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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Lost Legacy is the perfect swan song for the Uncharted series.

Overall, Mortal Kombat 1 is an enjoyable experience, that tries to walk a fine line between old and new. Every part of the game shows that the developers tried to put their right foot forward and deliver a polished experience. The only downside is the presence of microtransactions, but those who care enough to completely pimp out their characters will probably be willing to invest the time to do it.

Obviously, Galactic Civilizations III: Intrigue is now without its flaws, but it appears that Stardock managed to considerably reduce the number to just a few. Although almost every aspect of the base game has been improved, I feel that some of the newly added features need a bit of balancing or tweaking.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a good game that works within the confines of the stealth genre and doesn’t aim to innovate much. The city itself is well-designed and fun to explore, but the mechanics don’t evolve much and can become frustrating if players aren’t interested in the story. The cutscenes and the voice work contribute to immersion and create emotional connections with the characters. Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream will not challenge stealth veterans but creates a balanced mix of gameplay and narrative with a few great moments.

Blood Bowl 3 is a great video game adaptation of a popular board game, using an updated set of rules and great presentation. The 12 featured teams offer variety and plenty of surprises on the field. The mix of careful planning and chaotic execution means each match is filled with surprises and reversals. But the tech side of the game is in rough shape and might take some time to fix. Fans of the franchise who cannot wait to play with the new Games Workshop rules and are willing to tolerate some issues will find great fun in Blood Bowl 3. Newcomers and those still having fun with previous installments are better served by waiting for patches.

Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions has an emotional premise and some charming character interactions, although the narrative is not very deep. The turn-based combat scenarios move fast, which is great given their repetitive nature. Boss characters are well-designed and create some interesting tactical puzzles. House exploration is disappointing, with very limited interactions that only yield stickers and short comments. The developers should have also found ways to add more innovation to the combat, especially when it comes to character moves. Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions is a fun adventure for anyone who knows and likes the featured companions but has limited appeal for non-fans.

Riders Republic is an action-packed game that’s not only exciting to play but also very fun to discover, pretty much because depending on the route you choose, everything feels new and fresh even if you’re not playing it for the first time.

Citizens of Earth is a great role-playing experience that manages to evoke the feel of Earthbound and other JRPGs while still doing its own thing. The gameplay is fun, the environments are varied, and the crazy citizens make the whole title feel refreshing. Sure, there are a few quirks here and there, but overall, you can't lose by playing this great title.

StarVaders starts off a little slow and it seems that enemies are much too numerous for one robot equipped with a hand of cards to deal with. After a few runs, it becomes clear that it has depth and variety, as well as a ton of style. Combat is fast and tense, with plenty of surprises. The narrative isn’t very original, but the promise of new cards and enemies is enough to start another run. StarVaders is one of the best run-based video games I’ve played recently, one that rewards planning and careful choices while also creating plenty of delightful chaotic moments.

Whether you’re a veteran who still remembers the hiss of a CRT monitor, or a newcomer curious about where fantasy shooters began, Heretic + Hexen Remastered is essential. It’s the return of true dark sorcery, two ancient spells, perfectly recast for a new age.

Leila is a short and story-driven experience that manages to be touching and funny. I would have liked to get an extra chapter or two and see the main character interact with more people. But I very much like how it explores the complexity of modern life without veering into melodrama or fantasy. The puzzle mechanics aren’t very original, but the game wisely moves quickly from idea to idea, without giving any of them time to become annoying. The hint system isn’t sophisticated but will make it easy for players to make progress and experience the full narrative. Leila’s combination of storytelling and voice acting is very good, although its gameplay doesn’t shine.

BioWare has simply significantly increased the level of hitpoints on them all (a powerful Ogre has as much health as one of the first dragons in the core game) and at times that means many engagements turn into simple slugfests, with the player party and the enemies trading blows with limited tactical input until one of them losses all health.

All in all, Across the Obelisk is a lot of fun, but only after understanding its core mechanics and making peace with the fact that you’ll need a LOT of runs to be able to build and upgrade a decent deck. If you’re ok with that, I can’t recommend Across the Obelisk enough.

Arco has a unique look and world and a set of mechanics that are easy to understand but grow in complexity as characters unlock more options. I never got used to the ghosts that randomly join the fight but was eager to replay engagements to avoid losing even one pip of health. The game might rely too much on Western tropes at times and the unique look will not be for everyone. But Arco tries to innovate, mixing and matching ideas, and manages to deliver a constant sense of discovery.

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is surprising and a little underwhelming at first. But, if one gives it time to reveal its systems, it offers plenty of tactical depth and a solid narrative. The fact that there’s no direct control over combat makes it more important to think about force composition and careful squad deployment. I never became fully invested in the story, but the tactical puzzles were always fun to work through. Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is best enjoyed in bite-sized chunks. Clear a map, prepare for another, watch the conversations between characters, see what a new area has to offer, then save the actual combat for another session. This keeps the gameplay fresh and the narrative interesting.

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.

Pro Cycling Manager 25 doesn’t reinvent the series’ successful sports simulation formula, but its enhancements are worthwhile. Finding the right sponsor for a team is engaging and it’s harder to satisfy all their requirements. The game looks significantly better with Unreal Engine 5 powering it, although a similar upgrade in the audio department is needed. I also like the customization options for careers. It’s unfortunate that modding will be needed for all riders and racers to have their proper names. Planning a full season still takes too long. Pro Cycling Manager 25 is a good sim for cycling fans but will probably struggle to attract new players.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a fun experience that excels both in terms of mechanics and presentation and manages to showcase the kind of innovation that indie teams can deliver in a genre that has long been ignored.

There are many things that I wish Airship Syndicate would have done differently, but Darksiders: Genesis is definitely a title worth picking up. It's no Darksiders 4 and lacks the polish of any of the previous Darksiders games, but it's got the flavor, the pace and the combat mechanics that made the franchise popular among gamers. There's a compelling story underneath all the hacking and slashing, with interesting characters and extremely well-done level design. The puzzles are very clever, something that I would expect from a Darksiders game, and there's simply a lot of content to enjoy throughout a nearly 15-hour playthrough.

Cataclismo isn’t very deep when it comes to mechanics or narrative. But the freedom of taking chunks of wood and blocks of stone to create defenses and a variety of other structures is very engaging and enhances everything else about the title. It helps that a player can choose between the more directed experience of the campaign and the extra freedom associated with endless mode and skirmishes. Using limited resources to plan sturdy fortifications is made easy by the copy-paste features and the fact that the entire Steam Workshop serves as a reserve of blueprints. Cataclismo’s core idea is good and extra focus on city management would make it even better.