Rough Justice ‘84 has a very good core idea and impresses in terms of atmosphere. The music, the character portraits, and the design of the cases, all work together to immerse players and keep their interest level up. I would love to see a TV series that uses some of the featured agents. Unfortunately, the gameplay mechanics let the rest of the experience down. The elements that are centered on dice, clever use of energy, and good choice of items can be fun, even if they become repetitive. The mini-games are the big problem. Rough Justice ‘84 is worth trying out as long as you love the boardgame-inspired action and the setting but I hope incoming updates improve gameplay.

Terraformers is an engaging game that can deliver that “one more turn” feeling that strategy fans crave. The interplay between resources, cards, leaders, and terraforming efforts requires careful thinking and asks players to make difficult choices. There’s a lot of variety both when it comes to scenario objectives and the planet setup. The card flow might be too random for some players but I find the uncertainty it creates a good way to keep tension and difficulty up. After a while, there’s also a sense that leader abilities repeat a little too often. But these are minor issues with a very good strategy and resource management game. Terraformers captures and translates into gameplay the lofty ideals of Mars-focused science fiction.

Goblins of Elderstone is a good mix of city building and strategy experience. It takes time and effort to create an efficient village, constantly checking where resources are needed and who is best suited to working in certain buildings. It’s also a pleasure to see the goblin tribe prosper and interact with the world. The strategic layer, with its raids and trade elements, adds an interesting dimension to the game but could be enhanced to make it more interesting. The narrative elements also need more variety. But otherwise, Goblins of Elderstone has solid mechanics and will satisfy any player who loves developing a city and running an economy in a fantasy universe.

I had a great time playing Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and I strongly recommend the game to anyone who loves games like Nioh. It’s a lot easier and has some interesting new mechanics that are definitely worth exploring.

It’s rare these days for a survival game to put narrative and resource management mechanics on the same level, and do both very well. Overall, I think The Pale Beyond tells a captivating story while torturing players into finding the best solutions for keeping their crew alive. The first playthroughs will always be frustrating, but that’s because the game doesn’t prepare players for what’s coming. When all is said and done, The Pale Beyond is an enjoyable experience if you love survival games, but if you’re looking for a purely narrative experience, look elsewhere.

The Last Spell is a great package, integrating great core combat mechanics with both management and plenty of progression opportunities. Trying to take down mutant waves by using the minimum amount of resources, while pondering what upgrades can improve character performance never gets old. The title’s mix of chaos and control delivers plenty of tense moments. The meta-progression also works, although there were times when I found the pace a little slow. The Last Spell is polished, fun, and challenging, offering hours and hours of tough decisions and difficult yet enjoyable battles. [Early Access Provisional Score = 90]

Trigon: Space Story does not add much to the formula that FTL pioneered. When that title launched its mechanics and ideas felt fresh, with the pressure of the constantly chasing fleet adding tension and urgency to the gameplay. But for a new game to have the same impact it needs to introduce at least one big new idea and then make sure it integrates well with the rest. Battles do deliver tense moments and I love the tension that developers as players evaluate whether it’s a good idea to flee or whether a victory is still achievable, with some losses. I also appreciate the depth of possibilities offered by the sector map. Trigon: Space Story has good core mechanics but never does anything interesting with them for anyone who has played FTL.

Deck 'Em! succeeds at offering a solitaire take on a boxing-driven card game. The blocking mechanic is just complex enough to create tension and force some tough decisions, without asking players to understand a deep system with a lot of action verbs. Taking on the unnamed champ is pretty hard and the betting only adds stakes to each round. The big problem is that there’s not enough of it to keep anyone engaged in the long term. All the mechanics are clear after a few matches and after beating the champion a few times there’s no incentive to keep playing, other than maybe accumulating more money than a friend. Deck 'Em! needs to have more of everything and I think the developers at Frosty Pop should take its solid core and see how it can be expanded into a bigger experience because it has the potential to be a leader in the very popular deck builder genre.

Aces & Adventures has strong deck building and an inspired twist on the card-driven combat concept. There are enough abilities that players can develop strategies and perform cool moves but poker combinations are random enough that the results are never guaranteed. The heroes cater to a variety of play styles and there’s a lot of content to explore using each of them. The campaign structure is a little familiar but a lot of effort has been put into the presentation. Aces & Adventures is sharp, tense, and has a solid grasp on what makes a deck battler sing.

Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator has a good idea and some decent gameplay mechanics. It’s somewhat fun to discover the techniques associated with a new dish and then aim to create a perfect take on it, complete with a radical and interesting plating that will revolutionize the fine-dining world. The entire experience suffers because of its highly repetitive nature and uninspired presentation. The finished dishes need to look spectacular and they do not. Cooking the same thing over and over again becomes annoying. Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator might try to capture the frantic nature of a commercial kitchen but those who like what it has to offer might be better served by cooking some fun real-world dishes that can actually satisfy their hunger.

Basements n' Basilisks: Storms of Sorcery is a short and fun adventure. It’s not a full role-playing game but it’s not just a visual novel. It understands the RPG genre and critiques its many issues but the team at eNVy softworks uses its title as a way to show it might be improved. The experience centers relationships and shows how a small group can work together to embody a fictional universe with a certain magic. The title’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t fully use its universe. A few extra combat encounters, perhaps to underline how they can be handled creatively, and a few more nights around the campfire were needed. Basements n' Basilisks: Storms of Sorcery is a good proof-of-concept and I hope that its developers get a chance to revisit this universe and expand on their good ideas.

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

In so many ways, calling this new release a “definitive edition” creates expectations that could eventually lead to more frustration from diehard Shadow Warrior fans. If anything, getting the definitive edition is something that first-time Shadow Warrior 3 players should do, as otherwise, the new title doesn’t bring too many exciting upgrades. The replayability barely exists, and if you’ve already completed the campaign, it’s hard to believe you’d ever start it again. Maybe the hardcore difficulty could make things a little bit more challenging, especially for those who fell in love with Shadow Warrior. But when it comes to missions and content, I can’t help but end this review in the same exact same way I started it. This new release has me hoping for more.

Company of Heroes 3 is too conservative in terms of gameplay and fails to make its big new mode work as expected. Battles, from skirmishes to bespoke missions in the Italian campaign, are great fun and offer cool tactical puzzles to solve. The strategy map does add another dimension to the experience but patches are needed to realize its full potential. The multiplayer offers variety and will satisfy those who loved the first two installments. What disappoints me the most is the lack of innovation. Everything that’s entirely new is either marginal or doesn’t work as it should. Company of Heroes 3 does have great real-time strategy battles but the rest of the mechanics fail to deliver on their potential.

Meg’s Monster is an emotional journey with a lot of depth, a twisty narrative, and some great character moments. I loved spending time with Meg, Roy, and Golan. Combat isn’t very challenging but still generates tension. I actually wished that the game offered more to do because I wanted more time in its universe, even if I think it’s perfectly paced to deliver its payload of feelings. Some fans of the role-playing genre might be disappointed with the relatively thin mechanics. Others might find some situations a little manipulative. Every player should give this game a try, regardless of whether they have a connection to its genre or not. Meg’s Monster is a perfect example of how video games can be great vehicles for stories because of their interactivity.

I had a great time playing The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, so I’m compelled to recommend this to anyone who loves point & click adventure games. The outstanding voice-acting, stellar soundtrack and well-written story are easily among the best things this game has to offer. Hail, Abraxas Rex!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Like a Dragon: Ishin!, but I have to say it is a very well put together game that offers plenty of fun. Even on harder difficulty settings you feel like you have a fighting chance, but the farming of materials will take some time, so it will eventually start feeling repetitive. There is plenty of content to keep you entertained, and the game diversifies and adds new gameplay elements up to the end. It might not be the most memorable of the series, but it is a game that is worthy both of the Yakuza and Like a Dragon series.

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.

Ultimately, Redemption Reapers is a mixed bag that probably can’t redeem itself even after a few patches. For all its faults, diehard turn-based strategy fans will find something to enjoy playing this.

Atomic Heart has all the premises for a great game. That is why so frustrating that Mundifsh dropped the ball by trying to do too much, and botching up some gameplay mechanics, and also by releasing a game that desperately would have needed more time for fixing the bugs that poison the experience. And while the latter can be solved through patches, some peculiar game design choices and compromises take away from the overall value. The vibes of the game are great, but when you look beyond the atmosphere you will find flaws that are much more than simple nuisances. Still, despite the disappointment, Atomic Heart is worth playing and hopefully marks the start of a new franchise, that will give the developers the chance to produce a sequel that rises to the level of expectations.

The Settlers: New Allies has a good core loop that, unfortunately, lacks a solid connection with the series' history. There’s too much military action and not enough focus on delivering products to citizens. The land-claiming concept is interesting but under-used. Ubisoft could have used the same gameplay and another name and players might be more interested. But the game does not do enough to differentiate itself from better experiences in the genre. The Settlers: New Allies wants to tweak a classic formula but never finds the best way to do that.

Pinball FX offers a great virtual experience of real world activity, with a focus on delivering tables that might not work outside of the video game space. Gamers can choose to invest in a monthly Pinball Pass to play the majority of the offered content or they can simply browse the extensive DLC list and outright buy the ones they love best. It would have been a better idea to have individual tables as purchases rather than bundles. The Borderlands table is the standout from the new content, designed to draw in the franchise's fans. The package that brings together tables built around the original Star Wars trilogy is also impressive from both a gameplay and fan service point of view. Pinball FX might induce some analysis paralysis in players with its variety but it plays great. Simply choose a universe and get lost in the quest for a high score.

Although at first glance GRUNND presents players with an interesting mystery to solve, the game’s narrative suffers from lack of cohesion. Despite its intriguing plot and eerie atmosphere, the game fails to convey a clear message. GRUNND is trying to tell a Kafka-esque story under the disguise of a philosophical journey, but fails to make itself enjoyable in the process. The eerie atmosphere and top-notch soundtrack are not enough to make the journey interesting. Not to mention the ending feels rushed and leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

Dust & Neon is fast, exciting, and often challenging. There are a ton of weapons to constantly compare and equip, enabling variety when it comes to the playstyle. The rogue side of the game does not offer a ton of depth but has plenty of reasons to try again when death comes for the cowboy. The game’s universe is a little too conservative and does not embrace the potential weirdness of the cowboy and robots mix. Boss battles can also sometimes feel unfair. But I like Dust & Neon combat and players who want solid twin-stick shooter action should give it a look.

As a whole, Helvetii is an uneven product. The game’s nice visuals and solid combat are way above everything else. Roguelike fans will probably get something out of it, but my advice is to try and beat it fast and move on to another title.

Pharaoh: A New Era is a great remake of a classic city-building title. The first three Caesars might have established the formula for the historic side of the genre, but the first Pharaoh refined it and impressed with its pyramid and other monument building. A New Era captures that magic and brings it up to modern standards.

Ten Dates is a very classic full-motion video experience. It has a clear theme and manages to make the dating elements, especially for the initial speedy encounters, feel fleshed out. There are some interactions that feel forced and a few changes of tone that miss the mark. But this is a competent romantic narrative with light gameplay. The game wisely allows players to skip the sequences they have already seen, which makes it easy to explore most if not all the story branches. I did wish for the characters to comment a little more on the speed dating concept itself. For gamers who like the FMV approach, Ten Dates is a well-put-together title that’s great to play with friends, commenting on choices and romantic possibilities.

Ultimately, Deliver Us Mars is a walking simulator that wants to be more than it is and does not understand that small changes are not enough to reinvent the wheel. Despite that, it remains a pleasant enough experience that players can finish in about 8 hours, yet one that does not beckon you back for more.