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.

Memory Lost has an interesting core mechanic, and it creates complex combat puzzles around it. Playing on Normal, the game requires players to move fast and aim well but also to constantly plan when to swift into another body and consider which is best suited for the tactical situation. When everything clicks, battles are exciting and fluid. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t give gamers much to keep them engaged if frustration with gameplay kicks in. And the game’s presentation is decent but not spectacular. Memory Lost will please players who have a fondness for action and can tolerate some issues but might struggle to find a wider audience.

The Cub fits in well with the rest of the games developed by Demagog to showcase the Great Climate Catastrophe story arc. Once again it is a game that carries a deep message, while not failing to entertain as a videogame. The shift in perspective between Golf Club: Nostalgia and The Cub is a fascinating way to present the same story but as two sides of the same coin. The challenge is not trivial, yet not painstaking either, the game being entertaining for newcomers and veterans alike.

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.

Sifu is a memorable game. It is also a hard game that rewards patience and the willingness to perfect yourself. It is not perfect, but it is fair. One of the few negative aspects we encountered is the camera control that in some scenes it is not just a pain in the ass, but it can cost you an entire run. Another thing we would have oved to see is a more detailed character building, where the story is not just a frame for the action. But all these are just minor inconveniences when we look art Sifu as a whole. It does not feel like an indie game, but still, it is not for everyone. You need patience and you need the ability to get over the countless moments when the game frustrates you to the limit of exasperation. It is all part of becoming a kung fu master, a path reserved only for a few.

Retrace the Light is a beautiful game, with a rich story and a clever combat system. The thing that shines the most here is certainly the retrace system, but also the fact that you can easily customize your play style with the use of modules. It leaves a lot of room for experimenting and testing things out, while also bringing you a great world to explore. A lot of care and attention went into creating the game, and you can easily see that. Delving into the AI world and showing what AI could do to our society and how it could be either good or bad, that’s also quite interesting. Yet, at the same time, the game continues to bring us great lessons in regard to friendship, betrayal and valuing yourself. All in all, it’s a wonderful 2.5D indie title with some cool mechanics that make it a standout for the genre.

The extremely stupid humor, top-notch combat and wide range of weaponry make Borderlands 3 one of the best shooters of all-time. Although it's an old formula, Borderlands 3 offers one of the best shlooter experiences you can get.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name might be the shortest game in the series, a playthrough clocking in around 18 hours. But it does deliver on every promise of the series with a story full of twists, plenty of combat, countless side activities and as a bonus, a lot of familiar faces recognizable by the fans. It is a great game, but does not manage to stand out, and it feels like a great effort to have a proper send-off to the old formula before reconcentrating on the main games and the next Lost Judgement. It is the weakest episode of a very strong series, making it a good game.

Stargate: Timekeepers delivers a decent core gameplay loop. Working with a variety of characters to move stealthily and eliminate enemies can be fun, especially when players are dealing with the more complex enemy setups. The constant visual reminder about quick saving is a good idea. But the narrative fails to make interesting use of the complex Stargate universe and none of the characters will keep players engaged. There’s little in the game that actually involves the Stargate system itself. Timekeepers is fun for fans of the stealth tactics space who are looking for new challenges and for die-hard fans of Stargate who are looking for another story set in that universe.

Possessor(s) is a bit of a departure from the developer’s signature style, but the gameplay is great and the entire experience is very polished. It’s not overstaying its welcome, and the story they share here is quite interesting, albeit short in my opinion. I wish we spent even more time in this world, but in the end, this is a very polished, high-quality game that everyone will enjoy checking out, especially if you are a fan of metroidvania titles. Not every moment in Possessor(s) is intense, there are sometimes when you unwind and relax, and also explore the world rather than engage in constant battles. Additionally, there were a few bugs at launch, but those were solved by a few, subsequent patches. At the time of this writing, the game runs great, and I didn’t experience any crash. I wish the map was easier to manage and you had more guidance, but overall, it’s an interesting platformer with nice twists, and it stays creative without burdening players with a complex story. Instead, it seamlessly blends good story with fast-paced action, making it a solid experience even if you don’t really play this genre.

Phantom Fury is a good first-person shooter for anyone who loved the genre during its classic period and wants the same combination of speed and violence, with a few modern concepts sprinkled on top. Shelly is a decent heroine, the B movie writing mostly works, and most combat arenas are well-balanced on Normal. The development team needs to make opponents a little smarter in patches and I really don’t understand why Bombshell can interact with so many objects in the world that aren’t useful in any way. Phantom Fury is a boomer shooter with solid mechanics that struggles to communicate a clear identity.

Ancestors is not a perfect game, and I think it could have benefited from another six months in development. But the overall scope and reach of the game make playing it worthwhile. I hope the developers will let people know more about some of the mechanics used, like the weird mini-map, because players will want to know. Weirdly, I feel ready, somehow, to be left alone in a jungle.

Road Not Taken might not have too much in common with the Frost-written poem with which it shares a name, but it does manage to deliver a meditation on the value of choices and the importance of making the right ones, while also offering the player a complex layer of actual game mechanics to explore.

Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo is a game about mud, traction, frustration, snow, barriers, time warping and frustration, the kind of racing experience that a lot of players will decide is much too hard to master to be fun at any point.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 is a big step forward for the series and manages to show the complexity and the beauty of football while also emphasizing the hard work that's required from a team looking to put together a string of victories.

The combat becomes a little repetitive, the driving and flying feel incomplete, and the story has almost no hooks for the player but the feelings of freedom and empowerment that the title offers are great, especially for gamers who have an active imagination and find new ways to exploit the offered world.

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is great remake in terms of quality, remastering the original experience in a fantastic way. The original story still holds up, and while the gameplay may be a bit too hard for some newcomers, it's still rewarding, despite a few not-so-great aspects, like the sound effects.

The game as a whole looks great, it is funny, it is frustrating to lose at it (figures) and it is an overall great experience that any player, young or old, should try.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the best way to get acquainted with the Saiyan saga and the series in general. It's strange that the most advertised mechanics of the game, the RPG and open-world aspects, are also the least developed. It's the story and the bombastic fights where Kakarot really shines, so if you're approaching the game from these perspectives, you're in for a thrilling ride. To put it bluntly, stay away from exploring and don't expect any deep, meaningful RPG elements, and you'll have a pleasant time in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.

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.

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.

I’m not sure that the narrative element of the game works as well as the presentation and the focus on choices. But Trolley Problem, Inc. is a quick, enthusiastic, and very different experience, compared to what the medium mostly delivers, and I encourage players to take a few hours out of a week to see what it has to offer.

Sure, art of rally is about the fun of rallying, but if it does put the focus on car handling and other sim-inspired elements, it should further refine the corner-cutting system too. It’s not cheating, it’s just a way to improve your racing times. Other than that, there’s no doubt, the PS5 version of art of rally only makes the game more enjoyable. There’s not much you’ll be getting in terms of graphics, especially since the low-poly system that it uses, but the aforementioned mix makes it an enjoyable way to get a taste of historical racing.

Shardpunk: Verminfall feels like an indie gem crafted for those who love turn-based combat, resource management and steampunk settings. The survivors are varied enough to offer players multiple choices when creating their crews, although many of the characters can only be unlocked by using team-based skill points. This means that you won’t be able to unlock them all in one playthrough, which is an ingenious way to increase replayability. Although I wasn’t particularly in love with the stress mechanic, at least the developer added many ways to remove it during or after a mission, so few of my characters ended up with negative perks. All in all, I think Shardpunk: Verminfall is a well-crafted tactical turn-based game with a charming, pixelated art style and a pretty decent soundtrack that makes fights a bit more exhilarating.

The Deadly Tower of Monsters is an interactive love letter to MST3K but also to those who love the old sci-fi movies that were featured on the show. You’ll have a blast not only playing the title but also listening to the commentary or trying to spot from where all the different elements originate.

For all the missed opportunities, Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition perfectly catches the spirit of the series. Its biggest achievement is that it puts a great cast of characters front and center without compromising the JRPG-centric narrative style. Although it does little to refine the Tales formula, Vesperia is clearly a must-play for any JRPG fan, if not for the rather uninspired and predictable story, but for the characterization, great voice acting and more often than not hilarious conversations.

Knuckle Sandwich is clearly a love letter to classic 8-bit role-playing games but with a twist. Bright City has some interesting characters and interactions (I particularly love the washing machine save points). The story goes places. And the core mechanics are easy to learn and varied. The biggest issue is how difficult and repetitive combat can be, even with the many mini games thrown in. I genuinely think players should activate the Skip option as soon as they hit a roadblock and then use it liberally. Knuckle Sandwich is weird enough to be worth experiencing, even if its battle sequences aren’t always worth playing through.

Flame Keeper does not innovate much but its execution is solid. Combat is fast and fluid, even if the idea of adding shielding to increase difficulty can become a little annoying. It would have been cool for the game to do more with the idea of linking Ignis’ health to the fire camp and its lamps. And the final defense sequence for each level feels underwhelming. This is a good experience for players who are new to the action genre. Aim to complete one level during a session and carefully evaluate the best use for gathered seeds. Flame Keeper is a bit too grindy for its own good but it is easy to pick up and enjoy.