Despite some small missteps along the way, inKONBINI never wears out its welcome and remains a delightful experience from start to finish. It's a game that perfectly captures the wistful longing of the 90s. A reminder of a time when being analog was a way of life, not just an aesthetic or a vibe. Slow down, and you just might start being able to appreciate the beauty of imperfection, too.

Saros lives up to its name of being a bullet ballet in every sense of the word. It's a fast-paced, frenetic shooter adventure that never lets up from start to finish. While the story leaves a lot to be desired, learning the intricacies of each deathly dance with Saros' bosses is some of the most fun I've had in a video game in ages.

Set against a dystopian AI backdrop, Pragmata highlights the contrast between the soulless perfectionism of machines and the miraculous flaws of humanity.

As fun as RACCOIN is, you do need to be ready to accept that there’s likely going to be a huge amount of variance between runs. That being said, RACCOIN more than makes up for the RNG grind by rewarding you with huge shots of dopamine when things do get going. There’s nothing more satisfying than watching all the coins on your platform form a huge tower stack before getting knocked over by the sweeping long neck of a well-placed giraffe coin, after all.

I’ve been in the market for a new multiplayer obsession, and I’m happy to report that Bungie has done it yet again.

When you cut through the artificial difficulty nonsense, Screamer ends up becoming one of the tightest, stylish racers you'll play this year. It's just a shame you have to sit through a poor story mode to get to the good stuff.

Bugs aside, Vampire Therapist held my attention from start to finish, with the main story taking around 12 hours to complete. It’s a poignant exploration of what it means to truly live and a gentle reminder to keep our hearts and minds open to change — even when it feels scary. So curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and get to therapisin’, pardner.

Resident Evil Requiem is the culmination of everything Capcom has been working towards since the release of RE7 in 2017, and the team's efforts have paid off in dividends. This is the most confident mainline entry the series has seen in the past decade, and with the tragedy of Raccoon City finally behind us, I'm looking forward to seeing what the dawn of the new age will bring.

Clocking in at around six hours or so for the critical path, Scott Pilgrim EX is an absolute blast from start to finish. Grab three friends, prepare some snacks, and bask in the joy of knowing that every Vegan, Robot, and Demon you annihilate is in service of the band.

Paranormasight: The Mermaid's Curse deftly weaves together fiction and legend to create a dramatic mystery that hooks you in from the very start. The Mermaid's Curse nails the payoff with aplomb, while delivering on the most compelling and morbid summer vacation you'll ever experience.

Mewgenics is an unflinchingly and unapologetically off-putting game that isn't afraid to roll around and play in the muck. Look past its comically unappealing veneer, however, and you'll find that there's plenty for tactical RPG fans to love here. From the endless customization to the genius design of the bosses and levels, Mewgenics is a must-play for fans of both tactical RPGs and roguelikes.

While my gripes with the series as a whole persist in this third entry, Team Ninja also makes great strides in refining and innovating upon its strong points. Nioh 3 is a confident step forward for Team Ninja, and the strongest entry in the series yet.

The Dragon Quest series has always excelled at cultivating a cozy vibe, and Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is no different. With a striking diorama aesthetic and a genuine desire to be as warm and inviting as possible, this is an RPG that achieves exactly what it's going for with aplomb.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade's Switch 2 port is a technical marvel on all fronts, and it serves as a stellar showcase of what Nintendo's new console is truly capable of.

With the Switch 2 port, fans can finally experience Persona 3 Reload the way it was meant to be played — under the sheets during the Dark Hour, jabbing away at your screen and blearily wiping your eyes as you save the world with the power of friendship.

Octopath Traveler 0's boldness in changing up the formula should be commended, even if some of those changes can feel like a step backward, especially when it comes to the characters and writing. Still, this game is proof that with a powerful soundtrack and an innovative combat system that has you making interesting decisions at every turn, you can be forgiven for just about anything.

Demonschool is one of the most innovative tactical RPGs I’ve played this year. While I fully acknowledge that its irreverent tone may not be for everyone, it’s still an easy recommendation for RPG fans, especially those looking for a more in-depth strategic experience that truly tests your ability to visualize your moves before they happen.

As it stands, however, Dispatch is the culmination of all the lessons AdHoc's developers have learned from their time at Telltale Games and Night School Studio. This is a game that knows exactly what kind of story it wants to tell, and it tells it confidently, self-assuredly, even in a genre that was once considered to be overcrowded and overdone.

BALL x PIT checks off everything I want in a roguelite game I can take on the go (I played on Switch with no performance issues whatsoever). The numbers get big, the chaotic nature of the levels, with skeletons and other eldritch horrors exploding in piles of goo, blood, and tar lit up parts of my lizard brain I never even knew existed. BALL x PIT‘s depth and simplicity make it one of the most compelling roguelite games I’ve played this year, holding its own against the likes of Loop Hero and Balatro in this increasingly competitive genre.

Borderlands 4 is a step in the right direction for this insane, unhinged series. Now that Gearbox has finally opened the series up with a large open-world and even more traversal options, it truly feels like it’s finally reaching its potential. Just be a little more generous with the loot, will you?

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar checked every box I had for a typical farming sim game. It doesn’t do anything new or groundbreaking, but it doesn’t need to. What’s on offer here, is an incredibly polished title that knows exactly what you want, and how to give it to you in the most enjoyable way possible. The relationships could use some work, but for the most part, genre fans or folks just looking for something cozy to play will find a lot to love here.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter ends, somewhat infamously, on a notorious cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers. In any other game, I would've called this a cheap tactic to get me to buy the second installment. But with how masterfully Trails has managed to weave its characters and plot points together, that ending feels earned, and I'm more than ready to experience its second chapter.

Despite the overall ugliness of the game (deliberate, I’m sure) and its unappealing aesthetic, I eventually found myself rooting for Nate and hoping that he’d be able to take something away from this journey and grow as a person. The trek to redemption and self-improvement was long and awkward, but the view from the top makes it all worth it.

Supergiant Games is a studio that's established a legacy of making excellent one-off games in different genres. Hades was their first successful venture into the roguelike space, and if for some reason you've ever wondered whether that was just a fluke, Hades II proves, without a doubt, that Supergiant is a master of their craft.

Ramza and Delita's stories go in vastly different directions against this political backdrop, reflecting two key perspectives. One is the story of a boy whom we all hope we'd emulate in the face of hardship, while the other is the story of how most of us will likely end up: caught in the very cycle of injustice we'd sought out to break because we found a way to make it serve our interests. In many ways, Tactics is a reflection not only of today's political landscape, but also our humanity.

Silent Hill f expertly weaves elements of Japanese mythology and folklore into the history of Ebisugaoka, creating a truly disturbing backdrop against which our tale of adolescence and the unfortunate realities of Showa Era customs is told. Despite the occasional missteps in the gameplay department, Konami and Ryukishi07 have created the most unique and fresh mainline Silent Hill game we've seen since Silent Hill 2.

I enjoyed my time with Discounty, despite there not being all that much to the game besides the supermarket simulator stuff. With Discounty, you’re getting a solid 15 hours’ worth of story content, along with the ability to continue playing and running your supermarket long after that’s over. Even after the town of Blomkest has bent to your will, the wheel of capitalism never stops turning.

Overall, Quartet is an easy recommendation for RPG sickos who can't get enough of turn-based combat. The story and characters may not necessarily land for everyone, but if gameplay is king, then Quartet certainly won't disappoint.