The game isn’t perfect, it definitely has its shortcomings. Forcing a character loadout onto you at times does make the game harder, and moving around is not as fast as some people might like. The voice acting is also an acquired taste, I enjoyed it, but I can see some players not enjoying it. But in the end, as a complete package, I think that Skygard Arena is well-worth checking out. The gameplay is extremely fun, I had no crashes, nor any disconnections while playing online, either. It’s a fun romp in the tactics genre, while also being beginner friendly.

While it’s not going to blow you away, Katanaut manages to surpass expectations, and it stands right there with some of the best in the genre. The gameplay and combat are very good, the visual style is stunning, and I am a huge fan of how you can easily customize every run. Katanaut feels very fulfilling, and there’s plenty of fun to be had, even if it’s not a long game.

Concierge is a unique video game with some great ideas. The atmosphere is impressive, especially early on, when players do not know much about their character or the hotel. The mini-games aren’t very deep, and some don’t fully deliver, but they are surprising. The game rewards patience and a willingness to use the camcorder to discover as many mysteries as possible. The hint system helps eliminate frustration, although the need for gold coins doesn’t make it as easy to use as it should. The story might also be a little too convoluted for some players. Concierge shows what a small team can create when they trust their ideas, and I look forward to playing KODINO’s next game.

Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek is not a long game, it will take you anywhere from 3-5 hours or so, depending on how you play. It’s fun to play, it encourages puzzle solving and exploration. It will require you to focus on stealth as you tackle some of the enemies, and those parts of the game can be quite engaging and fun. Despite being short, I think it manages to tell its story very well, without boring you too much. Yes, the visuals could be better, but as a package, I think Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek is well worth a shot. The story is great, it’s engaging, and it’s not too long for its own good. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, it has funny moments, but also some interesting horror content as well. It’s still suitable for kids, while delivering a story that adults will like, too. Especially if you’re a fan of the 90’s horror movies or the Goosebumps books, of course.

For fans of turn-based strategy or tactical RPG games, Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles will certainly become a benchmark for the genre. This game was a masterpiece when it was released nearly three decades ago, and it’s even better now thanks to all the new features added.

Absolum’s moment-to-moment action is very good, accessible for newcomers, and with plenty of complexity to appeal to side-scrolling combat fans. The heroes play very differently, and their unlockable powers introduce even more variety. They all look great in action, with fluid and powerful moves, and I love the design of both normal enemies and bosses. The fantasy story is decent but not on par with the combat mechanics, and the rogue-like elements are not as inventive as they could be. But, especially when playing with a friend, Absolum creates exciting and fun battles.

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.

Strange Antiquities was a lot of fun for me, and I think it’s a great sequel to Strange Horticulture. The occult and spooky aspect fits the game very well, the item and store design are excellent, and the story is amazing, especially since you get many endings. Even if some of the puzzles feel challenging at times, you can go with trial and error to figure out the right solution. Strange Antiquities is one of those interesting puzzle games that will keep you hooked from beginning and up until the end. It’s fun to play, the mysteries are great to solve, and the music score is also fitting for this eerie experience. My favorite part: those Eureka moments where you get to solve complex puzzles. And rest assured there’s a lot of that to be had in Strange Antiquities.

I did not expect to like Tiny Bookshop as much as I did. It’s an excellent game for book lovers, but also for people who want to unwind, relax and play a simple management game. The fact that Tiny Bookshop doesn’t have very high stakes means you can easily play it as you do other activities. Yet at the same time, it’s very addictive, and it only gets better and better as you play. I still play Tiny Bookshop every week and will continue to do so for a while. The seasons mechanic is great, I enjoy seeing the world evolving around me, and finding the right book for other people is always exciting. The fact that you can also find some new books you never knew about is the icing on the cake, in my opinion. As it stands, Tiny Bookshop comes as highly recommended for cozy game fans and book lovers, but also for anyone who wants a relaxing time after playing all those new shooters and RPGs.

Ale Abbey - Monastery Brewery Tycoon works best as a laid-back way to spend a few hours, thinking of potential ingredient combinations while big fermenters deal with customer orders. The game is also an excellent way to learn about types of beer, their evolution, and the impressively weird combinations that a committed brewer could create. The game’s presentation, especially the pixel art, makes it easy to spend time researching, building new rooms, and dealing with the needs of the workers. Extra content for the events and missions would have helped with immersion. Ale Abbey sometimes feels repetitive, but it manages to add new brews at a solid enough pace to keep the work interesting.

As a complete package, I think that Occlude is a pretty interesting game. It’s definitely a variation of Solitaire, but it has its own ideas, and the occult/ritual-like focus makes it stand out quite a bit. Those elements also enhance the gameplay quite a lot, while also offering you plenty of room to experiment and try out new stuff. On top of that, you have the great narrative and different rituals that help add plenty of depth to the gameplay itself. Yes, it might not be the most complex card game out there, but it certainly differentiates itself from deck builders and all the other similar titles in this niche. I think the occult theme suits the game very nicely, and every ritual is well-made, which further adds to the intricate story and character development.

Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition is a solid package that feels designed to bring a classic experience to a new generation of gamers. The three titles and their unique combat system can provide tens of hours of tactical fun as players move through the world, find the best combination of powers and equipment, and engage with both normal enemies and bosses. Repeatedly failing to make progress will become frustrating, so lower the difficulty after the first loss. The game also fails to impress when it comes to writing or graphics. But the match-3 system is solid enough that Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition is worth playing, even for those who don’t feel any kind of nostalgia toward the series.

Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile is a good addition to the modern Hercule Poirot canon and will appeal to anyone who likes the author’s approach to detective stories and the core mechanics of the adventure game. Royce's addition and other narrative elements mostly work to create a sense of escalation toward a grand finale. Unfortunately, the game struggles to deliver an engaging presentation, although the soundtrack is great. Puzzle quality varies a lot, while conversations are little more than robotic clue extractions. Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile never delivers on its potential but can conjure enjoyable deduction sequences.

For me, Firefighting Simulator: Ignite was a joy to play, mainly because the game is very fun, engaging and all missions feel different and challenging in their own right. The visuals are stunning, the game world is beautifully-made and scenarios feel like something taken out of real-life situations. You receive plenty of guidance and training, but at the same time, you also need to focus on thinking quickly and finding the right solution. If you play Firefighting Simulator: Ignite, you’ll have a lot more respect for firefighters and the amazing work they do, but also the dangers they face. This game is maybe the best example of a firefighting simulator done right, with all the beautiful, but also challenging parts that come with this job. Missions are well designed, so you get to test your wits and challenge yourself to surpass mission times, but there are also mods that you can enjoy, which will surely increase the longevity of the game.

As someone who played all Borderlands games, and even the Tiny Tina spin-off, I can definitely say that Borderlands 4 is my favorite one so far. Not only does it have very satisfying gameplay and a great story, but the open world of Kairos is amazing and full of quests, side content, collectibles and so on.

When I started playing MakeRoom, I had no idea what to expect from it. The sandbox nature of the game might seem difficult to deal with at first. But rest assured, the game doesn’t add a lot of pressure, it’s very fun to play, and you’ll find yourself enjoying the experience all the time. You can spend 10 minutes or 10 hours on a build, if you want. And, of course, you can easily save it and even share it with other people online. I was excited to get back to MakeRoom and play many times, just because I know the game is something special. The fact that it allows my creativity to run wild on a blank canvas and I am able to create anything I want is always fun. Granted, it can feel overwhelming for a newcomer. Thankfully, the tools and items provided are easy to understand, and there’s always the trial-and-error approach. Regardless, if you want to decorate a room, boat or van in any way you want, you may want to test MakeRoom’s excellent toolkit.

LEGO Voyagers is one of those perfect games that you can play with a friend when you’re done dealing with shooters, MMOs or more serious titles. It has the perfect visual style that engulfs you into the world, but also plenty of brain teasers and puzzles. Even if some of them can be frustrating at first, the solution is never too difficult. That allows you to continually play, explore the game and try out new things. That’s why it comes as highly recommended, because it’s a fun game with creative gameplay and innovative features. While LEGO Voyagers is a game geared towards children, I think everyone should try it out, be it with a friend, their significant other or a colleague. It tells a raw, emotional story, and let’s face it, we all love LEGO in one way or another. Plus, I think LEGO Voyagers seamlessly captures the beauty and freedom provided by LEGO, all while offering us a stunning world, quirky puzzles and some very creative music. It’s a great journey to be a part of, and the best part is that this is not overly long, either. It has perfect length, crispy gameplay and it’s definitely a great time for you and a friend.

HOTEL BARCELONA is good, with a unique take on combat and some nice narrative touches. Phantoms initially seem like a diversion, but they give players a ton of ways of influencing every level and, with some preparation, make it trivial to take down the powerful bosses. Fans of horror will also have fun exploring the hotel and the story. But the game will struggle to bring in players who don’t already like side-scrolling action titles, and even some fans might have an issue with the slow start. HOTEL BARCELONA wears its influences on its sleeve and is a bloody good time once a few phantoms roam through a level.

There’s no doubt that Dying Light: The Beast is best game in the series, but that doesn’t make it the perfect zombie game. Taking the signature elements from both previous games, enhancing and wrapping them up in a much nicer package was the best decision Techland could take. The Beast Mode is a new gameplay mechanic that perfectly blends into the Dying Light formula, so that’s another positive change the series has gained with Dying Light: The Beast. The story is strong and there are no longer average or boring side-quests. Also, Kyle Crane is a more believable character than Aidan Caldwell. He perfectly fits the gritty tone of the game, and it elevates Dying Light: The Beast to the best entry in the series.

I’ve had a lot of fun exploring Silent Hill F’s stunning town and story, and I am glad to say that this is by far my favorite Silent Hill game to date. After playing the Silent Hill 2 remake, I thought that would be the epitome of the series, but this new one is even better. It retains the aura and style of the series, while adding more combat to it, and exploring an entirely new location. It’s not a very long game, but it’s intense and visceral at times, not to mention profound and extremely immersive.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion features a very intricate story, with multiple twists and some memorable characters. I like the fact they don’t shy away from offering many cutscenes, in fact most bosses will have a custscene where they explain their reasoning. It’s also nice to see that they bring in lots of side quests to bring you more lore and introduce different characters. What’s great about Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is that it helps the franchise evolve by introducing a large open world, great customization features and faster-paced combat. The world they made is beautiful, but also scary to live in, and you will hold on for dear life through every combat encounter. Then again, that’s what makes a game like this fun, you always need to be prepared, experiment with weapons/armor and find the best ones to give you an edge in combat.

As always, NBA games try to offer a plethora of options to people, and everyone will find their favorite. For NBA 2K26, they built upon the feedback received from players, and the movement, along with gameplay, all feels a lot more natural and realistic. That’s key, because you have so many modes, you do want to enjoy every match and improve, which now has become a whole lot easier. I like the fact that they continue to add new game modes and clearly, some things like the MyGM and MyCareer are immediate standouts. I’ve always enjoyed NBA 2K games and I think 2K26 has become my favorite. Not only does it have everything I want from a basketball game, tons of modes and realism, but its online features are robust, and the game also didn’t crash on me even once. Yes, there are microtransactions in there that ruin the fun a little, but as a complete package, I think NBA 2K26 is well-worth trying, and you’ll find yourself playing for hours without stopping.

I grew quite fond of Endzone 2 and its world, the building design, but also the innate feeling of helplessness that the game brings at times. It’s definitely one of the go-to titles in the strategy-survival genre for me, alongside Frostpunk and Banished.

Gloomy Eyes isn’t very complex in terms of puzzle design or too innovative in its storytelling. But the mechanics and the universe boost each other, while the two main characters are cute enough to keep players engaged. The game is relaxing and fun, even if the story doesn’t offer too many surprises. The Tim Burton-derived presentation enhances gameplay at first but becomes tiring after a while. Gloomy Eyes doesn’t fully deliver on its potential but offers a solid set of puzzles built around a charming pair of heroes.

All in all, I think the game is a great choice for those who love survival-horror games, although you should be prepared to die and repeat levels countless times. But it’s all a part of the experience, and realistically, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thumbs up for a very solid experience that proves you can still do a good game in an oversaturated genre.

Bullet Noir is a fast, unforgiving, and gore-filled top-down shooter. Its core mechanics are designed to appeal to players who want to master both characters and levels, pushing their performance during every run to gain more points and place higher on the provided leaderboards. The appeal will be enhanced for fans of Hotline Miami and Sin City. Unfortunately, the game’s characters aren’t very different in their approach to combat, and the story doesn’t do anything special. The top-down view might also be an issue for some action fans. Bullet Noir will create a very fun time for competitive gamers who want to really master a system.

Wildwood Down is a fun adventure game with a retro look that’s designed to appeal to players who like the core ideas of the genre and aren’t afraid to try weird ideas out to solve puzzles. Protagonist Daniel‘s Down syndrome is not at the core of the story, but it does make the entire experience unique. The solid hint system makes it easy to play through and experience the narrative, even for players who don’t have a ton of patience. I struggled with the graphics at first, but they become more tolerable when night falls over the boardwalk. And players do have to accept that logic doesn’t always work when looking for solutions. Wildwood Down doesn’t try to reinvent the adventure game template but delivers fun moments, solid puzzles, and clear ways to make progress for fans of this genre and newcomers.

Fresh Tracks is a great game with very good music designed to appeal to those who already know they love the rhythm genre. On the higher difficulties, it will challenge anyone to get past a level’s challenges but also makes accommodations for those who might not be as in sync with the rhythm. The rogue elements might help with the game’s longevity but feel somewhat like an afterthought. Play on the lowest difficulty level if the rhythm challenges seem too hard, and try to unlock as many of the songs as possible. Fresh Tracks works best played in sessions of around two runs, when players hit the right balance between enjoying the music and mastering the rhythm mechanics.