True Colors is a worthy continuation of the franchise. Releasing all the episodes at the same time was a good call, since you can go through the story in one sitting, offering around 8 hours’ worth of emotional journey. It is not perfect, and it would have deserved a more elaborate ending. It cannot be as emotional as Before the Storm or as important as the first game, but it keeps the best parts of its predecessors and adds some new elements that fit seamlessly in the mix. It is mandatory for all the fans of the series and a must try for those who think video games should be about much more than just shooting and explosions.

Deathloop is far from being the sum of my worst fears, but it went into a direction that does turn it into a mixed experience. There are some good ideas in the game, but repetition kills most of the fun. Still, it is not a bad game. If you have the patience to put together the story you will find it quite appealing, the level design is as brilliant as ever, but on the other hand the maps are really small, and the combat system is half baked. Overall if you expect another Prey or Dishonored you will be disappointed, but if you are looking for an action game that is quirky and different you might have fun with it.

Hindsight 20/20 aims to draw players in with the focus on moral choices and keep them engaged using its combat. But the former lacks enough context and narrative punch while the latter becomes repetitive and does not encourage more than one run-through. The development team does have some names from studios like BioWare and others, but they clearly need to further hone their craft. Their past successes might have left them overconfident. Their chops for decisions and choice creation might be better suited to another genre or require a more established functional setting. Wrath of the Raakshasa has some good ideas but it never delivers on its potential.

Golf Club: Wasteland is a good game but not because of the quality of its actual golfing experience. Putting balls into holes is serviceable. There are some well-designed levels but there are also some frustrating ones. Don’t feel any guilt if you play on Story mode and get as much of the narrative as you can, without bothering with hazards or limits. But the developers at Demagog understand how to create atmosphere and how to let the world tell a story. Radio Nostalgia is an impressive achievement, especially the songs. The team does need to find a game theme and a set of mechanics that allows them to flex their world-building muscles in more expansive ways than Golf Club: Wasteland can.

Pile Up! Box by Box is not a bad family game, but it is a completely forgettable one. Despite the nice visuals and friendly artistic style, the level design and the puzzles do not live up to the promise. The control is not always the best, since the camera often plays tricks with your depth perception making jumping from shelf to shelf, somewhat annoying. The lack of danger and challenge, makes the game kid friendly, but the lack of online co-op is hurting the entire package.

Overall, Rustler is a success story, a light-hearted and satirical game that does not take itself seriously at all. It tries to be an homage for both the classic GTA games but also to the comedy of Monty Python. It is a bit rough around the edges, sometimes it drowns you in Monty Python references and it could have used some more polishing, but it’s a fun experience. You have no real replay value here, but Rustler will keep you entertained for a weekend or two.

King’s Bounty II feels like a half-baked game that’s missing a lot of the features that made the series so popular among players. Even the content that does share similarities with the previous games seems rushed and unpolished. Although I commend the developers’ wish to bring something fresh on the table, I believe King’s Bounty II is a missed opportunity. Even though many of the issues the game had at launch may be fixed in future patches, there are many design choices that are impossible to address. Janky in all aspects, King’s Bounty II can be a worthy new entry for long-time fans or a terrible idea. If you’re considering this, just keep in mind that it’s rough around the edges.

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.

I can easily see myself spending hundreds of hours playing Humankind but not before it gets at least a round of updates to deal with crashes and some performance issues. The core of the 4X gameplay is easy to understand but hard to master, with a very big possibility space. The main selling point, moving through civilizations as history progresses, creates plenty of potential for cool stories, overpowered empires, and surprising twists. But the overall experience sometimes feels like less than the sum of its parts. Amplitude has such a reputation for creating unique civilizations and mechanics that I expected more.

The story, the combat system, the art style, the possibilities, the twists and also the technical performance makes Hades one of the best roguelite games released so far. It is a game that should not be missed, no matter your genre preferences.

Overall, The Falconeer: Warrior Edition remains the very same game with an excellent atmosphere, beautiful visuals, but a gameplay that is not as engaging as we would have hoped. It is still a remarkable achievement for one man, and the game while not perfect it is definitely worth trying. Despite the fact that sometimes the pace is a bit off, due to the big empty traversal sections, and that the difficulty level can be inconsistent, soaring to the skies on the back of your trusted mount is a unique experience.

Sure, the story is nothing impressive. There are moments when the generated levels do not make too much sense. Progress sometimes hinges on the placement of one health chest or one group of enemies. But, despite the randomness, Jupiter Hell feels fair and there’s a lot of depth to discover in this surprising mix.

The idea of creating a game world built around knowledge is a good one. But the developers at Souris-Lab should try to better define their mechanics if they expand on the world of Hemeide and to make clear what kind of players they target. Their puzzle design ability is solid, A Tale of Synapse is a good debut title, and it will be interesting to see what kind of experience they can create next.

Ambition: A Minuet in Power aims to be a graphical novel with a difference and comes very close to realizing its goal. The problem is that the game does not manage to keep up the quality of its writing or make its encounters unique enough. The developers do have good ideas. I like the fact that players can start to explore a historical situation (or a big political incident or the state of a country) through the mechanics of this genre. I appreciate the mix of serious subject matter and sometimes silly romance encounters. But Ambition: A Minuet in Power needed a little more focus to convince me to play through it more than one time, even if I appreciate what it is trying to achieve.

I wish that the game could have created a better shell for the entire experience. I like the look of the characters and the world, but it does need a little more variety. And the fantasy-driven story feels a little undercooked. The gameplay in Unbound: Worlds Apart is good enough to keep fans of the genre entertained, especially if they love the occasional challenge. But future titles from Alien Pixel Studios need a little more when it comes to narrative to deliver a truly great gaming experience.

In its current state Blightbound is nothing else but disappointment. There is a lot of potential in the game, but it is squandered not only by technical issues, but also by some very bad design choices. This is far from a finished game, and the people on the forums complain that in many aspects it is even worse than what they saw during the Early Access phase. Blightbound does not need only bug fixes, but a complete overhaul, because it is not a fun experience by any means. It tried to walk in the footsteps of the great classics, but it fell on its face in the most embarrassing way.

The Forgotten City would have been a good game, if the developers would have remained in the lane of adventure games. The action scenes are more of a miss, since the whole game was built on the idea of observing and solving puzzles. Although you have other means at your disposal, the strongest suit of The Forgotten City remains its slower gameplay focused on problem solving. For a small group of people, putting together The Forgotten City is no small feat, and they deserve the praise.

The team at Dinosaur Polo Club clearly has a knack for creating stripped-down but beautiful graphics and for simplifying mechanics down to their essence, which is a clear strength for a title that aims for success on mobile devices. But in order to make Mini Motorways engaging on other platforms, they needed to introduce a new mechanic or a new way to tackle the traffic challenge to add to the depth of the experience.

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.

Overall, Cris Tales is a charming tale, a great JRPG, and a memorable experience, with plenty of replay value. The characters are endearing, while the story is based on the innocence of childhood. It is almost like a time travel experience taking you back to when your parents used to read you bedtime stories. You can feel that the team poured their heart and soul into the game making it a game that will convince everyone willing to try it, even if they usually do not like JRPGs. It has some issues and for some, the visuals might be too colorful or cheerful, but it is an adventure worth playing through.

The developer clearly is a fan of some classic experiences and knows how to take their spirit and bring it to the present. The challenge is to update the core mechanics interestingly and choose the right concepts for the world he is building. Guild of Darksteel is ultimately a shallow experience that does not offer much more than its demo but I am curious what Sandman can create in the future.

The Farm 51 has created an atmospheric and challenging game that mixes plenty of inspirations in a cool new way. More variety in terms of locations and more options for combat would have made Chernobylite an instant classic.

Out of Line is a very short experience (it took me two hours to finish it), and while the length of a game shouldn’t define a game’s quality, I would’ve expected Out of Line to be at least a bit more fulfilling. That being said, I would recommend the game to those who aren’t looking for overly complex puzzles and a deep, meaningful story. Out of Line is one of those games that won’t challenge puzzle enthusiasts nor appease players looking for an appealing narrative.

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.

Scarlet Nexus does a lot of things right, but it fails to offer a cohesive gameplay experience. I think it would be best described as a visual novel with action-RPG elements rather than vice-versa. While the story is compelling enough to keep you going until the end, the game is full of bloat that needs to be cut. Despite its shortcomings, Scarlet Nexus is one of the better action RPG titles coming from Bandai Namco. I just wish it would have more respect for the player's time, and do away with all the uninteresting fluff that doesn't tie in the story.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos on paper has all the right ingredients. Unfortunately, they are not implemented as you would expect them to be, and the game ends up as a bad parody of itself rather than of the fantasy genre. The coarse and uninspired humor does not work as the developers have intended, and in the long run, it becomes annoying. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos has a lot of untapped potentials, unfortunately, due to the countless technical issues it is hard to recommend the console version to any players.

Where the Heart Leads is not for everyone. If you like interactive visual novels and you enjoy dramas rooted in real life, the game will feel like a hidden gem. If you prefer gameplay over the story and you already have a bad opinion about walking simulators, there is nothing here for you. This being said, Where the Heart Leads remains a relatable experience, and going through it, you are sure to find some connections with your own life. It's that kind of game that surely triggers emotional reactions just by looking back at your life choices.

Battlesector is a good mix of setting and mechanics. It shows how fun and engaging a properly scaled and designed Warhammer 40,000 experience can be. The campaign has interesting choices as it progresses and offers a good level of challenge. Fans can also set up varied skirmishes or face friends in multiplayer (a Slitherine account is required for full functionality).

Anna’s Quest is a solid adventure game, that fails to become memorable. Both the puzzles and the story are just too generic, the characters are lacking emotion, and once finished, most probably you will never feel the need to spin it up again. The dialogues are plain and the pace of the story is way too slow, with only a few moments you could actually call funny. The simple graphics do not bring justice to the fairy tale theme of the game, and overall Anna’s Quest is far from the level we come to expect from Daedalic.

Necromunda Hired Gun has a great atmosphere and some good ideas, but the game overall is disappointing. The initial excitement soon enough turns into frustration and regret. The numerous issues manage to almost completely ruin the game experience, and make you forget about the good parts. The patches are coming out steadily, the developers are trying to fix their mess, but in the end, Hired Gun leaves you with a bitter taste. This could have been a memorable game, yet Necromunda: Hired Gun feels like an ambitious project too big for such a small developer.

There aren't too many things that Wings of Ruin doesn't do right for a turn-based game set in the Monster Hunter universe. Too many loading times and the rather ugly visuals (in the first part of the game) might detract from the game's appeal, but the addictive Pokemon-like monster hatching mechanic and the deep combat are more than enough to keep players invested throughout an entire playthrough. Despite the cliché story scenario, the game does have its surprising moments that can get you emotional rather quickly. At the end of the day, I believe Wings of Ruin's lighthearted narrative is perfectly suited for a Monster Hunter game that's all about hatching monsters to help you hunt the same monsters.

The biggest potential issue with the game is that it offers too much freedom and too little structure. It might drive players away if they feel that their progress is too gated. But I love the feeling of freedom that Boomerang X offers when it is at its best and the huge adrenaline spike that a good fight against seven waves can deliver, regardless of the result.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is not just a love letter to fans, but also a great gift that BioWare is making to newcomers to the series. Although some of the issues present in the original games haven't been fixed, there are so many improvements to the first two Mass Effect titles that I'm willing to overlook the minor bugs. The entire trilogy sends players throughout this amazing sci-fi universe that feels alive and vibrant everywhere you look. Perhaps these games should have been remastered separately to get the attention they deserve, but having the entire trilogy in a single bundle that's perfectly playable nearly 15 years after the release of the first game is surely convenient.

Backbone is a good game that will disappoint some of its players. The world is engaging and the detective mechanics are limited but cool. A sequence at the end of Act III is one of the most stunning I have experienced in a video game, both from a narrative and presentation standpoint. The game also delivers on its tonal shift and twist and does things that a simple noir detective story could not. Backbone understands the value of good writing and works hard to make words matter. The development team has already said that it has more stories to tell in this universe and I very much want to see how they expand on the best elements of Backbone and how they can make the world even more intriguing.

Realpolitiks II is a good grand strategy experience. It has plenty of mechanics to engage with and cool ways to push the player to try new things depending on the nation he chooses. The international system is underdeveloped but the project concept is an innovation that works well. The development team at Jujubee has also focused on the modern world, a period that not many titles in the genre try to tackle (Paradox has not yet moved much beyond World War II). Realpolitiks II might seem complex for newcomers but its mix of ideas and execution will work well for anyone who has even a little experience with the grand strategy space.

Mighty Goose is a very good experience for a clearly defined set of players. One needs to love old-school arcade action to love it. An interest in wacky characters helps, as does a focus on gameplay and an interest in trying to best one’s old scores. The game knows what it can deliver and offers a very pure experience for those who know what they want from it. The problem is that the developers do not push the limits of the space they settled in. The companions and the special powers are attempts at this but limited ones. After three or four levels even the idea of battling new bosses failed to excite me about the game. Mighty Goose is another title that needs more than very good execution of core concepts to stand out.

Green Hell is a console port that unfortunately does not manage to rival its PC counterpart. What can accomplish is to stand out from the relentless wave of survival games, as a title with personality, with both perks and flaws. The gameplay manages to keep its edge, but the challenges are even more frustrating because of the technical issues. If you are in your element when facing impossible odds, Green Hell is right up your alley. The abuse on players is relentless and creates an almost Stockholm syndrome-like experience. All the survival enthusiasts will keep coming back for more and more punishment.

Roguebook is a competent game, both a good and a bad thing to be in the crowded rogue and card game spaces. For a newcomer, this is a solid entry-point, with engaging battles, a good long-term progression, and an interesting way to explore. For someone who has played the obvious inspirations the ink-linked ideas are not innovative enough. The team at Abrakam was too conservative in its approach. The game needs more weirdness and more tweaks to the battle formula to stand out. If they get the chance to create another Roguebook experience they need to take the good bones of this game and then push the entire genre forward in some way.

The Magnificent Trufflepigs almost instantly draws a comparison with Firewatch. But it fails to deliver in the same way and actively made me regret spending the 2 hours required to finish it. The development team wants to both tell a poignant story about growing up and making choices and to (slight spoiler) deliver a twist ending that makes almost everything that comes before feeling empty.

Ninja Gaiden became an instant cult classic from the moment it was launched, thanks to its gameplay and “git gud” attitude. The level of difficulty was high back then and it is even more so nowadays. I appreciate the thought of dusting it off and presenting it to the current generation of gamers, but this series would have deserved more attention and love. With more effort and care it could have achieved the quality level Nioh can brag with, and prove to us again why gamers fell in love with ninjas. As it stands now, even with the Day1 patch released, the Master Collection is lacking on every front. The games are still enjoyable, but there is nothing masterful in this collection, the publisher being content releasing a mere port instead of a remaster or alas, a remake.

I don't feel that Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is a major upgrade over the previous title, but the presentation got up a notch or two, and so are the graphics. While I love the sandbox and semi-open world aspects, I think the implementation feels artificial and ruins the immersion more often than not. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contract 2 doesn't bring too many new things to the table, so it more of a safe rather than an evolutionary sequel. The sniping experience feels satisfying enough to keep you entertained for the entire campaign, and the way the maps are designed leaves room for different tactics. I think this a solid entry in the Sniper Ghost Warrior Contract series, but it's nothing revolutionary.

We Are Football is an intriguing attempt to offer another take on the football management genre. The game has a very good match presentation and some solid club-focused mechanics but I am not sure that this is enough to make it a contender. The developers really need to get at least one major league full license (the Bundesliga is probably the most accessible) to draw fans in. An editor that is both faster and easier to use just to engage with names would also help. The football management space needs more options and more innovation. The developers clearly try to focus on the match and the squad interactions while also offering more club-based features for those who want it. I liked the time I spent with We Are Football but it’s unlikely that I will use it to play a ten-year-long Liverpool campaign anytime soon.

Overboard! is a great game for anyone who has played a previous inkle title and liked it. The characters are fun, the lines of dialogue are well-written, the possibilities are all interesting. Veronica manages to be sympathetic despite being all too capable of murder. The replay value of the experience is higher than for any of their previous titles. This means that even for newcomers to the genre this is a great title to take a chance on.

Call of the Sea is a beautiful adventure, and the first thing that will draw you in is undeniably the gorgeous visuals. The gameplay may not be perfect and the story may be a one-time experience, but the game still is worth a playthrough. The atmosphere of the game is an engaging one, though it will make you feel as safe as a baby in a cradle. If you are a fan of the Lovecraftian universe though, you might leave disappointed. The game lacks all the heavy and tormenting atmosphere that made famous the works of the American author. Call of the Sea remains an adventure game that will be enjoyed by the fans of this genre.

Pro Cycling Manager 2021 is not a game I would recommend right now, especially given the recent history of the franchise. Wait for a few patches and one big community mod delivery. The core gameplay has not evolved in any major way and the additions feel half-baked. The presentation is pretty much the same, with minor tweaks.

Devolver often delivers weird games that take familiar ideas or mechanics and deliver cool twists on them. Loop Hero is a very good example of how this approach can succeed. Sludge Life has good tunes and a new presentation style but it needed more in the way of either gameplay or narrative to deliver a truly cool experience.

Beautiful Desolation is a mature game for mature audiences. If you like dystopian stories, classic point-and-click adventures, and you miss the magic of hand-drawn environments it will be right up your alley. On the other hand, younger audiences will have a harder time with the game, since it does not offer instant gratification, and the action scenes are utterly useless. Beautiful Desolation raises a lot of questions but leaves the answers open for most of the time. It is an experience that makes you wonder about humanity and what the future will bring. It is fun only for those who are looking for deep-reaching experiences, that will stick with you long after you finished the game.

Academia: School Simulator is a medium commitment simulation experience, meaning that it’s engrossing without overwhelming. Gamers do not have to worry about coming tweaks or the introduction of entirely new mechanics because the game is content complete. The title also has a very extensive set of mods that can introduce variety when a player feels like a master of the core experience.

Imagine Earth is a very good title for both fans and newcomers to the building and management genre. I loved the likes of Pharaoh (when much younger) and Cities: Skylines (more recently) and really appreciate both the foundations and the quirks this game has to offer. For someone who is exploring this gaming space for the first time the difficulty ramps up gently and there is plenty of info on how to engage with the mechanics. There are times when the title seems to deliver more core ideas than it has to, possibly to add more challenge even if it does not need to. But most of the time the game from Serious Bros is both engaging and enchanting. Imagine Earth shines in both campaign and free play and I cannot wait to see how the team expands on its core mechanics.

Biomutant is flawed from almost every angle we look at it but still manages to be fun. Nothing is truly original or innovative, but it is melded together in a fashion that makes the game work. It is an RPG in a huge open world, with tons of action, even more freedom, and its very own personality. For a first game, it is not bad. Some things can be improved, but you can lose yourself in the game world and you will have fun with it. Despite the flat jokes and repetitive secondary quests, Biomutant is a game worth a try.

Of Bird and Cage is not a good game and I can only think of a small subset of people who might enjoy it: fans of progressive rock with a love of soapy narrative drive titles and an ability to ignore presentation issues. Anyone else should avoid playing the game, even if it is relatively short at around two hours. The developers are certainly attempting an ambitious mix and they should be applauded for that. But a lot more investment in coherent gameplay and a good story is required to make it a success. Get the soundtrack created for Of Bird and Cage if you love the artists involved because it really does not work as a video game.

Even though its roguelike recipe feels flawed, Returnal's exhilarating gunplay, clever story, and mesmerizing atmosphere elevate it to a higher than average rank. Its addictive gameplay loop, gorgeous visuals, and amazing 3D sound create an immersive atmosphere that is difficult to imitate.

The Invisible Hand could have been a great if simplistic stock trading-focused game, if it dropped the satire elements, choosing to focus on how the market can be manipulated and on how rivalries develop between traders. The title could also have been a solid satire of modern wild capitalism and the way it lacks morals or compassion if it allowed itself to invest more in relationships and good dialogue and less in the actual stock-based gameplay. The problem is that the development team wants to deliver on both concepts and fails to reach the potential of either of them. The limited appeal of the presentation does not help with either of them.

Resident Evil Village is one of the best entries in the series, hands down. It has some minor issues, but nothing to interfere with the overall experience. There are tons of extras and plenty of replay value from new levels of difficulty, to new weapons, challenges to the new Mercenary mode. You will have to discover this for yourself, along with the story, since we do not want to cross into spoiler territory. You can rest assured that although the innovations are not as obvious as in the case of Biohazard, Village refines the gameplay experience and fixes the shortcomings and critics of the previous episode. We highly recommend Resident Evil Village to all fans of video games.

World Splitter has a killer core mechanic. The dimensional rift introduces a wide array of possibilities even in a relatively simple level. I spend a lot of time moving it around, seeing how it affects enemies and the environment, trying to see the best way it can help me get from left to right. The game also knows when and how to introduce new elements and twists to keep the gameplay fresh through the six big worlds. The problem is that discovery and experimentation are directly linked to failure and frustration. My rabbit dies repeatedly and sometimes I don’t exactly understand why, so I kill him some more to test out theories. After some time I understand what and how to do and finish a level with a decent result (the targets the game sets are for much better players). I only wished the development team offered more ways to cut down frustration to make more gamers enjoy World Splitter for longer periods.

Base One is a mostly solid game that never impresses. The story and writing are not a big part of the management genre but here they are so bland that they actively hurt the experience. Managing a space station is a chore when the narrative gives me no reason to look forward to new objectives and cool interactions. The game also feels limited by the fact that everything happens on one plane. A futuristic base will need to use space in complex ways and three dimensions to truly maximize efficiency and create a structure that can be easily defended or moved. Base One is too conservative in its take on the future, its approach to mechanics, and its story to create an experience that can keep gamers engaged with the campaign in the long term. The custom game mode offers ways to engage with all core mechanics in a variety of player-defined scenarios.

Poker Club is fully functional, but a totally bland experience. You have many gamification elements implemented on top of the actual poker game, like the customization options and the clubs. But these do not bring added value, since they do not have real effects on the gameplay experience. Having fixed most of the technical and visual bugs that plagued the initial release, Poker Club cannot overcome the issues that haunt all the poker simulators. The unpredictability of the human element brings tediousness and a slow pace, without being able to replicate the thrills of playing face to face with another human being.

Legends of Ellaria is one example of how too much ambition can lead to a hard to enjoy the final product. There’s simply too much here to have fun. The transitions are too long. The strategic layer does not add any sort of fun. The management can be enjoyable but does not mesh well with the rest of the experience.

Legend of Keepers is a good mix of ideas that could use some more variety. For the first 10 to 15 hours it has the pace and content to throw new ideas and new options out. It’s very fun to take down new groups of more powerful heroes and see what’s the best combination of monsters and traps to sap their spirit or to destroy their health points. The game also has plenty of long-term goals. But once I learned more about the monsters and the enemies I found it hard to get excited, even when I got a new powerful creature or when a powerful hero dropped in. Goblinz Studio understands the two genres it is mixing but it should have added a pinch more innovation to make Legend of Keepers into a long-term fun experience.

Buildings have feelings too! is based on a unique and interesting concept, but it falls short in execution. Those looking for a city management game will be disappointed since this is a puzzle game in a clever disguise. Despite the stylish visuals, the game overall feels like the victim of a limited budget and does not manage to reach its full potential. The game leaves little room for error and it is frustrating that it does not allow you to retry a specific chapter, rather it forces you to restart the entire game. Even if you like solving puzzles, the level of difficulty will be off-putting because they are paired with clunky controls.

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.

If you like horror adventure games, DARQ Complete Edition is definitely worth trying. If you played the game already, you can now replay it in its complete form with better framerates. If this is your first contact with DARQ, the Complete Edition offers the best experience possible. Still, it is hard to forgive the length, the lack of the story, and the fact that after you played or, replayed it once more, there is nothing more to do here. The atmosphere is special, the puzzles are well thought out, and the environment is very detailed, but each player has to decide for themselves how 2-3 hours of fun should translate into a price tag.

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.

Ashwalkers has a few good ideas that it executes well. The problem is that the development team wants to make the game seem to be more than it actually is. If everything moved faster and with clearer decisions then it would be worth an extended time investment. As it stands after a first completed expedition I had no desire to try another. The characters stay the same and the management element never adds new twists. The end screen for each playthrough shows quite a few possible conclusions to work towards but the world never feels interesting enough to try and get them all. Unless you truly love slow, moody stories and choice-focused titles avoid Ashwalkers unless updates deliver a tighter, faster version of the experience.

Overall Superliminal is a great puzzle experience, and you feel throughout it that the developers had fun putting it together. This is a dream therapy that actually works, being funny and creative at the same time.

Say No! More is an example of what a small team with a clear message and design direction can deliver. Studio Fizbin has crafted a short but happy game that explains why uttering a certain word is necessary and makes players feel powerful while saying it. I felt like a better human being after I finished it, even if it might not actually lead to more instances of “No” in my own life. There’s a little bit too much earnestness in the writing at times, especially during the final third, but once one buys into the premise it is easy to get past it. Say No! More talks about the importance of choice and self-expression and curious players should ignore its thesis and say “Yes” to this narrative-driven experience.

Everything that Capcom included in Monster Hunter Rise feels like it's been curated by a perfectionist. The soundtrack, visuals, gameplay mechanics, monster-hunting loop, and multiplayer have been thoroughly designed to offer players the ultimate Monster Hunter experience on a handheld device. With a little bit more investment in the narrative, Monster Hunter Rise could have been a perfect game. Without that it's just one of the best games in the series, a must-play title for every Nintendo Switch owner. I'm amazed that after two incredible Monster Hunter games, Capcom still finds a way to outdo itself and push out another nearly perfect monster-hunting title.

Signs of the Sojourner presents itself as a contemporary art piece, where the truth and the beauty are in the eye of the beholder. It is carefully put together, it conveys a series of messages and it is based on an original concept. Unfortunately, it fails to create harmony between the gameplay and the story, so the result feels fractured. The story is too slow, the card play is not engaging enough, and the gap between the two elements is never actually bridged. Signs of the Sojourner remains a bizarre experiment, that had potential, but where the artists stumbled being tripped by their own feet.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a great story with minimalistic gameplay. It feels that through the entire game the developers focused mainly on the diary, Estoria being more of an afterthought. Still, overall, the magic is there and the game is worth a playthrough especially by young adults. There are some original and innovative ideas in the game, but in the end, is a very casual experience. Those who love a good story will love Lost Words: Beyond the Page. But those who are looking for deep gameplay, have nothing to see here.

Nanotale – Typing Chronicles manages to put words at the heart of both the action and the story in a unique way. The centrality of typing is justified in the world that the developers have created and makes for some interesting challenges for gamers. The more classic exploration elements, based around the word magic system, also work well. The biggest problem is that the constant keyboard action can become a little tiring. Keep sessions to a little under an hour to make sure that you do not simply burn out from spelling. Nanotale is also a video game that would benefit immensely from an investment in a very good keyboard.

Black Legend is a game that has potential but fails to fulfill enough of it to keep a player interested. The tactical, hex and turn-based, battles are good. The humors are intriguing. But the game offers nothing to make them meaningful.

Paradise Lost is a story worth exploring once, the alternative ending targeting those who were roped in by the story and the character development of Szymon. Sadly, there won’t be too many, because despite the strong start, the magic fades and ultimately Paradise Lost proves to be a walking simulator that could have been very interesting in theory, but actually it is just conventional and flat.

El Hijo A Wild West Tale is a stealth game that also tries to juggle puzzle elements, and the balance is lost along the way. It is not a bad game, but one that starts you hiding in the environment, but by the end of your adventure, you will remember mostly the puzzles. It teases you with all the possible approaches but does not grant you enough freedom to actually put them into action. Although it targets the whole family, it can be recommended only for those who are looking for the challenge due to the steep difficulty level. Still, El Hijo A Wild West Tale radiates candor and innocence, two qualities that recommend it to everyone.

Redout: Space Assault is a relatively simple game that satisfies some very arcade itches. Taking out enemies while dodging waves of attacks and finding some time to take stock of the situation can be exhilarating. But in its current form, the mechanics are simply too limited to make the game engaging for more than a few hours. Its phone-based origin is clear. The big battles are, at first, fun and exciting. But the fourth or fifth time when almost the same scenarios appear it is hard to summon the energy to do it all again. More variety is needed to make this on-tails space combat experience attractive in the long term.

Star Renegades although borrows many elements from other games, manages to feel fresh and entertaining. It offers plenty of content, and though you will have to go through several attempts to crack it, the game manages to avoid feeling repetitive. The deep combat system, the different heroes, the procedurally generated maps, the different difficulty levels all contribute to the high replay value of the game. Star Renegades builds on the nostalgic factor and is targeting mainly the fans of TBT, but it proves to be enjoyable by anyone who decides to try it.

Neurodeck is an engaging take on the deck-builder genre. The enemies are varied, the cards have cool synergies, the runs in their entirety integrate combat and other activities well. Some difficulty spikes feel unfair. The good news is there are no opponents that cannot be taken down with good card selection and battle strategy. The game does not have the breath or innovation of the best of its class. But the focus on phobia, mental health, and stress make it an interesting experiment. Neurodeck shows how you can create a video game that offers information about the real world without looking preachy while also offering good core mechanics.

Newcomers to the franchise will find Battle Brothers very hard to pick up, especially due to the lack of a proper tutorial. I do love those games that don't hold your hand, but I think Battle Brothers is in a league of its own and some more complex aspects should be made more clear. Although the learning curve is quite steep, once you get the hang of it, Battle Brothers is actually a very enjoyable experience. I strongly recommend those looking for a challenging turn-based RPG to give Battle Brothers a try, not just for the complexity of building the perfect company of brothers, but also for its stunning soundtrack and art style.

Hot Brass is an intriguing game that restricts its ability to keep players engaged. The SWAT fantasy is well transferred into mechanics but the overall look of the game makes it hard to fully enjoy. The missions are designed for multiple approaches but different ways of engaging with the title do not deliver a variety of thrills or failures. The focus on real-time action is probably the biggest drawback because it undermines the importance of planning. While the pressure and tension work well the top-down action title is too confusing at times. Trying for an objective, again and again, becomes frustrating.

The developers have nailed the sense of progression and the tension that the genre is built around. The presentation is very old-school, which can be a problem for players who have never interacted with MS-DOS titles. It is also integral to the spirit of this game. Loop Hero is a great game for fans of its genre and has plenty of cool mechanics and hooks for those who want to try it out for the first time.

Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 is fun, at least for a couple of hours. After that, you will not be inclined to run the game again, because you will already have figured out everything it has to offer. It feels like even the developers designed the game as a temporary distraction, aware that the magic quickly fades out. It is only a small improvement compared to the first Monster Jam Steel Titans and even with a more modest price tag and online multiplayer, it is hard to recommend for someone. Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 is way too arcade for the fans of the sport and offers very little to anyone else.

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.

Sword of the Necromancer is a game that will scratch a very particular itch for fans of rogue-lite experiences that feature more narrative than the genre is known for. The gameplay mechanics deliver one cool idea, the monster resurrection, but fail to make full use of it, especially when players need to deal with bosses or the more capable enemies of later levels. I wanted the game to give me more reasons to use the monsters I revived, to understand them, to build strategies around the ones I chose to carry around. The development team clearly understands how important is to ground players into a narrative. But they need to make sure that there’s deeper integration between the world and the gameplay to create a successful rogue-lite. Right now Sword of the Necromancer is like one of its monsters, intriguing at first but quickly dropped when it no longer seems useful.

Imperator: Rome is an example of how hard it can be to reconcile gameplay and history. On launch, the game failed to deliver the mix that players expected from Paradox. The Marius update, especially with the tweaks to warfare, is closer to the historical record while also offering gamers plenty of agency. Heirs of Alexander is a good paid expansion, even considered apart from the free update. The Diadochi wars are fascinating and complex. I played quite a bit as the Antigonids and I still have options to explore. The other successor kingdoms have the same amount of content. For anyone who exhausts the stories of the Diadochi, there's more to discover and more places to conquer when playing as Rome, Carthage, and the rest, making Imperator a joy to return to.

Olija is a god game built for a specific audience. If you loved classic exploration and combat titles on the PC from the ’80s, then this experience has plenty to offer. The graphical style will be charming, the gameplay challenging enough but not impossible to master. The narrative is not too engaging but it will keep players interested. Unfortunately, there’s little to bring in those who simply lack those gaming memories. The pixelated look can easily be judged as hard to understand, stifling experimentation and making it hard to enjoy the exploration. The harpoon mechanics are solid but they cannot sustain the game on their own. More care to make it accessible for a wider range of players would have made the entire experience more attractive.

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.

The Dark Eye: Chains of Stainav despite the best efforts of Daedalic Entertainment was and remains a mediocre adventure game. It is not completely bad, but it is not remarkable either. The story has quite a few gaps, and the gameplay can be frustrating due to the interactive objects that play no part in solving the puzzles. If you are a point and click adventure fan going through a dry spell, it may be worth picking up Chains of Satinav to fill a winter weekend, when you would just rather stay inside. If you just discover this videogame genre there are far better options out there to immerse yourself in.

The Dark Eye: Memoria is the best reason to play Chains of Satinav, not just to fully comprehend the story, but also to appreciate the evolution of the series. With memorable characters, interesting gameplay elements, and attention to detail turns Memoria into a pretty good adventure game. Yes, in some places the story feels a bit rushed and Geron is just as gray as ever, but the adventures of Sadja bring life into the game. The ending feels right and the fact that you have a choice finally plays into the overall theme of breaking free from the chains of faith.

The quality of the overall experience is impacted by the limited appeal of the presentation. Combat can also become repetitive, with the dice system somewhat restrictive later on. Curious Expedition 2 is a good run-based title that will show-off the series to a wider section of gamers than the original, allowing them to go on complex resource-constrained adventures.

Ocean’s Heart is a good game with a specific audience in mind. The overall atmosphere and the presentation will capture the attention of anyone who has had even a casual relationship with the classic Zelda releases. But the game has more to offer than a simple homage and adds humor, cool levels, solid combat, and a quirky look that make it unique. Using the sword, bows, and bombs to get through enemies and puzzles is simple and engaging throughout. There are moments when the difficulty spikes a little too harshly but that’s compensated by the simple continue system. The map can be unhelpful and the borders between spaces a little hard to always detect. But Max Mraz knows how to make the player feel welcomed inside the world he builds and I cannot wait to see what he can deliver next, after Yarntown and Ocean’s Heart.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition is a better release for 2021 than it was ten years ago. The gameplay does not push past the limits of the genre but the presentation, the music, and the setting are good enough that it does not need to. The extra featured content does not justify a new purchase for those who have already gone through the adventures of Scott Pilgrim. But for anyone who knows the comics or the movie and has not played the game the new version is a good way to have hours of fun, preferably with a group of friends in coop mode.

Phoenix Point: Year One Edition is what the game should have been when it was first launched more than one year ago. The development team at Snapshot has listened to the community, delivered a whole lot of free patches, and has managed to create a great strategic experience and a solid tactical one. It’s a shame that many people will not play this new package because of the problems that the title originally had. Phoenix Point is a deeper experience than the new XCOM and a drier one. It rewards careful strategic planning, strictly by the rules tactical executions, and a lack of attachment to individual units. The best way to enjoy the game is in short sessions, maybe two missions at a time, to allow for time to mentally explore possibilities and forget some of the frustrations.

Override2: Super Mech League is a game that has a good foundation but fails to take it anywhere exciting. The actual battles, even against computer bots, are initially fun and satisfying and become less so the more one plays. There’s plenty of character variety but once one or two are mastered there’s little drive to get to understand more. The lack of human players to battle online is an even bigger issue. The game needed to have cross-platform play between most if not all its launch platforms to maintain a community. It might also have been better to launch the game as free-to-play with a smaller roster and to then deliver paid extra options, once a group of players became fans. Maybe a future title in the series can focus on creating a community first, to make the mech fighting concept the successful brawler it can be.

Super Meat Boy Forever is not a bad game but it feels like a regression from the original, which was just as tough but offered more options for players willing to try and get past the many obstacles the game threw at them. Fans of the concept will appreciate the unyielding difficulty and the lack of ways to tweak it. But given the changes to the mechanics, it would be nice to see Team Meat make their new title easier to appreciate with less frustration.

Observer System Redux is a better game than the original and manages to convey the thought-provoking story in a more structured fashion, with added details. It does not offer just a graphical upgrade but also manages to better portray the surrounding moral and physical decay, improving the atmosphere and the overall experience. The bugs are annoying, but can easily be fixed. Those who did not try the game yet, should go ahead and dive into this adventure, they will not regret it. Thanks to the added extra content, Observer System Redux can be also recommended to those who already unveiled Dan’s story. Still, it feels that it would have been more appropriate to offer System Redux as a free upgrade to those who already own the game, instead of charging extra money for it.

Suzerain is a good experience that sometimes feels like it needs a little more game. Following the career path of President Rayne and facing the many challenges can be both thrilling and boring, with a side of frustrating at times. The developers clearly have a lot of talent for world-building and dialogue writing, which makes the game a treat for anyone willing to learn about the world and play with its possibilities. Come to Suzerain first for the feeling of power and the scheming, stay longer to discover the characters and the way choices are interlocked in an interesting way.

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.

Serious Sam Collection is the most complete console edition ever released, but these games feel more natural and appropriate on PC. There is no better alternative if you want to experience Serious Sam on consoles, but if you have a PC, and you don’t need the most modern or expensive one, you are better off enjoying Serious Sam with a keyboard and mouse, as it was intended. Still, the console version remains a fun experience and despite its dated looks, Serious Sam immerses its players completely, transcending them in the middle of the action. You don’t need strategies or tactics, just the controller and the mood to blow up everything alien you encounter in the game world. Technically there are no improvements, the fun is still as mindless as ever, and the price of the package is a fair one.

Empire of Sin has the core of a good game that blends three genres in cool ways. I am especially fond of the man-management and the ways the various mobsters work with one another and react during combat. But the current implementation, especially that of the battles, is frustrating. Romero Games needs to make management more important and to bring the characters to the front more. Patches also should include auto-resolve and a big balance update. Empire of Sin needs all of this to begin to realize its clear potential.