If you found the original Planet of Lana to be a delightful 2D side-scrolling puzzle platforming curio, then Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf is definitely a worthy successor. The two years since the first adventure has brought with it an evolutionary bolstering to the overall Planet of Lana story and to the adeptness of Lana herself. The puzzles are nicely balanced and the adventure never overstays its welcome. Children of the Leaf does go through familiar motions and it isn’t quite as ambitious as a sequel ought to be, but just like the first outing it will leave an emotional imprint. There’s always room for modest indie games, especially ones as elegant as Planet of Lana, even if this follow-up doesn’t vastly change the established.

There’s no doubt that Ys X: Proud Nordics is a great action RPG. Featuring a stellar story and fun combat, the action never gets dull. The new story content and gameplay additions are great, although veteran fans will have to decide if they want to replay the game this soon again. However, whether they dive right in or wait a while, the good news is that Proud Nordics will be delivering a fantastic experience once they pick it up, as it’s the definitive version of Nihon Falcom’s latest RPG.

Do you appreciate fast-paced, challenging if — occasionally rather frustrating — combat? Are you a fan of what would be, in other, entirely more cowardly games, unreasonably delicious anime katsu curry scenes, assuming you’re not me and don’t undercook or burn most of them? Do you like love stories? I’m serious. This second to last question is the most difficult part, considering current financial situations throughout the world at the time of this writing: does this sound like it’s worth $50? Finally, does any of this game seem interesting to you? Then absolutely buy it, it’s completely worth it.

Yeah, I respect the Hades games and massively respect Supergiant Games, and have nothing but respect for all of the work the Balatro devs put into it, let alone the masterpiece that was Blue Prince, but they’re generally not really my cup of tea. I didn’t even like Balatro that much, but considering I’m not super into poker as is, I was not sure what I was expecting there. It might be the specifics here, the action, twitchiness, being able to play as these characters again outside of the original games or BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, or just something I can’t quite place my finger on. I genuinely quite enjoyed my time here, and hope the best for future updates. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m just gonna go find a rock to skip across these waters before I take another dip.

In summary, Old School Rally is quite an enjoyable title. It has an impressive visual design which manages to perfectly evoke nostalgia, and has a solid gameplay loop. There is a need for some more depth to make the game more rewarding, but when you consider the modest asking price, it becomes a hard deal to argue with. The only hope is that developer Frozen Lake Games will address some of the technical issues which prevent full access from certain parts of the game. Either way, this is a title that I really appreciate and feel that it could serve as a model for other titles trying to emulate the style of the original PlayStation’s visual presentation.

Much like the Skater themselves, let me be clear: this is 100 percent recommendation, Skate Story is genuinely super cool and an artistic marvel, albeit not in the way a Clair Obscur is. Unique, fascinating, a tad realistically frustrating at times, despite the otherworldliness of the world, and a pretty cool time, all things considered.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a fantastic 2D beat ’em that cleverly leans into its bright and colorful comic book roots, that any Marvel fan of even finds a way to pay tribute to its 2D Fighting games in the process. It has the most evolved beat ’em up gameplay yet, with modern touches and a charming and large roster of characters that keep the action fresh. While some design choices do hold it back slightly, a clear love of the source material make this pixel art beat em up, an easy recommended must play.

So, do I recommend Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road? In short, yes. If you’re a fan. If you like football games and have ethical concerns with supporting certain real life football organizations? Yes. If you like engaging and genuinely very nice stories? Very much yes! At full price? I would also say yes, but that’s wholly and only if you can justify the expenditure, and don’t have a backlog of games already. It’s 2025, it’s been an amazing year, and we’ve a wealth of games to play as is. Did you play soccer as a child, and partly want to get lost in your own memories as you play it? That’s a considerably more personal statement, and I cannot comment on it. Although that does apply to me, personally. Do I, personally, love this game? If it wasn’t obvious, yes!

Demonschoolhas left me conflicted. I eye rolled past the story and found its characters one note. The combat is a slog to get through. It’s overly designed and under explained. I am not having a good time, but I also cannot stop playing it. Those who love puzzle strategy and a throwaway supernatural story will likely love it, but tread carefully if you are new to puzzle tactics games.

Western RPGs have come along way in recent years. And in a post-modern design world — one with Baulder’s Gate IIIand Expedition 33— I fear that Bethesda’s designs have gotten stale and bled into other studios. It feels basic at everything with subpar writing, a weird mission structure, and combat — while good, it isn’t anything new and different. Those looks for a by the numbers RPG with guns might still find the fun here, but it doesn’t really do anything to set itself apart from pack. It’s Borderlandswith a different skin and I expected more.

Without question, Ninja Gaiden 4 has amazing combat. Yakamo journey will send you head first like a blood-soaked death tornado. Those seeking old school gory action will love it, and its challenge will satisfy long time fans of the series. If you can turn your brain off and enjoy its forgettable story, there is a fun game here. But its lacking in depth for those looking for the next great ninja revenge tale.

1000xRESIST is genuinely perfect for what it is. I cannot demand, but I can very strongly suggest with every fiber of my being, that if you love art in any and all of its forms then you owe it to yourself to play this title. I would suggest, however, that you find something lighter to play, read, listen to or watch after. It does have rough and extremely heavy subject matters, and even if you do love art, you might want to consider what subjects you are currently able to handle before you do. Once more, Hekki Grace, reader. I’ll see you on the other side.

Nostalgia is the fuel that burns constantly through Yooka-Replayeein the same way it did with the original. There are many examples of games that aim to pay homage to their forbears, but they usually include twists and clever complements to the works they take inspiration from. Yooka-Layleealways appeared to prioritize Rare’s platforming classics over its own identity, and as such it can feel like a parody or a pastiche rather than a game with a unique voice. If you didn’t like Yooka-Laylee, you might diminish Replayleeas merely polishing a turd, but that’s not a fair assessment to make. It’s a true effort to correct a game that was divisive upon its initial release, and the result is a platformer that is sparkly and has been polished well. Yeah it’s still a nostalgia trip riding on the coattails of Rare’s finest, but Yooka-Layleewas always meant to be a tribute rather than an innovator in the genre. Replayleeis definitely the best way to play this game and you should definitely check it out, but you better love Rare platforming classics and gratuitously incessant character voices.

Do I recommend Time Stranger? Yes, but that’s a qualified yes, if largely considering how things are as of the time of this writing. I fully recommend it if you’re a Digimon fan, like RPGs, and are open to wild, emotional rides. At full price? That’s also a qualified yes, but that’s solely because of how strong a year it’s been for games in general. I’m not going to go on at length, you’ve lived through 2025, just the same as I have — congratulations on making it this far, incidentally — it’s really just a matter of money and tastes, and the year still isn’t over. I don’t love Time Stranger as much as I do a few other games I’ve played this year, that list will come at the end of the year, God willing, but I do still love it. You might want to wait for it’s first sale if you have other concerns, it is a Bamco title and they tend to do those on a fairly common basis, but do give it a shot, at the very least.

Do I recommend Silent Hill f if you like horror, the Silent Hill series in general, and good games? For the love of God yes, I do. I may not be the right audience, but I do know that, and I freely admit this might be recency bias and I’ll have to come back to this question at the end of the year when it’s GOTY time, that this is currently tied with Silent Hill 3 as my favorite game in the series. It’s terrifying, you want to see what happens next, and, this is somewhat unusual for a horror title, you want to play it again immediately afterwards, because there are unanswered questions on a first playthrough that do in fact get answered on further returns. I genuinely love this game and cannot recommend it enough, especially ahead of October and horror month.

Not many modern video games embroil you into an absorbing world and invites you into that visceral world by giving you a myriad of reasons to explore it while being encouraged to find your own way through it without the necessity of hand-holding, but Hell Is Us is one of those special games. You could deride Hell Is Us as a follower of the video game industry’s most celebrated action and RPG games, but by doing so you would be tearing yourself away from what is a very inspired, yet very gripping and robustly built action title. If you’re at all pleased with what you’ve seen from Hell Is Us, rest assured that it is one of the year’s most compelling AA games, and that the immersion this game builds will enrapture you in all the right ways.

If you’re uninitiated with Gears of War, Reloaded is simply an unmissable epic that you should play pronto. For everyone else, the suite of technical improvements will allow you to experience Gears of War as it was meant to be, and what you get is a luxuriously gratifying third-person shooter that makes a 19 year-old game feel totally new again. Sure, being reminded about the original GOW over and over isn’t ideal, and there are still unsavory remnants of its former self, but if you love the series and always wanted to play it then it’s time to load it up if you’re new, and reload it if you’re a returning fan-either way, Reloaded‘s a must-play.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an excellent re-invention of Ninja Gaiden. It’s bursting with amazing pixel art and pitch-perfect platforming. The combat and movement have a fun flow of jumping and slicing with an aesthetic that captures the retro feel of its source material while connecting it to its more modern contemporaries. Some may find the boss encounters frustrating, but the feeling of victory still makes this a ninja adventure worth taking.

While Days Gone is a great time, it’s still essentially the same game. Glitchy gameplay issues and systems still exist. It has jarring difficulty spikes in certain places. And while the voice acting of the main cast is stellar, much of the acting of the NPCs is embarrassingly awful. These are minor gripes that doesn’t hurt your experience, just flaws that I think in 2025, should have been addressed.

FragPunk is a fantastic addition to the hero-shooter genre. Its gunplay is snappy and fun, and the shard card system is an absolute delight to play with. It feels like a shooter built around the core idea of fun and, as a result, brings players a great online shooter that’s easy to pick up but incredibly hard to put down. The constant bombardment of new and exciting cards and tense firefights helps make FragPunk a contender for the throne instead of a throwaway imitation.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time moves at your pace, and it never stops giving you something new to do, no matter what that pace happens to be. Want to hang out on your island, talking to your rescued Buddies? You can absolutely do that. Wanna explore randomized dungeons that make use of what you’ve learned and trained with said Lifes? You can do that as well. Want to travel around, doing combat and various challenges on Ginormosia? Yes, that’s open to you too. Wanna keep doing that, and more after you beat the story and learn more about its characters? Also very much possible, and if you’re that far in, as I am? It’s worth it. It’s not perfect, but it almost is.

Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 is a marvel of a video game. A game-changing, genre-bending masterpiece. It serves as a testament to the passion of what can be accomplished by a talented team, rivaling the efforts of giant monolith publishers that have three times the budget and resources. It converted me into seeking out other turn-based experiences, but this excellent game may have spoiled me.

Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is a compelling, bloody story against its long-awaited feudal Japan backdrop. Its later story beats have some epic set pieces and equally great performances. Despite that, though, it’s still an Ubisoft slog to get through, and ultimately, its uneven pace might make the journey to get there worth it. It struggles to justify the balance between its two heroes — and while they play differently, they still feel the same, providing enough gameplay disparity to invest in either one truly. Yaksue’s inability to stealth and parkour means that most will use Noe for exploration, which completely breaks the immersion of the experience in gameplay and story. It’s still a Japan-inspired journey worth taking — even if Ghosts of Tsushima did it better.

Split Fiction is a perfect game, I can’t put it any other way. Whether you’re talking about the incredible world-building, great central narrative or expertly designed levels, there’s not a foot Split Fiction puts wrong. Constantly keeping its gameplay fresh and bombarding you with new and exciting adventures, Split Fiction champions itself on being a wonderful time, and one you (and your gaming partner) deserve to experience.

Promise Mascot Agency is a freaking fantastic title. It’s a bit weird, yes, and it’s absolutely not for everyone. But, for the people that end up picking it up, I genuinely believe you will grow to love this game as much as I have.

Whilst Finding Frankie’s Fall Guys approach to mascot horror is a refreshing time, the overall package is a short horror breeze that will delight fans of the genre but won’t offer much to anyone else. There are some memorable moments, but they’re too far between, and you’re often brought back to a tedious gameplay loop inside a story that doesn’t offer all that much either.

Atomfall, at first glance, might be regarded as a Fallout clone, but the truth is it has a clear identity that makes it stand out from the pack of imitators. Its green and lush surroundings give it a unique flair, even if its story is still a bit by the numbers. The Rebellion title also has wide open maps encouraging verticality and experimentation, which you’ll need to survive its brutal but satisfying combat.

Despite its flaws, Rogue City delivers what most fans of the franchise have been craving: a bloody, explosive throwback to the glory days of action. While it doesn’t do anything exceptionally well and has its fair share of frustrating mechanics, nothing is truly game-breaking. If you’re looking for a game that lets you feel like RoboCop, this is it—just don’t set your expectations too high.