Reborn is by far the best version of Tactics Ogre. Adding many much-needed quality-of-life improvements and removing some of the more tedious mechanics have completely turned Tactics Ogre into a very enjoyable experience, despite its difficulty. In between the tough fights, a great story unfolds that you really learn to appreciate after several hours into the game. Above all that, Tactics Ogre: Reborn proves that the game that established an entire genre remains relevant no matter how much time has passed since its original release.

Valor of Man creates a winning combination of turn-based tactics and rogue elements. The four heroes are well-chosen and have a ton of variety to keep engagements fresh. Solid design for normal enemies, elite, and bosses helps. Pick a tactical approach, build up the squad to emphasize their strengths, and have fun solving a variety of tactical puzzles. After my second run, I no longer paid much attention to the narrative interludes, which suggests a certain narrative weakness. The node map is also disappointingly standard. Valor of Man’s combat is good enough to compensate for other weak points, as long as players are already interested in turn-based combat.

Elemental Exiles has good card-driven battles, although there’s not much that fans of this genre have not seen before. It is important to investigate card synergies and decide how to shape a deck to deal with big groups and bosses. The game gives players all the info they need to make good decisions and always feels fair. The shared map that all characters explore is a good one and it offers a good mix of narrative encounters, normal battles, and boss engagements. The unlockable heroes might take some time to find and defeat but all have interesting associated playstyles. Elemental Exiles has strong core mechanics and will satisfy anyone looking for variety and tense battles.

If you enjoy games like Slay the Spire, I think SpellRogue is a must-play. And even if you’re new to deckbuilders, the card game + roguelite approach is novel, interesting and quite exciting. You can sink dozens of hours into this game and never feel bored. It has everything you need, from tactics to engaging gameplay and, what matters the most, tons of heart poured into its development.

Crusader Kings II is the most complex title that Paradox Interactive, a company known for the depth of its releases, has ever created and the already impressive mods released for it, the best of which is the one based on A Song of Ice and Fire, will certainly find new ways to expand it in the future.

The game isn’t perfect, it definitely has its shortcomings. Forcing a character loadout onto you at times does make the game harder, and moving around is not as fast as some people might like. The voice acting is also an acquired taste, I enjoyed it, but I can see some players not enjoying it. But in the end, as a complete package, I think that Skygard Arena is well-worth checking out. The gameplay is extremely fun, I had no crashes, nor any disconnections while playing online, either. It’s a fun romp in the tactics genre, while also being beginner friendly.

In Sheep's Clothing is by far one of the most engaging in the series, managing to bring together the many plot threads spun and finally setting the stage for the final chapter in the adventure series.

Atelier Ryza 2 brings new, interesting gameplay features into the series, but it doesn't revolutionize the Atelier franchise. The alchemy system hasn't been simplified, but it's much easier to pick up if you're a newcomer to the series. There are new biomes to explore thanks to the introduction of the swimming and mount abilities, but the balance between combat, alchemy, and exploration is what makes Atelier Ryza 2 an enjoyable experience. There's no doubt about it, Ryza 2 is the most refined experience you can get playing an Atelier game as long as you're not expecting a top-notch story. Aside from the lighthearted tone, nothing stands out when it comes to Atelier Ryza 2's story; it's as generic as it can be and there's nothing wrong with that.

Spirit Mancer is a perfect example of an action platformer that nails the mechanics and the old-school feeling. The narrative is decent but not impressive, the presentation is colorful and bubbly, and the two main characters are heroic but also goofy. The action is fast and the monster capturing and summoning work well and gives players a way to boost their combat power when needed. This is a game designed for fans of this genre who aren’t looking for a lot of innovation. And players should be ready for long boss engagements with some significant difficulty increases. Spirit Mancer is best in coop, as long as at least one player is experienced, and its capture and summon mechanics are solid.

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is fast and mostly good fun, especially for anyone who’s looking for a new survival action experience that understands the genre’s core appeal. The heroes play very differently, and the game features a ton of godly powers to choose from, leading to many builds, some of them impressively overpowered. The Norse theme fits the mechanics well, although the enemy designs, other than the bosses, are relatively uninspired. Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel doesn’t try to be revolutionary in any way, but its mix of atmosphere and gameplay is solid, and it’s very easy to spend hours testing build ideas and learning boss patterns.

Watch Dogs is a fun open world experience. However, the repetitive chases and the formulaic gameplay tend to get tedious and boring after a while. As such, you might want to enjoy the different multiplayer experiences and take frequent breaks to just roam around the city.

Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a great entry point for those looking to play a D&D-inspired game. The streamlined ruleset makes everything easy to understand and you don’t even have to spend hours creating your character (unless you really, really like to roll your stats until you get certain values). The only thing that I couldn’t get past are the character models, which look absolutely terrible. However, the dungeons, which are designed both horizontally and vertically, as well as some of the ground locations are beautiful and immersive for a D&D campaign. The voice acting is also top-notch most of time, and the same goes for the soundtrack.

Betrayal at Club Low might not the best-looking game and its gameplay might sometimes feel limited or unfair. But the game has plenty of weirdness, a clear goal, great moments, and the ability to get players to explore, take risks, and deal with failure. A small universe and well-defined mechanics make this one of the first titles I have played through three times (with another run planned) in quite some time. The title could benefit from a decrease in the difficulty of the first sequence before gamers actually get into the club, but its other limitations are clear and well-communicated. I encourage players who like a good narrative and dice-focused gameplay to get past the limited graphics and potential initial failures to see as much as possible of what Betrayal at Club Low has to offer.

The game does justice to the franchise by not changing any of the mechanics that made it so loved by fans, while allowing you to delve deeper into the protagonists murky past. The new missions, game modes, and replayability will have you glued to your console for hours on end, and when you'll finally earn that last achievement, you'll still feel like playing some more!

Nine Years of Shadows is a good Metroidvania with an impressive presentation and intriguing world. Gameplay mechanics will be instantly familiar to any genre fans and easy to understand for newcomers. There aren’t too many surprises in the narrative but it is imbued with a sense of optimism that kept me engaged. I wanted more variety for combat encounters and a smoother difficulty curve for the bosses. The game also has a weird tendency to put its save rooms just outside of the way enough that it’s easy to forget about them and lose progress. But otherwise, Nine Years of Shadows execute a good idea well and its look allows it to distinguish itself from competitors.

Is this year’s WWE game worth it? Each year, WWE games offer an incremental update. This year, the animations are much better, they allow intergender matches, and having up to 8 people in the ring shows they made significant changes to the engine. Plus, the match details, from throwing items away, blood, welts and bruises, all of those make the game feel very realistic, while still retaining the WWE style and appeal. There’s a wealth of content, dozens of hours of fun, and a game mode for everyone, no matter if you’re into being a general manager, card collector or want a cohesive wrestling-focused story. WWE 2K25 packs a huge amount of content, and it’s enough to satisfy even the most avid wrestling fans. I wish they added the Island mode on PC though. But even without that, it’s an excellent adventure in the world of wrestling, and it brings your wrestling dreams to life!

Fallout 4 is a deep and broad video game that can easily occupy more than 100 hours of a gamer's life, as long as they don’t become bored of some of the core mechanics of the open-world genre and want to explore the universe past the core narrative...Combat is the most disappointing element of the entire experience, especially outside of VATS, but the complexity of the world and the many small adventures that it includes are solid compensation for the occasional frustration.

Star Trek: Infinite is a fine science fiction grand strategy experience, designed to appeal to fans of the TV and movie franchise. The development team has tried hard to deliver as many familiar elements as possible and mostly succeeded. The game creates a more focused experience than the New Horizons mod for Stellaris and its mechanics are easier to understand. Some players have been complaining of game-stopping bugs, which have not impacted my campaigns, so it might be a good idea to wait for a patch or two. Some mechanics, like spies and governors, also feel under-backed. But the ability to create stories and play out scenarios makes Star Trek: Infinite a great experience for both veterans and newcomers to the grand strategy space.

Serial Cleaners has a very solid core idea and adds just enough variety with its four characters to make each level feel engaging and unique. I like solving the puzzle of how to get all the bodies while attracting as little attention as possible. The strength of the gameplay makes it easier to ignore the more undercooked elements of the narrative. The biggest issue with the game is that the opponent A.I. feels a little off but the saving grace is that this can create moments of weird, bloody comedy. Serial Cleaners delivers a good mix of careful planning and emergent moments that will satisfy every fan of the stealth action genre.

An innovative roguelike experience that deserves praise for its rhythm-matching system as well as for its mechanics that add replayability and encourage players to keep going even during the most difficult of stages. However, if you want to unlock more characters and really enjoy the game, prepare to spend a lot of time with it.

Audiosurf 2 is a worthy successor to the original experience. While Mono mode is, of course, the main star, you can find quite a few other interesting modes that provide a change of pace. While on its own the game is quite good, by factoring in the user-created modes and skins, Audiosurf 2 becomes even better.

Silicon Dreams has a good main concept and careful, expressive writing. Each scenario offers a dilemma to deal with. The situations are very emotional and the decisions are always challenging. Even after playing through a situation, I found something new to think about or to explore when the game made me return to it. Every fan of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” or works influenced by it will find something to love in the tight experience that Clockwork Bird has designed. There is also plenty of space for them to expand both the story and the mechanics in meaningful ways in future titles set in the same universe.

Escape from Ever After is colorful, traditional, and provides surprisingly interesting commentary on the power of stories. Flynt isn’t the most interesting protagonist, but he has cool companions, and his story of battling a corporation is relatable. The combat system and the presentation are both heavily inspired by Paper Mario. Players unfamiliar with that series might find it hard to love the turn-based combat, mainly because of the repetition. Exploration and environmental puzzles only partially compensate for it. Escape from Ever After has a strong core narrative idea that should be paired with more innovative gameplay for wider appeal.

Slave Zero X is a deep brawler that rewards players who take the time to understand all its systems and then mix and match attacks and abilities depending on the situation. Bosses are difficult and the game has no difficulty toggles, although investing in biomecha upgrades can help. The game’s presentation is designed to take players back to the 90s and the narrative has both great bombastic speeches and touching moments. Slave Zero X can be overwhelming but I like spending time with it in short sessions, clearing one level, pondering whether to unlock a costume or actually buy an upgrade.

Field of Glory II: Medieval is a great game for anyone who already has an interest in the genre or the historical period. The core concepts work well, the presentation does not get in the way of gameplay and the computer fights well. Byzantine has a great track record when it comes to delivering free patches and extra content for their titles. In the coming months, they will tweak the mechanics for the better and deliver more nations and army lists to improve variety.

Chained Echoes is a deep JRPG that will satisfy fans of the genre but is easy enough to understand to attract novices. The combat system, centered Overdrive balancing, is interesting and pretty fast for the genre. The universe, with its mix of influences and retro presentation, offers plenty of secrets and details. I would have appreciated fewer battles but with bigger consequences and, maybe, increased difficulty. But for anyone who wants a solid party-driven role-playing experience, Chained Echoes is a good choice, made with a lot of love, able to keep players engaged for its 30 hours long story.

BALL x PIT is impressive in its ability to build an entire experience around one core idea. Players will launch balls at enemies during their runs and will then use the same mechanic to unlock new heroes and gather resources. Variety, starting with heroes and continuing with ball powers and character perks, means every run is different and there’s plenty of space to experiment. Wisely, the game asks players to beat levels with more than one hero to progress. The settlement development suffers from limited options, but the combat is exciting enough to compensate. BALL x PIT is fast and fun, a clear sign that there are still new and cool things to do with action survival.

Have a Nice Death is a good combination of action and rogue-lite, with a good balance between the difficulty of the combat, especially the boss fights, and the pace of the unlocks. It pays to focus on one weapon and really learn how to use it and when to complement it with a spell or secondary attack. Boss engagements are all about patience and pattern recognition. The game’s presentation complements the mechanics and themes well, although some more variety when it comes to the procedurally generated floors is needed. Have a Nice Death knows what fans of its genre want and offers an interesting universe to explore and great mechanics.

Screamer is an exciting arcade game that likes taking risks, and for the most part, it succeeds in what it tries to achieve. The driving system, albeit annoying at first, grows on you, and eventually you feel like you’re one with your car. The game world is beautifully made, and the anime parts of the game are nicely done, too. Moreover, the game’s performance is great, I never experienced any major frame drops, crashes or something that would impede the gameplay. However, Screamer has a few issues. The story mode has forgettable characters and it’s not the strongest part of the game. Also, I felt that the sound design was not ideal. But as a complete package, Screamer is definitely an arcade racer that everyone needs to try out. The sense of speed is there, being able to attack others and work to load up your skills, that feels very satisfying. The game is very rewarding to play, and you will soon get past any of its mishaps.

Shadowveil: Legend of The Five Rings is a fast and varied run-focused game. The automated combat isn’t too visually engaging but has an option to, VHS-tape style, accelerate the flow of time. Players have a lot of ways to customize their unique hero and samurai, from classes with unique associated ability cards to clan upgrades to equipment to battle-specific spirits. It makes each run engaging in its own right and offers plenty of space for meta-progression. The fictional universe is decent, but the story lacks a unique element to keep players invested. Maybe the pair of twins need to talk more, or the world needs to feature extra lore. Shadowveil: Legend of The Five Rings develops a good rhythm and offers plenty of variety but the lack of direct control never feels natural.

The action feels satisfying, combat is fun, and there are also a few nice surprises when it comes to gameplay, both as far as boss fights are concerned and in the presence of puzzles, particularly in the levels involving Athena, making the whole package even more attractive.

In between silly remarks, turn-based combat and puzzle solving, Sunday Gold provides enough entertainment to keep you going until the end, which is probably around 12-15 hours if you figure out the puzzles and finish the boss fights faster. Sunday Gold is a hybrid of two genres, point & click adventure and turn-based RPG, that simply works. It doesn’t make everything perfect, but at least it comes up with some interesting ideas that could be refined in a future title. BKOM’s game is trying to do something different and, partly, it succeeds. I enjoyed many parts of the game and some of the mechanics, and the story, while pretty generic, it did make me feel like I’m playing in a Guy Ritchie movie. Ultimately, Sunday Gold is entertaining and that’s what I expect from a game, so I consider this a successful experiment.

Total War: PHARAOH is a very good strategy experience that explores one of the periods that the genre rarely engages with. After playing a few campaigns, I wanted to know more about the Sea Peoples, the way the Hittites organized their kingdom and the ways armies were mustered during the Bronze Age. I was also willing to spend time understanding the unique approach that each ruler brings to a campaign and how traditions and gods can enhance an advantage or cover a weakness. I’ll certainly simulate many of the battles while enjoying the crucial ones. Total War: PHARAOH is immersive and varied, a good entry in the series for both veterans and new players.

Journey To The Savage Planet would definitely use a longer story, but even so, it’s one of the few titles that make a single thing like world exploration surprisingly rewarding.

If anything, Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 is on par with this year’s FIFA 18, and it even surpasses it in some aspects. The game is more than just an evolution over the previous year, it’s more of a revolution for the PES franchise. I can’t recommend it enough, and I urge everyone to give it a try because it’s the kind of title that can provide a lot of fun, even if you are a fan of other similar football sims. And you can’t get better praise than that.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers sets itself apart from other soulslike games through some unique features like the weapon upgrading system. Thanks to a very solid combat system and smooth traversal between areas, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers makes the journey more entertaining than usual. Not tying players to a single weapon for an entire playthrough and letting them choose which weapon to use when facing a specific boss is not only a bold design decision, but also one that elevates Wuchang: Fallen Feathers above some of the best games in the genre.

Planet of Lana is sure to capture players'attention with its visuals and music, which are on par with those of modern big studio animation movies. The game’s world is shrouded in mystery and players will have to work to find all the shrines to get a full picture of what’s happening. At times, finding a kidnapped friend seems too flimsy a motivation for Lana to continue her adventure. But gameplay is good enough, with limited reasons for frustration and some very clever puzzles, to keep players engaged. Planet of Lana has heart and engaging gameplay sequences, although these could have used extra variety.

Neva is a solid video game, but a true masterpiece if we look at it as an art piece. As is often the case, the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. The adventures of Alba and Neva are incredibly memorable, leaving you eager to relive them immediately after you finished a playthrough, just to bask in the beauty of its stunning scenes. While it’s not a game for those seeking adrenaline, it’s a beautifully crafted tale that forges an emotional connection with anyone patient enough to let the story unfold. For indie fans, Neva is a must-play—an experience that should not be missed.

Civilization VI: Gathering Storm is the only game in existence that can keep me awake all night. I’ve been playing games for more than two decades, and very few games managed to rob me of my sleep. Civilization is definitely one of them. While I do love the game and I enjoyed the expansion, I also must be fair and critique the fact that Civilization VI now feels more cluttered than ever. The religion aspect is way out of proportion, barbarians spawning tanks are annoying, and some of the environmental disasters seem out of place or triggered randomly. Civilization VI: Gathering Storm is not perfect, but it made Civilization VI better overall, and that’s pretty much what people want from an expansion.

Tour de France 2025 is a great way for a cycling fan to take control of their favorite riders to either replicate their achievements or rewrite history. Racing is exciting and fun and creating the right conditions for a successful attack is challenging. The game’s selection of races is a little limited, but it does allow a player to move through a season relatively quickly. The move to Unreal Engine 5 makes all the action look better. Tour de France 2025 is a good cycling sim that really needs to add both Il Giro and La Vuelta in future installments.

Creating a boss rush game can go different ways, but fortunately for UNYIELDER, it’s a very engaging and fun game with a great core loop. The fact that you focus on getting loot, improving your character, while also learning the boss’s attacks, it all feels very satisfying. And honestly, the quiet times in between boss battles are quite productive, too, since you can switch weapons, unlock/equip perks and so on. UNYIELDER removes all the clutter that comes from a lot of roguelike games. Instead, it pits you against powerful bosses, and it’s a delight to play. The game ran great during our review, and the loot we acquired after battling bosses felt rewarding and satisfying. It’s a roguelike game, so naturally you can get bored after you saw all the content. But then again, the Endless mode offers an excellent way to continue your session, with random bosses. It’s a cool boss rush experience, and it never overstays its welcome.

Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099 is an excellent blend of ideas and watching the various cage narrative is thrilling. There’s enough of them and they are randomized at the start of a new run, to encourage replayability. The game makes mass surveillance immersive and engaging, which is icky on a conceptual level but makes playing the game very fun. The survival and interference mechanics also mesh well with the dystopian future world. I wanted more future wikis to explore, with even weirder concepts and incidents. Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099 is weird and compelling, with cool ideas for both the cage stories and the meta-narrative.

Football Manager 2016 feels a little thin initially, but as players dig deeper into the experience, they will find that it offers the best expression of the core mechanics that has defined the series for the past few years.

For those who are into card games, Monster Train is a must-play title. It's better and more complex than Slay the Spire, although I would have liked to see more bosses throughout my several playthroughs, the RNG dictates who you fight and when. Monster Train is a fresh, new take on the deck-building card game genre that will be hard to be outmatched.

Star Dynasties is a good mix of ideas, setting, and complexity. The character-driven experience delivers unexpected thrills, weird situations, nice stories, and impressive catastrophes. Players need to invest a little of their imagination to get the best out of the game, but the overall experience is worth it.

Cartel Tycoon goes all in on the drug cartel leader fantasy and mines the setting for as many concepts as possible. The management game is good, with a mix of mechanics and with clear challenges for players to work through. I like the look of the game and most of the writing fits well with the ‘80s Latin American world it is evoking. The mix of two narrative-driven campaigns alongside a sandbox and survival modes is a solid one. But the development team at Moon Moose could have been less classic in their approach to core game concepts. There’s nothing here that the management game space has not already tried. Cartel Tycoon is well-suited for anyone who already likes the genre or the setting but it does not innovate in any meaningful way.

RuneQuest: Warlords is a good turn-based strategy experience that will mainly appeal to those who love this fantasy universe or had a great time playing Battlesector. Engagements, especially once the player controls a dozen units, are complex and require careful planning and on-the-spot improvisation to win with minimal losses. The game’s computer opponent can be a little dumb at times, but multiplayer, including using hotseat, is offered for those interested in challenging another human. I would have liked some extra story emphasis on what makes the RuneQuest setting special. Warlords’ core ideas are solid, but it needs more army variety and a few extra weird scenarios to bring in players who aren’t interested in the narrative.

This most recent expansion for Europa Universalis IV adds a lot of new options to an already complex game, and as always, I believe that it's best for newcomers to first play the base experience and decide whether they love it or not and only then start exploring the extra depth.

For the most part, Far Cry New Dawn is fun, and that’s the only thing that matters. There is more than enough content to never feel that you’re grinding (although you are), and it fulfills one of the weirdest human fascinations, and that’s the life after a world-encompassing cataclysm. And best of all, the entirety of the game can be played in co-op mode.

Minos continues the long-term video game trend of finding new mechanics that work well with a rogue-lite structure. Scanning a new labyrinth layout, evaluating enemy ingress routes, deciding which traps will work best on the enemies, and then watching as they die before reaching Asterion is satisfying. The extensive array of traps and challenges helps keep things fresh. But the game fails to find anything new and innovative to do with the rogue elements. And as the difficulty ramps up, it can take half an hour to puzzle out the best way to deal with one enemy wave. Minos’ trap and labyrinth shaping mechanics are solid, but the title sometimes struggles to keep players engaged with them.

Metro Exodus bets big on interpersonal relationships and world building, something that the other two games in the series lacked badly. Its more mundane approach on how Artyom's crew perceives the post-apocalyptic landscapes they explore in their search for the promise land is what makes Metro Exodus a great game.

The Procession to Calvary is short, does not have much gameplay, is not really a challenge but it is truly brilliant. It is a game that is fun due to the humor of Joe Richardson and it makes you laugh and entertains you without trying too hard. Most jokes are over the top and should not exist in a politically correct world. Thank God this game is light years away from that tendency and manages to walk its own path. If you have played Four Last Things, The Procession to Calvary is mandatory. But even if you have not played Richardson’s previous game, this one is worth every minute of the roughly four hours you will need to finish it. It does not care if it offends, as long as it entertains.

Death Trick: Double Blind has a solid setting and a strong premise but doesn’t shine when it comes to mechanics. Players have to read quite a bit and then be ready to re-read statements and descriptions to spot inconsistencies and develop theories about the murder. The game’s writing is mostly up to the task but there are some repetitive moments and extra flowery lines. The visual novel structure means gameplay depth and variety are limited. The world and characters are interesting, in terms of both personality and presentation. Death Trick: Double Blind is engaging and fun, as long as players are willing to suspect their disbelief at some crucial moments.

Mortal Kombat X is the best release in the series so far, not just because it respects the roots of the series, but also because it innovates through things like character variations and living towers.

Let Them Trade has quickly become a favorite of mine when it comes to city builders. It’s a lot of fun to play, and you can easily try it in sandbox mode or in excellent campaign mode. With that in mind, trading is what sets it apart from other city builders, along with its minimalist aesthetic. All of that blends together very beautifully, and it provides a compelling, enjoyable trading experience. As someone that likes city builders, I enjoyed Let Them Trade and its gameplay. It’s easy to get into and it also has plenty of depth for strategy game enjoyers. Yes, it might not be the largest and most expansive strategy game out there, but it definitely has a lot of heart, and you feel right at home in this minimalist, yet stunningly designed world.

Muse Dash is what you would describe as “crazy fun”, as it is the type of game you can pretty much play anytime in any state of mind. You can try it when you’re sad so it can cheer you up, or you can try it when you’re happy so you can get even happier. Although the game may not be resource-intensive at all and some may wonder what justified a PC release, you’ll be forgetting all about that just a few songs later. All in all, if you love good music, are quick with your fingers and are a fan of cutesy anime visuals, then Muse Dash is definitely something that will keep you busy for a long, long time.

Residual has a good main idea, but I found that there’s too little around it to make the experience compelling in the long run. I liked the world and the exploration, but I was less impressed with the crafting or the puzzle design. I wished for a stronger narrative hook to give me a clear reason to get somewhere or mine minerals or find more vines. Orange Pixel has been engaging with players in the Steam forums and patches quickly arrive to eliminate bugs and add functionality. A healthy community and more content are signs that the game is finding an audience that finds its mix of mechanics attractive. Residual is a great example of what a carefully crafted indie title can offer to fans.

Hands of Necromancy II is a great example of what a sequel needs to do to succeed. It introduces a new character, complete with a set of weapons and powers, to add variety. It offers first-person shooter mechanics with magic instead of guns that draw inspiration from classics but have their own unique flavor. Raising the dead remains a good concept. The entire experience is squarely aimed at boomer shooter fans with a particular love of Hexen or Heretic. There are moments when the difficulty ramp up is abrupt and level design isn’t always impressive. Hands of Necromancy II understands the genre it's a part of and knows how to mix modern and retro ideas to give fans the complex magic shooter they crave.

Dead Space is more than just the fantasy of any fan of the original game – it feels like the developers once again wanted to prove that their game is the gold standard in its genre. The fine folks at Motive Studio tweaked the experience in the right places to make the game feel fresh without weighing it down with unnecessary bling. Of course, there are still elements that could have benefitted from more attention like all the end game content, especially the final boss fight, but once again Dead Space offers an experience that is more than the sum of its parts and reconfirms its status as the king of the genre.

Backfirewall_ has a unique premise and uses it pretty well, creating a variety of puzzles linked to the smartphone as a world. The game’s many quirky characters and moments create a weird universe and manage to generate emotions. But the puzzle-driven gameplay is what will keep players engaged. The game will never deliver the highs of something like Portal but it tries to move the first-person puzzle genre forward. It achieves that by mixing puzzles and narrative efficiently. Backfirewall_ is enjoyable and I especially appreciate the variety of puzzles it can pack in relatively small spaces.

Back to the Dawn is a deceptively deep game. It draws you in with its quirky animal characters and holds you tight with its complex mechanics, branching narratives, and brutal sense of fairness. There’s no hand-holding here, just a dense sandbox where your choices, relationships, and instincts shape the story. It's not always easy, and sometimes the game feels downright punishing. But that’s the point. You’ll fail. You’ll restart. And you’ll come back smarter, more prepared, and even more determined to crack the system or break free from it. For fans of RPGs, survival sims, and story-rich adventures, this is one prison worth checking into. Just don’t expect it to be a walk in the yard.

Despite being short, Darwin's Paradox is a game that has a lot of heart. It’s very fun to play, intense at times, and very emotional. The traversal options and various octopus’ abilities are very exciting to use, and the best part is that you have a plethora of different platforming challenges and puzzles along the way. The game’s ending was a standout for me, but the entire experience feels great and it’s really well polished. I’ve always enjoyed cinematic platform games, and Darwin's Paradox is certainly one of the standouts in this genre. It’s very well-made, it has excellent attention to detail, and the environmental comedy is strong in this one, too. Hopefully we’ll see more of Darwin, because this story feels like the beginning of a potentially long series of adventures. I’m in if that’s the case, because I like the world and characters, and I want to see more of it.

Cozy Caravan offers a very fun time, especially if you like slower, cozy gameplay. Not only is the experience charming and very cute, but the gameplay is deep enough and interesting to keep you going for hours. You can easily spend 10-15 hours in the game, exploring the world and crafting stuff or upgrading your caravan. However, Cozy Caravan’s gameplay is not meant to be very complex or too challenging. That makes it great for kids or people who just want to unwind and relax. The downside is that any player who wants a challenge might find the game too easy. It’s one of those games that you can easily get back to, spend a few hours chilling and relaxing, and then move on to more complex games. But rest assured, every minute is going to be worth it.

When I started playing MakeRoom, I had no idea what to expect from it. The sandbox nature of the game might seem difficult to deal with at first. But rest assured, the game doesn’t add a lot of pressure, it’s very fun to play, and you’ll find yourself enjoying the experience all the time. You can spend 10 minutes or 10 hours on a build, if you want. And, of course, you can easily save it and even share it with other people online. I was excited to get back to MakeRoom and play many times, just because I know the game is something special. The fact that it allows my creativity to run wild on a blank canvas and I am able to create anything I want is always fun. Granted, it can feel overwhelming for a newcomer. Thankfully, the tools and items provided are easy to understand, and there’s always the trial-and-error approach. Regardless, if you want to decorate a room, boat or van in any way you want, you may want to test MakeRoom’s excellent toolkit.

F1 Manager 2023 is a good simulation of a complex sport. All circuits are carefully re-created, and fans will have a lot of fun choosing their favorite team and trying to get them as close to a championship as possible. The title’s presentation allows gamers to experience the racing from the cockpit of a car or gather info and make decisions on a strategic layer.

Inhuman Resources: A Literary Machination is a fun and very well-written adventure that relies a little too much on blocks of text. It will be a great experience for any fan of strong narrative and carefully constructed universes. The company’s activity doesn’t always make sense, but characters are fully realized and it’s a pleasure to spend time with them, even when they ask the player to do horrific things. As good as the story is, supported by a solid presentation, the gameplay is limited. The mini-games associated with each certification are nice but more are needed. Many players might struggle to become immersed in this fictional universe. Inhuman Resources is best enjoyed in small doses, taking in the horror elements and pondering the best way to act ethically.

Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance has a good real-time strategy core that is augmented by the mission design and the army management elements. The campaign features interesting situations and complex battles. The tactical pause makes it all accessible even for players who aren’t long-term fans of the RTS genre. The story and presentation do not match the game’s mechanics. Some secondary objectives and narrative choices are unclear until players actually interact with them. But Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance uses the franchise well and delivers engaging battles.

If Disco Elysium The Final Cut would have been launched a bit later, with the subsequent patches already incorporated there would have been little to complain about. It is a masterpiece that needs to be played by every RPG fan out there. Despite the state the game was released in, the developers went through a lot of trouble to bring the experience they promised. Right now Disco Elysium The Final Cut is damn close to that vision. It is not often that I can forgive a messy launch, but the fixes that patched up things quite quickly and the experience itself outweighs any issues that are already in the past. If there was any game from the ones presented in a while that I wholeheartedly recommend, this is the one.

The compelling story and incredibly well done combat system, along with the amazing art style and deep characterization turn Control into a trippy experience full of surprises and lots of mind-bending, Inception-like moments.

1000xRESISTgrabs players and does not let go, taking them through some impressive story moments and a few overly long conversations. The mix of post-apocalypse, clones, and memory exploration powers a narrative that’s unlike any other in the video game world. Speak with everyone and touch everything to get the most out of this universe. Unfortunately, gamers will have to deal with some annoying gameplay to experience the entire story. The platforming is the worst offender but none of this feels fun. The presentation also fails to consistently impress. 1000XRESIST is a showcase for what video games can deliver when it comes to emotion, held back by its gameplay.

Children of Morta is one of the best rogulite games I played in a while, so I can't recommend it enough to those who love the genre. It's easy to pick up and the story, even though it's a bit on the generic side, will keep you hooked till the end (yes, there's actually an end to the story).

While it’s not going to blow you away, Katanaut manages to surpass expectations, and it stands right there with some of the best in the genre. The gameplay and combat are very good, the visual style is stunning, and I am a huge fan of how you can easily customize every run. Katanaut feels very fulfilling, and there’s plenty of fun to be had, even if it’s not a long game.

I believe the Witchwood is one of the expansions that offers the highest level of fun. If you're playing Hearthstone for fun, you'll find plenty of deck building options in Witchwood and that's absolutely great. However, when it comes to competitive gameplay, Witchwood is not that powerful as other expansions.

Even though the DX versions of the three Atelier Ryza games included in the Deluxe Pack aren’t reinventing the wheel, nor bring major changes, they’re definitely worth the money if you don’t own them yet. The package doesn’t just come with all the DLC but adds new stories with some of the supporting characters who weren’t playable in the original games, as well as a lot a quality-of-life improvements and UI/UX enhancements. Atelier Ryza is one of the most streamlined trilogies in the franchise, so it makes it even more worthy for those who have never touched the series yet. Unfortunately, if you already own all three Atelier Ryza games, I don’t see why you’d want to buy the Deluxe Pack, unless you really are a hardcore fan who enjoys every bit of his favorite games.

WAR RATS is by no means perfect. It definitely has its flaws, but it does a great job at hiding them. Minor issues aren’t in your face, and you will rarely encounter them. Also, the dev team is committed to upgrading the game, and they are looking to add new gear, your own customizable nest, harder enemies and so on. So even if you played WAR RATS already, there’s definitely even more new content on the horizon. It’s clear that the developers are putting the work into creating an unforgettable experience. Plus, the sheer premise of controlling rates in battle is amazing, and it feels very satisfying to defeat your rat brethren.

It is difficult to find anything wrong with Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition and you cannot really compare it to modern releases. Every part of the game oozes the passion of the developers for this genre, and this translates into a really engaging experience for those who lived through the glory days of the 90’s shooters, or those who recently fell in love with this genre. Of course, many of the gameplay elements seem somewhat primitive compared to the standards of today’s FPS games. But the Ludicrous Edition is an anachronic experience that does not want to feel modern, rather it brings back a happy part of our childhoods wearing a bargain price tag.

I enjoyed TRON: Catalyst a lot, as it feels like a great successor to older titles like TRON: Evolution, while still being able to stand on its own. The story is clever, it has many twists and turns, and the gameplay is simplistic, accessible, with some challenges sprinkled here and there for good measure. Plus, there’s plenty of stuff for completionists to find, if you can get past the lightcycle controls and other issues. TRON: Catalyst manages to deliver on its promise, while offering an enthralling, visually striking and story-focused adventure through the Grid.

The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered remains a good game after all these years. In fact, having received a paint job, it’s even better. I’m happy that one of my favorite RPG series is getting one title remastered and modernized so that players who haven’t yet “violated the law!” Oblivion is the kind of game where you play as someone in a big world overcoming odds and ends. You get to shape your destiny and become whoever you want through multiple playthroughs. It’s an Elder Scrolls game that stands the test of time and has the potential to turn more gamers into fans of the series.

Football Manager 26 is a good step forward when it comes to engine and tactics, but it can frustrate many long-term fans. I like the dual approach to tactical choices, and I feel that the title reflects real-world trends. The match day experience is good, and the integration of women’s football adds a new dimension to the sim. Learning where everything is in the new interface, especially for the less-used options, will take time. Graphical glitches and some weirdness with on-pitch movement will probably be eliminated by patches. Football Manager 26 requires time and patience, but it will give football simulation fans hundreds of hours of fun, regardless of whether they are playing a superpower or an underdog.

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is a great showcase for its world and has some nifty mechanics for both tower development and exploration. I once invested an uninterrupted 20 minutes simply placing foundations and balconies for a stone tower that served as the anchor for a couple of ports, simply to improve the architecture of that island. Unfortunately, the beauty of all these spires and walkways cannot compensate for a certain sense of aimlessness. The three campaigns don’t feel too different, and combat is too automated to feel interesting. Like its massive towers, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles has good foundations but it doesn’t offer something engaging to build towards.

Devilated is a very good boomer shooter that takes the genre’s core ideas and enhances both the violence level and the variety. Players will move fast, engage plenty of capable enemies, and then eat their corpses to get health back. Bosses are challenging, especially if it is the first time they make an appearance. But the experience struggles to push past the boundaries of its genre. The protagonist is unlikable, especially when talking. Levels work as battlespaces but lack world-building. Devilated delivers spectacular and tense fights for gamers who can ignore its flaws.

Monster Train 2 is a successful follow-up to a very good game. The aim is not to take risks and try to remake the card-focused combat experience but to find ways to make it more engrossing for fans. The variety, which starts with clans and hero upgrade paths and extends to cards, upgrades, and artifacts, will keep players coming back to craft new strategies and fashion their unique way of taking the Titans down. The limited narrative and the uneven presentation might make it hard for newcomers to enjoy the combat. Even genre veterans will be surprised by some of the milestones they have to hit to unlock all the content. Still, Monster Train 2 creates engaging and fun runs and will reward players who are willing to invest their time and attention.

Despite not being groundbreaking or innovative, Immortals Fenyx Rising blends a couple of winning formulas from other games that work together almost flawlessly. The resemblance to Breath of the Wild is uncanny, but I'll take that any day over another Assassin's Creed rip-off. It might not be on par with Nintendo's masterpiece, but combat is solid and the puzzles and mini-games are a lot of fun. I also loved the light-hearted tone and colorful visuals, something that I've rarely seen in a Ubisoft game. A little bit of a warning though, if you're not into dry humor, you might want to skip Immortals Fenyx Rising since this is a big dad joke.

Zombie Rollerz: The Last Ship is one of those games that a lot of people will enjoy playing, mainly because it de-stresses you and makes it easy to unwind. At least in the beginning, though. As you ramp up the difficulty and start playing against more challenging opponents, things will become more challenging, and they will require your full attention. There are lots of maps, tons of upgrades, not to mention characters and awards you can unlock. You’ll find yourself playing this for hours and hours, without even noticing.

For long-term fans of the franchise, the title offers a simple way to experience the solid stories and the engaging gameplay once again using improved visuals, getting a deeper understanding of the links between the installments and how they might influence the coming A Thief's End. For those who have not played an Uncharted game before, The Nathan Drake Collection is the perfect way to see what the series has to offer and why so many gamers see it as one of the most important ones in the history of gaming.

A pretty great standalone expansion that manages to deliver a much nicer character than Delsin with more fleshed out powers. Unfortunately, the missions are pretty repetitive and weigh down the experience a fair bit. However, the challenge rooms and the touching story make up for them, to some extent.

Garden Story is not actually about gardening, in the Stardew Valley sense, and that’s great. The story is about growing friendships and the organic development of communities. The mechanics are good enough to keep players engaged with the world. The stakes are never high. Concord doesn’t shine as a protagonist but the world around him is colorful and fun, a good reason to spend 15 minutes at the end of the day doing a little work to make it even better for everybody else. But longer sessions with the game tend to reveal that there’s a lot of repetition, especially when it comes to the action parts. And if the friendly spell of the world-building breaks it can be hard to go back and pick Garden Story up again. The team at Picogram has a good instinct for universe development and cuteness hooks but they do need to put some extra time into creating a better gameplay loop for their unique universe.

Death’s Door has good core mechanics but does not introduce the one big innovation that could make it stand out. I enjoy the battles, especially the bigger ones, but I feel that the puzzles are average, as is the exploration. Some players might draw comparisons to Hades but this is a very different experience that does not aim for the same narrative depth. It’s linear, there are no rogue elements, and the variety in encounters is more limited.

Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is one of the best-organized and most accessible titles in the wargaming space. It still asks gamers to invest quite a bit of time to understand all the mechanics and the historical period it is portraying. But the reward is a gripping Cold War alternate history game that creates a lot of choice-driven narratives. Start off with the tutorials and the associated PDFs. Then pick one scenario and try to really master it, making sure to understand why everything happens and what strategies work without relying on luck. I hope Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm attracts both veterans of the genre and newcomers, allowing it to establish itself as the hex-driven strategy title for the late Cold War period.

Oakenfold is a clever game that makes great use of the TimeScrubber and the ability to play around with time and try out ideas. The story is not original, and the core concepts are not entirely new. But the gameplay is solid and the tactical puzzles are engaging. There’s a part of a gamer’s brain that will seek to optimize and the developers know how to activate it. The issue with a competent implementation of familiar ideas is that there’s little push for innovation. I like the three aspects of Aisha and the Timebank but the rest is derivative. Oakenfold will scratch the Into the Breach itch for fans but it needs to do more to attract new fans to its genre.

Grit and Valor - 1949 offers a strong combination of alt-history universe and real-time tactics that should have taken a few extra risks. The World War II with big stompy robots concept is easy to grasp and players will quickly understand how positioning and good upgrade choices lead to victories. There’s plenty of variety when it comes to mechs, attached parts, and battle boosts. But given the setting. I wanted to see weirder mech abilities and a wider range of challenges. Grit and Valor - 1949 will satisfy gamers who like fast combat and a solid run-based structure but might struggle to find a wider audience.

All in all, Wartales offers enough variation and strategy layers to make the journey not just enjoyable, but also challenging and rewarding. If you liked Battle Brothers, you’re going to love Wartales.

The Case of the Golden Idol is a tight adventure with good mechanics, excellent design for all the scenes, and great presentation. Players should try to play a sequence at a time, savor the clues and avoid relying on the hint system as much as possible. Playing with a group of people will probably make the entire experience, with or without hints, even more enjoyable. The Case of the Golden Idol shows what Color Gray Games can do with a solid premise and carefully designed scenarios and I would love to see their set of skills applied to other settings.

All in all, Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure is a game that no self-proclaimed point-and -click fan should overlook, as it will definitely find a place in your gaming library, comedy movie collection, and finally, your heart.

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is a mellow experience with an intriguing world. The actual quality of the coffee in story mode is not that important because the main attraction is the various character narratives and the bigger subjects they touch on. It’s nice to try out different combinations of ingredients, see what emerges, and then think about whether you would take a chance on each of those concoctions in the real world. But Coffee Talk needs to tighten the bonds between its story and its gameplay to keep players engaged in the long run.

The Political Machine 2024 has a strong simulation engine and gives gamers a variety of candidates to work with as well as plenty of tactical approaches. The inclusion of primary elections is a great idea and, if the community takes advantage of mod support, means the title can successfully simulate European elections. The ability to customize weird candidates will keep the election battle fresh in the long term but I wanted to see a wider variety of cards, especially for outsiders who should have little support from the two big parties. The Political Machine 2024 struggles to capture the many eccentricities of this year’s presidential content in the United States but its slightly jokey take on campaigns remains fun.

Farthest Frontier manages the hard task of being both accessible and deep, especially when players engage with its economic side. Players can jump in, tell their villagers to cut down some trees, build a few houses, and get engrossed as they try to keep villagers alive and thriving. The crop rotation system is so good that other titles in the genre should steal it. The user interface can be a little overwhelming, while the lack of any historical context might make it hard for players to keep their motivation. Farthest Frontier doesn’t try to remake the foundation of its genre (it still works on a grid), but it is focused, detailed, and well-balanced.

Tempest Rising is the game we’ve always been waiting for, ever since EA stopped working on mainline C&C games. It has great factions, a really interesting story and there weren’t any major performance issues for me, either. The game runs great, the music is extremely good, and the visuals are up to par with what you would expect from this type of game. Should you try Tempest Rising? If you want a fast-paced strategy with a bunch of tactical options, it’s certainly a great option to consider. I enjoyed my time with Tempest Rising and low-key hope they will do an expansion soon. This type of game is not as common these days, but it’s definitely a breath of fresh air amongst all battle royales and free to play, battle pass-dependent titles.