Paranoia offers a unique premise with a ton of potential and under which many interesting scenarios can unfold. The balance between oppressiveness and humor is executed well, giving a very unique feel to this particular dystopian setting. Unfortunately, the developers are unsuccessful in using these to flesh out the world and narrative or to create characters that feel alive. While there are some cool ideas like termination booths, treason level, and cloning, they are executed a bit too close to the letter of the source material and don’t translate to a fun experience in a CRPG. The game is an interesting experience purely for its world and general atmosphere, but ultimately it fails to come together due to the lack of depth in its mechanics, character development, and world lore.

Although X-Men Destiny is extremely short, wrapping up at six hours or less, the game's many customization options, including three power sets with multiple individual power options, three playable characters with different backgrounds, and two factions to join, give it a lot of replay value. Unfortunately, other elements of the game are not up to snuff, and it's difficult to recommend as a full-priced product.

Ultimately, the one thing that Daggerdale manages to accomplish is providing a proof of concept: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition can work well in a video game. Unfortunately, Daggerdale is not that video game. Buggy, flawed, and bland, Daggerdale is the dice without the creativity of the players throwing them. While I'm sure we haven't seen the last of 4th Edition in the video game world, it's safe to give Daggerdale a critical miss.

Combining tactical RPGs and soccer is a good idea that could be further developed and improved upon, but Ganbare! Super Strikers really misses the mark in execution. The lack of substance that prevents the game from soaring once the novelty of the premise wears off and the flaws in the balancing become noticeable. As someone who generally prefers to play games single-player, the game failed to impress and I doubt this will hold much appeal in the multiplayer department for anyone who isn’t already a hardcore fan of both soccer and Tactical RPGs.

Varlet has a few interesting elements. The story is enjoyable enough to experience, with a welcome cast, and it’s quite enjoyable to listen to. However, the gameplay is ultimately little short of a disaster. While Varlet does a lot wrong, players can still readily get through it. However, the worst failing the game has is that it feels a significant improvement could simply come from excising much of its gameplay.

It’s very hard to find the positives from Arc of Alchemist. The music at least alleviates some of the monotony and players won’t need to spend too long with it to spark the ending credits, but the combat and systems contrive to make the gameplay far from enjoyable, and the story is almost not worth mentioning. One can only hope that it allows lessons to be quickly learned ahead of any future action RPG endeavours.

This was supposed to be the first entry into an episodic game, but there are currently no announced continuations, and it is doubtful any who played this game are eager for more.

If simply tossing many hours at a game is all that is necessary to deem it worthwhile, Agarest certainly qualifies. Then again, I could take a similar amount of time to watch videos of stupid things people have uploaded to YouTube and probably learn something useful, a claim Agarest cannot make.

The seven to fifteen hours required for completing Fighting Fantasy will be a by-and-large frustrating experience.

Lazy. Generic. Simple. Nostalgic. A light-hearted throwback to 90s gaming. Depending on your viewpoint, Mimana Iyar Chronicle is any or all of those things.

In the end, it's difficult to recommend staying away from Hyperdimension Neptunia, because despite its flaws, it may just be the most humorous title NISA's ever released. If you do decide to brave the world of Gamindustri, at least now you'll know what you're getting into.

Although the combat system is unique, the progressively easy difficulty, atrocious story, and subpar visuals make Last Rebellion difficult to recommend. It's also incredibly short, requiring less than fifteen hours to complete the game.

I had fun for a little while with Excave, but frustration at its many unpleasant aspects was a constant feeling later on.

Everreach: Project Eden somehow manages to avoid being as annoying to play as its constituent parts would indicate, and there will be some out there who can get a decent evening or two’s entertainment from it. The game at least flows along quickly and the writing just about holds interest through the six or so hours it takes to see everything on offer. But this papering over fails to deal with the major underlying cracks, and it remains one that is impossible to actively recommend.

Venetica is a tough game to recommend. On one hand, there's a luscious and unique world to explore that is vibrant and astonishing. On the other hand, the story is muddled with poor dialogue and voice acting, and overly-simplistic combat that might not appeal to some.

The potential is still there, because Romance Dawn doesn't do nearly enough right to make this an adequate substitute for reading the manga or watching the anime.

Time and Eternity is utterly embarrassing in so many ways that I do question how much it will hurt NISA's overall image.

ArcaniA is just an altogether frustrating experience. Its few good points fail to shine through in any way thanks to the vast number of technical and design issues. Even a fun battle system can't do much for the game other than highlight even further the wasted potential.

The port's errors transform an average game into an abomination barely worth touching. Atelier fans that have not yet checked out this spinoff series or readers interested in the combat and alchemy should avoid Student Alliance and hunt down the PS2 version.

At first I was enraged when I started to get killed all the time. Then I figured out how to just grind, and the game became easy again until the final boss demanded further statistic embellishment to take down. Now that I have experienced the entirety of a Kemco title, I too understand why this constantly-reviled publisher gets so much flak. Maybe other games under the Kemco banner are better: it wouldn't be hard.

If the game wasn't crippled by its glitches and save data wiping, there is an entertaining experience to be had.

At the ten dollar price tag, Excave II is highway robbery. There's just nothing here for RPGamers that they haven't seen and/or experienced in a better form.

I had paid no attention to Swords and Darkness prior to downloading it and starting the adventure. By the time I was done, all the repetitive thumping of the Y button I had done was starting to take a toll of my hand, and the anticlimax at the conclusion was a relief because it meant the game was over.

When all is said and done, most people will not find Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga at the top of their wish list. It's a persnickety game that offers little but repetitive monster slaying in exchange for its murky graphics and lackluster story.

This isn't a good tactical game, and I'm hard-pressed to actually recommend it to anyone with standards.

The more one looks back on it, the more it feels like Magus' primary purpose was to acquaint a new development team with the tools at hand while building up a few skills.

While Deadly Sin 2 has its faults, they feel far more minor in comparison to what other RPG Maker games do, making it a treat to play, and providing a nice bite-sized RPG experience, with the exception of the final areas. For those who are weary of testing out an RPG Maker game, this one is definitely worth checking out and certainly should not be missed.

In the grand scheme of things, Alpha Kimori is neither a good or a bad game. It falls into the realm of the decidedly average titles, where it fails to impress, but is not overly flawed in any major way. All in all, if the player thinks that they are going to enjoy the story then pick it up, but don't approach it with overly high expectations.

Fated Haven shows tons of promise for the episodic RPG. Not only does it showcase a great story, it ends on enough of a cliffhanger that players will be dying to find out more.

The Skull of Smakh-Daon undoubtedly delivers exactly what it promises. Amusing dialogue and situations aplenty will be found wrapped inside a laborious dungeon crawler that tosses invisible dice around to determine everything inside of battle.

Between its addictive gameplay and sliding difficulty scale, Defender’s Quest offers gamers a great deal for such a small investment of time.

As it is now, Dragon Fantasy Book I is an enjoyable experience that will sit well with those looking for a decent throwback to earlier RPGs.

Steel & Steam has considerable potential for however many future installments it sees, but this first one didn't make me happy very often.

If you're going to rip-off the classics, at least be competent about it, which Grinsia fails at with flying colours.

Helen's Mysterious Castle is easy to recommend for those who love a challenge and are willing to work hard for their rewards, and with such a low price of admission, it's worth checking out.

This gets the job done for those who desperately need a new tactical experience and can't find anything else to play, but it's a hard recommendation to make even so.

It still has all the charm of Adventure Time, and borrows the best aspects of A Link to the Past to make for a great homage. It definitely has its problems, and the game varies in quality in some parts, but it attempts to be a love letter to a game that many cherish, and it succeeds in that accomplishment.

If forced to choose between Seasons Of The Wolf and its predecessor, then Loren The Amazon Princess would get the nod purely for its more rewarding overall storyline and larger set of intriguing characters. However, Seasons Of The Wolf provides a decent follow-up, and those who have enjoyed Winter Wolves' previous excursions or other visual novels should find it well worth the fifteen to twenty hours it takes to get through.

The difficulty scales well, so it works both as a single-serving distraction and as an extended campaign to unlock all of the secrets.

WFF is not particularly long, but a comedy beat'em up that's asset, as it doesn't have time to outwear its welcome.

At present, Celestian Tales: Old North is a bit of an odd bag, feeling more like a prologue to something bigger than a full title standing on its own.

Gamers who appreciate DRAGON: A Game about a Dragon's visuals will probably appreciate its humorous writing and gentle exploration while forgiving its brevity and roughness.

Regardless of which starting boon is selected, and which quests are solved differently the second time around, replaying Artifact Adventure doesn't address the repetitive combat or flatness of the characters.

The Dwarf Run had several frustrating spots that did not make me happy, but it also displayed some entertaining scenarios and went into an unexpected place at the conclusion. Alexander Mirdzveli has fashioned a title that does a good job of appealing to veterans of PC RPGs. It is unlikely to appeal to those without fond memories of those titles though.

While Saturday Morning RPG won't blow RPGamers away with its overall presence, it has a ton of heart and soul.

Enjoyment of Siralim seems highly dependent on how much grind and padding one would be able to handle.

Overall, The Huntsman: Winter's Curse comes off as an interesting little title that fills a spot for those wanting something fairly short and easy to get into.

In spite of the irritations, I have a bit of affection for Dungeon Punks — it let me ride on a gorilla, after all. I can't overlook just how much time I spent waiting for its freezes to end though, and without a fix for that it's impossible to give a recommendation. No arcade cabinet which experienced constant technical trouble would have gotten enough business to justify its existence, and the ability to play online with friends doesn't help much when everyone will be cursing the constant dead space.

God Eater 2: Rage Burst cements the series as the best alternative to Monster Hunter, and potentially surpasses it for those looking for a narrative within the gameplay experience both series offer. All of its parts work together to make enough improvements and updates on the previous entry, while keeping its flavour intact.

This is not the worst game ever. Somehow, the experience adds up to more than the sum of its parts, and it manages to be a mostly inoffensive adventure. Its predictability is a bit like comfort food, in that it recalls a childhood of being easily entertained. The battle system isn't interesting enough to hold up the game on its own, but fiddling with stats to avoid a level grind can be rewarding in its own right. There are probably worse ways to spend a couple dozen hours, but on the other hand there are also better.

The developers of Blade & Bones intended their game as an entry in the style pioneered by Demon's Souls and perfected by its successors. Although its combat system clearly misses that mark, the game still manages to greatly succeed on other fronts including its Metroidvania design, wondrous world, open-ended exploration, cleverly hidden and densely packed secrets, and magical environment visuals. Players looking for robust, weighty battles with responsive and fluid controls will not find that here, but those craving a beautiful game that entices exploration of every nook and cranny and knows how to reward players with meaningful treasures and discoveries are in for a truly satisfying experience — so long as they remember to avoid the dreadful combat.

Darkest Dungeon is a game that absolutely deserves to be played. It is an emotional ride for the player, a fun tactical battler, and an RPG that amazingly manages to live up to its horror theme. The art direction is sublime, the sound remarkable, and the direction astounding. Worth more than its bloated weight may let on, Red Hook Studios manages to deliver a product both mentally challenging and rewarding, complete in the truest sense of the word. Just expect it to take a good long while to get there.

It doesn't pass muster as one of the 3DS's better offerings, but neither did I experience great hatred for Dragon Sinker while playing it. It offers enough engagement to not fade from the mind swiftly, without justifying someone's immediate and unswerving attention due to the plethora of superior options out there. Saying it's better than most items published by Kemco may not be great praise, but it's accurate.

Mercenaries Saga 3 is just about as enjoyable as its predecessor, though the slight difficulty increase would make me place 3 above 2 by a narrow margin if forced to choose. I also remember the lead mercenary's name of Marion Balbastre thanks to its constant repetition by one character, though whether this is a positive I can't really evaluate. Both of these games offer entertaining packages to be found by rooting around in the 3DS's digital library, and deserve to be experienced by more people.

I can't deny that the fifty or so hours spent playing Valkyria Revolution had some fun times. The litany of problems present made it more enticing to stay in an endless loop of free missions rather than return to the story though, and even when doing that I kept finding issues quality improvement should have spotted. If this is the best Sega could do to revive the Valkyria franchise, no wonder it's been dormant for years.

Though it still won't appeal to those who don't like reading lots of text in their games, it's amazing how much an improvement in pacing can do. Mask of Truth takes what Mask of Deception's second half had finally started to do and gives the characters and story the telling they deserve. It must be said that without the slow build-up to put everything in context and build the emotional connection between the characters, the latter parts might not have paid off as well as they did. In the end, it's highly satisfying to be able to say that across its combined fifty-hour total, the Utawarerumono duology has been a hugely rewarding experience with a story that will linger long in the memory.

It's been a fairly long wait for Boot Hill Bounties, but Experimental Gamer Studios has certainly done enough to resurrect interest in the Wild West RPG trilogy. The game marks a strong second title, and new players shouldn't be afraid of jumping straight in here — though checking out the previous title certainly wouldn't hurt. Signs are good that the developer will be able to make a fitting conclusion to the trilogy.

Secret of Mana came at a time when expectations for RPGs were completely different than the present. This remake treads so much familiar ground that it is unlikely to attract many new players to the series, although it does capture what remains fun about the game quite well.

Chamber of Time is an incredibly uneven experience. It’s an amazing recreation of the Little Witch Academia universe with impressive art and fantastic voice acting. However, that accomplishment is squandered by how tedious the navigation of the academy becomes, bland fetch quests, poor AI, bad boss design, and sub-par combat. This could have been a good game with better choices, but instead it’s difficult to recommend to even the most rabid Little Witch Academia fan, much less the broader RPG-playing public.

Cosmic Star Heroine doesn’t quite match up with the best of the 16-bit era’s RPGs but is definitely worth the attention of anyone today who was at all interested in the project during its long genesis, which is a lot more than many deliberate throwbacks can say.

Anyone interested in a title that is charming and rewarding to spend huge quantities of time exploring should most assuredly check it out, and while the narrative won’t blow people away, it’s also not constantly forcing itself into the forefront. This may not be for everyone, but it most assuredly clicked with me.

Overall, The Greater Good is a decent enough game, with graphics being the main mark that often hinders the game rather than helping it. They simply didn’t work at times as I didn’t know where to go because a rock formation that seemed part of the background graphics was actually something to jump on, or the entrance to a tavern was between two other background images. Other than that, the battle system is tried and true, with a decent amount of strategy raising the difficulty. The story has an interesting premise, sees a satisfying conclusion, and even has a small epilogue.

It took me about five hours to reach the final mission of Moonfall Ultimate, only to be confronted with what appeared to be a glitched set of mission instructions at the end. I tried going through the game again using a different class, and encountered the same glitch, except this time I ignored the text and just plowed through everything as best I could. There are plenty of hack and slash titles available, and this one doesn’t stand out in any particularly positive way.

While it’s not as polished in its graphics, it’s an enjoyable game that’s more accessible to newer fans of the genre, yet with deep enough combat systems and a difficulty slider that might make the dungeon crawler expert take notice as well. Stormseeker Games has put forth a strong debut title and will be worth keeping an eye on from this point forward.

OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes is a decent supplement to the cartoon series. It appears to achieve what it set out to do, but never sets its sights particularly high. There’s some good fun to be had and plenty of enjoyable moments, but it’s not a game that’s likely to stick in the memory for very long.

It’s difficult to recommend Sacred Earth – Promise as a standalone title, though certain aspects are definitely laudable. Perhaps once sequels are created to flesh out the world more it will be seen as the precursor to a venerable series. I enjoyed many of the witty lines and appreciated the combat’s intentions, but this is not the rare indie title which will immediately garner acclaim from everyone.

The Long Journey Home doesn’t outstay its welcome. A successful journey should take most players around ten hours, which is a good length for those who just want to get home and enjoy the accomplishment while the gameplay cycle remains enjoyable. Meanwhile, the way the universe is generated with seeds means that those who are interested in seeing everything the game has to offer as well as find new challenges have many reasons to keep coming back. It never offers the most in-depth or exciting gameplay moments, but the overall experience of The Long Journey Home is an enjoyable one.

I can’t think of any other games in which I deliberately shrank my protagonists so that they could each fit in a stack between two other creatures, so World of Final Fantasy Maxima definitely gets credit for exploiting an unseen niche. Actually playing it was also entertaining, though every time I progressed with the overall narrative frustration resulted. Square Enix’s track record in recent years has been a highly mixed bag of quality, and World of Final Fantasy Maxima fits right in.

Marenian Tavern Story: Patty and the Hungry God is a spiritual successor to the developer’s previous Adventure Bar titles; while no previous knowledge of the series is required, it may motivate those who previously overlooked titles to give them a second look. While I’d not heard of the series before playing Tavern Story, my enjoyment of this game was such that I purchased Adventure Bar Story for 3DS immediately upon completion! While Tavern Story might never reach the level of fandom that the Atelier series enjoys, its entry into the crafting RPG sub-genre should not go unnoticed.

Mariage is a game with some decent ideas that are completely undone by execution. The concepts for the battle system are good, but balance is lacking. The idea of carrying over stats to a second generation is enticing, but there is so much grinding that any interest will be sapped long before reaching the end. Mariage‘s adult-oriented material will also narrow its player base somewhat. There’s just not enough good about Mariage to balance out all the issues the game has. Mariage is not an experience players will want to make a long-term commitment to.

Cat Quest II: The Lupus Empire could be easily summarized as more Cat Quest, but that alone wouldn’t encompass how fun the game is or its many improvements. Though built with familiar RPG trappings, between the puntastic writing, fun combat, excellent story pacing, and world building, there’s nothing out there quite like Cat Quest II. With expanded character options, and an even bigger world to explore, there’s really very little not to like about the second romp from The Gentlebros. A full adventure will take players five to ten hours to complete, and the game never overstays its welcome, so be sure not to catnap on this one.

Various Daylife is the kind of game that’s hard to universally recommend playing or avoiding. It’s structured like a game that’s intended to be played in short bursts, but the massive amount of content — a minimum of 30 hours to finish the main story, at least that much again to finish all the content the game has to provide. Anyone playing the title in 10 to 15-minute chunks would require nearly a year to finish fully. For the patient RPGamer, dive in — the story’s interesting and there’s a lot of great ideas to be found in Various Daylife. It’s unfortunate these unique ideas aren’t implemented or supported in better ways.

Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san! can easily be completed in under two hours, and the online rankings indicate that under ten minutes is readily doable once upgrades have been purchased. The game features multiple endings, though these are anticlimactic involving a tiny interaction based on those initial created character choices. There is a “true ending”, which is achieved by defeating the bosses in numerical order, though this order is only revealed in the text when meeting the bosses for the first time, so it is incredibly unlikely to get the first time. In the end, I’m not even sure if the game was even worth those few hours, and is one best left forgotten.

Cthulhu Saves Christmas brings a lot of fun to the Christmas table. Brilliantly written and artistically designed, Zeboyd Games has gifted their fans with a game reminiscent of previous titles, but with enough new tweaks and holiday-themed fun for anyone to jump into this winter. If any RPGamers need a break from the story-heavy, hundred-hour games that we often find ourselves enmeshed in, this hilarious little breath of fresh winter air might be just what the doctor ordered.

Having played Nocked! True Tales of Robin Hood for 42 hours across two playthroughs, I was engaged by the mixture of role-playing and resource management, along with the emphasis on the sense of community and cooperation needed to fight against a corrupt institution even when the odds felt overwhelming. The writing isn’t going to win too many awards, and I could’ve done without the unnecessary anachronisms, yet there was still some magic to be found in my journey through the Deepwood.

Hero Must Die offers a fascinatingly different approach and is well worth checking out just for that. All of the RPG building blocks used are of the most basic sort, but the game manages to combine them effectively with its wilder ideas to ensure that there’s always a sense of building towards a bigger picture and a final goal as well. It takes an initial period to get used to, and there are still a few annoyances here and there, but there’s lots of satisfaction once the workings of the game become clearer and the path to progress is found.

There’s no question that both of these titles are first-rate tactical experiences though, and the ability to actually play Langrisser II legally in English is a massive boon to the RPG world. Any players with an affinity for tactical action should look them up immediately, especially since good sales might prompt the rest of the series to finally make its way elsewhere in the world.

Part of my muted reaction to Mistover is probably due to my inability to find a rogue-like that I actually enjoy. Borrowing so many mechanics from that type of game ensures Mistover isn’t going to capture my affections very well. Certain aspects are admirable and easy to appreciate without making me want to return to see what might await after the credits, which includes DLC for new foes and dungeons. Others in the potential audience will probably find it highly addictive.

Light Fairytale Episode 1 has some decent bones of a good JRPG, but there’s very little to speak of about the body of the game at this point. For the most part, the game looks and sounds nice, but battles are lackluster affairs that boil down to attack-attack-heal, with many systems not yet fully implemented. Plot is similarly thin, with no character growth or development yet. While this Episode 1 shows promise of something perhaps worthwhile in the future, at this point it’s nothing more than a paid prologue.

For those looking for a retro RPG to indulge in without the numerous flaws of unnecessary grinding and unbalanced difficulty of the older games, Pillars of Dust offers a fast-paced, well-balanced option. There’s enough humour in the writing to keep it engaging. Although the gameplay gets repetitive and the overall story never takes itself seriously, the game is short enough that it does not overstay its welcome, lasting under ten hours even for the most casual players. It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s not an unpleasant stroll for those who want to take a brisk walk down the retro path.

Shotgun Legend turned out to be a very pleasant surprise, and it definitely scratches that nostalgia itch whilst adding a nice two-player option. Classic Zelda fans looking for a good challenge will find a real gem with this game, especially when bringing a friend along for the fun. Those seeking an adventure with a substantial plot and characters may want to look elsewhere, but they would be missing out on some great gameplay if they were to ignore this game.

Fantasy of Expedition is ambitious for its attempt to combine elements from real-time strategy games, roguelikes, RPGs, idle games, clicker games, and 16-bit nostalgia. However, the resulting product feels time-consuming and not rewarding in its power creep or challenge. The simple story is representative of the depth of each of these elements but also highlights where the game could shine if just a few of them were further refined or removed.

The game tries to walk a fine line between frustration and being coherent with the story of loss, sorrow, and resistance at all costs that it wants to tell, but the former seems to take over most of the time since the narrative doesn’t have many chances to shine, exacerbating the sting of recurring bugs. As it stands, this port has visible kinks that need to be ironed out, and a few patches could do wonders for making the experience less punishing than it already is.

Having 28 different characters with very distinctive visual traits, Battle Hunters offers many ways to join forces and defeat enemies. If story isn’t an important consideration, this game is definitely a good choice with its fun battle system. Those seeking battles and recruiting allies should gather their favorite warriors to face a vast collection of foes.

Ghost of a Tale is and does a lot of things, some impressive but not all of them great triumphs. The game’s stealth mechanic, before it’s traded in for a suit of armor at the cost of greatly-decreased movement speed, is hardly enjoyable, and many aspects of navigating the world are tedious and cumbersome. But the game does put its best foot forward with the world it constructs, especially for those willing to dig through all available lore, and how it presents this world both visually and by incorporating some lovely original music. There’s room for improvement for future chapters — Tilo’s quest is far from over — but what’s here is an impressive, if not flawless, first effort for a new, intriguing IP.

Despite all the problems Arcante has, it offers a fair degree of entertainment. The steam runs out after a few hours when players reach the second town, and by the end of the game, everything just falls apart due to the lack of depth and story to compel RPGamers to explore more of the lifeless world. However, for those who have nostalgia for the computer RPGs of the ’80s and ’90s, this may partially satisfy that craving — just don’t go into this game expecting much, because it feels incomplete. At least the journey is very short and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

There is no debating the fact that it was an experience unlike anything I could have imagined, even as it was every bit as weird as expected. It was easy to play and difficult to beat, with tons of content and a few ounces of sense. Fans of the weird and fans of the rogue-lite should all take note.

Osteoblasts is a dungeon-crawler that certainly doesn’t lack in originality, but is held back by the execution of some of its ideas. Players can expect a combat system that is deep and allows for many options, but that may grow tiresome when realizing that not much deviation from a comfortable build is needed to progress. Characters can be slightly endearing at best and forgettable at worst, something that the obscure plot doesn’t help much with. Osteoblasts starts with the right ideas and manages to keep up a good pace for a while, but stumbles a bit before the finish line. A single playthrough of the game doesn’t last that long, clocking in at around 9 hours, but multiple runs may cause the journey’s bumps to stick out even more, making replays hard to recommend.

Woodsalt feels like something whose ideas would have been better served as a visual novel. The sparse gameplay that is there is so superficial that it ends up detracting from the experience. It’s at least respectful of the player’s time in that one can easily get a playthrough done in well under ten hours, but even then it’s very hard to recommend.

Despite my complaints, I actually enjoyed my time with Don’t Give Up, and I think, long-term, Taco Pizza Cat Games has the ability to create powerful stories that people will want to connect with. The game’s subject matter is of great importance, as is the way in which it connects with the audience. If nothing else, indies like this are showing the value of telling stories rooted in mental illness with both humour and empathy. However, the experience I had with Don’t Give Up was sadly diminished by technical issues and combat that leaves a lot to be desired and ultimately isn’t fun to play. There is absolutely good game hidden within it and damn does it have a lot of heart, but at this time the game misses it’s mark on the technical side, which makes it tough to fully recommend.

If there is one thing I missed these last two summers, it is going on road trips with my friends. However, Get in the Car, Loser! gave me the full experience of driving down a demon-infested highway and spouting utter hilarity and nonsense with a new group of friends. The immersion of this feeling throughout the game is what entirely sells the experience, and the characters and their conflicts are both charming and relatable. While it is not a perfect experience, it’s certainly a memorable one in both narrative and presentation. With the base game being entirely free, there is no reason not to give the game a shot. Get in the Car, Loser! is the big queer road trip story you didn’t know you needed, with all the messy drama that entails.

Even more than 20 years after its original release, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure remains an eccentric and refreshing experience, but its oddities may not be for everyone. Some quality-of-life improvements, such as a turbo mode to make time transcur faster when needed or more save options, would have been a great addition. Recommendations for the game come with caveats, but if nothing else it’s worthwhile checking out to see how it influenced later beloved titles such as Undertale. Moon serves as a great reflection upon the genre and is ideal for those who want something different than a traditonal RPG.

Experience Inc. has refined its dungeon crawling offerings, and Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi is testament to that. The game does not explore new ground, despite having a premise that would be exciting to explore, but it does feature fun combat and smooth gameplay. This means that despite the shortcomings, the game is one that will be appreciated by dungeon-crawling fans as an accessible title with plenty of cool enemy designs and a labyrinth worth delving into.

Dying Light 2 is a delightfully fast paced game, which has a few persistent issues bogging it down. Most issues have already started getting fixed, such as the audio bugs and auto save issues, but enemies being frozen in place and some quests having NPCs make odd choices still drags it down a bit. Still, even on the older console the game runs pretty great and load times are surprisingly not noticeable. The main story ramps up well with characters that matter and moments that vary from harrowing escapes to fun fights. Every moment of parkour is a treat, and combat does just well enough to stay out of the way, with a day/night cycle that varies, meaning there’s always something new to do. Here’s hoping those issues continue to get ironed out and leave the game to be what it’s best at, a harrowing fast-paced survival RPG with plenty to explore and loot.

There’s just not enough in the overall package to make tERRORbane an enjoyable experience, especially for those looking for something more than flat parody.

It’s not trying to be big, flashy, or grandiose. There is no greater message it is trying to convey. It is simply a game wherein cute puppy dogs run around blowing stuff up with machine guns and missile launchers, and that is all it needs to be.

I’ve long been a fan of games that adopt Soulslike elements into their design, even the 2D variety. If done well, even these games’ inherent limitations can be overcome in sterling ways. Watcher Chronicles, however, doesn’t ever quite put its best foot forward. Combat works well enough, but the clean and colorful art style definitely won’t be to everyone’s liking. Seeing as there’s virtually no story to speak of and exploration never so much as approaches being interesting, it’s safe to say that we’ve seen other games nail the basics at least as well while wrapping them up in a more pleasing package. Watcher Chronicles may scratch an itch for those in need, but ultimately fails to leave a lasting impression.

The Hand of Merlin is a quick tactical roguelite game with enough otherworldly energy packed into it that causes the short completion time to breeze by. With each run being only a few hours, players have the opportunity to try out new combinations that combine classes with various abilities to find new ways to create unstoppable machines of destruction. Abominations need this level of dedication because one slip up and they’ll tear through players quickly, create a test of player’s strengths and strategies to see if they can succeed. The game holds nothing back in presentation, including an addictive genre blending soundtrack as well as a ton of depth to its lore and world building. Fans of tactical games and roguelites should check it out.