John Carpenter's Toxic Commando surprised me. I expected it to be an enjoyable co-op shooter based on my previous experiences with it, but it ended up becoming my go-to game to play with friends. The gunplay is tight and extremely satisfying, and the decision to use contained maps with easy-to-find points of interest means there's action around almost every corner. There's also so much to upgrade, with gun customization being a very high point, and skill trees for the four character classes improving our abilities further. Even though there could be a little more variety, especially with character skins, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is one of the best co-op experiences I have had the pleasure of enjoying.

Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake does so many things right, and even the mechanics that give me nightmares turned out to be high points in my experience. The atmosphere and setting are creepy, and the great use of jump scares, camera angles, and an engaging story heightened the horror I felt deep within. The use of the Camera Obscura to interact with the world is great, and it ups the horror factor more than I expected, but the combat can be extremely frustrating to the point that I had to take breaks. Still, I always felt compelled to come back, and I am glad I did.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 keeps the good parts of its predecessors, the solid battle system, the vibrant art style, and the creature collecting, then backs it up with the best storyline in the series yet. This, combined with the new habitat restoration feature and a beautiful new world, makes it my favorite entry into the series yet.

Reigns: The Witcher is another solid entry in the series that fans of the signature gameplay of Reigns and The Witcher lore will enjoy. The dark humor and dedication to the lore are a step above the rest, while the addition of “quests” to guide how you interact with the story is wonderful. However, it still feels a little stale.

Planet of Lana 2 is a worthwhile continuation that shows how emotional a beautiful story could be, even without words. The incredible art style remains unchanged from the previous game, and I felt the story held up as a sequel. The puzzles are a little bit on the easy side, but not enough to make it feel unenjoyable. The gameplay is very safe, not straying too far from what defined the original, which is both good and bad.

Docked presents a unique opportunity to manage your own shipping company; unfortunately, it ends up being more focused on moving containers than actual management, and a more balanced approach would have opened the way for a deeper gameplay experience. Unless you get a thrill out of moving container after container around the same dock area, this one may not be for you.

Scott Pilgrim EX is a great beat 'em up that gets almost everything right. The combat is dynamic and exciting, the world is gorgeous and filled with references to other video games, and light RPG systems that made progression more enjoyable than I expected. It can feel a little too simple at times overall, and I had some trouble lining up my attacks, but it never detracts from the gameplay and is still fun, especially when you have another friend to play with.

Esoteric Ebb is a tough game to pin down, but the closest I could describe it as is a CRPG with Visual Novel elements. A lot of burden is placed on the writing, and fortunately, the writing is really good. Almost all action is handled through the dialogue system, and the traditional CRPG mechanics work really well for conversations. As long as you can cope with the somewhat irritating combat mechanics and RNG, Esoteric Ebb is a fun time.

Resident Evil Requiem finds a way to bring the newer and older gameplay styles that have defined the franchise into an exceptionally enjoyable experience that is perfect for fans of the series. The meshing of Grace's slower, stealthier gameplay with Leon's action-packed killing works wonderfully, giving us the best of both worlds. Combined with an exciting story with some fantastic twists and turns and a gorgeous setting with recognizable locations, Requiem stands above its minor issues to become one of my favorite survival horror experiences I’ve played.

Demon Tides exceeded almost all of my expectations for this 3D platformer. The mechanics are tight and sound, with a great level of customization to modify our moveset in unique ways that cater to how we want to play. The open world and player-driven exploration make finding islands with platforming challenges more engaging, while the rewards for completing these were worthwhile and motivating. There are some minor issues here and there, but none of them take away from how well-built the game is.

What makes Blades of Greed disappointing isn’t that it lacks ideas. The ambition is visible everywhere, in its scale, its expanded systems, and its attempt to modernise traversal. But ambition without refinement magnifies flaws. Where previous entries felt lean and focused, this one feels bloated and less confident in its own fundamentals.

NORSE: Oath of Blood has a good game underneath all the bugs. The combat works, the storyline is good, and the presentation is excellent. These things combined helped me power through the many bugs (and sometimes crashes) that I experienced. Hopefully, a few patches down the line, we will have a very solid tactical RPG on our hands.

PARANORAMSIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse is exactly what I wanted it to be. It doesn't change up much from the previous game, which is great. It keeps the fantastic structure and gameplay mechanics, while bringing in a new, exciting story and an intriguing cast of characters. It can sometimes feel like an information overload, and there's a lot of information, but the tale is so engaging that it never bothered me enough to stop playing.

Big Hops did something interesting today: it charmed a player who is terrible at platformers into liking it. The gameplay offers plenty of variety with its different mechanics, and I’ve found the story and characters charming. It isn’t perfect, of course, with some irritating camera bugs, a general lack of customization for game settings, and some very frustrating moments at times. None of these are dealbreakers, however, and I can heartily recommend Big Hops as a solid game in its genre.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon is a great next game in the JRPG series and sets the bar high for future entries in the series. The implications of the finale are worth playing through, with an exciting buildup filled with twists and turns I didn't expect.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a gorgeous, fluid, and intriguing metroidvania that succeeds on almost all fronts. The intriguing story hooked me in, while the fantastic traversal and platforming mixed well with the simplistic combat to create an engaging experience. The fast travel and respawns could be a little unforgiving, and I wish there were more parts to further upgrade MIO to continue experimenting, but it was still fun nonetheless.

In the end, Arknights: Endfield feels like a game made with quiet confidence. It’s dense, occasionally stubborn, and absolutely uninterested in chasing mass appeal. That won’t work for everyone, and it doesn’t try to. But for players willing to meet it on its own terms, Endfield offers a richly atmospheric, mechanically engaging experience that feels rare in the free-to-play space.

Cairn combines strategy and survival to create a unique experience that I want to keep coming back to. The combination of strategy and survival in climbing a treacherous mountain is well-balanced, keeping gameplay engaging and fun throughout. It can be brutal and unforgiving with how quickly you can fall, and save points are a little too scattered in some areas, but it was hard to find any moment that didn’t make me want to try climbing again.

It is early days yet for MENACE, but I’m already impressed by what's on offer. I’ve probably played better turn-based tactics games in my time, such as Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, and I’ve also played games with better management systems. However, it’s the combination of the two that blends into something truly captivating. The game still needs work, and I would prefer to wait for some interface optimization before I’m comfortable playing it on the Steam Deck long term, but fans of Battle Brothers can expect Overhype Studios to be in this for the long haul. [Early Access Score = 80]

Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined is a fantastic remake of the original that addresses many of its problems. The story has been streamlined with some great additions to make the other characters stand out more, while the combat has the accessibility settings and adjustments that the most recent games benefit from. It does feel a little too easy at times, which makes the strategic elements of battle feel less necessary, but it never fully detracts from the experience enough to regret playing.

My Hero Academia: All's Justice is filled with original content and new ideas that work quite well. I enjoyed the amount of single-player content we have, along with the enjoyable stories with Team Up mode and little bits here and there with Hero's Diary. The vast amount of characters and a great amount of customizability keep me coming back to play more, even after I finished the stories.

Nioh 3 is my favorite game so far this year, hands down. The combat is exquisite with new mechanics that complement the refinements from the previous two games, while the open-world levels fit right in with the series. The story may not be the most memorable, but the action makes up for it completely. This is now my all-time favorite soulslike, and if you have a computer powerful enough to run it, I can happily recommend it with ease.

Sometimes, even good games fall through the cracks due to the sheer number of titles that exist, especially in the indie gaming scene. After playing Clawpunk, I hope more people discover this. It might not do anything wholly new or unique, but it does a great job with almost everything that matters.

Despite the issues here and there, Romeo is a Dead Man feels like a SUDA51 game through and through, which is a compliment. There aren't many games that challenge status quos when it comes to their mechanics and style, but SUDA51 does. Does it work? Not all of the time. Can it be frustrating? Sometimes. However, there aren't many games that embrace this style and structure that direct correlates what the norms are.

REANIMAL is a fantastic horror game from the Little Nightmare veterans. The atmosphere and world are wonderfully crafted with a disturbing story and creepy characters. The gameplay differences help it stand out, though it still feels a little too close to home in some cases, but that doesn't detract from how great an experience the game is as a whole.