The Talos Principle 2 is just as brilliant as the first game was, being larger and more detailed. During the over 30 hours it needs to finish, the fans of the puzzle genre will be delighted and immersed in a world that serves almost as a philosophical lesson. The already great puzzle design is now joined by a brilliant narrative and a pretty good pacing. There is no real replay value, but the content is rich enough to keep you engaged for a long while.

Wizard with a Gun creates an effective mix of action combat, building, resource management, and rogue elements. The narrative has just enough mystery and quirks to keep players engaged but the focus is squarely on exploration and combat, which involve a lot of repetition but remain engaging. I love how player choices feed into the fights and I appreciate the tension introduced by the Chaos timer. The game’s art style enhances its mechanics and makes the world a pleasure to spend time in. Wizard with a Gun is fun both in single-player and when played cooperatively and gives fans of the genre a chance to find a unique playstyle.

Backpack Hero has a unique core mechanic that works. I liked constantly thinking of what I wanted to pick up and how I could create combos by placing items just right. There are a ton of possibilities, even if combat itself often feels limited and repetitive. Story mode adds an interesting twist with town building and management, although the story hooks aren’t that strong. The game is best enjoyed in short sessions, exploring just enough to put down a new building or reach another milestone. Backpack Hero succeeds at creating a fun gameplay loop for a very specific audience.

Worldless shines when players enter battle with a new opponent for the first time, discovering its moves and weaknesses. It’s fun to watch for patterns and create attack combos, with plenty of tension added when trying to perform the Absorption move. Platforming isn’t as complex as combat but adds variety. The mostly abstract world and limited story will be the biggest stumbling block for most players. The game often comes close to pretentiousness without crossing that line. Worldless is not as poetic as it aims to be but offers a carefully crafted set of mechanics that work very well together.

Gunhead is a fast and action-packed experience. There’s plenty of variety when it comes to both mech suits to choose from and weapons and systems to equip them with. The procedurally generated ships are complex. The game constantly asks players to choose between priorities, while taking down one of the name bosses feels exhilarating. I think players should make a few runs on easy to get the money needed to unlock most of the suits. It opens up the game, creating more space to choose the mech that fits a play style. Gunhead doesn’t reinvent any of its mechanics but offers a polished mix of FPS and rogue-lite that will create tons of fun hours for fans of both genres.

If you like walking simulators and deep stories, this game is right up your alley. The atmosphere and the visual style will engulf you completely, making it feel natural to ponder the philosophical questions raised by your trek through Regis III. But I can’t forget or forgive the deliberately snail like pace and cheap shots meant to extend a 4-hour experience into one that take 8 hours to finish. Despite the short length, the experience would have been much more enjoyable if it wouldn’t have been so diluted.

Howl is very good without being too complex. It’s turn-based tactical gameplay has depth, designed to satisfy fans of this genre, but is accessible enough for newcomers. And the narrative elements are strong enough to keep both groups engaged, trying to collect as much confidence and skulls to open up new options. If a battle becomes frustrating, try as many different approaches as possible first but don’t hesitate to activate the Assist mode before frustration sets in. Howl is a great experience because it blends strong narrative and engaging combat in interesting ways.

Despite its outdated graphics and often basic visual style, Achilles: Legends Untold manages to put a spell on you with its atmosphere and well thought out combat system. But it doesn’t take long for the randomly fluctuating difficulty levels, uninspired dialogues and characters, as well as the countless errors to turn you away from the game. This could have been a great game if the developers paid more attention and had thoroughly thought out the game mechanisms. Achilles: Legends Untold ends up feeling truly unfair towards the player, replacing skill with luck and lending cheap shots due to the inability to counter the many issues.

Let’s see what you get if you are willing to pay not just the full price, but also the over-the-top cost of Modern Warfare III: a short and uninspired single player campaign, a solid co-op and multiplayer experience, both relying on recycled maps, and an overwhelming amount of micro and not so “micro” transactions. It is not just the regurgitated and uninspired content that makes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III one of the worst games in the series, but also the absurd pricing scheme that pushes over the edge both the industry professionals and players alike. Ultimately, it’s up to each and every one to decide if the game is worth all the basic and extra costs, but I definitely don’t want to encourage anyone to support these more and more questionable business practices, so wait for a sale if you really want to check this one out.

Slay the Princess takes the adventure game’s classic mechanics, including loads of dialogue and player choices, and uses them in cool new ways. It quickly becomes clear that killing the scion of royal blood is not what the experience is all about. And the story delivers interesting moments, tough choices, and satisfying revelations. These mix with the strong voice acting and engaging visual style to make the experience worth playing despite its limited gameplay. Fewer attempts at jump scares would have made it even easier to focus on the world's strangeness. Slay the Princess should appeal to fans of the uncanny who are interested a good story and solid twists.

For the King II is entertaining for fans of tabletop RPGs who want to play with a group of friends despite not being in the same room. Battles can be difficult and require some solid tactical thinking. This fantasy world won’t win any points for originality but offers a nice space for adventuring. Every mechanic is better when groups play cooperatively. For a solo gamer, gameplay can become repetitive enough to frustrate. For the King II is a good expansion of the first game’s ideas that might need a few updates to deliver on its full potential.

Total War: PHARAOH is a very good strategy experience that explores one of the periods that the genre rarely engages with. After playing a few campaigns, I wanted to know more about the Sea Peoples, the way the Hittites organized their kingdom and the ways armies were mustered during the Bronze Age. I was also willing to spend time understanding the unique approach that each ruler brings to a campaign and how traditions and gods can enhance an advantage or cover a weakness. I’ll certainly simulate many of the battles while enjoying the crucial ones. Total War: PHARAOH is immersive and varied, a good entry in the series for both veterans and new players.

Animal Hospital as a mobile game is mediocre, as a console game is an insult. Why? Because beyond the bare minimum it does not address in any way the transition from a freemium game to a premium one. It asks a console game price for a free mobile game. Sure, the microtransactions have been removed, but no value has been added. While it can be very short fun for kids to kill the time, there are much better games out there focusing on taking care of animals and building a virtual career. Stay away from this one!

Jusant is a bit hard to be included in a genre, but truth to be told it does not really need to. It is a breath of fresh air, an artistic production that is not scared to break away from the norm and the standard to walk its own path. It has its challenges, and the gameplay is simple yet interesting enough to keep you hooked. Jusant’s mysteries are never completely revealed, thus joining a select club of games that stir up an emotional response from their players.

Football Manager 2024 is a great experience for anyone who has played the series in the past 10 years. It refines all the core gameplay, adds some interesting new ideas, and gives players a lot of freedom to engage with the mechanics they like and delegate the rest.

Despite the poorly put together trailers and the lack of experience from Nacon’s side to promote games, Robocop: Rogue City could have been a good game. It has the potential to exceed any kind of expectation, if it launched as a finished game, rather than in this stage that can be described as still in development.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria tries to take a well-known license and connect it with the already classic ideas of the survival crafting genre. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t quite manage to deliver on either. There are some nice callbacks to the books and TV franchise but nothing to keep its fans engaged in the long term.

Space Station Tycoon is a decent construction and management experience that feels somehow incomplete. It’s fun to make money and gather research points, expand the space station, provide power and security, and deal with threats. But there’s limited story to enjoy and man management elements are very limited. Interactions on the solar system level are simple and there’s a hard limit to how much stuff one can attack to the station’s two floors and eight spokes. Space Station Tycoon needed to be more innovative and varied to attract a more diverse fan base.

Growth is a very relaxed but also complex puzzle game that expertly uses a limited number of mechanics to create interesting scenarios. Sending out animals is intuitive, and the game gradually adds new creatures and associated abilities. There’s no narrative to keep players interested, so this is an experience squarely aimed at those who like the mechanics. Growth is a puzzle experience that’s best enjoyed in bite-sized pieces, by gamers who are aiming to chill out and enter a flow state.

Stray Souls is a great example of how hard it is to create a horror-driven experience that manages to marry an interesting narrative with some solid mechanics. The story setup is somewhat intriguing but almost every beat after that is something gamers have already seen better executed in other places. Worse, Daniel and the sister aren’t believable as individuals. And players can’t ignore the story to focus on the gameplay. The puzzles do not impress and there’s no reason to like the combat or exploration aspects. Stray Souls will make for an interesting Halloween game for anyone who has already played the hits and wants more of the genre. But the title simply doesn’t offer enough to keep players engaged.

Mail Time is a lovely little indie adventure game, that tries not just to entertain, but also to gently remind us about being nicer and more accepting of each other. It is a lesson about not being afraid to fail and enjoying every moment of our lives. It is a game that can be finished in a couple of hours, and it has no replay value, yet it is one that is worth experiencing by all who are looking for a cozy adventure game set in a hidden magic world.

Life of Delta, despite its gloomy setting and premise, is a lighthearted story with plenty of humorous moments and pop culture references. The atmosphere and visual style are great, but the story would have needed much more attention to turn the game into a memorable one. Overall, the experience is not bad, but you cannot help but feel that it could have been much more. Despite the modest marketing campaign, I hope enough people will pick up the game, giving the developers the motivation and resources to develop a sequel that will improve on this game.

Ghostrunner 2 managed to evolve while keeping all the fan favorites in place. It is not perfect, and it is not for everyone, but those who can get through the extremely fast paced action will have a very good time parkouring and fighting along the cyberpunk themed levels. It is a must play for fans, and the best way to start the series for those who are curious about the game but were turned down by the high difficulty. search Ghostrunner 2 is just as hard as the original, but at the same time it is more accessible and most of the quirks have been ironed out.

The Troop has a strong mechanical foundation. Its ideas will be instantly recognizable for anyone who has played a World War II tactics-driven title before. But it also introduces nice tweaks that reflect how real-world battles were fought on D-Day. The computer is also smart enough to deliver some nice surprises, especially when it can achieve local superiority. The campaign is the best way to experience its ideas but there’s also plenty of variety in the Skirmish mode. Developers at Giant Flame have created the rare World War II strategy title that is both approachable and deep. The Troop is a great purchase for anyone who likes the Normandy battles and turn-based combat.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is a fan letter that suffers from too much enthusiasm and not enough substance. Beyond the undisputed visual style, it lacks originality, creativity, and challenge to keep you pinned in front of the display. The biggest difficulty is conjuring the patience needed to finish the game, which should take around 7-8 hours. The elements needed to make a great game are all there, at least on paper, but it feels like the developers got lost in trying to recreate the visual style and forgot about everything else. As such, Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is even more of a footnote in the franchise’s history than the latest movie.

Haunted House is a very challenging roguelite game, that needs a lot of patience, not just for the gameplay mechanics, but also to stomach the bugs and start all over again if needed. It is a great upgrade over the original game, that emphasizes stealth and a tactical approach, but can feel grindy. If you are looking for a game to entertain you for Halloween or for a roguelite that will test your mettle, Haunted House is a great choice. But if you do not have the patience to try over and over again, many times not because of your fault, you will only experience frustration.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is not just the biggest expansion released by CD Projekt RED, but also one of the best pieces of content. The quality of the storytelling, art direction and level design in Phantom Liberty is incredible, even in comparison with the base game. Instead of getting more of the same, CD Projekt RED created a spy thriller that’s taking place in a dystopian slum, offering both search Cyberpunk fans and newcomers to the universe something to enjoy. Featuring two extremely different endings, which I strongly recommend all players to unlock, Phantom Liberty augments the entire search Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay experience and brings it to a whole new level.

Windy Meadow - A Roadwarden Tale is a short video game designed for players who liked the fictional the main game established. The Ten Cities are only mentioned, and the threats are much smaller but the focus on just three characters allows the game to tell a more emotional story. It has interesting characters and some great moments. But the mechanics are very light and the branching paths for the protagonists are limited. The game manages to create a sense of place and flesh out the village. But, going forward, the franchise needs to take Windy Meadow – A search Roadwarden Tale as a baseline and aim for more ambitious targets, both narratively and in terms of gameplay.