Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out is designed as an evolution rather than an evolution. Glorantha continues to offer a good setting for role-playing and management, although the apocalyptic element feels a little restrictive. I like the steady flow of events and the care that goes into creating interesting situations and engaging choices. Approach the game more like a journey through history than an opportunity to try and min-max tribe advantages and actions. Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out gives players a cool universe, complex situations to explore, and plenty of ways to fail as the world falls apart around them.

I am a fan of interactive dramas, but Fort Solis proved to be a hard sell even for me. Despite its potential, the game just feels empty and despite the effort of Troy Baker and his colleagues it fails to create an emotional connection with the players. It is not even a popcorn movie you might enjoy when you are terribly bored. It is an experience that does not look bad but does not really offer anything to make it worthy of your time.

En Garde! offers a tight core idea and executes on it well, although in some predictable ways. It’s fun to constantly scan the battlefield and evaluate incoming enemies to decide how to use the environment and Adalia’s superior fencing skills to separate groups, stun some enemies, and, finally, take all of them down. The unlockable reveals even more options to spice battles up and create interesting scenarios. The title’s platforming and exploration are limited, which will limit its appeal for anyone who doesn’t quickly enjoy the combat. En Garde! is a happy adventure dedicated to fans of pulp and complex battle situations.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a unique game. It starts with a Faustian bargain and constantly adds fun and surprising ideas. I liked all the many witches I encountered and their stories, as well as the larger ethical questions gamers have to engage with. Crafting cards is a surprisingly fun process with a lot of variety. The pace of the game's final, more political section felt a little off. But the main narrative is very good, with complex choices and some tense divination moments. I liked how The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood created immersion, explored relationships, and forced me to make some tough decisions.

Astronaut: The Best isn’t as deep or as varied as it seems at first sight, but it has good core mechanics. And the world it conjures is engaging in its weirdness, despite the relative lack of cohesion that’s evident at certain points in the branching narratives. The game’s presentation will not be for everybody, although it meshes well with both story and mechanics. Constantly playing through the same scenarios to get extra coins that unlock more options can be annoying. I also wanted more time to prepare for some challenges to limit the impact of luck. But the core ideas of Astronaut: The Best are all solid and the universe it conjures mixes weirdness and tough choices in creative ways.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical isn’t for everyone. There’s not a lot of actual gameplay, although everything the player does is important. The premise and universe are well-executed while the presentation enhances the experience. More importantly, the songs are good, and the way gamers can shape them is unique and engaging. One has to like musical numbers that express big feelings to enjoy this deity-featuring murder mystery. Grace’s three approaches should have delivered more variety in terms of reactions, and I really wanted some extra character development for the gods. Still, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is a unique game and features a unique blend of choices and musical moments.

Verses of Enchantment is a competent card-driven battler with one unique core twist, that A.I. generates verses based on the cards the two opponents use. The poetry that emerges ranges in quality from decent to very bad and has a limited impact on gameplay. The core mechanics are good, with some cool card interactions and a focus on specialized decks. Verses of Enchantment offers interesting duels and plenty of poems to read but never builds a detailed enough world around them to keep players engaged.

Remnant II brings so many improvements over the first game that I’m tempted to ask Gunslinger to remake Remnant: From the Ashes with all the systems they’ve put into the sequel. I’ve rarely been pleasantly surprised by a game like Remnant II. The feeling after managing to kill a boss, discovering a secret area or solving a puzzle and getting rewarded for it, is indescribable. It’s how all the games should be, or at least strive to be. Thanks to solid gunplay and progression systems, as well as amazing boss fights and tons of secrets and puzzles to discover, Remnant II is very close to being a masterpiece. This is one game that you don’t want to skip, regardless of whether or not you like shooters.

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.

One of the biggest surprises of this year, Jagged Alliance 3 breathes new life into a series that was mediocre at best. There are a lot of reasons to play the new Jagged Alliance game, but the most important one is the overall gameplay experience that’s incredibly addictive if you’re fond of turn-based tactical games. Despite some minor issues with the camera and weapon variation, Jagged Alliance 3 is by far the best game in the series. It’s challenging, fun, and extremely addictive, so there’s absolutely no reason not to give it a try.

Crime O'Clock offers a great time-traveling detective experience and shows what skilled developers can achieve while re-inventing a classic mechanic. All its five era locations are attractive, packed with interesting characters, tons of details, and some truly weird ideas. The black and white look and the colorful case touches complement each other well. The point-and-click gameplay is simple to understand, and there’s a solid hint system that will ensure fans never get frustrated when they simply cannot locate someone or something. Some of the mini-games do get repetitive. Crime O'Clock is an excellent game, relaxing, respectful of the player’s time, and stunning in its attention to detail.

The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales relies on an intriguing concept, and for the most part is quite enjoyable. The adventure sequences are immersive and motivate you to push forward and discover more. The game becomes even more remarkable if we take into account that it has been developed by a team of four people. However, I believe that instead of investing effort in building the combat system, the studio’s time could have been better used to polish the story. Nevertheless, The Boolkwaker: Thief of Tales is a solid adventure that will most certainly keep you engaged from start to finish.

All in all, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a game that encourages reflection by tackling philosophical and moral issues, while making you question each decision you made. It’s an experience that carries you, only asking to let yourself be engulfed by the emotions it breathes.

DIG - Deep In Galaxies is a fast and fun experience that emphasizes freedom and variety. It does not have much in the way of narrative but the mechanics mix in an interesting way. Take on missions to deal with the Overlord’s minions or simply move from planet to planet and explore, it’s all engaging and tense. The game works best in short sessions with clear goals. The rogue elements need to be expanded the various unlocks should be a little more approachable. But DIG - Deep In Galaxies does not suffer too much because of these issues and will satisfy any player who loves exploration, fast-paced action, and a little chaos.

Transmogrify is a simple-to-understand puzzle platformer with an interesting core idea. There are a lot of possibilities centered on the transformation mechanic and some cool Eureka moments linked to the puzzles. The title’s creators have worked hard to create levels that steadily add complexity and require just enough brain power to solve. Considering how much potential the transmogrification process has, the game is very tame in its overall approach. The janitor and Grace also fail to become interesting as a pair, which makes it harder to move forward for someone who does not love platforming. Transmogrify’s unique idea is good enough to be used in more interesting ways and I hope the team at Odyssey is exploring them for a future game that would offer higher narrative stakes and expand the world.

Dave the Diver is captivating. It throws a lot of ideas at players, most of which are great. The dominant mechanics, diving and restaurant work, have depth and plenty of surprises. Even after many hours of harpoon fishing, it’s still thrilling to evaluate a target, aim, fire, struggle with it, and repeat until the result is extra sushi material. The many narrative threads don’t always connect with each other meaningfully, and there are some side activities that don’t impress. But Dave the Diver has cool characters, a strong core gameplay loop, and plenty of attention to detail to impress players with.

Silicon City will be interesting to any fan of the city-building genre that loves the classics but feels more modern titles never captured their magic. The inspiration is classic Sim City but with an extra layer of attention for citizens, their needs, and how quickly they can turn on a mayor who doesn’t build carefully, invest in public services, and invests money to keep them happy. The Classic game mode features a decent advancement system, although money fails to be a challenge pretty quickly. I appreciate the many ways the game offers information to reveal options for how cities can be improved. Silicon City has strong execution and a solid retro vibe, although I wanted the game to do more with its citizens and their interactions.

Heist Kitty: Multiplayer Cat Simulator can become a solid, chaotic multiplayer action game for a group of friends who appreciates silly conflict more than real combat for their open-world adventures. The game’s mechanics don’t break any new group for the genre but mostly work well, with one unique idea in the way cats can actually control how humans move. The experience is less interesting in single-player, mostly because the missions aren’t very engaging, and the city can soon start feeling small. It also feels like the cats do not cause nearly enough mayhem, especially in enclosed spaces full of breakable objects. Heist Kitty: Multiplayer Cat Simulator is a strong foundation on which the developers at LetMeowt can create a bigger, weirder experience with extra interactions.

Final Fantasy XVI is one of those very rare masterpieces with issues. Developed by a stellar team, the game shines when it comes to story and combat, but fails in other aspects like narrative structure, itemization and RPG elements. Featuring an enthralling story and gripping characters that scream Game of Thrones, Final Fantasy XVI is an emotional ride from start to finish. With more than 10 hours of cinematic cutscenes and an amazing soundtrack, Final Fantasy XVI is a feast for the senses. And the best thing is that you don’t even have to have played any of the previous Final Fantasy games to enjoy the latest entry. Final Fantasy XVI is a must-play regardless of whether or not you like action RPGs.

The Pegasus Expedition is a competent strategy game with some unique ideas and a narrative turn that not many in its genre attempt. I especially like how it asks players to carefully invest significant resources at the start and then settle into a more classic rhythm for a strategy game. The limited control of space battles means the action always moves at a rapid pace, and tough choices happen almost every turn. The problem here is that none of the innovative elements fully come together. The moral dilemmas in the story aren’t as engaging because the characters have limited appeal. There’s not enough strategy variety to keep ship engagements interesting. The Pegasus Expedition deserves to get a sequel that takes its core ideas and focuses on pushing them forward to truly revolutionize the strategy genre.

Combat Mission: Red Thunder is a complex strategy game that comes to Steam with two expansions and a community that will probably take full advantage of the modding capabilities of the Workshop. The campaigns and the scenarios capture the complexity of late World War II battles and showcase the different approaches of the Russian and German forces. But this remains an older game, which is reflected in its presentation and some of its historical assumptions. The Combat Mission gameplay system is relatively easy to learn and offers plenty of tactical freedom. Red Thunder will appeal to fans who like Eastern Front World War II action and want to craft complex battleplans.

AEW: Fight Forever is a great video game for fans of wrestling who have been watching All Elite Wrestling since it launched. It gives them a chance to fight using their favorite performers, experience the spectacle of their biggest events, and create a custom character that can then aim to win against the champions of the moment. It’s also a chaotic and fun experience with friends. But I don’t think the title can bring new fans to wrestling or to AEW. Gamers need to know at least some things about this world to enjoy matches. The game never acknowledges that results are predetermined. AEW: Fight Forever offers a good foundation to build on if the developers aim to create a future title that will capture the entire breadth of wrestling and gives any gamers a way to become engaged with it.

SOULVARS is a complex video game dedicated to fans of classic Japanese role-playing games and, especially, to those who love their deep combat systems. Newcomers might find combat hard to comprehend but the game does offer the resources to understand the mechanics and use them in cool ways. Because exploration isn’t very engaging and the narrative can be a little hard to follow, players need to really love the combat to remain engaged. SOULVARS is clearly a labor of love but it will mainly appeal to those who appreciate the same classic titles as the developer.

20 Minutes Till Dawn is an interesting action combat with a rogue-lite structure. The narrative elements are minimal, the presentation doesn’t impress but makes the combat easy to read, but the core gameplay loop is very satisfying. The variety of heroines also gives players a range of play styles, which get further boosted when mixing and matching level upgrades in new ways. The core gameplay loop is familiar and the game doesn’t innovate in big ways. I enjoyed the game most in short sessions, playing two or three runs at a time, enough to unlock new options and see what strategies I can build around them. 20 Minutes Till Dawn is satisfying for fans of the genre but I hope its creators take more risks with a potential sequel.

Sludge Life 2 takes the best ideas of the first game and improves on them all. There are more interesting characters to have conversations with, more hotel rooms filled with small but effective narrative moments, more spots to tag, and more ciggies to collect. There’s plenty of dark water under the hotel and weird vistas to photograph. The game’s presentation serves it well, although I wished the world changed as players tag and find new secrets. Sludge Life 2 doesn’t have the deepest gameplay in its genre or the most complex story, but its anarchic-punk-nicotine vibe is immersive and fun.

Kingdom Eighties will satisfy any players who picked up one of the previous installments in the series and appreciates its indirect strategy concept. The four main characters are pretty cool, the rest of the kids do great work chopping down trees and battling demons, and the presentation is impressive in how well it evokes the ‘80s. The action is sometimes a little slow, and relying on others to act can lead to some frustration. Still, the universe of Kingdom Eighties is so nice, and the nostalgia vibes are so strong that it’s worth investing time to experience both its mechanics and narrative.

Afterimage feels like a very well-crafted Metroidvania with spectacular vistas, solid combat, and deep character progression system. The only minor issues, like the colliding damage, that I had with the game are just design choices that probably can’t be addressed. I really enjoyed exploring the world of Engardin, searching for new weapons, fighting interesting bosses and trying to find the best weapons for Renee. I can’t say that the story was truly captivating, but it was serviceable enough to keep me going.

Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine creates an interesting combination of platforming and puzzle elements. The gameplay is easy to understand and the levels deliver a stream of interesting new challenges. Fans of Meat Boy’s adventures are the obvious target audience but the mechanics are interesting enough to draw in players who don’t love extra-hard complex action. The presentation helps especially the very good soundtrack. The game’s choice to offer an invincibility option means that it’s actually possible to eliminate any kind of frustration linked to a lack of progress. Simply knowing that it was there made me actually try harder to get through Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine's more challenging sections.

Trepang2 is a solid first-person shooter that has plenty of FEAR vibes and will deliver hours of fun to any fan of the genre looking for challenging battles, supernatural elements, and boss fights. The game is filled with interesting tactical scenarios, tense moments, and plenty of over-the-top violence. The lore is decent and the revenge story is pretty basic, although it goes places. The graphics and sound design elevate the combat. The difficulty level can be changed if a section is too hard. Both veterans of the FPS and newcomers will have fun with Trepang2 and its impressive combat sequences.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a very good video game that takes the best elements of its franchise and finds great ways to build gameplay around them. Moving through dark corridors, paying constant attention to the motion tracker, and thinking about how to best use limited resources, is fun and immersive. The stress mechanic means that even winning battles can have steep costs, forcing players to think of alternate ways of achieving objectives. Aliens: Dark Descent doesn’t redefine its genre but its mechanics are strong, the narrative has interesting beats, and few other tactics-focused titles use their fictional as effectively.

Layers of Fear is an excellent remake, adding quite a few hours of new content that fits the original story like a glove. It is scarry, depressing and marvelously dark, and it is a must for all the fans of the genre, no matter if they played the original game or not. The bugs are extremely annoying, and they break the immersion, but they can easily be fixed through a patch. The over 12 hours of total gameplay and the replay value granted by multiple playthroughs needed in order to figure out the multiple endings more than justify the price of the game. The new Layers of Fear is a well thought out horror game, that with the mandatory facelift manages to be more impressive and memorable than the original one.

Everdream Valley tries to walk its own path, one that is not very different from other games of the same genre. There are some odd game design choices and a couple of bugs, but nothing that affects the fun of the overall experience. However, after about 10 hours, the time it takes to completely finish it, I can’t help but feel like that’s something still missing. The game feels a bit rushed, as some features seem to not have been fully implemented probably to release the game faster. Luckily, all these issues can be fixed easily, but even with those Everdream Valley is still an enjoyable, cozy experience.

Fall of Porcupine is a nice slice-of-life adventure experience. The main story moves a little slowly but the main attraction here is the anthropomorphized animal characters. Finley interacts with plenty of them and they slowly reveal personalities and quirks, while often behaving in unexpected ways. The medical-focused mechanics are also pretty charming at first when the player is healing a tortoise by playing a short rhythm game. Their increasing variety is not enough to keep them engaged as players experience new days in the town. Fall of Porcupine offers an original take on the narrative adventure genre and has enough cool character moments to compensate for the repetitive gameplay.

Knight Crawlers had the good idea of mixing ragdoll physics with a set of classic action game mechanics. And it is fun, for the first few hours, to learn how enemies move and then find the best way to use the environment and the knight’s attacks to eliminate them. The entire experience is solid given that it was created by one developer. But there’s no narrative hook linked to the mechanics and both the levels and the combat situation can become repetitive. The presentation also doesn’t impress. Knight Crawlers will satisfy action fans that like the idea of adding traps and physics to classic combat but could have done more with its unique combination of ideas.

Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow is part of a very crowded genre, that of the action platformer driven by the relationship between two unlikely characters. There are some interesting narrative bears and the presentation is decent if not spectacular. Most of the featured mechanics are good, with some challenging puzzle designs. But nothing in the experience aims to push the limits and deliver something entirely new. I wanted Griffin to have more ways to engage with the world. Using Birly should have been easier. Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow isn’t polished or innovative enough to become a classic of its genre but will engage anyone interested in the premise of the core mechanics.

Bleak Sword DX is dedicated to anyone who wants a Dark Souls-like experience in 2D, delivered in small chunks, with good mechanics, hard difficulty, and a grimdark setting and presentation. Fights are very quick, which means it’s easy to play a few in a session just to decompress, without the pressure to make progress or explore some complicated narrative thread. The two new modes added to the game's PC version are good, offering a challenge to anyone who manages to complete the full campaign. But I still believe that any modern video game that emphasizes combat should offer the options to draw in more than just dedicated genre fans. Bleak Sword DX impresses with its minimalist, bite-sized combat but all its other elements could be improved.

All in all, Nocturnal remains a good indie platformer that offers enough innovations to make it worth a playthrough. Despite some uninspired mechanics, the overall gameplay experience is enjoyable and in no way frustrating.

Tour de France 2023 captures the atmosphere of real-world cycling, which is crucial for this kind of sports simulation. It feels good to control some of the best riders of the moment, think about the strategy that best suits them, and then try to use limited energy resources at just the right time to secure a prestigious win. The game allows players to create some impressive narrative around their own created cyclist, taking them from humble beginnings to prestigious victories. But Tour de France 2023 is targeted squarely at fans of the sport and other gamers might struggle to fully engage with its mechanics and presentation.

Considered on its own, Pro Cycling Manager 2023 is a good cycling management simulation. It’s fun to create a custom team, fill it with youngsters, and try to dominate the sport in 3 to 5 years. Playing the official stages of this year’s Tour de France with any team in the peloton creates interesting situations and challenges. But the title fails to offer enough innovation when compared to last year’s installment. Anyone who still plays PCM 2022 should stick with that game until their favorite mod is updated. Pro Cycling Manager 2023 has solid core mechanics but the franchise needs to be more innovative going forward.

There’s no doubt that Diablo IV is one of the best action-RPGs of all time and on par, or probably better, than Diablo II, the pinnacle of Blizzard’s creative work. The amount of content you have access to even before you finish the story is staggering. As far as the end game goes, the part where the game truly starts for many players, I’m confident that Diablo IV will keep you entertained for years to come. Featuring a compelling story, amazing cutscenes and great voice-acting, Diablo IV is the Diablo game that I’ve been waiting to play for a decade. It’s everything I wanted and more.

Doomblade has a strong hook and an engaging core gameplay loop. The idea of attack-as-movement transforms how players see environments and approach the world. All Metroidvania systems are implemented well, especially the escalating upgrades that allow Gloom Girl to basically break the rules of this universe as she searches for the Dread Lords. The game is also demanding. It takes some time to learn how to properly use the attack move and then how to master it and other abilities to deal with capable bosses. Doomblade’s universe is not as interesting as its core mechanic but mixing combat and movement into one action is special enough to keep players trying to find and end the Dread Lords.

Ultimately, Itorah isn’t a bad game, just an uninterested one that doesn’t bring anything new to the table. That wouldn’t be an issue if it didn’t have the issues that I’ve already mentioned. Play this only if you’re desperate for a good-looking platformer.

Tiny Thor is a nostalgia-powered experience that takes the best ideas of classic action platformers and adds its own spin to them. The gameplay is tight and challenging, designed to give players opportunities to improvise while also rewarding careful planning. It’s exhilarating to nail a tough sequence on the first or second try. The title’s story is engaging enough to keep players immersed and the presentation enhances the entire experience. Any gamer that loves handcrafted levels, the thrill of figuring out solutions on the fly, and a high level of challenge will be satisfied with what Tiny Thor is offering. I only wished for the game to also offer more difficulty and accessibility options to open up the experience to a wider group of potential players.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a good game for fans of World of Darkness who are willing to invest time and energy to solve its puzzles and experience the narrative. The game can be needlessly complex and the writing isn’t always as evocative as it aims to be. The three main characters offer a nice variety of personalities but they sometimes feel like novices rather than hundred years old vampires with a deep pool of abilities to draw on. The presentation is too ambitious for its own good, although there are moments when it makes this vampire-dominated universe come alive. I found that Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is more enjoyable if I abandon the idea of optimizing my character and the goal of getting the best result out of all situations. Play the game once, accept outcomes, and see where the story of these three vampires and their effort to protect the Boston Camarilla take you.

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.

Tennis Manager 2023 is a good if slightly uneven sports management experience. There’s a lot of depth to be found in the athlete-focused mechanics, with plenty of available choices when it comes to training and match strategy. Managing the academy itself adds another layer of decisions. I also like playing out matches, trying to evaluate the situation to find the best way to tweak tactics and improve player performance. The problem is that simulated matches often deliver weird results, something that the developers need to tackle. For the more die-hard tennis fans, the lack of real names for players will be the biggest barrier to entry. But Tennis Manager 2023 has a good strong core and shows how well the sports management formula can work for sports other than football.

Killer Frequency is a good narrative experience with some decent gameplay ideas. The story of the Whistling Man and his killing spree seems very familiar at first but benefits from nice twists and turns that actually pack emotional power. There’s not much depth to any of the mechanics but they add a lot of interactivity and give players opportunities to learn more about the universe of Gallows Creek. The voice actors deserve a lot of praise, especially for making their narratives interesting enough that I often forgot to constantly try to make crumpled paper free throws from my DJ station. The title does not outstay its welcome, at around 4 hours for a first run, and there’s replayability if players really want to keep everyone alive. Killer Frequency doesn’t reinvent its genre but it is engaging and simply fun.

Street Fighter 6 is not perfect, but it is revolutionary. It manages to cater to so many tastes and expectations, without dropping the ball that the developers deserve all the praise they get. Of course, some of the fan favorites all not in the initial roster, but this probably will be addressed by the nowadays mandatory Battle Pass. But, just this once, instead of crying wolf about the greed of publishers we have to admit that we are pleasantly surprised by all the content included in Street Fighter 6. Whether you are a fan of fighting games or not, this is one title you should not miss.

Decarnation is one of those rare video games that’s more than the sum of its parts. The story it tells is both important and carefully plotted. Gloria is an exceptional character and the game offers full access to her inner life. The gameplay is varied enough to keep players interested, although not all the mechanics are good by themselves. All these elements come together to deliver a great tale of discovery, resilience, and survival. Play it in two or three sessions, absorb the unique atmosphere, and try to push through the more annoying gameplay sequences. Decarnation is a very good game with a great main character and a unique twist on familiar ideas.

Dark Quest 3 is a very good adaptation of a tabletop game to the digital environment. Of course, you will not have to rely on your imagination, and you will not be surrounded by friends turned into trusty allies, but the overall experience is still a fun one. Some might feel it is too generic, and there are some rough edges that could have used more attention, but overall, the game does not disappoint and offers a relaxing break and quenches the thirst of those looking to take a party on an enjoyable adventure.

Return to Grace is an immersive narrative experience that shines when it comes to character interactions. The cast of Artificial Intelligence constructs is varied, fun, and challenges players to re-evaluate their approach and priorities. They are also beautifully voiced, as is the main character Adie. The story is also captivating, although some sections toward the conclusion feel rushed. Gameplay strives for variety but most of the featured mechanics feel shallow. It would have been better for the developers to focus on just one core idea and execute it with more complexity and a higher difficulty level. Despite this limitation, Return to Grace is one of the most interesting science fiction adventures I’ve played recently, and as many players as possible need to experience the banter of its A.I. companions.

If I were to make a list of games that people should play, the remake of System Shock would definitely be on that list. The folks at Nightdive Studios did an excellent job at breathing new life into the cult game, so if you’ve been holding back from playing System Shock due to outdated graphics, check out the remake. Despite the fact that some mechanics have been modernized, I believe that the presentation, new visuals, as well as the quality-of-life improvements fully make up for it. The blend of modern and retro graphics in the cutscenes and some of the environments are absolutely gorgeous.

Combat needs a bit more polishing, but it’s serviceable for what Liberte wants to be. I did enjoy the story very much and the voice acting, but I feel that the game needs more varied environments and enemies. I wasn’t too impressed with the progression system, which requires a lot of grinding. Thankfully, you’re allowed to skip this aspect if you’re mildly skilled.

I’m a big fan of the Tolkien universe, and I really wished Gollum, a game that no one wanted and asked for, would at least meet my already low expectations. I sincerely hoped to find a decent game hidden underneath all the technical issues. I also hoped that fixing the crashes and some of its other problems would eventually lead to an enjoyable experience. Alas, this game does not seem to be redeemable. Even if the development team manages to fix the plethora of crashes and errors, the game itself is faulty at its core. There is no trace of an enjoyable experience, and Gollum is doomed to remain in the game’s industry bin.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a good game if administered in small doses. Unfortunately, after a couple of hours, it becomes tiresome due to the repetitive design. Taking breaks will put it in a different perspective and chances are that you’ll find your way back to it for another short session. There's some replayability in this, since you can go back and to try and complete the levels on higher difficulty, as well as unearth any secrets that you might have missed in your previous playthrough. More importantly, the atmosphere is catchy and almost rises up to the expectations created by the trailers. Well, almost, but not entirely. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun feels like a pretty good start for something bigger. Hopefully, Auroch Digital’s take on the retro FPS genre will get a sequel that will bring exciting new mechanics and more varied content.

Rule the Waves 3 isn’t a visual feast and does not have a deep and immersive set of narrative events. Its systems are deep and well-designed but require the player to have or to seek knowledge about shipbuilding and naval warfare. The interface is very busy and it takes time to learn all its quirks. These are significant barriers to entry. Even fans of the historical strategy genre might be unwilling to break through them all. But, if you give Rule the Waves 3 time and energy, it can deliver a gaming experience that’s unlike anything else on the market, filled with deep design work and cool combat moments.

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.

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.

Firmament is clearly designed to appeal to players who loved the concept of Myst, showing them how impressive such a narrative-driven puzzle experience can be when built using modern tech. Stepping out into the three realms creates a powerful sense of wonder and there are plenty of moments when the world impresses with its scale and beauty. But these feelings do not last forever and the core gameplay loop struggles to keep players pushing forward. There’s some clever puzzle design to wrap one’s head around but there’s too much friction when it comes to the implementation of the solutions. I wanted Firmament to be more ambitious, with more twists to its narrative and puzzles that require less grunt work and more exploration of its gorgeous levels.

Although I would have liked to see some visual changes too, there’s nothing wrong in using the same assets if they proved to be so popular among players. Fuga: Melodies of Steel series remains an indie gem that has yet to receive the attention it deserves. If you love turn-based strategy games with serious themes, I can’t recommend this enough.

Blooming Business: Casino is a good tycoon management game and will satisfy gamers who want to create attractive gambling rooms, keep them in tip-top condition, and find the best ways to satisfy customers and VIPs. The title’s mechanics are good and the presentation and narrative offer a laid back atmosphere. Given these strong foundations, I’m a little disappointed that the developers at Homo Ludens didn’t include at least one big twist to the genre. The VIP focus is about half an innovation and I wanted a bigger new idea to work with. Blooming Business: Casino is a perfectly pleasant game with strong core concepts but should have aimed for more.

Miasma Chronicles is one hell of a ride from start to finish. Although the package comes with a compelling story, my number one enjoyment was to find new ways to finish a fight faster since I treated these as puzzles with complex solutions. If you love turn-based games, Miasma Chronicles is a must-play.

A true masterpiece by today’s standards, the newest Zelda game is a technological wonder considering it’s been made to run on a rather outdated console. This is a must-play even if you haven’t played a Zelda game before, but you might not enjoy it if you’re not into sandbox experiences.

Dead Ink’s core gameplay is built on ideas inspired by the very popular Dark Souls but it is not part of the forgettable recent wave of titles that simply copy them. The vertical layout of the tower is a big twist with major consequences for exploration. Players need to move carefully and pay close attention to ladders and ledges that will lead to new places. Combat is all about careful dodging and strikes delivered at just the right time. The narrative is pretty limited. But I like the feeling of discovery and how the game encourages players to create mental maps and unlock shortcuts. Dead Ink should have tried to tweak the formula it’s working with a little more but it has enough unique elements to keep fans engaged.

This Means Warp is designed to appeal to players who can get a group of friends together and get them to join in cooperative play. The main mechanics of combat and repairing are easy to understand but as soon as more than one human is involved, everything can quickly devolve into chaotic fun. Time and energy will allow groups to become expertly-drilled crews. The title’s biggest issue is how repetitive the gameplay loop is. This is mitigated when more than one player is involved. But a solo game with computer companions will be frustrating. Get This Means Warp if you have a group of friends who like science fiction and ship-to-ship combat and are ready to get together for some controlled chaos and some laughs.

Tin Hearts has clever puzzle design, interesting ways to interact with the environment, and a good ramp-up for its difficulty level. The time manipulation system makes it easy to try out new ideas and see how they play out. There are no difficulty spikes and the level of frustration is kept to a minimum. The title’s presentation works well with the mechanics but the narrative never made an impact. The focus on toys makes the game well-suited for younger gamers, even if they might need help when it comes to figuring out solutions. Tin Hearts is a carefully calibrated puzzle experience and offers a great way to unwind.

Arto is the rare indie that impresses visually without relying on the classic pixel art style with a layer of nostalgia. Each of the deities creates its own picket universe, with a unique theme, and the idea that players are constantly spreading color while moving works well with all of them. I literally spent one full hour simply making sure that Goya’s world is fully covered in color. The spectacle only works because the game also has good mechanics. Combat is fast and Liv is responsive, able to deal with bosses without generating too much frustration. The game’s fantasy world also meshes well with its mechanics. Arto is bright and fun, a lovely experience that shows the power of a great idea combined with an impressive presentation.

Ravenlok is a great introductory experience for players who might be interested in the action-adventure genre but don’t want to take on the bigger titles in the genre. The story is familiar but mostly works, with some nice characters. The voxel graphics are a big initial draw. The biggest problem for me is the very shallow combat system. But, again, this might actually draw in players who want to battle bosses without encountering any annoying setbacks. Ravenlock is a collection of good ideas and weird choices that fails to deliver on its initial promise.

Mia and the Dragon Princess is limited even when it comes to the classic full-motion video approach. There are some player choices, the narrative does branch, and it can take some time to put together the best way to get characters to one of the positive endings. Even with the ability to skip scenes, there’s little incentive to play through it for more than 2 or, maybe, 3 times if you really feel a connection to one of the main characters. The biggest problem is the lack of narrative coherence. The villain is just a collection of ticks and tropes and, while I like the central pair, their characterization is also scattershot. FMV experiences can be interesting and engaging, both in terms of story and gameplay. Mia and the Dragon Princess fails to deliver on either of those fronts and would have worked better as a straight-to-streaming movie.

Although it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Showgunners adds its own twist on the formula, and I think it works pretty well. If you’re an XCOM fan, this is a no-brainer.

Darkest Dungeon II is everything I expected and more. An evolution of the series that introduces so many new mechanics that I can hardly believe that this is a sequel to the original Darkest Dungeon. Less punishing and frustrating than the first game, Darkest Dungeon II offers fans of the series a myriad of options when it comes to creating the perfect party. The thing that didn’t change from the first game is the pain you feel when your most powerful hero fails a “death’s door” check because you thought it would survive one more hit. Darkest Dungeon II is a near-perfect roguelite that’s hard to surpass.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu is a complex and tough game designed to appeal to players who know and love classic dungeon-crawling experiences from the past. The presentation is an asset and the narrative is decent. But the real draw is the well-designed combat and the many challenging encounters.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an amazing game. I had a lot of fun with the new stances and the story is enthralling. If not for the performance issues, this game could have been easily among the best released this year.

This is the kind of experience where gamers will often know how to get to the base but will struggle mightily to remake the environment or defeat enemies while keeping all the darsanauts in line and alive. Moons Of Darsalon is clearly a labor of love and I like much of what it’s trying to do, even if I think the effort should have been spent on another core gameplay loop.

Dungeon Drafters delivers on its core concept of mixing turn-based tactics with card play. It takes a little time to get going and get a clear idea of how to modify the deck and what kind of cards are best suited to a particular strategy. But there’s a wide variety of approaches and the tactical puzzles are fun and challenging.I would have liked some navigational aids for the hub town and more help from the game when it comes to deck building. But Dungeon Drafters rewards players who are willing to invest time with beautifully crafted dungeons and engaging card and tile-driven battles.

The sound design is the most interesting part of the title’s presentation. All weapons sound weighty and the chorus of multiple types firing at once makes every encounter feel deadly. The soundtrack is also very good, keeping the tension up and pushing players to move fast and kill efficiently.

The gameplay is addictive and innovative, while the controls are simple and tight. Perhaps the game needed a few more tunes, but the pixel art is very well done. There’s no voice-acting, but there’s a little bit of an unconventional story to discover if you’re a fan of mysteries. The only downside is that Nuclear Blaze ends very fast. It’s like a very short SCP novel that you read while commuting. It took me less than two hours to finish it, but I had a lot of fun. Get this if you’re looking for a good platformer.

God of Rock’s big idea, to mix fighting game and classic music concepts, is a very good one. I love how it manages to evoke stardom when I hit the notes at just the right time, groove to the music, and watch my favorite fighter pummeling an opponent. It’s easy to understand the mix of mechanics but it’s not easy to master them. The soundtrack is also great, both in terms of quality and variety. The game does need to improve its interface layout to accommodate more players. For anyone looking for innovation in the fighting game genre, God of Rock offers a good mix of mechanics as long as players have a few friends to battle against.

City of Beats mixes a good set of gameplay mechanics with atmosphere and some great music. Dashing across the rooftops, noticing a sound at the last second that lets you avoid an attack, and striking back at the perfect time, is very fun and engaging. The rogue-lite elements are very familiar and deliver a sense of progression but don’t add much otherwise. Despite the spareness of its classic cyberpunk narrative, I felt immersed in this universe. City of Beats has an innovative idea that’s very well implemented and will satisfy anyone who loves fast-paced combat, cyberpunk worlds, cool beats, and rogue elements.

With all its evident flaws, Graveyard Keeper Last Journey Edition is dangerously captivating. It is a shame that the developers did not spend more time making sure that the technical issues presented by the new content are ironed out. Fortunately, everything seems to be fixable by patches, that hopefully will soon be released. With its morbid humor, geeky puns and quirky characters, spiderweb likes mechanics and character arcs, this game managed to grow and stand on its own. There are still moments when it succumbs to grind but snaps out and makes you push forward. With plenty of content and just the right amount of challenge it makes it really hard to put down the controller.

Unwording is a short experience with a small number of puzzles and a barely sketched-out narrative. Tom is entirely unlike other video game protagonists, uninterested in most things around him and unexceptional. I’m not sure if he is depressed or if the spartan nature of his existence simply signifies his disgust with the modern world and its demands. The two types of puzzles are initially interesting but after solving two or three of them they become busy work. The game needed either a bigger world, with more variety in terms of puzzle design, or extra focus on mechanical innovation. I wanted to like Unwording more but its core ideas are limited and the story is too simple.

Mail Time is a delightful experience, filled with interesting characters and almost no conflict. All the different quests are fun to engage with and the game offers a nice sense of discovery. I love being helpful and trying to make this small patch of forest a better place for everyone. The party at the end is also a great reward for all the exploration. The gameplay is relatively limited and the title is short. It can serve as a great way to introduce younger players to platforming and a bright and colorful open world. It can also warm the heart of jaded veterans of the genre. Mail Time is nice and fun enough that I wished there was more of this world to explore and really hope the developers are thinking about a sequel.

If you’re looking for a card battler that looks gorgeous and has a captivating story, Ash of Gods: The Way is a must play. Just make sure you have graduated with a master’s degree in strategic turn-based battles and puzzle-solving.

Teslagrad 2 is both a rewarding and frustrating experience and how players feel about it will depend a lot on their tolerance for failure and repetition. Most of the movement puzzles look easy but, especially later in the game, take almost perfect execution to solve. Boss fights break up the pace and offer some great moments but also ask players to repeat the same moves to win. It’s often hard to stick with such a demanding game and the relative lack of narrative does not help. The game’s world is intriguing, with its mash-up of Vikings and electric powers. Teslagrad 2's minimalist approach creates a certain purity for gameplay but might make it hard for players to care about Lumina and her journey.

Trinity Trigger feels like a safest approach for a JRPG. The game certainly has its charm thanks to the cartoonish art style, but it doesn’t introduce any new mechanics in the world or JRPGs. The combat has been stripped of any complexity to make room for an in-depth weapon customization system that pretty much carries this entire aspect. It’s unfortunate that just about every location in the game is very low populated and that dungeons are almost the same, but Trinity Trigger makes up for it by providing players with a compelling narrative experience. Although it’s not really a “must play,” Trinity Trigger is definitely worth exploring.

Desktop Dungeons: Rewind’s idea of mixing exploration with health and mana regeneration is great, as are how players can use it. It’s very fun to explore the levels, discover enemies, decide the best way to tackle them, and then, finally, gather enough resources to kill the boss and take the trophy. The rest of the experience, including the kingdom development and the puzzles, is competent but not as impressive. Upgrades should probably cost a little less. But the core gameplay root is so good that Desktop Dungeons: Rewind is the rare game I plan to return to frequently, if only for one or two runs.

Overall, Strayed Lights is an enjoyable experience as long as you’re not expecting another challenging soulslike game. The eerie atmosphere, gorgeous visuals and outstanding soundtrack make it stand out from the plethora of action-adventure games. Its only fault is that character progression and combat are too simple, so the gameplay can quickly become repetitive. Despite having built a beautiful world, there’s really no exploration incentive and most of the landscapes are empty and devoid of life.

Batora: Lost Haven is a competent and mostly enjoyable action game. It has one big idea, the two natures of both Avril and her enemies, but never uses it in any truly unique ways. After a few hours, only the boss battles manage to break up the monotony. The puzzle element of the game is mostly filler. Avril and Mira make a good pair of protagonists but the rest of the narrative is not as exciting. Batora: Lost Haven needs to be more daring with its unique idea when it comes to both combat and puzzles.

Road To Devadatta is a relatively short and very story-focused game. Its narrative thread is pretty interesting at first but fails to maintain pace once fully supernatural elements are introduced. The levels are relatively small and the puzzles are pretty good, designed to challenge players without frustrating them. There are some interesting attempts to integrate aspects of Buddhism into the story.

All in all, Unheard – Voices of Crime can be a pleasant distraction on a rainy afternoon, but nothing more. If you're craving for a detective game that focuses on the audio aspect, this will definitely quench your thirst for a little bit.

The game’s narrative and presentation enhance gameplay without keeping players away from it for too long. The humor adds to the atmosphere and immersion. There are moments when too much is happening in Mr. Sun's Hatbox at once. But this is a game where even failure is entertaining while success opens up more variety and potential strategies.

Despite its generic story, the worldbuilding is great and so is the soundtrack. The art style is pretty good as well. One thing that I’d recommend to fans of the action-adventure genre is to avoid playing Stray Blade like a soulslike game because they’ll have a frustrating experience. Stray Blade is a thing of its own and can be enjoyed without being associated with the Dark Souls series.

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.

Hunt the Night has good core mechanics and an interesting universe to explore. But this is the kind of experience that will cause frustration and players need to be ready to deal with that. A big time and energy investment are needed to master combat scenarios, especially when bosses are involved. Both the world and the presentation are good enough to keep players interested. There's also nothing better than finally winning a fight you've previously lost tens of times. Hunt the Night could have used a few extra concessions for newcomers but it's one of the best top-down combat-focused experiences for players who want to be challenged.

Arcana of Paradise – The Tower might not be the best roguelike deckbuilder out there, but I have to commend the developers for taking the risks and adding their own twists to the formula. Even if some of these innovations don’t seem to fit the genre, at least it’s a breath of fresh air from the traditional roguelike deckbuilding recipe. Overall, this is a decent game that needs a bit more variation when it comes to cards and enemies. Character progression is another aspect that needs more work too because right now it’s quite uninteresting.

Wildfrost takes the core ideas of the very popular card-driven genre and makes enough changes to add freshness to it. It does take some time to unlock all the town buildings and the three tribes that can provide leaders and cards. But once that happens, the game offers a wide range of tactical options and it’s fun to discover how various combinations will perform against the capable bosses. The game’s presentation also stands out, with a good level of detail and a strong connection to the theme. Wildfrost features some tough challenges but also offers a constant sense of progression. Playing a few runs every day is a great way to sharpen tactical thinking.

Beyond the Long Night is a fun, focused experience that makes good use of both the time loop and the associated rogue-lite structure. Combat might not seem hard but it’s very easy to lose a heart focusing on enemies rather than their actual attacks. The universe is filled with discovery potential but some players might struggle to invest in that. My biggest issue is the time limit, which feels too tight to allow gamers to become fully engaged with a successful run. There were moments when I hit on a good superpower and the rooms were manageable when it comes to combat and then, suddenly, the red force was chasing me. Beyond the Long Night mixes twin-stick action and time loop mechanics well but it needs a few more gameplay hooks to be among the best in its genre.

Dead Island 2 is a poster boy for mindless fun. It is a gore fest that does not take itself seriously or the topic of zombie apocalypse. It’s mainly a relaxing stroll down the sunny streets of Beverly Hills littered with undead corpses. It has no ambition to revolutionize the genre or to be memorable. It’s safe to say that this is a game that you’ll enjoy for 10-15 hours, and, just like a good popcorn movie, you will probably forget soon after. If the developers respect their promise of fixing the most annoying bugs with the day-0 patch. Without it the game remains a playable, but very messy experience.