mechanics. However, the game suffers from mirroring its retro-inspirations too closely. Still, my general first impressions didn’t fail me, and I found a lot to love about this quirky adventure.

Paradise Lost relies heavily on exploration and immersion as players make their way through some fantastically designed environments. Sadly, some issues with voice acting and brightness setting can take easily take you out of that experience. Still, I was intrigued to explore this war-torn world, even though some moments of the narrative can come off as overly ambitious.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a must-play for long-time fans wanting to see how Kazuma Kiryu’s story ends. The game was released on more powerful hardware and brought the series up to a new generation’s standards. It does the same with this PC release, but sadly much of what held it back narratively before is still present today.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a simulation farmer's dream game. It has everything the series is known for with a refined and streamlined system to make gameplay easier and more manageable. The list of materials to gather and things to do is vast, which makes the eyesore of the new item machines weigh on the experience so prominently.

9-nine-:Episode 4 is a great conclusion to the series that only stumbles in the pacing of a few points of the narrative. Honestly, I enjoyed practically every second of it. It enhanced the memories made in the previous entries while building a new timeline of events to provide a unique experience to readers.

Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 is a great collection that includes most of the must-haves from the SNK handheld. However, the Metal Slug games still suffer from noticeable lag, which hurts their inclusion. Despite that, retro gamers and those who love SNK fighters should own this little piece of magic handheld history. In fact, I’m slightly puzzled with the Vol.1 in its name, indicating at least one more collection is likely to come, as it’ll have to enter even more niche territory (like the robot-building RPG “Biomotor Unitron” or the rhythm game originally canceled in the west “Cool Cool Jam”).

Love’s Sweet Garnish 2 is the perfect daily life visual novel. It doesn’t burden you with drama or high-stakes storytelling, but you stay engaged for the adorable romance and charming cast. I could have used a little more substance in the routes, but this ended up being a great sequel.

Aquadine is a wonderful adventure with a fun cast of characters that brought a smile to my face. While there are a few issues here and there that could have made the experience better, they didn’t hinder the overall experience. This story is full of wholesome and emotional moments that make it easy to get invested in this lighthearted narrative. This is the first visual novel developed by the indie developer SoftColors, and I hope we get to see more from them in the future.

Despite its flaws, Lust from Beyond is an inspired adventure horror game that utilizes its atmosphere to deliver a unique experience. The world itself is compelling, and the horror is great up until the conclusion. For the price of admission, I would say that this is still worth your time as long as you enjoy the journey more than the destination.

Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome is not a revolutionary Otome game but knows exactly where to aim to check the genre’s boxes. Its options to customize the experience show its understanding of the desire to self-insert in the dating game scene. Further, Saito and Miki are passable love interests, and if nothing else, serve as nice eye candy while sticking closely to established archetypes. If you can handle the fast-paced humor of three incredibly clashing personalities along with the signature heart-pounding, often aggressive romance of Otome, this will provide you an enjoyable romp.

Clea 2 is much improved over the original, mitigating many of the deal-breaking issues, and as a result, is much more enjoyable. While better, it’s ultimately still very similar, a quirky 2D survival horror with a familiar story and weird gameplay, so consider that when deciding on the purchase. In the end, Clea 2 is a charming and engaging survival horror that’ll make for a fun evening and another engaging game from InvertMouse.

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos has everything that fans loved with a little extra to make it the proper send-off for this title. The whodunit direction was a smart way to focus on the amazing writing this game offers while causing the player to break down the possible suspects and solve this mystery. This expansion is Obsidian at their best and compliments this entire experience so well. It’s just sad that there won’t be more.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is a game boasting a classic fantasy feel with an addicting gameplay loop that some players may find themselves enticed by. The narrative will be the biggest draw for some, but I was too distracted by the dull combat and dated presentation to really care. The Switch allows fans to bring this fantasy on the go, but new players should do their best to understand what they’re getting themselves into.

Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After is an example of Muv-Luv at its best, exploring a fascinating scenario while delving into the political philosophy of the results and repercussions of everything that happens. The narrative has some of the finest worldbuilding of the series while also being an epic character-driven story in a traditional sense. It does so much right that it’s hard to find any real flaws. If you are a fan of Muv-Luv or have just played the main trilogy – I would highly recommend picking up The Day After.

Saviors of Sapphire Wings is a great introduction to the DRPG genre and games from this developer. It’s worth playing for the base game alone for its enhanced features and engaging narrative, but genre veterans might prefer the challenge and freedom of Stranger of Sword City Revisited. Sure, these games are an output of modest production values and can be quite the grind. Still, the stylistic presentation and satisfying challenge go a long way to reel players into what is generally an acquired niche. Irrespective of your preference for RPGs, this is a welcome compilation among the big JRPG releases of 2021.

Legal Dungeon will be a standout in my mind for an unidentifiable but significant amount of time. I’d highly recommend it for fans of detective dramas, unorthodox adventure titles, and puzzle game players who like their stories with extra intrigue.

It’s not fun to play. Despite how smooth Kay feels to control, it never reached its fullest potential due to the dull linearity and thoughtless platforming sequences. Some players may find this to be a worthwhile title to experience from its story elements alone. Still, it solely depends on how one intakes depression and overall grief and whether or not the game ties to your own struggles and interpretations thoughtfully.

Overall, if I had to describe Everhood in a single word, it’d be “experiment.” It’s a game that tests interesting concepts to become its own thing. Combining adventure with RPG-Esque mechanics and an enjoyable take on rhythm combat that offers a unique experience for any looking for something new.

The Sealed Ampoule presents itself as a “Dungeon agriculturalization Rogue-like” game. While the ideas necessary for a rogue-like are offered, some strange deviances from the norm make the gameplay feel less polished than the clean, simple genre usually provides. Some aspects, such as the UI confusion and distraction, nag at the otherwise tidy menu aesthetic. That being said, the “agriculturalization” resource management provides the most fun out of the gameplay loop, which is more in line with what Ampoule seems to aim for.

Monster Energy Supercross 4 is a stunningly beautiful game. It’s exhilarating and unique, but some elements feel unfinished. I’m sure Multiplayer will be the biggest draw to play with friends or race online, but I still had a lot of unexpected fun playing single-player races. While graphics are perhaps the best in the series to date, they still appear flat in some areas, especially the compound. It’s nice to have character creation, but the lack of female pro riders feels like a tremendous missed opportunity to grow the popularity of the sport and game. This will satisfy the series’s longtime fans, but I feel there’s still room to grow.

Laid-Back Camp -Virtual- Lake Motosu is a cute, comfy, and wholesome experience. While fans of the anime and manga might enjoy it, those on the fence may want to wait for a sale due to the minimal and limited interactivity in the content department and not to mention, the strange control scheme.

Gnosia takes the rules of a social game and turns it into a single-player science-fiction experience. Each loop will present you with more questions and slowly feed you answers to what is a compelling and unique narrative. The game is fueled by an amazing cast of insane characters and over-the-top mechanics that make it fun no matter how long you play.

Maquette is a beautiful game with a compelling narrative that is a perfect weekend experience. Across its four-hour runtime, I was able to feel emotionally invested in this relationship as I begged to see it through until the end. The puzzles hinder progression, but the lack of interaction with the environment limits any additional playthroughs or unique playing experiences.

Loop Hero has all the right ingredients for an adventure management game with roguelike systems. There’s a learning curve to tackle, but after a few runs, you’ll be piecing together the world in no time. The entire experience is cathartic in a way as you watch the world evolve from your actions and overcome its obstacles with a little skill and luck. Unlike what Devolver Digital advertised at the announcement, it may not be game of the year material, but it’s still worth giving it a try.

Forward To The Sky on Nintendo Switch is not worth the price of admission. It’s almost comically bad and requires a lot more refinement than the Switch release provided. Everything is just dull, from the story to the platforming and combat; I don’t think I was ever really having fun. The moments of challenge in the platforming piqued my competitive nature, but it was only due to the game’s unresponsive controls and unpredictable camera angles...If you’re trying to play Forward To The Sky, just get the PC version.