I really love PancitoMerge and feel like it’s a more stylish and thoughtful approach to the Suika Game style matching and merging puzzle. The different pan dulce desserts all look fantastic. The themes are great. I loved being able to serve customers in the name of more points and bag management. Even something so similar as a little bag shake helped a lot. It means longer game sessions, which I saw as a plus, as well. It’s just a lovely little puzzle game.

By setting the story in real life and in a time period that most players are familiar with, Fate/Samurai Remnant presents its fantastical plot in a grounded reality. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of gameplay or story. But when you’re making a musou game based on an IP with an established setting and lore, simplicity is the best answer. Even though I finished the game, I’m still looking forward to seeing Iori and the others in future DLC, and hopefully, in Grand Order.

I really like when the Otomate otome games from Idea Factory aren’t predictable, and combining revenge with accidentally falling in love in Mistonia’s Hope: The Lost Delight is a fantastic pairing. I loved most of the routes, even on odd occasions where the romantic element felt a bit forced into scenes. The story is strong, Rose is a really capable heroine, and the way that you can pursue betrayal as an option for your endgame can be quite a twist. I think it’s my favorite Aksys otome in 2025.

Basically, it feels like Doinksoft really went as far as possible to ensure it makes Gunbrella feel like it is taking part in a cohesive, connected world filled with ambiance, rather than some loose arrangement of levels. It made me feel like paying attention to different characters and exploring every possible house and area mattered. Especially since it often rewarded me for doing so. It’s a novel game that seems well-supported.

Some minor hiccups aside, Digimon Story: Time Stranger is both a solid game in the series and the kind of JRPG that incentivizes experimentation due to the range of characters available. I loved playing around with Digivolution and the DigiFarm to create some exceptional allies. It was a shame that there are some minor pacing issues and notifications might not do as good of a job actually notifying me about things. There’s a strong foundation here with a lot of potential to build well-rounded armies of Digimon to help you face all of the game’s challenges.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a beautiful little game. Fun platforming and a setting we rarely see in games both support a genuinely moving story of grief. While it is a game about the acceptance of death, it’s also about the joys of life. And just like life, it’s a little rough around the edges and can be frustrating, but ultimately worth it.

Animal Well is a minimalistic experience that is about taking in the things you see around you. Yes, there’s platforming. You definitely need to keep roaming around and experimenting to find out which way you should go and where helpful items to progress may be. If the idea of being plopped in a foreign place that is ominous with no explanation and residents that may or may not want you there sounds appealing, Animal Well will prove an interesting trip and reward you with secrets to uncover.

Kingdom of Paradise has a solid combat system, which makes it an entertaining diversion from meatier RPGs. [JPN Import]

Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is the third entry in the deceptively cute Yomawari series of horror games and continues an effectively frightening tradition. Fans of J-Horror will likely appreciate the slow and atmospheric situations, but there are plenty of jump scares to keep you on your toes. The story is simple, but effective, and the unique way it goes about conveying the tale will keep you glued to the screen. Just make sure you don’t look away, though. There’s no telling what you’ll see in the dark.

At its best when its focus is divided, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a fun Bakumatsu sandbox. It doesn’t have the engrossing standout minigame like the cabaret or business management challenges of previous titles, and its time period means it also doesn’t pack a fun arcade. But its jack-of-all-trades approach still resonates.

Homura: The Crimson Warriors feels like an otome game for folks who loved Birushana and Hakuoki. The narrative and themes all follow similar courses. However, it does feel unique and like its own thing even with the whole supernatural enemy, warriors fighting back and rebelling, all while the sole female member of the group ends up being the sort of woman all of them could fall for. It’s a fun story for folks who like a little history and supernatural side to their love stories.

The Baten Kaitos series is JRPG royalty. Both are experimental, engaging, and rich games that explore a gorgeous world carefully crafted by veterans at Monolith Soft. While the Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster leaves a lot to desire in terms of its QoL features, and makes the fatal mistake of not including the original English dub, the new HD visuals are stunning, and packaging both games for $50 is a great deal. I can understand that the aforementioned problems can be a dealbreaker to some. However, I have a hard time not recommending the HD Remaster, as it makes two incredible cult classics easily available and more gorgeous than ever.

Even if Tempest Dawning Connections is a Switch otome game just as attractive as its predecessor. Anastasia is still a strong, incredible heroine. The four love interests are still well-rounded and appealing characters. Their routes still have the investigation elements from the original game. Plus, the supporting cast members that may have appealed to players also get their moments. Top it all off with lots of CGs and no bugs, and it’s a fantastic follow-up to a fun game.

Crystal Chronicles is more a kin to the mana series rather than the Final Fantasy series.

Main character designer Katsumi Enami breathes new life into the characters, making this silky-smooth 60fps high-speed action game an unmissable treat.

Fitness Boxing 3 is a totally fine exercise experience, and I would recommend it over the first or second mainline game. The exercises in it make sense and feel like they make a difference if you stick with it. There are some interesting options for when you feel like opting for something other than the straightforward Daily Workout. However, I will say people looking for something a little more fun or engaging would be better served going with the Hatsune Miku or Fist of the North Star entries.

All of the mini games are pretty fun to play. They're definitely something refreshingly different from anything you've played before. However, they're short.

Times & Galaxy feels like it blends what you’d expect from adventure games with a sort of newspaper management simulation. You’re investigating situations, piecing together a story. However, you’re also shaping how things are approached and turn out, depending on what you choose. There’s a sense of balancing things. You want to search for truth and find out what’s going on, while also telling your own story based on what you learned. It’s really compelling.

The Silent Hill 2 remake was surprising. It’s surprising in the way that I’m already playing it over for a second time. It’s surprising in the way that I enjoyed what the game had to offer, not being the biggest Silent Hill 2 fan myself. (Silent Hill 4 will always be my favorite, even if it isn’t the best.) Maybe that distance is what has allowed me to appreciate it more. Though I highly doubt it. The Silent Hill 2 remake shows that Konami is just as capable as it’s competitors in breathing life into their classic horror games. And I earnestly hope that other Silent Hill games will be given this treatment, or that it’s success means a certainty of more new stories in this horrible haunted town in the future.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World still gets a lot more right than wrong. It understands pacing and variety. It builds stages with gameplay arcs in mind, which is refreshing in a genre that can often devolve into mind-numbing button mashing. And it fits like a glove with its source material.

The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle is a nostalgic blast to the past that gives newer players the chance to explore more options beyond the third game, as well as offers older players the opportunity to relive their childhood. Compared to the conveniences of modern entries, some of the older titles might feel frustrating to navigate. It’s almost like a metaphor for real life.

The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle is a nostalgic blast to the past that gives newer players the chance to explore more options beyond the third game, as well as offers older players the opportunity to relive their childhood. Compared to the conveniences of modern entries, some of the older titles might feel frustrating to navigate. It’s almost like a metaphor for real life.

It’s hard to imagine someone who would play Carto and have a bad time. It’s that committed to low-stress, just-engaging-enough fun and a world you’ll like traipsing about for a couple of hours. It doesn’t transcend to something that will be many players’ all-time favorite, but few games do. As it is, maybe you want a game that restores just a bit of your faith in community. That bolsters your hope that things will work out. That makes you feel like you are going to multiple different places that are not your home. Carto is great for that.

For light shmups that players of any skill can beat (SO MUCH more forgiving than R-Type Final 2), but with two different sets of mechanics that will give skilled players something to master, Cotton Reboot is a great game with a lot of fun to offer.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is, like most games starring Kirby, thoroughly pleasant. It feels wonderful to play, offering all sorts of rewards for exploring and interacting with its world. I also feel like out of all his adventures, this is the one in which all of the areas fit together best into a cohesive world. It’s also quite well-balanced! I do wish some additional series staples showed up and that Waddle Dee Town did more to encourage me to hang around. But it is generally lovely.

Dynasty Warriors 5 fixes the [slowdown] problem by using a smoother game engine. Not only does the game look sharper, but slowdown is reduced to almost nil.

Venba is so good that it leaves you wanting more. Even if I could have my wish and the game could be twice as long, I suspect even that wouldn’t be enough for me. Visai Games offers such small, delightful slices of these family members’ lives, and I just wish I could get to know more about them and their culture during the game.

Ball x Pit is a novel game that combines many roguelike, block-busting, and city organization elements in a way that makes sense. It’s quite clever, and I felt like it was pretty fair too! Due to the way ball fusions work and the nature of characters, it’s pretty easy to feel empowered as you play. I did feel a bit disappointed to find actually taking down some bosses right away wasn’t exactly an easy prospect due to not having build up New Ballbylon enough ahead of time. It is both creative and satisfying though, and scratches the same sort of itch as Vampire Survivors.