Despite a few downsides like the annoying loading times when you open a door or lack of enemy variety, Hogwarts Legacy is truly a great game that cast its spell on me from the very first few minutes.

Dead Space is more than just the fantasy of any fan of the original game – it feels like the developers once again wanted to prove that their game is the gold standard in its genre. The fine folks at Motive Studio tweaked the experience in the right places to make the game feel fresh without weighing it down with unnecessary bling. Of course, there are still elements that could have benefitted from more attention like all the end game content, especially the final boss fight, but once again Dead Space offers an experience that is more than the sum of its parts and reconfirms its status as the king of the genre.

Persona 4 Golden remains a very good JRPG, but the most important virtue of this re-release is that it makes you appreciate even more Persona 5 and the later entries. Unfortunately, this remaster will not make the list of best practices. In particular, the graphics are underwhelming, so only those with nostalgia for the PS2 era will probably be able to enjoy it fully. The rest of the players will tolerate it together with other quirks of the game, in order see through the great story, while focusing on the gameplay experience. With some more effort and budget invested, we could have gotten a true remaster, which could have elevated the entire game and make it memorable for new audiences.

Backfirewall_ has a unique premise and uses it pretty well, creating a variety of puzzles linked to the smartphone as a world. The game’s many quirky characters and moments create a weird universe and manage to generate emotions. But the puzzle-driven gameplay is what will keep players engaged. The game will never deliver the highs of something like Portal but it tries to move the first-person puzzle genre forward. It achieves that by mixing puzzles and narrative efficiently. Backfirewall_ is enjoyable and I especially appreciate the variety of puzzles it can pack in relatively small spaces.

SpellForce: Conquest of Eo has an interesting structure and does a great job of mixing map-driven strategy and tactical engagements. Each of the three wizard archetypes plays very differently and there’s a ton of content to engage with. The world of Eo is beautifully represented, although it’s pretty standard when it comes to fantasy universes. I would have liked for the three core wizard types to offer even more variety in strategic and tactical situations. But campaigns offer a lot of variety, especially if players are ready to try out new approaches. SpellForce: Conquest of Eo is a solid entry in the franchise that should have aimed for more innovative mechanics.

There are some good ideas hidden under the contrived combat system and very basic RPG elements, but Broken Lines fails to be enjoyable. It will probably scratch a certain itch, but I expected a lot more based on how it’s advertised.

Rhythm Sprout is a good take on the rhythm game adventure genre, with decent mechanics and a world that gives players reasons to push through and master songs. I like the variety of possible tweaks for any level and the Beginner mode. But the music-driven mechanics do not offer too much variety and the difficulty curve ramps up pretty quickly. The entire experience is a good way of introducing players to the rhythm genre, especially if they skew younger. And the game would have benefited greatly from a cooperative mode that allowed a more experienced player to guide a new one. Rhythm Sprout is competent and colorful but never attempts to significantly tweak a familiar formula.

Many of the puzzles are unintuitive and the writing is all over the place. Also, playing almost the entire game without soundtrack (because there isn’t one) doesn’t really help with immersion at all. The Sundew is a rather short experience (3-4 hours), but not an enjoyable one, that’s for sure.

Despite its shortcomings, the game remains a well put together jump and run that can be finished in a weekend if you want to find all the collectibles, or in around 10 hours if you’d rather focus only on the main story. The costumes are the best example of the game trying successfully to be a fanservice experience, and it works for the most part.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles manages to create a sense of place using a limited set of tools. The game does require quite a bit of reading but it rewards gamers with a deep narrative, a lot of artfully constructed events, and many complicated choices. The political simulation element is engaging and fun. If modding is possible it can deliver a great A Song of Ice and Fire experience. I do feel like the narrative is trying to juggle a few too many big ideas at the same time. The universe, which delivers a lot of names and concepts quickly, can be overwhelming. But immersion in King’s Dilemma: Chronicles will reveal a complex and intriguing narrative and plenty of tough choices. Be wary of anyone promising quick and painless immortality.

Overall the game is a great indie production and one that will enchant the people who are into games revolving around questions about the meaning of our existence. It is a beautifully crafted walking simulator, with a unique atmosphere and some memorable moments, but no replay value at all.

If Forspoken had been a tech demo, it would have been amazing. As a game it is just a collection of inexplicable decisions that ruin the entire experience. The game - just as its hero - does not have a clearly defined identity, the pace is slow while the world is huge, the controls are clumsy at best, the animations are stiff, and the AI is limited to a few patterns. The around 30 hours required to complete the main story feel painfully long, and it is hard to justify investing twice as much time to uncover everything. You can see the hard work put in some aspects of the game, which makes it even harder to explain the neglect of the rest. Forspoken is nothing more than a foot note in an essay about wasted potential.

Power Chord enters a very crowded genre, where simple competency is no longer enough to guarantee an audience. The title’s mechanics are good and fun and the metal theme is used well. But all its core ideas are safe and there’s no significant innovation in the card battles or the rogue structure. For players who love this type of game, the experience will be fine, as long as they are willing to put in the grinding time required to get the better cards and the extra characters. But I wanted Power Chord to be weirder and more innovative to build on the positive reaction it initially creates.

If you’re a fan of JRPGs, there’s a lot of fun to be had in Fuga: Melodies of Steel. The series deserves more games like this and a lot more people to play them. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a very interesting take on the turn-based strategy genre.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree is a great experience, driven by a strong story, a good mix of mechanics, and impressive atmosphere. Puzzles make sense and are satisfying to solve and combat never becomes the core mechanic. The Nordic-inspired universe is both intriguing and filled with good characters. The relatively slow pace of the experience might be an issue for some players and a more robust hint system should have been included. But these are relatively small problems when compared to the charm and immersion it creates. Play it in small chunks, don’t be afraid to walk away from a puzzle for a few hours, and allow ATONE to provide a spark of magic with its mix of story and gameplay.

Colossal Cave is an intriguing experience that might struggle to find an audience. I’m sure that people who played the classic title will like to see how it looks in 3D or VR. It is also clear some of its charm is lost in the transition. Modern gamers might be turned off by the relatively limited mechanics and narrative. A solid dose of nostalgic appreciation is required to keep going after a few good runs.

Dread Templar is a fun first-person shooter that will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the classic titles in the genre or the recent 2016 Doom reboot. It delivers over-the-top violence and classic combat sequences but also introduces more modern ideas, like the ability to slow down time when swamped by a ton of opponents. The old-school look and the thumping soundtrack create the perfect atmosphere for demonic culling. The levels are also pretty good, giving players space for a variety of approaches to combat without creating a maze. The developers understand the universe they are working in and make Dread Templar one of the best examples of the recent boomer shooter wave.

Mahokenshi is very different from games like Slay the Spire. Its replayability is limited because you’ll be replaying the same missions with the same enemies and challenges all over again. Once you’re done with the main story, you’re probably not going to return to it just to run the same missions with a different class. That being said, I did like the gameplay loop and those who love games like Across the Obelisk will find Mahokenshi mildly interesting. I say “mildly” because Mahokenshi lacks the complexity of other deckbuilding card games. I definitely recommend it to anyone enjoying these types of games, especially since it brings some new to the table.

Despite the focus on fun, the push and pull mechanics, linked to both gloves and throwing balls, are solid and power some decent puzzles. The game could have used a little more variety and, maybe, some more alternate exploration paths. Whalien – Unexpected Guests should also have had a cooperative mode, maybe with one small alien that could help Ernest. Otherwise, the game delivers a good mix of puzzles and platforming, with a side of charm, and I really want to see how the universe can be developed to support more experiences.

Newcomers to the series will find Fire Emblem Engage a great game, but they won’t truly know what a Fire Emblem game means until they play a previous title. Despite the few negatives, Fire Emblem Engage is a must for fans of the series, as well as newcomers who love turn-based strategy games.

Gamedec is ambitious and fun for the adventure game fan who is willing to put up with some issues. I like the variety of the cases and the way the main character has options when it comes to dealing with NPCs. I enjoyed the mysteries, despite the sometimes convoluted way that leads to an answer. The future it envisions is also a pretty plausible and weird one. I wanted the developer to have the resources to deliver the amount and quality of writing to match their ambitious universe. But for players looking for a smart cyberpunk narrative and willing to overlook some problems, Gamedec is a good way to spend 10 or so hours.

Children of Silentown applies the same formula to the traditional point & click adventure genre but augments it with some interesting elements like a unique art style and some really interesting puzzles. Although it does manage to be intriguing and keep you engaged till the end, it fails to deliver the conclusion of an otherwise enjoyable journey. Ultimately, there’s enough content to keep you entertained for 8-10 hours and fans of the genre will find the journey a fulfilling one. The characters, soundtrack, story and clever puzzles make Children of Silentown a compelling adventure well worth the time.

City Eye could have done something interesting with its core idea. It could have commented on the nature of surveillance, the ubiquitous presence of cameras, and the way the urban landscape is affected by their existence. It could have found ways to make players question the nature of their actions and how they affect people they don’t actually know or understand. It could have created an interesting management game by adding more mechanics. But the game is very basic and direct and fails to offer anything of value other than its setup. Everything happens in the same way, with the same people. There’s no sense of progress. City Eye shows that a decent idea is no guarantee of a good game and the development team should take the concept back to the drawing board and see how they can extract interesting gameplay and stories.

Rogue Lords presents an interesting take on the roguelike genre. Although it draws inspiration from many games, including Darkest Dungeon, Slay the Spire and Iratus: Lord of the Dead, Rogue Lords sets itself apart thanks to some compelling gameplay mechanics. Moreover, all the additions to an already traditional formula feel well thought out and extremely fun. The writing and the art style are top-notch as well, and so is the voice acting. If not for the balance issues and the repetitive nature of the formula, Rogue Lords could have been a truly great game. Even so, if you love games like Darkest Dungeon and Slay the Spire, you’ll certainly enjoy Rogue Lords.

The adventures through the Kingdom of Glenbrook provide a compelling experience, more so for those who love choice-based games that involve intriguing plots and tactical combat. Triangle Strategy is one of the few games where making decisions that matter is harder than actually winning battles. This is one of those games that could leave a mark on an entire gerne if Square Enix decides to turn it into a franchise.

If not for the interesting cast of characters and beautiful cyberpunk world, Soul Hackers 2 would truly be just a poor man’s Persona game. If you hate grinding in JRPGs, stay away from this one, but if you absolutely love fusing Personas … uh Demons until you find the perfect party, Soul Hackers 2 is quite serviceable in that aspect.

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a traditionalist game in a genre that has been getting a lot of modern takes recently. A lot of players might feel like there’s not enough here, in terms of both variety and innovation. But there’s value in giving modern players a game that understands the classics and offers both a universe and a set of mechanics that recall the best that they had to offer.

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.