Remember when you first pitted plants and zombies against each other in the garden? Well, Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is exactly that same game, with the expected and obvious graphical improvements of a remaster, and a few minor quality-of-life updates that do little to make the game anything more than a reheated version of something that was always amazing.

Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery maintains the series' relaxation and fun. If it were a DLC instead of a standalone game, it would make HTT2 a whole greater than the sum of its parts to build on everything we've seen in Myths & Magic's Architect mode and the community's online creations. As a standalone game, however, it's odd to see the sequence separated into two isolated parts that, even though they are good enough by themselves, they divide forces rather than joining them together.

Heart of the Woods is a perfectly fine visual novel, a good introduction to those that have never played an OELVN. However, it has cliches and a story that is divided between a romance that doesn't seem very believable and a mystery with a predictable outcome, not reaching its full potential and ends up leaving something to be desired.

Wildgate is a fun multiplayer game that has a touch of other titles from the late 2000s and also draws inspiration from more recent ones. With a touch of treasure hunting and capture the flag, Wildgate is a kind of Battle Royale that manages to be fun... except when the player ends up getting stuck in its lengthy matchmaking process.

Caravan SandWitch should be a relaxing game about exploring a planet aboard a van. Instead, the repetitive scenarios and the limitations imposed by a system of collecting components required to progress in the story hinder a considerable part of the experience.

Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust is essentially more Forspoken, for better or for worse. Its reduced scope helps in several ways, but the story feels too rushed to fit within the DLC's short length. Still, if you enjoyed the base game, the changes made here will keep the game fun and challenging for you.

Despite some good decisions in its unique elements, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is a game quite limited by its basic structure, which becomes repetitive very quickly. It's easy to have fun with it, but there are better options available within the franchise.

Sengoku Dynasty is so diverse and bold that it will certainly offer dozens of dense hours of tasks and duties to be completed, but not necessarily with the fun and addictive way that the best games in the genre manage to do. There's no doubt about how grand and diverse the game manages to be even with a modest production scope, but it's the artistic and gameplay details that take away some of the shine it deserves.

Gex Trilogy brings back three moderately sucessful games from decades ago as part of a preservation iniatiative from Limited Run Games. The Carbon Engine introduces new features which make the games a more pleasant experience overall, but the games on their own will hardly appeal to players who don't already have a nostalgic connection to them.

Capes is a good turn-based strategy game that has some interesting ideas, but its unbalanced combat and lack of charismatic characters prevent its story from achieving everything it could be.

Ebenezer and the Invisible World charms with its hand drawn visuals and fantasy narrative. While it's well above the ordinary metroidvania in these two aspects, the same cannot be said about other features. The fights are no more than average, the world design can be discouraging with backtracking and the small fonts can be annoying. Those who like the graphic style, Victorian stories and A Christmas Carol will have a lot to appreciate here, which can compensate for the perception that the gameplay does not stand out in the genre.

Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus delivers a reasonable collection of mysteries, but not on the level that such a competent team could've delivered after so many years developing a new franchise.

Akimbot is undoubtedly a good 3D platformer that honors its biggest and most obvious references, with good world-building, a more-of-the-same narrative and competent mechanics. But it dares little and hardly risks exploring anything beyond what we've seen before.

With a good variety of gameplay, Sophstar is a traditional shoot'em up that has its personality. It still lacks more depth and ways, which affects the experience as a whole to reach its potential.

Clive 'n' Wrench is a true love letter to the great platform games of the 90's, mixing all that was best in them. Simple, captivating, extremely fun and with an addictive soundtrack, it ends up being a must play for fans of the genre. Even with problems, Clive 'n' Wrench manages to show a lot of potential and, above all, transports us back to the golden age of the genre.

Despite being technically competent, Grim Guardians: Demon Purge fails by playing too safe in certain aspects, leaning too much on its inspirations, and also by not paying attention to simple and basic things expected from the genre. In the end, it delivers an average and unimpressive experience.

In Skate Story, the journey through the Underworld has contrasting highs and lows: the many segments of intense speed, psychedelic scenarios, contagious music, and surreal poetic narrative are interrupted by alternating moments of monotonous exploration, banal eccentric comedy, and the frequent disruption of the flow due to any little stumble by the fragile glass skater.

Even though it maintains some of the original's inconsistencies, Amerzone - The Explorer's Legacy proves to be a remake that knows how to appropriate updated aesthetic and gameplay concepts very well without losing the essence of an old-school point-and-click experience, valuing its great investigative narrative that certainly deserves a new chance to shine.

OTXO is a fun game and the roguelike mix generates enormous replayability, but at the cost of the polish previously seen in its inspirations.

Without any significant innovations, additions, or improvements that go beyond the norm, Fighting Force Collection carries with it, without compromise, the qualities, such as setting, simplicity, and objectivity of the purest digital beat 'em up; and the limitations of its time, visually and mechanically speaking, which will certainly bring a nostalgic smile to older players, but will hardly seduce subsequent generations.

Baby Steps is a unique, yet somewhat divisive experience. Its sarcastic humor, awkward controls, and experimental approach will appeal to those who enjoy unusual challenges and don't mind getting angry to overcome them. For everyone else, the game may simply be frustrating.

Madden NFL 23 does some things right and delivers a good experience on the field. However, it is marked by problematic game modes and a number of bugs and technical issues that playing it is frustrating and disappointing, even for the most passionate fan of the sport.

Headbangers: Rhythm Royale combines the genres of rhythm games with Battle Royale in a very fun proposal. Unfortunately, its content is all focused on online multiplayer, without any option to play locally with friends. The minigames are fun, with a few caveats for a couple that are a little confusing. Future updates will be essential to maintain a good pace in the title, as it will not be sustained for long with current content and cosmetic updates alone.

Vibrant and silly, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game is unpretentious and sometimes sloppy, but it embraces the innocent chaos of a character as beloved as the franchise's protagonist. The title gives players the freedom to make a truly reckless mess around Bikini Bottom, especially if they're a creative kid.

Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition celebrates the past with some extras and details from the franchise's history, but forgets to polish the present, delivering a simple and flawed package in its execution, far short of the celebration Rayman really deserves.

Disco Simulator delivers the logistics of a night out with vibrant colors, but stumbles on the controls and forgets that a good party needs more than just three songs on loop.

Petit Island is the delightful adventure of a loyal granddaughter visiting the land of her grandfather's youth, in a story of memories, family relationships, and caring for the elderly. The visuals are lovely and the island is well-designed, but the sequential missions and persistent goal markers detract from the sense of freedom and discovery that the cozy open world could have offered.

JDM was a pleasant surprise and centered its gameplay experience on Japanese car culture. The game has its quirks given that it's produced by a small team, but it's also a better package than the simple sum of its parts. Ultimately, JDM presents a charm and structure that I feel is sorely lacking in current racing games.